I slowly bent down to take the sword by its unassuming scabbard. 

‘This is…?!’

I couldn’t help but let out a surprised gasp when I unsheathed the sword and beheld it in all its magnificence and splendour. Kaleidoscopic precious gems and ornate filigree adorned the hilt and crossguard, while the pommel was moulded into the shape of a golden flame shimmering with an otherworldly radiance. 

But everything else about the sword paled in comparison to its blade. It was a masterpiece of peerless beauty—the silver was forged to deadly perfection, tapering to a razor-sharp edge that could slice through the thickest armour with ease. 

I could sense the incredibly powerful magic imbued within the blade too, magic that seamlessly connected my own consciousness with the sword’s will such that we were together as one. Magic that I instinctively knew belonged to only one legendary sword in the entirety of Eltshion. 

“The Holy Sword of Eltshion,” I breathed, my mind turning blank for the longest moment. “H-how is it here?” 

I recreated it according to how it was described in the story, Lukterasia revealed with a proud smile. Do you like my gift? 

“You made this?” I murmured, feeling the sword in my hand. 

Its weight and balance was absolutely impeccable, enabling me to wield it with ease and grace. It practically felt like an extension of my arm, and I could feel the immense strength of the sword coursing through my veins just by simply gripping its hilt. 

‘H-how? It feels as though it was made just for me…’

She beamed. It’s much better than the pathetic piece of scrap metal you wielded against me last time, isn’t it? 

I shook my head in sheer disbelief as my eyes gazed over the incredible sword. 

‘Words can’t even begin to describe the amount of things that I want to say.’

A simple ‘thank you’ will be enough, Lukterasia said with a pleasant giggle. Oh, there’s one more thing I have to mention—the magic in this sword can be used to change your appearance. 

‘Change my appearance? For real??’

Of course. You just have to conjure up an image of your desired appearance while summoning the magic inside the sword. Why don’t you give it a try? 

With a mixture of excitement and trepidation, I activated the sword’s magic and closed my eyes, trying my best to imagine my appearance in my past life. As an impression took shape in my mind, the sword hummed with energy and a gentle warmth gradually spread throughout my whole body. 

‘Something like this…?’

When I finally opened my eyes and looked at the window nearest to me, a completely different, yet all too familiar face appeared in the reflection. 

Pale lilac hair trimmed to a length just above the shoulders of a lean and slender body. A pair of ruby red eyes set in a battle-hardened yet slightly nymphish face. Holding the Holy Sword with a fearless confidence, Stefania met my awestruck gaze with a mirrored gasp. 

Lukterasia gave an approving nod at my transformation. You look much better like this, she said, her lips parting into a radiant smile. How do you feel? 

‘A-amazing.’

It was true—I honestly felt that nothing could stand in my way now with the Holy Sword in hand, not even the Demon Lord herself. 

Shall we put that to the test? 

I hesitated for a moment, to which Lukterasia laughed and winked at me. 

Don’t worry, as long as we remain in here, we can’t hurt or kill each other. This dimension is something like a simulation, to put it in another way. See? 

She produced a knife and sliced at her arm before I could even react. But to my surprise, the cut on her arm healed as soon as she lifted the knife. 

This also applies to you, she explained. Other than the pain of your injuries being registered by your brain, nothing else will happen to you if you get wounded. 

That was all I needed to know. 

‘I hope you came prepared for a rematch.’

Lukterasia gave an inviting smile in response. 

Planting my feet in a wide stance, I swiftly drew my sword back high above my head and brought my arm down in a sweeping arc, rotating my hips and legs at the same time to drive the downward slash of my blade. It split apart the air with a near-silent whoosh, as if the sword was cutting through the very fabric of space itself, and the unstoppable wave of power that followed in its wake burned a shimmering trail of silver as it raced towards Lukterasia with deadly precision.

Lukterasia, however, stayed still and calm—as though she was oblivious of the danger heading straight at her. The force of my slash ripped through the distance separating us in a blink of an eye, and just when I was certain that it was going to strike her right in the heart, it was abruptly deflected up towards the train roof. The fluorescent lights popped, falling down in a shower of sparks and debris as a gaping hole was torn into the ceiling. Her counterattack happened so fast that all I could catch was a flicker of motion from her hand. 

When the dust finally settled, I realised with a start that she was holding a thin black folding fan. A fan which, despite being made out of just paper and bamboo, managed to block my attack without a single scratch. 

You have to be a hundred times faster than that. 

She held no trace of mockery or malice in her words as she slowly folded her fan. 

