EP.72 20-2. To Know Love
Shwaaahhh—
A sudden downpour soaked the battlefield.
Amid the rain, two knights stood facing each other, their swords at the ready.
“…So, you’ve finally drawn that sword.”
“I figured I couldn’t win without using it.”
Like David facing Goliath, I stood against the colossal glass knight, its overwhelming presence pressing down on me. My grip on my sword tightened instinctively.
“Faith. Kiyu. Say hello. This sword is like my son.”
“Hello, Kiyu.”
Mardol waved slowly at my blade, as if greeting an old friend. What an eccentric person. If I had thought about it for even a moment, I would’ve realized she was entirely different from Lupus.
“Haha… You actually went through with it.”
“…Was that a mistake?”
“No, it’s just… very like you, Mardol.”
It was typical. Whenever the Saintess was involved, my thoughts would freeze like a dog distracted by a shiny object. My mind blanked, leaving me at a loss.
‘I was an idiot. If the Saintess knew, she’d definitely scold me.’
Would she call me stupid puppy in that distinctively high-pitched voice? Her imagined words echoed in my ears.
What was it about love that reduced me to such a mess? I prided myself on my quick thinking, but even that seemed to falter now.
“…Licht.”
Her voice pulled me back to reality. Mardol’s words cut through the rain, her golden eyes meeting mine.
“I want strength, Licht.”
“I’m not strong, Mardol.”
Our perspectives had always run parallel, never converging. Reflecting on my struggles, I spoke honestly. Lifting my gaze, I faced her directly.
“If anything, I’ve climbed this high because I was weak.”
“Do you really think… you can protect others, even while being weak?”
Whose belief was correct? It was time to prove it. The distance between us felt insurmountable, a reflection of the entirely different paths we’d walked in life.
“Yes. Even the weak can protect others.”
One of us was a liar who had built their life on a foundation of defeats.
“…Alright. Show me that I’m wrong, Licht.”
The other was like cold, transparent glass, chasing victories and strength relentlessly.
“Got it, Mardol.”
I nodded. Eventually, we’d have to face Demon Lords together as comrades. Perhaps this would heal some of her trauma along the way.
Black and white collided.
I raised Kiyu and melded into the falling raindrops, shifting positions rapidly. The cold sensation soaked my body as the wind brushed past.
“You’re fast, as expected.”
Mardol didn’t miss a beat. The phantom knight behind her moved to attack, mirroring her will.
Thud! Crash! The arena quaked with relentless blows as the colossal glass sword shattered everything in its path.
It was as if she wanted me to get hit—an endless series of strikes aimed at me.
‘She knows this won’t work. What’s she planning?’
Dodging the barrage while blending with the rain, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to her strategy.
“A falling flower, a fading bloom. Falling Flower.”
I couldn’t let the opening go to waste. Even my sword had its limits.
Closing the distance swiftly, I prepared to execute a technique I had learned from Tianma: a move inspired by the sight of magnolia petals falling.
“Magnolia Swordsmanship, Third Form: Single Sword Falling Petal.”
White petals scattered gently, drifting around me in an arc before descending in a graceful slash from above.
In that moment, her golden eyes locked with mine, and I saw the confidence glinting in them.
“You were too hasty, Licht.”
Clang!
Her glass wall rose instantly, reflecting my attack back at me. Even the swordsmanship taught by Tianma wasn’t immune to her Mirror Mirage. Could she really copy techniques infused with internal energy as well?
“Transforming into raindrops won’t—”
“…No, Licht. Don’t.”
I tried to shift back into raindrops to evade the attack from her glass clones, but it only played into her hands.
「Mirror Shield.」
A massive, transparent dome formed around the arena, cutting off the rain entirely. My escape route vanished.
A perfect enclosure. No one could approach the battle now—Mardol and I were sealed inside an impenetrable fortress.
‘So this was her plan.’
The realization struck me as I hesitated, thrown off by the sudden entrapment.
‘Come to think of it, Mardol once shielded me with an umbrella.’
She had already figured out how to counter me. My overconfidence in using powerful attacks had played directly into her strategy.
Two blades came dangerously close to me, mimicking the same downward strike I had attempted moments ago. If I didn’t block, the clones’ attacks would land.
“Magnolia Swordsmanship, First Form: White Mountain.”
Scrreeech.
The clash of metal echoed as my blade held firm. Behind me, an image of pristine white peaks emerged, a manifestation of internal energy rather than magic.
“Fascinating. It doesn’t seem like you’re using mana.”
“…”
“Can you show me more?”
Having barely fended off her glass clones, this was her response. How deep did her obsession with strength run?
Behind me, the colossal knight swung relentlessly, and my White Mountain form began to crack under the pressure. A massive blow to my upper body shattered most of my mana barrier.
I had no choice.
I’d have to use my most precious technique.
“…Fine. I’ll show you everything.”
This time, I had to prove whether my resolve could match her Glass Knight.
I steadied my stance, channeling every ounce of my internal energy into my blade.
***
Several weeks earlier, during a training session with Tianma…
“Young man, isn’t it time you created your own Sim Sang?”
“What…? What do you mean, Tianma?”
“I mean, you need to wield strength that is uniquely yours. If all you ever do is mimic others, you’ll never truly grow.”
She had been watching me practice my sword swings with those dragon-like eyes of hers, scrutinizing every motion. Eventually, she nodded, as if satisfied, and made her statement.
“I don’t quite understand…”
“Tch. I can’t believe such a dense young man is my disciple. Do you really think only imitating others will get you anywhere?”
Bai Magnolia clicked her tongue, her brown hair fluttering as she shook her head. Even her tightly shut eyes expressed her dissatisfaction.
“The strength of the Heart Sword doesn’t come from the feelings of others, young man.”
