Mushoku Tensei: The Fool Magician

The two locked eyes, their gazes sharp as steel.

Roy stepped forward with his right foot, drawing a deep breath. The muscles in his right arm tensed, and in an instant, both figures vanished from sight.

Ten meters. For Roy and Paul, that distance was almost nothing. With their physiques, they closed the gap in the blink of an eye.

Wooden sword met wooden blade in a sharp clash. Their first exchange ended in a stalemate, neither gaining the upper hand.

But Roy's expression grew more serious. Paul, despite his carefree demeanor, was a devious fighter. Time and again, Paul had silently shifted into the Water God style mid-battle, catching Roy off guard and forcing him into dire straits.

Paul's mastery of the Water God style was formidable. Once he blocked an attack, his counterstrikes became swift and devastating, leaving no room for error.

Increasing his strength, Paul pressed forward. Roy felt a strange force ripple through his wooden sword, spreading like an unrelenting tide.

Physically, Roy was no match for Paul. Without magical reinforcement, he found himself consistently outpowered.

Roy knew he couldn't afford to continue grappling with Paul's strength head-on. To do so would be tantamount to suicide.

Stepping back, he pivoted his wooden sword in a graceful half-circle, diverting Paul's force with surprising finesse. Paul's eyes flashed coldly as he suddenly extended his hand mid-attack.

Why extend a hand in the middle of a swordfight? According to Paul's shameless explanations, it was merely another technique of the Water God style.

Roy swiftly retreated, his wooden sword whipping out in a clean arc. Paul's hand grasped only air, but his smirk deepened as he pursued Roy relentlessly.

For swordsmen, momentum was everything. And in this exchange, Roy had already suffered a subtle but critical loss. Battling Paul now would only grow more arduous.

Paul flipped his wooden sword, the blade slicing through the air with a sharp whistle as he bore down on Roy.

Roy retreated further, step by step, his figure moving steadily backward. Paul's eyes gleamed, and his speed suddenly surged.

Roy had been on guard, expecting this moment. Sure enough, Paul still had tricks up his sleeve.

From the start, this duel had been an uphill battle for Roy. A year ago, he had utterly crushed Paul using magical enhancements. But since then, Paul had introduced a new rule—no magical reinforcement allowed.

The rule forced Roy to rely solely on skill, demanding nothing less than perfection to secure a win.

Paul's wooden sword cut through the air with incredible speed, its trajectory growing larger and more imposing in Roy's vision.

If this strike landed, there was no doubt—Roy would be out for a good while.

With a sharp inhale, Roy swung his wooden sword with his full might, choosing to meet Paul's strike head-on.

The moment the blades collided, a tremendous force shot through Roy's weapon and into his body. His grip nearly faltered as his palm throbbed with pain.

Paul, meanwhile, fought with growing astonishment. He hadn't expected his son's physical abilities to have reached such a level.

Nearby, Rudeus watched the exchange with wide eyes. The fierce bursts of sound that punctuated the air made it clear—neither side was holding back.

Roy gritted his teeth against the pain and lashed out with a sharp kick toward Paul. Paul dodged deftly, his reflexes razor-sharp, but Roy seized the opportunity to retreat several paces.

Switching his wooden sword from his right hand to his left, Roy adjusted his grip, holding the blade horizontally.

Exhaling deeply, his stance shifted. Suddenly, Roy's entire demeanor transformed.

With his left hand pressing against the hilt of his sword, the Sword God style's draw technique was primed to strike. His body leaned forward, his center of gravity lowering as his energy converged into a single, focused point.

"Father." Roy said solemnly, his voice steady. "I'm coming for you."

A massive surge of intent radiated from him. The sheer force caused his left arm to tremble under its weight.

In an instant, his right foot surged forward, his figure vanishing like a phantom.

Paul's smirk twisted into something more enigmatic as he raised his wooden sword horizontally. The Water God style emerged in full force—Paul intended to finish Roy with this move.

Yet Roy didn't charge directly. Instead, he began circling Paul at blinding speed, his eyes scanning for an opening.

The more Roy danced around him, the wider Paul's smirk grew.

As veteran of countless battles, Paul quickly adjusted his stance, maintaining a crouched defense, his gaze fixed firmly on Roy's every move.

"To the left?" Paul muttered, his keen hearing and acute sense of danger kicking in. His instincts, honed through countless battles, guided him to adjust his position without ever exposing his back to Roy.

Roy, meanwhile, felt his heart pounding in his chest. His blood surged, his magical energy crackled within, and his mind was unusually sharp. The rush of the wind around him seemed to harmonize with his heightened senses as he prepared to strike.

He wasn't searching for Paul's weakness—not exactly. The Sword God style's preparation wasn't something that could be rushed. Instead, Roy focused on building his momentum to its absolute peak. With every step he took toward Paul, his aura grew sharper, more refined.

When his energy reached its zenith, Roy lunged forward.

Each step left deep impressions in the ground, a testament to the power he was summoning. His left hand flipped the wooden sword into position, and with a sudden burst of force, he swung. The air itself seemed to explode, a resounding crack echoing as his blade sliced forward. Paul could feel the sheer intensity of the attack bearing down on him. His eyes narrowed as the wooden sword loomed closer, cutting through the air like a relentless storm.

In the blink of an eye, Paul struck back. Wooden blade clashed against wooden sword, and the force shattered the dirt beneath Paul's feet. The impact drove him backward, his heels grinding into the ground.

Paul felt the raw strength behind Roy's strike and couldn't help but acknowledge it—the boy was strong.

But this was as far as he would go.

Paul absorbed the entirety of Roy's force, his own body steadying as the storm subsided. The moment Roy's momentum began to fade, Paul knew the match was his.

The counterattack of the Water God style was devastating, nearly impossible to withstand. Even Roy, skilled as he was, couldn't hope to endure what was coming.

But who said Roy intended to take it head-on?

As Roy's energy dissipated, Paul launched his retaliation with lightning speed. His strike was blisteringly fast, cutting through the air with a precision that left no room for evasion.

If this was all Roy had, there was no way he could avoid it—or so Paul thought.

To his astonishment, Roy shifted ever so slightly—a single, subtle step to the right. That tiny adjustment allowed Paul's blade to graze harmlessly past Roy's clothes.

[Sword Ruler (Level 1): Passive Skill]

[Effect: Increases all swordsmanship-based attacks by 10%. Slightly enhances comprehension of sword techniques. Occasionally triggers Insight.]

[Insight: Predicts the opponent's next move.]

This skill had surfaced during Roy's training six months ago, a sudden epiphany born of relentless practice.

Though described as "occasionally triggering," Insight wasn't a mere roll of the dice. It was influenced by the intensity of the battle and the relative strength of the opponent. The closer their abilities—or the fiercer the fight—the more likely it was to activate.

Paul's counter was undoubtedly fast, almost impossibly so. He was confident no one could react to it—not someone at Roy's current level, at least.

Yet the moment Paul's attack missed, Roy's wooden sword was already swinging down toward Paul's back.

The impact landed squarely, sending Paul sprawling face-first into the dirt with an audible thud.

***

Bonus Chapter:

100 Power Stones = 1 BC

300 Power Stones = 2 BC

500 Power Stones = 3 BC

700 Power Stones = 4 BC

1000 Power Stones = 5 BC

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