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Chapter 15: The Fight of Gods

“What’s with the crazy chaos?”

I thought being a Count came with a certain dignity and wealth, but I was totally off the mark.

“I won’t eat this!”

“Aida, there are countless people outside starving, and you’re whining about this? Get a grip.”

Aida, my little sister, threw the bread aside and broke into tears, while our father, Count Bradley Somerset, gave her a stern lecture.

I took a glance at the food before me, realizing the dining scene in a noble household seemed more like that of a regular family.

On the table was a thin, unrecognizable soup and bread as hard as stones.

Not exactly gourmet even for a child.

Determined to eat, I dipped the bread into the soup, but as I attempted to break it apart—

Crack!

Did I just hear splintering wood?

* * *

[5252 What’s Friede’s weapon? wwww]

[They said she’s a Light Hero, and she really is living up to the hype.]

[Our Sensei is… a Hero!]

[For real, combining customizing is just so cool @@]

[Wow! That fan service is off the charts, incredible Sister Friede!]

[How does the tier of the Lotus and Friede’s weapon compare? Is Friede falling behind?]

[Both Rantert’s Self Sword and Holy Light Sword are somewhat similar.]

[But the combat skill of the Holy Light Sword is a bit unique.]

[Oh, that one ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

It’s quite noisy.

The audience is really something else—it’s not just chat, I can hear actual voices…

As the feeling of entering a real-life coliseum hit her, Friede thought.

If I were a timid person, I probably would’ve crumbled under this intensity.

Unless you’re made for the stage, you wouldn’t dare use this place so lightly.

But in Friede’s case, she was the exception.

“Looks like we finally meet.”

The softly smiling Lotus seemed relaxed despite the pressure from the audience.

Friede couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction.

‘Good stance.’

Being a professional gamer, she wasn’t too worried; only occasionally did some pros lack guts.

Lotus was not one of those, which made her feel quite excited.

At this level, one would certainly have the will to fight properly.

“I see you’ve been waiting for me.”

“Yes, I’ve always been watching your plays, waiting for a moment like this. And….”

—Shing,

The rapier’s blade pointed precisely at her forehead while the distorted smile of Lotus announced.

“Friede, I’m going to take you down.”

That’s pretty much something a challenger would say, but the roles seemed reversed, so I muttered lightly.

Seems like our Lotus has an over-exaggerated rivalry fantasy towards me.

Well, at least it’s better than being indifferent.

Taking a deep breath in my mind, I slowly adjusted my stance.

In that tense moment where we both pointed our swords at each other, the game began…

—Weeeng!

All the power concentrated in her arms, Friede’s Holy Sword lay flat, aimed forward.

Light gathered on the blade.

The aura surrounding the basic sword alternated between flickers, growing each time, and by the time it reached a second-stage charge, it transformed into a massive light sword comparable to a large weapon.

That was a declaration of its status as a holy sword.

The tip of the Holy Sword, brimming with sunlight, pointed at Lotus, and with a shout—

“Hah!”

With the energy of the shout, she thrust forward.

From the blade of the Holy Sword shot forth a torrent of light!

—Kuwaaang!

Like a sharp horn, it exploded straight ahead.

This was the combat skill of this Holy Sword—Solar Torrent.

Among the close-range weapons in Soul Warfare, this was the only ranged combat skill.

—Taah!

“Tsk.”

Unlike the wind cutting through the air, Lotus smoothly dodged and dashed toward her.

It would’ve been nice if it hit like a lottery, but that seemed like too high a hope.

Rantert’s Self Sword sparkled with light, dashing in with an intense charge.

Quickly, Friede swung her Holy Sword.

—Boom!

If I had only focused on the Broken Greatsword, I wouldn’t have been able to land a blow from this distance.

‘Fast.’

I already knew it, but seeing it up close gave Lotus chills.

Her speed was faster than the average pro.

To respond, Lotus adjusted her reflexes, stepping up her game.

