Unexpected winner

While the Garden that the surrounding area had become rose like a monument to Flora's chaos and Baron Glutt faced his recurring torment in the carriage, the heart of the battle had been relocated to the new vegetal architecture.

(SHIIING-KLIING!!!)

A strident metallic clash resonated through the sweet and narcotic air, marking the resumption of the duel between Shija and Olivia (Vargas).

(CLINC-CLINC-CLINC-CLINC-CLINC!)

Both combatants were the only ones maintaining a steady dueling rhythm, for the battlefield situation was summarized as a maelstrom of chaos.

(SPLAT! SQUELCH! SLOP!)

"Damn you all!"

(THWUMP-CRUNCH!)

In the center, Fortea (Gordon), naked and surrounded, fought against a growing horde of organic undead on the central platform.

"GRRRROAR!"

(CRUMP! THUD!)

"UGH!"

(KRACK! BOOM! K-THWACK!)

Meanwhile, Boudica continued her blind charge of fury, shattering stalks and platforms while pursuing Elizia (Rex).

(K-CHING! K-CHING!)

But, despite the critical surrounding situation, both Shija and Olivia (Vargas) mutually ignored it, focused solely on each other.

(CLINC-CLANG! CLINC-CLANG! CLANC!)

Their struggle was a brutal contrast of styles.

(CLANG!)

Olivia (Vargas) launched an impulsive, wide, and furious strike that resonated with a deep impact.

(CLINC!)

But Shija, maintaining her composure, deflected it with a swift, sharp movement and launched herself to jump onto the next stalk.

(SWOOSH!)

Thus, the exchange continued as they traversed, jumped, and constantly moved between the floral labyrinth.

(WHIPLASH! FSSSHHH!)

"?!"

"Tsk!"

At the same time, the Garden moved, pulsed, and creaked under the pressure of their combat, as if the vegetal architecture itself were a living being, slowly twisting to favor or hinder their movements.

(VWOOM!)

"The situation has spiraled out of control!"

It was at that moment, finally reacting to the chaotic situation of the environment, that Shija, in attempting to stabilize his posture, opened an opening.

"Your distraction in this garden shit will cost you your life, samurai!"

Which Olivia (Vargas), focused and methodical, did not waste, using the stalks and leaves as footholds for her lunges, trying to corner her enemy.

(CLINC! CLANG! CLINC!)

But Shija, anticipating the attack, reacted in an instant by covering, causing both swords to clash repeatedly.

(KR-KRAK)

And seizing the opportunity amidst the dancing sparks, Shija, moving with an almost liquid fluidity, retreated...

(FSSSH-FSSSH-FSSSH!)

... proceeding to launch swift, superficial cuts, targeting the blind spots of Olivia's heavy armor, leaping from vine to vine while using the unstable environment as an advantage to destabilize her opponent.

"Too much confidence in your strength, bandit."

(CLANG-CLANG!! ZING!)

"Don't underestimate me, damn samurai!"

But in the end, Shija's cuts were intercepted by Olivia (Vargas)'s sword, who nullified every impact.

(SSSHHHK!)

In this way, the confrontation led them to a couple of nearby platforms, where the duel intensified, creating sparks that contrasted with the sickly green of the plants.

(CHING-KLIING-ZIIIING-KA-CHING!!!)

And after a rapid, high-speed exchange, where steel dangerously scraped armor and cloth, both warriors delivered a final, violent clash that repelled them backward.

(CLANG-THWACK!!)

Where Shija, propelled by the rebound, was hurled toward the labyrinth wall, his body impacting a network of thick, twisted roots. Therefore, to secure his posture and avoid falling into the void beneath the platforms, he stabbed his sword with a swift and powerful movement.

(CRACK-SHRRRT!!)

Thus, the steel penetrated the rubbery root wood, abruptly stopping Shija's fall. He held on precariously with his legs dangling and his body leaning against the vegetal growth.

(CLACK!!)

Olivia (Vargas), on the other hand, showcased the physical superiority of the body she controlled by instantly regaining her posture mid-fall, landing dramatically in the open center of a gigantic floral bud that was slowly spinning like an organic throne.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

From her elevated position in the flower, with the light filtering unsettlingly through the petals, Vargas pointed her sword toward Shija and began to laugh.

