The Tale of A Man Who Believed That His Reincarnation Had Granted Him A Japanese Sword And The Greatest Battle Sense, Only To Have The God Finally Inform Him "Huh, I Didn't Give You Any Combat Sense… That's Scary…" - Episode 47

Enri and Angelica stood on the stage, both radiating intense killing intent.

Angelica’s killing intent came from frustration. Her grand revenge had been interrupted, robbing her of the chance to unleash a thousand years’ worth of pent-up resentment. A dark, icy flame of fury burned within her.

Mine, however, stemmed from my own incompetence. I had assumed the abilities I gained from my past life were truly my own, and that arrogance had led me to make mistakes. I had caused an incident that should never have happened in this world and dragged those who had helped me into it.

“Oh, I see… You. You were the one who woke me up, weren’t you? Ah… I see, I see. I don’t know what kind of magic you used, but you managed to escape from yourself quite well.”

From the corner of my vision, I saw Circe reaching the Twilight Knight and the struggling goddess. The Twilight Knight moved his spear slightly, offering to assist, but I shook my head. This was my responsibility. This unnecessary battle needed to be settled by me. I had already relied on them to restrain the demon hound—it would be disgraceful to ask for more help.

Angelica, standing on the stage, looked like Utsuho but with an expression Utsuho would never wear—cold and merciless. She used her tall stature to glare down at me. As we played with our weapons in our hands, we slowly closed the distance. At about seven meters apart, we both stopped simultaneously and locked eyes.

“A simple sharpened stick isn’t enough to beat magic. Even the dead would know that. Or did you leave common sense behind in your mother’s womb?”

“If a bit of frost and some animated corpses were enough to defeat the strong, anyone with a working brain would have figured that out. But after sleeping for a thousand years, I guess your head’s gone empty.”

Blades of words clashed between us.

In that instant, the battle for our fates began.

Holding the hilt in my right hand, I positioned it in front of my left abdomen, crouching low to nearly touch the ground. In a flash, I closed in on Angelica’s feet. With a swift slash, I cut through the long staff she held, slicing it in half.

She let go of the broken staff and aimed her right hand at me. The memory of being blasted by her freezing wind in the dungeon flashed through my mind. Without hesitation, I kicked her abdomen, twisting my body to drag her arm along. The impact crushed bone beneath my foot, and she was sent flying, rolling violently across the stage.

“What’s wrong? Are you better at rolling around like a barrel than using magic?”

As I widened the distance, I immediately sheathed my blade, placing my left hand on the scabbard while my right hand hovered just above the hilt. My gaze never left Angelica, keeping track of her every move, maintaining clarity despite the adrenaline coursing through me.

Angelica, ignoring her torn skin, forced herself up and shouted a spell in frustration.

“Maternity Mermaid! The Calculating Tears of the Expecting Siren!!”

The same blue, bubble-like spheres I had seen in the dungeon rushed toward me. I focused, watching them surge forward like bullets. This time, I could see the thin, white threads—like spider silk—connecting the spheres to Angelica.

This time, I didn’t dodge.

The glowing blue orbs collided with my body, bursting with small explosions. My skin tore open, exposing the red muscle beneath.

“…Why aren’t you dodging this time?”

Angelica’s voice sounded dissatisfied, as if something felt off to her.

To defeat a being beyond human, ordinary swordsmanship wasn’t enough. Many techniques had been developed—attacking before the enemy moved, countering after their strike, responding to a delayed attack. But to defeat a monster beyond human limits, one had to endure their power and strike back.

Recalling my battle with the necromancer, I took a stance for a delayed counterattack. I clenched my teeth, enduring the magical assault tearing through my body.

With my sword, I aimed for the white thread connecting Angelica to her spells and swung down.

Just like when I severed the demon hound’s connection, I felt nothing. But with a small snap, the thread between Angelica and her magic was cut.

The instant the thread was severed, her attacks ceased.

She stared at her hands, trembling, her knees shaking violently. Her breaths were ragged, her mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air.

“Maternity Mermaid! The Calculating Tears of the Expecting Siren!! Maternity Mermaid!! Maternity Mermaid!!”

“Why…? Why won’t it work!? Why won’t my magic activate!?”

Her long golden hair quivered. Utsuho’s slender body shuddered. Her eyes, usually filled with arrogance, now trembled with pure fear—her greatest weapon, the very tool she had used to rule over others, was gone.

“Huh? …What? No… wait. What’s going on? Why can’t I cast magic anymore?”

She looked at me with terror, like a child afraid of the monster lurking under their bed.

My theory was right.

The magic she had perfected over centuries had abandoned her. It would never return.

“No magic… My magic! The magic I spent my life building! Why!? What did you do?! Answer me!!”

Even as the power of the bridge princess, Sakurako, healed her wounds, her lost magic did not return.

I sheathed my blade, placing my left hand on the scabbard, and smiled as I approached her.

“Angelica, I’m going to cut you down now.”

I stepped forward.

Bl00d drained from her face.

Her magic—her pride, her proof of existence—had been stolen from her. To her, this was a fate worse than death.

She desperately chanted another spell, but nothing happened. Then, Circe, standing near the Twilight Knight and the goddess, raised her voice.

“Great Witch of this world, your teleportation magic has been sealed. I recognized its principles and formula as if they were my own. This is the end for you.”

“No… no… I was just trying to reclaim what was mine! The land I should have ruled! The power I deserved!”

I stepped forward, letting my footsteps echo deliberately.

She trembled, chanting spell after spell, but nothing worked.

A freezing wind meant to turn my body to ice—I cut through it, even as my own flesh froze.

An invisible force meant to crush me—I cut through it, even as my ribs fractured.

A spell to freeze the entire coliseum—I cut it before it could take effect.

A spell to summon an army of the dead—I cut them all down, returning them to dust.

Her once-unending magic had reached its limit.

Her lips trembled as she bit down so hard that bl00d trickled from her mouth. Her clenched fists shook with rage.

“This is ridiculous! How dare you—a mere lump of flesh—steal the fruits of my wisdom!!”

I walked closer.

“Even if Enri hadn’t woken you up, you would have revived sooner or later,” Circe said, stepping between us. “With your cunning, you would have achieved your goal eventually. But because of Enri, we’ve managed to strip you of your power.”

The spectators watched in silence as I reached Angelica.

“…Why…? Why can’t I use magic? Without magic, I’m just…”

Her golden hair draped over her face, hiding her expression.

I gripped my sword hilt with both hands and took a deep breath.

One thread—yellow-green—connected Angelica to Utsuho’s back.

“No! I don’t want to disappear!! I worked so hard! I read so many books, learned magic, killed my parents, gathered powerful pawns—everything I did was for this!!”

With no hesitation, I swung my sword down.

The thread severed.

Utsuho’s body swayed, then collapsed to the side.

I sheathed my sword and rushed to her.

At the same time, Circe moved, chanting a spell.