Maria donned the armor she had forged with her own hands, tightened her grip on her knight's longsword, and stood alone in the long corridor, her eyes fixed on the white light ahead.
The distant echoes, like a roaring mountain and a surging tide seemed to press down on her chest, making it hard to breathe.
Images flashed through her mind: Aunt Zofia, who had trained her day after day; her elder sister, whom she had always chased after; and Felix, the brother who had quietly watched over the Nearl family from the shadows.
It had been years since she last saw him. She had heard that Brother Felix had gone very, very far, so far that even if she tried with all her strength, she might never be able to stand behind him.
But Maria believed in herself.
She had risen from an unknown knight to this point.
Now, she stood on the stage between the top four and the top two. No, on the battlefield, no one cared about rankings.
She carried no borrowed glory. No one believed she stood here because of the Nearl name.
Her contestant name was simply Maria, and nothing more.
She wanted everyone to know that beneath the halo of the Nearl family was a knight who had come this far through her own effort.
"Yes… the Blood Knight, a true knight," Maria murmured softly. "He, too, is chasing after his sister."
"A silhouette."
A faint smile appeared on her lips as she gently tapped her breastplate, producing a dull, muffled sound.
Thump, thump, thump.
That was the sound of her heartbeat.
Listening to it, she took a step forward, then another, moving steadily until she emerged onto the blazing battlefield.
"So many people."
This was not her first time fighting in a grand arena. Yet as she looked out at the packed stands, Maria felt neither excitement nor fear. She had already defeated many knights, including the Night Knight, once defeated by her sister, the Radiant Knight, and the Flametail Knight, whom she had overcome by trading injuries. That battle had left her gravely wounded, forcing her to remain bedridden for a long time. It was the most serious injury she had suffered since entering the main tournament.
Maria's face had always carried a gentle, almost childlike warmth.
A smile fitting her age, one that naturally inspired closeness and goodwill.
But after stepping into the main competition, that smile remained, now tempered by a fierce fighting spirit.
She was indeed the Radiant Knight's sister, but her place here was earned through her own strength and countless victories.
Maria raised her eyes to the figure standing opposite her. The Blood Knight stood there in silence, helmeted, unmoving.
This was her first time facing the Blood Knight head-on.
The overwhelming aura, the crushing pressure, and the raw killing intent made her chest tighten. She clenched the knight's sword at her waist, ground her teeth, and forced herself to steady her racing heartbeat.
Then she lowered her visor and drew her blade.
To make matches more exciting and appealing to spectators, competitive knights usually fought without helmets, allowing their faces to be fully displayed.
Of course, this also depended on fighting style. Strength-based knights often wore helmets for close-quarters protection. In fact, helmets were standard equipment in Kazimierz campaigns, meant to protect the head as much as possible, rather than being knocked away by a single heavy blow.
Maria could hear her own breathing.
Her gaze locked onto the Blood Knight as she watched him lift his somewhat exaggerated giant axe and take a fighting stance before her.
In one hand, Maria held her knight's shield; in the other, her knight's sword. This was the Nearl family's knightly swordsmanship, the art their ancestors had used on battlefields for generations. There were no flourishes, no elegance, only lethal strikes, each one decisive and meant to draw blood.
For her aunt, for her sister, for her family, and for her brother Felix, she could not lose this battle.
The whistle sounded, and the Blood Knight vanished from his spot in an instant. Maria tightened her grip on the shield and twisted her body, raising it in front of her.
Bang!
She was driven back three steps. Using the force of the blow, Maria swung her knight's sword downward with her other hand, the strike so fast that the Blood Knight narrowed his eyes.
In that moment, he understood why.
Because she was just as fast.
Borrowing the opponent's strength and turning it against them, truly worthy of the Nearl family's swordsmanship, which incorporated techniques that could only be learned over a long period of time.
Boom!
The Blood Knight thrust out his arm, the crimson armor deflecting the sharp blade with a harsh grinding sound. Beneath the armor, his eyes gleamed.
First with surprise, then with unmistakable joy.
The Nearl family's Originium Arts.
The Blood Knight took a step back and tightened his grip on the giant axe. Against an opponent like Maria, unless he relied on the extreme speed that even the Flametail Knight admired to force a life-or-death exchange, his chances were slim. He simply was not fast enough.
Even when facing Flametail's speed, Maria had reacted and countered several strikes that should have rendered her unable to fight. The Blood Knight had no intention of merely copying that approach.
While he was momentarily taken aback, Maria charged forward, sword in one hand and shield in the other. Though she stood alone, her advance carried the momentum of a thousand soldiers.
Her attacks were heavy yet fluid. Maria used her large shield to block the Blood Knight's continuous assaults while swinging her sword with her free hand, shifting her steps to defend and counter in one seamless motion.
The crimson armor blocked her strike once again, but not completely. A streak of light carved a clear sword mark into the Blood Knight's heavy armor.
"T-this… this is incredible. Knight Maria and the Blood Knight are locked in a fierce exchange, and Knight Maria even seems to have the upper hand. It appears that the Blood Knight's famed Originium Arts are struggling against Knight Maria's Arts!"
The roar of the crowd surged like thunder. In the VIP room at the top floor, Felix nodded faintly.
"As expected of the Nearl family's swordsmanship. When Grandpa Kirill instructed me, I always felt that this style could only be fully unleashed with armor on the body and a shield in hand."
"The Nearl family is a legitimate noble knight lineage, and also a lineage of warrior knights," Zofia said with a smile. "But as time passed, only warrior knights within the National Academy could learn similar techniques."
"Maria is a very diligent child."
