Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 292

Kainchel brushed past James, who was flustered by the sudden appearance of the enemy.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

James’s face contorted.

“Ugh, how dare an Orc ignore James-nim?!”

“Sorry, but I’m just too popular. I’ll deal with you later.”

Several Wyverns, pierced by the Aura Arrows of the archer knights, were plummeting to the ground. Although the bow’s power was weaker than a ballista [a large, powerful crossbow], it allowed for accurate aimed shots.

Moreover, if one could use an Aura Bow [a bow enhanced with magical energy], it compensated for the lack of destructive power.

And with a little practice, one could even achieve an incredible rate of fire.

It was, in essence, a weapon without weaknesses in long-range combat. For Wyvern Riders soaring through the sky, it was the ultimate nemesis.

This was why James had positioned them at the very rear.

He couldn’t allow the archer knights to use Aura Arrows any longer. Dealing with them was the top priority.

“Abhim……!”

At Kainchel’s signal, Abhim, who had been following behind, stepped in front of James.

“Where do you think you’re looking, James……! Your opponent is me!”

James’s lips twisted.

To let two ground troops through, not to mention the Wyvern Riders flying in the sky.

It seemed that a few strikes with a club wouldn’t be enough to quell his anger.

“Oh? That voice sounds strangely familiar……. Could it be that idiot Orc who fed rotten food to his tribe, causing them to get sick? What, you’re still alive? I thought you would have committed suicide.”

“Humans bark like dogs these days.”

“Wh, what did you say!?”

“It means you’re talking nonsense.”

Abhim didn’t fall for James’s provocation so easily.

He had met Karib and learned that the Crushed Heart Tribe hadn’t been annihilated.

Now was the moment to make up for the mistake he had made back then.

“Then I’ll show you! This is my Mystic Arts, named by the great chef himself, Cheese Fondue!”

Then, a sticky aura exploded from Abhim’s body.

James’s eyes narrowed as the opponent’s aura suddenly enveloped the surroundings.

He was the strongest man in the Argon Federation, where two-thirds of the territory was a lawless zone.

“Ho, so you’ve become a Sword Master [a highly skilled swordsman]. And with a rather unique Aura Blade [a sword imbued with magical energy]. But still. An Orc like you can’t be a match for James-nim!”

James’s Bullet Time was a very rare type of Aura Blade.

The moment it activated, time within a certain range seemed to slow down as if it had stopped.

In the fleeting moment it took to blink an eye, dozens of consecutive attacks became possible.

It was a technique similar to, yet different from, the Onion Swordsmanship that materialized numerous non-existent blades.

If one failed to respond properly, their entire body would be turned into minced meat in an instant.

At that moment, James’s face contorted.

“What? Why isn’t Bullet Time activating?!”

Not only that.

The aura that had been filling James’s entire body had turned into a sticky, melted cheese.

Instead of enhancing his physical abilities, it was making his movements cumbersome.

In the end, he had to withdraw his aura.

“Th, this is no different from those bugs who can’t use aura……! Damn it, what the hell is happening to my body…….”

At that moment, Abhim began to swing his axe with tremendous force.

“Did you see that! At this moment, your aura has turned into useless Cheese Fondue! Now, let’s start a dogfight!”

Without the use of aura, the Orc was clearly superior in physical ability.

“Tsk, did you really think you could beat me by sealing my aura? What a foolish question.”

James gripped his sword with both hands and parried the axe swung by Abhim.

Clang, clang, clang-!

At the same time, a tremendous barrage of attacks began to tear Abhim’s body apart. Blood spurted from his abdomen, wrists, and collarbone in rapid succession.

Even without using Aura Blade, James was strong. But Abhim wasn’t just taking it.

“……Germa Crush!”

Screaming a war cry loud enough to burst his throat, he swung not his axe but his fist.

With a thud, the fist, delivered with tremendous force, struck James in the solar plexus.

In the end, James’s body arched like a bow.

“Kuhuk……!”

It was a vital point that, if hit properly, would cause immense pain, making it difficult to breathe for a while.

Moreover, without the use of aura, a thin leather armor was all he had for protection.

A shock that felt like his internal organs were being torn apart. Had he ever felt such pain since becoming a Sword Master?

James screamed with a face reddened with blood.

“……H, how dare an Orc!”

Two Sword Masters unable to use aura. Their dogfight continued for about a minute after that.

* * *

Kainchel bit his lip as he watched Abhim risking his life to fight James.

‘Cheese Fondue,’ which dyed the opponent in his own color, sealing their Aura Blade.

During its activation, even the owner of the strongest Aura Blade could only use beginner swordsmanship.

‘I never imagined there would be a type that lowered the opponent’s abilities.’

Even Kainchel was taken aback when he first encountered it. It was an Aura Blade with such limitless potential.

Orcish shamans used black magic to curse and weaken their opponents.

Perhaps Abhim had other talents besides swordsmanship and cooking.

Even after being hit by Cheese Fondue, James was still strong. But he would buy enough time to subdue the archer knights.

‘It was Abhim himself who wanted to fight James, after all.’

