VS Showdown (2)
As expected, the day I rented out various weapons and swung them around myself, the message board was once again buzzing with users' debates and arguments. Serpina, who had returned after that day's battle, had joined in by posting her own thread.
'They're really going all out.' Cold sweat trickled down at the sight of Serpina openly declaring her intent to teach me her swordsmanship. In truth, her attitude had been consistent from the start. Now that I was her contractor, her goal was to pass on her power and skills, molding me into a proper swordmaster. And the other users' enthusiasm was no slouch either. The fans gathered in my gallery were, after all, the ones most eager to see how I would grow and evolve.
The debate wasn't just about which weapon suited me best; the weapons' unique abilities were just as hotly contested. Like the gifted armor, Hermetica, with its modular detachment and auto-repair functions, most S-grade gear came with at least one signature ability. That was the part that swayed my heart the most. Reflecting on the battles I'd fought so far—what I lacked, what needed bolstering—I'd made my decision while watching the constellations' arguments.
'Fourfold Sword Tellendar. No choice but to give it a shot.' The weapon I'd settled on was the Fourfold Sword, freely extendable and bendable at will. It was utterly different from any sword I'd wielded before, but after all the advice and debates in the gallery, I was convinced this was the right call.
◈ Ivory-bladed longsword that extends and bends with mana infusion.
The moment I woke up, I pulled the choice ticket from my inventory and claimed Tellendar. It looked like an ordinary longsword with an ivory blade at rest, but when I infused it with mana, it extended and curved at my command.
"You've already made up your mind, huh?"
"Something like that. I just... went with my gut."
Kim Ji-eun's eyes widened in surprise when she saw I'd decided overnight. All I could say was that I'd followed my instincts.
"What do you think? Wanna spar?"
"I'm curious, yeah."
It still felt awkward, but the grip was settling nicely into my hand. I gave a faint smile and looked at Kim Ji-eun. She grinned and nodded. There was the mage-warrior gap, and she'd never once gained the upper hand against me lately, but she enjoyed our one-on-ones.
Until recently, I'd thought it was her competitive spirit and love of a challenge.
'Who knew she was that much of a masochist.' That was before the fan gallery revealed she got off on losing to me.
Uploaded to the Reina Gallery: a video of Reina wielding the Fourfold Sword Tellendar for the first time, fully kitted out against Kim Ji-eun's triple-layered spell—shattering it and pinning her in one breath. Excited user comments poured in. The biggest reason? Reina handled her first time with this weapon like a pro. As they said, the Fourfold Sword was a world apart from her usual blades. Yet, even with the imprint's help, she swung Tellendar with veteran finesse—leveraging distance, faster and freer strikes. At a glance, it looked like she'd instinctively absorbed it all through sheer genius.
Of course, this was the reaction from most gallery users who knew zilch about swordplay. To the few who'd wielded blades and ascended to constellation rank, the true nature of Reina's skill was crystal clear.
'Some folks get it right. That's spot on. Reina isn't acting on instinct. She already knows the optimal way to use it and acts accordingly.' Serpina saw it too. She hadn't said a word, but her eyes sharpened as she watched Reina. She could fool others, but Serpina—claiming to know Reina better than any constellation—trusted her own eyes implicitly.
'Who is it? There's nothing about Reina I don't know. Who the hell taught that girl about the Fourfold Sword?' Serpina had planned to sternly "teach" while subtly encouraging if Reina struggled, but now she scowled, suspecting whoever had ruined her happy fantasy.
"Serpina, another gate's opening."
"Sigh..."
But right now, Serpina had no time for that. The Heavenly War had raged four days straight. She was starting to tire. Still, today too, Serpina gripped her sword and headed to the battlefield.
'A little appreciation would be nice.' She knew it was her duty, but fighting this hard was also for more points—to invest in Reina, naturally.
Every time Reina showed growth, posts like this were inevitable. She was a top ranker, but plenty of room to rise. Her fandom buzzing over her potential peak was par for the course. Reina's official rank: 14th. She'd surged a spot after the marathon bloodbath, hitting 14th overall. Jeong Chan-su's faction and 13 others still stood ahead.
The hyped fandom was dead certain growth-curve Reina would climb higher soon. Especially since the 13th ranker relied on imprint-gained poison aura as their main weapon—likely to fold against Reina's radiance in a straight fight. VS debates were an ancient Fate Road tradition. But the snag? They inevitably provoked rival fandoms' pride, much like Jeong Chan-su's alliance fans needling Reina's crew.
Rienblade's fandom couldn't stay quiet after hearing the buzz. With Reina's rise making them antsy about her overtaking soon, getting openly dissed lit their pride on fire.
"These bastards..."
"Cut it out. We're way past the point where telling 'em to chill works. Clamp down and we'll just lose public favor."
Serpina, back from a grueling fight, scowled at the posts praising Reina and poking rival nerves—but Perbas held her back.
"You gonna let it slide? Leave 'em be and they'll rampage more. That's smearing Reina's rep."
Serpina despised pointless fandom hate. Reina was already hounded by Jeong Chan-su faction's toxic trolls and shitposters. Overheating was inevitable, but becoming the overt aggressor and sparking hate chains? No. Worse, ignoring it meant more haters when Reina ascended clueless. Far from baseless—Fate Road's long history, including Serpina's own, proved it.
"If Reina climbs clean, it'll sort itself. But if you're worried, we could spin this into an event."
"Give 'em an outlet, huh."
Serpina perked up at Perbas's fix. If it couldn't be stopped, laying out the arena for open play was one way.
'...What the hell is this? Why are they pitting me against 13th place? We've never even properly talked?!' The problem? The main subject, Reina, was peeking at their chatter every night.