Volume 10 : Chapter 10 – THE SHIELD MASTER KNIGHT (2)

Every day, I trained with my mom in the labyrinth. Not because I planned to be a master swordsman or embark on a quest to save the world.

Somehow, the swordsmanship style my mother taught me always came to me instinctively. Within a month, I could spar with her, matching her skill for skill.

But the real reason I trained every day was to spend time with her, sharing in something she missed and loved.

It felt like playing and enjoying time with my family, something I never remembered doing before. And I think mom always knew that I preferred using magic over swords.

But instead of feeling sad, she always seemed happy about it.

During the time I studied aural arts with her, mom made sure I learned never to misuse my powers and always keep my cool.

And one day the True Hero told me, “Alicia you might always feel like you don't need to give your best or fight at full power to win. I know you are not someone who would want to hurt others just because you are strong. But if one day you ever face an opponent who may not have your talents or strength but you realize that they just won’t fall no matter what you do. If you ever feel yourself pushed back to the edge like that, then you must respond by fighting with all you have got, respecting both yourself and your opponent. You just might get to experience something new.”

…

My new opponent knight, Izek, was able to figure out my surprise magic attack. Not only that he was also able to break out of the gravity magic spell with his magic shield.

“Then I will just increase the dose.” Flailing my hands around I generated dozens of fusion balls with gravity magic.

Purple spinning spheres simultaneously traveled toward the knight, targeting him as he held his sword and a magic shield he had conjured.

He was able to stop a few with his shield and push away the rest by swinging his sword with full force. But it was not enough to stop all of them. As the rest pinned him down to the ground with a sudden force of gravity.

His body throbbed with pain as he let out an anguished scream. But I suppose this level of pain was not enough to overcome the resilience he had built.

Izek stood up again, re-conjuring his shield. His eyes met mine, offering me another challenge.

This time I sent another wave of fusion balls at Izek. While anticipating the magnitude of the balls from the previous attacks he swiftly managed to defend himself with the shield.

But this time when he tried to strike one of the fusion balls with his blade. The fusion ball exploded, and Izek realized it was not the same fusion ball wrapped with gravity magic.

A strong force of wind that came from inside the fusion ball ripped off most of his thin layered suit and chipped away his sword.

The wind fusion ball that I secretly put in the attack, threw Izek several meters away as he struggled to maintain balance.

But instead of giving up like the other knights, he raised that chipped sword at me again.

“Why are you hiding so much power? If you are this strong why haven’t I ever heard your name before.” Izek pointed at the barrier I had put up to keep the fight hidden from the audience.

I did not think I needed to respond to his rambling. But he kept on speaking.

“Why are you so afraid to show your true potential? You tried to take down my knights by quickly finishing them off with gravity magic. I know you are the kind who likes to fight and win by defeating their opponent at their own game. How long are you going to keep running from who you really are?”

Is that how I look?

Is that how I fight? I could have just dismissed his claims.

But looking back I was no different. I always did instinctively used the same methods to defeat my opponents. Whether it was a weapon of their choice or magic they used, I would instinctively use the same kind of weapon or magic to defeat them.

Was it because I enjoyed doing it?

I stopped using the fusion balls and glared at the knight in anger.

“Alright then let’s see how you fight?” I allowed Izek this time to attack first.

He advanced with his chipped sword, each step calculated and deliberate.

I noticed the speed and precision of his movements as he tried to attack me, but I easily evaded his strikes with teleportation magic. His sword never came close to touching me.

Or so I thought.

Suddenly, he clenched his fist and slammed it into the ground. A massive shield appeared above us, descending rapidly.

I had no time to cast a spell to stop it. In a flash, I drew my wind fan and struck the magical shield, trying to shatter it.

"―And is that how you fight, putting yourself in danger too?" I taunted.

"No. But now I know that you won't run," Izek replied with a grin.

Izek lunged with a powerful overhead swing. I barely had time to react, teleporting to the side just in time to avoid the deadly arc of his blade.

As I reappeared, I saw him follow with a series of rapid, precise strikes, his focus unyielding. His movements became even faster, his stance more powerful, as he prepared for the next assault.

This time he anticipated my movements, his sword cutting through the air with unnerving accuracy. I was forced to rely on my instincts, deflecting his blows with my wind fan this time.

With every swing of his sword, I felt the air shift, each strike more intense than the last.

