[5252 What’s Friede’s weapon? wwwwww]
[They call her the Hero of Light, but she’s definitely living up to the nickname.]
[Our Sensei is…a hero!]
[When combined with her customization, looks insanely cool @@.]
[Wow! Friede is slaying with her fan service!]
[How do Lotus’ and Friede’s weapons compare in tiers? Does Friede fall short?]
[Lantherte’s self-forged sword and Radiant Holy Sword are, well, pretty similar overall.]
[But the Radiant Holy Sword’s combat skill is a bit unique, you know.]
[Oh, that one ᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏ.]
The arena was buzzing with excitement.
The stands were peculiar, with voices audible instead of chat messages scrolling by.
It felt like a genuine coliseum with spectators yelling, and Friede couldn’t help but think, ‘If I were the shy type, I’d probably collapse under this overwhelming energy.’
This wasn’t a stage anyone could handle without a certain level of confidence, but Friede wasn’t concerned.
“Finally, we meet,” Lotus said softly, smiling without a trace of tension from the crowd’s roar.
Friede returned the smile with satisfaction.
‘A good mindset,’ she thought.
Even among pro players, there were some who crumbled under pressure, but Lotus wasn’t one of them.
This thrilled Friede.
A worthy opponent would make the battle all the more exhilarating.
“You seem to have been waiting for me,” Friede said.
“Yes, I’ve been reviewing your gameplay, anticipating this moment. And now…”
-Shring!
With a sharp sound, the blade of Lotus’ rapier pointed straight at Friede’s forehead.
A twisted yet pure smile spread across Lotus’ face as she declared, “Friede, I will defeat you.”
That should’ve been the challenger’s line, but Friede muttered under her breath, “Looks like our dear Lotus sees me as some kind of rival with lofty expectations.”
Still, overconfidence was better than apathy.
Taking a deep breath, Friede adjusted her stance.
***
The moment the game began, tension filled the air.
Friede’s holy sword was drawn, and energy gathered along its blade as it glowed brighter with every pulse of light.
At the second level of charging, the sword expanded into a radiant greatsword.
This was a weapon that declared its divine power—a holy sword infused with the light of the sun.
With a cry of “Haah!” Friede slashed forward. The beam of light surged outward from the blade like a torrent, rushing toward Lotus.
-Kaboom!
The radiant wave blasted ahead, a combat skill known as Sunlight Torrent.
Among Soul Warfare’s melee weapons, this was the only ranged combat skill.
“Too bad,” Friede muttered as Lotus evaded gracefully, closing the distance with a dash.
Lantherte’s self-forged sword gleamed as Lotus launched a fierce attack.
Friede swung her holy sword in retaliation.
-Whoosh!
Lotus thought, ‘Fast.’
Even knowing Friede’s speed beforehand didn’t prepare her for witnessing it firsthand.
The strike was quicker than any typical pro’s attack.
Reflexively, Lotus crouched and sidestepped to avoid the blade’s trajectory, her movements sharp and calculated from years of gaming experience.
This was her chance.
Closing the gap into her rapier’s range, she aimed a powerful strike.
‘She can’t parry this in time,’ Lotus thought with confidence.
However, Friede’s holy sword blocked the attack in the nick of time.
Though the block forced Friede to step back slightly, she remained steady.
Undeterred, Lotus began planning her next sequence of attacks.
‘I need an opening,’ she thought.
The intense exchange continued, the two trading blows with precision and speed.
For thirty seconds, their blades clashed without pause.
Then, Lotus saw her moment.
‘Dive in!’
Switching from quick jabs to a sweeping strike, Lotus aimed her rapier to cut deeply.
Simultaneously, Friede countered by slashing upward with her holy sword.
-Clang!
-Screech!
The clash of steel rang out as sparks flew.
In the end, Lotus was forced to step back.
‘Damn, that sword is tricky.’
The holy sword was a unique weapon that blended traits of longswords and greatswords.
It wasn’t just powerful; it responded to every move Lotus made as if predicting her strikes.
‘Focus,’ she told herself, shaking off her doubts.
The battle was far from over.
[Messages and Comments]
[Unnecessary doubts and musings lead to self-doubt.]
[Friede is so fast, it’s almost unfair!]
[Friede’s counters are insane!]
[This is real skill; both players are top-tier.]
[Holy Sword! It’s unstoppable!]
[Friede really is the hero! A perfect embodiment of a legend!]
[Friede is unbeatable! Holy Sword supremacy!]
[Friede, break Lotus! Crush her! Warden down!]
[How is the bar raised even higher after the dagger match? Incredible!]
***
Unnecessary musings and doubts morph into self-doubt.
At that moment, Friede launched the first strike with her Holy Sword.
