The Genius Mage Was Reincarnated Into A Swordsman Family

Alex stared at his motionless blade, shock and humiliation burning through him like acid. Sovereign's Reach—enhanced with his full strength—had been stopped by a single finger. The casual ease of Sabrina's defense struck him like physical blow.

"Impressive speed," she observed mockingly. "Though perhaps lacking wisdom."

Rage exploded through Alex's consciousness. Pride's golden energy surged within him, demanding release, but Alex forced it down with iron will. Only light blue aura flickered around his form as he pulled back for another strike, the cosmic power carefully contained despite his fury.

His blade carved through the air in a blur of geometric fury—cuts so precise they left afterimages glowing faintly in the dim chandelier light. Each strike was a symphony of intent, each arc a calculated disruption of space itself.

Sabrina didn't move.

She merely tilted her head, smiling as if watching a child fumble with a puzzle. Her fingers danced—barely brushing the flat of Alex's blade, redirecting it as though swatting away a fly. Each deadly cut was met with casual ease, each blow deflected without effort.

Frustration boiled inside Alex, but he refused to let it consume him. Instead, he pivoted mid-strike, flipping the momentum of his attack into a spinning slash aimed at her side.

Still, she didn't flinch.

Instead, she exhaled softly, almost pityingly.

"Since you want to play that much," she sighed theatrically, crimson eyes shifting toward one of her guards. "Perhaps you need a more suitable opponent."

The guard stepped forward, shadows pooling around his feet like living liquid. He reached into the darkness and withdrew a sword of unusual design—its blade reflecting light with properties that seemed wrong, too sharp, too eager for blood.

The weapon's emergence from shadow struck observant nobles as distinctly unnatural. Normal guards didn't summon weapons from darkness, didn't move with predatory grace that suggested hunting instincts rather than military training.

"Play among children," Sabrina announced, her mocking tone ensuring every paralyzed dignitary heard the dismissal.

The guard struck.

He exploded forward in a burst of speed, his blade trailing a dark red arc that split the air with a whistle like tearing silk. Alex met him head-on, Sovereign's Reach flashing with a pale cerulean light. Sparks rained between them, scattering across the marble floor like dying stars.

Their blades clashed—once, twice—and then they were moving faster than sight could follow.

The guard's strength was instantly undeniable—inhuman, almost primal in nature, enhanced by something that transcended conventional training. His techniques flowed with centuries of refinement, each strike carrying precision that spoke of extensive combat experience.

Yet Alex's contained fury proved overwhelming. Where the guard possessed supernatural enhancement, Alex wielded carefully restrained cosmic power. His counter-attack sent shock waves through both combatants, the impact driving his opponent backward several steps.

Alex pressed his advantage relentlessly, Sovereign's Reach carving blue arcs through air that intersected with crimson trails from his opponent's weapon. The light show was spectacular—azure and scarlet energies clashing in patterns that cast shifting shadows throughout the chamber.

The guard attempted complex maneuver, his blade leaving crescent-shaped arc of red energy that flew toward Alex with whistling sound. Alex dodged smoothly, the crimson projectile striking marble pillar behind him and leaving deep gouge in stone.

"Interesting technique," Alex noted, recognizing a level of sword aura control far more refined than usual

The guard responded by raising his weapon skyward, dark red energy gathering around the blade. Multiple crimson swords materialized in the air above Alex—constructs of pure energy that pulsed with malevolent intent.

The blood-forged weapons descended in coordinated barrage, forcing Alex into defensive sequence that showcased his enhanced reflexes. His light blue aura flared as he deflected each crimson blade, the impacts creating cascade of sparks that illuminated his focused expression.

Yet Alex's speed proved superior. Between deflections, he closed distance with burst of acceleration that caught his opponent unprepared. Sovereign's Reach traced precise line across the guard's torso, opening wound that revealed something disturbing.

The blood that flowed was too dark, too luminescent. It pulsed with internal light that suggested composition beyond normal human physiology.

Before Alex could capitalize on his advantage, three more guards joined the confrontation. They moved from different positions throughout the chamber, each reaching into pools of shadow that manifested at their feet.

From darkness emerged weapons of various designs—all sharing that same wrongness, that eagerness for violence that normal steel didn't possess. Their synchronized movement spoke of extensive coordination, tactical experience that exceeded normal military training.

The second guard wielded twin curved blades that left crimson trails as he moved. The third carried straight sword with unusual length, its reach enhanced by dark red energy that extended the blade's effective range. The fourth bore weapon that seemed to shift between sword and spear depending on combat requirements.

All four surrounded Alex in formation that should have been overwhelming. Yet his carefully contained power allowed engagement on multiple fronts simultaneously, light blue aura flaring brighter as Pride's energy strained against his mental restraints.

The twin-blade wielder opened with spinning assault that created web of crimson energy around Alex's position. Alex ducked beneath one arc while parrying another, his enhanced reflexes allowing navigation through pattern that should have been impossible to escape.