The archer knights were taken aback and screamed as the Orc suddenly rushed towards them.

“What the hell are the other knights doing! Why is an Orc popping up there!?”

But as expected of trained knights, they had already drawn their swords.

“I’ll keep you company until the Wyvern Riders pass by.”

“Tsk, you’re thinking of taking on four of us at once? Just because we’re archer knights doesn’t mean we only shoot arrows well, we also fight well with swords!”

“Oh, really?”

Immediately after, the blade of the knight at the very front came crashing in.

It was a clean attack that one wouldn’t expect from an archer knight. But Kainchel didn’t even need to draw his sword, as he parried the blade with his left palm.

‘To achieve complete independence for the Orcs, we must minimize casualties on both sides as much as possible. Then, shall I use that?’

As Kainchel took a slow, deep breath, a storm began to rage around him.

The aura that had been spreading throughout his body seemed to gather in his right arm, and he stepped forward, throwing a punch.

“……Exploding Fist.”

Puh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-!.

The technique that could be called Ian’s signature move was perfectly reproduced from Kainchel’s hand.

“……Keuk!”

The archer knight felt as if his internal organs were being crushed, foaming at the mouth as he fainted.

Kainchel shook the blood off his fist and shrugged his shoulders.

‘The distribution of power is still lacking. If it had landed properly, he wouldn’t have even screamed before fainting. I guess I need to practice more.’

The battle between Sword Masters could be called a battle of Aura Blades.

But the world was wide, and there was a possibility that more types like Abhim existed.

That was why Kainchel felt the need to further hone not only his swordsmanship but also his martial arts.

The archer knights swung their swords without a moment’s rest.

But Kainchel dodged with ease, then thrust his fist into the opponent’s abdomen.

With a cracking sound, the second archer knight coughed up blood and collapsed. This time, he kicked the guy right next to him in the groin.

“……!”

Perhaps because he had been attacked in a vital spot, the archer knight couldn’t even scream and rolled his eyes.

The last remaining archer knight screamed, veins popping out of his neck.

“Damn it, what?! What’s so strong about him!?”

Thud.

That was the end of it.

Kainchel slowly exhaled the breath he had been holding. Even though they were archer knights, they were all Sword Knights who could use Aura Swords.

But to take them down one by one in a single breath. To think he could defeat them all in less than a minute.

It was something he couldn’t have imagined before entering the Tower of Trials.

“I guess I won’t hear anyone say I lack experience anymore.”

Muttering to himself, he joined Abhim, who was fighting James to buy time.

But Abhim was lying on the floor, bleeding from all over his body.

The time he could completely suppress James’s aura with Cheese Fondue was so short that it wasn’t even a minute.

Even with Mystic Arts, it was not enough to defeat James.

James, who was about to plunge his sword into Abhim’s heart to end his life, clicked his tongue.

“Tch, those knight bastards are just freeloaders……. Can’t even hold out for a minute.”

“Gr, Gran Gray……. I’m, I’m sorry…….”

Unfortunately, he lacked the experience to completely suppress James’s aura.

“No, thanks to you buying time, I was able to take care of all the archer knights in the rear. And I was able to find out what James’s Aura Blade is.”

“……I’m really glad I could be of help…….”

In the end, Abhim fainted with his eyes open. Kainchel drew Durandal and looked at James.

Then James said with a sneer.

“What did I say just now? I said I’d deal with you later, right? I’ll return the favor. I’ll kill you and chew on your bones while I leisurely kill that guy with the weird Aura Blade. Hehe, I’m really looking forward to it.”

Seeing that Kainchel had finished preparing for battle, James raised the sword he was holding in his fist and said.

“But to think you’d use such a surprise feint. It was a pretty good strategy for a livestock. Of course, the ultimate winner will be this body.”

It seemed that Orcs were nothing more than livestock to him.

James beckoned Kainchel with his finger and said.

“Then I’ll show you that there’s a difference in class even among Sword Masters. I’ll even concede the first move. Come on, livestock.”

Kainchel shrugged his shoulders once and stepped forward, moving right in front of James’s nose.

And then he punched him with all his might.

Kwaaaaaang-!

A roar that sounded like the earth was cracking as aura and aura collided. In an instant, the composure disappeared from James’s face.

“……What? You put aura in your fist? Wh, what the hell are you doing…….”

He thought Abhim was the strongest warrior in the tribe. He thought gray-skinned Orcs were just a dessert to be eaten after a meal.

But it wasn’t. Abhim was like a child compared to that guy.

Where the hell did such a monster come from?

But James was also one of the top two strongest in the Argon Federation. He was just flustered by the unfamiliar attack method.

James glared at the Wyvern Riders, who had already escaped more than half of the eastern canyon, and growled.

“I guess I’ll have to quickly slaughter that livestock and go to the Haeoreum Tribe. Sorry, but I don’t have time to play around leisurely. I’ll kill you now, Bullet Time.”

At the same time, a familiar sensation came to Kainchel as well. Time stretched out infinitely, and James’s movements became so fast that not even afterimages were visible.

“Sorry, but I know how to use something similar to that too.”