“Um… what…”
“What?”
Seeing the people on the stage mumbling, the audience was confused.
Some of them had come a long way from Eisenmarkt to see the festival, and the match between such strong people.
There were people who loved the two of them on the stage and watched all the matches they had participated in so far, looked at them with loving eyes, and enjoyed them with pounding hearts.
Of course, not all of them equally supported them.
They say that the world is one, but the West was prouder!
If possible, people hoped that the West-based swordsman would win and that they would ultimately become the strongest swordsmen.
It was the same today. Objectively they knew that Ilya Lindsay was inferior, but regardless of that, the people were determined to support the genius of the Adan Kingdom.
Their support was displayed by writing the phrase ‘Ilya Lindsay Fighting!’ on a paper and parading it for everyone to see.1
But…
With a bang!
“Yah! What is that?”
“… well.”
A big-nosed viewer had an absurd expression. The person whose paper was pushed down didn’t understand the reason for the man’s actions.
But the other man didn’t regret it.
He looked at the contestants on the stage and spoke while looking at his friend.
“I will cheer for Ignet.”
“What? What are you…? Ugh! Have you lost it?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know. I just, I just think it should be that way.”
“…”
“I-Ignet! Ignet Crescentia Fighting!”
With a timid attitude and then with a loud voice, he cheered for Ignet.
The other man looked at him with a dumbfounded expression and heard another voice from behind.
“Ignet! Ignet! Win!”
“Win! Defeat Ilya Lindsay!”
“Ignet! Ignet! Ignet!”
‘No…why are they all…’
The big-nosed man looked at the back, unable to understand. They weren't acquaintances, but he knew they were people supporting the West.
It was because he picked up on their interests on the way here. Rather, they were a lot more ardent supporters of the West than he himself was
But now, they were all supporting Ignet and not Ilya.
“Why?”
“What happened suddenly?”
“Why are so many people supporting Ignet?”
“Yah! Why did you change?”
“I-I don’t know. The thought just popped into me…”
“…”
It was a change for no reason.
Without even knowing the reason, people were shouting for the victory of the Black Knight Commander.
In the midst of that, Anya Marta, a sorcerer who was calmer than in the past, mumbled.
“I am touched by the captain’s heart.”
“What?”
“The displeasure of love. Her anger towards lovers. That spark must have ignited people’s hearts.”
“… is that even possible?”
“It is my first time seeing it too, but I cannot explain it any other way.”
“…”
“Probably the people who are cheering for the captain now, they must not have lovers.”
‘What nonsense is that!’ That was what Georg wanted to say.
But Anya’s expression was too serious. The face of his captain facing Ilya Lindsay was even more serious.
Looking at the eyes of his captain shining more brightly than ever, he mumbled.
“What is this…”
Pop!
Kwang!
Kwaang!
“Kuak!”
Dash and strike!
Ilya, who blocked Ignet’s sword, frowned and stepped back. Using her sophisticated aura control, along with the wind, her speed was amazing.
However, Ignet's advancement was even faster than that.
Puah!
Kwang!
“Kuak!”
Sparks rose. This was a phenomenon that took place at Ignet’s feet, as she was using the resulting repulsive force of their clashes, and as a result, she was moving at a faster pace.
It wasn’t just on her feet.
Puak!
The explosions which came from the swords clashing were used to accelerate all her movements.
Kwang!
There were sparks rising in succession, which in turn changed the path of the sword. It was a rough and crude method, but the effect was clear.
With unpredictable movements, terrifying speed, and chaotic power, Ignet overwhelmed her opponent.
“It is like seeing a fire burn constantly, senior.”
“Right. It has been a long time since I saw her so fierce.”
Julius Hul and Quincy Myers were talking while looking at the match. They couldn’t understand why Ignet looked so determined.
It was difficult for them to know that her heart was being influenced by her decision to give up on dating or loving someone decades ago.
But that didn’t mean that her emotions were influencing the effectiveness of her sword. Rather, she was able to show her emotions through the sword.
“Ignet will win.”
“That is a known truth. Still… she has grown so much. Ilya Lindsay.”
“Umm.”
Julius Hul nodded.
It was true.
Right now, all the people were dazzled by the performance of Ignet, which was wild, splendid, and violent.
All their attention was focused only on her, who was growing like a wildfire and constantly flaring.
‘But the reason she was able to show such extensive power was because of her opponent.’
Julius remembered the matches till now.
They all ended in an instant. It was to the extent that Ignet couldn't even properly warm up.
Victory and defeat were decided in a short time, and the Black Knight Commander didn't have a chance to show her true skills. In that sense, Ilya's ability to defend was something that deserved applause.
Puak!
With the wind, Ilya blocked the ferocious sword coming for her side.
Swish!
She dodged the stab aiming for her neck by bending her upper body, and then widened the distance between them. Sometimes to avoid the fire of the opponent, she would throw herself off the stage into the wind and then come back into the stage.
