"Hah!"
Doni chuckled, leaping straight from the water's surface and landing on the beach.
The splashed sand vanished without a trace as it neared Aslan.
Stepping onto the beach, Doni spoke bluntly.
"Wanna duel, Brother?"
"Oh?"
Aslan raised his head in surprise, looking at Doni with great interest.
"You sure you want to duel me?"
A normal person would have backed off after seeing him easily defeat Marquis Voban.
Even the other European God Slayer had voluntarily shared information.
They chose not to fight, sensibly agreeing to meet Aslan another time.
Only someone like Doni, with nothing but swords in his brain, would recklessly come to challenge him.
"Hmm… forget it, I can't beat you."
Doni shook his head honestly. His instincts told him that if the man before him wanted to kill him, it wouldn't be harder than killing Voban.
After all, Voban still had one Divine Authority that could let him revive. Doni only had his Steel Body, which made him immune to swords and weapons.
After seeing Aslan in person, he wasn't sure his skin, no matter how resistant to blades, could withstand his opponent's Holy Sword.
Doni was only sword-crazy and martial arts-crazed, not a complete fool with no sense of calculation.
The lesson Voban learned was enough for Voban alone to experience.
"So, Brother, let's have a spar, just pure swordsmanship."
Doni's eyes gleamed sharply. If his instincts weren't wrong…
Aslan should have been training in swordsmanship recently. The sharpness radiating from his hands couldn't be faked.
"You've been practicing the sword, haven't you?"
"Well, yeah…"
Aslan answered hesitantly. He could say he'd graduated from Scathach… or rather, was kicked out.
"But my swordsmanship skills might not be that great."
Aslan hadn't developed toward being a martial artist or warrior. Why take the narrow path of swordsmanship when he had the vast Boundary, flames, and the Path of Creation?
He could only be said to have graduated from Scathach, at best able to hold his own without losing.
He couldn't compare to the strong warriors of the Queen's Knights, who could slice planets with just an iron sword.
He was only good enough to defend himself.
At the very least, he wouldn't be killed if someone got close.
Of course, ordinary people couldn't even get close to him.
After all, Scathach wasn't exactly a master of swordsmanship either. She excelled in spear techniques. Only a handful in the entire Little Garden could match her spear skills.
But why should Aslan duel Doni in swordsmanship?
As if sensing the other's hesitation, Doni laughed heartily and sat cross-legged on a random spot he found.
"Brother, you're not a Heretic God, are you? Nor a Godslayer, let alone King of the End." Doni said casually.
Hearing this, Aslan raised an eyebrow in surprise. Though he'd never hidden it, everyone assumed otherwise.
He was too lazy to correct them, but unexpectedly, Doni could tell the difference.
As expected, this sword-crazed man, though he seemed careless like a fool, had a sharper mind than anyone.
He just didn't care about others.
"So what if I am, and so what if I'm not?"
Aslan shrugged casually. He only needed to ensure his fists were the biggest in this world.
The truth was in his hands. Whatever identity he wanted, that was his identity.
"But, Brother, you're seeking out us God Slayer because you want us to do something, right?"
Doni, wearing sunglasses, a T-shirt, and cargo pants like a tropical kid, laughed heartily and patted Aslan's shoulder.
At the same time, he turned and gave Erica and Lilliana a mysterious look.
"By the way, Brother, how do you feel about those two knights? Interested?"
Aslan looked at Doni with slight suspicion, as if surprised this guy had thoughts beyond swords.
"In that case, I'll just give them to you. I don't care about small losses like that."
Doni had no particular attachment to Lilliana and Erica; he only vaguely remembered they were his subordinates.
Hearing this, Aslan raised an eyebrow and thanked him casually.
"Well then, thanks a lot."
In a sense, this was part of his plan. After defeating the God Slayer, all of Europe would be in his grasp.
There were four God Slayer in Europe. The Black Prince had surrendered, Madam Aisha had softened, Voban was gravely injured and near death, and Doni turned out to be sensible.
With that, the development of Magic-Tech could begin with all of Europe as its base.
As for the East, he planned to talk to Luo Hao personally and deal with that Monkey God—or rather, its pet monkey.
Aslan could only use that term for the monkey. Any other title felt like an insult to Monkey-sis.
