'You crazy bastard.'
Seeing Encrid smile, Asia almost lost her composure but quickly regained her focus.
If she didn't plan on killing him, she had to stop him here.
Her younger sibling had been taken hostage.
The unexpected presence of someone behind her.
Layer upon layer of complex thoughts piled up, only to vanish.
With that smiling bastard in front of her, there were no words left to say.
"You must have a reason to break through, and I have a reason to stop you."
These words escaped from her without her even realizing.
Why?
Why was she saying this to Encrid?
She didn't know. It was as if the atmosphere itself was urging her on.
So, she hardened her expression even further. She hid her emotions and let her sword speak for her.
Targeting the sword's tip wasn't the only thing she was good at.
She would never lose in terms of skill. There was a gap between her and Encrid that couldn't be closed in a short time.
She acknowledged that her opponent had greater strength, but the gap in skill wasn't something that could be easily bridged.
Power and tactical thinking—Encrid excelled in both.
But no matter how good someone was at tactics, if they consistently lost in the finer points of technique, there was no winning.
Encrid closed his eyes again.
"You'll end up dead like that."
She didn't intend to kill him, but she couldn't afford to be careless.
"If you can, go ahead."
Encrid didn't back down. For a moment, Asia found his stubbornness frustrating.
"If not now, next time, you wouldn't have to fight with such risks."
Even as she spoke, Asia knew the answer. She knew too well how Encrid would respond.
She hadn't seen him in a few days, but she understood perfectly what kind of person he was.
"If not today, then tomorrow. If not tomorrow, then the day after."
Encrid spoke with his eyes closed, his sword still aimed at her.
"If I ever thought about 'next time', I wouldn't even be standing here in front of you now."
Asia clenched her teeth.
The two clashed again and again. In the end, Asia managed to pierce Encrid's arm twice.
She also left a deep wound on his thigh, large enough for a finger to sink into.
In the midst of it all, Encrid lost his grip on Silver, and with Ember, he left a long slash across Asia's cheek.
"If I had wanted to kill you, it would've been easier."
Asia said, catching her breath.
The sun had already tilted, casting long shadows.
The blade of rebellion that had started in broad daylight had now likely pierced through the entire palace.
And indeed—
"It's done."
A voice called out from behind Asia, from within the shadow where the light didn't reach.
"Get rid of that."
The voice followed shortly after.
Still lying on the ground, Encrid shifted his gaze beyond Asia. There was no light. He couldn't see the figure clearly, only a silhouette. Dark and thick.
Despite standing in the shadows, that figure's presence felt strong and vivid.
Who was this now?
From the aura and Asia's demeanor, it was easy to tell. Someone ranked above her.
It was the darkness caused by unlit candelabras. From beyond that shadow, a man stepped forward.
As the silhouette took on color and moved closer, it felt like an unstoppable boulder was rolling toward him.
'Not a Knight.'
His instincts and experience told him that much. After all, hadn't he faced Knights before?
One swing of the blade, but that was enough for him to know.
This wasn't a Knight.
With his dull hair, a longsword hanging from his waist, and a bloodstained dagger in his hand, the man approached.
Asia turned around. Even though she still had the strength to land one more strike on Encrid, she turned without hesitation.
Facing backward, she raised her sword and spoke.
"Senior, let's stop here."
Encrid could see Asia's back and the front of the man who carried an overwhelming presence before her.
The man holding the dagger tilted his head. His thick, curly brown hair swayed with the motion.
"Asia?"
"This is far enough. What are you planning to do when the master returns?"
To Encrid, Asia's words lacked any real persuasion.
Even she couldn't believe what she was saying.
"If you can't do it, then I will."
The man said as he strode forward, and once again, Asia displayed her Intimidation.
A wall.
The wall that had once blocked Encrid had now shifted its direction, standing against her.
"It'd be wise to stop."
Encrid muttered. He found it hard to gauge the man's skill. Was it due to his own lack of discernment?
He didn't know.
It felt like looking at Ragna or Rem.
"Do you think all Junior Knights are the same?"
Asia's earlier words suddenly resonated with him. Was it because of this man that she had said it during their spar? It seemed possible.