"This! This makes killing a damn samurai even more gratifying! What a beautiful stage for your death!"

The laughter was shrill and filled with a sadistic joy that was completely alien to the nobility of the Knight Princess body she controlled.

"...."

In response, Shija, his gaze sharpened to the limit, ignored the shout. His hands gripped the hilt of his sword with iron firmness, pulling on it to restore his combat posture on the unstable root.

"This is the thrill I was looking for!"

But while Shija prepared his mind and body for the next assault, Vargas acted.

"Activate: Lady's Grace!"

And then, an intense and dense light, characteristic of advanced magic, began to emanate from Olivia's body, flowing like a warm torrent that covered and empowered her body.

(FWOOSH-CRUNCH!!)

First, she was coated by a pale golden light that enveloped Olivia's armor. The effect was instantaneous: the breastplate became denser, granting massive resistance to cuts and blunt impacts.

"Activate: Abbess's Veil!"

(ZIIING!!)

Immediately afterward, a bright celestial blue energy burst vibrated around her limbs. The spell enhanced agility and reflexes, promising supernatural reaction speed to compensate for Shija's fluidity and unpredictable attacks.

"Activate: Paladin's Dance!"

(RUSH-CLACK!!)

Immediately afterward, she was enveloped in an intense scarlet light that concentrated on her muscles and the blade of her sword. This spell was designed to drastically increase her offensive strength, multiplying the destructive power of her subsequent strikes.

"Activate: Martyr's Light!"

(AURA-GLOW!!)

And finally, a halo of pure white manifested around her figure, covering the edge of her breastplate and her sword. This spell served as a temporary anti-magic and anti-effect shield, to avoid falling victim to any "dirty trick" or status alteration.

"Now, samurai."

Olivia (Vargas)'s body, sitting in the floral bud, shone with the superimposed colors of the magic used, transformed into a maximized, walking fortress for the duel.

"Let's finish this!"

Thus, Vargas smiled, her voice resonating with the certainty of victory.

"Die!!"

And immediately, the threat was fulfilled.

(WUUUSH-CRACK!!!)

Olivia (Vargas) launched an attack with superior speed, driven by the effect of the Abbess's Veil spell. Her trajectory blurred, and Vargas instantly arrived in front of Shija, striking with a massive and devastating cut.

"?!"

But Shija, operating solely on the refined instinct of years of combat and relying on his precise ki perception, barely managed to evade the main impact, taking a single step backward and tilting his head, feeling the air shatter where his ear had been.

(ZZZT! ZZZT! ZZZT!)

Unable to recover, Shija was forced to evade a continuous and devastating series of attacks that pushed him toward the edge of the root.

(FSSSH-WIZZ!)

The Paladin's Dance spell caused every blow from Vargas's sword to carry the power of a battering ram.

(SSK!)

Because of this, Shija received slight, superficial cuts on his body and arms—painful nips that would have been fatal if they had connected with the full mass of the sword.

"!!"

He was unable to follow his opponent visually, as Olivia's body was too fast. He stayed alive solely thanks to his refined Ki detection, with which Shija read Vargas's energy flow and intent, predicting the sword's trajectory a microsecond before it manifested.

(CLACK! KLIING! ZIIIING! CLACK!)

It was a perfect defense; however, despite this, Shija was still human, and his strength was rapidly depleting under the mental and physical effort of predicting movements of such magnitude, without visual support that was consuming him.

"This is the end!"

Thus, Shija had been cornered on the narrow root, his back against the living architecture of the garden, when the unexpected occurred.

(WHUMMP-CRUNCH!!!)

A grotesque, flower-covered plant-zombie was hurled from the adjacent labyrinth, impacting the vine platform right between Shija and Vargas.

"What the hell?!"

"!!"

The impact was so violent that the zombie exploded into a mash of broken branches and rotting flesh.

(CLACK-CLACK-WHOOSH!!)

But the corpse had broken the deadlock, forcing Vargas to retreat slightly to avoid the area's collapse.