“This is getting boring.” I sighed.

“I can do this all day.” Izek swiftly replied without stopping.

I knew we would reach nowhere and I had other things to do. So, this time, when Izek again made a huge swing, I caught his sword in between my blades, and with a deft twist I locked his sword in between my fan before he could pull it out.

I opened the fan, the blades producing a large wind force, pushing Izek away, but he regained his footing quickly, his expression a blend of frustration and respect.

But this time even that chipped sword cracked into pieces of useless metal and fell on the ground.

This time he would surely have to give up.

“Are you still mocking me by trying to hide your powers even now? By now I know you are much more capable and do more than just cast simple magic spells. And that is not even your real weapon, now is it?” Izek said, breathing heavily.

“You say I am hiding my powers, but you're hardly one to talk when you've been hiding yours too.” I lifted my right hand and banged my wind fan on my wrist.

It was the place where Izek wore a golden gauntlet. I could sense divine power coming from it. It did not have any healing abilities so it was not a relic or a showpiece a knight would wear into a fight.

And I would not expect a serious knight like him with such integrity to come this unprepared with a sword that would break so easily.

“And here I thought you would never ask.” Izek looked amused as if he was having fun.

Izek threw away the remaining handle of the sword on the ground. He held the gauntlet close to his chest.

“Shield of Bulwark. Rise up.” From Izek’s hand, the gauntlet transformed into a giant golden triangular shield. And from its center, he pulled out a triangular sword.

It was obvious the shield was a divine weapon, with the divine magic energy it spewed out like a radiant waterfall of light, enveloping everything in its sacred glow.

But I had my doubts about the sword being original.

“Recently, I got to hear something interesting. It was from the demon army’s attack that was about to happen on the Hart Kingdom.” Izek said as he readied his sword for a powerful attack.

In the meantime, I took to the skies readying my final blow to make sure to finish it this time.

But first I needed to strengthen the barrier covering us just in case and also enlarge the area for our upcoming fight.

“I heard the demon army retreated and the wrath of the sea swallowed them whole. Or, so they say. But I don’t believe any of that gibberish. But what if there suddenly appeared a powerful magician to help them? And what if the world learned that she was powerful enough to wipe out an entire army? Can you say that I am wrong.” Izek glowered.

I suppose Izek was no pushover when he went on to taunt me further.

Embedding the sword in the ground he held his shield high.

Golden gigantic magic shields formed layer after layer. But instead of just being simple light magic, it was a culmination of a vast amount of divine power.

And it was no ordinary feat to handle them so meticulously.

But would that be enough...

“So, you want to play with my magic and try to defend against it again? But will it actually work? You keep on challenging me but I don’t see a reason to accept it. What could you really do in return if you want me to go all out against you? I just want to quickly go back.” I asked.

Honestly, I had never seen someone fight like this before. I had heard a true knight always protects.

So, what was he really trying to protect this time?

“I don’t know why you have come here to participate in this knight selection since you don’t really look like someone who would want to be bothered by something so trivial. But if you want to become my master or make me do anything you want, then you can try making me bow to you.”

“I accept. [PLANETARY DROP].” From the tip of my finger, a tiny drop of whirling black purple threads emerged.

And as it slowly fell, the moment it touched the top of the first layer of golden shield.

The shield produced a cacophonous sound. Not because the ball made the shield heavy, but rather because the drop quickly consumed the weight of the shield and engulfed its magic.

The first layer broke and shattered into light fragments. At the same time as a residue, it released a myriad force of pressure on the other layer of the shield.

Izek couldn’t help but find himself being crushed underneath his own stack of shields.

The second layer broke and so did the third with another second passing.

Izek tried to increase the number of shields conjured with his divine weapons but they were just not enough to compensate for the number of shields destroyed by the tiny piece of my anti-gravity magic combined with my web magic.

It was only a matter of time before Izek would lose all his shields and lose.

Did he really not anticipate my attack this time and I overestimated him? I will just make sure to not let that drop fall on the ground. Otherwise, it just might completely obliterate the entire colosseum.

But that’s when this flickering sensation that I had been feeling from him—the reason I endured this fight for so long. But now it was suddenly extinguished as a whole.

And in its place, a burning golden light engulfed the entire land from below the golden shield.

“Aural Arts. Radiant Cadence.” The golden shield suddenly started to emanate circular light points revolving circularly and from it appeared a magical circle.