The man ignored Asia's intimidating presence. His pace didn't slow.
"Asia."
Still seated, Encrid called her name again. She didn't respond.
Instead, she raised her sword and aimed it.
Sword-Tip Targeting.
And once again, Encrid saw the correct counter to her technique.
Rem, Ragna, Jaxon—and now, for the fourth time.
As soon as Asia aimed her sword, the man took a large step forward and struck her sword's blade with his dagger. Despite using Sword-Tip Targeting, it was useless.
In that brief moment, Encrid understood exactly what the man had done.
This was the fourth time he'd seen the answer, so the realization came naturally.
'Just because you aim the sword doesn't mean its position won't change.'
The sword remains in place. If you have enough strength to deflect it, you can break through Targeting the Sword's Tip.
If Asia had swung or blocked first, the technique would've been disrupted anyway.
So, even if he approached and swung his dagger, the attack would either be diverted or blocked.
However, to prevent the deflection technique from working, the strike had to be delivered in such a way that Asia couldn't counterattack, meaning there were quite a few conditions that had to be met beforehand.
How was it possible now, then?
The answer was clear, but the entire process wasn't visible yet.
'Normally, she would deflect and strike again.'
But her flow had been interrupted.
To see such skill displayed with just a single dagger was proof that the man's abilities were on an entirely different level.
Not all Junior Knights are the same.
That phrase now struck deeply within him.
Encrid used his sword like a cane and stood up. He figured he could block or parry once or twice more if necessary.
If he just stood by and watched Asia die, he knew it wouldn't end with just restless dreams.
From the moment he stood, Encrid no longer cared whether his sword strikes would work or not.
He would do it simply because he could.
"Don't be a fool."
The man with the dagger spoke again. His gaze never once turned toward Encrid. It remained focused solely on Asia.
Asia retrieved her deflected sword and launched a three-pronged thrust.
A thrust resembling a trident. Wasn't this technique called Trident?
She had said she developed it after watching the fishermen of a coastal village.
The man moved his dagger up and down.
Like stirring a stew with a ladle, that's how he moved his dagger.
At least, that's how it appeared to Encrid.
Tatatang!
The sound of three rapid collisions rang out.
"Are you really going to do this?"
The man spoke again. Instead of replying, Asia raised her sword. She shifted her stance.
Her specialty wasn't just Targeting the Sword's Tip.
Encrid knew this well, too.
She gathered strength in her toes and shifted her center of gravity. While she didn't neglect strengthening her muscles, there were plenty of people far stronger than her.
If she hadn't thought of a way to overcome that, Asia could never have become a Junior Knight.
"Do you really want to die?"
The man's tone had no highs or lows. There was no flow to it, either. It was almost like he was just stating a fact.
Asia's sword flew toward him several more times.
It curved, thrust, and then soared upward. It was the technique that had pierced Encrid's arm when he failed to block it.
Delicate and sharp. Just based on speed alone, it could rival Encrid's 'Will of the Moment'.
It was a strike worthy of being called her ace move.
But despite all those blades, the man blocked each one with casual flicks of his dagger.
In the end, one of the sword's tips grazed his cheek, but it was far from a critical injury.
Pik!
Blood splattered. The man dropped his dagger. The short blade fell to the ground. In that moment, the man's hand grasped the hilt of the longsword at his waist.
Encrid noticed the pommel—it was shaped like a wolf.
He drew the sword. It wasn't done with blinding speed or immense power.
It was simply drawn and advanced.
Yet, the sword the man swung rose at an odd angle, severing the flow of Asia's thrusting sword.
He intercepted it mid-strike. With a resounding 'thud', Asia's sword was knocked aside.
'How is that even possible?'
Encrid didn't know. He had no idea. There was nothing to be learned just from watching.
Asia pulled her sword back in front of her chest. Her flow had been broken. With her momentum gone, there was no way her slashing sword could reach him.
As the rhythm of her strikes faltered, her steps got tangled. When her footwork stumbled, her breathing became labored. It was as if her breath was caught in her throat.
Asia held her breath entirely. Ignoring all the broken flow, instead of thrusting, she swung her sword in a slash.
