Clemente charges forward his steps quick and sure. His blade comes whizzing towards my head, as he swings it down towards my head. It was like everything was happening in slow motion.

"Wow," I mutter.

I dodged to the side as the blade, slams down into the ground with a loud bang.

"Btoom!" Dust and chunks of marble flew all over the place, as his sword slammed into the marble below our feet.

Jumping backward, I summersault through the air and land on my feet, a good ten meters back from the source of the explosion.

Where the h.e.l.l was he?

That question was answered as I saw him approach from the peripheral. I see my brother streaking towards me like a bolt of lightning. His sword came just as fast, almost like it was ephemeral as it slices its way through the air.

Without any hesitation, I draw my sword up to the right and block the incoming hit. The sword resting on my right arm was jarring.

Steel clas.h.i.+ng against steel, his face was drawn into a maddening smile as I countered his blow with my sword. I couldn't properly disperse all the force that came with the blow. It sent me flying through the air like I'd been hit by a freight train.

My lung contracted as I felt the wind being driven out of them, but I grit my teeth and land on my feet about ten feet away from where I had been.

"Huff, huff," I gasp as I draw the air into my lungs.

Clemente standing right where he'd hit me, his hand on his katana was white he was gripping it so hard.

His hair swayed around him as the wind picked it up and played with it. He was looking like a grim reaper of death. His golden eyes are a bright red, as they stare at me with excitement.

Blood dribbles down from between my clenched teeth, and I felt the slick feeling of blood on my arm from where my sword had been resting.

"What the f.u.c.k do you think you're doing?" Salem growls as he jumps out of his chair and marches towards Clemente.

But what happens next surprises me.

Clemente swings his sword and a tangible glowing yellow sword appears right next to the right side of Salem's neck. Anger and madness swirl in Salem's eyes as he stops and halts moving forward.

"Don't b.u.t.t in, I wouldn't be using magic against her, this is purely swordplay nothing less and nothing more. Sit down," Clemente growls, it was animalistic.

A truly murderous look pa.s.ses over Salem's face, and he turns to cast a glance towards Ambrose. Whose hand had crushed the wood of the chair that he was sitting in, the only thing keeping him rooted in place was Marigold.

Her clawed hand was gripped tightly around Ambrose's left arm. He wasn't moving.

"Clemente, I swear I'll gut you if you hurt her," Ambrose growls as he uses his right hand to push his gla.s.ses up onto his face.

The skin around her mouth was drawn into a tight grimace, I could see his incisors that had lengthen.

Clemente didn't even pay either of them any mind, the glowing yellow sword vanished, and Salem reluctantly returned to his seat. But he doesn't sit down instead he stands.

"Marigold, can you cast a healing field?" He asks.

Marigold gives a nod of her head, her golden eyes are tranquil, as she raises a hand.

"Holy Land!"

From her eyes explodes a brilliant light, and a bubble of white and gold began to expand out from her, around the bubble are chains and letter floating in all sort of characters that I'd never seen.

The bubble expanded outwards and covers the whole of the marble courtyard, as it began to take shape, at the four corner pillars appear, bathed in a brilliant white light.

Looking back at Marigold her eyes are dripping out golden tears, and her golden eyes are completely white. Above her head, a golden halo appears, and her hair turns completely white.

A notification appears in front of my face.

「Holy Land Activated, you've been placed under the area of effect. 」

「All damage sustained by the target will be negated for as long as the healer mana holds out 」

I almost whistle, this was an impressive skill. This could be considered a lifesaving skill. It seems that Marigold must be some high-level healer.

"Thanks," Clemente says simply as he turns his whole attention towards me.

"It looks like your just like your big brother and love combat. Combats the only time you get to see what someone made out of. You can't trust anyone till you've fought them, remember that sister," he talks as he begins to approach me.

My whole body was screaming at me to length the distance between us. But I couldn't move, if I moved then he'd pounce on me.

