The sun's rays scorched the streets of Belle Fain, and the darkness of night slowly woke it up.

　The mercenaries and the lord's private army, as well as the streets where Karia and I held our swords, were slowly losing the light of day.

　The distance between me and Karia was almost gone. If either of us took one more step, that would be the point where the sword would open its jaws and slay the other.

　The sunlight stroked Kalia's silver hair as if it were the last glimmer. Then, slowly, slowly, the light scraped itself off, and then it was gone.

　At the same moment, a purple lightning flashed through the pale darkness of the night. In the space of a single movement, he swung his treasure sword to plunge it into Kalia. No breath. There is no room for such a presence to intervene, not even to intend something. If he wanted to put the blade to Kalia's neck, it would still not be enough.

　I can't catch a hard sword blow from Kalia, and I can't hope to fight for a long time. And I don't think any tricks will work on her now. And for this duel, I don't have the goods that I used to have in Garou Amalia.

　If that is the case, there is only one option. The only way is to strike from here and bring this blade to Caria. And quickly, faster than anything else.

　Even if we can't cut the sound like that hero, it's enough if we can carry the sword faster than Caria. To do that, I'll throw away my thoughts, my breath, my body's safety after swinging the sword, everything. I made my body lighter and just shot my sword at the silver figure swaying in the sky. I put all my strength into the fingers of my right hand and gripped the hilt tightly.

　Of course, things were not going to be that easy.

　There was no more than a blink of an eye. As if in response to the purple lightning that blended into the night, I saw the silver light roar out of the corner of my eye.

　Kalia's hard blow that seemed to twist and crush space itself. The force of it alone would have sent me flying. A slash that was clearly aimed at my neck was coming from my left hand side.

　--I had a hunch at that point. My brain understood. I knew my strength was not as strong as Kalia's.

　I felt something fearsome licking the back of my head. Compared to my sword, Caria's silver sword should have been wielded with much more ease.

　But yet, it will definitely touch this neck before I thrust the treasure sword at Kalia. That's a very realistic prediction that's popping up in my mind. And I'm sure that prediction will come true if I even blink my eyelids.

　Oh, my God. The world is such a cruel place to make differences in people. It tells us without mercy that an ordinary man's determination has no meaning and that you can't put a price tag on bravery.

　And that's why. The have-nots, when they try to gain something, have no choice but to let their blood flow from their bodies to pay for it.

　I let go of my left hand that was along the hilt. There is no problem with the trajectory of the sword. It was originally wielded with the right arm.

　He then placed his left arm next to his neck, as if it were a barrier. Was this a move he had made after seeing Kalia's hard blow, or was it an action he had already anticipated? It was hard to tell. But it was almost a reflex, that's for sure.

　My left arm won't be safe. Of course not. There's no way that Kalia, who has the utmost sincerity and respect for fighting, would stop her sword for something like this. She'd cut off my left arm without a second thought.

　But that's okay.

　Of course. It's only natural. That would inevitably give me a moment to get the silver blade to my neck. That, more than anything, is what I want. And I'm going to buy that from a great hero named Caria. How much would one left arm like mine be worth?

　That's all I want. I'll even give you my neck itself. If at the end, at the end of this duel, the glow of the purple light can follow Kalia's neck a little faster than the silver light. There's nothing better than that.

　I could feel something hot, just hot, touching my left arm.


　That's about it.


　That's about it. The only words that came to Kalia's mind were. I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but it's a good idea. It was a very good choice, and Kalia almost smiled.

　You can find a lot of things that you can do to make your life easier. Of course, her skill was far beyond her own. The speed of his steps was mediocre. The flash of the sword was beginning to ripen, but still lacked a clear brilliance.

　It is insignificant. If you only look at it that way, it really must be just an insignificant blow.

　--Ah, but still. Who can stop the palpitations in my heart?

　Kalia understands her own strength. He had felt as if he had crossed some kind of line when he had defeated a demon monkey single-handedly in Gazalia.

　In this battle between the lord's private army and the mercenaries, it became a certainty. No longer would a sword wielded in a mundane manner or a spear thrust out reach this body. There is no way that this body will be bitten off by a small army.



　The gazes of others told me this earlier than Kalia's own chest could tell. At the sight of the silver sword she wielded, the eyes of her enemies cowered in fear, shaking as if they were looking at a monster. And the gazes of his allies, piercing from behind, glittered as if in praise of a hero or god of war. And with that, Kalia understood. I am no longer on the same level as them.

　The weapons of such enemies, with their fear and cowering, would never reach you. You can't even peel off a scratch or a piece of skin. Because they don't even think that they can get their hands on my neck.

　But what about him, Lugis? His skill, like that of the mooks, is still beyond the reach of this body, and has not even grazed his fingertips. And yet, his gaze still pierces my neck.

　Oh, how wonderful.

　Originally, Kalia did not have it in her mind to cut up Lugis' body. She just wanted to give him a little punishment. That was all.

　But such thoughts were no longer in Kalia's mind.

　Lugis is doing his best to face himself, throwing away his very life. He is accepting the stage of the duel from the bottom of his heart. How rude of me to try to harm him in any way. What an act of disrespect.

　I don't want to hurt him. In fact, if it were possible, I would even like her to rest her wounded body.

　But how can I look at Lugis now, the way he is, his determination, and dismiss it as meaningless? Can I scorn her, spit on her, and ridicule her? To tamper with it is the equivalent of that.

　--Let's go, Lugis. If you lay hands on my neck, I'm prepared to do the same.

　The silver light swallows up the space with a further roar. There was a definite feeling in Kalia's hand, a tearing of flesh.

　A battlefield duel. A duel on the battlefield, whose end is now about to reveal itself here. Everyone watching this duel was beginning to understand that.