Book 1 Chapter 423

Luke's eyes quickly followed the trajectory of the sword Aina was drawing.

*Clang-!*

Luke hastily parried the sword aimed at his neck.

'Fast.'

The first-year representative.

Aina's sword was faster and sharper than Luke had imagined.

And that wasn't all.

*Clang!*

Swords crossed, emitting a sharp metallic sound.

'That's not all.'

The speed of the golden flashes adorning the air grew faster.

The sword, honed solely to cut down opponents, sent a chill down Luke's spine.

*Clang! Clang! Tring! Tong-!*

It wasn't just fast and sharp.

Amidst the continuous sword strikes, the weight in Aina's sword also grew.

And that weight became a heavy destructive power.

*Kuaaang-!*

"Ugh!"

Luke's sword was knocked away by the sword Aina swung.

In an instant, Luke became defenseless, and Aina lunged at him.

Luke raised his aura, corrected the trajectory of his deflected sword, and swung it towards Aina.

*Swish-!*

As a silver flash glinted, Aina dodged Luke's sword strike with an aura step.

Luke's sword narrowly missed.

For a moment, Aina's center of gravity was thrown off.

'It's a chance to counter!'

Luke, who had been desperately defending against Aina's incredible speed, finally created an opportunity to seize the initiative.

As he tried to close the distance, Luke's eyes met Aina's.

Her usual calm eyes.

Eyes that, in a way, seemed peaceful, made Luke feel goosebumps all over his body.

Luke hastily widened the distance between himself and Aina.

"What was that?"

"Wasn't that a chance to counter?"

Seeing Luke abandon the initiative he had barely gained, the first-years muttered in confusion.

"What a shame!"

Iliana cried out, clutching her head.

Chelsea looked at Iliana with a look of pity.

"What? What?"

Lea, who couldn't grasp the situation, asked with a flustered expression.

"If Luke had attacked just now, the match would have ended right there."

Eiran kindly explained the situation to Lea.

Luke wiped the cold sweat trickling down his chin.

'Her stance was broken. But my attack range was perfectly read.'

The close combat between knights is a battle of spacing.

Even the most spectacular techniques or powerful attacks become useless the moment their attack range is seen through by the opponent.

Of course, gauging an opponent's spacing is by no means easy.

This is because, throughout the fight, the spacing continuously changes with the attack patterns.

However, Aina had accurately calculated that spacing in their brief exchange.

Even if her stance was broken, if she had attacked, she would have been hit.

'If I had attacked, I would have been defeated.'

The reason she narrowly dodged was a trap to draw me in deeper.

Taking a deep breath, Luke gripped his sword again.

As Luke did so, Aina aimed her sword at him.

The moment Aina took a step forward, she vanished.

Luke hastily swung his sword to the right.

*Kuaaang-!*

Luke narrowly blocked the attack with its tremendous power, but he couldn't withstand the full force and was pushed back, tumbling to the ground.

"Ugh!"

Luke quickly got back on his feet and regained his stance.

Meanwhile, Aina, who had reached Luke's side, swung her sword.

'I can't receive this head-on.'

His palm was tingling, and his wrist was aching.

If he continued to receive shocks of this magnitude, he would surely self-destruct in an instant.

He had to somehow deflect the attack and minimize the impact.

*Bang-!*

Again, swords clashed, and Luke was knocked away.

'I can't reduce the impact!'

What made Aina the first-year representative for the first semester was the overwhelming speed and power contained in her sword.

But Aina's true strength was not that.

It was her swordsmanship.

As the great-granddaughter of the Sword Saint, Aina, who had honed her sword sharply from a young age, possessed overwhelming swordsmanship.

No matter how Luke tried to deflect the attack, Aina's technique blocked it.

Power, speed, and technique.

Aina was a knight who possessed all of them perfectly.

'What should I do?'

Luke gritted his teeth.

If he continued like this, he would lose.

He stared intently at Aina, who was closing the distance at incredible speed.

'If I wait for her to come or retreat, I'll just be hit by Aina's sword.'

Luke lowered his stance.

'Then…'

*Paaat-!*

Luke kicked off the ground and charged at Aina.

