Chapter 779 – #164_Two Teachers
#773
1.
Rinne and Elloah reached an agreement without a word.
First, this fight was not a life-or-death struggle where they sought to kill each other.
Also, it was not a witch’s fight, but a warrior’s fight.
Therefore, they would draw out only the minimum amount of magical power necessary to demonstrate their inherent swordsmanship.
Their figures, which had been meeting each other’s gazes in the air, closed the distance as if they were bouncing off each other.
It was a fierce clash from the very first move, with no probing phase.
-Clang! Clang! Clang!
With sparks of magical power flying in all directions, Rinne’s short sword and Elloah’s contract sword became entangled.
Although it was clearly a hard steel that would not bend or break, Rinne’s short sword climbed up the blade like a snake coiling around its prey, aiming for Elloah’s wrist.
At the same time, the great sword, swung naturally, rose diagonally from her waist, piercing her thigh, which was difficult to evade.
-Bang!
As soon as Elloah saw it, she instead thrust her body forward and stepped on Rinne’s instep with a powerful kick.
Although she was controlling the amount of magical power, it was a step imbued with the essence of explosive force.
Rinne’s movements were disrupted in the process of evading to prevent her instep from being crushed.
Elloah did not miss the gap and continued her movements like flowing water, ramming her shoulder into Rinne’s chest.
-Thud!
“Ugh!”
Compared to the simple attack of a shoulder charge, the sound was as loud as a drum being struck.
As Rinne’s body rolled across the garden, Elloah pursued her.
Elloah, about to deliver the final blow to Rinne, who had yet to regain her stance.
Rinne evaded the downward strike by rolling on the ground.
However, Rinne was not just focused on evasion.
-Swish!
While rolling, Rinne’s sword extended like a snake coiling up, her body crouched low.
A drawing stance that took even the crouching motion into account.
The trajectory of the great sword, much longer than the short sword, managed to force a counterattack between Elloah’s follow-up attacks.
A few strands of pink hair were cut off, and the chilling sword wind that almost tore her forehead stopped Elloah’s momentum.
“…”
“…”
This was just the end of a single exchange.
In terms of time, only about two seconds had passed.
The two people straightened their postures.
Elloah resumed her offensive.
The sword, which had been raised high above her head, slashed down diagonally.
An ideal move that anyone who had ever risked their life for the sword would have envisioned, the sword strike itself was flawless.
However, even if she managed to penetrate the inner guard, it was not a guarantee of victory.
If she got too close to exploit the weaknesses of the long sword and two-handed sword, Elloah would create distance again with hand-to-hand combat using her whole body.
The punches she threw with her bare hands were as threatening as her sword strikes.
Rinne sighed.
Elloah’s sword was like a mountain.
The pinnacle of martial arts, built up step by step from the lowest level without resorting to tricks.
A noble and righteous sword that even a thousand years could not erode.
Moreover, she was not bound by the means of swordsmanship.
As befitting the title of a martial god, each of her movements was an impenetrable shield and an unstoppable sword.
Rinne desperately deflected the straightforward downward slash, her body like a phantom, seizing Elloah’s blind spot.
In her shadow-like, free, and weightless movements, fatal blows suddenly emerged.
Elloah was impressed.
Rinne’s sword was like two snakes.
Unpredictable movements and nimble twists.
A dual-wielding style where she had honed her techniques, skills, and forms to the extreme for the sake of strength.
Originally, the diverse movements of a sword came from the movement of the wrist and the grip.
However, even though Rinne was using dual swords, she was demonstrating her strength by showcasing dazzling sword strikes that mesmerized the eyes.
If it had been just this, it would have been no different from the previous battles Rinne had fought.
However, Rinne, whom she was facing after a long time, had fundamentally changed.
“You’ve changed.”
“…”
The Rinne that Elloah remembered was a possessor of excellent swordsmanship, but she also had a clear sense of being chased by something.
To someone less skilled than Rinne, it would have felt like power and intimidation.
After all, it was a battle against a sword that shouted, ‘If I can’t kill you, I don’t care if I die,’ so they would be defeated by her momentum.
However, to Elloah, who could see the essence without being deceived by the fear in front of her, Rinne’s sword was nothing more than a hastily made product.
So, what about now?
The impatience that seemed to put her life on the edge of the sword with every strike had disappeared.
Instead, a calm sense of stability and the composure of a hunter stalking its prey had been added.
With her only weakness gone, Rinne’s sword was no longer something that could be looked down upon and evaluated.
Rinne’s body shot out silently.
