That day, Liam announced he was going out for fun.

It was likely on a whim that he brought along Ellen, who was in the middle of her training.

(I'm going shopping with Master today!)

However, Ellen was simply delighted to be going out with Liam, her master.

The luxury car had the appearance of a limousine.

It had tires, but they were rarely used since it could fly.

The custom-made luxury car was also quite opulent inside.

It floated fifty centimeters above the road, gliding along smoothly.

Ellen looked at the sword placed beside Liam.

Among all of Liam's favorite swords, this one was in a class of its own.

Ellen had received a sword from Liam's collection, one decorated with a golden tiger.

That one was also a masterpiece, but Liam's nameless sword housed a mysterious power.

(Master has been carrying that sword with him all the time recently.)

He was carrying around a favorite sword that he rarely showed in public.

It seemed as if he was on guard against something.

Liam sat on the seat, drinking the alcohol Tia had poured into his glass.

"Drinking in the daytime is the best."

"Lord Liam, you drink so wonderfully. I'm absolutely captivated."

Tia was spouting nothing but flattery, but Ellen could somehow tell it was from the heart.

Tia's eyes were so feverish they looked like they might turn into heart shapes.

If she had a tail, she'd probably be wagging it like an overexcited dog.

However, Ellen had been feeling a strange presence for a while now.

Ellen asked Liam.

"Master."

"What is it? If you want a stuffed animal, I'll buy you one."

"N-no, that's not it! It's, um, how do I put it... I feel strangely restless."

She had said 'restless,' but 'uneasy' would have been more accurate.

A chill ran down her spine.

She felt a shiver even though she didn't have a cold.

She felt like someone was watching her.

As Ellen glanced around nervously out the window, Liam looked slightly pleased.

"You're starting to get it, aren't you?"

Liam remained completely relaxed.

However, Tia, who had been looking so happy just moments before, had a sudden change in demeanor.

She was checking something with the surrounding guards via communication.

"Anything unusual?"

A report came back from her subordinate.

"No abnormalities so far—wait. There's someone in our path. Two people?"

Hearing this, Tia's eyes widened, and she barked out an order.

"All units, on high alert!"

As the car swerved and the interior shook, Liam drained his glass and muttered.

"—A little late to notice. There's no escape now."

Inside the shaking car, Ellen looked up at the ceiling. Then, she was shoved aside by Liam.

Before she could understand what had happened—the car was sliced in two, the spot where Ellen had been just moments ago now severed.

The car split apart, and as it fell to the ground, the chassis scraped along the road before skidding to a halt.

"W-what was that?"

When Ellen looked around, a woman was standing there.

Her beautiful, dark blue hair swayed in the wind.

"Oh? Could that girl be—"

The woman was looking at her. She wore a smile that hinted at madness.

Then, another person landed near her.

A rough voice could be heard.

"Don't tell me that killed you? Come on out, Liam!"

She had unruly orange hair tied back, but it was so wild it looked like a lion's mane.

But Ellen realized.

(These people are strong.)

Both of them wore swords at their waists.

Then, Tia leaped out from the other half of the severed car. A rapier was clutched in her hand.

"You bastards, do you have any idea who you just pointed your weapons at?!"

The two women watched the enraged Tia with smirks on their faces.

"She's not weak, I guess? But, well~"

"Yeah, she's better than the average rabble, but that's about it."

The two were clearly stronger than Tia.

Perhaps understanding this, Tia didn't rush in recklessly.

She stood in a position to protect Liam.

"Lord Liam, please leave this to us."

He slowly got up, placed a hand on the nape of his neck, and rolled his head.

As the knight guards gathered, Liam made a shooing gesture with his hand.

"Don't try to act tough. You'll just be in the way. Get back."

"B-but!"

Then, the orange-haired woman near Ellen—focused her attention on the two swords at her waist.

Noticing this, Tia leaped in front of Liam, and her left hand was sliced off.

Two large gashes were carved into the ground.

Even with her left hand severed, Tia remained standing in front of Liam.

The orange-haired woman clicked her tongue.

"What the hell. I was going to chop off both her arms to show her the difference in our strength."

Then, the dark blue-haired woman laughed mockingly.

"So clumsy~"

"Huh? After I'm done with Liam, maybe I'll slice you to ribbons next?"

Just as a dangerous atmosphere began to brew between the two, Liam made his move.

He picked up Tia's severed arm, handed it back to its owner, and made her step back.

"You did well to step in front of me. I'll give you credit for that."

"Lord Liam?!"

While Tia was still surprised, he pushed her aside and entrusted her to the other knights.

And then, as Liam stepped in front of the two women—the atmosphere changed completely.

