An Unbreakable Shield
Meia deftly twisted her shield, deflecting the onslaught of force. As a seasoned holy knight, there was an old saying: wield the shield well. There were times when diverting an attack aimed at a comrade mattered more than crushing the enemy with a morningstar. And this was precisely such a moment, Meia sensed.
Her role was solely to buy Eve time to unleash her saint law. There was no need to charge in and swing her morningstar at them.
The Istallin royals were undoubtedly skilled. The two moved with lethal precision, swiftly exploiting any opening. Meia knew her own abilities were considerable, but even she couldn't take them down easily.
Thus, she chose defense. Swinging her morningstar threateningly, she blocked the movements of Denetim and Tradiaan, who kept a relatively close distance.
Soon, Eve's saint law would strike them directly. This wasn't mere assumption or planning—it was certainty. Feeling the vast flow of divine power from behind, Meia could focus entirely on holding them at bay.
The pair weren't fools; they knew she was stalling. 'We have to break through first. We can't reach that woman without getting past her.'
Eve was already surrounded by a barrier of light. Breaching it would require their combined strength. And to do that, they first had to deal with the irritating Meia.
Denetim and Tradiaan exchanged a quick glance before channeling their divine power into their fists.
Setra's saint laws were primarily supportive. In terms of firepower, it was better to pour all that divine power into enhancing the body rather than using clumsy spells.
Moreover, their martial art, Whisper of the Stars, generated massive force with minimal effort. It was plenty powerful.
Sharing the same thought, Denetim and Tradiaan drove their divinely empowered fists toward Meia's ironclad shield.
Kwaduduk!
The sound was utterly different from before. The Abaran-divine-infused shield crumpled. Dismay flickered across Meia's face—she hadn't expected this level of power.
She tried to twist the shield and deflect the force, but it was futile. The pressure from fists slamming in from both sides made it nearly impossible to move her shield-bearing arm.
"Urk...!"
'At this rate, she'll be breached.'
Meia's strained voice—unheard since the representative selection matches—struck Eve's ears. Eve clicked her tongue softly.
Originally, she planned to end it in one go while Meia held them off. But with Meia struggling more than expected, she had no choice but to adjust.
'Can't let Meia get broken through like this. It's a waste of the time I've spent on saint laws, but I need to support her first. Should've done this from the start. I underestimated those two.'
Disrupting her divine power flow, she canceled the forming saint law. The immense power scattered momentarily, but the residual divine power still swirled around her.
Skillfully reweaving it, she formed a different saint law. It completed swiftly and enveloped the faltering Meia.
Light poured down on Meia, infusing her consecrated shield with new radiance. A fresh barrier of light formed over the dented metal, neutralizing Denetim and Tradiaan's force.
Kaang!
The two rebounded. Meia felt a surge of vitality flood her body. The light coursed through her, granting tremendous strength.
She raised her morningstar. No longer did she need to focus solely on defense.
She launched an aggressive counterattack. Denetim and Tradiaan fought fiercely, conjuring illusions from the past, but with Eve's blessing, Meia discerned phantom from reality.
In short, Eve and Meia were the ultimate counters to Setra saint law users.
Kwaang!
A fierce clash rang out as Meia's morningstar smashed into Denetim's fist. Denetim realized her divine power had been pierced, raw pain shooting through her hand.
"Ack!"
The pressure, on another level entirely, threatened to crush her fist. Gritting her teeth, Denetim barely deflected the morningstar. Blood now streamed from her hand—the spikes had torn into her flesh.
'She's gotten stronger.'
Denetim's mood darkened. The matchup was terrible. Even combining with Tradiaan, they couldn't overcome Eve's bolstered Meia. And their specialty saint laws weren't working. Victory was impossible.
They swallowed their frustration, staring at Meia as she approached slowly. They'd realized defeat.
But they couldn't lose so pathetically. Squeezing every ounce of strength, Denetim and Tradiaan charged.
"Kuhuk!"