‘Her free movement as if she is part of the sky. This isn’t a realization of just swordsmanship.’
Quincy Myers thought that.
Right. If she had been immersed in swordsmanship and ignored other things, then maybe her sword skills would have been sharpened even more, but she wouldn’t have been able to show such creative movement.
The present Ilya seemed to have relieved the burden she was carrying in the past. It felt like her heart had changed completely.
“It’s good to see.”
“Right.”
The two old paladins smiled.
Some thought that the matches were only to show off the skills of the Black Knight Commander, but this was the true purpose.
Weren’t there so many young talents who shined as bright as Ignet?
For the old people...the old knights who were going into the arms of God, this was good news.
They felt so happy and blessed, and they wanted to laugh and cry and watch the fight all day. All the old paladins were feeling this.
But that wasn’t the end.
The match extended for five minutes, and then it became ten.
Ilya Lindsay, who had been focused on defense all this time, opened the distance, and mumbled something.
“What?”
“What is she saying?”
The audience looked puzzled. It looked like the two were talking, but the voice was so low that they couldn't hear what it was.
However, their curiosity was resolved.
As if the match started then, an even more intense energy emanated from their bodies. It was as if this was the start of the true battle.
Ian, who watched it, nodded.
“The agreement has been reached to settle the matter in a single move.”
“The Black Knight Commander has an advantage then.”
“Right. It is a battle which has already been won.”
“I already see Ignet winning.”
The other schoolmasters agreed with Joseph.
As he said, if the flow was going this way, it was obvious which side would lose.
However, Ignet showed consideration to the opponent so that everything could be shown, so winning or losing was rather irrelevant now.
And Ilya knew it too.
‘I lost.’
The silver-haired swordsman mumbled.
It was great. Amazing.
Ignet was stronger, burned hotter, and was more ferocious than she had imagined, and she was different from the one who defeated her brother mercilessly.
But she wasn’t shaken.
The anger didn’t rise within her.
She thought this could happen, and when they met, it felt strange. Ilya recalled the past.
‘The thing I hated... I wanted to get rid of Ignet. It was a lie… it was me I wanted to get rid of.’
But not anymore.
There was no need to lose herself and go after another. There was no need to hurt herself by being caught up in bad emotions.
She was going to love herself.
Everything starts from there.
She had to love, cherish and acknowledge herself and look straight at others, and then accept herself and others without any distortion.
The cool breeze suddenly blew in her mind.
Pah!
Woong!
“…!”
“…!”
The energy from Ilya Lindsay increased her speed and added even more force.
It was no ordinary aura. The wind was so fierce that it could be considered a typhoon or even a gale, and her eyes opened.
The secret Sky Sword from Dion Lindsay.
It wasn’t perfect, but she was able to use it in this opportunity. Looking at her opponent, her body trembled as she thought of her future.
Puah!
At that time, a rough energy exploded from Ignet’s body.
A flame soaring high enough to catch everyone’s attention.
It compressed further and further. First into the sword and then into the tip of the sword.
Wooong! The moment the red aura formed with a subtle vibration, the audience gulped.
And then the clash came.
“…”
“…”
“…”
“… thanks again.”
“Yes.”
This time too, Jia Runtel brought out a magic barrier. There was no other sound than that. Everyone stayed still and waited for the dust to settle.
Everyone looked at the magic screen without closing their eyes.
… and the expectations didn't fail them. Ignet was standing, and Ilya was off the stage.
It was clear who the winner was.
“W-Winner! Ignet Crescentia!”
Cheers followed along with the announcement. Some shouted her name loudly, and some applauded gently.
There weren't many who shouted the name of Ilya, who fought well. Ignet, who looked at her sword and Ilya's sword, said.
“That sword, did Vulcanus make it?”
“…”
“It is really nice. It didn’t break even with my sword.”
Hearing that, Ilya laughed and coughed and said.
“You can be honest.”
“Um?”
“It is because you liked the sword that you didn’t break it, right? Breaking a sword is possible with someone of your skills.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“Forget it.”
The silver-haired swordsman got up and brushed off the dust.
She had a calm expression.
She wasn’t trying to fool people, but she was actually confident in herself. The black-haired swordsman looked at Ilya, who didn't seem to care about her.
“Hahah. Hahaha…”
And burst into laughter.
So did Ilya.
As if unwilling to lose in laughter, both laughed, and Ilya continued to laugh despite coughing blood, and this was bizarre to the audience.
Camrin Ray, who watched it, asked Airn.
“Your lover, is she fine?”
“… she will be fine.”
Other than that, he had nothing else to say.
'Fighting' (pronounced hwaiting) is used in Korean to cheer on someone and to wish someone good luck. It is used to express encouragement and to show support for a person's actions. The term 'fighting' in Korean is similar to the English expressions 'Good luck!', 'You can do it!'↩
