Axel had no idea what he had just done. He simply swung his sword as he usually did, and a mana slash erupted from the blade.

If asked whether he could replicate it, his only response would be, "I'm not sure."

A mana slash is a technique that involves compressing mana into the blade and sending it forward with a powerful swing. The issue was that Axel hadn't intentionally invoked it; rather, every swing of his sword seemed to result in that effect.

He merely wanted to practice his swordsmanship against real enemies, but he never expected to clear every single zombie in front of him with just a few waves of his sword.

However, clearing those nearby didn't mean the fight was over.

Thousands of zombies remained.

Axel, still trying to comprehend what he had just accomplished, continued his "practice" until all the zombies were defeated. Fortunately, he was unharmed; not a single zombie managed to land a hit on him. But the same couldn't be said for the surrounding landscape.

"It's like I'm looking at the aftermath of a battlefield between two powerful forces," Beatrix remarked with a wry smile, standing beside the astonished Arianne.

The land was gouged and damaged beyond recognition. Rocks lay crushed into powder, and dried trees were either uprooted or reduced to tiny fragments.

New "rifts" had formed, almost creating a new river around the walled area.

Thanks to his handiwork, even Axel could no longer recognize the scenery!

Back in Witcheria, he hadn't been able to grasp the extent of his strength due to the overwhelming power of his enemies. But now, he realized just how "out of the standard" he truly had become.

"I… did this?" Axel murmured in disbelief. "Just by practicing the sword a bit?"

The outcome of his actions was impressive.

He had eliminated all the zombies with nothing but his sword, without sustaining a single injury. However, despite this success, his experience level hadn't really changed.

He's relied solely on his sky-high stats, with "technique" in swordsmanship barely playing a role. There wasn't even a hint of "Improvement" observable in him yet.

"Guess I need more practice..." Axel shrugged as he returned his sword to his inventory.

Naturally, he remembered to repair it before doing so.

Even though it was a sturdy sword, his handling had been far too rough, resulting in several fine cracks and chips along the edge. If Arianne knew about this, she would undoubtedly scold him for not taking better care of his weapon.

With all the zombies dispatched, Axel made his way back to where the others were gathered. As he approached, the first question he received was...

"Sir Axel, how did you use Mana Slash?!" Arianne inquired, her interest piqued. "I've trained with the sword for a long time, yet I'm still nowhere near that level—sending mana slashes to distant targets!"

Axel, however, felt troubled.

He had tried to understand how that slash technique worked, but ultimately, he had no clear explanation. The best he could come up with was, "I think it's because I have so much mana that the sword reacted on its own, releasing the Mana Slash you mentioned when I swung it."

After all, he had over 10,000 points of mana.

Even just the "ambient" mana he released, which the sword could pick up, was enough to be utilized as an attack!

To demonstrate, he pulled out a witch staff from his inventory and swung it toward the night sky like a sword. In doing so, another crescent slash was created, soaring straight into the clouds and parting them.

"See?" he said casually.

"No way..." Arianne crumpled to her knees, unconvinced. "So you mean, Mana Slash isn't achieved by mastering the sword, but rather by using great amounts of mana with it...?"

She felt as if everything she knew about the technique was rendered meaningless by a single demonstration from him.

Axel awkwardly scratched his head, contemplating how to comfort Arianne. "Ah, but with your current mana, it should be possible," he said.

The girls had received a +200 stat increase just hours ago. If Arianne managed to master its use, she should be able to launch a Mana Slash of her own soon enough.

"Mana... Stats... Right!"

Arianne stood up, her expression brightening.

She drew her sword and held it before her, mimicking the standard pose that Axel used. Instead of merely practicing a swing, she closed her eyes, focusing her senses and commanding the mana within her body.

Since she usually used mana for body strengthening, she quickly succeeded. Mana flowed from her chest to her hands, gathering in her sword's blade.

It was rough, with mana leaking out—similar to Axel's—but it proved something significant for her.

"HAAAP!"

After gathering enough mana, Arianne swung her sword, releasing a glowing crescent that flew toward the sky. It didn't last long before vanishing, but it was an undeniable sight.

"I did it..." Arianne gasped in disbelief. "I... launched a Mana Slash myself!"

To celebrate her achievement, everyone present began clapping heartily. Even Axel, despite his confusion, joined in.

"Congratulations, Arianne." Beatrix smiled as she clapped. "With this, our Klint Kingdom finally has a Sword Master too!"

Arianne felt touched, her expression resembling someone on the verge of tears of joy.

"Yes, Lady Beatrix. I never imagined I'd achieve my dream like this either...!"

A wave of congratulatory words poured in from everyone, making Arianne smile even wider. Despite that, she didn't let it go to her head.

Instead, she resumed practicing the Mana Slash, sending wave after wave toward the night sky. Each successive slash became sharper, faster, and more solid than the last. It appeared that with each slash, Arianne was gaining a deeper understanding of the technique!

Of course, this couldn't last long.

"Ugh..."

Soon, Arianne fell forward, groaning like a flattened frog.

Although she had more than enough determination to continue practicing, she had already run out of mana.

"Mana Slash... is so fuel inefficient..." she grumbled, her face turning blue.

Axel sighed and lifted her onto one shoulder, smiling wryly.

"Then, let's continue training tomorrow. For now, let's head back, shall we?" he suggested.

Today marked Axel's long-awaited return. Judging by Cherry's absence earlier, she was likely busy preparing a feast for everyone.

With a sense of anticipation, Axel carried Arianne back to the castle.

At that moment, he had no idea what awaited him.

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