"Mono/Dialogue"

'Inner thoughts'

Narration

[Message/communication apparatus]

Date: Mid-October 1088

Location: Kawelerielki Alliance Grand Stadium, Kawalerielki, Kazimierz.

POV: Narrator

Tourists, Locals, and even foreign dignitaries can be seen walking around the massive stadium complex. This stadium is the core point of the modern Kazimierz economy, anyone who could stake their claim on even a mere street stall would score a hefty stack of cash; which is only limited by how long they stay there.

Just recently, burdenbeasts had been outlawed from entering crowded streets. Such a rule was created due to multiple cases of said beast causing property damage and general civil disturbance. It is an understandable rule since it is the nucleus for the next few months and perhaps more.

Such an avenue filled with uncountable economic activity would certainly warrant a tight level of security. Patrols moving about the venue in groups of 3 or 4, marksmen on high-rise buildings, and caninebeasts are doing their utmost to ensure the event goes without problem. Typical punishment for petty thieves is harsher this time around, either expelled into the wilderness immediately, being jailed and forced into indentured servitude, or outright slavery.

It is an open secret that underground tournaments would pit infected, criminals, and other such people into brutal gladiatorial games for scraps of food or pocket change. These people are forced to fight tooth and nail against overwhelming odds and everyone could be forced to join… which was what it once was before a certain Pythia threatened to skin anyone who dared to send children into the pit.

Rumors abound that K.G.C.C. is also behind the underground gambling, but they denied such allegations. K.G.C.C. in an official press conference expressed their denial by saying that gambling through illegal means is not safe and could cause unnecessary harm to Kazimierz's prosperity.

How very believable yes? Whatever the truth is, let’s head back to the 21^st Major.

There are vehicle lanes for general pedestrians, merchants, and competition knights. It wouldn’t do for them to get mixed up and cause disturbance. Vehicles dropping off both contestants and audiences come and go, until a relatively fancy car presses down the lane for competition. It stops when it reaches its destination.

Then amidst that buzzing revelry of the upcoming quarterfinal, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, Kuranta competition knight just exited the car and she was none other than Zofia. She took the competition lane while being bathed by camera flashes each step of the way. Her beauty is undeniable that’s for sure. Zofia strides with utmost confidence and grace and the pedestrians are struck seeing how even the moon’s light shines on her path.

Although she looks a bit more… daring. For one, her steps are confident and there is this undeniably thrilled smirk adorning her beautiful face. Her stance is relaxed, which is further at odds with her current predicament. She doesn’t shy away from the attention that latched on her, she is even throwing in modest fan services. Which might impress and horrify a certain Pythia, if she was present, simultaneously.

That much is a given and then why wouldn’t she garner attention? Her choice of attire is certainly on the more extravagant side. Her hair has been tied into a ponytail and there is this cute little beret as her hat. She no longer wears her fully enclosed light armor and opted for a simple black-and-white once piece that goes along with her breastplate that has been painted with the Nearl’s family coat of arms, she also wears a pair of shin guards and metallic boots while emphasizing her healthy figure.

Her choice of weaponry is none other than her sword whip, although it has been visibly modified. One, the blade part of her sword gleamed splendidly from what can be seen from her ornamental scabbard. Two, its segmented parts are no longer visible; a pristine piece of steel without indentation. Third, her sword guard and pommel parts had been changed into that of a rapier, fully protecting her hand.

One could argue that her overall attire made her much nimbler and lighter for her upcoming bout, losing more protection doesn’t seem to matter much if people take who would be her opponent.

While Zofia headed inside the stadium, a young black-haired Sankta could be seen smiling. Her smile is truly soft, but there is this unknown edge within it. Then she speaks with a melodious rhyme accompanying her voice.

“Be well and truly free, show the world your aspiration and dream… Show her your true feelings…” Thus she vanished into the crowd, no longer visible amidst the throngs of achievement and flows of sins mankind had birthed into the world…

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On the other side is her opponent. Degenbrecher had just reached her changing room, looking somewhat winded. She destroyed a camera that had been installed inside the room, she was not in the mood to care after what she had gone through. Using the VIP underground tunnel to reach the stadium was a mistake…

The 2 times champion of Kazimierz Major, shrugs before making haste for the upcoming match. She has been allotted an exclusive room all for herself; a privilege and decent alibi for backroom dealings that rarely happened. She takes in the difference between her first time inside this room and after her latest victory; a stark contrast.

