The Genius Son-in-law of the Swordmaster Household—Blessed by Authority

Proving One's Ability (3)

A red rock canyon in a wasteland, sparsely dotted with yellow weeds.

The sun had almost set, and now the sky was violet.

"......."

"......."

Ian and Morgan faced each other, standing about five meters apart.

Both had taken off their upper garments and neatly folded them to the side.

If their clothes were torn during the duel, it would be troublesome.

The other blood kin stood nearby, observing the duel.

"What are the rules of the duel?"

When Ian asked, Morgan, as if he already had something in mind, held up his finger to indicate the number one.

"Each of us will take turns trading punches. Whoever gives up first or collapses, loses."

Simple, and good that way.

"Then who goes first?"

"We'll decide with a coin toss. I'm heads, you're tails."

Ian nodded since he didn't care either way.

― Ting!

Morgan immediately flipped a coin.

― Chak!

It landed heads up.

Morgan bared his teeth in a grin.

"I go first."

― Crack. Crack.

Morgan loosened his fingers as he pondered.

How hard should I hit?

Naturally, he wouldn't go all out from the very first blow.

He couldn't risk killing Ian by mistake.

'I have no intent to kill him.'

Ian was a young man who had come, hoping to form an alliance with his bloodline, to offer help.

He couldn't possibly kill such a favorable ally.

'But I'm not going to go easy on him, either.'

The road to rescuing the blood kin was fraught with deadly dangers.

Even if Ian was a good fellow, if he wasn't exceptionally skilled, Morgan couldn't take him along into those deathtraps.

Unless Ian was truly outstanding, he wouldn't last, and would die almost immediately.

― Tap. Tap.

Morgan tapped his fist lightly.

'It's just the first punch, so I might as well go easy.'

But not so weak that it would look ridiculous.

'If he's at the late-stage Expert rank, this should be enough.'

According to rumors, Ian was an unprecedented genius in history.

Scarlet called him her lifesaver, so Morgan grew curious and looked into him.

Yuria, the youngest daughter of House Hisperion, famed for her natural talent, became a Swordmaster at 18. But at the Sword Dragon Hall, Ian always took first place, never once beaten by Yuria.

'Then Ian's level should be...'

If the rumors were true, even at worst, he should be at least low-rank Master level.

'But rumors tend to be exaggerated.'

Becoming a Swordmaster at 18 was impressive, but not without precedent.

'But according to what Scarlet told me...'

Ian supposedly slaughtered eight demonic humans on his own at age fourteen.

No matter how great a genius, for a fourteen-year-old to take down eight demonic humans alone was incredible.

'He might have exaggerated his accomplishments to look good for Scarlet.'

Maybe he had comrades helping, but made it seem like he did it all alone.

If he was that type to show off, then the rumors calling him a genius might also be hugely overstated.

After all, Ian's current rank had never been officially revealed, unlike Yuria's.

'So I'll start by testing him at late-stage Expert rank.'

That should be more than enough for an opening move.

― Squeeze.

Morgan clenched his fist.

His fist was so large, it looked less like a hand and more like a warhammer.

"Tense your stomach, kid."

Morgan tapped his threatening fist as he closed in.

But Ian showed no signs of tension or excitement.

He just stood there, calm.

Seeing him like that, Morgan smirked.

'Well, at least he's got guts.'

But guts alone weren't enough to stand with us.

― Swish!

Morgan threw his punch.

He only lightly put some hip rotation into it.

Even so, a single punch from a top-rank Master striker was more powerful than a cannon.

― BOOOM!!

The immediate explosion as his punch landed on Ian's abdomen.

― Whoooooooosh!

Air burst, winds rushed through the canyon, and echoes boomed.

A truly tremendous blow, more than enough to be compared to a cannon.

But—

"... Hmm?"

... What was this?

Morgan furrowed his brows reflexively.

'What is this sensation?'

It felt like hitting the ground, not a person.

Normally, his opponent should at least get pushed back a little, but Ian, as if rooted to the ground, didn't budge an inch.

"......"

Morgan straightened his posture slowly, frowning as he looked at Ian.

"Wha...!"

Ian seemed undisturbed—calm and composed, as if he hadn't just been struck by a cannon-like blow.

"It's my turn now."

Even his breathing didn't waver in the slightest.

"H-huh!?"

Morgan let out a dumbfounded laugh.

No matter how accomplished Ian was, it shouldn't be possible that he'd take no damage from that punch.

And Ian was completely bare-chested—no armor at all.

What in the world? How could he be this unfazed?

'Ah, was he wearing an artifact!?'

No. If so, magic power would be detectable.

He didn't use aura to protect himself either.

There was none of that unique rebound sensation that came with aura.

'Then he really took it with nothing but his body...?'

Is that possible?

Could a human body be trained to such an extent?

― Gulp.

He swallowed reflexively.

But he couldn't let it show.

They were in the middle of a contest.

"Haha!"

Morgan forced a laugh.

"You've got pretty good endurance!"

"You call this good? That's a generous evaluation."

Ian brushed some dirt off his stomach with a faint smile.

"......"

This is all?

Morgan's pride took a hit.

'Damn, I should've hit harder.'

He'd just take the hit now and return a proper one next round.

"... Well, your turn now. Pick any spot and hit."

― Nod.

Ian raised his right fist.

'Hmph.'

Morgan loosened his hips as he prepared for Ian's punch.

'He may have strong endurance, but what about his attack strength...'

It felt unnatural for someone Ian's age to have such a tough body.

Maybe he'd heavily invested in defensive arts.

If so, his attacking power would likely be unimpressive.

'Still, you never know.'

If he let his guard down, he could be embarrassed.

'I'll brace myself.'

He'd show that his own endurance was not to be trifled with.