The circular magic folds repeatedly forming a triangular shape revolving horizontally. And when the planetary drop aligned along its center. My web magic started to unwrap along the edges of the triangle.

Seeing my magic being untangled like this almost felt unbelievable. But if this was really his aural arts. Then, this knight’s strong suit was never magic or swordsmanship.

But even so, this won’t be still enough.

“[GRAVI FIELD]” I increased the gravity magic in the surroundings to stop Izek’s movement. And I did succeed seeing him held down by the gravity force.

Instead of trying to break through, Izek allowed the triangular magic formation stopping my planetary drop, to become smaller in size until he directly thrust into it with his sword.

The destructive amount of energy released was enough to dispel the magic field I created.

And from the smoke, Izek jumped and came right in front of me.

Holding his sword, he looked straight into my eyes. Ready to swing the sword, the moment the trajectory aligned with my neck.

“Aural Bulwark.” His sword glows brightly. His soul power manifesting right into his sword allowed him to move with an unimaginable speed for me to evade.

I doubt my barrier magic could have been able to stop it in time.

So, I had no choice, but to parry the strike with my wind fan again.

But as if Izek already knew that I would use it, the moment our blades struck. He lifted his sword, but it only ended up grazing through my mask.

The missed slash of the sword was so forceful that it went on to create a small crack in the barrier I had erected to keep this fight contained and isolate this fight from the outside world.

***

“Just what is Alicia planning to do after creating that barrier in every match? I can’t tell from here anything that’s happening. Do you know Hana what’s going on?” Regis was upset because she had been looking forward to seeing Alicia fight in the tournament.

“Me neither.” Hana’s face was stuffed with popcorn that Alice got for her while enjoying the show. Though she might be the only one enjoying them since the only thing to watch in the colosseum was a blue standing half semi-sphere.

“Alice, do you know who that man is? The whole stadium does at least.” Regis was a bit ticked off by how the audience was crazed when a man named Izek appeared in the stadium.

But none of the people here supported Alicia even after her repeated victories. Instead, they accused her of using trickery.

“That’s Izek Valoria. The second son of the current head family of the Knight’s table of this kingdom. Supposedly he is also currently the strongest knight in the kingdom as well. But why is he here? Is Alicia going to be alright?” Alice explained while raising her concerns.

“Are you worrying about her? I am much worried about that knight.”

“I know Alicia is strong. But fighting Sir, Izek would be no walk in the park. He is the most persistent fighter I have ever known. He might not have the talent for magic or swordsmanship. But he excels at something even more special. His aural arts.”

“What’s that?” It was the first time Regis heard that name.

“You will learn them in due time if you have the aptitude. But for now, let’s say it’s a technique that makes you super strong in an instant. But his aural arts have remained a mystery even to the members of Nightshade. I just hope he doesn’t push Alicia too far.”

Out of nowhere, murmurs spread through the crowd as people began to claim that they saw something move.

All eyes darted to the top of the barrier, where a crevice had mysteriously appeared.

But before anyone could fully grasp what they were witnessing, the crack vanished as swiftly as it had come, leaving no trace behind.

And it was also the last crack the audience ever got to see in that match again…

***

From the start, I had no reason to fight. I was probably going to refuse to participate in the knight’s selection tournament.

But once I saw the girl in question, fighting in a match, I knew she too was an aural arts user. She might hide her status and magical powers all she wanted.

But once someone had honed their soul power enough to use them in aural arts. I as another aural arts user cannot mistake that aura.

Right now, it was as calm as the moonlit surface of a lake. But what if I tried to disturb it only by a little...

I was excited and started looking forward to this fight. But why?

Was it because this might have been my only chance to face another aural arts user? I was already considered the strongest here, and I thought I had reached my peak. But was I truly the strongest?

After all, it felt meaningless. There was no way I could catch up to him.

If I defeated her, would it prove that there was no way I could have won that time? People say I am the strongest here, but they are wrong. My brother is the strongest.

The day I lost to my brother, it seemed pointless to try again. But what if I could defeat another aura arts user? I might still have a chance to bring him back.

…

But looking back now, I think I went too far this time.

***

Once Izek retreated, he glanced back at Alicia, who was still levitating mid-sky, expecting a counterattack.

But Alicia's attention was now wholly fixed on the mask she struggled to hold in place.

