Overgeared

Before the appearance of the 4th Great Demon, Gamigin...

"How great is this swordsman that he became the tower master over us? I'm looking forward to it."

"It is what His Liege has decided. Don't be so rude."

Piaro, Asmophel, and the other former Red Knights were climbing the sword tower. They were all of high standing.

Piaro was a general and the food and agriculture minister, while Asmophel was credited in squashing the terrorist attacks and was the security minister. Singuled, Amelda, Kentrick, and Dante served as generals, knights, and swordsmanship instructors. They were once prominent figures in the empire and they also played an active role in the Overgeared Kingdom. The sight of them all going to meet one person made even the word 'rare' feel lacking.

"Of course, I don't mean to be rude. Still, shouldn't we check to see if he is qualified?"

"......"

No one refuted Singuled's comments. Piaro and Dante were silent when they would've normally said the sentence 'How dare you doubt His Liege's eye?'

Grid had become a god, but it was due to countless achievements and building up a great deal of strength. It didn't mean that he had become a perfect being. In the first place, a god wasn't perfect or omnipotent. It was a fact they had learned from the gods. Therefore, Piaro and Dante were worried.

"Certainly... His Majesty is soft-hearted and believes others will be the same as him. He trusts people more than necessary."

"Right, right. I said this when he easily accepted Singuled."

"Amelda, haven't you grown a lot?"

The top of the sword tower was the 30th floor. It was one of the tallest buildings in the Overgeared Kingdom. The steep, spiral staircase continued endlessly. However, it wasn't enough to delay the footsteps of the knights. Their breathing wasn't disturbed at all as they reached the top in no time.

They stood in front of a tightly closed door and exchanged looks. The unknown sword tower master. If he was taking advantage of King Grid's favor... they would give out a reasonable punishment.

"Come in." A strange voice came from beyond the door. It sounded surprisingly young. It was a middle-aged man like Piaro at most.

The veins on Singuled's forehead bulged as he smiled through gritted teeth. "Come in? Haha, that cheeky guy is using information language to me from the beginning."

"Calm down, Singuled. He hasn't even seen us yet."

"That's right. This is the sword tower. He is probably misunderstanding us as trainees."

"We need to observe and act more closely."

The group's suspicion of the sword tower master wasn't unfounded. There were no talented people outside the Overgeared Kingdom who could become the sword tower master. Even if they listed the names of the 'swordsmen' who were now gaining fame on the continent, was there anyone better than them?

They would concede if it was Kraugel, but this person wasn't Kraugel. They had no choice but to doubt his qualifications.

Singuled glared and pushed opened the door.

"Welcome." The tower master, Biban greeted them. A Sword Saint who had lived for hundreds of years. The atmosphere was ordinary. It was easy to change his attitude.

"Hey, who are you...?!" Singuled was shouting angrily only to shut his mouth. It was because Piaro restrained him.

"I greet the elder."

Piaro was polite first. It wasn't because he recognized Biban's identity at first glance. He showed the minimum of respect because this was the sword tower master appointed by Grid. On the other hand, Biban's attitude was different. He waved his hand like it was annoying. "That's enough with the formalities. Get straight to the point."

Biban's time as the tower master was only one week. In that time, Biban's role was to teach as much as possible to those who visited the sword tower. Grid had personally asked it of him Furthermore, the world was in a chaotic situation due to the invasion of demons. Biban didn't want to waste a single minute or second. He wanted to teach even one more thing to those who visited the tower.

However, few people knew what he was thinking. His words and actions were misleading.

"Huhu, I like this personality? In fact, I didn't come all the way here to say hello to you." Singuled stepped forward. There was no time for anyone to stop him. To be exact, none of the people in the group had any intention of stopping him. After all, the purpose of the group was to confirm the qualifications of the tower master. There was no reason to stop Singuled from confirming the strength of the tower master.

Singuled's body shot off from the ground. His movements were naturally rapid and resilient. It was reminiscent of a flying fish jumping on the sea surface. The waves that spread as sharply as a piece of glass were particularly impressive. It was a tangible wave of killing intent.

The Killing energy destruction method—influenced by Singuled's temperament, it was an energy that dealt shock and tore at everything. Against this sharp and powerful energy—

Biban pushed his hand in and disturbed it. It took him less than a second to grab Singuled's neck with his hands.

"Killing intent from the inside. You can inflict a critical injury even with an attack that grazes past. Excellent. It is a rare talent. The tough and difficult years of your life have tempered you." As Biban spoke, Singuled's body spun around and his back touched the ground.

"???" Singuled's face was blue as he looked at the ceiling. The virtue of a master was to hide his true emotions, but he showed his shock on his face. How could he not be shocked? In the golden age of the former Red Knights, the number of people who could suppress him could only be counted on one hand.

"......!" Piaro and Asmophel's eyes widened.

Dante murmured in a low voice, "It isn't a fluke."

This was a master they had never seen before. It was the moment everyone realized it.

"...I'm actually not good at grappling."

Singuled jumped up from the ground and pulled out his sword. His agitation subsided. It was natural. Singuled wasn't a fool. He noticed that Biban's skills were real. He felt the need to be composed.