Back then she used to have several civilian contractors that helped her with whatever she needed; conventional or recreational. She remembered the time when the room had its weapon maintenance team; people she had grown fond of. A med-bay to stitch her wounds that was seldom used.

Her opponents are good for a bunch of carefully nurtured athletes, she is anything but an athlete, however. The number of enemies that could entertain her can be counted on a single hand, that’s how much of a stark difference between her and these entertainers… That’s not mentioning her occasional spar with Nyx which made everyone she faced afterward to be either a lukewarm main course or an uninteresting cooling down.

‘Now that I think about it, that insufferable woman is much more acquainted with my body…’ The Black Knight is not keen on someone touching her, much less being more… undaunted by her soft intimidation. Nyx is one of a few people she could let her guard, partially, down; simply because that grey-haired bitch had her nose stuck up so high just to get a rise out of her.

She stands in front of a mirror to inspect her tempered body; not much of her was left unmarred. She is muscular but not to the point of being comically repulsive, with just the right amount of corded muscles and tempered steel-like musculature that made up her present figure. She won’t say that she is beautiful, much to a certain Pythia’s chagrin that she knows nothing about. Despite these, her eyes never paid those any mind and only inspected the history etched on her body.

A large gash on her left hip, courtesy of when she was young and foolish. Pockmarks on her right upper breast, courtesy of a Leithanian caster who battered her with Arts lightning and flame. Her lower abdomen has cuts and torn flesh from hits she must receive, she chuckled morbidly remembering being kicked around like a piece of rag when she was relatively powerless. She snaps out of her revelry. Her hands are reaching out towards the equipment that she would need.

She starts by fitting each piece of her armor, something that she doesn’t necessarily need but anything can happen. She starts with fitting in her breastplate, heavy for normal people but not for the 2 times in row champion. Then her gauntlets, which could double as shields, protect her arms.

She looked at her cape, etched with both Kazimierz and Leithanien sigil, this used to be sort of small pride for her; now it is nothing but a burden. Regardless, she thinks that it is only fair to drag it around with her, one last time. When she kneeled to attach her shin guards, she frowned seeing a small pool of blood seeped through her right leg, a small but deep gash that she didn’t realize she had.

‘Guess getting this head of mine smashed into a concrete wall by Nyx made my pain receptors go out of control… still…’

“I got careless…” The one time she would need medical attention, the affiliated medical staff was unavailable, and they would be late they said. She just shakes her head from the blatant harassment. K.G.C.C. wants her out and if that’s what they want then she would go out on her terms.

It is not like this superficial wound would mean much, it is irritating that’s for sure. She decides to just wash it up and drape it with a piece of her cape-

“Hmm?” She spots something by the wayside, the Caprinae approaches it carefully. After pulling out the object from beneath a table, she found it chock full of medical supplies and some equipment in case someone would need it. She also sees a letter inside the bag; she chuckles seeing how the handwriting is rushed.

[To my idol. I’m very sorry for my absence, the people up top had told me to go home early. That can’t be right, can it? So I left these in this peculiar spot. I’m sorry again if it sounds weird, but oftentimes you have this faraway look without minding your surroundings much, and turns out it was the same spot you found this medical bag. So I thought to myself, ‘Why don’t I leave the supplies there?’ I sincerely hope that it helps! Thank you, and I love you! I won’t mind if you asked me out for a date as repayment though, haha!]

“Hmph, how truly stupid…” Despite what she said, a natural smile formed on her lips. It feels surreal that someone would endanger themselves for her. She is the Black Knight, she had made her peace to be genuinely despised, and yet there is a completely ordinary person genuinely ready to help her. If she could stay here for a while, it might not be a bad idea to give K.G.C.C. one last middle finger.

With the medical kits at hand, she quickly patch up the gash on her leg. After it has been cleaned, Degenbrecher makes a crude stitch of her wound without so much of a twitch. Finished with dressing up her wound, she then takes her black-and-golden cape before donning her helm swiftly.