Izek’s strike had already left its mark, as the crack widened on it. The mask split around the left eye, falling into Alicia's hands.

It was in this instant; that the massive force of magical powers that Alicia had been hiding was all released at the same time.

Izek was left speechless, realizing he had somehow succeeded in provoking her. As the mask fell away, Izek caught a glimpse of Alicia's face and noticed a subtle transformation.

Alicia’s black hair transformed into a cascade of long, shimmering white strands. For a moment, Izek was captivated by her beauty.

But his admiration changed into slight fear when Alicia’s red glowing eyes from above looked down on him.

He was sure, this time Alicia did not use any gravity magic. But he still felt subdued by her gazes.

“You shouldn’t have done that. You shouldn’t have broken it.” Saying that Alicia transferred her broken mask and wind fan into her dimensional storage.

“Do you plan to fight with that absurd amount of magic power? If you think I will be intimidated by it, you are wrong.” Izek had full faith in his aural arts backed by his shield magic which he excelled at.

He believed he could defend against any magic and make a counterattack at the same time.

“Not at all. You wanted me to fight at my full strength, so that’s what I will do. Let’s see how long you can stay alive.” It was fist time Alicia felt angry, for losing something of her own.

“Is that so. ―Aural Bulwark.” Izek raised his sword again unleashing his aural arts at Alicia as a massive strike force travelled towards her.

Last time it was able to break through Alicia’s defenses and also break her mask, so Izek was hopeful that it would work again this time.

Alicia instead of using any magic to block it, engulfed her hand in a pale blue light. The moment the attack reached her, and came in contact with the pale blue light.

The golden light strike turned into empty smoke.

“It’s your aura.” Izek was surprised, as it was his first time seeing someone engulfed in their aura.

And the moment he thought he had seen enough. Alicia’s entire body blazed with a pale blue waving hue.

“How are you even doing this?” Izek thought he knew everything about aural arts. But it was the second time he saw someone being completely engulfed in their aura.

Alicia in the meantime returned to the ground and started walking towards Izek. He instinctively knew if he failed to stop Alicia now, he would have to face the consequences.

Izek couldn’t believe his eyes. So, he fired repeated shots of his aural strikes.

As the multiple strikes moved to hit Alicia.

A blue scabbard manifested around her waist from which Alicia pulled out a white sword.

All his powerful strikes that could have easily carved out a boulder clean were simply filed out like matches and extinguished with her new blade.

“So, this is what it has come to?” Izek said realizing he had no choice but to end this fight this time. Prolonging it any longer was only going to harm him.

He raised his divine weapon shield, layering it one over another to make it as thick and sturdy.

Taking the first step he dashed towards Alicia, trying to ram his shield into her.

Alicia held her sword straight, and when the tip of the sword and the shield collided. Without putting much effort, the giant shields that protected Izek were shattered in an instant.

More like the divine energy that built those shields instantly vanished without leaving a trace. Izek had no time to find out how Alicia’s aural arts worked.

All he could do in this moment was to repeatedly attack her.

So, while her sword was still focused on penetrating through his shields. He took advantage of that small time, to get close to Alicia and attack her with his sword.

But suddenly, his hands and torso were caught in something rigid. At first, he did not notice but later realized that half his body was entangled in white threads.

The moment he pushed himself back to get out of the trap, Alicia appeared in front of him.

This was the first time she took offensive. Izek had no choice but to raise his sword horizontally with both his hands to face the brunt of the attack.

With only a single swing, his sword came apart in two.

“Are we equal now?” Izek threw the swords away as they were no longer useful.

All he had left with him was his original divine weapon shield of Bulwark.

“Did you really believe you could defeat me with a divine weapon paired up with a fake sword? You surprised me with your aural arts, but that’s how far you get to go. You don’t even possess the complete set of that divine weapon. What you broke mine was something precious to me. And I want some payback.”

***

I stood up after listening to her words.

Seeing how upset she was after losing her mask.

I always thought time had healed my pain, but I too must have been stashing away this anger after losing something precious too.

Why did I even think to stop then? I should have followed him.

“I can’t stop fighting now. I have a duty to perform as a knight participating in this selection, I must prove that I am worthy with my honor on the line. Even if I feel out of breath. If I stop now I might just wilt and fall on the ground.” I muttered to myself.

