My hand glowed as I pulled Alysium out. I just managed to block as Xin struck. The strength of her attack wasn’t just sudden, but it was extremely powerful. She didn’t pull her punch at all. Perhaps, she realized that once I gave her commands, she would be bound by my instructs, so she went all out before I could put any restrictions on her. Normally, in the process of laying a slave bond, these kinds of restrictions were placed on the enslaved. As it turned out, using the ability Enslavement did not come with all of these special clauses.

My blessing glowed across my body as I put all of my strength into block Xin’s attack. Her sword was glowing, which told me she had pulled off a skill as well. Usually, skills took at least a few seconds of warning to launch, but Xin had managed to cut the time into milliseconds and executed it in mid-strike. Even if her levels weren’t impressive, this was a skill that couldn’t be gained with anything but the pinnacle of experience.

I finally lost my footing, getting struck by a powerful impact. I flew back twenty feet before I managed to land on my feet again. If I fell to the ground, then her next attack would cause significant damage, thus, with all of my footwork and skill, I managed to just keep it. After I stopped sliding, I took a deep breath and pulled my sword up, ready for her next attack, only to realize she hadn’t moved from the spot where she had attacked me.

The guards had reacted. These were the best Chalm had to offer, after all, so they had managed to pull their swords and surround her with their weapons out, Ruby included in the mix. Xin seemed completely unconcerned with the dozen swords aimed at her from every direction. Instead, her eyes were on me. A small smirk formed on her face as she lifted her sword and sheathed it.

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“You’ve improved since the last time we’ve fought.”

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. “Which Xin are you now?”

She laughed. “I’m Master’s Xin, always.”

I relaxed slightly, but I was still cautious. “Why did you attack me?”

“A lot can be learned by crossing blades with a man. I had to make sure you were the real Deek, and not some doppelganger, naturally.”

“If you wanted to see my blade, you should have just asked,” I growled.

“H-here?” Xin’s face turned red before she spun around. “I-I see you’re still the same lech as always, Master.”

“Geh! That’s not what I meant!”

“Master even has aims on my mother…” Alysia’s despondent voice came through.

“W-wait! It’s not what it looks like!”

“It’s not the first mother and daughter pair that Lord Deek has claimed.” Ruby sighed.

“H-hey! That’s hardly the same situation! Elaya and Eliana aren’t even related!”

“Hmm? I was talking about Astria and Celeste.”

“W-wait!”

“Deek.” Xin suddenly pointed at me.

“Yes!” I cried out hoarsely.

“You managed to block my blade and not even take any damage. I’d give you all the credit, but I sense that there is something strange and powerful about that blade as well.”

“Ah!” Alysia let out a cry of alarm as Xin suddenly focused on her.

“Y-yes?” I declared, bringing Alysia in front of me, even though the sword tried to move behind me.

“Just what is with your sword!” She demanded.

“Huh? You don’t know?” I raised an eyebrow after the conversation suddenly changed.

“I’m also curious about it too.” Ruby declared. “I didn’t ask anything earlier, but a talking sword is kind of…”

“Oh, um… you see… it’s Alysia?”

Xin stared at me blankly. “Who?”