Fighting to Survive!

To be precise, it should be Aqua Duna.

Second Captain of the Third Legion, the strongest Sword Saint of the Great Crusade era, the most powerful, fiercest, and most dominant swordmaster among the two hundred remaining Emperor's Children.

Known as the "Leader of the Two Hundred Swordsmen," the "First Court Swordsman," and "Fulgrim's long—uh, eldest daughter?"

Thanks to her stellar performance of lasting five minutes in a one-on-one duel with a Primarch and stabbing them twice in the process, she secured the third-best record of a mortal against a Primarch.

(The top two were from Nuceria.)

She possessed nearly transcendent swordsmanship and unmatched, unbeatable dueling prowess.

And also that god-awful cooking, emotional intelligence, and artistic painting skill.

After all, the Third Legion had always been a unit teeming with eccentric talents.

And since Kasgar joined, it seemed they were only missing a talking white Labrador.

Aqua, who had just returned, had her neat, clean white hair cut to ear length, a polite smile on her face, and wore a baker's uniform sized for a Space Marine's frame.

At her left and right waist hung a pair of Xhanabal Sabers.

The one on the left was ancient yet elegant, and even sheathed, the blade's chill could still be felt.

As for the right, it was wrapped in golden silk.

Even when just making cookies, she kept these two sabers on her, inseparable.

"Are you the two Emperor's Children recruits Fulgrim assigned?"

Seeing that the two in the room didn't yet know her "background," Aqua raised the tray in her hands, full of hope.

"...Want to eat something first?"

Then she saw the two new apprentices shaking their heads faster than Warp speed.

"Tch."

Used to this by now, she clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"Then let's start directly."

She drew the saber from her left side, producing a crisp ring.

In an instant, the aura around her sank.

It was as if her personality switched the moment the blade left its sheath.

Even clad only in a chef's uniform, her icy eyes and piercing, all-seeing gaze betrayed her immense combat experience.

"Lucius, you go first."

After drawing her sword, Aqua stepped into the training cage, her tone turning several degrees colder.

"Attack me with your proudest swordsmanship. Don't hold back."

"Then, Master, forgive me!"

With that, Lucius, unaware of her true skill, got excited, eager to show off in front of his new teacher.

He casually picked up a mortal-sized Duelist Sword and charged at her swiftly.

As he rushed, he twirled the blade into a flashy flourish.

Back on Chemos, Lucius had been a famous Gladiator in the Karax Arena.

With his flashy swordplay, despite his youth, he was virtually undefeated in duels, with no equal.

Praised as Chemos's strongest young swordsman.

He was confident that, even as a mortal unable to harm his master much, his dazzling technique would surely earn her appro—

Clang!

Facing Lucius's flashy flourish, Aqua merely watched him coldly, her saber blocking his attack with a clean, concise, yet exceptionally graceful motion.

At the same time, she stepped forward and slammed the flat of her blade heavily against Lucius's calf, numbing his leg.

The entire sequence, as if deliberately accommodating his movements, was unusually slow, not like a Space Marine's speed.

Slap!

"Your footwork is unsteady."

Lucius frantically tried to turn and counter-thrust, but that move was already anticipated.

Slap.

"Your movements are flashy."

Another heavy flat-of-blade strike sent him, sword and all, flying.

Hope he's okay.

Watching Lucius's miserable state, Kasgar silently prayed.

"All show, no substance."

Aqua shook her head coldly.

"Not bad talent, but hard to put to good use."

"Next up, you, Kasgar."

Seeing Aqua raise her sword in signal, Kasgar picked up a nearby small training blade meant for mortals—a Shana-Baal practice sword—and nodded at her.

"Your move."

The pressure of facing her head-on was far more intense than watching from the sidelines.

But thankfully, the thirty years of learning and training under Fulgrim had sharpened his swordsmanship by leaps and bounds.

He dared to claim that even the gifted Lucius, if it came to a real fight, would still be no match for him.

Kasgar lowered his center of gravity, focused his mind, and charged at her.

Clang!

But she easily parried it, instantly breaking his stance and counterattacking.

Smack!

The flat of her blade slammed into his right hand, numbing his arm and nearly making the saber slip from his grip.

"Rash movements."

Damn it!

He'd predicted she'd strike like that, he'd seen the blow coming, but he still couldn't parry or dodge!

A fierce, unyielding fighting spirit and resentment surged within him.

"Keep it up, Kasgar!"

As for Lucius, who'd just gotten up, he was cheering on the sidelines with a gloating grin.

Seeing that her first strike had successfully knocked the weapon from his hand, Aqua swiftly brought her blade to Kasgar's neck to signal the match was over.

Clang!

"Arrogant and proud—huh?"

But that lightning-fast blade-to-neck move of hers was actually blocked by Kasgar.

He'd lifted the two-handed saber with just his left hand, holding it crosswise to stop the strike.

Though she hadn't put much force into it, merely aiming to rest it on his neck, Kasgar's reaction speed caught her off guard.

Using one hand for a two-handed sword.

Aqua inexplicably thought of the other blade strapped at her waist.

"Interesting."

"Your moves are impatient, haste makes waste. But you seem to have some talent, and you train hard usually."

"Judging by your footwork and sword forms, Lady Fulgrim's taught you plenty, hasn't she?"

Kasgar nodded.

"Then that's a waste of time."

Aqua rarely spared anyone's feelings.

Kasgar could only respond with a wry smile.

"You two—your foundations and talent are just so-so."

"But unfortunately, one of you craves vanity, loving fame more than substance; the other is impatient, always thinking of leaping to the top."

Aqua shook her head with a displeased expression.

And her critique hit the nail on the head.

"Without fixing these flaws, no amount of teaching will help."

"You two, take training swords and practice against each other."

"Uh, Master."

Lucius sidled up to Aqua with a fawning grin.

"In our duels, we usually need a little stake or something."

As he spoke, his gaze fell on the wall full of master-crafted sabers.

"How about—"

"Fine."

Aqua agreed quickly.

She turned and picked up a tray: "You two, the loser eats cookies I made for dinner."

!

!

In an instant, the looks Kasgar and Lucius exchanged shifted slightly.

Enemies meet, eyes blazing with hatred!

Clang!

Their weapons clashed together at lightning speed.

"Lucius! You damn bastard! If you want to eat that crap yourself, go ahead—why drag me into it?!"

"Hey—how was I supposed to know it'd turn out like this? Take this!"

"Seriously? A sneak attack? Where's your honor as a duelist?"

"What do you know! I'm fighting to survive!"

"Hmph! You despicable scum, try this!"

"You?! You actually—"

"Hehe, I'm definitely going to win!"

The two new disciples were indeed full of fighting spirit.

"Is my cooking really that bad?"

But their master, Aqua, didn't seem pleased about it.

Knock knock.

Under a white lab coat, the Chief Apothecary Melusine, sporting heavy dark circles under her eyes, gave a soft knock at the door.

She interrupted the two as they showed off their skills.

"Recruit Lucius, come over and prepare for your modification surgery."

Damn, surely no one actually thinks I'm illiterate, right?