Finally Here! The Former Strongest of the Academy
Once the academy's strongest, now the captain of Famiglia. The one who handed the top spot to Han Yujin—the previous number one! Heir to the Cheoncheon Sword Family and granddaughter of the Sword Sage! As the boys whisper: the academy's noble silver bell flower!
──Choi Yeon!
Choi Yeon stepped into the arena, gripping a sword with a pristine white blade.
"Choi Yeon! Choi Yeon! Choi Yeon! Choi Yeon!"
The crowd erupted in cheers at her image on the screens. It was only natural. A beauty with skill drew attention wherever she went—she was always an icon, an idol.
Even Instructor Pado Yun, who had been commentating in his usual steady tone, now gripped the mic with barely contained excitement.
"Folks, this match is very different from the others! And why? Because her opponent is none other than Choi Yeon of the Cheoncheon Sword Family! The academy students call her a lofty flower."
"Unmatched skill and looks! Especially her skills—even active heroes might have surpassed her long ago! Well, actually, they have, by a wide margin... But from the start, she's the pinnacle of the Cheoncheon Sword Family, raised under the Sword Sage's tutelage."
"Her opponents are the only club entering as a team today: the 'Paper Airplane' club! The name... Ah, it's from their captain's ability! 'Paper Airplane' club. Two vanguards and two supports—one of the teams to watch out for today."
'If memory serves, their captain's ability was a real pain.'
The ability to reinforce and control any paper he touched: Paper Master. A tricky trait depending on the job mix, enough that some players even aimed for it.
The key to this match? Whether Choi Yeon could shut down Paper Master.
"Even before the match starts, tension hangs thick in the arena! What will they show us right from the kickoff? Let's begin with the countdown. Ready? 3. 2. 1."
"The final club match of the day begins!"
The common thread in all today's club battles? Everyone moved the instant it started.
But not this time.
"Whoa! Both teams are holding position, just glaring at each other! For some reason, neither side is budging an inch."
"Why's it so quiet?"
Sea-a peered at me from the monitor, clearly puzzled.
"They're sizing each other up."
"...Huh?"
"Think about it. From Choi Yeon's side, it's four against one. Better to defend once, probe for openings. And 'Paper Airplane'? Their opponent's Choi Yeon. They'd be crazy not to tense up."
Safe play from both sides. And one reason was me...
I'd sealed the sword Choi Yeon made by mixing her Excalibur with mine: the Phantom White Holy Blade.
'Yujin, can I bring the sword you helped me make?'
'You nuts?'
'Fine, I won't.'
Since the Miner incident, Choi Yeon had been oddly compliant. Smart choice, too. In a match the whole academy was watching, pulling out a holy sword? The school tabs would explode tomorrow. Plus, the chairman would confirm I was the one who took Vivian's Spring—and with this on top? No thanks.
'Seal it for now. At least until we're strong enough to ignore the backlash.'
Of course, it wasn't just any sword she carried. The one in her hand was no ordinary blade.
"Whoa, getting chilly... Ah! The source of that sudden frost—it's Choi Yeon's sword! Her blade is emanating cold!"
If they won't come, make 'em. Frigid blue chill poured from her sword, dropping the arena's temperature sharply.
That was its special trait. A blade she'd wielded since her second year—I knew it well. So her next move would be...
"Sul-i."
A ranged strike.
"Ahhh! Choi Yeon swings, unleashing a blue surge! The battle's on! How will Paper Airplane respond?!"
"Paper Shield."
The captain-looking guy spread his hands, and papers spilled from his backpack, forming a massive shield.
──Boom!
Choi Yeon's attack shattered on impact. But it didn't end there.
"We thought Choi Yeon's strike was blocked by the shield—wrong! The shattered blue energy is spreading! It's... snow? Snow's falling in the arena!"
A sword that summoned snowstorms. The Snow Woman Sword, one of the Sword Sage's collection. A noble blade wielding winter's power.
"A fierce blizzard kicks up! Paper Airplane's movements are slowing! No way—is this normal snow?!"
'Of course not.'
As he said, the weather it conjured wasn't ordinary. Base effect: slow. Frost in the off-season, binding foes so they couldn't travel ten li. Speed crushed.
'Perfect. Bunch up—I'll AoE you down!'