For a moment, Aina's eyes widened.

Luke, who had become a silver flash, approached Aina and swung his sword first.

*Kuaang-!*

'I attacked first…'

"Ugh?"

The moment the swords collided, Luke was sent flying and embedded in the ground.

Laughter erupted from the first-years who called themselves the 'Aina Faction.'

"How foolish. Do you think just charging in will accomplish anything?"

"Pathetic!"

"She must have gotten lucky to make it to the semifinals, and now her true colors are showing."

They, who called themselves the Aina Faction and the top students of the first year, couldn't accept the anomaly of Luke, who had been at the bottom of the year.

However, unlike their reaction, Aina's eyes, which met Luke's, trembled slightly.

Luke was smiling.

'What is this kid…'

***

Celia wore an expression of disbelief.

"Is she foolish? Or is she good at judging?"

"Both, I suppose."

Leo's answer made Celia nod in understanding.

"Indeed."

While some of the first-years couldn't understand Luke's reckless charge at Aina, students from other years could.

They accurately discerned that Luke had reduced the power of Aina's sword.

"To think of charging in before the attack could even unfold in such a short time to disrupt it. That's quite something."

"She's always had good eyes, after all."

Leo said, watching the match.

"Her ability to constantly observe others and absorb what she needs is also outstanding."

In that fleeting moment, she instinctively grasped a method to counter Aina.

"It must be disorienting for Aina."

Leo chuckled.

"Even at this moment, Luke is steadily closing in on Aina."

***

*Kuaang-! Bang!*

A sword imbued with golden aura targeted Luke.

Luke's silver aura met Aina's aura.

'It's getting faster.'

Aina's eyes wavered as she saw Luke responding to her attacks.

'Even at this moment, she's getting stronger.'

Aina gritted her teeth.

This final exam had been the worst for Aina.

From the very first match, she had faced Juen.

Although she had expected an easy victory, Aina had barely won.

No, she couldn't bring herself to believe she had won.

The thought that she could never be recognized by Leo continued to plague her, and her confusion only deepened throughout the final exam.

She constantly worried that Juen, whom she thought was below her, and even Habiden and Sasha, might overtake her and leave her far behind.

Amidst this, Aina also realized the reason she had been avoiding and ignoring Luke since her admission.

'I was afraid of Luke Elda.'

The day she wasn't recognized by Leo Flob, but Luke was.

Aina had realized Luke's immense potential.

She had intuitively known then that he would catch up to her in the near future.

And now, Luke was trying to stand beside her.

Aina felt an indescribable emotion at that fact.

A new emotion surfaced in Aina's heart, which had previously held nothing but revenge.

'I don't want to lose.'

She didn't understand why this feeling arose.

But Aina didn't want to lose to Luke now.

*Huaaak-!*

Golden glints flashed in Aina's eyes.

*Gooooo-!*

The golden aura erupting from Aina's body shot up towards the sky like a pillar.

The swirling aura converged at the tip of her sword.

-Ooooooh! This is!

Runba, who was watching the commentary, exclaimed in an excited voice.

Mel, who was commentating alongside him, muttered.

-It's the Sword Saint's sword.

A single strike symbolizing justice, representing the righteous and noble knight who wielded his sword for what was right, a great hero who carried and defined an era.

"Justitia."

Aina faced Luke with the strongest attack she could muster.

'Please stop chasing me!'

Gritting her teeth and squeezing out the words internally, she swung her sword.

Seeing the golden sword flying towards her, Luke felt goosebumps all over his body.

'Amazing.'

Lumern was filled with extraordinary people.

People so astonishing that even chasing them endlessly wouldn't be enough.

'Can I catch up to people like them?'

Her heart pounded.

Her mind trembled.

'Can I chase them… and stand on the same stage?'

She didn't know.

But she had learned one thing while being Leo's mentee.

'Countless times of despair and hitting limits. Countless times of frustration and bowing my head.'

A silver flash erupted from Luke's body.

'If you don't give up, surpass your limits, and lift your head.'

Silver glints flashed.

'There was a better me!'

Mana amplified, and magical power surged.

