"Is it just me, or do you seem completely different when you hold that sword? Could it be a personality switch, or maybe you're just going into 'serious mode'?"
Before the battle began, Lancelot blinked and curiously asked Guinevere.
"If you want to see it that way, I guess it's not wrong," Guinevere replied indifferently. He slowly and steadily raised his sword.
"Come on, Lancelot. Let's settle this."
"Very well. In that case, I won't hold back!"
Almost as soon as her words echoed through the arena, the blue streak of light shot forward, heading straight toward Guinevere.
As fast as lightning, impossibly fast.
But standing here now, it was no longer the same rookie from before.
After enduring nearly 94,000 deaths, Guinevere had undergone a complete transformation.
His large sword swung down in an instant, his timing so precise that the tip of the blade struck Lancelot's forehead as she was only half a meter away from him.
Seeing this, Lancelot instantly canceled her attack. Guinevere's sword halted at the same moment she retreated. Guinevere took a step forward, preparing for another strike.
Guinevere's wrist movement as he swung the sword was perfectly clear to Lancelot. She anticipated the trajectory of his strike. With a swift spin, she quickly drew her sword out of its sheath, coating it in blue magical energy. But before she could strike, a sharp cutting sound rang out from above.
Guinevere had tricked her with a feint. As soon as he lured her into attacking, he quickly changed his move and targeted her evasion spot, launching another strike.
But Lancelot, with her "Endless Martial Training" skill, instinctively raised her other hand to block with her sword sheath, managing to parry the blow.
Since Guinevere's attack had been blocked, Lancelot didn't retreat again. Instead, she spun and swung her sword back at him, using the momentum from her spin.
But once again, Guinevere blocked it. With a swift step forward, he pressed his sword down, twisting it like a shield to absorb the blow. Then, with a quick shift, he deflected the sword away.
But defense wasn't the goal; offense was.
In the same motion, Guinevere turned his sword, locking it into a cross-guard position to counter Lancelot's next strike. At the same time, he swung the blade down sharply, targeting the opening in her defense.
Lancelot's face changed slightly under her mask. She activated her "Dragon's Heart" to push her body backward with an explosive surge of magic.
Even so, her shoulder was grazed by the tip of Guinevere's sword, leaving a shallow cut and a few drops of blood splattered on the ground.
But Guinevere's assault didn't stop. The first strike was just the signal for an even more brutal series of attacks.
Because the windmill technique had already begun.
Guinevere's hands twisted, and the sword moved behind him. With a swift downward slash followed by a horizontal strike, he launched a massive circle in the air, like a martial artist's moon cleaving strike, aiming straight for Lancelot.
The rapid strikes were so fluid, they seemed like one continuous strike. Lancelot's sword could not return in time to block, and she had to retreat again.
But Guinevere's third strike followed immediately.
Or rather, the "Moon Cleaving" continuation.
What was this?
Why was he so fast?
Lancelot stared wide-eyed in disbelief. The speed of Guinevere's continuous attacks was so fast, she couldn't even comprehend it.
He only had one sword, yet his speed surpassed her dual swords, seemingly spinning like a meat grinder. Once it started, it was an unstoppable whirlwind.
It was too fast, why was he able to swing the sword so quickly?
Not daring to clash directly, Lancelot used magic to propel herself and quickly repositioned behind Guinevere.
But as she moved around him, she realized Guinevere's gaze never left her.
And not just his gaze.
The moment she reached his back, he turned, and with him came his fourth strike.
Less than half a second had passed since his first strike.
After one slash, he immediately launched an infinite "Moon Cleaving" sequence.
How?
This wasn't Gloster, was it? Aren't all beings here set to level 1?
Isn't he just a human? How could a human swing a sword at this speed?
Lancelot quickly realized what was happening.
It wasn't just raw speed—it was the centrifugal force driving his strikes. The way his sword moved in that state was difficult to control.
Ah, that's what it is—he's just wildly swinging for speed. While impressive for a human, if she could just find his weakness, she could easily defeat him.
With a sense of misplaced arrogance, Lancelot came to this conclusion.
Determined, she pushed her sword sheaths forward, preparing to strike again with both arms.
At this point, she had no room to use them as gauntlets anymore. She needed the full length of her swords to approach Guinevere.
With magic surging from her arms, she slashed with increased speed, her body vanishing in the blink of an eye, and a lightning-fast slash came for Guinevere.
Indeed, as described in the notes, Lancelot despised relying on the "Endless Martial Training" to augment her skills.
Guinevere immediately understood.
She had abandoned the defensive and offensive advantage of dual-wielding and was going all-in with both hands on the attack.
Her arrogance in "unbeatable speed" led her to this choice. She was overconfident, believing that in speed, no one could match her.
This was the blind arrogance of natural-born warriors. Though she had the skills, she discarded them due to some unfounded pride. Guinevere didn't understand this behavior.
But understanding or not, Guinevere would now exploit his own advantage.
Master Strike, the highest technique of the longsword, emphasizes both offense and defense—precisely the essence of the German school of fencing.
With a single thought, his sword moved into position behind him, ready for the right strike—this was the "Right Tail Position," perfect for an upward thrust.
Then he stepped forward and, as if powered by the force of a spring, his sword spun like a helicopter blade in a massive arc. With tremendous force, it slammed into Lancelot's crossed blades.
Guinevere's sword hit with the strong side—the "strong sword body"—his sword moving with the full weight of his power, swinging with the momentum of the Windmill.
Even with Lancelot's magic-enhanced defense, the strike was too strong. Her sword was knocked away, exposing her vulnerability.
This was the Master Strike—Krumphau, the "Crumple Strike."
A swift, brutal strike—designed to break through defenses.
Guinevere followed immediately with a backhand strike, targeting Lancelot's body.
But Lancelot dodged, her armor receiving a deep gouge. Though her armor held, she was left stunned.
In a moment of disbelief, she quickly swung both swords, crossing them, ready to strike again.
But Guinevere's Windmill was already on the move again.
She couldn't match his pace.
Realizing her mistake, Lancelot blocked, but Guinevere's next strike already loomed.
Guinevere, with his sword's quickness and precision, had avoided her final defense and slashed again—this time with a devastating "Zwerchhau" (Cross Slash), another Master Strike.
Lancelot could only stare, her confusion deepening.
"How is this possible?" she thought.
The once-mighty dual swords felt ineffective now—each attack was being thwarted.
Finally, Lancelot was forced to retreat.
Guinevere stepped forward, his sword pointing at her.
"You've lost," he declared.
The arena erupted with cheers and applause.