Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume20 Chapter5 (section)

===Part 4===

"Oh dear, my disciple is becoming less and less human."

On the deck of the ''Revenant'', Greyworth smiled wryly.

She was watching Kamito and Luminaris performing an airborne blade dance. Even back in her prime, Greyworth most likely would not have been able to move in the air like Kamito by releasing divine power.

"...! The ship's barrier has been breached!"

Queen Reicha's voice resounded across the deck. Riding military steeds, the sacred knights used their elemental waffen to slice open the barrier, storming into the ship one after another.

"Oh my&mdash;"

Muttering, Greyworth calmly drew out her demon sword, Vlad Dracul.

The bloodstained demon sword glowed ominously.

"Our opponent is the Dusk Witch. Attack, all three of us!"

"Hmph, I'm being underestimated."

The flash of a crimson slash. The sacred knights attacking from three different directions, together with their militarized spirit mounts, were instantly chopped down.

Absolute Blade Arts, Third Form&mdash;Shadowmoon Waltz, Asura.

&mdash;This was an anti-personnel Absolute Blade Art designed for one-to-many combat.

Greyworth looked down at the unconscious sacred knights.

"I held back too."

She sighed, murmuring to herself.

The Dusk Witch had slain many elementalists during the two Ranbal Wars in the past.

Back then, she would not have offered any mercy to enemies attacking with the intent to kill.

Just as she withdrew her demon sword, she felt a bone-splitting pain in her wrist.

"Sure enough, this body can't execute the Absolute Blade Arts fully, huh?"

Greyworth spoke in self-mockery.

On the eve of the Blade Dance tournament's final round, when she had passed on the ultimate technique, Last Strike, to Kamito, her body had been injured to the point of practically losing all combat ability.

"...! Charge, chop off the witch's head!"

Another two sacred knights breached the barrier and charged at Greyworth.

They showed no fear even when facing the Dusk Witch.

They were not afraid of sacrificing themselves for the Holy Lord.

"Hopeless fools."

She whispered, pouring divine power into the demon sword gripped tightly in her hand.

Just then.

"&mdash;Drag Slash!"

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

With the sound of thunder akin to a giant dragon's roar, a flash of lightning pierced the sacred knights.

"...What?"

Greyworth frowned and looked up.

"Am I interfering unnecessarily, Dame Greyworth?"

A giant shadow appeared on the deck, accompanied by a strong gust of wind.

It was Leonora Lancaster, riding her jet-black dragon spirit, Nidhogg.

"The dragon lass, huh..."

Greyworth looked surprised.

She was supposed to be responsible for the enemies on the starboard side&mdash;

"Enemies on starboard are all annihilated."

"No way&mdash;"

Hearing Leonora's swift response. even Greyworth could not help but raise an eyebrow.

The Sacred Spirit Knights were undoubtedly the Holy Kingdom's strongest elite troops.

(And yet singlehandedly, she&mdash;)

Leonora's eyes had turned blood-red.

She had activated Dragon Blood, the ability native to dragon elementalists.

"You have improved much, compared to that time, dragon lass."

"Yes, I am much stronger."

Leonora acknowledged it simply.

Previously, the two of them had fought at the Dragon's Canyon in Dracunia.

Although her memories from that time remained unclear, Greyworth remember severely injuring Leonora with one strike of the sword when she tried to defend the Dragon King.

(According to rumors, contractors of dragon spirits would become stronger every time they recovered from near-death&mdash;)

But Greyworth never expected that the divine power she was sensing from Leonora would be powerful enough to make the air shake.

"I hope for a chance to have a rematch with you, Dame Greyworth."

"I am ready any time, dragon lass&mdash;"

Greyworth stabbed her demon sword into the floor and smiled fearlessly.

"But my disciple is who you really want to fight, right?"

"...Indeed."

Leonora shrugged and looked out into the distant sky.

Her gaze was directed at Kamito, shrouded in the divine power of darkness, currently in an intense aerial blade dance, fighting Paladin Luminaris who was riding a militarized spirit.