She looks at her great sword, wondering whether to take it or not…

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[WELCOME! WELCOME! WE ARE BACK AGAIN AT OUR GREAT MAJOR! WE ARE GETTING CLOSER AND CLOSER TO THE ULTIMATE MATCH, BUT FIRST LET US WITNESS OUR KNIGHTS' GALLANTRY ON THIS FINE NIGHT OF QUARTERFINAL!] The master of the ceremony welcomed the audience that was filling their seats. Men and women, young and old, locals and foreigners, rich or so-so made up the consumers of this highly marketable event. Although there is this air of solemn acceptance and barely disguised pity or bloodlust thrill.

“Guess she gonna win again huh?”

“Yeah, her opponent might be a surprise contender; yet she ain’t gonna cut it though.”

“Not gonna bet?”

“Why would I? The odds are bad and I’m not fond of rubbing in the hopelessness on someone’s face.”

“Dear me, what a savage display our young Kuranta would suffer…”

“Indeed sire, hypothetically… if the lass made it through relatively undamaged; you could still add her to your entourage. Verily certain the Nearl won’t mind some branch family handmaiden; what is with them and their dwindling influence.”

“Quite true.”

“Hehehehe…”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing at all! I just can’t wait to see how badly smashed that blondie gonna look … Hah… I could taste the iron already…” Their speaking counterpart found it desirable to scoot away a little further than possible.

“Wanna bet she would instantly get knocked out?”

“Huff, no fun. How about we bet on which part of her body got broken first?”

“Now that’s more like it!”

These are the sort of conversations that heralded the upcoming clash. On one side, is Zofia. It was truly a pleasant surprise at how well she performed so far. Encouragingly more so when she doesn’t seem to shy away from giving the audience a good showing. Her generally amicable and graceful persona also garnered interest. No doubt that she is a strong contender; but that’s it.

Zofia relied heavily on not getting hit directly too often. She thinks quickly on her feet but traces of her being a greenhorn show time and time again. Zofia has a lot of combat style, but it still left much to be desired; needing more polish before her acrobatics look more practical than theatrical.

To summarize, she is strong but generally untested, young, and seems to only have the usual brief shock value. Only good enough for some cheap and quick buck gambling by comparison.

On her opposite end is Degenbrecher.

[ALRIGHT FOLKS AND DORKS, LADS AND LASSIES, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, LET’S WELCOME OUR FIRST COMPETITOR ON! HER ENTRANCE HAD CAUSED SENSATION ON ITS OWN! HER GRACE COMES HAND-IN-HAND WITH HER NOBLE NATURE, HER SWORD ARM COULD TOPPLE EVEN THE MOST STEAFDAST KNIGHT, AND SHE PROVES HERSELF TO BE A GENUINE KNIGHT!] The MC inhales before continuing.

[BUT WOULD IT BE ENOUGH?! WOULD HER COUNTENANCE STAND IN UTTER DEFIANCE AGAINST THE AVATAR OF COMBAT HERSELF?! WOULD SHE TRULY SHOW THE WORLD THAT SHE CAN AND WILL WALK THE WALK AND NOT ALL TALK?! WHY NOT WE SEE FOR OURSELVES?! WOULD SHE WEDGE HERSELF INTO THE HISTORY OR MERELY BE ANOTHER FOOTNOTE OF A RUN-OF-THE-MILL STORY?! WELCOMING OUR CONTENDER FOR BECOMING THE 21^ST MAJOR’S GRANDKNIGHT! OUR GRACEFUL KNIGHTESS, OUR WILLFUL LADY, OUR TRULY ONE, AND ONLY ONE, ZOFIAAAAAAAAAA!]

Despite the unsurprisingly less-than-thrilled reception, Zofia crashed into the field, literally. She crashes from god knows where straight into the center, kicking up dust and blinding the audience, literally once more.

For that moment, they tremble upon a shining beacon of her own making!

For that moment, they feast their eyes upon a bluish light!

An unrelenting cry to shatter an argument of fate’s beckoning!

An angel and knight to set things alight tonight!

The huge gust of wind heralded her arrival and there she stood. Her face fixed forward against the opposite end, her hands are already wielding a sword on her right and a floating shield that looks firm and primed to go on her left. She struck a pose like a Valkyrie of legend, especially seeing how a bluish-winged crown of Arts wrested upon her brows.