It had become glaringly clear that my magic abilities were outmatched in every way by hers. But that doesn’t mean I was going to give up here—for even the Demon Lord herself admitted that her physical strength and stamina could not match up to my own. When it comes to a battle where you cannot harm or kill your opponent, whoever exhausts their energy and power first loses. All I had to do was tire her out until an opportunity to end our duel in one concluding strike presented itself. 

Unfortunately, that tactic will not work as long as I can replenish my strength with my magic, Luketerasia pointed out with a small smile. Try to think of another strategy, Stefania.

‘Thanks for the tip, I guess.’ I returned her smile as I assumed my starting stance. ‘That’s an interesting choice of weapon, by the way.’

Don’t you think that it is as beautiful and elegant as your blade? 

She slowly raised the folded fan to her face, and with a graceful flick of her wrist, she snapped it open towards me. A sharp whistling sound reached my ears before my eyes caught the faint glint of needles slicing through the air. 

But unlike her fan, it seemed that the hail of needles was coming straight at me in slow motion, as if the flow of time had suddenly slowed down around me. It wasn’t until I felt the sword humming in my hand that I realised this was its doing.

Without hesitation, I lunged forward in a sudden burst of speed, anticipating the incoming projectiles while swinging my sword in a wide arc in front of me. The clash of metal on metal rang out as my blade collided with the needles and sent them flying harmlessly past me. 

As the needles were deflected, I noticed that she was momentarily caught off guard and seized the opportunity to press my advantage. I seamlessly transitioned into an offensive attack, my movements swift and powerful as I launched myself with a powerful thrust against the floor and aimed my sword directly at her. The tip of my blade glinted in the light as it sped towards my target. 

Lukterasia, still recovering from the surprise of my successful deflection, was quick to react. She twirled her fan around with speed and grace as if it was an extension of her arm, using it to direct a powerful burst of magic at me. I had to twist my body at the last moment to dodge her attack, causing my sword to smash into the steel grab pole behind her instead. Sparks flew, and the pole splintered apart from the sheer impact. The resultant shockwave shattered all of the windows and tore the carriage walls apart. 

The next moment, there was a deafening crash as the train roof shuddered and began to collapse on us. We both leapt out of the way just in time, our bodies suspended in the rain together for a single moment before gravity sent us crashing down. I landed awkwardly in the middle of an adjacent track, bumping and tumbling along the trackbed while desperately trying to break my fall with my hands. The sharp edges of the rails and loose stones ripped my clothes and dug painfully into my skin; the rain continued to pelt down on me, adding to my utter disorientation and fear. 

Finally I rolled to a stop onto my back, panting and trembling as I tried to catch my breath. The sound of the train grew fainter and fainter until all I could hear was the rain pouring mercilessly down on me. I closed my eyes and lay there for a moment, trying not to think about the icky feeling of my torn clothes sticking to my skin and my hair plastered to my face. 

A small, faraway scraping noise made me turn my head and glance in the direction where I thought it came from. To my left, I spotted Lukterasia recovering from her fall and shaking the wet gravel out of her hair. Her myriad bruises and bleeding cuts all over her body healed in a blink of my eye. Though her dress had been shredded into pieces, she still looked regal and elegant as ever as she slowly unfurled the folding fan in her hand. 

I mustered my remaining strength and stood up, taking a few unsteady steps over the slippery gravel before looking up at her. Our eyes met, and I managed a grimace of a smile at her.

‘How nice of you to wait for your opponent to get to her feet,ʼ I said in my head while dusting myself off and bracing my sword to my side. 

Of course, she replied leisurely, snapping her fan open with a sharp crack. Because we are just getting started, Stefania. 

Now that we were outside the train carriage, I could finally take a good look at the world Lukterasia had created. We were standing in what looked like a rail yard, though as I looked to my left and right, I realised that the tracks spread out endlessly in all directions with neither head nor end. 

Occasionally a train or two would come screaming past, drowning out the patter of rain and rumbling the ground beneath our feet. Their bright lights cast long shadows on the tracks and illuminated the curtain of raindrops that enshrouded us, creating a momentary break in the perpetual tempest before slowly fading away in a rush of wind. 

I tried to assume a ready stance with my sword in front of me, but the slippery surface of the gravel made it almost impossible to plant my feet firmly. I would have no choice but to compensate by adopting a wider stance—which meant limiting both speed and power of my movements against Lukterasia. Besides, I would practically be exposing my midsection and legs to her attacks. It simply wasn’t a risk I was willing to take. 

Lukterasia, undoubtedly, had the upper hand in offence right now. Her fan was not only much lighter than my sword, but also easier to control and manoeuvre while maintaining her balance. Worst of all, she could easily shoot out magic at me if I were to dive into her melee range. 

Then, was it just a matter of dodging her attacks and waiting for her to get close to me? I quickly threw that strategy out the window. There was absolutely no chance I could dodge any of her blows in this state without losing my balance on the wet gravel. 