Choi Yeon's play landed perfectly!
"Ahh! Only now, under debuff, does Choi Yeon move—like a snow leopard! She crouches low and charges at blinding speed!"
Paper Airplane's vanguards raised their swords defensively.
"Jin, the Snow Goblin.."
Aura rose from her body, merging with the Snow Woman Sword to gain ice affinity, glowing blue.
"I'll support—hold her off!"
Papers soared into the air at his gesture.
"Bury her all at once!"
The rearguard fell back slowly, creating distance, while the vanguard clashed blades with Choi Yeon.
"Overwhelming! Attacked from both sides, yet she parries everything with unreal speed and poise! Expressionless, blocking, countering!"
Not easy, though. Her counters were intercepted by floating papers.
A perfect deadlock.
"It won't work! That's synergy! True support! The vanguards defend like pros!"
"Waaaaaaah!!"
The arena heated up. No clean hits, but the flashy exchanges dazzled.
Still, one side held the edge.
"Wind Cutter!"
Clang───!!
She was facing four at once. Every exchange cost her four times the effort. Stamina was draining fast.
And they weren't out of cards.
"Hold just a bit longer!"
As the vanguard grimaced through her horizontal slash, something massive brewed behind them.
His bag spewed paper like a magician pulling endless cards. The sheets formed humanoid shapes, building an army.
"That technique! The trademark of Paper Airplane's captain, who built the club—Paper Army!"
The numbers swelled into a legion. Paper armor, paper swords, paper soldiers.
"Kugh!"
"Arrrgh!"
The vanguard's screams revealed Choi Yeon on the monitors, hidden till now.
"Haa... haa..."
Amid lowered temps, her white breath showed her fatigue. The Snow Woman Sword's drawback: it burned the user's stamina for wide-area weather shifts. A normal person would collapse instantly. She'd maintained it long enough to drop two E-rank mercs—proof of her strength.
But...
"Ahh! Choi Yeon in crisis! Pinch! Will the pristine silver bell flower fall?!"
What faced her dwarfed that. Paper Army's famed efficiency. Players often paired it with Onmyoji for outrange spam.
Trading attrition with it? Reckless.
"Advance."
At Paper Airplane's captain—King Paper's—command, the paper army marched.
──! ──! ──! ──! ──!
Paper drums beating, astride paper horses, visors down, paper lances leveled at Choi Yeon.
"Charge."
A white wave surged toward her. She frowned slightly, eyed her sword, and drew a deep breath.
"...Don't wanna get chewed out."
"The paper army advances! A legion to fell one—acknowledging her as a one-woman army! But she's alone! A lone sword in the field! Proof individuals can't beat armies?!"
"Wh-what do we do, Yujin?! Choi Yeon might lose!"
"Well, yeah. One person can't beat an army."
"Huh?!"
Sea-a gasped, hand over mouth.
"But heroes? They're different."
"...What?"
"Individuals can't beat armies. But the ones who can overcome this? We call them..."
'Heroes.'
The speakers blared urgently.
"Choi Yeon charges! Straight at them! Head-on against the paper army—she'll collide! She's chosen to take the scolding, huh."
"Snowstorm."
Charging forward, she thrust her sword skyward. The white blade exploded, blue energy flooding the area.
She gripped the now bladeless hilt. Paper Airplane's duo blinked in confusion.
"Snow intensifies! Cameras can't track—the arena's a whiteout! Barely see the fighters!"
Papers began soaking, freezing. Snowstorm: the Snow Woman Sword's secret ultimate. Explode the blade to scatter condensed frost—a technique that sacrificed the sword.
'That blade was made for this.'
Great skillset overall, but this alone justified owning it. Though no blade until it reformed.
"Switching to mana-detecting cameras! Ah! Inside view! Wh-what is that?!"
The feed cleared to a bizarre sight: the paper army frozen mid-march.
At center, Choi Yeon stood feet shoulder-width, sword raised.
Her hilt now bore a blade that shouldn't be there.
"Choi Yeon's sword growing massive! The mana pouring off it reaches even me outside!!"
It absorbed the blizzard, swelling larger. She slowly raised it overhead.
No sound through the storm, but I knew her words.
She'd swing down, declaring:
"Kaepyeok Sword."
──Winter.
──Split in half.