A trace of nostalgia flickered in Zofia's eyes. "She has always had a goal she wanted to pursue. Ever since she received Margaret's letter, she has trained every day, because she knows exactly the kind of person she wants to chase after."
"That is not necessarily a good thing."
Młynar clasped his fingers together, his gaze calmly fixed on the arena. "What do people fight for? Is it simply to chase someone's shadow, or to surpass the goals left behind by those before them?"
"A sword like that would be empty, without a soul."
Bang!
Maria was forced back several steps, pain surging through her arm in sharp waves. Her sword had been intercepted by the Blood Knight's giant axe. In other words, her opponent had seen through her technique, he has adapted.
The Blood Knight pressed forward, his explosive speed leaving Maria no room to breathe. She raised her shield again to block the blow, but when she tried to move, her feet felt heavy, as if glued to the ground. It was the Blood Knight's Originium Arts.
Her sword and armor gleamed. Just as she stomped the ground to launch a counterattack, a cold light flashed in the Blood Knight's eyes.
"I understand it now... This sword."
Boom!
With a sweeping motion, the Blood Knight hurled Maria into the air. With a heavy crash, he dragged the giant axe along the ground and slowly advanced toward her.
"Seeing you reminds me of the Radiant Knight."
Maria had not suffered a fatal injury thanks to her Originium Arts, but the impact left her dizzy. As the Blood Knight approached, she shouted and swung her weapon at him with stubborn defiance.
"As expected of the Nearl family's blade. This is not the sword of a Competitive knight, but a sword meant for the battlefield." As he suppressed her, the scars etched into his armor bore witness to his words. "If you were a few years older… no, if you had met me four years ago, I might not have been your match."
"But you are not the only one who has grown in these four years."
Bang!
The Blood Knight's second strike drove Maria back again. He showed no restraint. Against such an opponent, he owed her his full strength.
Maria coughed up blood as the giant axe slammed against her shield again and again. Blood spilled from within her helmet, scattering across the ground like crimson petals.
"Your swordsmanship is ultimately the swordsmanship of the Nearl family, not the swordsmanship of Maria Nearl," the Blood Knight asked in a low voice. "Tell me, for what reason do you wield your sword?"
"To prove myself to my sister!"
Bang!
Her helmet shattered, revealing Maria's beautiful yet resolute face. Blood streaked her cheeks, her teeth clenched as she resisted the Blood Knight's overwhelming power with all her strength.
"To prove myself to my aunt."
The Blood Knight slammed his giant axe violently into the ground. Blood burst upward with the impact, twisting in midair and transforming into countless sharp blades that shot toward Maria.
The blood was melted away by light.
"To prove myself to my uncle."
The Blood Knight struck again. Maria's shield was hammered once more, a corner in the upper right shattering away. She clenched her teeth as her arm went numb, the surface of the shield pitted and uneven. A few more blows, and it would break completely.
"I want to prove myself to Brother Felix."
The Blood Knight roared, "Then where are they now?"
The sudden shout made Maria flinch.
"Tell me, Maria Nearl. Is your sister standing here right now? Your aunt? Your uncle? Felix?!"
His voice boomed, heavy and oppressive. "You're the only one standing here!"
"Tell me, what are you fighting for?!"
"I…"
Confusion flickered in Maria's eyes.
Bang!
She instinctively raised her shield to block the incoming axe. Her thoughts were in chaos. She barely managed to resist and evade the Blood Knight's relentless assaults. After the third block, the shield in her hand shattered completely. Her fingers trembled as she shook her numb arm and retreated, gripping her sword alone.
"Maria Nearl," the Blood Knight demanded, "why did you become a knight?"
"…because I thought being a knight was something honorable."
"Then now, as a knight, what are you fighting for?!"
The Blood Knight roared, "Knights should fight with honor. We should fight for what we believe in!"
"..."
"If you only pander to others, if you fight for others and carry their expectations, you will never surpass your past self. You will always remain the little sister trailing behind the Radiant Knight, not the knight named Maria!"
Bang!
"..."
The giant axe was stopped by the longsword. A soft glow slowly spread along the blade.
The Blood Knight looked up and saw Maria smiling gently.
Her face was streaked with blood, her hands still trembling, yet she was smiling. It was a bright, youthful smile, the kind that had drawn so many people to her.
"Thank you, Blood Knight. I almost forgot why I wield my sword."
A complicated expression crossed Maria's face. "My sister, my aunt, my uncle, and Brother Felix are all my goals. My desire to fight for them is real, and I understand that. I also believe I have done my best."
"But I also know that this path won't let me fight alongside them."
She lifted her head, her eyes sharp with resolve. "I don't want to remain a protected little sister. I want to draw my own sword and stand beside them."
Maria placed her other hand on the hilt, shifting from one-handed to a two-handed grip. Her stance changed, her gaze hardening with unshakable determination.
"Come!"
The Blood Knight answered with a roar, charging forward with his giant axe. His Originium Arts surged, turning him into a rampaging war machine.
Bang!
The longsword crashed into his armor. The crimson aura evaporated in an instant, retreating like a frightened beast, and another clear sword mark was carved into the armor.
Now Maria wielded her blade with both hands, fighting like a berserker. It was the same reckless, unfamiliar style of exchanging blows for life seen in the Flametail Knight. Yet her presence did not inspire fear. Instead, it felt invigorating, because her eyes were serious and free of malice, and because that gentle smile never left her face.
Perhaps this was what a true knight looked like.
Bang!
Maria spat out a mouthful of blood, but her eyes only grew brighter. She stepped forward with the momentum of a war knight, abandoning all defense and leaving evasion to instinct alone. The two-handed sword in her grasp unleashed overwhelming pressure upon the Blood Knight, striking like an unending storm.
"I want to fight alongside Brother Felix!"