A vertical downward slash. It wasn't as fierce as a lightning strike, but it was as fast as a ray of light. It was similar to the unpredictable strikes that Encrid occasionally made with Ember.
The man brought up his sword and pushed back.
Tidding!
Sparks flew as the blades clashed. For a brief moment, the two were locked in a stalemate with their swords pressed against each other.
That was the moment Encrid threw himself into the fray.
He couldn't muster the same explosive charge as when he faced Asia.
But he could still deliver a proper strike.
He poured all his acceleration into that single moment.
Rejecting the Intimidation radiating from the man.
He unleashed the strength of the 'Heart of Great Strength' and maintained his focus on a single point.
He thrust Ember forward with his left hand. The extended sword mimicked the rays of the sun.
The sun, once its rays are felt, cannot be avoided. There's no escaping it.
It was a thrust that embodied that imagery. His technique, timing, breathing, footwork, muscle tension, and the grip on his sword were all perfectly aligned.
It was a strike so perfect that there was no room for excitement—everything just fell into place.
And yet, the man's sword slipped through the opening.
How do you avoid sunlight? You stand in the shade.
The flow was cut. Before his thrust could fully materialize, the man's sword slipped in and struck the center of Ember, disrupting the move.
There was no violent force, but the change in direction threw off everything—from Encrid's feet to the strength gathered in his body, the power of his Concentrated Burst, his breath, and even his footing.
Encrid knew in that instant that his strike had failed.
And the result followed.
The sword in the man's right hand had already slashed through Asia's heart.
"Ghhk."
Asia coughed up blood. Even as her heart was pierced by the sword, she swung her rapier, but her strength had already drained away.
The man didn't even bother to block it. Instead, he deflected the falling blade with his shoulder.
Meanwhile, his left hand, which had been outstretched, now held a short sword, and the tip of that sword had already pierced Encrid's chest.
The bandages of Encrid's armor held off the blade just enough to prevent it from reaching his heart, but the sword had still sunk into his side, tearing through his other organs.
The man's gaze swept over the inside of Encrid's body, yet he still didn't speak.
His expression was like someone looking at a pebble on the roadside. Was it due to the difference in skill? No, that wasn't it.
It was the look of someone staring at something or someone completely irrelevant to him.
"There was no way to subdue you without killing you."
He spoke, directing his words solely to Asia.
"Senior…"
Asia's blood-foamed lips parted. Gathering her last bit of strength, she spoke once more.
"My sibling…"
"Don't worry."
The light in Asia's eyes began to fade. Despite the searing pain tearing through his insides, Encrid's mind didn't waver.
Today's repetition was a curse, so there was no blessing of growing accustomed to the pain.
Thus, the agony was the same now as it had been the first time 'today' was repeated.
Even so, he couldn't tear his gaze away from Asia.
He could understand why she had stood in his way, but why had she turned back here?
Why had she blocked his path?
The atmosphere alone revealed the answer.
It was something she could have ignored.
She could have walked away.
That way, she wouldn't have needed to risk her life.
But she hadn't.
Encrid didn't need to ask the reason, he knew it without words.
Just as he couldn't postpone today to tomorrow.
Asia, too, had something she simply could not yield.
What she couldn't give up.
'Not turning away from her heart.'
From the beginning, why had she stood here?
To kill him?
No, she hadn't. If she'd wanted to, she could have killed him anytime.
His company members had all said the same thing:
"In a fight where lives are on the line, victory and defeat will be decided one way or another. But that doesn't change the fact that it's almost impossible to win right now."
Rem had said.
"If we fight, we lose. No doubt about it, we lose."
Ragna had added.
While his thoughts continued, the man stood before him. His black boots came into Encrid's view.
As Encrid raised his gaze, the man finally spoke to him.
"She died because of you."
The man's tone was utterly devoid of emotion, completely indifferent.
Then, the man's sword slashed at Encrid's neck.
The pain shot up from his nape to his brain. The burning sensation, the searing pain of flesh tearing, the blackout, and the darkness that enveloped everything.
In that instant, he found himself standing before the rippling waters of a river.
"Want me to show you the easy way?"
The ferryman asked.