"Should we do it again?"

There were few knights who weren't competitive. Among them, Singuled was a person who enjoyed battle itself. He was happy to realize how wide the world was through this unknown master. He thought it was an opportunity to see how far his skills would go.

Biban nodded and he also drew his sword. "Come."

No further words were necessary. Singuled attacked immediately and Biban easily defeated him. Biban didn't hold back. He revealed his power. The Overgeared Sword Tower Master—he had no intention of damaging the reputation of his position, even if it was only for one week. This was a place to discuss swords. No Sword Saint wielded the sword lightly.

"Cough!Cough, cough!"Singuled had his Adam's apple struck and coughed in pain. He couldn't even hold on for five blows.

Biban gave him advice, "For you, killing intent is a weapon. Therefore, you show your killing intent, but it is too one-dimensional. It is better to tidy it up. The more you refine your flesh, the more reliable your weapon will be. Then sharpen your soft sword. The more you become familiar with it, the stronger you will become."

"Cough...Keuk... Thank you for the advice." Singuled barely managed to answer with his hurting throat. He could stand up and challenge again immediately, but he didn't do so. It was an extremely polite attitude. He wasn't aware of it. It was naturally like this. It was because he glimpsed the depths of profound truth and years in Biban's swordsmanship.

"M-Me too! Fight me!" Amelda blinked her large eyes and raised her hands. She was a knight and a geographer, so she had already grasped the terrain of this huge, circular room. She calculated how to use it to limit the movements of the target and benefit herself.

"Come." Biban allowed it. The posture of putting his hand on the sword handle was unusual.

'Draw Sword?'

A smile spread across Amelda's face. She tried to make the most of the terrain to move. She didn't give the other party a chance to draw the sword. She hid behind a pillar and threw her shield. Unlike Singuled, she wasn't straightforward. The other side was a swordsman, so she had no intention of just fighting with the sword. She would mobilize all the weapons and skills she had...

"......?!"

Amelda moved along the scheduled route while the shield caught Biban's eye, only for her to collapse. The pose resembled a dead frog. It was the aftermath of the shield returning like a boomerang and striking her in the back of the head.

Kentrick murmured to himself, "Doing a movement like that with the sword..."

Just a little while ago, Biban hadn't taken one step out of place. He lifted the sheath slightly, exposing a very small portion of the blade that collided with the flying shield. The rebound of the collision forced the shield to return and hit Amelda in the back of the head... Amelda's aura was in the shield, yet he bounced the shield like it was a ball. It was even in the desired direction.

"Huh? Ehh? Did I faint just now? Is it real?"

"The heart technique you have mastered doesn't fit your personality. The energy didn't accumulate well. Thus, the attack is light."

"Ah... This is a heart method that was handed down from generation to generation since my great great grandfather..."

"It isn't just about inheriting the techniques of those before you. The previous generation can't pass on both talent and physique to you."

"Yes..."

"You should go and visit the magic tower. Your mana compatibility is good. If you apply the principles of mana accumulation, then you might go further."

"Yes...!" Amelda was polite as well.

"Please teach me as well." Kentrick stepped out. He was the vanguard of the Red Knights during the golden era. His specialty was to break through the enemy line alone, cut the enemy general's neck, and give the Red Knights the advantage in the war.

"Come." Biban didn't rest and took on Kentrick. He immediately narrowed the distance and saw the essence behind Kentrick's bravery.

"......!!"

"There are traces of a dark sword on your swordsmanship. Were you an assassin?"

"That... it is correct. I was kidnapped as a child and trained as an assassin throughout my childhood. Fortunately, I was rescued and didn't actually carry out any assassination activities. How did you know...?"

Kentrick was dumbfounded. The swordsmanship he used today was nothing like the assassination methods he learned in his childhood. It was a completely different concept. It had been so long that he had even forgotten the swordsmanship he learned in his childhood. How did this person find the traces? The traces he didn't even know about...

"It is fine as a habit. Perhaps you've been in many one-on-one and short term battles. You have a lot of experience fighting and winning against opponents stronger than you."

"T-That's right."

"Use it as a weapon. I'm not asking you to learn the dark swordsmanship again. That is putting the cart before the horse. Just approach the technique still remaining and bring them to the surface. Then it will naturally evolve along with your swordsmanship."

"Yes, thank you!"

Biban fulfilled his duty as the tower master. He also exchanged blows with Asmophel and Dante. Asmophel endured exactly 16 blows, while Dante endured 17. It wasn't because Dante was stronger than Asmophel. Despite building up divinity, his overall combat power was still below that of Asmophel and Singuled.

However, Dante had experience. Putting aside the power of the swordsmanship, he was the best when it came to technique. It meant he could fight overwhelmingly strong opponents. He was the person who laid the foundation of the Empire's Swordsmanship and taught swordsmanship to the Red Knights.

"Um... Then you..." Biban advised Dante to focus on building up stamina and strength, even teaching him how to put more power into his sword. Then Biban's gaze shifted to and stayed on Asmophel. For a long time, he just stared silently.

Asmophel was nervous.