Chapter 423

Luke's eyes swiftly tracked the trajectory of Aina's sword.

Chaeng—!

He hastily deflected the blade aiming for his neck.

She's fast.

The top-ranked first-year, Aina's sword was faster and sharper than Luke had ever imagined, but that wasn't all.

Chang!

As their blades crossed, a sharp metallic sound rang out.

It's not just her speed.

The golden flashes tracing through the air grew even faster.

A sword honed solely for cutting down an opponent sent chills down Luke's spine.

Chang! Chaeng! Tang! Tuong—!

It wasn't just fast and sharp. Amidst the flurry of attacks, the weight behind Aina's strikes only grew heavier, and that weight turned into sheer destructive power.

Kwang—!

"Ugh!"

Luke's sword was flung back by Aina's strike. For a brief moment, he was left completely defenseless as Aina closed in.

He quickly channeled his aura, correcting the trajectory of his rebounding sword to strike at Aina.

Ssak—!

A silver flash cut through the air as Aina sidestepped with an aura-infused step, dodging Luke's blade by a hair's breadth.

For a brief instant, her balance wavered.

This is my chance to counter!

Until now, Luke had been too preoccupied with blocking Aina's overwhelming speed, but for the first time, he saw an opening to take the offensive.

As he moved to close the gap, his eyes met Aina's.

Her usual composed gaze. A look so serene, it almost seemed peaceful.

At that moment, chills ran down Luke's spine. He immediately pulled back, widening the distance between them.

"What the hell?"

"Wasn't that his chance to counterattack?"

The first-years murmured in confusion, watching Luke abandon the offensive he had barely managed to seize.

"What a waste!" Eliana clutched her head and shouted.

Chelsea gave her a look of pity.

"What? What?" Lea, failing to grasp the situation, asked in confusion.

"If Luke had attacked just now, the match would have ended right then and there," Eiran kindly explained.

Luke wiped the cold sweat trailing down his chin.

I broke her stance. But she read my attack range perfectly.

A duel between knights was a battle of distance. No matter how flashy or powerful an attack was, it became useless the moment the opponent grasped its range.

Of course, determining an opponent's attack range wasn't easy. Since attack patterns constantly changed throughout a battle, the range fluctuated as well.

Yet in their short exchange, Aina had precisely calculated Luke's attack range. Even if her stance had broken, she would have dodged had he attacked.

If I had struck, I would've been the one to fall.

The way she had barely avoided his last attack—it had all been a trap to lure him in.

Taking a deep breath, Luke tightened his grip on his sword once more.

Aina, watching him, pointed her blade at him. With a single step forward, she vanished.

Luke quickly swung his sword to his right.

Kwang—!

Barely managing to block the devastating attack, Luke was still unable to fully withstand the force. He was sent rolling across the ground.

"Ugh!"

Scrambling to his feet, he steadied his stance. By then, Aina had already closed the distance, her sword slashing toward him.

I can't take this head-on.

His palms stung, his wrist ached. If he kept absorbing this level of impact, he would crumble in an instant. He had to find a way to deflect her strikes and minimize the force.

Kwaang—!

Once again, their swords clashed, and Luke was sent flying backward.

I can't lessen the impact!

What had established Aina as the top of the first-years in just one semester wasn't just her overwhelming speed and strength, it was her swordsmanship.

As the great-granddaughter of the Sword Saint, Aina had refined her sword skills to a razor's edge since childhood.

Even when Luke tried to deflect her attacks, her precise technique rendered his efforts futile.

Strength, speed, and technique… Aina was a knight who had perfected them all.

What do I do?

Luke clenched his teeth. If he kept this up, he would lose.

He locked eyes with Aina, who was closing in at a terrifying speed.

If I wait for her or retreat, I'll just get cut down.

Luke lowered his stance.

In that case…

Paat—!

Luke launched himself forward, charging straight at Aina.

Aina's eyes widened in surprise.

Turning into a silver flash, Luke closed the distance first and swung his sword.

Kwang—!

I attacked first…

"Urgh?"

The moment their swords clashed, Luke was sent flying and slammed into the ground.

Laughter erupted from the group of first-years who called themselves Aina's faction.

"What an idiot. Does he think charging in first will change anything?"

"Pathetic!"

"Just lucked his way into the semifinals, and now his real skill is showing."

The self-proclaimed elite first-years, who prided themselves as the best, couldn't accept the underdog Luke's unexpected rise.

But unlike them, Aina, who was facing Luke directly, had a slight tremor in her eyes. Luke was smiling.

What is this guy?

sep

Celia was dumbfounded. "Is he just reckless? Or does he have good judgment?"

"Both," Leo replied.

Celia nodded as if that made perfect sense. "Fair enough."

Some of the first-years couldn't understand why Luke had recklessly charged at Aina, but the upperclassmen saw it differently. They knew that Luke had actually lessened the force behind Aina's sword.

"The fact that he thought to charge in advance and cut off the attack before it fully formed in such a short time… not bad."

"He's always had good eyes," Leo remarked as he watched the match. "He's also got an incredible ability to constantly observe others and absorb what he needs."

In a fleeting moment, his instincts had grasped the best way to stand against Aina.

"Aina must be caught off guard," Leo chuckled. "Even now, Luke is getting closer to her."

sep

Kwang—! Kwaang!

A sword imbued with golden aura slashed toward Luke. His silver aura clashed against Aina's, blocking her attack.

He's getting faster.

Aina's eyes wavered as she saw Luke beginning to counter her strikes.

Even in this very moment, he's growing stronger.

She gritted her teeth. This final exam had been the worst for her.

Her very first match had been against Juen. She had assumed it would be an easy victory, but she had barely won. No, she couldn't even bring herself to call it a victory.

