"Here, take this"

Snapping his fingers, two long and thin single-bladed swords appeared, one hovering in front of her while the other was wielded by Roland. The one in front of her fell moments later. She hastily grabbed it.

" That sword is called a Katana, a durable and fast weapon. I use this type of sword often and in terms of speed and swiftness, it is definitely  unmatched. I think it suits you. Well, let's get started."

Without another word, he dashed towards her.

Suddenly, a feeling like electricity went off  in her mind and she instantly raised her sword to attack.

Faster than the eye could see, they exchanged no less than ten swords strikes.

She slashed down almost instinctively, her sword always aiming at his vital points.

She, in that moment, seemed to become a completely different person. She struck without hesitation, her eyes clear like a tranquil pond. In the back of her mind she was awed at her own actions.

Never had she been able to move so quickly or freely!

Usually she was timid on the battlefield. The sparring matches with her sister years ago always ended in her being frozen, unable to make a single move.

Yet now a deep and profound sense of calmness descended on her, analysing Roland's every move. She saw a series of movements flash in her mind, telling her what actions to take and at what moments. Her body moved on its own, and she made no move to stop it.

Unbeknownst to her, this was a result of the blood link between her and Roland.

He had said the blood link would give her some of his learning and comprehension abilities, but this was something that even he would not expect for her to unlock!

It was battle sense. The ability to intuitively understand and execute combat related skills, to analyze the opponent and instantly grasp their weaknesses.

Not only that, but simply by fighting stronger opponents one can become stronger themselves, becoming more powerful with each battle!

Those with truly high battle sense were monstrous geniuses who would absolutely dominate those within their own generation and allow them to fight with opponents much more experienced than themselves. What took others years, they could do in weeks, even days.

Roland is one possessing a godly level of battle sense, enabling him to learn and understand combat on a much deeper level than others. With a mere glance he would be capable of mastering another's combat techniques and even improve upon it.

Right now, Reina, because of the blood link with Roland, unlocked her own battle sense that was, even under the effects of her curse, still above that of war god Aries himself.

Roland was amazed. He could clearly feel that each swing of her's became sharper and more skillful with every exchange. Her eyes seemed absolutely calm amidst the constant dancing of their blades. Though he was still merely playing, not using an ounce of his true power, she was slowly and steadily getting stronger.

Since she was doing so well, should he step it up a notch?

Reina felt Roland was the type of opponent that was a nightmare to deal with. She, before being taken in by her adoptive parents, had seen many experts within her clan. Each one had an unfathomable aura and high level of combat prowess.

If any of them were here, she thought, they definitely would dread having to fight against Roland.

Under the mysterious world of calmness within her, she found that his attacks were completely unpredictable and was like fighting against a force of nature. Even in her state brought by the awakening of her battle sense, she saw no weaknesses in his movements whatsoever. Even when he seemed to not move fast at all, in those moments she felt even more unable to dodge him. His fighting style was unfathomable.

His attacks came without any of his internal energy, but even still it was unthinkable that he was in any way less dangerous because of it. No, perhaps it was more terrifying that he was so strong without it. Any of the peak experts of her clan would not have been worthy to lick his shoes. Only because he was seriously holding back could she fight him so long.  

And only at the moment he struck could she know what he would do and hastily try to guard against it.

They lost track of how long they fought for. Between each sword exchange there was only enough time to briefly catch her breath. It seemed years could have passed and they would not even notice, focusing solely on each other. In the vast white space the only sound that could be heard was that of the swords as they landed against each other.

Reina was breathing hard, her arms feeling numb but her fingers seemingly unable to drop her sword. Her face was flushed, she was tired, felt like laying down and sleeping for the next hundred years.

He was a monster, she thought, absolutely not human.

Everytime they clashed, she could feel an oppressive aura pressing down on her. That calmness she held sometimes broke down completely, leaving her to fight on by sheer instinct. Only after fighting him did she understand how terrifying he was. When fighting him it gave the feeling that all tactics and strategies were useless.