With instincts honed over thousands of matches, she lowered her stance as she dodged the sword’s trajectory and, without pausing, closed the distance until she was in front of Friede, within the range of her Self Sword.

Thinking this was her chance, she launched a strong attack.

It’s fine. I can’t parry at this timing.

The unwavering confidence consumed Lotus’s heart.

As anticipated, Friede readied her Holy Sword to block.

No matter how powerful the rapier, it wasn’t easy to fully withstand a strong blow; she staggered back half a step with her guarded pose.

Surprised by her opponent’s quick response, Lotus quickly devised her next attack route.

‘I need to find an opening.’

It’s fine. I was capable of the same movement.

The Self Sword moved admirably against the dagger before; I can do it too.

Thoughts took long, but the combinations came quickly.

Lotus changed her rapier’s stance for a rapid piercing instead of a heavy attack.

In response, Friede lowered her stance, adjusting her Holy Sword.

Lotus launched a series of fast, eye-confounding strikes that Friede managed to perfectly guard against with the blade.

A fierce back-and-forth combat lasted for 30 seconds without a break.

Just before the rapid strikes became relentless,

‘Now!’

With a pull, she executed a distinctly different lateral cut than the quick pierce of the rapier,

and the Holy Sword took advantage of the moment to rise into the air, clashing with the rapier.

—Ching!

—Kikik!

The clang of steel rang, followed by the scream of the metal as the edges of both blades ground against each other, and somehow, Lotus retreated a step back.

‘Tough.’

That Holy Sword was the only one in its category, a blend of straight and great swords.

Maybe that’s why.

Every response to Lotus’s strike, which she thought would be difficult to deal with due to the Broken Greatsword, was coming back at her, sending shivers down her spine.

‘No, focus.’

Unnecessary thoughts and doubts turned into self-doubt.

And then it happened.

With an upper stance, Friede initiated the first attack with her Holy Sword.

As if she were using some sort of teleportation, even dodging was difficult as she accelerated suddenly despite appearing to dash.

Maybe the eagerness to win triggered earlier at the first set.

Normally, Lotus should have fought with hit-and-run tactics, but sparks ignited in her eyes.

‘Friede did it too.’

With the same weapon in hand, she overcame the Great Sword of Rebellion head-on.

So why couldn’t I do it?

“Ugh!”

Whether it was stubbornness or a gamble, she couldn’t tell, but her body moved before she could think.

Following through with an unstoppable lateral swing, the rapier fluidly followed up, suddenly slashing down, and just as she seemed to be landing consecutively—

—Ching!

All her strikes avoided, as finally, Friede’s Holy Sword slid aside her last thrust.

“Kugh!”

A sound escaped involuntarily.

Lotus arranged her attacks based on the pattern she had shown while using the dagger.

She thought she wouldn’t lag behind in pure speed, but was she really moving faster than that?

In that moment,

—Boom!

Thinking it was her chance, Friede swung her Holy Sword with an exaggerated motion.

Was she deliberately trying to lure her in, or was it a truthful assessment?

And Lotus decided to…

‘If I can’t, then I’ll hit faster and harder!’

An uncompromising offense.

All for the sake of victory made her body respond in unison.

Changing her body to dodge the descending line of the Holy Sword, she propelled herself outward.

Relying on the momentum of her spinning body, the rapier was about to slice through Friede when—

—Pak!

“Cough!”

As she naturally collected the descending Holy Sword into her arms, Friede’s shoulder charge slammed into Lotus, sending her reeling backward.

‘What kind of cancel is this?!’

Is this even possible?

While she marveled at Friede’s body control and hurriedly tried to regain her stance—

—Peruk!

“Cough!”

Friede’s uppercut landed perfectly on Lotus’s chin.

Stunned into a complete groggy state.

As her vision faded to darkness, the last thing Lotus saw was…

“Oh…”

Friede lifting her Holy Sword high, gathering light.

—Ching!

The first light was stored, enveloping the blade.

—Ching!

The second light enveloped the sword, stretching forth.

—Ching!

The third light enveloped it, swelling massively.