Moving with a burst of acceleration that felt almost supernatural, she closed the distance with incredible speed.
‘Is it because she got too competitive in this first set?’ Lotus wondered.
Ordinarily, Lotus would stick to a strict hit-and-run strategy, but a fire lit in her eyes.
‘Friede did it before. She overcame the Rebel’s Greatsword head-on with this same weapon in her hand. Then why can’t I?’
“Hyah!”
Lotus moved before she could even think.
Her rapier flowed into a flawless horizontal slash, twisting mid-motion to cut vertically, then rapidly thrust forward in succession.
But Friede evaded every attack with minimal movement, her Holy Sword effortlessly deflecting the final thrust.
“Tch!” Lotus clicked her tongue.
‘She’s adapting my dagger patterns into her counters,’ Lotus thought.
‘I’m not falling behind in speed—if anything, I’m pushing beyond my limits—but why isn’t it working?’
Friede’s Holy Sword suddenly swung with a wide motion, leaving what appeared to be an opening.
Lotus hesitated for a fraction of a second, torn between seizing the opportunity and fearing it was bait.
‘If this doesn’t work, I’ll just push harder and faster!’
She committed to an all-out offensive.
Twisting her body to dodge the sword’s path, she leaped forward with momentum, her rapier poised to strike.
However, Friede adjusted her swing mid-motion, using the momentum of the wide slash to shift into a shoulder slam.
-Wham!
“Ugh!”
Lotus was flung backward, helpless against the unexpected force.
‘What kind of cancel was that?!’ she thought, stunned by Friede’s flawless body control.
Before Lotus could recover her footing, Friede’s uppercut struck her chin with precise force.
-Bam!
Her vision blurred as the blow stunned her completely.
In the fading darkness, the last thing Lotus saw was Friede, raising her Holy Sword high above her head.
***
As the first glow enveloped the blade, the Holy Sword began its charge.
-Ching!
The second glow extended the light around the blade, elongating it further.
-Ching!
The third glow amplified the radiance to its maximum, the blade now massive and imposing.
This was the ultimate attack of the Radiant Holy Sword: Sunlight Torrent.
-Boom!
The colossal sword of sunlight cleaved through Lotus in a decisive strike.
***
[Commentary Booth]
“What an incredible match! Friede’s gameplay with the Radiant Holy Sword was a marvel to watch,” the commentator exclaimed.
“Yes, that weapon isn’t often seen in competitive matches. While its stats are solid, its core combat skill can be difficult to execute under pressure. The charge time alone makes it risky,” another commentator added.
“True, but when it connects—especially at close range—the damage is devastating. In this case, with Lotus in a stunned state, it was guaranteed critical damage. The Radiant Holy Sword truly lived up to its name.”
“Friede probably picked it with this exact strategy in mind. Of course, it also perfectly fits her character concept.”
The commentators buzzed with excitement as the community chatter exploded.
***
[Community Chat]
[Wow, she’s a real hero!]
[Hero entrance, check!]
[Holy Sword meta confirmed.]
[Friede is unstoppable! The Holy Sword is divine!]
[Queen Friede, Goddess Friede, King Friede!]
[Break her, Friede! Break Lotus! Crush the Warden!]
[Honestly, if not for slow-motion replays, I wouldn’t even understand how they fought.]
***
The electric atmosphere carried into the waiting room, where Lotus smiled faintly.
Even though she had lost the first set, she felt strangely exhilarated.
Memories of her coach’s advice surfaced.
“Lotus, if you see Friede pull out that broken greatsword, don’t just stand there,” the coach had said.
Recalling those words, Lotus chuckled.
“Kim Chan-hyuk, what a dramatic warning that turned out to be.”
‘Broken greatsword or not, Friede had to go all out against me. That’s all that matters.’
No more overthinking.
From now on, the only thought was victory.
‘Will Friede stick with the Holy Sword in the next set, or will she switch? And what weapon should I choose?’
Determined to give her best against a worthy opponent, Lotus walked back into the arena.
***
Cheers erupted as both players reentered the stage.
The weapon display shimmered into view, and Lotus carefully considered her options.
‘I’ve made my choice.’
‘Her selection?’ The Radiant Holy Sword—the same weapon Friede had wielded.
With a confident smile, she silently conveyed her intent.
“Pick the Holy Sword,” she seemed to say.
“Fight me at full power with the same weapon.”
Across the stage, Friede made her selection.
Turning her back to the display, she concealed her choice from Lotus.
***
[Community Chat]
[What did she pick?]
[Oh no, here comes another dramatic moment.]
[Friede, don’t pull a stunt! Go for the mirror match!]
But as Friede faced Lotus, she dramatically revealed her choice.
“Ta-da!”
It was the broken greatsword.