Sisters are a nightmare
After lunch, I went to the training field.
My brothers followed me—Helene came as well to watch our training.
I prepared myself.
Inside the hall, several mats were piled up to prevent injuries from hard falls.
There were two racks of swords and one of spears.
There were no shields, bows, or other weapons, since we were all descendants of spearmen and swordsmen.
Since the third generation, our house has followed the tradition of using no other weapon types.
If one of the heirs shows talent with a different weapon, they are assigned to one of the subsidiary families.
“Take your weapons.”
My sister sat on one of the mats near the entrance, keeping her distance as she smiled at us.
Those blood-red eyes sent shivers through my body.
Maybe I can fight her too.
My youngest brother picked up a short sword.
Gael began handling a spear.
I positioned myself with a sword as well.
“You attack. I’ll defend.”
“Okay!”
Hermann advanced. His steps were short, and the movement of his arm made the attack predictable.
Being so young, he probably lacks power in his strikes.
I parried by slightly pushing my blade forward.
“Cut diagonally. Use the speed of the rotation and the downward motion at the same time—this way you’ll apply more force.”
Hermann’s eyes lit up. He spun once, then again.
That’s not what I said. That leaves him wide open to a quick counter. Whatever.
On the second spin, he gained enough momentum and slashed toward me.
His shirt fluttered, and his hands vibrated.
I blocked with a cut of my own.
The short sword flew toward me.
I don’t know if it was intentional or if he simply couldn’t hold onto it.
I caught the sword midair with my hand and rolled forward.
Gael, who had been waiting to catch me off guard, thrust with his spear.
“Impressive.”
He held back his fighting intent until now—he even made me think he would only act after I finished with Hermann.
This family of mine really was insidious.
No—actually, it wasn’t.
This was the best way to erase an enemy. I couldn’t be a hypocrite.
This is exactly how I would kill those stronger than me.
Gael lunged.
I twisted my body and kicked his spear.
The spear took on rotational force, spinning rapidly as it came back at me.
My sword met the spear, and the impact sent us both backward.
Despite being two years younger than me, Gael was strong and intelligent.
The opening created by spinning the spear wasn’t enough for me to attack.
My footing was unstable, and he had the advantage of reach.
By using my kick as the driving force for the rotation, he completed the motion instantly.
Worthy of a genius.
Unlike me, a rare talent, Gael was a specialized combat genius.
His combat intelligence was extremely high, and his physical abilities matched it.
“Let’s heat things up a bit, Gael,” I said, adjusting my stance.
“That depends on you, brother.”
With his reply, I began releasing a bit of aura.
Gael raised the spear’s tip toward me.
Haha. He’s challenging me—just as expected of a Flame.
I saw Helene pick up Hermann, who wanted to keep fighting.
She pulled him into her lap and hugged him, not letting him move.
Gael spun the spear while I appeared distracted.
I parried the attack coming from the left and used my blade to slide rapidly along the spear.
I closed the distance instantly.
Aura served several purposes—one of them was controlling friction.
That allowed me to slide my sword along the spear while applying enough force to prevent it from breaking my defense and striking me.
Now face to face, I aimed for Gael’s neck.
Because of the difference between us, our parents allowed us to use real weapons during training.
Gael’s left hand came toward me—and then he vanished.
My sword cut through the space where his neck had been.
What was I doing?
For a few seconds, I had lost control without realizing it.
“What were you doing?!”
Helene shouted at me while holding Gael.
“I was testing his reflexes. I was going to stop before hitting him.”
I lied. I had to.
If an attempt was discovered now, my plans would collapse.
“Even so. How can you use aura against Gael when he can’t use it yet?”
“Because he needs to understand how it works in practice. Explaining it hasn’t worked. Since he’s a genius, it’s easier for him to learn hands-on. Besides, enemies won’t go easy on you—they’ll use everything they have, even if you don’t.”
Helene frowned.
She pointed her index finger at me.
“Then fight me once.”
“Of course, sister. I’d be honored.”
I couldn’t falter now.
Helene wasn’t as strong as I was, but her sword skill surpassed mine.
On top of that, she was also a mage—an anomaly.
Normally, it’s impossible to reach high levels in both magic and swordsmanship.
One can be a mage and a swordsman, but there’s always a ceiling in one of the disciplines.
She had broken both limits.
That meant she could reach the pinnacle of both paths.
Not just in theory—this had been considered impossible for millennia.
I adjusted my stance.
Aura surged, covering my entire body.
Control yourself.
Blood rushed to my head, and my heart’s vibrations echoed in my ears.
It wasn’t fear.
It wasn’t hatred.
It was a calculated thirst to understand her abilities.
This would be the first time I faced my sister while she used everything she had.
Even in my memories, I had never fought her alone.
The last time, I had been teleported into an ambush.
I had never known her other abilities beyond teleportation.
In fact, no one did—Helene had hidden her other spells from everyone.
But teleportation alone was a fifth-circle spell.
That alone made her a worldly anomaly.
Someone not bound by the world’s limits.
Helene picked up Gael’s spear.
Crimson patterns spread across the shaft.
The golden spear began to emit a low hum.
The air hissed.
The clash of our auras generated a violet wave through the training hall.
The impact between my blue aura and her carmine one sent vibrations through the ground.
The mats began to shake loose dust and slide toward the center.
Gael grabbed Hermann and left the training hall.
At that point, we didn’t even need to strike each other for them to get hurt.
“Gael seems to have more sense than you. As the older sister, I’ll knock some sense into you.”
I felt a wave of mana spread outward.
My sister’s mana was gray, like smoke.
“Doesn’t that apply to you too? Releasing aura and mana against your younger brother—is that something to do?”
“Enemies won’t use only what their opponent has against them. They’ll always use everything they have. Isn’t that what you said?”
Her lips curved upward.
To hell with it.
I inhaled.
In a single second, my sword met her spear.
Violet waves burst across the hall.
The collisions didn’t produce sparks—they produced pure fire.
Flames surged and vanished.
The control of aura and the friction of the clashes detonated.
Helene’s hair whipped violently from side to side.
My sword collided again and again with her spear.
I managed to close in and kicked her body.
There was nothing there.
Mana fluctuated, and I leapt forward.
The spear grazed my back.
I stood up.
Helene beckoned me with her hand.
“Is that all the greatest talent of the family has?”
Should I fall for the provocation… or not?
I tightened my grip on the sword.
My aura erupted and surged outward.
The violet waves intensified, gradually turning predominantly blue.
