Chapter 40: Parrying Mastery

With his subordinates’ help, finishing off Qin Yu wouldn’t be a problem. Under the leader’s command, the lackeys swarmed forward, encircling Qin Yu.

Luna was debating whether to intervene, but Qin Yu gave her a look—no help needed.

‘Is this guy becoming overconfident?’

Luna couldn’t fathom what Qin Yu was planning.

The bandits had already brought out fortifications to block the blood magic attacks, using ranged fire to whittle them down. The battlefield had been splintered.

“The Lord needs help. I’m going.”

Hicari prepared for a solo charge to rescue Qin Yu, but Luna blocked her path.

“Not yet. He should be able to handle it.”

Whether he could actually handle it, Luna wasn’t entirely sure. But even if there was danger, she could provide support in an instant. It wasn’t a big deal—their job was just to protect the children. Bringing others along to level up was always a hassle.

“Use your life to pay for our brothers’!”

The bandit leader roared. His subordinates had learned their lesson and were pushing forward with iron shields. No matter how brilliant his sword skills were, Qin Yu couldn’t pierce a shield wall in one stroke.

Qin Yu gripped the [Blood Thorn] with both hands and drove it into the ground. Crimson thorns grew rapidly, forming a defensive zone.

But this wasn’t Qin Yu’s true objective; the defense was just a side benefit. His real goal was to launch an offensive.

“[Earth Split]!”

BOOM!

With the sword as the center, the ground cracked and spread outward. The lackeys tried to retreat, but they couldn’t outpace the speed of the spreading fissures and were soon caught and sent flying.

An attack originating from below couldn’t be blocked by shields.

“Only sent flying? It seems I can’t even tap into a fraction of this sword skill’s power right now…”

Qin Yu lamented. His strength was too low to unleash the technique’s true potential; he could only barely pull it off by utilizing the orange-grade [Blood Thorn]. Had he been using a lesser weapon, it would have shattered into pieces long ago.

Seeing this move, Hicari suddenly recalled where she had seen it. The Dark Night Sword Saint, one of the Four Sword Saints who roamed the world challenging others, had defeated the Golden Sword Saint of Avalon using only the first three forms—the Golden Sword Saint had been in seclusion ever since.

‘Is the Lord a disciple of that man?’

Hicari, like Nanafu, couldn’t help but wonder.

The much stronger bandit leader hadn’t been sent flying; he had merely stumbled. The man’s strength was truly unbelievable—a weakling who could unleash such exquisite sword skills. Was he the closed-door disciple of some great expert?

“No matter how brilliant your sword skills are, today I’ll show you that in the face of absolute power, your techniques are utterly useless!”

The leader roared and swung his machete at Qin Yu. It looked clumsy, but the speed and power behind the strike were staggering. Qin Yu narrowly dodged it using [Shadow Step], attempting to close the distance quickly.

Clang!

[Blood Thorn] collided with the heavy machete. Qin Yu’s attack was deflected, and he found himself at a disadvantage in a test of strength, so he quickly retreated to rethink his strategy.

“He doesn’t have the strength advantage. I’m going to help.”

Before Luna could respond, Hicari charged with her lance toward the fortified bandit position. A volley of stones flew toward her, but she swept them aside with a single stroke of her lance.

“Wait, Hicari! I’ll help you!”

Seeing Hicari acting impulsively again, Nanafu immediately stepped forward to cast a support spell: “[Wind’s Blessing]!”

A verdant green glow swept over Hicari’s feet. Suddenly, Hicari’s movements became a blur; under the [Wind’s Blessing], the beneficiary felt lighter, and their movement and attack speeds increased dramatically.

The incoming stones gave Nanafu—who had recklessly stepped forward—a fright, and Luna stepped in to protect her.

“I thought you were just a mascot; I didn’t realize you knew support magic.”

“Of course! I’m a fairy!”

The palm-sized Nanafu said with her hands on her hips, looking at Luna.

Hicari moved like a howling gale. The lackeys saw only afterimages, followed by a chorus of screams; under Hicari’s swift strikes, they were defenseless.

The bandit leader, currently tangled with Qin Yu, looked grim. More than half his men were down; if this kept up, he wouldn’t make it out alive today.

Regardless, if he was going to die, he was dragging this damned guy down with him.

“[Fury Strength]!”

The leader’s muscles bulged. If this reinforced strike hit Qin Yu, his defense would be shattered, and he would be sent flying.

“Come on. Use your strongest attack. I promise I won’t dodge.”

Qin Yu’s taunt sent the bandit leader into a burning rage. A powerful aura erupted from his body.

“[Blazing Cleave]!”

The leader leapt into the air, raising his heavy machete high, aimed directly at Qin Yu.

Qin Yu gripped the [Blood Thorn] with both hands. Thorns began to grow from the hilt guard, and he kept his eyes locked on the leader, calculating the perfect moment to strike.

BOOM!

DING!

The ground buckled. A crisp sound of weapons clashing rang out, kicking up a storm of dust and rock. Hicari had been a second too late to intervene, and she could only hope Qin Yu was alright.

Through the dust, the silhouettes of Qin Yu and the bandit leader were vaguely visible. The leader wobbled for a moment before collapsing heavily to the ground, leaving only Qin Yu standing.

As the dust settled, Qin Yu looked at his trembling hands. That parry had been a hair’s-breadth from disaster.

Dying in the early stages of Fate Paradise wasn’t a major setback—one could respawn, and XP lost at lower tiers could be recovered quickly.

But why die when you can survive? Qin Yu had used [Parry] to trigger a “Perfect Defense,” successfully slaying a bandit leader three tiers above him. If he were still Tier 1, he wouldn’t have had a chance, but at Tier 2, he could risk it.

Hicari destroyed the bandit’s fortifications, and the Blood Believers finished off the lackeys with blood magic. Hicari walked to Qin Yu’s side, reached out, and gripped his right arm.

“My Lord, your actions just now were far too dangerous.”

As a subject, Hicari didn’t want to see her Lord die before her eyes; it would have made her feel responsible for failing her duties.

“Is that so? But look, I’m perfectly fine, aren’t I?”

Qin Yu’s hands were still shaking from the excess force, but it was a minor issue. He had secured the full XP of a Tier 5 leader—500 XP directly into his bank. If he could find one more Tier 5 to resolve, he would reach Tier 3.

XP rewards varied by tier; kills beyond a three-tier difference decayed to 1 XP, and even further, to 0.

Qin Yu had hit the jackpot. The [Parry] skill he had just used was a “God-tier” ability he used in his past life to defeat rivals for the Godhood position; countless Tier 9 and even Tier 10 gods had fallen to his parry technique…