I glanced down at my sword slick with rain. It had responded to Lukterasia’s attack just now by activating some kind of time dilation spell, hadn’t it? Perhaps it was possible to use the spell in the offensive too. Calming my breaths and opening my mind, I latched onto the sliver of connection between my consciousness and my sword, visualising and concentrating on the flow of magic passing between us. The sword began to hum in my hand again. I could feel its magic pulsing brighter as my thoughts and emotions aligned with it, strengthening and deepening our bond until we were completely in sync. 

Before I knew it, the hilt of my sword shrank and my blade magically thinned into a sleek and slender rapier. The weight on my sword arm suddenly lessened, allowing me to wield my sword easily in one hand. 

Not bad, Lukterasia commented, nodding her head in approval at my new weapon. Now you’re finally using your sword to its full potential. 

Giving her an obliging smile, I flicked my sword to length and pointed my blade at Lukterasia. 

Shall we begin? 

Her aquamarine eyes shone with delighted pleasure. Holding her fan aloft, she bowed and twirled it gracefully around her fingers in a fluid and dramatic flourish. A train passed by us then, the pale glow of its carriage lights illuminating her entrancing dance in a flickering, almost surreal way. 

All of a sudden, Lukterasia brought her fan down in one quick snap. Tall, roaring columns of fire abruptly burst up from the ground, melting the steel rails and instantly vaporising the raindrops as the maelstrom of flames blazed towards me. 

I tapped into the connection with my sword and activated its magic. My blade humming with renewed energy, I raised it skyward and summoned a barrage of shimmering swords, creating a flight of steps into the murky clouds. The wind and rain whistled around me as I swiftly ascended the stair of swords over the tops of the fiery columns. 

Sensing my presence above her, Lukterasia kicked off against the ground and leapt upwards. Her hair fluttering behind her like a veil of black silk, she danced into the air with breathtaking levity—as though the laws of physics meant nothing to her. 

I called forth the swords hovering in the air beneath me and directed them at Lukterasia with my blade. The rain of steel immediately hurtled towards her figure with deadly speed and accuracy. She tried to dodge them at first, but the swords instantly changed course and followed closely behind her. 

Seeing this, she spun around and promptly flicked her fan open, the paper crackling loudly and sharply like a clap of thunder. The immense gust of wind generated by her fan blew the swords out of their trajectory all at once, sending them hurling straight down to the earth. I quickly recalled the swords towards myself—but my concentration was abruptly interrupted by a blade of wind slicing through the tips of my hair and narrowly missing my face. 

Eyes on me, Stefania. 

Lukterasia closed her fan shut with a flourish and snapped it open at me again, hurling another deadly blade of wind with lightning-fast precision. Her movements became increasingly swift and fluid; she seamlessly weaved the raw power of her attacks into an elegant light-footed dance, effortlessly switching between grace and ferocity with each step and twirl. The sound of her fan whipping through the rain created a surreal symphony, each snap a crescendo in her spellbinding performance.

I was immediately forced to abandon the swords and go on the defensive. To make matters worse, the blades of wind generated by her fan were completely invisible—I could only guess at their trajectories by observing the movements of raindrops and the sharp hiss of air being sliced apart. A searing jolt of pain shot through my body as one of her attacks landed a hit, slicing clean through the flesh of my left arm. 

This isn’t good. 

Though my wound healed instantly as Lukterasia had said, the unbearable pain nearly caused me to lose my focus on parrying her attacks. I had to do something quick to distract her and take the offensive. But what could I possibly do to turn the tide? 

The scene of Liam lunging forward to pull me down with him flashed into my mind at that moment. I narrowed my eyes at the sudden thought. It would have been suicidal to pull off such a move—but in this duel, I just had to bear with the pain until she was within my striking range. 

Before I even registered that I was moving, I ducked under another invisible blade and threw my sword like a spear straight at Lukterasia. Surprise flashed in her eyes. Anticipating it to be a feint, she aimed her fan at me—but hesitated when she noticed that I was lunging at her with nothing but my bare hands. 

What are you—?! 

She gasped as I pulled her into a sudden embrace. The fan in her hand slipped from her fingers. Her wide aquamarine eyes reflected the reckless grin on my rain-streaked face. 

For a brief moment, we were like two leaves caught in a gust of wind, twirling and spinning in perfect harmony through the sky. The world seemingly went silent all of a sudden, the howling wind stilling and the droplets of rain slowing down until they were seemingly suspended in mid-air. We were frozen in our embrace, our gazes locked with all the force of lightning coursing through us. 

“I win,” I mouthed.

Lukterasia smiled. 

Then, the world came crashing back down as we plummeted to the earth.