(It's my chance!)

In turn, that was the opening Shija needed. Taking momentum from the root, he jumped onto a lower platform, gaining distance from the imminent danger.

"Haaaah... Haaa... Haa..."

"Tsk, saved by a lucky blow!"

Thus, while Shija recovered, Vargas displayed a grimace of irritation, observing where the corpse had come from and understanding at a glance how it had been sent flying after receiving a massive attack from Fortea (Gordon)'s mace, who was fighting desperately in the distance.

"When I finish here, I'll have to lend a hand over there."

The chaos of Fortea's battle had, unintentionally, created the only chance for Shija's survival.

"..."

There he understood with total clarity that he did not have the necessary strength left to continue a prolonged combat. If the fight turned into one of endurance, it would be he who would fall defeated by his opponent's sustained power.

(It's all or nothing...)

Therefore, the conclusion he reached was simple and final: to wager everything on a single attack.

(SCHIIING!)

And with stony resolve, Shija sheathed his katana with a dull and deliberate sound.

"Huff..."

His muscles relaxed, but his mind focused on the zero moment of the strike.

"You have a good gaze, samurai."

Taking the drawing stance—weight on his legs, elbow close to his body, hand ready on the hilt—Shija not only prepared his body but concentrated all his remaining strength, all his intent, and all his conviction into that single, fleeting instant. It was the ultimate technique, the point where all effort and risk merged into a fraction of a second, the desperate technique of one who refuses to die.

"..."

His posture was one of absolute calm, a storm in the eye of a peaceful center.

"Good, good, this is how it should be!"

Olivia (Vargas), seeing the samurai sheathe his weapon and assume that posture of total focus, showed no mockery, but a strange satisfaction.

She knew what that stance meant: the culmination of the warrior's entire existence in a single strike. It was a worthy challenge.

"This is what I came back to this life for!"

Thus, activating the Abbess's Veil once more, Vargas took an attack position and, without another word, launched herself into the charge at extreme speed, turning into a golden and white lightning bolt hurtling through the Garden.

(SHOOOOOM-FWOOSH!!!)

In this way, two opposing forces inevitably headed toward one another: the unstoppable speed and the unique, inescapable blow.

(I will break my limits here and now!!)

In the instant the two forces were about to collide, time seemed to slow down. "Kyōgetsu Style..." The world froze in a brief space of time: Vargas was a blur in the air, her shining sword ready to crush. Shija, immobile in his drawing stance, was the eye of the calm. "CRESCENT MOON!!" It was in that frozen moment, as the tension drained the last drop of his energy, that Shija shed blood from his nose, a sign of the terminal effort of his concentration. His lips moved in an icy whisper that resonated...

(SSSHHHH-KSSSHHH!!! ZOOOOOOM!!!)

Thus drawing the katana in a sonic burst faster than sight.

"Bleeergh!!"

The cut was not a simple thrust, but a calculated trajectory strike designed to penetrate the only possible weakness among Vargas's enhancements. The blade sought a point of inflection in the armor, a point of energy convergence that the Crescent Moon technique could shatter.

(KRA-WHOOM-CLANNG!!!)

In the end, the sound of steel shattering a force field was superimposed on the guttural grunt of Olivia (Vargas), who felt the impact despite her protection when Shija's technique struck its target, sending Vargas flying in a sonic blast across the Garden, violently crashing into the nearest immense stalk.

"Haaaa... Haaa... I won..."

But when the duel seemed over and the exhausted Shija staggered to the point of collapse, falling to his knees on the vine platform, his sword now stained with blood...

(ZIIING-SLSHK!!!)

... It was in that instant of vulnerability that a flash of speed manifested behind him.

"Agh...!!"

"You let your guard down."

Seeing before losing consciousness the appearance of his attacker, who had been using Boudica's fight as a distraction to gain the advantage by attacking by surprise.

"Damn... it..."

Thus, as Shija's vision darkened, he saw for the last time the figure of Elizia (Rex), who offered him a cynical, triumphant smile before leaping across the platforms, once again evading Boudica's wild and furious charge...