Investing in the Three Villainesses Gives Me Infinite Returns

”Thank you for accepting my challenge, Sir Belthon,” Elias said with a grateful smile.

Belthon placed one hand on the hilt of his sword and gave Elias a calm look before answering, ”I did not do it for you.”

His gaze then shifted toward Lastbane, lingering on the red cloth before he added, ”I also want to see how good of a sword that is.”

Elias glanced down at Lastbane and gently rested his hand against its hilt.

”It is,” he mumbled.

Before either of them could say anything else, Berlic announced before he sat back in his throne, ”Let the duel begin!”

”Glory!” the crowd shouted in response.

The moment the final word left their mouths, Elias pushed off the ground.

His boots struck the stone as he rushed forward, and Lastbane came sweeping out from his side in a powerful horizontal slash aimed directly at Belthon’s torso.

Belthon immediately raised his sword.

The two blades collided with a sharp metallic clang that echoed across the training ground, and Belthon’s feet slid backward from the force of the impact.

However, before either man could follow through, a tiny fragment of metal flew from Belthon’s blade.

The knight’s eyes widened.

A shallow chip had appeared along the edge of his sword.

Belthon immediately jumped backward, creating several meters of distance before lowering his weapon and staring at the damaged edge.

The crowd gradually fell silent.

”What...?” Belthon muttered as he turned his sword slightly, examining the fresh damage beneath the sunlight.

Elias stood several steps away, his expression just as surprised.

He looked at Lastbane before glancing toward Belthon’s sword.

He had exchanged multiple blows with the Rusted Reaper inside the spatial rift, yet Lastbane had been completely unable to damage those horrid scythe-like arms. Even after striking them repeatedly, the arms remained unblemished.

And yet, a single clash with Belthon’s sword had been enough to chip its edge.

’Heh. It is really good.’

Elias tightened his grip.

He had already known the sword was extraordinary, but seeing the difference firsthand made him understand just how absurdly durable the Rusted Reaper had been.

Belthon suddenly smiled.

”Looks like I have to use Aura to even exchange blows with you,” he said.

”What...?”

A red sheen suddenly spread across Belthon’s sword.

Aura flowed over the blade like a thin layer of crimson fire, and the atmosphere around the knight seemed to become heavier as he stepped forward.

Elias barely had time to react before Belthon swung downward.

The Aura-coated sword came crashing toward his shoulder with enough force to split the stone beneath him if it missed.

Elias raised Lastbane.

Clang!

The two swords collided, and the impact forced Elias’s arms downward while his boots scraped across the ground.

However, before Belthon could press the advantage, the knight leaned closer and whispered so quietly that only Elias could hear him.

”I will make sure to make you look like an Adept swordsman... any better and the City Lord will get the reason he needs.”

Elias’s eyes widened.

’Haha...’

He immediately tightened his stance and blocked the next strike.

Belthon’s sword came from the side, but Elias twisted his wrist and caught it near the middle of Lastbane before redirecting the blow. The Aura-coated blade slid along his sword with a harsh screech, sparks scattering between them as Elias stepped sideways.

Belthon followed without hesitation.

His sword flashed toward Elias’s ribs, forcing him to bend backward as the crimson blade passed just above his armor.

Elias immediately recovered and swung toward Belthon’s waist, but Belthon lowered his sword and deflected the attack.

Their weapons collided again and again.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Each impact rang across the training ground as the two swordsmen exchanged blows.

Belthon’s movements were far more refined than Elias had expected. Every swing carried enough strength to force Elias backward, yet none of his attacks were wasteful. His feet remained firmly positioned, his shoulders barely moved, and every transition between attacks was smooth.

’He is strong... I am only able to keep up because of my high stats.

Elias blocked a thrust aimed at his chest and immediately turned Lastbane upward to catch another slash. ℯℯ𝘭.

The impact traveled through his arms, but he didn’t feel the slightest hint of fatigue.

I Can Do This All Day.

His SS-grade skill continued to erase the exhaustion that should have accumulated within his body, allowing him to maintain his concentration and movement without tiring.

At the same time, Masterful Hands allowed his fingers and wrists to react with extraordinary precision.

When Belthon’s sword suddenly changed direction halfway through a swing, Elias’s wrist moved almost instinctively, adjusting Lastbane by only a few inches and catching the blade before it could reach his neck.

The crowd erupted.

”Look at that!”

”He blocked it too!”

”Lord Elias can actually fight!”

Berlic’s expression remained calm, but his eyes narrowed slightly.

Belthon noticed the reaction and smiled faintly.

He stepped forward and unleashed another sequence of attacks.

A diagonal slash came toward Elias’s shoulder, followed immediately by a thrust toward his stomach. Elias turned the first attack aside, shifted his body to avoid the second, and then swung Lastbane toward Belthon’s exposed side.

Belthon blocked it.

The force of the collision pushed him back half a step.

His eyebrows rose.

”You are not bad,” he said, his voice carrying enough for Elias to hear but not enough for the crowd.

Elias felt a strange sense of pride in his chest, and he gave him a brief nod, a wide smile creasing his lips.

”Neither are you.”

Belthon laughed quietly before attacking again.

This time, the pressure increased.

His Aura-coated sword crashed against Lastbane repeatedly, and Elias found himself forced backward one step at a time. He blocked a slash, redirected a thrust, and ducked beneath another attack, but Belthon’s strength continued driving him toward the edge of the training area.

The crowd became louder with every exchange.

”Sir Belthon is overpowering him!”

”Lord Elias is being pushed back!”

”Keep going, Sir Belthon!”

Elias ignored the voices.

His attention remained entirely on Belthon.

The knight’s swordsmanship was impressive, and his physical strength was clearly above Elias’s current level, but Elias could still follow every movement because of his stats.

He blocked another downward strike, yet the impact forced his knee to bend.

Belthon immediately stepped back instead of attacking again.

”Do not hold back,” he said.

Elias raised his head.

Belthon tightened his grip around his sword and continued, ”Put your all into it.”

For several seconds, Elias simply stared at him.

Then he slowly nodded. His fingers tightened around Lastbane, and his eyes fired with determination.