[HO HO! SHE GOES STRAIGHT INTO IT! NOT EVEN A SPECK OF FEAR BUT NEITHER DOES SHE LOOK LIKE IN SORT OF FATALISTIC DETERMINATION! VERY WELL THEN! SING HER NAME! SING FOR OUR REIGNING CHAMPION!] This time the stadium shook as one with their chanting, clapping, and feet stomping. These seem to break the merely spellbound audience free to witness the reality.

They can all feel it seeping into their bones. Her footsteps were not echoes that were drowned out by the ever-increasing euphoria, each and every single one of them rattled the audience to the core. For her name has been carved into friend and foe alike, the one and only champion of Kazimierz Major who had reigned supreme for almost a decade long.

[WE HAD BEEN SINGING HER NAME, THE NAME OF OUR QUEEN WHO MADE HISTORY BY HER VERY SELF! HER STRIDES ARE ALWAYS UNBROKEN, HER PROWESS WAS NOT SHAPED ATOP ARROGANCE, AND THOSE WHO FOUGHT HER ALWAYS FOUND THEMSELVES HUMBLED AND BEATEN!] The Black Knight’s fanatics chanting grew increasingly louder, drowning the confidence of those who betted on the dark horse. Said dark horse doesn’t relent, her face is dead serious yet her lips curled up gracefully; challenging and unbending.

[SHE IS THE FOREIGNER WHO TOOK THE FIRST MAJOR BY STORM! THEN BY HER SECOND ASCENSION, SHE IS THE CHAMPION WHO REIGNED UPON THE THRONE OF COUNTLESS BROKEN BLADES, AXES, SPEARS, SHIELDS, BOWS, AND ALL MANNER OF CRAFT MANKINDS HAD BEAR AGAINST THE MONARCH OF BLACK!] The chanting is now deafening, no doubt the entire city hears it.

[WILL SHE CARVES A NEW LEGEND IN OUR STORIED HISTORY OF GLORY?! WILL SHE REIGN SUPREME FOR ANOTHER ERA?! WILL THIS BE THE SAGA TO IMMORTALIZE HER NAME?! TO BE AN EPITHET FOR PURE, RAW, POWER?! THEN DO SING HER NAME! SING FOR DEGENBRECHER! SING FOR THE BLACK KNIGHT!]

[BLACK KNIGHT!] [BLACK KNIGHT!] [BLACK KNIGHT!]

[BLACK KNIGHT!] [BLACK KNIGHT!] [BLACK KNIGHT!]

[BLACK KNIGHT!] [BLACK KNIGHT!] [BLACK KNIGHT!]

The Black Knight calmly steps into the field, and the audience is shocked to see a blade fastened tightly on top of her cape. Degenbrecher appears to deem her opponent worthy of evaluation.

[THIS IS GETTING MORE AND MORE INTERESTING FOLKS! THE BLACK KNIGHT HAD BROUGHT HER DREADED BLADE! WILL WE SEE HER UNSHEATHING IT?! OR WILL IT BE JUST ANOTHER ONE-SIDED COMBAT?! ‘WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR THEN?!’ I AGREE! SO! LET’S! START! THE! COUNTDOWN!]

[3] Degenbrecher unsheathes her sword breakers while Zofia prepares to either leap or weather the encroaching black thunder.

[2] The Champion stared down the challenger and the challenger could feel her fear and excitement at an all-time high.

[1] Time feels like it is stretching itself into infinity, like allowing the Knightesses to contemplate where they are. A champion that starts to be unwelcomed, and a knight full of aspiration against perceivably certain defeat.

[MATCH-] The personification of raw power, The Black Knight, against the blue-eyed Valkyrie, a contender with wishes for the best through the slash of her blade.

[-START!] Zofia immediately dodged to the left, barely avoiding having her arm and shoulder smashed into smithereens. She countered by striking her sword upon her opponent’s neck, which goes as well as hitting air. Undeterred, Zofia flows her sword into a whip and keeps Degenbrecher on her toes.

Left swing flowing into counter diagonal, before being recycled into thrust and sweeping motion. Zofia made great use of her weapon flexibility, playing aggressively in a bid to lessen the amount of potential damage she could suffer. Her sword weaved itself magnificently, avoiding getting entangled too long lest her initiative wane.

Degenbrecher is doing nothing, she managed to narrowly land a devastating blow; rupture would be the least of Zofia’s worries. Each passing and missing swing brought along a gale of wind that rattled her to the core. Each near miss might as well be as lethal as a square hit on a vital area.

