Sweat soaked her forehead and hair, freezing into tiny ice crystals in the cold wind.
“Ha… ha… ha…”
Her movements remained ghostly quick and fluid, every swing of her longsword slicing the air with a piercing whistle and suffocating pressure.
Yet her cold, beautiful face bore a nearly pathological, thoroughly delighted smile.
Her movements remained ghostly quick and fluid, every swing of her longsword slicing the air with a piercing whistle and suffocating pressure.
Yet her cold, beautiful face bore a nearly pathological, thoroughly delighted smile.
The clash of gold and iron rang densely like raindrops!
Serena was almost reacting purely on instinct to block and dodge.
Yanas’s swordplay was cunning and ruthless, her angles strange, and her strength astonishing.
Each clash sent tingling numbness through Serena’s hand, and deep holes were crushed into the snow beneath her feet.
Her pride in speed and skill faltered under the weight of Yanas’s mastery fused with a certain inhuman power.
Damn it… after Endimion Castle, after gaining the Hero class, I felt I had broken through…
Even with Eileen’s Miracle Weaver supporting me, why is this still so difficult?!
Serena’s heart sank.
A long-lost, suffocating sense of powerlessness gripped her.
She could feel Eileen’s Miracle Weaver constantly twisting and altering Yanas’s sword patterns, forcing her to dodge attacks and barely keep pace with Yanas’s storm-like rhythm.
But it wasn’t nearly enough!
Yanas’s sword was not only fast and strong but carried a kind of all-seeing “anticipation.”
She seemed able to see through every intention, every point of force, every sign of a change in technique.
Serena felt like a moth trapped in a spider’s web—the more she struggled, the tighter the binds.
“Not enough! Still not enough, Serena!”
Yanas’s voice trembled with excitement as her sword tip grazed Serena’s throat, snatching a few strands of hair.
“Your swordsmanship is indeed your father’s true legacy, and your fearless spirit is commendable! But…”
Yanas suddenly vanished.
The next moment, a blade bearing terrifying wind pressure chopped down diagonally from above!
“You’re still far from the true ‘Ultimate Sword’! This level doesn’t even warm me up properly!”
Yanas’s voice thundered in Serena’s ear.
“Want me to get serious? Then bring your father, Sword Saint Reinhardt, yourself!”
Boom!
Serena barely raised her sword to block, the immense force blasting her backward like a cannonball.
Her feet carved deep trenches in the snow as a sweet taste filled her throat—a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth.
Father.
Yanas’s words stabbed coldly into Serena’s heart.
She had always set her father as the goal, honing her swordsmanship so she wouldn’t be a burden anymore, so she could protect those she wanted—especially Eileen.
She swore to be her sharpest sword!
But now?
Before a true enemy, she still felt so powerless!
She couldn’t even force Yanas to take the fight seriously!
What kind of sword for Eileen am I then?
A Hero?
If I can’t even protect them, how can we stand side by side…?
The shadow of despair spread alongside the pain and rapidly draining mana.
At this critical moment—
An indescribable, vast, warm holy radiance suddenly exploded from the plaza’s center!
Like the rising sun, it instantly dispelled the chill and gloom surrounding Serena!
That pure, flawless holy light seemed alive, precisely enveloping the bloodied and struggling Serena.
The moment the light touched her body, Serena felt an indescribable warm current flow through her limbs!
Zhii—
A faint sound, like dead wood coming to life.
The tiny wounds torn by the fierce battle rapidly healed, and her drained strength flowed back like a clear spring filling a dry riverbed!
More shocking, the core power of the Hero class inside her, the “Holy Sword” projection sleeping deep in her soul, seemed ignited by this pure Saint’s radiance!
Vuuum—!!!
The tangible Holy Sword in her hand emitted an unprecedented, high-pitched, sacred hum!
Brilliant golden holy light burst forth from the blade as if solid!
This glow was no longer an external blessing but came from her bloodline’s depths, strongly resonating with Saint Rosevither’s divinity!
“This is… Rosevither’s power…”
Serena lowered her gaze to the sword, blazing with light, almost breaking free of her grip.
An unprecedented strength filled her body, dispelling all weariness and despair!
She could feel this light not only healing her but cleansing her sword heart, elevating her power!
“Oh?”
Yanas’s amber-red eyes suddenly lit up, the playful gleam vanishing, replaced by pure excitement akin to discovering a priceless treasure.
“Interesting! So interesting! Now this is worth it!”
