Maria Nearl felt her hand was almost numb. Her opponent's brute strength was truly absurd; she had only taken one hit, and she was almost ready to drop her shield.
However, this was no different from dropping it... the shield was already cracked. Not only could it not withstand another hit, but the problem was that her entire left hand was numb—this was not a good sign.
Perhaps she had been impulsive... she should have just kept dodging as Sister Zofia had said. She had taken a hit out of stubbornness, and now she was in trouble.
With the shield in this state, her margin for error had dropped to zero. The match had only just begun, and she was already at a disadvantage.
The Rust Copper clearly had a decisive advantage. It was no exaggeration to say that while he couldn't fight for long periods, very few people could withstand his explosive power. He and Maria Nearl were two extremes: the Rust Copper's first twenty minutes were indeed epic, but he lacked endurance. Maria Nearl, on the other hand, needed a certain warm-up period, which was why he had provoked her, aiming to prevent the Golden Pegasus of the Nearl Family family from constantly evading.
This time, he only pierced the shield, but next time, it will be your armor! I hope your armor is as thick as your shield!
The Rust Copper smiled cruelly. With her body numb, it wouldn't be so easy to dodge his attacks now!
Then... the next blow will be the fall of Nearl!!!!
The Rust Copper raised his axe high, bringing it down from above with a fierce strike towards Maria Nearl. It seemed he was determined to land this blow, aiming to split Maria Nearl in half, his killing intent almost overflowing.
Sister Noah couldn't help but grip the armrest of her wheelchair. Even though she couldn't see, she could sense the shift in the situation emotionally. Maria Nearl was clearly at a disadvantage now, and the opponent's surging killing intent was especially clear in her perception. However, compared to Sister Noah, Kuro seemed calm, even showing a slight smile.
Indeed, Maria Nearl was not yet considered a strong person... but if he underestimated her like this, he would suffer for it.
Bang—
The shield hit the ground. In this situation, Maria Nearl actually abandoned her shield. Not just the shield, Maria Nearl shook her entire body, and a large number of armor plates fell to the ground. Maria Nearl's armor instantly became lighter. Then, she gripped the sword in her hands, her eyes burning like hot flames. Since she couldn't maintain the offense-defense integrated mode... then, there was only one choice.
—
"Maria Nearl... I ask you, if you must give up one thing—would you give up your shield or the sword in your hand?"
"Huh?"
"In fact, every knight has their preferred fighting style. For example, I am more skilled with a one-handed sword, Zofia is skilled with a whip-blade, and your sister is skilled with a sword-spear," Manner said, looking intently at the young girl before him. "And you, what would you choose?"
"...If I really had to choose..." Maria Nearl looked at the sword and shield in her hands with a conflicted expression. These two weapons had accompanied her through most of her training, long becoming an inseparable part of her. But she also understood that while sword and shield seemed to integrate offense and defense, they were essentially shield-centric, with the sword merely compensating for the shield's inability to attack freely. This question wasn't so much about choosing between the shield or the sword—but rather about asking herself what kind of person she wanted to become in the future.
Maria Nearl didn't want to give up her shield, nor did she want to give up the sword in her hand...
The shield could protect the people she cared about, and the sword could prevent her from falling into a passive state.
She was indeed a very greedy person; she wanted all the people she cared about to stay by her side. Whether it was Sister Noah or Sister Margaret, they were all very capable people. They would definitely become very busy in the future, too busy to look after her, but Maria Nearl wouldn't always be a burden to them.
And so...
"I choose the sword..."
"...Why?"
"I want to protect the people I care about, but if I only have a shield, it's meaningless—protection isn't just about standing in front of them to block attacks; it's also about becoming their sword, eliminating dangers for them. If I really have to choose one, I'll choose the sword—"
"...I see."
—
And so... Maria Nearl put down her shield, even abandoning parts of her armor. After shedding the heavy armor and shield, Maria Nearl glowed all over. This time, the light was no longer gentle; instead, it was somewhat fiery. That's right... her light wasn't enough to injure enemies, but she could condense this light... to its extreme. Stone source art was her advantage. Her sword blade gradually took on a pure golden radiance. In the glow, people saw a seemingly frail... yet longsword-wielding, proud Pegasus who never bowed to her enemies.
"Shining Knight..."
Someone said it first, but no one knew who—
But at that very moment, everyone seemed to glimpse the figure of the Shining Knight, who had left an indelible mark on their hearts, from their dusty memories.
"The family motto is—Fear No Darkness!"
The radiance condensed on the sword blade. This time, it was no longer uncontrollable. The seemingly thin one-handed sword now looked like a greatsword... This was the effect of solid light condensing on the sword blade, which was a true "Sword of Light."
The sword-spear that Margaret was skilled with might have been too aggressive for Maria Nearl, so she chose the sword...
This greatsword she held with both hands exuded a terrifying aura, even feeling somewhat heavy. This sword, formed purely from condensed light, seemed to respond to Maria Nearl herself, emitting a soft glow before becoming as fiery as fire.
"Devotion to the sword, this is my answer—" Maria Nearl raised the greatsword in her hand and swung it towards the Rust Copper in mid-air. Although the sword's trajectory seemed slow—it perfectly met the Rust Copper's axe blade. Immediately... the axe blade shattered. The solidified greatsword almost instantly pulverized the meticulously crafted axe, then struck the Rust Copper himself. Despite such a terrifying attack, the Rust Copper felt no fear the moment he was struck...
Not only that, he felt as if the savagery that had always haunted his mind was purified in an instant. The golden light seemed to burn away the brutality and bloodlust in his eyes, leaving only a sense of peace...
His body was struck down, and his armor shattered. He felt as if he had been slain... but he felt no pain.
He lay on the ground, gazing up at the sky, which he seemed not to have looked up at for a very long time.
"...Why... did I become like this?"
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