So what is this feeling coursing through her body? Zofia is not one to truly enjoy the thrill of combat to an unhealthy degree, but this time it felt vividly different. When she holds her breath she can start to perceive her surroundings clearly, formulating actions and movements on her feet with little to no time lag.

There is this odd feeling of something missing, something vital that made her, well, her. Shaking such unnecessary thoughts, she continues with her sword whipping and slashing motions. A part of her wishes to play everything she has to eke out a glimpse of advantage; showcased with her thrust aimed at the Black Knight’s weaker armor parts.

Another part of her elects to advise Zofia to be patient, this back and forth had lasted for 15 minutes. The contender, Whislash Knight, had already proven herself to last this long. The spectators are cheering, jeering, and celebrating this pleasant surprise. People thought that she would fall for less and injured worse, but Zofia is anything but powerless.

She evaded a series of kicks, once again showing herself capable of paying blow for blow. In a moment of daring tomfoolery, the girl slides to the right while anchoring her sword to the Black Knights’ feet; bidding for a chance of her toppling down.

Sadly it takes more than an entangled leg to topple a robust tree that is the Caprinae’s footwork. This display had other positive effects, however; namely how Zofia doesn’t give up seeing how her hits are practically shallow while even a near-miss from Degenbrecher could be irreversible damage.

Her moves enchanted the stadium and far-away watchers alike, for someone who stands up to Degenbrecher had finally appeared. It was truly interesting how easily they’re being spellbound by something entertaining, or perhaps that’s just human nature to watch struggle with great attention. Regardless, the duel continues for some more.

A slash to the left would not just stop dead in its tracks, she would follow up with her shield in a bashing motion. She bent low to avoid a smashing motion that would break her in two, something that disturbs her to no end but she must move ever so forward. She parried and deflected an overhead crush by letting it slide down her shield; the mere act of grazing her shield incites sparks of energy.

She wince from the sheer difference in force, her arm screaming in pain and duress despite being used merely to deflect and redirect. She twisted her lower body in time for a kick that kicked up more than just dust; a chunk of earth was gouged out further cementing the monster that is her adversary. Sparks of steel and flame erupt whenever she has the misfortune of having her blade collide with Degenbrecher’s lump of an over-glorified piece of crude landship’s steel.

Zofia staggered once paid the ultimate price. An elbow bash connected with her shielded arm; she dearly wished to voice her agony but bit it back and glared in defiance. An amused, nigh-inaudible, snort escape the Caprinae’s lips. A grunt then soon followed when Zofia pushed forward and put a foot on her gut, separating them from one another.

The Champion calmly slides on the hard surface, already reconstructing her poise and footing. The Kuranta meanwhile needed to use her sword to slow herself, a screeching sound of metal against the earth could be heard vividly. She is panting badly; the toil of having to focus for a whole half an hour starts wearing down her psyche.

She is terrified, each time she fails to predict Degenbrecher’s swing felt like staring down an executioner’s axe. Each time her sword scrapes against that dastardly tough armor, she realizes how she is breaking down inside; chip by chip. Then what would she do against such an insurmountable wall?

If you can’t smash it, then vaulting over it could work.

“!?” Degenbrecher’s eyes widened in surprise for the first time. Zofia’s sword whip lunged forward like a snake poised to bite his head off or almost dig deep inside her skull. Such a strike amuses her greatly and they restarted their bout. This time Zofia is seemingly rectifying her mistake much quicker than anticipated, no longer does she bid for a foolish counterattack with little dividend.

If she has an opening she will commit, Degenbrecher could theoretically brought down with enough attrition. Yet the young knightess knew better than everyone that her body would sooner be broken and wear down; sealing her fate to be just another unfortunate victim. Her footwork is a combination of firm footing and graceful dancing; to withstand Degenbrecher’s hits are fool’s errand.

Her body flexibility is brought to the test; a test where every fiber of her muscles is working 110%, and counting, above its perceived upper limit. She is getting on par with her opponent and the audiences are roaring with piling, stacking, multiplying fervor. The battle has been going quite even, signaling that perhaps it would not end so easily…

Or so they all thought.

For all intents and purposes; Zofia is truly unlike herself. The calm and analytical lady is seemingly transformed into a fatalistic challenger who puts her aspiration at the tip of her blade. Thus she would truly have realized one thing; The Black Knight was testing the water.