The two women, who had been grinning foolishly, took up stances.

Liam provoked them.

"What's wrong? Didn't you come here to kill me? —If you've lost your nerve, then you're just fakes of the Isshin Style."

It seemed Liam had identified their sword style as Isshin Style from their technique.

Ellen understood.

(This feeling... they're from the same school!)

The dark blue-haired woman moved first.

"A pleasure to meet you, senior brother-disciple. I am Satsuki Riho—the legitimate successor of the Isshin Style."

She seemed polite, but her eyes, fixed on Liam, were filled with killing intent.

And the other one didn't even try to hide her hostility.

"Shishigami Fuuka! The woman who will kill you and inherit the Isshin Style!"

Drawing her swords, Fuuka charged at Liam.

For the Isshin Style, which specialized in unseen slashes, this move was unusual.

What Ellen's eyes saw was—Fuuka's movement, unleashing thousands of slashes in an instant with her two swords.

Contrary to her rough appearance, she seemed to be a very dexterous swordswoman.

"Master!"

Ellen shouted to Liam.

But Liam didn't even try to grip his sword.

"Ellen, watch closely."

Then, Liam blocked all of Fuuka's slashes with his own.

Even while facing Fuuka, he was instructing Ellen.

"This is my first time fighting someone from the same school. There might not be another chance."

Liam acknowledged that the two were from the Isshin Style.

However, Fuuka, feeling like she was being played with, was irritated.

"Don't get cocky! Isshin!"

Fuuka unleashed a slash with blinding speed, but midway through, both of her blades were stomped on by Liam.

"Wha-?!"

She had been moving as if to cross her blades, so Liam stomped on them at the exact moment they overlapped.

"Let me teach you something. —I'm stronger than you."

As Liam kicked Fuuka away, Riho was on maximum alert.

"How troublesome."

She unleashed a series of slashes, but Liam, having drawn his sword, deflected them all.

With each exchange, more cracks appeared in the road, tearing it to shreds.

Faced with a duel between Isshin Style practitioners, Liam's knights were unable to intervene.

The three of them just stood there.

Occasionally, they would move in an instant, swapping positions.

But the sound of fierce clashes and the impact of slashes echoed all around.

Gradually, a storm-like wind began to rage around the three of them.

The knights were in chaos.

"What's happening?!"
"Don't go forward! Do you want to die?!"
"We can't even provide support like this."

However, the tide gradually turned against the two women.

Scratches began to appear on them.

They were only minor scratches, but the two of them were wounded.

They both looked surprised by this.

And then, Liam let out a sigh.

It was theatrical, a show of his composure in front of the two.

In contrast, the two were covered in scratches and, on top of that, were out of breath.

(Master is so strong!)

Ellen was thrilled by Liam's strength.

She had always understood he was strong, but she could never grasp the full extent of it.

Now, in this battle between fellow disciples, she was able to see Liam's true strength.

"—What's wrong? Are you really too scared to get serious? Fine, I'll see what you've got at full power. Both of you, come at me for real."

When Liam sheathed his sword and spread his arms, showing an opening, the two became visibly enraged.

Riho's tone lost all its pretense.

"Showing an opening in front of me—die, you piece of shit."

A vein throbbed on Fuuka's forehead.

"I'll kill you. I'll kill you! I've never been humiliated like this before! I'll keep carving you up until you're nothing but dust!"

Riho lowered her stance, and in the next instant, as if she had vanished, she reappeared right next to Liam.

The foot she stepped forward with cracked the road.

With a blank expression, she came to reap Liam's life.

She was about to unleash a powerful blow with god-like speed.

"Isshin—scatter."

Fuuka, on the other hand, leaped up, twisted her body, and began to spin in mid-air.

"Isshin! Devour!"

Fuuka unleashed an unprecedented number of slashes, like a veritable storm.

A storm that would tear everything apart.

The slashes of the two were different in nature.

Riho's slash, powerful despite her delicate appearance, was a textbook Isshin Style strike, meant to decide the battle in a single blow.

Fuuka, in contrast, compensated for the lesser power of her individual strikes with sheer numbers.

From the perspective of the Isshin Style, it was heresy, but it was more efficient to deliver multiple optimally-powered strikes than a single overkill blow.

The two had learned from the same master, Yasushi, but had walked different paths.

(Then, what about Master?)

Ellen looked at Liam.

Liam, facing the two Isshin Style users, wore a smile.

"You're both half-baked. Come back when you're better."

Immediately after, Liam, who had parried Riho's strike, sent Fuuka and her storm of slashes flying with a single swing.

As the two were blown away and struggled back to their feet—Liam took his stance.