(I really don't know what Sun Wukong's expression would be seeing such an embarrassing counterpart.)
(Better deal with it first, so it doesn't taint Monkey-sis's eyes.)
"But I don't know how your swordsmanship compares to the Martial King of the Far East."
Doni laughed heartily. He knew that by giving up a little advantage, he could get Aslan to spar with him in swordsmanship.
And conveniently, his territory or whatever else was just worldly stuff he didn't care about. If he could trade it for a chance to duel a sword master or even a Heretic God, it was well worth it.
"The Martial King of the Far East? Luo Hao?"
Aslan was slightly surprised, then said with a laugh.
"No idea. After all, I only recently graduated."
"Then let's duel here."
Doni grinned, pulling out the knight's sword from behind him, standing up, and pointing it at Aslan.
Erica looked at Aslan with slight worry. She could only lament how much Sardinia had suffered.
In just a few days, it had endured several wars capable of destroying the island.
First Melqart and Verethragna, then Aslan and Melqart, Athena, Lancelot, and Melqart.
Then Marquis Voban earlier, and now Doni.
Though it was clear Aslan's situation wouldn't spiral out of control, Erica still felt worried.
As if seeing Erica's thoughts, Aslan waved his hand casually.
"Relax, it's just a pure swordsmanship spar. What could happen?"
"Here, lend me your sword."
No way he'd use the Holy Sword for a spar. That'd be too extravagant.
To face Doni, a regular sword was enough. Wasn't Doni using a standard knight's sword too?
"Very well, Your Majesty."
With that, Erica pulled Cuore di Leone from her magical storage and handed it to Aslan.
Aslan swung the sword and commented.
"Feels nice. This sword's pretty good."
Then he pointed the sword's tip at Doni.
"Let's begin. Show me if your title as Sword King is truly deserved."
"Then let me show you my Demon Sword!"
Silver light began to glow from Doni's shoulder, spreading to the sword, transforming the ordinary knight's sword into a Demon Sword radiating terrifying magical power.
"I swear! I allow nothing to exist that I cannot cut. This sword is the invincible blade that can slice and cleave everything on earth!"
Accompanied by an incantation spoken at divine speed, a slash that tore through heaven and earth shot toward Aslan.
But at that moment, Aslan raised his sword and swung it gently.
A colorless sword aura, with faint star-like glimmers, shot from the tip of his sword.
Though it was a very ordinary slash, it carried a sense of crisis far surpassing what Doni had felt from Luo Hao.
Doni had never even felt his hair stand on end like this during swordsmanship spars with Luo Hao.
*SWOOSH!*
Doni's eyes widened, watching the sword aura cut through his Demon Sword like a hot knife through butter.
He immediately showed a shocked expression.
"How is that possible?"
"I told you, I'm not skilled in swordsmanship."
Aslan sighed and sheathed his sword. Why was space cut again?
This was the despair brought by an overly profound mastery of spatial control.
This was one of the reasons Scathach had kicked him out.
What Aslan trained wasn't swordsmanship but an external manifestation of his Boundary Authority.
Even Scathach couldn't tell if it was Aslan's sword intent or actual swordsmanship.
*PFFT!*
Blood sprayed. Against a sword aura so sharp it could slice space, Doni was cut in half without the slightest resistance.
Even the Steel Body he was so proud of was utterly useless.
"Brother, you call this not skilled in swordsmanship?"
Doni stared at him, somewhat speechless, then dragged and reattached his lower half to his body.
Under the Godslayer's powerful self-healing, they fused back in an instant.
Of course, this was also because Aslan's cut was too clean.
For some reason, Doni, who considered himself carefree and good-natured, now had the urge to hit someone.
He wanted to swing his sword at Aslan!
(You call this not skilled in swordsmanship? You call swordsmanship that can cut space not skilled?)
"Your swordsmanship, to me, is stronger than the Martial King of the Far East."
"I really don't know what her expression would be after seeing your swordsmanship."
With that, Doni left, laughing heartily, only his back visible.
The corner of Aslan's mouth twitched. He really wanted to remind Doni.
(Your lower body's attached crooked…)
"Well then, next stop, let's head to the East and meet Luo Hao."
Aslan lay on Erica's smooth lap, thinking casually.