It is one thing for Degenbrecher to force her way in, but she is not so foolish to throw caution into the wind and dismiss luck as a non-factor. She analyzed Zofia’s swings, slashes, and even cheeky hand-to-hand strikes. She sees the pattern forming in her mind, she can see and predict which strikes prove to be lethal and the extent of the damage.

That’s what she sees for every beat of her heart. That’s what her mind calculates for every blood being pumped into it. That’s what her body reacted to, creating and manipulating chances that surface amidst the clashing steels. She predicts to strike, she goes to defeat, and barring surprises, the battlefield is seen from the angle of someone ready to die.

 An audience commented later, on what would happen, which felt like hearing actual thunder. That is when she struck with both of her sword breakers putting Sankta’s guardian cannon to shame in terms of raw force. The blinding speed was beyond anything Zofia could ever hope to cope with for the first time.

Zofia’s shield was broken, crushed, and shattered. Her bluish energy shield was never meant to trump over real steel but seeing it broke like glass made everyone witnessing it wince.

Her body ate the whole remaining unmitigated force, remnants that still feel like full double hits. The blue-eyed Kuranta coughed out blood while being flung backward; akin to getting smashed with a car ramming her at full speed. Zofia blanked out from the pain but she dug her sword and her feet into the earth; a conditioned reflex that is both a blessing and a curse.

The blue-eyed Kuranta was shocked, her body froze and on the verge of shutting down. Yet there is no rest for the wicked when her opponent charges straight in; merciless with her approach. She quickly reformed her Arts shield and once again had it shattered. Zofia’s instinct wanted nothing more than to surrender before an irreversible damage had been into her body.

That instinct paled with the trademark Nearl’s family stubbornness, despite being someone from a branch family. Without minding how her bones are cracking under pressure, she pushes forward to not let the Caprinae have free reign to marring her body.

Exchanges of strikes are not looking too good for the Kuranta. For each strike of her sword whip, she must evade 4 or 5 strikes from the Caprine, of which one truly unmitigated hit would be it all took to burn her aspiration into ash. Zofia could only see herself being a pathetic little thing; flailing aimlessly against Degenbrecher.

Audiences beg to differ, however, for all they see is truly a mortal dance between the beauty and the beast. The maiden would redirect a slash, a cut, a crush, a kick, and perhaps a shoulder bash before bending low and then delivering a single thrust that would kill a normal competition knight ten times over.

She would dodge gracefully by literally skating on the uneven ground, a phenomenal display of determination and skill. If she cannot dodge in time; then she would use the excess force that is about to slam her body like a springboard. It allows her to widen the gap and provides her with a wisp of air to reinvigorate her burning lungs.

The Black Knight's strike left a trail of wind visible for all to see; she never held back and that made Zofia’s struggle all the more enchanting. Yet all that is good would naturally come to a crashing halt; an end that bids its time. The Kuranta’s movement dulled, forcing it to compromise with near-misses and grazing hits. One unfortunate moment was when she got a chunk of her flesh scraped off; this prompted her to cry out from being unable to withstand such a hellish sensation.

She was about to be cut down when her reflexes kicked in; a reflex of a cornered animal. Her heart is pumping blood non-stop to keep up with her ever-sharp intake of adrenaline and endorphins. Her nerves were shot, and she felt like breaking down on the spot but she gritted her teeth to swallow the agony gnawing her both physically and mentally.

She kept getting pushed, and pushed, and pushed… the chanting of her name had died down; exchanged worried gazes and silent pleading for her to stop. Most of the audience had already deemed her to be a lost cause; signing her off to be just another capable but ultimately feeble challenger of Degenbrecher. Then those who thought less of her are jeering with apparent delight on her battered, bruised, and bloodied body while also waiting for the anticipated end.

A fact remains that no one will deny that she had done her best… perhaps that’s enough… but for Zofia?

Zofia minded little of those inconsequential voices; the only voice she hears is herself.

Reality still demands its dues. She was forced to admit that she was just a greenhorn. She also must admit that this might be as far as she goes. Then lastly she must admit that The Black Knight is every bit, every iota, the very manifestation of an inhuman wellspring of might.

