Infinite Harem System: I Grow Stronger From Every Female Lead

Slash.

Cassie's and Yamamoto's forms blurred past each other in an instant.

It was only one strike, but it was enough for both of them to gauge the other's strength.

Cassie spat blood, her blade slipping from her grasp.

"Damn old man."

Yamamoto, who stood with his back to her, slid his sword into its sheath. "You are strong, young swordswoman."

Unlike most battles, duels between sword wielders, especially those who carried katanas, often followed the one-strike rule.

It was a rule stating that when two unfamiliar swordsmen faced each other in a life-and-death match, they must put everything into a single blow.

Cassie pressed a hand against her bleeding chest, teeth clenched. "You went easy on me."

Yamamoto turned with an unreadable expression. "So? You are still weak. Get stronger, then—"

Before he could finish, Cassie cut him off.

"Bullshit!"

Yamamoto's eyes widened. "What?"

Cassie forced herself upright, her knees trembling beneath her. "Don't you have the pride of a swordsman?"

Yamamoto opened his mouth but stopped.

After a moment, his expression darkened. "What will pride give you? Do you think pride will keep you alive?"

Cassie shook her head, gripping her katana with her stronger hand. "No. It won't keep me alive. But does it matter?"

'What is this brat even saying?' Yamamoto thought, thrown off by her words. 'I let her walk away and she complains?'

Cassie staggered forward. "Why do you all have to change so much?"

Her jaw tightened. "You're the ones who preach the pride of swordsmanship, yet you're also the ones who disgrace it."

The god of pride didn't need to be told.

The young swordswoman wasn't speaking to him.

She was seeing her past.

The man she once thought to be the ultimate swordsman, who betrayed his own doctrine.

The very doctrine he had taught her.

And Yamamoto's assumptions were correct.

Since childhood, Cassie had been obsessed with swords. Even now, that hadn't changed.

When she first met Bruce, after her parents were killed by bandits, it was the first time she witnessed the beauty of the sword.

The elegance of his movements, his steps, his grace, his form. She was mesmerized by every detail.

After that, Bruce took her in, teaching her everything he knew, along with the pride of a swordsman.

Never bow to anyone. Even if you love someone, never let that emotion cloud your judgment. Your pride above all reason.

But that same man allowed his love for his daughter to blind his judgment.

Even after Cassie discovered everything her adoptive father had done to her, realizing she was nothing more than a sacrifice, she wasn't angry at him for that.

The only reason she hated him was because he had abandoned the pride of a swordsman.

He had forsaken everything he once taught her.

If it weren't for Arthur, if she hadn't met him, her fate might have been different.

No. She was sure it would have been different.

Yet, like Bruce, Arthur entered her life like a storm. Even though he wasn't a true swordsman, he carried the grace, flow, and mesmerizing aura of the blade.

And unlike Bruce, he never abandoned his pride as a swordsman.

Cassie lifted her gaze to Yamamoto, her eyes gleaming with newfound resolve.

She bit down so hard blood streaked from her lips, and crimson tears welled in her eyes.

"If all of you want to abandon your pride so badly..."

She shifted her stance, one foot forward, blade raised high in one hand.

"Then..." Her expression calmed, like the stillness before a storm. "I will cut you down."

Yamamoto couldn't comprehend the girl before him.

There was no way he could. He wasn't inside her mind to know her thoughts.

But something had changed. For a brief second, he saw a flicker of his own past within her.

Something long buried stirred inside him.

His gaze darkened as he lowered into a stance. "I'm sorry, young sword..."

He paused, correcting himself. "Forgive me, my fellow swordsman."

He drew his blade again, mirroring her stance. "This time, I, Yamamoto, the god of pride, will give you my best strike."

Cassie smirked. "You better."

Ding! Ding! Ding!

『 Glorious! You have proven even the prideful can love infinitely 』

『 Your deepest wish has been granted 』

『 Test your limit, Sword Saint... Only then can you ascend 』

Cassie barely registered the system window before her.

But one thing was certain: she had to cut.

It didn't matter who or what stood in front of her, she had to cut.

Unlike mages, knights couldn't use Spirit Zones, but they had their own equivalent.

Domains.

A concept that spread a knight's awareness, allowing them to sense everything around them.

The perfected form of knighthood.

Cassie had known about it long before the Dean ever spoke of it.

Bruce had mentioned it once, and she'd seen Selena and Alicia use it several times.

If she could access that domain, she was certain she could kill a Monarch.

Because she too had the talent to transcend human limits.

Even if others couldn't, she believed she could.

Yamamoto inhaled deeply, his glowing eyes snapping open. "Are you sure you won't die? I am a Monarch."

Cassie's crackling blue eyes burned brighter. "And I am the wife of God."

Yamamoto grinned.

No matter the outcome, he knew he would be content.

It was time to finish it.

Cassie stretched her awareness as far as it could go.

Instead of forcing a stance or style, she let her body move like water.

Arthur had once told her the reason her swordsmanship was limited was because she never grasped the idea of the 'Formless Sword.'

It was called formless not because it was a style's name, but because it was meant to have no form.

A sword style with no stance. No posture. No energy flow.

It was the embodiment of the wielder's ideals, shaped into a blade.

The moment enlightenment struck, the world turned a deep navy blue. Lines crisscrossed around her like she stood within a three-dimensional grid.

She could feel Yamamoto's breath, his stance, everything.

She inhaled slowly, letting the sensation flow through her.

She didn't need to question its origin or how to control it.

All of that was irrelevant.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

『 Infinite Companion of the one called God, you are truly extraordinary. The world has bestowed upon you the title: Formless Sword Saint 』

『 Let Your Blessing Be With All, Monarch of Blades, Cassie Val Arcain 』

As the words flashed at the edge of her vision, both she and Yamamoto moved.

One strike.

Everything would end in one strike.

And in an instant it did.

Both stood at the starting point of their duel.

A heartbeat later, the world around them shattered into millions of fragments.

The sky split, the earth crumbled, and even the air itself was torn apart.

When the fragments fell, Yamamoto collapsed to his knees, then toppled to the ground.

Cassie drew in a ragged breath.

Her force was so calm, she could hardly believe it was hers.

Her eyes still glowed with lingering power, and the whole world felt small.

"I won."

Turning her head, she finally noticed the other beams of light and the star burning in the sky.

"Seems they all awakened too."

Even if someone told her now, she would still struggle to believe it.

"I'm a Monarch."

She was about to collapse when a sudden pain clenched her chest.

Her gaze shot toward the place where they had landed.

"Art..."

Cassie couldn't even react despite being a Monarch.

The only thing she knew was that, in an instant, a brilliant golden light shot into the sky.

A light so bright it devoured the seven pillars and the single star.

And as if drawn to it, she felt her soul slip away into its glow.

In the next moment, her body slumped to the ground, her eyes pale and vacant as though her soul had departed.

─── ✦ End of Chapter ✦ ───