“So you’re saying it has to come from my own emotions? But… I already have the Heart Sword Kiyu…”
Her cryptic words puzzled me. My sword was already forged, guided by my emotions. What more could she want from me?
“That’s not it. Do you know why they call me Tianma, young man?”
“Well… not really.”
Wasn’t it just her game title? A character backstory from another world, perhaps? My reply made her shake her head in disappointment.
“In the Central Plains, where I come from, martial artists not aligned with orthodox sects are often branded as Ji Ma—earthly demons.”
“…They’re branded in advance?”
“Exactly. It’s absurd. Those self-righteous fools, claiming to know martial virtue, would scorn anyone outside their sects while putting on the airs of righteous warriors.”
Tianma raised her hand toward the sky, as if trying to block out the sun with her palm. It was a bold yet futile gesture.
“And when that so-called Ji Ma, that lowly worm of the earth, ascends to the heavens and takes on the majesty of a dragon, do you know what those same fools call them?”
“What… do they call them?”
She clenched her fist as though seizing the sun itself, and darkness suddenly consumed the surroundings, like Laplace’s power manifesting.
“…A heavenly demon. Tianma.”
Bai Magnolia twisted her fingers, and a crack! echoed as if the sun itself had shattered into fragments.
“When I reached those heights, the people who scorned me turned to praising my name.”
Watching the scattered shards of light dissolve into nothingness, I was left speechless.
“…”
“You must have at least one Sim Sang you treasure, don’t you?”
She waved her hand in front of my dazed face, snapping me back to reality. The world brightened again as though nothing extraordinary had happened.
As the morning sunlight returned, I slumped to the ground, overwhelmed. Was this really achievable through sheer willpower alone?
“Keh-heh-heh. Work hard, young man!”
Across from me, the woman clad in black hanbok laughed lightly, her amusement barely contained.
***
The Nameless Saintess.
For most, she was a figure forgotten over the passage of time. But for Licht, she remained a cherished memory.
To him, there was no Sim Sang more important than that.
“…White Wolf, Shadow Fang.”
As I finished my incantation, the air reverberated.
Ahhh-wooooh!
A massive white wolf emerged behind me, its howl echoing through the arena. With a cobalt blade in hand, I charged at the Glass Knight.
It wasn’t Reverse Scale Thrust or any form of linked Drake Style attack. It was a simple, straightforward rush. One step at a time, I pressed forward.
‘Is that… me?’
Behind me, a white wolf with gleaming golden eyes and silvery fur followed my movements.
Phine Gransia, encased in her glass armor, felt a strange unease. It was as if she were staring into a mirror—a reflection of herself.
The eerie familiarity gnawed at her nerves.
[“Licht has summoned a giant wolf! It seems he’s aiming for one final blow! But with the Glass Knight still standing, it’ll be tough to reach him!”]
Instinctively, she realized she might lose. Not through logic or calculation, but through pure instinct.
Rain was no longer an escape. Magnolia Swordsmanship and Drake Style techniques had been nullified by her glass walls. Yet Licht still had more to give.
‘He’s put everything into this. There’s no deception, just a straight charge.’
Watching the sprinting figure, a chill ran down her spine. A man who usually fought with finesse and tricks now chose raw, unfiltered determination.
「Mirror Shield.」
Glass walls erupted to block my path. Phantom duplicates emerged again, aligning with my trajectory. Yet, I didn’t stop.
“You… broke through them all?”
I didn’t even try to deflect the reflections of myself. I simply ran straight ahead, my aura cutting down everything in my path.
“Th-The Glass Knight!”
Even her massive knight couldn’t stop me. Its sword swung down, but I found every opening, advancing relentlessly. Her calculated defenses couldn’t keep up with the singularity of my will.
‘This won’t work. I need another way.’
As the distance between us closed, her brown eyes flickered with resolve. She raised her glass blade high, preparing for her strongest attack.
“Gransia Style… Fifth Form.”
She adopted a high stance, her blade poised to strike from above. This wasn’t a technique to waste time. She poured everything into replicating her father, Emperor Roque’s, overwhelming might.
「Heart Slash.」
A move designed to pierce the heart, no matter the opponent.
Her blade descended just as I reached her.
Clang!
The sound of metal colliding rang out. Her glass blade intercepted my cobalt one, and for a moment, my balance wavered.
“I deflected it!”
Relief washed over her. But within my dark helmet, my brown eyes remained calm.
“No, from the beginning… I told you. Shadow Fang.”
Using her attack against her, I spun fluidly, redirecting her blade. My next strike came from below, carving upward like a rising tide.
“Ugh…!”
Phine tilted her head back as the cobalt blade narrowly missed her face. She thought she had dodged it—but then…
“This is the real one.”
“What…?”
Her sharp vision caught an anomaly. Emerging from my shadow was something dark, rising like a leaping dolphin.
[“A black wolf has emerged from Licht’s shadow! Another wolf has joined the fray, mirroring the white one!”]
A black wolf, identical in size to the white one, leapt skyward. Its gaping maw opened wide as if to devour the entire arena.
[“It’s too late for Mardol to block this with the Glass Knight!”]
Reacting instinctively, Phine raised her blade, trying to block the wolf’s attack.
BOOOOOM!
The shadow wolf collided with her, shaking the air with a thunderous impact.
[“Wait… what’s happening?! The entire glass dome has gone dark! We can’t see who won!”]
A dense black fog engulfed the glass dome, obscuring the combatants completely.
[“The students are completely hidden! We can’t tell who came out on top!”]
“Kai, what just happened? Did Licht win?”
“Did Mardol… lose?”
“Junior?! We can’t see anything like this!”
The pitch-black dome left the audience in uproar, unsure of the outcome.