Chapter 28 : Comprehension
Chapter 28: Comprehension! Tide Cross Sword!
In just a few short seconds, the two had already exchanged more than ten strikes.
And at this moment, Leo showed no intention of stopping—he had already entered the state.
Indeed, only through real combat could one truly feel the subtle changes when forces collided.
The surrounding onlookers all held their breath as they watched the battle.
They hadn’t expected Leo’s combat strength to be this formidable.
At first, they had all thought Rog would easily win.
But from the very first clash, Rog had actually fallen into a disadvantage due to carelessness, only gradually regaining his footing afterward.
The battle gradually turned into a tug-of-war.
It seemed that neither side could defeat the other.
Rog was the leader among these Knight’s Squires.
He had to win this fight—otherwise, his authority would be greatly damaged.
But gradually, he felt his attacks becoming more and more strenuous.
This kind of high-intensity confrontation consumed a great deal of stamina.
The fight had already lasted over ten minutes.
Several times, Rog had found openings in Leo’s defense.
But each time, he was just a step away from finishing him off.
Until finally, Rog was panting heavily, his hands trembling uncontrollably.
After more than ten minutes of fighting, he truly couldn’t go on.
Meanwhile, Leo remained composed and at ease, growing more energized as the fight went on.
With almost no suspense, Leo seized the opportunity and placed his sword against Rog’s throat.
“I concede.” Rog forced out the words through clenched teeth, unwilling in his heart.
The duel between the two ended here.
To the Knight’s Squires present, it seemed like an intense and evenly matched battle.
Only Leo knew that he had been acting the entire time.
After the first clash, he had been holding back his strength.
His goal was to experience the force interactions during combat.
Of course, winning still mattered to him—after all, there was a silver coin at stake.
That was all his current wealth.
In truth, holding back while sparring like this was quite difficult.
The balance was hard to control.
Midway through, Leo had even deliberately exposed a few openings, creating the illusion that he was about to be defeated.
In reality, throughout the entire fight, he hadn’t felt any real pressure.
By the end, Rog’s stamina was nearly exhausted and no longer of any value—so Leo easily finished off his first human sandbag.
But Rog himself was completely unaware of the truth.
He angrily threw his iron sword to the ground.
“Damn it, I was just a little bit short! If I had been more decisive just now, I could’ve won!”
Rog’s mind was filled with regret over the missed opportunities.
In his eyes, the gap between them was negligible—he had failed to seize several chances.
He believed that if they fought again, he would definitely win.
Gritting his teeth, Rog was helped to the side by Eddie and another squire.
Meanwhile, Leo casually pocketed the two silver coins.
He tossed them into the air and caught them again.
So fighting really could make money.
And fast, too.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, pretending to pant heavily. “Ha… anyone else who’s unconvinced can come try.”
“Damn it, get up there! I fought him for so long and you’re still scared? Where’s your guts?” Rog slumped against the wall, still cursing. “Fidis, didn’t you always claim you were on par with me? He’s already this exhausted, and you still don’t dare to go?”
On the other side, a tall squire named Fidis became the center of attention.
It seemed that his strength ranked second among these squires.
“Fidis, come give it a try. I feel like you might be even stronger than Rog.” Leo beckoned with his finger, encouraging him.
Hearing this, Rog almost spat blood from anger.
Leo’s attitude provoked dissatisfaction from everyone present.
“Damn it, why is that Leo so arrogant?”
“He’s completely not taking Fidis seriously.”
“Fidis, take him down!”
Fidis was in the same tier as Rog in terms of strength, but he was not usually someone who stirred trouble.
However, with everyone watching him now, he felt as if he had been pushed into the spotlight.
For noble youths, face was everything.
Even if forced into it, Fidis had no choice but to fight.
“Come, this time I’ll bet two silver coins.” Leo once again took out all his wealth.
Fidis gritted his teeth, staring at the arrogant and insolent figure before him.
He picked up a broad blade from the wall.
As a knight, he was somewhat different—compared to swords, he preferred using a blade.
Facing this arrogant and disrespectful opponent, he intended to strike him down head-on with his more proficient family blade techniques.
Leo, meanwhile, stretched his body theatrically before lifting his iron sword again.
In truth, under the effect of the 【Tempering】 Trait, his previous fight with Rog had barely consumed any stamina.
Pretending to be exhausted was simply to lure in the next opponent.
But the moment the fight began, Leo became instantly serious.
As the blade and sword collided, the battle erupted once more.
Using the same approach, Leo first tested his opponent’s strength.
As their weapons clashed, Fidis was immediately forced back a step.
Leo narrowed his eyes—Fidis’s strength was even weaker than Rog’s.
However, his blade techniques were very different from Rog’s swordsmanship.
His blade style incorporated some of the essence of the Mountain-Cleaving Cross Sword, blending sword techniques with blade techniques.
In terms of moves, blade techniques were more expansive and emphasized a fierce, domineering momentum.
Although Fidis’s blade technique was fierce, everything remained under Leo’s control.
Fighting against a different type of weapon was even more beneficial for him to explore his own sword momentum and methods of force application.
After the battle with Rog, Leo seemed to have grasped a hint of sword momentum.
At this moment, the two exchanged blows intensely.
On the surface, Leo was being suppressed by Fidis.
But in reality, just a few minutes into the fight, Leo’s panel suddenly shifted.
A new entry appeared in the skill section.
【Tide Cross Sword (Blue) First Stage 1/100 (Effect: Power of Dark Tide)】
Leo’s eyes lit up instantly.
Through this battle with Fidis, he had finally stepped into the threshold of advanced swordsmanship.
Moreover, the Tide Cross Sword was a Blue-tier technique.
Meanwhile, Fidis continued his relentless assault.
He pressed forward, raising his blade repeatedly, forcing Leo to retreat step by step.
This move was called Rising Dragon—an extremely domineering technique and currently Fidis’s strongest move.
Facing this offensive, Leo suddenly tightened his grip on the iron sword.
In an instant, he felt his forearm swell with blood.
His muscles and bones felt as though they were being compressed by immense force, on the verge of bursting.
But Leo did not release all that power through his swing.
Instead, he sank his stance and, facing the incoming attack, delivered a seemingly unhurried strike.
Whoosh!
As he swung his sword, he felt resistance within his arm.
It was as if he was contending against his own strength.
Or more precisely—
Leo was treating his body like a spring compressed to its absolute limit.
This strike appeared ordinary, not particularly fast.
But the moment Fidis’s blade made contact with Leo’s iron sword—
The sword momentum, compressed to its limit, exploded.
All the stored power burst forth like a mountain torrent.
Clang!