The Holy Sword’s ultimate strike, charged to the max!

The Holy Light Sword—Solar Torrent!

—Kwang!

The colossal sunlight-infused Holy Sword… split Lotus in two.

* * *

“Yes, what an incredible match! That was a fiery duel. I had no idea that player Friede could perform to this extent with the Holy Light Sword. Right now, there’s a massive buzz in the community about how Friede’s customization pairs perfectly with the Holy Light Sword. Lotus vs. Friede was truly a beautiful and stunning fight worthy of blooms! Looking forward to the next round!”

“Indeed, the Holy Light Sword isn’t a common weapon. While its stats are decent, its crucial combat skill is hard to use in practice. Being a ranged skill, it looks cool, but it requires charging to be effective.”

“However, just hitting that one blow, especially in close quarters, guarantees devastating damage. If it hits within the weapon’s range, both the sword’s strong damage and the fixed damage from the blade go together. Especially since Lotus was in a groggy state, she was bound to get a critical hit, showing the sheer magnificence of the Holy Sword itself.”

“Maybe player Friede chose the sword with such a strategy in mind. And of course, it also fits her character concept….”

The reactions from the commentary area were intense.

The clash between Friede, dressed in her best themed look, and Lotus was exhilarating, and the match itself was akin to throwing dry straw and barrels into a firestorm.

Isn’t that reflected in the chatroom?

[Wow, that’s a real Hero!]

[Hero is here!]

[It’s the Holy Sword, here comes the Holy Sword!]

[Friede is invincible! The Holy Sword is divine!]

[Friede Godride, Huangride, Kingride!!!!]

[Sis!! Lotus smash! Warden smash! STK smash!! ㅠㅠ]

[But wow, the level is off the charts… I thought Friede’s match against the dagger was peak, but there’s a sky above the sky.]

[It ended in one epic turnaround, but the exchanges in between were no joke.]

[Honestly, if it hadn’t been in slow-mo, I wouldn’t have known how those two fought at all.]

[For real, lol.]

“……”

As the electrifying atmosphere reached the waiting room, Lotus smiled softly.

Even though she had lost the first strike, it wasn’t bad. Instead, she felt a refreshing sensation inside.

Suddenly, the earlier image of the Captain’s advice drifted into her mind.

—Eunha, you wouldn’t just stand by when you saw Friede pull out a Broken Greatsword, would you?

The recollection of that advice sparked a wry smile on Lotus’s face.

“Kim Chan-hyuk, you were being a fool for no reason.”

What’s with the Broken Greatsword? In the end, Friede has no choice but to give her all against me.

No, no need for further thought.

From now on, I’ll just focus on winning.

‘Will Friede pull out the Holy Sword for the next set as well? Or will she use another weapon?’

What weapon will I prepare?

Facing an opponent dedicated to winning, I’ll respond with the same fervor.

There’s hardly any greater thrill for a professional, and Lotus walked purposefully towards the arena stage.

“Waaaaah!”

The crowd went wild at Lotus’s entrance, and just at that perfect moment, Friede appeared across from her.

As the weapons were displayed, Lotus pondered what to choose with a tinged heart.

‘This is it.’

The weapon she confidently selected was none other than the Holy Light Sword!

Choosing the same weapon as Friede for the first set, Lotus beamed with confidence.

You too shall wield the Holy Sword.

Come forth, let’s clash with all I’ve got, with the same weapon.

That unspoken determination was evident in her silent declaration.

“Uchya!”

Friede, having chosen her weapon from the display, turned her back, so Lotus couldn’t see what she picked, but she firmly believed Friede wouldn’t betray her hopes.

Of course, belief, as it often did, showed its fickle nature…

[Uhm, what’s this guy doing?]

[Oh lol, that’s our Sensei for you.]

[That Ten 1 joined in again.]

[Hey, Friede! Stop messing around and let’s have a Holy Sword mirror match!]

Unavoidably, betrayal awaited her.

The weapon Friede chose was…

“Ta-da!”

The Broken Greatsword.