Reincarnated as a Son of the Sword Saint and the Sage
Chapter 63 - 63: Duel with a Rogue

The group of Michael joined the commotion and had already killed seven of the bandits. The knights regained their courage and started to fight back, killing three more.

Three bandits threw themselves at the group but were sabered by Michael, who was just passing by. Two men tried to slash their blades at the standing Michael, but he didn't feel threatened. Because there's a buried dagger in their eye sockets through the brain, it's an instant death.

Four of the six remaining bandits decided to withdraw from fighting with the knights and attack the lone Michael instead. All four of them are the elite members of the band, with an average Level of 170. They dashed at high speed and unleashed sword techniques aimed at Michael's vital areas.

"Thrust!" He aimed his heart.

"Overhead Slash!" Targeting his head.

"Horizontal Slash!" His open back.

"Double Slash" Towards his sides.

One used Level 1 while the other three used two. Being barraged in all directions is difficult to deal with. But not for Michael.

"Shadow Blade." His cold voice reverberated around the road.

"Wha— Ack!!!"

With just a fast swipe of his blade, Michael formed a circle and easily repelled all the waves of swords. But that's not all. After a beat later, the bandits made a crimson fountain out of their own throats by something like a shadow following the line of Michael's blade.

Level 5 Shadow Blade is a sword technique that creates a secondary strike of the sword's attack. Having the same speed and momentum as the initial attack, it's no wonder why it easily cut off bandits' necks.

Seeing the picture of falling bodies, the bandit leader finally made his move.

"You truly managed to piss me off! Spirit Boost!" He yelled a Level 5 Martial Art technique before unsheathing his mithrill blade naked.

He launched his 25%-enhanced body straight forward at Michael at full speed. With his right hand as his sword hand, the muscular ruffian swings his blade with all his might, with the intent to kill the man in one blow.

"Power Swing!"

Clank!

A sharp sound of colliding steel reached the ears of the remaining sentients on the highway. As the knights and Michael party members inspect the scene, the figures of two men of different physiques stand with crossed swords in their eyes.

"What?! How did you manage to block a Level 3 technique barehanded?!"

"Hmph." Michael scoffed. "If you give your all, I'll give you a handicap."

"You dare make fun of me?!"

Fueled by rage and humiliation, the bandit began to rain down waves of sword attacks. Each blow of his blade is strong and fast enough to cut a tree with little effort.

But despite his size and weight advantage, he couldn't land a hit on Michael, no matter how fast and mighty his attacks were.

The leader of the bandits was a former B-ranked adventurer of the empire. He was consumed by greed and gradually fell into delinquency. The guild did not tolerate his behavior and immediately kicked him out of the Adventurers' Guild.

He trained his body, mastered some techniques, and gained strength to the point where he reached Level 294—almost the strength of an S-ranked adventurer.

Judging from the age of the man he is facing, he is certainly sure he trained his body and has more battle experience than Michael. But he can't fathom and has only a vague understanding of the situation he is experiencing now.

No matter where he struck his longsword, which had already taken many lives, it was evaded, parried, and blocked by Michael's glistening saber. Michael used neither techniques nor skills, nor even basic Martial Art techniques, as he repelled each of the powerful blows. It was as if he could see all the future attacks and counter them precisely with his perfectly honed swordsmanship.

The man slowed down the pace of his attacks as he started to feel the strain of the martial art he used. He was confident in himself and never felt overpowered or humiliated. But now he felt both feelings.

At first glance, his size and momentum already gave him a huge advantage against his slender and weak-looking opponent. In addition to his numbers and innate abilities, victory is undeniable.

"Power Swing!!!"

With all his remaining strength, the man shouted his last shot at the top of his lungs. The last heavy overhead strike flew faster and farther compared to his first attack. To answer his strike, Michael lifted his saber horizontally with the blade over his left palm and firmly blocked the mighty swing.

"Damn! Why are you so strong?!"

"Done already? Now it's my turn."

"Oof!!!"

Michael deliberately ignored the bandit's barking and delivered a hard kick to the man's stomach. The man blasted and plowed the earth for several meters. The man staggered his feet as he slowly stood up from the kick.