Does she relent? Well, the answer could be seen in how Zofia’s eyes seem to be tainted with the thrill of combat. She does not relent, proving so while avoiding and striking without rest. Degenbrecher raised her eyebrows, pleasantly surprised that her challenger was not all bark and could potentially bite.

Yet it takes more than a flurry of methodical swordplay to overwhelm the champion. Leveraging her posture, equipment, and herself, she starts fighting back without minding strikes that could be deflected by her armor. Zofia starts to lose her ground, and a diagonal slash of her sword pinged harmlessly against the agile wall of steel.

That’s when Zofia’s sword was finally shattered, her posture broken, and her Arts shield dissipated into nothing. Degenbrecher was about to end it all when a burst of bluish light emerged from Zofia’s palm.

The Black Knight calmly dodged a thin strip of intangible light from skewering her head. Dust was kicked up and even the screen was briefly blinded by the sudden daybreak of light from where Zofia once stood. Degenbrecher might have dodged the sudden upset before a shocking scene etched itself deep into even the naysayers’ memory.

Degenbrecher’s crown broke into two.

Then for the first time in 7 long years…

The Black Knight bleed within the arena.

A thin vertical strip ran down her face, but a bleeding wound nonetheless. That prompts a tiny snort of amusement to be vocalized. Seeing through the dust cloud, she decides to, for once, honor someone’s resolve. She drew her greatsword and unfastened her cape. She takes up a stance; waiting for the penultimate encore of the night.

[HOLY FU- HOLY DA- GOODNESS GRACIOUS! DEGENBRECHER BLEED AND SHE DREW HER GREAT SWORD!?] Cheers erupts in the stadium. Those who thought it would end could only exclaim incredulously, even K.G.C.C. executives who were watching the match felt like being slapped with a steel bar.

That’s not all… when the dust dissipates, there stands Zofia, THE Whislash Knight. Her broken body bared its wounds to the world; but the world couldn’t care less when they witness a blade of pure Arts clutched tightly by her chaffed, bleeding, and trembling palm. The stubborn little lady still has a card to play.

She raised her bluish sword high against the heaven and chanted aloud the Nearl’s family creed.

“FEAR NEITHER HARDSHIP NOR DARKNESS!” Such is when a pair of pristine sky-blue wings spread out for the world to witness. For this mark Zofia as her own, truest, sincerest self. A pair of wings of that won’t lose out against a pureblood Pegasus; for she is still a Pegasus of old. Her dormant blood was triggered, a brief veil of golden light was all it took to erase the blood on her personage.

Her wounds remain but it is enough for one last sword swing.

The stadium, the watchers beyond the screen, and even the city itself seem to erupt once more unto zealous fanatical fever, the fervor had been stoked above, and well beyond, 11. Her wings vanished but it’s enough to let the people know that even if she lose, she won’t do so without a fight.

[WHAT’S THIS, WHAT’S THIS, WHAT’S THIS!? HAVE OUR ZOFIA DECIDES TO GO ALL-OUT?! TO BE THE WHISLASH KNIGHT!? TO BE THE CONTENDER IN THE TRUEST SENSE?! EVEN IF SHE’S OUT, SHE WILL GOES OUT WITH A BANG! SO GET-FRICKING-LOUDER! MAKE UP THOSE NOISES AND BE LOUDER! CHANT! HER! NAME! LOOOOUUUUUDDDEEEEERRRRRRRR!]

[ZOFIA! ZOFIA!] The first round of chorus further elevates and encourages those who already throw their hats to support the newest contender.

[ZOFIA! ZOFIA!] The second round of chorus starts infecting the entirety of the audience, for they might witness a match made in heaven!

[ZOFIA! ZOFIA!] Then by the third, those who look down on her struggle must acquiesce, while Degenbrecher’s faithful start repaying in kind!

[DEGENBRECHER! DEGENBRECHER!] A union of voices to proclaim that there is only one true monarch beneath this hour’s moonlight.

[DEGENBRECHER! DEGENBRECHER!] A chorus singing out praises unto the god of battle, to bear witness as the silent arbiter.

[DEGENBRECHER! DEGENBRECHER!] Degenbrecher, that’s who she is.

Zofia takes up her stance, clearly showing where she is going to strike and Degenbrecher is poised to break it. The world fell to a standstill, with no words, no sounds, and even the winds shied away from intruding. That’s when the blood on the Champion's face slowly but surely reaches her chin, and falls on the earth.