The closer he got to me the more the air began to compress, it felt like with each step he took towards me the stronger the pressure became. A vibrant blue glow starts to light up his eyes. 1

"Shall we test how long you can withstand sister?" he asks as he grins at me.

This wasn't good, my whole body was shaking in fear, but I bite deeper into my lip. The pain driving the fear away as I lock eyes with him. No longer was this a simple sparring match, he was going to fight me, and Marigold was going to make sure that I didn't die.

Sucking a deep breath into my lungs that are burning, I prepare myself.

"Come," I breathe.

Without even wasting a second, he moves it was like the wind, ephemeral and fast. My brain could barely keep up with the speed, I had no idea where he was.

The stinging pain of a sword cutting into my right cheek wakes me up and I dart to the left trying to move away from the sword.

A wicked smile rests on his face as I tumble across the ground. The wound on my face quickly knitting together. The glow of his eyes was growing brighter and brighter, the blade continued to dance a deadly dance.

Again, my mind slowed the scene in front of me down, and I raise my sword to parry the blows.

Each time our sword clashed, I felt my teeth chatter from the impact of the blow, but I withstood it. The shrill sound of metal was the most beautiful melody that I'd ever heard.

I sword came cras.h.i.+ng down towards me from above, and I flip the sword in my hand and block the descending blade with both my hands.

"KABOOM~"

The blow from the sword causes my knees to buckle and I'm forced into the ground. The force of the blow throws up dirt and dust as the marble floor cracks even more under the pressure.

Swinging my arm, I use the blow of his force, to slide the blade into the ground. With the rest of my strength, I draw the Odachi in an upward arch and swing at my brother's neck.

His eyes widen, but he quickly drops his hold on his sword and retreats backward.

"Huff, Huff," strangled breaths of air leave my lungs as I watch my Brother. He had a thick cut on his cheek, but it healed quickly. I felt my stomach twist and turn.

Sweat continually pours down my back and my arms and legs felt like they were about to explode. It seems I was nearing the limit of what my five-year-old body could handle. The strain on my muscles wasn't being healed by「 Holy Land」.

That was a problem.

But it seems like the skill was only designed to deal with Hp lost and not fatigue to the muscles. I wouldn't be able to keep up with him much sooner.

My eyes were already starting to see double. Blood ran down my hands, the force of deflecting his blows was ravaging my hands. Soon the skin knitted itself back together, but the fatigue didn't disappear like the wound. Although, the blood didn't vanish, just the open wound.

「Counter Leveled Up」

"Ha," I couldn't stop the laugh that left my mouth. Although, this was an unfavorable position to be in, at least my skills are leveling up from the repeated use.

"Oi! Clemente, what the h.e.l.l are you doing?" Salem screams as he snaps the chair he was holding in half.

I glance over at him, and I can see the violent mana swirling around him, it was thick and dark.

"Don't get so bent out of shape, she's doing amazing. Could you hold your own against Mother or Father at this age, look at her she's parried almost every blow!" His voice is full of excitement as he cracks his neck.

"She's only five, stop treating her like those new recruits in your guild," Salem snaps viciously. A dense aura of bloodl.u.s.t surrounds him, with a few short steps he appears in front of Clemente and gives him a vicious punch.

One which Clemente wasn't prepared for, caught off guard he stumbles backward a few feet.

"You're a f.u.c.king child," he snaps as he growls at Clemente.

"Enough of this, she's at her limit," he snaps as he turns and walks towards me.

He wasn't wrong about that, I felt like every muscle in my body was stretched to the max.

"Salem," I mutter as I felt the fatigue completely set in, falling forward I prepare to hit the ground, but he catches me.

He scoops me up and holds me princess style and grabs my sword for me.

"I'll be taking her back now, do whatever you want," he snarls towards Clemente and completely ignore Ambrose and Marigold.

He quickly makes his way with me, out of the courtyard and I see Clemente rubbing his head and giving me a small apologetic wave, while Ambrose looks like he's about to burst a vein.