As the man glanced at Michael, he saw him brandishing his blade. Knowing what it meant, the bandit desperately racked his exhausted brain and came up with a high-risk idea.

"W-wait, can we just talk it out?"

"…No."

He tried to settle the situation by negotiating with the other party, but Michael flatly refused his offer. Instead, Michael dashed himself forward to the negotiator.

Michael didn't stop moving forward and slashed his naked blade as he crossed paths with the rattling man. The blade hurled down onto the bandit's chest at unimaginable speed.

"W-wait! Nooo—!"

The ruffian couldn't do anything but watch as the blade tore through his tough flesh and through his hard ribcage as he stood on the verge of death. It's a strike without the power of a sword technique, just pure speed, strength, and talent.

"Blegh!"

The man spat out deep red blood from his mouth as the blade passed through his broad back. He fell on his knees before his body toppled flat on the ground. With just one strike, the duel has been concluded.

"What an amazing duel…" one of the observing knights expressed his honest thoughts.

As the two were fighting, the escorting knights watched the entire fight. All of them, including their captain, opened their eyes and mouths in awestruck witnessing the intense battle between the two men.

The captain, Van, was amazed by the swordsmanship of Michael. Michael had already learned a Level 5 Sword Art technique despite being in his twenties, which Van had learned over twenty years of vigorous training.

It's piqued him quite but that's not important right now. Then he rushed towards the carriage to check the condition of the people they protected with their lives inside.

◆◇◆◇◆◇

The duel between Michael and the bandit boss has been concluded. Since his blade wasn't enchanted with Blood Life, Michael swung his saber to get rid of the blood. He turned around and saw his party members approaching him as if going to a picnic.

"Well done, Michael. This one tried to escape, so I tried to catch him for being the lone survivor. The rat that had been hiding the whole time has been disposed of."

"Good job, Sister. You can leave it to the knights."

Lucy praised Michael while pulling the rope wrapping around an unconscious bandit. The figures of Gabrielle and Uriel can be seen behind Lucy.

The sounds of rattling metal reached their rapier ears. When they turned their heads to the source of the noise, they saw a middle-aged man in armor rushing toward them.

"Thank you for helping us fight the bandits. We cannot thank you enough for your assistance."

"No problem. We just happened to pass through." Michael replied to the bowing knight.

"Pardon. How rude of me for not introducing myself to our saviors." He raised his upper body and then put a fist on his heart. "My name is Van Wenth. The Knight Captain of the Viscount Gracier of the Dixon Empire. Nice to meet you, our saviors." Then Van bowed again.

"There is no need for a noble like yourself to lower their head upon us." Michael raised his hands in embarrassment but remained calm.

Van's name consists of a surname, indicating he's either a noble or a baronet, a knighted warrior. Although he heard of Gracier Earldom, Michael remembered that there's no noble family Wenth in the empire, so he can conclude Van is a knight who granted peerage.

"Even so. You all save our lives. Besides, I'm just a baronet, so there's no need to formalize yourselves with me."

"I understand—no, I got it."

Van appeared to be a man in his late forties. His face was bearded, and wrinkles lined his forehead. Red hair sits atop his scalp like a lion's mane. His pose would be great except for the strips of red lines drawn all over his body from the ambush prior.

"Seems like you suffer injuries from those bandits." Michael took heed of Van's slash wounds. "How about prioritizing healing your injuries first?"

Van straightened his posture after hearing Michael's suggestion. But there's a problem. "Even if we wanted to, the bandits targeted our magic casters first, including our cleric." Van said so in a sad manner.

Wounds can be healed, but it will leave scars depending on the healing spell used. But the cleric of the escort team died first, before them.

But no matter how powerful the healing spell is, it cannot revive the dead. Level 10 Light Magic: Resurrection is the only known spell that can relive the dead, but the body must be in pristine condition or deceased for at most a day.

"…Condolences to their souls." Michael grieved while putting his palms together, the same as his colleagues. "Since the capital is too far from here, let us treat your injuries."

"No need to go that far. We already owed you a lot."

"It's not a problem. Besides, it's hard to travel with strains on your bodies."

"…You're not wrong about that." Then Van let out a sigh. "Okay, I agree. Please heal our injuries." Van pleaded, lowering his head.

"Got it. Gather the injured."

"I understand."