The woman named Bianca del Castana was well aware of the history of a man named Cain von Estel. She knew in great detail what kind of martial arts he used and how strong he was.
Well, there was no way she wouldn’t know.
When Cain had been part of the expedition, and when he had been taught ‘Flowing Star’ by the princess, Bianca had also helped him in many ways during his training.
Flowing Star, centering on the caster, was the ultimate counter technique that controlled all ‘flow’ within a certain radius at will, regardless of its type. It returned power to the opponent intact after amplifying the flow.
To compare it, it was akin to an invincible shield. No matter how powerful an attack might be, its effect was only applied when it physically struck.
However, Flowing Star disrupted the ‘flow’ of the attack leading to the caster, effectively nullifying the attack itself.
Of course, there were limitations.
It was quite difficult to control the flow of an attack that boasted excessively strong power or an absurdly large surface area. This was evident in the fact that, even though Cain had sacrificed one of his own arms, Bianca’s ‘Sigh of White Flame’ could only partially alter its trajectory rather than returning it to her.
Despite such limitations, in Bianca’s eyes, Flowing Star remained an amazing technique that could rival even magic. It allowed control over all energy within a certain area, dictated by the caster’s will. This feat could not be replicated even by the current generation of magic. That it stemmed from swordsmanship—an extension of human movement—was all the more remarkable.
But, at the same time, that was all there was to it. While Bianca admitted that Flowing Star was a remarkable swordsmanship technique, in the end, it was still just swordsmanship, with its essence rooted in being a counter.
A counter was a technique that operated on the premise of the opponent’s first attack, returning their force as it was. In other words, it was a form of swordsmanship with inherent flaws—it couldn’t actively attack the opponent, even though the main purpose of swordsmanship was to defeat the adversary.
Critically, Flowing Star was limited by the reach of the sword. No matter how much Cain utilized it, only the range within his sword’s reach was included in his attack range.
For Masters who had awakened Aura, the situation would differ slightly, but Cain had not yet achieved such a breakthrough.
Given that, the countermeasure to deal with him was simple: maintain a certain distance and perform long-range attacks. It was an extremely straightforward and textbook countermeasure, but no less effective for a mage to use against a swordsman.
Giiii-yiii-iiing—
Without an incantation or even a gesture, Bianca’s fingers unleashed beams of light like a downpour. Focused on quantity rather than destructive power, their killing potential against humans was relatively low. Still, the sheer number of beams—eleven in total—was overwhelming.
“Kuk!”
Caang!
Cain swung his sword to deflect the beams, raised his trembling left hand to alter their trajectories, and dodged gracefully when possible, all while attempting to close the distance with Bianca.
However, his efforts were in vain.
Thud!
Bianca stomped the ground, creating an intense shockwave that shattered the terrain around her. The tilting ground temporarily restricted Cain’s movements.
Grrreee!
Taking advantage of the opening, Bianca unleashed a massive flash of light, which exploded with a deafening roar. The ground split open, leaving a gaping gorge where they had stood.
Neither Bianca, who had cast the spell, nor Aria, who had been silently observing the duel under Cain’s request, so much as flinched. Instead, Bianca smiled bitterly and addressed the scene of destruction with a low voice.
“I know you’re not dead, so why don’t you stop pretending?”
“…Did you notice?”
When his response came, lacking any semblance of ease, Bianca snorted.
“You think I wouldn’t notice the trajectory veering off at the last moment? Besides, the Flowing Star excels at controlling the flow of energy, especially in a flash attack like that. Who do you think helped you train in it?”
“…That’s true. But you’ve forgotten one crucial detail.”
As the dust settled, Bianca saw Cain emerge, seemingly unscathed. However, his composure belied the reality of his condition.
The earlier flash attack had been so powerful that Cain could only slightly alter its trajectory. Even then, his control over the flow hadn’t been perfect. The flash retained enough destructive power to knock the sword from his hand, and his right palm bled from the impact.
“Cain, it’s pointless. Stop now. If you think I, knowing all your tactics, would allow you to even approach me, you’re gravely mistaken. Your chances don’t exist.”
“…Well, isn’t it only fair to see it through to the end?”
Cain picked up his fallen sword again, showing no signs of surrender.
‘…This isn’t looking good.’
Although he tried to appear relaxed, Cain was growing increasingly anxious. His odds of victory were slim to none. That wasn’t to say he had no chance at all—he had a few tricks up his sleeve. But to execute them, he needed to close the gap between himself and Bianca.
Watching Cain adjust his stance to create an opening, Bianca hesitated, then asked a question. It was one she had resolved not to ask, but her pride as a woman compelled her.
“…Cain. I’ll ask you one last time. Why do you want to protect that woman? Do you truly believe she’s worth protecting, even if it means fighting me like this?”
Unintentionally revealing a flicker of sharp intent, Bianca’s expression betrayed the conflicted emotions of a woman looking at a man.
“…I don’t want to fight you, Bianca. But if I don’t, wouldn’t you sever things with Aria entirely?”
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Check out my other projects: Rehabilitating the Villainess, Pushover Extra Trains the Villainesses, My Wife is the Devil, Transmigrated as the Butler of a Defeated Heroine, My Summons Are Special