The light-wreathed shield slammed into Denetim's front, and the swung morningstar sent Tradiaan flying. This power far exceeded Meia's normal limits.
Eve had decided crude offensive saint laws were inferior to maximally empowering Meia.
Under Eve's excessive support saint law, Meia became an impregnable fortress, overwhelming the pair. Unable to vent their past grudges, Denetim and Tradiaan collapsed onto the arena floor.
The once-favored Istallin royals were thus unceremoniously eliminated from the friendly matches.
"They were more threatening than I thought."
Ludenberg nodded at Ashytara's assessment.
Eve Arcadia and Meia Andem. He'd expected skill, but this surpassed it. The Istallin royals weren't lacking; those two were beyond imagination.
Even Eden and Mion might lose to them.
"Still, not unbeatable."
Ludenberg stared at Eve impassively. The unpleasant feeling from the start had intensified. Seeing the intense light of her saint law, he felt inexplicable hatred.
He couldn't let Ashytara see him lose control, so he suppressed the storm within, gritting his teeth slightly. Ashytara wasn't one to miss it.
"Lud."
"Yeah?"
"You okay?"
"No. Just... don't like her."
"Who?"
"Eve Arcadia. If the brackets hold, we'll face them right after beating Eden and Mion."
"Our bracket's tougher than expected, huh?"
"Better than facing Dalia sunbae and Seia sunbae early. Same for Eil hyung."
"True."
Ludenberg couldn't say Heydel, so he used the alias.
"Oppa got so strong without me noticing... It's ridiculous."
The Heydel in Ashytara's memory had been frail, talented only in saint laws, no physical training needed.
But in Ortara, he boasted incredible resilience. Must've endured harsh training—explaining Dalia's high praise.
"Probably went through a lot."
"Yeah."
Ludenberg glanced at the victorious Eve and Meia atop the arena, then turned to Ashytara.
"Anyway, let's focus on tomorrow's match. Gotta crush them even more thoroughly."
"Okay."
No need to stay longer. No real hurry to leave, but Ludenberg wanted to. Eve's saint law power crawling over his skin like bugs.
Quarterfinals.
The day of Ludenberg and Ashytara's match against Eden and Mion arrived sooner than expected.
"We probably can't win against them."
Eden stated flatly in the waiting room. Mion nodded, expression unchanged.
"I know."
"But we'll give it our all?"
"Have to."
From her last fight with Gawin, Mion had learned: keep advancing against walls. She'd shown an ugly side then, but vowed not to this time.
"Won't be pathetic like last time."
"Yet every time you face Ashytara, you look pretty pitiful."
"Ugh, seriously. I was being serious."
Mion grumbled at Eden.
"Haha. You seemed too stiff."
"You're just as tense."
"Yeah. Even knowing we'll get crushed thoroughly, can't let go of that sliver of hope."
"Gets you tense automatically, right?"
"Exactly."
"You vs. Ludenberg, me vs. Ashytara."
"We've taken beatings plenty."
"Humiliating. Problem is, more humiliations await."
"Isn't that what we signed up for?"
"Have to endure. Felt it fighting Gawin last time."
"What?"
"Like you said, good we didn't cheat."
Mion spoke relievedly. Eden's face softened too.
"Knew it."
"Yeah. Leaves something behind. Can't define it yet, but feels good."
"Same."
"So, even in defeat, land one solid hit. Sound good?"
"Love it. But don't end up bald again? You raged over a little singe last time."
"No mercy for women, huh? Not planning to lose lamely like before. You too—don't get wrecked by Ludenberg. At least injure him."
"Will do. Gotta struggle this time to find even one possibility for the next Glory Festival."
Glory Festival.
Mion and Eden thought of the massive tournament soon to come. Held on Solemnute's founding day, selecting Solemnute Adem's top knight aspirants.
"Might be hopeless then too, but..."
"We keep struggling forward. That's what you mean."
Eden nodded at Mion.
"Spot on."
"Good. That's enough. Let's go."
"Time to get smashed gloriously."
Their steps toward the arena were light—far too buoyant for those sensing defeat.