"Don't you ever talk big in front of me again. But, as a favor to my fellow disciples, I'll show you my true power. —If you can't take it, then just die."

Ellen trembled at Liam's strong will, which declared that a weak Isshin Style was unnecessary.

In other words, if she was weak, Liam would eventually kill her too.

Riho somehow got up, and Fuuka, spitting blood, also took a stance.

Both of them were trembling.

Riho gave a half-smile.

"—Ah, this is bad."

Fuuka glared at Liam.

"So this is why Master told us to challenge you together."

As the two moved closer and took a cooperative stance, Liam narrowed his eyes.

"Isshin."

The moment Liam finished saying the technique's name, blood erupted from the two women's bodies and they collapsed.

She couldn't see it.

More than that, it was much quieter than the two's wild 'Isshin' attacks from before.

In contrast to the two who used flashy techniques, it was so quiet that no wind was generated, and no marks from the slash were left behind.

(It really looks like he didn't do anything at all.)

Ellen, who had been confident in her eyes, truly couldn't see a thing.

The two fell to the ground.

Their limbs were severed, and they were covered in blood, looking as if they could die at any moment.

Such powerful warriors were utterly helpless against him.

Ellen looked at Liam and trembled.

(My master is amazing!)

She was trembling with joy.

Liam relaxed his stance and approached the two.

Then, seeing that the fight was over, Tia also moved.

The rapier she held transformed into a sinister chainsaw.

She dragged it along the ground as she walked, sending sparks flying.

Her eyes were filled with murderous intent.

"I'll kill them. Anyone who aims for Lord Liam's life will be cast into a hell that will make them wish for death, to suffer eternal torment—"

As Tia, even with one arm, tried to kill the two, Liam turned around.

"Tia, treat their wounds."

"Eh? B-but, but!"

"They're my cute junior disciples. Or rather, junior sister-disciples? Arrange for a doctor immediately. If that's not possible, you can use an Elixir."

"B-but, these people tried to take your life, Lord Liam!"

Liam was smiling.

"My little sister-disciples were just playing around."

"B-but, to save them—"

"More importantly, Tia, you did well to protect me. My opinion of you has gone up. This is more valuable than leading the expeditionary force to victory. I'm glad you're my subordinate."

"Lord Liam!"

A deeply moved Tia took out her terminal and said, "One more time! Please, one more time! Please say that line again in the highest quality!"

Liam, perhaps in a good mood himself, praised Tia, saying, "You're so helpless~"

Just then, Riho's mouth moved, as if trying to say something.

Liam leaned in to listen, then reached into Riho's clothes and took out a letter.

While Ellen was surprised to see a physical letter in this day and age, Liam read it, his eyes widening.

Then, he ordered the dazed Tia in a sharp tone.

"What are you doing? Can't you follow my orders?"

"N-no! I'll arrange for a doctor at once!"

Tia dropped her weapon and, looking frustrated, carried out Liam's command.

◇

I read Master's letter.

"'Lord Liam, I hope you are well. This humble one is still wandering the lands to master the Isshin Style. During my travels, I found two talented children.'"

It said that in order to elevate the Isshin Style, he had permitted a fight between fellow disciples, something that is normally forbidden.

Whoa, that was close.

I had no idea that fights between fellow disciples required permission.

Judging by Master's response, I guess it's okay to have his own disciples fight each other?

And the letter continued.

"'You must be perplexed by their sudden appearance. However, the fact that you are reading this letter means that you, Lord Liam, have won as a matter of course. If those two are still alive, please look after them. This humble one cannot raise them to their full potential.'"

Master has entrusted those two to me.

He must have wanted to show me their skills.

They came to kill me for real, but Master must have had a plan.

He's my Master, after all!

But the part that bothers me is where he says he can't raise them to their full potential.

As swordswomen, those two are already complete.

It seemed like the rest was up to their own efforts.

Did something happen to Master?

Thinking about it here won't give me an answer.

Master entrusted the two to me.

I'll take care of my junior sister-disciples.

"Leave it to me, Master. I will look after those two."

They may be somewhat mischievous little sisters, but I've decided to approach matters of the Isshin Style with sincerity.

Normally, they'd be sentenced to death the moment they tried to kill me, but it's a different story when they're my junior sister-disciples of the Isshin Style.

That's that, and this is this.

"Still, I wonder why Master can't raise them to the end. Where is he and what is he doing now?"

I'm sure that even now, Master is polishing his Isshin Style, aiming for the pinnacle of martial arts.

Brian (´；ω；｀): "I can only pray that Lady Ellen grows up to be a decent person. The swordsmen involved with the Isshin Style are so terrible, it's painful for this Brian."