Modred stared blankly at the pure white light emanating from the Unicorn Dagger.
She barely collected herself before speaking.
“…Gahelis. You definitely shouldn’t be in Historia.”
“That’s too harsh. It’s only been a little while since I obtained my aura, and I couldn’t help not awakening the color of my beliefs yet.”
“That’s not what I meant… Hah, it’s fine. Anyway, the ceremony has been conducted. Now we can communicate with our swords, so there’s no need to chatter.”
With a deep sigh, Modred assumed her stance.
Raising her sword to face height, she lay it sideways so the tip pointed at me.
I too relaxed my arms and lowered my stance.
Using my small frame to deceive distance and utilizing the advantages of a small weapon to make it hard to determine how I was gripping it—those were tricks of deception.
Modred’s eyebrows twitched, and she plunged into the ground.
Boom!
The surface of the lake we stood on exploded and shot upward. Could it be because she had an enormous amount of aura and control to weave the sword’s blade with her aura?
Not only did she explode the aura beneath her feet, but she also emitted a soft golden light from her entire body, sprinting towards me at a speed that felt nearly like flight.
In the blink of an eye, the distance closed. The aura’s sword aimed at my neck, ready to slice through everything it touched.
……If it hits, that is.
“Huff!”
When it came to speed, I wasn’t going to lose either.
I twisted my waist, staring straight at the incoming Excalibur.
Thanks to an inexplicably flexible body, I could manage somewhat reckless movements.
Swish!
As the aura’s afterglow brushed past my nose, I grinned and activated both the Transparent Cloak and the sound-devouring steps simultaneously.
My body blurred, and my presence slipped behind the various layers of the world.
It would be impossible to locate my position conventionally.
“Tricks…!”
Modred gritted her teeth at my suddenly vanished form and swung her sword once more.
Boom!
Unlike just cutting through thin air, her strike now shattered the entire space I had occupied.
Since my position was invisible, she must have exploded her aura to blow away the surrounding area.
However, I had already moved from that spot and was now behind Modred.
Though her aura-enhanced body was fast… it couldn’t outpace me, who had poured most of my stats into speed.
Her armor was strikingly ornate, almost ceremonial. I swung my dagger at the glimpse of Modred’s white neck peeking through the gaps of her armor. But—
Swoosh!
Suddenly, an aura erupted from behind Modred and intercepted my strike.
It wasn’t simply blocked like a shield. It flew back along the same trajectory as if my attack had been returned.
“You foolish little sister. You know that half-hearted ambushes won’t work against me, who carries the legacy of the Historia royal family.”
“I wouldn’t know; I never learned it!”
As I said this casually, Modred narrowed her eyes.
“Are you mocking me again?”
“No, who was it that said someone like me shouldn’t be in Historia in the first place?”
As I grinned, Modred’s whole body glowed brightly, and a golden shockwave erupted.
“Tch.”
Clicking my tongue, I quickly distanced myself.
Even with the Unicorn Dagger, I couldn’t pierce the unconscious aura Modred had raised.
It meant that simple speed-based attacks wouldn’t be enough to break through.
…Well. Considering she showed no signs of struggle, it might also be because I had crossed her special target zone.
Just for a moment, I was surprised by my sister’s ascetic lifestyle.
Although I avoided Modred’s released aura, its aftereffects wrapped around my entire body.
At the same time, the Transparent Cloak, operating not as a divine power or skill but as a pure magical device, showed slight rejection.
It wasn’t enough to break. The invisibility spell covering my body wasn’t shaking.
But if she wielded her aura like limbs, there would be a slight sense of discomfort at my fingertips.
Unfortunately, Modred was that kind of knight.
“There you are!”
Charging directly to my position, Modred led with overwhelming aura, akin to a mindless boar.
But if this boar started demolishing buildings, the story would change.
Vroom!
This time, before she could get close enough, Excalibur shook and shone.
The aura formed blade elongated and unleashed a slashing attack.
Clang!
A massive crescent-shaped aura tore through the lake surface as it charged toward me.
It was an overwhelming sight as if the world would be split in half with me at the center.
Modred’s solution was a correct one. If she couldn’t keep up with my speed, she could just break the very space itself with her strengths.
However, there was one thing she was overlooking: I could go even faster than this.
Tap, tap.
Tapping the lake with my toes triggered the Haste spell.
Feeling the magic push me along, I threw my body sideways.
My movements were light, leaving almost no trace on the lake except for a few ripples.
Gliding like a smooth slide across the lake, I charged at the unsteady Modred, who had been disrupted by her large technique.
Her dark blue eyes expressed bewilderment.
“…You don’t find this cowardly?”
“Honestly, unlike some, I’ve lived desperately by using everything at my disposal. You should have prepared your magical devices beforehand if you wanted to complain.”