The infusion of holy light elevated Serena’s speed, strength, and reflexes to a whole new level!
No longer passive, she launched her own attack!
“Hah—!”
A sharp cry, Serena’s figure became a golden streak!
Her swordsmanship still bore the grand style of the Reinhardt family, but under the holy light’s blessing, each strike carried the power to split mountains and cleave stones, moving so fast she left only afterimages!
This time, the clash of gold and iron became evenly matched!
Yanas’s smile grew wider as her sword danced tightly, intercepting every thunderous strike with precision.
Their figures darted and collided through the snowstorm at breakneck speed.
Each clash erupted in dazzling light bursts and shockwaves, sweeping away surrounding snow and stones!
The shock of their fight even caught the attention of the distant crowd amid the chaos.
Serena grew braver in battle.
The holy light and Hero power merged perfectly inside her, pushing her into an unprecedented combat state.
She spotted a slight gap in Yanas’s defense—perhaps not a true gap, but a deliberate trap for counterattack.
At this moment, Serena had only one thought: to pour out all the power of protecting her comrades without reservation!
She leapt high, gripping the Holy Sword, now swollen into a giant blade of light!
All the holy light, all her faith, all her strength, condensed into this single strike!
The blade’s glow blazed like a sun fallen to earth, painting the wind and snow golden!
“EX—”
She roared, driving the glowing giant sword down toward Yanas with the force of splitting a mountain.
Space itself seemed torn apart, emitting a mournful, unbearable wail!
Boom—!!!!
A deafening roar shook the plaza’s edge!
A massive golden column of light shot up, smashing into Yanas’s position!
The earth trembled violently; snow instantly evaporated, and the hard stone pavement cracked and shattered like fragile biscuits, forming a huge smoking crater!
The shockwave spread fiercely in a ring, carrying rubble and hot air outward!
The light slowly faded.
Serena knelt at the crater’s edge, gasping violently, the Holy Sword’s glow dimmed to its original size.
That strike nearly drained all the power from her resonance with the holy light.
Her gaze locked onto the crater’s center.
Amid the dust, a figure slowly stood upright.
Yanas!
Her splendid knight armor was covered in scorch marks, cracked in several places, looking somewhat battered.
A few strands of her fiery red hair clung to her dusty cheeks.
Blood trickled slowly from the corner of her mouth, clearly an internal injury.
Yet no hint of defeat or pain showed on her face—only an almost burning, ecstatic excitement!
Those amber-red eyes shone like molten lava from hell, staring greedily and contentedly at the gasping Serena like a rare prey discovered.
“Hehe… hehehehe…”
Yanas wiped the blood from her mouth with her thumb, watching the crimson tip, her laughter growing louder until it became unrestrained and hearty.
“Hahaha! Good! Very good, Serena! You finally… made me feel ‘pain’!”
Her gaze sharpened with terrifying fervor:
“Remember this feeling of power! Remember the thrill of drawing my blood! Keep getting stronger! Live hard and fight hard, then grow stronger! I look forward to… our next clash! That will be… a true feast!”
Before she finished, Yanas’s figure blurred and melted into the snowstorm.
After a few flickers, she vanished into the chaos at the plaza’s edge, leaving only the echo of her warlike and eager laughter ringing in Serena’s ears.
Serena leaned on her sword, supporting her weakened body, staring toward Yanas’s disappearing direction with a serious expression and a spark of rekindled fighting spirit.
The next time… a clash?
She tightened her grip on the sword.
“Not enough. I must become stronger—I didn’t even force that woman to use her full power!”
She had truly given her all, even with the Miracle Weaver’s numerical support, yet the gap between them was still impossible to ignore.
As an opponent, Serena could sense that this so-called strongest knight concealed a chilling power inside her!
She didn’t retreat because she was losing, but simply wanted to wait until Serena grew stronger before fighting again.
She was enjoying the battle and the thrill of combat.
A person too strong and lonely, almost unhinged.
Serena wanted nothing to do with such a person.
Enough of fighting with a crazed woman!
With that thought, her body collapsed weakly to the ground, panting heavily, sweat beading on her forehead.
Though she wanted to rush to assist Eileen, her body felt as heavy as lead, unable to move.
Even if this state passed, she could do nothing.
Her crimson eyes gazed distantly toward the plaza, where demonic energy surged, with two particularly violent presences.
Eileen, wait for me a moment, just a moment…
She took out a potion and kept gulping it down.