Luke cast his unique magic.

'Transcendence!'

In an instant.

Magic that pushed her one step into the realm she wanted to reach, beyond her limits.

With the power of that magic, Luke…

"Haaaaaaahap!"

*Flash-!*

In an instant, she succeeded in standing in the same place as Aina.

The silver sword strike bisected the golden sword.

*Kugugugugu-!*

Luke's surroundings were devastated as he received Aina's attack.

Thick dust billowed up.

Amidst it, Luke gritted his teeth.

"Kkuh?!"

As a consequence of wielding such immense, unauthorized power, his arm screamed in pain.

'Not yet! I can do more!'

But he forced himself to endure the pain.

'If it's Aina, she won't fall from this! She'll definitely come again!'

As Luke prepared for Aina's next attack, he saw her sword lowering beyond the dust.

"You've won, Luke Elda."

For a moment, Luke wore a blank expression.

"That last strike was all I had. Since it was blocked, I lost."

Seeing Aina speak with a weak voice, Luke's eyes trembled.

"Why… why are you giving up?"

"What?"

"You can still fight."

Luke wore an expression of incomprehension.

"As I said, I've reached my limit."

"You still have the strength to swing your sword. So why is it your limit?"

Luke scrunched up his face.

Seeing Luke like that, Aina said with a self-deprecating voice.

"There's no value in struggling and trying to win against someone like me. The result is obvious anyway."

Luke spoke to Aina's words of despair and broken spirit.

"Someone like Aina?"

Luke gritted his teeth.

Leo had told him to become the first-year representative.

Would becoming the first-year representative in this way have any value?

'No.'

Luke clenched his fist.

"Aina, you're an amazing person. That's why Juen challenges you with all her might to defeat you."

"I'm not as amazing as you think."

Even so, Aina gave a self-deprecating smile.

"And I've already reached my limit. So you've won…"

"Then surpass your limit! What do you think of someone who grit their teeth and chased after you!"

Luke's choked cry made Aina flinch.

"Because you're amazing, I want to chase you! Because you're amazing, I want to win! If you say that, what does all my past effort mean! If you're going to give up so easily, at least compensate me for my hard work before you give up!"

Seeing Aina blaming herself, Luke, with his eyes wide, shouted.

Seeing Luke like that, Aina's eyes widened in fear.

"H-how can I compensate…"

"There's no way I can compensate!"

'Scary. So scary.'

Seeing Luke, whose eyes had gone wild with resentment over his past hardships due to Aina, Aina instinctively took a step back.

The dust cleared.

Seeing Aina, Luke said.

"If you're going to run away, at least run away after doing your best against me."

Luke re-gripped his sword.

Looking at Luke, Aina gazed down at her own sword.

'Did Grandpa ever want to run away?'

'Many times.'

Calian, the Sword Saint, stroked his great-granddaughter's head with a hearty laugh.

'But you overcame them, didn't you? Because Grandpa is the Sword Saint.'

'No. I ran away several times.'

Calian, who had shattered his great-granddaughter's innocent belief, simply stroked his beard and chuckled slyly.

Aina looked up at Calian with a shocked expression.

'But'

Calian smiled faintly.

'I didn't just run away. I did my absolute best and challenged my limits countless times. Then, if it still wasn't enough, I ran away.'

Calian took his great-granddaughter's hand and said.

'Aina. If you've done your best, you can run away anytime. Then you can try again.'

Recalling the past, Aina gripped her sword.

'Grandpa.'

***

'The atmosphere has changed.'

Leo, who had been watching the duel between the two,'s eyes lit up.

'She's finally starting to have eyes befitting a hero candidate, a little bit.'

Leo's face, which had been smirking while looking at Aina, momentarily lost its expression and returned.

Leo stood up from his seat.

"Where are you going?"

Celia asked with a puzzled expression.

Leo smiled at Celia and said.

"I'll be back in a moment."

Leaving those words behind, he left the spectator seats.

He sensed a familiar aura not far away.

Leo's red eyes flashed.

An extremely faint power.

But Leo clearly remembered the owner of this power.

'Necromancer King.'