Allen calmly sheathed his sword and swept his gaze over the three in front of him.
Eris and Rudy looked clearly confused, unable to understand the meaning behind Allen's closed-eye slash followed by opening his eyes. But Ghislaine was stunned.
That slash was fast.
But still a little slower than the muon no tachi (Silent Blade).
On the surface, it didn't seem particularly special…
But—at the moment of that strike—
She hadn't felt the slightest trace of killing intent!
It reminded her of that night in the rain, when Allen emerged from the downpour and delivered a decapitating strike.
That one too had carried no killing intent, allowing the blade to completely conceal itself—evading Gyard's crisis sense, tricking him into believing the silent, killing-intent-free figure approaching was his brother, using a step of the North God Style.
As a result—
Gyard had his head severed before Ghislaine's eyes.
Just like the leaf, now split in two.
At the time, Ghislaine had thought she was too exhausted and simply failed to sense the intent.
But now, that theory fell apart.
Because she stood extremely close to Allen—so close that even the faintest, most well-hidden killing intent should've been detectable.
If the blade had been swung "actively," there would have inevitably been feedback—no matter how minor.
Unless…
It wasn't an "active" swing at all.
Ghislaine's eyes widened.
"This is…"
Allen rubbed his brow, looking slightly weary.
"One of the five great secret techniques of the Water God Style—nenryū (Thought Flow)."
"It's somewhat similar to the Sword God Style. The difference is that the former is based on passively receiving environmental data, focusing attention on perception... while the latter focuses only on the target, centering the mind purely on the act of slashing."
"Honestly, I only began to grasp it after comprehending the Silent Blade. The mental approach to blade delivery in Sword God and Water God Styles has a few subtle similarities."
"The former condenses intent, aiming it in one direction—a proactive slash. The latter, however, perceives information and allows the intent to follow environmental changes—a passive delivery of the blade."
Ghislaine, mouth agape, rarely showed such surprise.
"Wait… That sounds like…"
"Yes. A fusion of kanryū (Flow Perception) and nenryū (Thought Flow)."
Allen nodded.
"Perceive all environmental signals—and the moment any change occurs, let your blade instinctively respond. Cut through all that changes."
"This… is the Ken-kai no Hakudatsu (Deprivation Sword Domain)."
Ghislaine was silent for a long time, speechless.
Eris blinked and, brimming with curiosity, asked loudly:
"What's the Deprivation Sword Domain?"
Ghislaine glanced at her.
"It's the signature move of Water God Lady Lieta. No matter where an opponent attacks from—front, back, sides, even from above or below—if they step within her sword domain, she can respond with a slash tailored precisely to their movement. The instant they act, she cuts them down."
"Even the hikari no tachi (Blade of Light) wouldn't work?"
"Unless you cut off her wrist with the Blade of Light before she deploys the Deprivation Sword Domain… otherwise, the moment you raise your arm to use it, your hand will already be gone."
Eris glanced at Allen and exclaimed:
"Wow! That's amazing! How do you become a Water God?"
"At the Water God Style's main dojo, anyone who masters three of the five great secret techniques can be promoted to Water God."
"So the Deprivation Sword Domain counts as three?"
Ghislaine shook her head.
"No. The Deprivation Sword Domain is a sixth technique that Lady Lieta created by combining two of the five great techniques. It's a fantasy-level move."
"Huh? Then that's only two techniques! Why is she a Water God?"
"…Those two are the most difficult among the five. Even so, the main dojo has five Water Emperors, all of whom have mastered three techniques. So why is it that only Lieta is a Water God?"
Eris stared intensely at Ghislaine, practically demanding the next answer.
Ghislaine obliged.
"The reason is simple—it's not that Lieta became the Water God and then mastered the Deprivation Sword Domain. It's because she mastered the Deprivation Sword Domain that she became the Water God."
"That's how powerful this technique is."
"It's born from the five great techniques… but surpasses them all."
Eris's eyes sparkled as she looked toward Allen.
The latter only continued to massage his temples silently, saying nothing.
—
Hilda's "bedroom" was a massive suite. Upon entering, the first thing one saw was the floor-to-ceiling windows. Unlike the fine enamel glass of the dining hall, these panes were clearly chosen for their superior lighting.
Sunlight spilled generously across the fireplace at the center of the sitting room.
That's right—this was a sitting room. The actual bedroom? Sylphy couldn't tell.
There were four doors in sight, leading to various other rooms.
The sunlight on the floor shifted.
A patch of shadow seemed to "rise" from the ground.
Sylphy tilted her head to glance outside.
A gentle spring breeze rustled the canopy of the momo trees, casting ever-changing shadows from the sun dipping westward behind them.
The sight brought Sylphy's thoughts back to the hills near Buena Village.
But she didn't stop walking—her gaze merely shifted.
Hilda led her into the closest door on the left.
Opening it, Sylphy was momentarily stunned.
Several large, exquisitely crafted wardrobes lined an entire wall. Next to them sat a weaving machine—much more complex and refined than the one her own mother used.
On the side table lay all sorts of beautiful fabrics.
While Sylphy was still dazed, everything went dark.
Hilda had taken the towel from Sylphy's face and now wrapped it over her head, gently drying her hair.
After a while, light returned to her eyes—and Hilda's smiling face was right in front of her.
She rubbed Sylphy's hair with her fingertips.
"There, that's dry enough for now."
She then turned and opened one of the wardrobe doors.
Inside were more than a dozen dresses designed for young girls—leaving Sylphy wide-eyed.
From left to right, the sizes gradually increased, clearly arranged by age progression.
There was a pure white dress with delicate floral embroidery and thin shoulder straps; a flamboyant Gothic-style puff dress; a finely tailored moonlight-blue gown with a tight corset waist; a soft-shouldered water-blue top with tassels; and a black-and-white over-the-knee skirt paired with an adorable wide-brimmed round hat with ribbons…
And most shocking of all…
A low-cut evening gown—with a matching silver pendant and choker hanging from the same hanger.
Absolutely gorgeous, stylish, and elegant.
Sylphy couldn't help but think—
Of course Eris wouldn't wear these.
They were far too feminine. Wearing them would only hinder her swordplay.
Then, as Sylphy stood frozen, Hilda's finger hovered among the outfits, eyes glancing playfully at her…
Until finally, under Sylphy's trembling gaze…
Her hand came to rest—gracefully—on the evening gown.
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][www.p@treon.com/euridome]
[Thank You For Your Support!]