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He was like a peerless god of war, an absolute demon that could make your blood chill with a glance.  Even now his breathing had not changed at all, he merely looked at her, his expression unreadable. He must have seen that she could no longer fight, because everytime before now he had attacked her without warning.

He was truly merciless!

She currently couldn't even stand properly, relying on the sword for suppport. Everything felt sore, and she was drenched with sweat, which left her very annoyed and not a little bewildered. Seriously, how could she sweat in the first place? She had no physical body!

Throughout the whole battle,  she had only landed one blow upon him, the strike instead causing herself pain. His body felt harder than diamond. This level of injustice made her want to scream. She could feel no satisfaction over her small achievement at all. During the battle she had her entire body cut up, sending waves of pain throught her. He even used his sword to pierce her back several times! it hurt, dammit!

the amount of times he pierced her body made her feel like a pin cushion. Even though she was a woman, he showed her no mercy at all.

Somehow, she felt dizzy. Roland's figure became blurry.  Suddenly, the white space seemed to fade to blackness. . .

During the fight, with each exchange Roland made his attacks faster, heavier. He purposely made her struggle to keep up.

if he constantly pushed her to the limit, her learning speed would increase appropriately.

He had sometimes executed a sword technique that completely overwhelmed her, but after some time he found that she too could perform the technique. It was seemed to him as if the movements were burned into her mind and once she contemplated them she could use the technique herself and to such a degree it felt like she had  practiced it for years.

The her of now could not be compared to the her of the past.

It was like a metamorphosis. A truly miraculous level of growth.

Inwardly, Roland was shocked. Her power right now was comparable to those who went through several years of harsh training. Though she was probably still not her sister's opponent, Reina was fastly approaching her.

Seeing she could no longer continue, he willed the swords away.

Because she used the sword for support, she fell as soon as it disappeared. Before she could hit the ground, he caught her in his arms, her body feeling hot to the touch. Here, your body felt just like a real one, the only difference was that you didnt need sleep or food and also could not  recieve actual injuries or truly tire. But  because she recieved so many wounds that sent pain directly to her psyche, it  was causing a terrible strain on her mind.

it was honestly very surprising she made it so far, but he supposed that since she had the mental fortitude to perform a Grand Summoning, this was understandable. Though it was no less amazing.  

Because of that, she was currently passed out. Roland looked at her.

She had a odd character. She seemed so meek and shy at times yet confident and strong at others.  No, perhaps that was a part of her that didnt emerge until he came. It seemed that before, she was being suppressed in one way or another, unable to spread her wings. She was weak, having no way of becoming strong. Knowing that, could she be blamed for trying to keep her head down?

But now, perhaps due to their meeting, she sometimes displayed a side that seemed like it would be completely unlike her usual self. And that she could withstand so much of a beating for so long proved that she had an unexpectedly  strong will.

It didnt feel like he himself was changing her, but rather his presence allowed her to become who she was meant to be. The sort of person she would have always been if not for that curse. And that person. . .

Seemed  much like Roland himself.

He hated it.  He was not someone that others should be like. it was not simply her personality that showed signs of being like his, but her level of talent and innate ability.  He was sure that if not for that curse she would be a powerful existence no one could restrain.  But at what cost?

To Roland, things like fate held no meaning, for he had power that could crush it.  But there were things even he could not escape. And it seemed that the heavens both loved and hated him. He had unmeasurable power but was forced to eventually leave everything and everyone he loved behind.

If Reina was like him, would she also go through the same? Perhaps that curse was best left alone. If it was broken, if she truly bacame like Roland, then maybe heaven would punish her as well.  

Though, even as he thought this, Roland was never one to leave things lying down. He was sure one day he would find a way to stop the cycles of his reincarnation.  They always came on his 22nd year.  He was 19 now and had three years left until the next cycle came. How many until he found a way to stop them?

Roland shook his head, smiling wryly. He didnt come to this planet for any real reason other than boredom. Why think of such heavy things now?

With such little time remaining, why not enjoy himself?