This time, it was a movement mixed with Rinne’s unique ability to control inertia.
Her sword, running as if crawling on the ground, was drawn from an impossible stance at an impossible angle.
Elloah finally caught the blow and clashed swords.
-Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The two entered another sword fight.
Elloah’s eyes narrowed.
It was a sticky sword.
Like a woman flirting with a man, like tongues twisting together, like lovers entwining their wet bodies on a bed, it clung tenaciously.
Sword strikes that drew four spirals towards Elloah surged.
-Whoosh!
Elloah accurately caught the center and pressed down with force as if shaking it off.
“You…”
Elloah bit her lip.
The conversation of swords was a seemingly ridiculous statement.
The average person would conclude that just because they were clashing metal, their true feelings could not be conveyed.
However, Elloah had clearly read it.
The heart that Rinne’s sword was now revealing was…
A single-minded devotion of ‘I miss my husband’ and a competitive spirit of ‘I want to take my husband away from this woman.’
In developing the realm of swordsmanship, diverse experiences were also important.
And Rinne’s sword now contained an internal growth that could only be possible with a decisive ‘experience.’
So, what experience had changed her?
A wicked fantasy that she knew in her head but refused to recall in detail disturbed Elloah’s mind.
It was the image of her disciple embracing a naked Rinne.
“…Now I understand.”
Only then did Elloah discover the fundamental aversion she felt towards Rinne.
If she thought about it calmly, it was a childish idea that would make her laugh.
Elloah had never tried to compete with other lovers or bicker with them.
This was because she was aware that she was Siwoo’s lover, but also his teacher.
Initially, it was a yoke that placed a burden of conscience on Elloah, but now it had become a precious and special position.
Siwoo had many lovers, but Elloah was the only one called teacher.
Therefore, Elloah was denying the cat burglar who had stolen the specialness of ‘teacher.’
Even though she knew that she was not a vicious public enemy that she had to purge, the fact remained unchanged.
Therefore, Elloah declared.
That Rinne was Elloah’s destined rival.
“I cannot acknowledge you.”
And as if finally saying something that matched her heart, Rinne also gave a small smile and declared.
“I cannot acknowledge you either.”
Rinne felt the same aversion towards Elloah.
When Rinne heard that he had many lovers, she had resolved to be harmonious with all of them.
She was aware that her personality was eccentric and that she did not fit in well.
Nevertheless, for the sake of her husband Siwoo and their family, she was willing to bow her head even in front of Elloah, whom she had considered her lifelong enemy.
However, from the moment she faced Elloah, Rinne realized.
That Rinne could never get close to her.
That she did not want to kneel before the woman in front of her, even if she was inferior to others.
Perhaps it was the clash of the instinctive arrogance of warriors who walked the same path but had different natural talents.
-Shing
Rinne sheathed her two swords.
Elloah also returned her contract sword to the subspace.
Then, the tension that had been like a taut bowstring relaxed in the bodies of the two people.
They understood.
The martial prowess of the two people, who had not had a significant gap in the first place.
Rinne had stepped into a new realm and proven it.
Elloah acknowledged and accepted it.
Now, Rinne stood at the same level as Elloah.
To determine a winner, they would have to risk a fatal accident.
And they understood how sad their disciple, their husband, would be if such a thing happened.
That was why both of them had put away their swords.
Then, they would have to decide the winner in another way.
2.
Since the game with Diana took longer than expected, Siwoo first returned to the Gemenae mansion.
It would be rude to visit too late at night, and perhaps his teacher, who had finished the negotiations, might be waiting for him.
For reference, this time it was an overwhelming victory like never before.
Even though he had played without taking off his blindfold, Diana could not do anything to Siwoo.
It seemed that competing with AlphaGo Rosie in the position board world had been a great help in improving his skills.
It was a match that even Diana had readily admired.
“Huh?”
As Siwoo was walking through the garden, he stopped abruptly when he saw Rinne and Elloah.
Why were the two teachers in the same place?
Was something big going to happen?
As he hurried forward with a worried heart, the two of them simultaneously looked at Siwoo.
“Husband…”
“Siwoo.”
Elloah blocked Rinne, who was about to hug him with a face that had brightened up enough for only Siwoo to notice.
It was a truly exquisite tackle.
“Yes, Teacher.”
“I want to compete with the Sword Witch. I would like you to be the judge.”
“What kind of competition?”
Rinne, who had escaped Elloah’s block with a Marseille turn, stepped forward and said.
“It’s a cooking competition.”
“Huh?”
And so, the Siwoo Cup, the greatest cooking competition between teachers, was held.