Both Knights leap forward, Zofia gathering force with a whipping motion of her sword before thrusting forward and Degenbrecher changing her downward slash into a similar angle; repaying in kind. A blade of energy clashed against the blade of the Champion…

Energy sparks light up the night in an aurora of bright fissures.

Arts of the nascent pseudo-Pegasus against the pure might of an Arts-defect.

One blade cut the other, but not without scraping each and every inch of its structure.

… Blade of Pure Arts is the first to break. It gets closer and closer, Zofia had already closed her eyes. Steadfastly waiting for her end… then it all goes to black.

POV: Degenbrecher.

“Do color me surprised, you would still need more polish, however…” That was quite impressive. For someone so young she truly knows how to put up a fight. I look down at where my blade had connected, a millimeter away from touching her palm, a second later, her whole arm would have been missing. The girl had fainted from extreme duress, but she did so while standing.

[WHAT AN ASTOUNDING MATCH! PLEASE WELCOME! THE WINNER OF THAT PHENOMENAL BOUT! DEGENBRECHER!] I tuned out the outside voices, I do not care what they think and wish to say. I immediately sheathed my greatsword to the scabbard behind me. The young girl toppled at last, but not before I cradled her.

With her in my arms, I exited the field, completely disregarding the journalist who started to rush me. Security forces promptly created a barricade for me, how nice of them. It is not an exactly conducive situation thus I expedited my steps.

Speaking of which, once I got inside the stadium interior. A person flanked by 12 Knights is waiting for me; they are from the Adeptus. The woman in the middle is someone I had acquainted with several times during those abhorrent parties…

“A fantastic display, Lady Degenbrecher.” Interior Secretary Nelka Ramona oh so graciously greets me, and she is one of the few people that damnable Pythia couldn’t shut up about. Her eyes, face, and smile are quite charming, if not the edge within her eyes seeing me cradling this young girl. She scans me on what to do next, it doesn’t take a genius that I might have caused more problems for this sleeping beauty.

“It was nothing.”

“Very well. Then, may I take charge of the lovely lady in your arms? She would need expedited medical attention, posthaste.”

“Suit yourself.”

“Much obliged.” A pair of … wait these guys are campaign knights? Shouldn’t that be illegal for their entry? Hmph, that insufferable woman will do everything to keep those close to her safe and sound… very charming. They take custody of the girl and put her on the stretcher.

“You’re quite injured yourself, let me escort you to your transport.”

“That would be unnecessary…”

“Please, I insist.” Oh well…

-

-

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We’re now walking towards where my limousine, courtesy of Cordelia, usually being parked. The path we took was the deserted VIP path since the display from both me and that girl would surely put us a few hours longer from the flashing lens. This place is not exactly deserted, but it is sparser than usual…

In the meantime I received some first-aid from the Knights who accompanied us, they were probably somewhere along a tad stronger than the unconscious girl, Zofia. The young Kuranta had been rushed to a hospital using a different route since her injury was serious.

She strikes up conversation with me and she doesn’t appear to have any lingering fear when talking with me so frankly. Which is understandable if she has someone like Nyx to contend with and leash. Dealing with me would probably feel like a different flavor in comparison. She once again extends an offer for an escort.

‘I suppose I’ll just take it… I have a feeling that Nyx would be more than thrilled to discuss what I did to Zofia… I need all the energy I can get to withstand that level of punishment.’ Before I could voice my agreement, something caught the attention of my eyes.

‘Wait, that’s a bomb!’

“Get dow-!” An explosion rocked the parking lot. The knights promptly form a shield wall to protect the Interior Secretary and me. Still, the force of the explosion knocks them back, giving an opening on their otherwise robust formation. Which is when I see a single arrow make it through the wall of steel…

And found its mark upon Ms. Ramona’s body…

 [END OF CHAPTER]

Author’s Note:

Yo there, this is me, myself, and I, the sleep-deprived author.

Zofia is much stronger than her canon counterpart, Nyx's draconian and sadistic teaching was something else huh? Then you see that bit at the end? Well, a certain someone might get a bit too ambitious…

I’m currently drafting an original story and it ate up my sleep schedule…

So yeah that’s all…

Update as uh…. usual?

Ciao