Grinning, I burrowed into Modred’s embrace.
“Guh!”
Once again, Modred ignited her aura. Was it another shockwave?
If I took a hit up close, even though I’ve gotten sturdier lately, something would surely break. Getting flung away would be the least of my worries.
So, I decided to mobilize every single means I had been saving until now.
Swish.
To catch people’s eyes, I activated the Crown of Thorns resonating with my Divine Bloodline.
Before long, the crown upon my head grew rapidly, transforming into armor that covered my whole body.
Modred’s eyes widened as she looked at the crown still on my head… but it was still too early for her to be surprised.
Immediately, I activated the sanctuary of the Goddess Statue, resulting in a surge of Divine Power flowing from it.
Then, I used Power Explosion to violently stir the flow of aura.
Crack!
A sensation of something twisting from within came, and immense power surged up.
The aura struggled to maintain its form as it moved away from my body, weakening as it did so.
In other words, it meant I had grown much stronger up close.
Tossing my body toward Modred’s aura storm, a little stronger than I anticipated.
“Haah!”
The aura enveloping me blazed away, and the armor of thorns chipped away slightly.
Nevertheless, I managed to close in. That was enough.
Grabbing the short, light Unicorn Dagger, I reached into subspace and pulled out the Minotaur Greatsword, swinging it.
Whooosh!
The enormous mass that only I could feel fell while combined with immense aura, mana, and divine power.
What I imagined was the slashing attack that had been propelled at me a moment ago.
It wasn’t about slashing through the shockwave that I’d withstood.
It was to shatter the aura that had surrounded Modred when my Unicorn Dagger had been blocked. It was to break her real armor.
“Do you even know what type of herbivore this is?!”
“Is it really that important when I’ve stolen so many tricks?”
Our respective eyes met at a distance close enough to see each other within our pupils. The greatsword charged through the distance effortlessly.
Crash!
Eventually, one of Modred’s hands clutching Excalibur shot up to intercept it in a hurry.
Her thick golden arm, wrapped in light, staggered yet managed to block the swing.
For me, the strike would have been everything I had left, while for Modred, it seemed manageable enough to block with one hand.
The stark difference was clear. But that didn’t give me a reason to despair.
My opponents had always been stronger than me.
When my confidence of being able to push her back vanished, I let go of the greatsword without hesitation.
“What…?”
Modred, surprised, felt the distance deepening between us.
Now, we were close enough to touch, not even based on looks but on breaths.
One wrong move, and I could be shredded by the aura surrounding Modred. With composure, I raised my left hand.
In that space, the wrist crossbow enhanced with Argetlam.
What I wanted this time was firepower at close range.
And in response to that hope, the wrist crossbow transformed into a model resembling a shotgun.
Instead of arrows, the thorns of the Crown of Thorns filled it.
Boom!
“Gah!”
With the sound of an explosion, the shot flew towards the weakened aura covering her abdomen.
Taking root within Modred’s golden aura, the thorn began to sprout, sending her into a panic as she swung the Excalibur held in her other hand.
“Damn it, this magic just keeps increasing…!”
“You know this isn’t magic, but a miracle like aura, right?”
As I whispered with a smug voice, the elongated golden blade sliced through the air between us.
At that moment, the newly sprouted thorns crumbled and fell to the ground.
…Just as planned.
I swiftly slashed out from my awkward position, finding the opening that was clearly revealed.
I shoved my hand in without hesitance.
The core of my being.
Before she could react, I snatched Excalibur out of her grip in an instant.
Raising a grin toward the astonished Modred, I intended to put Excalibur back into subspace without giving her a chance to recover.
Whooo!
Now without the aura blade, what was left of Excalibur turned back to a broken hilt, crying out madly in my hands.
As if it had found its lost half.
“Uh?”
Then, the gem on the once-illuminated pommel regained its starlit glow, devouring my aura wildly to create a translucent blade.
Despite being translucent, it was a much sharper shape than Modred’s golden blade.
“Uh?”
Is this really okay?
Casting a sidelong glance at Modred, who looked at me with the expression of someone who had just caught her husband cheating with her sister, I saw disbelief and horror on her face.
…So it seems this isn’t how it was supposed to go. Right.
A silence flowed between Modred and me, despite the intense fight we had just shared.
However, the oblivious Excalibur began to resonate with the lake nearby, changing the scenery around us.
The once dark blue sky was now dotted with countless stars.
Furthermore, the lake we stood on mirrored it, radiating similar starlight.
We had become enshrouded by countless starlights, like people who had fallen into the universe.
“…….”
“…….”
Exchanging a silent gaze, Modred finally opened her mouth.
“I… I’ve lost…”
Her voice trembled slightly with unshed tears.
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