The thought that she could never be acknowledged by Leo at this rate gnawed at her, and the more the tournament progressed, the more lost she felt. She couldn't shake the fear that those she had considered beneath her—Juen, Haviden, Sasha—might soon surpass her and leave her behind.

And in the midst of that turmoil, Aina finally understood why she had avoided and ignored Luke ever since enrolling.

I was afraid of Luke Eldar.

The day Leo Plov chose Luke instead of her, she had recognized Luke's overwhelming potential. She had instinctively realized that, in the near future, he would catch up to her.

And now, Luke was standing right beside her.

Aina felt something she couldn't put into words. For someone who had lived solely for revenge, a new emotion had surfaced.

I don't want to lose.

She didn't know why this feeling was rising within her. But at this moment, she absolutely did not want to lose to Luke.

Fwoosh—!

Golden light flickered in Aina's eyes.

Gooooo—!

A pillar of golden aura surged from her body, rising into the sky. The rippling energy converged at the tip of her sword.

[Ohhh! This is…!] Runeba's excited voice rang out in the commentary booth.

Beside her, Mel murmured, [The Sword Saint's blade.]

A title given to the great hero who shouldered an era, the one who wielded the sword in the name of righteousness and justice. A strike named for the virtue it represented.

"Justitia!"

Aina launched her strongest attack against Luke.

Stop chasing me!

Clenching her teeth, she swung her sword, as if squeezing out every last ounce of strength.

Seeing the golden blade streaking toward him, Luke felt chills run down his spine.

Amazing.

Lumene was full of extraordinary people. People so incredible that no matter how much he chased, it never felt like enough.

Can I really catch up to them?

His heart pounded. His entire being trembled.

Can I stand on the same stage as them?

He didn't know. But if there was one thing he had learned from being Leo's mentee…

No matter how many times I feel despair, no matter how many limits I hit, no matter how many times I falter and bow my head…

A silver radiance burst forth from Luke's body.

If I keep pushing past my limits, if I keep looking forward…

His silver eyes gleamed.

I'll find a stronger version of myself waiting there!

His mana swelled, surging uncontrollably.

Luke cast his unique magic.

"Transcendence!"

For a fleeting moment, a magic that pushed him beyond his limits, just one step closer to where he wanted to be.

"Haaaaaah!"

Flash—!

With that power, Luke succeeded in standing in the same realm as Aina. His silver blade cleaved through the golden sword.

Kugugugugu—!

The arena was left in ruins where Luke had received Aina's attack. Dust rose in thick clouds.

From within, Luke gritted his teeth. "Urgh?!"

The cost of wielding a power he wasn't yet meant to handle struck his arm like a burning agony.

Not yet! I can still fight!

He forced himself to endure the pain.

The Aina I know wouldn't go down from just this. She'll definitely come at me again!

Just as Luke prepared for another assault, he saw Aina through the dust, her sword lowered.

"You win, Luke Eldar," she said.

"???" Luke's expression went blank.

"I put everything I had into my last strike. Since you blocked it, that means I lost," Aina said lifelessly.

Luke's eyes trembled. "Why… why are you giving up?"

"What?"

"You can still fight." His face twisted in confusion.

"I already told you, I've hit my limit."

Luke frowned. "But you still have the strength to swing your sword. So why do you call this your limit?"

Aina gave him a self-deprecating smile. "There's no point in struggling. Someone like me isn't worth fighting so desperately over."

Luke clenched his teeth. "Someone like you?"

Leo had told him to become the first-year representative. But would this kind of victory even be worth anything?

No.

Luke's fists tightened. "Aina, you're incredible. That's why Juen gave everything she had just to challenge you."

"I'm not as great as you think I am." Even so, Aina still smiled bitterly. "And I've already hit my limit. So, you've won…"

"Then surpass your limits!" Luke shouted, his voice shaking with emotion.

Aina flinched.

Luke, seething at Aina's self-deprecation, yelled without holding back, "You're incredible! That's why I want to chase after you! That's why I want to beat you! If you say something like that, what does that make all my effort? If you're going to give up so easily, then at least compensate me for all the work I put in before you do!"

Aina looked at him, startled. "Uh, how… how am I supposed to compensate you?"

"As if you could!"

Seeing Luke explode from the pent-up frustration of his past hardships, Aina unconsciously stepped back.

H-He's scary.

As the dust settled, Luke looked at her and spoke. "If you're going to run away, then at least give me your very best before you do."

He adjusted his grip on his sword, and Aina glanced down at her own blade.

"Grandfather, have you ever wanted to run away?"

"Plenty of times." With a hearty chuckle, Sword Saint Kalian patted his great-granddaughter's head.

"But you overcame them all, right? Because you're the Sword Saint."

"Nope. I ran away quite a few times."

Completely shattering his great-granddaughter's childhood ideal, Kalian simply stroked his beard and grinned slyly.

Aina looked up at him, her face full of shock.

Kalian smiled warmly. "But, I never ran away without giving it my all first. I challenged my limits again and again, and if I still couldn't win, then I ran. That's all."

Taking his great-granddaughter's hand, he told her, "Aina, as long as you give your all, you can run as much as you want. You can always challenge it again later."

As that old memory resurfaced, Aina tightened her grip on her sword.

Grandfather.

sep

The atmosphere has changed.

Leo's eyes gleamed as he observed their duel.

She finally… has the eyes of a hero candidate.

Watching Aina, Leo smirked, but for a brief moment, his expression vanished—only to return a second later.

Leo rose from his seat.

"Where are you going?" Celia asked with a puzzled expression.

Leo smiled at her and replied, "I'll be back in a bit."

Leaving those words behind, he exited the stands. Not far away, he had sensed a familiar presence.

His crimson eyes flickered. A presence so faint, yet unmistakable.