The Strongest Villain Sets Out: Reincarnated into a Merit-Based Clan, I Become the World's Strongest Swordsman

Due to Norn-nee-san’s sudden proposal, the three excluding me would have a mock battle with Norn-nee-san.

I stepped away from the center and looked at the faces of the four who faced each other before declaring:

“Well then… is everyone ready?”

“No problem.”

“I’m good!”

“I’m fine.”

“Leave it to me.”

Norn-nee-san, Cornelia, Sheila, and Lucia answered in that order, each readying their weapons.

While internally praying that Cornelia and the others wouldn’t die, I quickly swung down my raised hand.

“Match, begin!”

The moment she heard the starting signal, Cornelia charged first. Ignoring any teamwork, she intended to challenge Norn-nee-san with individual play.

In response, Norn-nee-san looked at Cornelia’s movement and then—did nothing. She stood still with Cornelia in her field of vision.

“Overconfidence is your enemy, Norn-sama!”

Cornelia’s leg strength, enhanced with aura, approached Norn-nee-san at teleportation-like speed. She swung down her sword in a large arc.

Norn-nee-san blocked that strike by raising her left hand.

Not her hand. She caught and stopped Cornelia’s blade between just her index and middle fingers.

“!?”

Cornelia, who never thought she’d be stopped by two fingers, showed rare shock.

Cornelia had definitely struck with full force. However, Norn-nee-san defended with a cool expression.

“Overconfidence? You say interesting things. It’s called composure.”

Norn-nee-san smiled and put strength into her fingers.

A slight crack appeared in Cornelia’s blade, which should have been reinforced with aura.

“What!?”

Cornelia’s surprise increased further at the ridiculous strength.

From there, two flames flew in from the side.

Sheila and Lucia’s magic. Simultaneously, they flanked Norn-nee-san from left and right.

An explosion sounded. Cornelia emerged from the smoke shortly after. Her sword was barely intact. Still usable.

“Direct hit.”

“I wonder if that did some damage?”

In response to the two muttering, as the smoke cleared,

“Cough cough. I don’t particularly like the smell… how cruel of you.”

Norn-nee-san, completely unharmed, waved her left hand back and forth.

“Tch. There isn’t even a scorch mark on her clothes.”

Exactly right. Norn-nee-san was covering her clothing with aura. Even after taking a near-full-power attack from the two, not a single scratch, burn, or even a frayed thread could be found. She stood there calmly.

“Too strong. Even attacking all together simultaneously, we can’t break through her defense…”

Sheila realized the desperately overwhelming difference in combat power.

But Cornelia still didn’t give up.

“Even so, I’ll land at least one blow!”

She lowered her body and kicked off the ground. She approached Norn-nee-san at maximum speed and swept at her feet with her sword.

A lightning-fast strike swung at speed that even generated afterimages—even that, Norn-nee-san defended against.

The foot she raised slightly stepped down before the sword could reach her other foot.

GIIIIIIING‼

Immediately after, the blade broke in half. The ground shattered and caved in for several meters ahead.

This time too, Cornelia had properly covered her sword with aura. But it didn’t matter to Norn-nee-san. She could overwhelm Cornelia without even using half her strength. That was the kind of person she was.

“Oh my, your sword broke. Please prepare a new weapon.”

“…I don’t need one!”

“!”

As if having her sword broken was within expectations from the start, Cornelia stepped forward one more step while holding the shortened sword.

Normally, when your weapon was broken, common sense dictated stepping back to readjust your stance. You couldn’t fight properly with a broken sword.

However, by deliberately stepping forward there, she connected it to an attack. That was Cornelia’s choice.

For the first time here, Norn-nee-san was surprised. Her eyebrows rose slightly.

Cornelia thrust the broken sword forward in a stabbing motion. Her target was Norn-nee-san’s face.

What a brutal attack. If it hit, an ordinary person would die instantly. …If they were ordinary.

“Too bad.”

Tap.

A single index finger was inserted between Norn-nee-san and Cornelia’s sword.