I had already used up almost all of my energy in my previous blows and attacks. I had also run out of magic power.

The only thing that kept me going was the soul power that burnt inside of me.

But that too proved to be insignificant in front of her.

Honestly, it even pains me more right now that I finally remember it all again.

If only I had tried a bit harder. If I had observed a bit more carefully before giving up.

If only I had swung my sword that time even a second longer then.

Could I at least have asked him to take me along with him?

Right now, all I wanted to know was whether I could defeat her using all my strength.

The indescribable pain I had been feeling, somehow was fuelling my shield Bulwark as it shone much brightly. As if signaling me to use it one more time to stop her.

“You are right, at least some wounds will be better than tears.” I nodded as I gained my cool.

I still had one final move to stop my opponent.

One can only derive power from their soul core if they have the aptitude. And even then, only a very rare fraction of these people are able to manifest their aura after rigorous training.

It took me more than eight years and I was considered a genius. My opponent who was just a young girl, was on a whole different level, that I could not have even imagined.

Either she was a genius among geniuses or a monster.

In her red eyes, I saw the most dangerous look as she calmly walked toward me. And it bothered me how she did not expect anything from me.

But I am not a coward either.

“Aural arts. Grand Chamber of Bulwark.” From my golden shield, several circular magic projections emerged.

Larger circular projections appeared around Alicia simultaneously, aligning to form a spherical barrier made out of several shields.

Once complete, the projections transformed into a golden circular cage, encircling Alicia.

As the projection's size shrank, the sphere floated and fit snugly inside my shield.

The shield trapping Alicia was now directly linked to the small golden sphere in my shield.

It blocked all magic, physical matter, and even air if I wished, preventing Alicia from using her magic powers. Any attempt to break through would be futile, as my Bulwark shield automatically repaired the layers.

If I persisted, victory would be mine.

Contrary to my expectations.

I knew what I saw could not have been possible. But even this level of divine energy was not enough to contain Alicia’s aura.

The golden circular cage began to burn with the same blue pale aura that Alicia exuded.

Cracks started to appear in the golden ball embedded in my shield.

Out of surprise, I took a step back, when my feet crunched on something.

I believed either the ground was plain or filled with craters created during our fight.

But when I looked down, I had stepped on a red flower I had never seen before.

“What is all of this?” I yelled out of breath.

In an instant, the entire land was enveloped in a field of red flowers that looked like lilies.

So, she was already at the level of creating her own domain with her aural arts.

Out of nowhere, Bulwark began to flicker with an ominous glow. It was a warning that the life of its user was in danger.

Instinctively, Bulwark activated its most potent defensive magic, enveloping me in an ethereal fortress with a single command.

"Archontiko Bulwark!"

A phantasmal fortress erupted around me, its walls shimmering like ancient armor. Even though I knew its power was weakened by the influence of her domain, I focused intently on the cage that confined her.

“Just what is happening inside there?”

‘To express the deepest desires of your soul—that is the true essence of aural arts.’ My brother always told me. Is that what I am seeing right now?

Suddenly, the cage transformed, blooming into a giant red lily. Through the radiant light cast by her white sword, I could make out her silhouette.

Her lips curled into a devious smile as she uttered the words that would change everything.

"Araneolus Technique. Second Form. Red Spider Garden."

The red lily expanded, its petals unfurling like a dancer in slow motion. From within the heart of the lily, countless scarlet threads spun out like a web.

Connecting one spider lily to another. Weaving an intricate tapestry that stretched across the battlefield.

Each thread gleamed ominously, humming with a life of its own as they formed a vast garden of deadly beauty —a Red Spider Garden.

And at the center of it all standing alone was her.

The air crackled with power gathering around Alicia, and the white sword blazed.

I stood transfixed, both awed and terrified as the threads channeled an immense amount of power into her. Passing it onto the sword bursting out like sparks that would even put a hole in the sky.

With a swift, decisive motion, Alicia sliced through the air, and the threads responded instantly, lunging towards me with terrifying speed.

My heart raced as I called upon Bulwark’s barrier magic, knowing it was the only thing standing between me and certain doom.

In that final moment, as Alicia's swing reached its zenith, everything around me slowed.

The realization hit me with a cold certainty, I would not survive this.

The threads completed their deadly dance, and as Alicia finished her swing, the world seemed to pause in a moment of suspended reality before fading to black.

***

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