Repelling the Enemy

When Knight Marshall's slash reached its peak, a powerful aura locked onto Abel. Abel's intent to dodge was completely suppressed by this aura. Then, the greatsword carved a perfect arc through the air. Only then did Abel realize he had only two options: block or retreat.

In Abel's mind, his spiritual power simulated a figure that parried with its sword held horizontally. The Knight Marshall's immense strength shattered the simulated figure with a single blow.

Abel snapped back to reality from the simulation. He seemed to understand that the martial power in this world was different from his previous life. Due to years of cold weapon warfare, the use of cold weapons here had reached a state of simplicity, where great skill was unadorned.

Of course, this was inseparable from humanity's greatest enemy, the orcs. If humans didn't swing their weapons with all their might, they might not even be able to cut through an orc's skin. Orcs were more agile and faster than humans. For survival, humans had simplified their martial arts to the extreme.

Abel now realized that although his realm had reached Level 5 Rookie Knight, his understanding of swordsmanship was still severely lacking. Witnessing the Knight Marshall's training this time gave Abel a new perspective on knight training.

"Abel, what did you need me for?" The Knight Marshall had stopped his greatsword and asked, seeing Abel approach.

"Oh." The Knight Marshall's voice pulled Abel out of his thoughts. He said, "I came to test my sword."

The Knight Marshall's eyes lit up. He stared at the greatsword Abel was holding and asked, "Test this sword? What does it do?"

The Knight Marshall was aware of the two magic greatswords Abel had created. He favored the Ice Magic Greatsword in his hand. Although the Fire Magic Greatsword had higher attack power, the ability to slow down enemies in combat was much more practical than a slight increase in Fire Element attack power.

Now that Abel was here to test a magic greatsword, it likely wasn't either of those two. The thought of a brand-new magic greatsword made the Knight Marshall incredibly excited. After all, the Ice Magic Greatsword and the Hari Bow had already increased the Knight Marshall's combat power manifold.

Abel was thinking about the Rune's function of repelling enemies, but it had no effect on chopping wood. Was it because wood wasn't a "foe" and its true function was only revealed when fighting living beings? That's why Abel had sought out the Knight Marshall.

"Uncle Marshall, let me slash you once, and you can try blocking with your sword."

"No problem." The Knight Marshall was very confident in his own strength and cooperating with Abel's test was not an issue.

"Be careful." Abel said, raising his greatsword. He had just observed the Knight Marshall's slashing motion. The moment he raised the greatsword, the process he had simulated with his spiritual power flashed before his eyes. His spiritual power operated at high speed, and Abel's aura began to change. It was as if the greatsword had merged with his body at this moment.

The Knight Marshall across from him changed his expression. He felt like he was facing a colossal sword. This was Sword Intent, something only a master swordsman who had practiced for many years could possess?

The Knight Marshall recalled that he had achieved Sword Intent five years ago after a breakthrough in swordsmanship. He knew Abel hadn't been practicing for long. He had taken over Abel's knight training from Knight Bennett.

Abel seemed to have entered the state he was in during his first Hundred Refinements Blank. His unrefined Battle Qi slowly gathered, and his entire body shimmered with the light of Battle Qi. In this instant, Abel seemed to transform into an indestructible blade. As his momentum reached its peak, all of Abel's Battle Qi surged into the greatsword. Although his Battle Qi couldn't enter the greatsword due to his insufficient level, the greatsword, accelerated by the Battle Qi, slashed down rapidly. The air seemed to be torn like a thin piece of parchment under the greatsword's slash, making a tearing sound.

The Knight Marshall muttered to himself. No one would dare to take this blow head-on. As an Intermediate Knight, he could block it, but it would require him to use his Battle Qi to clash directly. As an Intermediate Knight who trained year-round, using Battle Qi meant a full-power attack, and it would be difficult to hold back from harming Abel.

Jumping backward, the Knight Marshall dodged Abel's sword. Abel, having missed, seemed to have exhausted all his strength. He couldn't hold the greatsword, and it clattered to the ground with a clang. Abel also collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.

Rookie Knights could only use their Battle Qi once. Although using it wouldn't harm their fundamental strength, it would take several days to recover from such an expenditure.

Abel had inexplicably grasped an unrefined Sword Intent. Driven by this Sword Intent, all his Battle Qi had detonated and erupted in an instant.

"What happened?" Abel asked, still somewhat dazed as he sat on the ground, having just emerged from his epiphany.

The Knight Marshall felt like he was as stupid as a pig. This thirteen-year-old boy had learned Sword Intent through an epiphany, while he himself had practiced swordsmanship for decades and only learned it in his thirties.

Furthermore, he had never experienced an epiphany in his life, yet this kid had, twice, as the Knight Commander had personally witnessed. How could the gap between people be so vast?

Thoughts raced through the Knight Marshall's mind, but they were ultimately replaced by happiness and joy. This boy before him was his successor, the genius of the Hari Family.

"You had another epiphany!" The Knight Marshall said through gritted teeth.

"No wonder I'm so tired. It's like this every time." Abel's voice held a hint of helplessness, as if the epiphany had brought him great misfortune.

The Knight Marshall's eyes occasionally flashed with a cold glint. He clenched his fist, considering whether to beat the kid up. This was a classic case of the fortunate not knowing their fortune.

"Why did you retreat? Were you pushed back by the sword just now?" Abel asked excitedly, noticing the Knight Marshall's changed position.

"You went crazy, and I wasn't going to join you. I retreated myself." The Knight Marshall didn't notice the source of Abel's excitement and answered directly.

Abel, greatly disappointed, stood up and found that his strength seemed to have recovered somewhat. He couldn't even think about Battle Qi; his Qi Veins were empty. But as long as he had strength, that was enough.

"Let's do it again. This time I'll just slash, and you just block." Abel raised his greatsword again. This time, lacking strength, the greatsword felt weak as he lifted it overhead.

The Knight Marshall made a defensive stance, holding his sword horizontally in front of his chest, and gave Abel a look, signaling him to begin.

The greatsword chopped down. This time, the slash was very slow. The Knight Marshall felt that blocking this sword wouldn't even require any effort; he could block it just by staying still.

The two greatswords met. Abel's greatsword struck the Knight Marshall's horizontally held sword. There wasn't much sound because there wasn't much force behind it.

The Knight Marshall easily blocked Abel's greatsword. The force transmitted through the sword was very weak. Just as the Knight Marshall was about to mock Abel, an irresistible force came from Abel's greatsword. This force had no harmful power, but it carried a mountain-like pressure that forced one to retreat. One step, two steps, three steps. The Knight Marshall retreated ten steps before stopping.

The relaxed expression on the Knight Marshall's face vanished, replaced by indescribable shock. He was one hundred percent certain that the force just now had not come from Abel. He also knew that Abel's body had no strength left. That force made the Knight Marshall feel insignificant, a feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time. The last time was when he faced a Knight Commander, but this feeling was even stronger than what the Knight Commander had given him.

This force, which the Knight Marshall couldn't describe, was precisely the Power of Rules within the greatsword. The Rune's function of repelling enemies was a mandatory repulsion, regardless of how strong the enemy was. This power, from the perspective of the rules, had to repel the enemy. This power was still too advanced for Abel and the Knight Marshall.

"What is this sword's function?" The Knight Marshall stared intently at the greatsword in Abel's hand, feeling an urge to snatch it.

"It should be to repel enemies, right? You seemed to be repelled just now?" Abel looked happily at the greatsword in his hand. This time, he was sure it was a success.