The Repeated Victory

"Clang!"

A tiny spark appeared with the sound, vanishing in an instant beneath the morning sun.

As usual, the black-haired boy and the golden-haired girl swung their weapons in the courtyard of the Loki Familia.

Sparks flew from their clashing blades, and the crisp ring of metal accompanied their figures as they darted back and forth.

Liber was still training against Ais.

The weapon in his hand was no longer the standard broadsword he had used before, but a standard longsword.

Its blade was about four feet long and an inch wide, straight and double-edged.

He held it in one hand, thrusting straight at Ais before him.

Ais remained calm as she responded, sweeping her practice rapier upward and knocking the incoming longsword aside.

With the back of her hand pressing down on the blade, she guided her rapier along the longsword toward Liber's waist.

Watching Ais react so quickly, Liber stepped backward.

He leaned his whole body back as well, stretching the distance between them as much as possible to evade her rapier.

Their distance abruptly widened as Liber reacted.

Ais had been holding her rapier out to slash across his waist.

But as Liber shifted his whole body backward, the hilt of his longsword blocked her attack.

Feeling the force of the block, Liber let it carry his whole body backward.

Seeing Liber topple, Ais leaned forward, ready to press her advantage.

Liber planted his foot and kicked upward, aiming for Ais's chin.

Feeling the rush of air from the incoming kick, Ais stopped advancing and shifted her body slightly. She watched the sole of his shoe sweep past her without making another move.

As Liber fell backward, he used the momentum of his kick to twist his waist and turn in midair.

He flipped through the air, caught himself with his free left hand, then twisted backward once more with a push from his waist. His feet landed on the ground, and he put a definite distance between them.

With the distance widened, the fierce tension between the two briefly eased.

Liber stood still and took a moment to catch his breath, then charged at Ais again.

They resumed their swift exchange.

Once again, after Ais had just knocked aside the blade coming at her,

she suddenly felt someone lightly patting her shoulder.

Her expression changed slightly, and she looked sharply toward the spot that had been touched.

She saw a hand floating in midair above her shoulder. As if it had noticed Ais's gaze, the suspended hand slowly curled its fingers.

"Snap."

Its fingertips met, and it gave a crisp snap right in front of her.

Caught off guard, Ais stared at the hand snapping in front of her. Her usually composed little face went blank with astonishment.

Her whole body abruptly stopped moving, and then she felt a faint chill at her neck.

"I win."

Then she heard Liber announce his victory beside her.

Ais's body remained in a defensive stance, but her eyes followed the longsword resting against her neck to Liber, who held it.

After declaring his victory, Liber smiled and withdrew the longsword from her shoulder.

When he lowered the sword, Ais finally saw that his left wrist was bare, hidden from view by his body until then.

She put away her rapier, looked at Liber's empty left hand, then at the hand floating beside her. Her face was full of confusion.

Seeing Ais, who had been so calm and composed, looking completely dumbfounded, Liber's smile widened.

Then she saw Liber raise his wrist, and his missing left hand slowly reappeared. At the same time, the hand floating in midair before her gradually vanished as he moved.

"Huh?"

Ais let out a surprised sound at the strange sight, looking back and forth between Liber's reappeared left hand and the spot where the floating hand had disappeared.

Her little face slowly scrunched up.

Seeing her bewildered expression, Liber finally couldn't hold back and laughed.

"Haha, surprised?"

Right in front of Ais, he raised the longsword in his right hand and slowly thrust it forward. As his shoulder extended, the sword in his hand began to disappear from the tip onward. Then, several yards in front of him, its tip suddenly emerged.

When Liber straightened his arm, only the hilt remained in his hand.

Farther away, the metal blade had appeared out of nowhere, floating in midair.

Curious, Ais approached Liber and tentatively held her hand out in front of him.

She gently moved her palm around, but she couldn't touch the vanished blade in front of the hilt Liber held.

Ais thought for a moment, then slowly walked behind the blade that had appeared out of nowhere, searching for the hilt.

After she failed to find the corresponding parts in either of the gaps, she slowly walked back beside him.

Ais looked at Liber in confusion and asked, "That thing you just did... how did you do it?"

Seeing her bewildered expression, Liber repeatedly bent and straightened his arm. The longsword's blade appeared and vanished with his movements as he explained.

"This is a new move I came up with a few days ago. I tried it out today.

"It can not only make something appear at a fixed point like before, but also do this."

As he spoke, Liber swung the longsword, and it instantly vanished from his hand.

The blade suddenly appeared in the air not far away, following the motion of his swing.

It traced an arc through the air, and Ais, who had been watching Liber, saw it too.

"Pretty interesting, right?"

After demonstrating the move, Liber slowly drew his arm back.

The floating blade in the distance began to disappear, and the longsword in his hand returned to normal.

"Want to spar again?"

Liber raised an eyebrow at Ais and asked confidently.

Remembering her unexpected defeat, Ais nodded.

The two put some distance between them, assumed their stances, and began another round.

After their blades had crossed several times, Ais prepared to thrust diagonally toward Liber's chest. But out of the corner of her eye, she noticed his left hand quietly clenching into a fist.

Her mind raced. If Liber was going to punch her, they were obviously too far apart for his arm to reach.

Thinking of their previous bout and his demonstration of the move, her expression grew serious, and she slowed her swing.

She lowered her body slightly, wary of a fist appearing beside her.

Liber noticed how cautious Ais had become, and a sly smile touched his lips.

His clenched left fist suddenly opened and shot forward, while his right hand used the blade to block the incoming attack.

Ais had been on guard against Liber repeating his earlier trick. When she noticed his fist open, her alertness shot to its peak.

Feeling her attack blocked, she prepared to pull Liber into close combat and speed up her offense, leaving him no chance to use his earlier trick.

Suddenly, Ais felt a faint breeze behind her. Her hand moved on instinct, pushing Liber away.

She turned and swung her rapier, striking the half-blade that had come at her from behind.

Just as Ais blocked the attack from behind, she felt something press against the back of her head.

"Phew~ I win again."

Liber, who Ais had shoved away, hurriedly lowered his stance. After catching his breath, he straightened up.

The longsword in his hand had vanished from the tip to the middle of the blade, and his left hand was missing too.

His palm had landed against the back of Ais's head, while the blade he had transferred through space pinned Ais's rapier. That was how he claimed his second victory.

Liber returned his hand and the sword tip to their original positions, then felt his wrist ache from blocking Ais's sudden burst of strength.

He rubbed his wrist and looked at Ais, who seemed a little downcast. After hesitating, he said,

"That's enough for today. You should rest a little too. The Guild announced yesterday that all the Floor-Jump Monsters had been cleared out, so I'll head to the Dungeon early."

"Mm." Ais answered softly, watching Liber turn and leave after saying goodbye to her.

As she watched him walk away, she thought back to her two defeats.

Her hand at her waist tightened around the hilt of her sword.