His body, built over many years accumulating blood energy, had long surpassed human limits.

Now his muscles were as solid as armor.

― THUD!!

"Ku, kuack?!"

But Morgan's abs were pierced through with ease by Ian's casual punch.

"A-argh...!"

Morgan unconsciously staggered back, clutching his abdomen.

'I-I can't... b-breathe... Was that really a punch!?'

He finally managed to look down—yes, that was a punch.

When was the last time he'd felt such a heavy fist—

And not from another blood kin, but from a human.

'What the—this is a monster...!'

Ian hadn't even used enhanced energy, nor had he put any real force into his back foot.

He'd simply twisted at the waist and thrown the punch.

How could it be so heavy, so painful?

It felt like being stabbed with an awl.

The pain penetrated his organs, shaking his spine.

'I-If I hadn't steadied myself, I might've collapsed...!'

His vision went white for a moment; if he hadn't regained focus quickly, his knees would have buckled.

"Oh..."

"... Hooo."

The blood kin watching let out impressed murmurs.

"... Morgan's being overwhelmingly outclassed, isn't he?"

"For someone to have that much force without even using enhanced energy... Morgan's finally met a worthy rival."

"Didn't I say that kid was something special~?"

"K-Kuh...!"

Morgan grimaced even more, his pride wounded.

He'd always been respected among the blood kin for his endurance.

But to show such a pitiful display after being struck lightly by a mere nineteen-year-old upstart, even if the opponent was an extraordinary genius...

'I'll turn things around this round... I need to show something here!'

Attacks at the Expert rank didn't faze Ian at all.

So he could raise the force much higher now.

"This time, it's my turn... I'm going all out..."

Morgan muttered as if to warn him.

Since Ian hadn't used enhanced energy, Morgan wouldn't draw on his own blood energy.

That would hurt his pride.

But his body, toughened by years of accumulated blood energy, was fair game.

'I'll show you the true power of my body!'

If someone at the top Master level took a direct hit from this fist, they would never withstand it unharmed.

"Urahh!!"

Morgan let out a shout, gathering all his strength into his punch.

― CRAAASH!!

A sound as if a boulder shattered.

But this time too, Ian—

"This can't be your best."

Stood there, not a hair out of place.

Not even his breath, nor a single strand of hair wavered.

"W-what...!"

At this point, Morgan couldn't help but be shocked.

He'd hit so hard his own fist ached.

He'd twisted with his waist and pushed with his back leg.

"H-How is this...!"

Morgan trembled, retreating.

― Tap.

Ian tapped Morgan's stomach.

"I'll give you one more chance. So do it properly this time."

"... What?"

Morgan grimaced fiercely.

"Hoo..."

"That kid is interesting~."

Meanwhile, the watching blood kin were thoroughly entertained.

Ian looked Morgan squarely in the eye and spoke.

"This time, go all out. Use your blood energy and your martial arts—give me your full power."

"Ha...ha...!"

Morgan's jaw dropped.

'What the...'

Wasn't that the kind of line an adult says when humorously taking a child's punch?

"K-Kuuhh!"

Even after hitting as hard as he could, he was now getting condescended to by a human hundreds of years his junior.

Now, Morgan's pride was in tatters.

"I—I was letting you off easy since you seem talented, but you—now you're getting cocky!"

No matter what Morgan said, Ian carried on unconcerned.

"For your information, I'll judge your ability on this next blow. If you disappoint me again... just stay home. I'll go rescue the captured blood kin with the others."

"W-what?! K-Kuhh...!"

Morgan seethed, his eyes nearly rolling back in fury.

"Fine...! Arrogant brat. For your sake, I'll teach you a lesson today."

No matter how talented someone is, if they don't know their place, they'll end up dead before they can make full use of their talents.

He would show this boy just how wide the world is—and impart some wisdom, as a senior in life.

That way, all this humiliation and anger would be washed away.

― Whooooosh...!

Red blood energy began to flare up around Morgan's fist.

― Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

The blood energy blazed like flames, surging up his arms and shoulders, soon enveloping his entire back as it expanded tremendously.

"This time, it's my real full power. You should brace yourself too, kid."

If this strike hit an Expert, it was instant death.

Even a Master could die if hit in a vital spot.

Of course, he didn't mean to kill Ian, so he'd keep it non-lethal, but even so, if Ian took this blow, he'd have a hard time staying conscious.

"Mm. That's more like it."

But Ian neither gathered his energy nor adopted any kind of defensive stance.

He just stood there, relaxed as a tree.

"Alright then..."

Morgan gritted his teeth and let out a deep breath.

"Today, I'll crush that arrogance. Consider it a valuable lesson."

Ian simply gestured for him to come.

At that instant—

― Flash!

Morgan's form shot forward like a bolt of lightning.

The shockwave from the sheer kinetic energy was immense.

The air brushing past his skin spiked to thousands of degrees in an instant; a sonic boom erupted and sparks flew.

In less than 0.001 seconds, the distance closed and his punch drove into Ian's gut.

― CRAAAAASH!!

― KWAAAAAA!

Morgan, the moment his punch landed in the abdomen, added more rotation.

He twisted his fist into Ian's abs for deeper impact.

He put his weight into his front foot, pushed hard off his back foot, and twisted his waist powerfully.

If an ordinary Expert took this strike, their body would have exploded immediately.

But—

― FWOOOOOOOSH!!!

A gale roared through the canyon, the echoes screaming from the force of the strike.

But the only thing causing a commotion was the wind and the echoes.

Ian was still there, looking down at Morgan without the slightest sign of disarray.

"That was a bit better."

Even giving a thin evaluation.

"... Un—un...!"

Morgan was at a loss for words.

The demonstration of ability had ended long ago.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】