The long-sword specialist attempted thrust enhanced with extending energy, his blade reaching far beyond its physical length through dark red projection. Alex twisted away, the extended energy leaving line of scorched marble where he had stood moments before.

The shape-shifting weapon user coordinated with his companions, alternating between spear thrusts and sword cuts as tactical situation demanded. His versatility should have created unpredictable threat pattern, yet Alex's enhanced perception allowed him to read transitions before they occurred.

Alex's response was devastating. Sovereign's Reach traced complex pattern through air, blue energy meeting crimson in explosion of conflicting forces. He moved like dancer, each step placing him in optimal position while his blade deflected multiple attacks simultaneously.

The first guard attempted another barrage of materialized weapons, crimson swords manifesting around Alex in cage of energy. Alex's counter was elegant—spinning cut that traced perfect circle, his blue aura expanding outward to shatter every blood-forged construct in cascade of dissolving energy.

The twin-blade user pressed close-range assault, his weapons weaving patterns too fast for normal perception. Alex met each strike with precision that bordered on precognition, Sovereign's Reach intercepting attacks that came from impossible angles.

Their speed increased until both combatants became blurs of motion, blue and crimson lights creating strobing effect throughout the chamber. Sparks scattered like fallen stars as enhanced steel met materialized energy, each impact resonating through marble floor.

Alex gradually gained advantage through combination of speed and tactical awareness. Where his opponents possessed supernatural enhancement, his carefully restrained cosmic power provided edge that tilted engagement in his favor. Each exchange left them slightly behind in positioning, slightly slower in recovery.

The long-sword specialist attempted desperate gambit, channeling massive amount of dark red energy into single thrust that extended his blade's reach dramatically. Alex sidestepped the attack while closing distance, bringing Sovereign's Reach around in arc that caught his opponent across shoulder and sent him spinning away from combat.

The shape-shifter tried to compensate by rapidly alternating weapon configurations, creating unpredictable attack pattern that defied conventional response. Alex's solution was overwhelming force—straight thrust enhanced with precisely applied power that shattered the shifting weapon entirely, leaving its wielder defenseless.

Within moments, all four guards were clearly outmatched. Their supernatural enhancement, while impressive, proved insufficient against opponent whose capabilities transcended their collective effort. Dark luminescent blood flowed from multiple wounds as Alex's precise strikes found gaps in increasingly desperate defenses.

Yet something was becoming apparent to trained observers. The guards' movements, their unnatural strength, their ability to materialize weapons from shadow, their strange blood—these weren't enhanced humans but something fundamentally different.

"How peculiar!" Sabrina announced suddenly, her voice cutting through combat with supernatural clarity. "How can a swordmaster manage to fight like that against four Vampire Nobles?"

The revelation struck the watching assembly like thunderbolt. Vampire Nobles—creatures whose individual power exceeded most human warriors, whose collective strength should have overwhelmed any single opponent.

Sabrina's announcement was deliberately calculated. She already knew exactly why Alex possessed such capability—his communion with Pride was obvious to her experienced perception. Her question was designed to plant suspicions among the watching nobility, to force Alex into increasingly uncomfortable position where his enhanced abilities became impossible to explain through conventional means.

Her crimson eyes gleamed with satisfaction as murmurs spread through those capable of reaction. She was exposing Alex's supernatural nature step by calculated step, creating situation where he could no longer maintain his carefully constructed facade.

Meanwhile, Klaus remained motionless, crystalline eyes unfocused as memories crashed through his consciousness. Images of Sabrina from different era—her features younger, unmarked by whatever transformation had created the predatory creature before them.

The pain was sharp and immediate, each memory fragment bringing anguish that transcended physical sensation. Something fundamental had been lost, corrupted in ways that violated everything the remembered version had represented. The rage building within him carried weight of multiple lifetimes, cold fury at witnessing such profound desecration.

Alex delivered final combination that left all four Vampire Nobles defeated, their forms sprawled across marble in pools of luminescent blood. His victory was complete, achieved through capabilities that clearly exceeded anything normal swordmaster training could provide.

The silence was absolute. Throughout the banquet hall, paralyzed dignitaries struggled to process what they had witnessed. Four Vampire Nobles systematically destroyed by teenager whose official status suggested far lesser capability.

Sabrina observed the aftermath with evident pleasure. Alex's display had served her purposes perfectly, revealing enhanced abilities while demonstrating that her forces represented merely opening moves in larger game.

"Such entertaining diversion," she mused, studying defeated vampires with casual indifference. "Though all games must reach appropriate conclusion."

Her crimson eyes surveyed the assembly with predatory assessment, shadows beginning to gather around her feet with increasing density.

"Well," she said, her voice smooth as velvet, "since my first gift provided such educational value..."

She took a slow step forward.

"...perhaps it's time to present the second one."

Darkness gathered at her feet, thick and impenetrable. The air grew colder. The chandeliers flickered.

And the true game began.