“Cyclone Impact! Come on, come on!”
The sound of a powerful explosion echoed as she unleashed a high-level wind spell. Boom! Bang! The air burst with pressure.
But Mardol didn’t budge.
Her armor remained pristine, her steps unshaken.
“I-I don’t believe this!”
Windy stomped her feet in frustration. She could only watch in horror as the Glass Knight continued her slow, unstoppable approach.
“Are you done?”
The moment she heard that voice, Windy froze.
A large shadow loomed over her.
She tilted her head back, looking up.
A towering knight, as large as a grown man, was gazing down at her with cold, golden eyes.
The sword was raised high above her head.
“Kyaaaa! Wind Shield!”
In a panic, Windy activated her ultimate defense spell. Whirl! A barrier of swirling wind formed around her like a cocoon of thread.
A protective shield of spinning wind now surrounded her.
“With this, you can’t break in! My shield is reinforced by my specialty, the power of wind! There’s no way your sword will—”
From within the spinning barrier, Windy shouted confidently.
Her plan was to wait out the match. If she lasted long enough, the timer would declare her the winner.
Since the shield was semi-transparent, she could not see outside. But she knew that Mardol’s sword would simply be repelled by her winds.
But…
“Drake Style, First Form.”
The sound of Mardol’s voice was soft, but it echoed through the arena like a cold whisper.
Her gaze remained sharp, unwavering.
Her golden wolf-like eyes gleamed from beneath her helmet.
“…Shadow Slash.”
The sword swung downward in one smooth motion.
It was a simple, clean movement.
Not flashy. Not excessive.
But—
CRACK!
A deafening shattering sound echoed across the stadium.
The moment her sword cut down, the barrier of spinning wind cracked like glass.
“The match is over!! The winner is… Mardol!!”
“H-Huh…?”
Windy stared in disbelief.
Her shield, which was supposed to be unbreakable, had been split clean in half like an apple cut by a sharp knife.
She slumped to her knees, staring up at Mardol with wide, blank eyes.
“I… lost? To a swordsman…?”
She couldn’t understand.
The spell she had mastered. The shield she’d relied on. It had been destroyed so easily.
***
Shadow Slash — A technique where you cut the shadow instead of the object itself, bypassing physical barriers.
The shield was meaningless.
No matter how strong the wind was, it still had a shadow.
And since Windy’s form was perfectly visible inside, Mardol could see her shadow clearly.
“I win, Windy.”
“Don’t brag just because of that! It’s not fair with that overpowered armor!”
Mardol extended her hand to help Windy up, but the girl, biting her lower lip, got up on her own and stomped away.
Her disappointment was evident.
“…”
Mardol silently watched her retreating figure.
‘Am I really stronger than others because I’m wearing this armor? But… I’m still weaker than a Demon Lord.’
Her white wolf ears and tail, hidden within her helmet, drooped.
Feeling a pang of self-doubt, she glanced at the audience.
In the distance, she spotted Charitines—her older sister figure—and…
‘Ah, it’s Sister Shar. And there’s… Licht too.’
Her eyes lit up.
She raised her hand and waved.
To the people she could trust, she showed a small, reassuring sign.
***
The match had ended too quickly and too cleanly.
I was still sweating under my black helmet.
“Hey, Licht. Isn’t that… your move?”
“…It is, Kainel.”
Shadow Slash.
The technique I had learned from Master Drake.
Now Mardol had it too.
I could already hear Master Drake scolding me in my head.
As I watched Mardol wave cheerfully at me like everything was fine, I sighed.
“This… I’ve been hit hard.”
The main character’s plot armor was too much.
How did he even learn that technique? Swordsmanship is an art of willpower.
To cut shadows requires an unshakable resolve.
Did he gain that resolve after his battle with Magic Hat?
If I thought about it, it made sense.
His mother was taken hostage, and he fought to rescue her. That was enough to fuel that kind of resolve.
“…”
This was fine.
If I wanted the Mana Rose, I had to let his win anyway.
His Masterpiece-grade armor was too much of an advantage.
‘This armor probably nullifies magic. But it probably can’t block swordsmanship, spirit power, or divine power.’
Even after being hit with wind magic multiple times, Mardol hadn’t flinched.
His armor didn’t even crack.
A Masterpiece-grade artifact truly lived up to its name.
Although it was annoying that it had been crafted by those perfectionist dwarf maniacs, I couldn’t help but admire its performance.
“Mardol! You were amazing!!”
Completely unaware of the underlying issues, Charitines was shouting with her hands raised.
His joy was genuine, and seeing his like that, I felt my own spirits lift.
Even if Master Drake yelled at me later, I could endure it.
“Well… it’ll work out somehow.”