The Night the Storm Descended
Speaking honestly, I had no intention of dragging my deepest feelings into the open and confessing them. Hesitantly baring the affection I harbored for him, murmuring those ticklish yet sweet words toward him. I had hoped to do it amid a beautiful vista, in some tranquil spot where I could savor a faint fragrance. It was simply because Ain had dropped to his knees, his face etched with despair. Simply because his retreating back looked so heartbreakingly pitiful and bitter. I just hated it all so much that I wanted to cheer him on. Even if I couldn't help him directly, I wanted to offer words that would give him strength.
However.
Just like in my childhood, the sight of him turning his back to shield me made my heart thump loudly. My breath came in ragged gasps—I couldn't tell if it was the divine power rebelling against me, or if I was simply dazed by the sight. Ain. Lovable Ain. My you. This, too, is your fault.
‘Ain, I love you. I love only you. I’ll love you forever.’
The reason I couldn’t hold back and let my true heart spill out like that… it’s because you’re so lovable.
So.
Don’t die, Ain. Always, from now on, forever. Stay by my side. Because I have no confidence I could live in a world without you.
Pure white plate armor. The gleaming shell encasing the paladin’s massive frame—nearly two meters tall—radiated sheer intimidation at a glance. But there was no time to shrink back from it.
My body trembled uncontrollably. My muscles and joints couldn’t keep pace with the mana-fueled combat, crumbling at a terrifying rate. So I kicked off straight toward the paladin.
“Hup!”
“Kuh…!”
Mana drained instantly from my armor and boots. The strain on my body intensified, but I needed to wrest back the momentum and tempo of the fight that the paladin had completely dominated.
‘When facing an armored foe, target the gaps in the armor.’
Closing in to point-blank range where the paladin couldn’t properly swing his greatsword, I drew a dagger from my belt and jammed it into the joint at his right shoulder. Of course, a dagger without mana infusion barely scratched his reinforced body—the tip merely pricked like a needle before the blade shattered.
“Such petty tricks… guk!”
Using the paladin’s knee as a launch point, I sprang up, spinning in a crescent arc to slam my boot’s toe into his jaw. He hadn’t worn a helmet, arrogant enough to assume I couldn’t land a hit. Lucky break.
“…Hoo.”
At least this strike had worked. Direct impact from a mana-infused object proved effective—his jaw was twisted at a grotesque angle from my kick.
But, to put it differently, it meant nothing.
The paladins and holy knights of the Holy Kingdom weren’t lauded for overwhelming skill. Everyone acknowledged it: compared to the empire or kingdom’s swordmasters and knights who wielded mana, the Holy Kingdom’s paladins and holy knights fell short. The differences in mana usage and divine power efficiency created that gap.
Yet the reason they were rated on par with knights came down to the priests backing them.
Which meant, regrettably, that while I caught my breath, a priest’s healing spell had already restored his jaw to normal.
“…”
“…”
Regenerating at a speed and efficiency that dwarfed magical healing, his flesh knit back together.
Finally, the paladin’s eyes shifted from Asha to me. Ignoring me until now, he at last acknowledged me as a foe, regripping his greatsword.
Brilliant light flowed from his body once more, and I burned my borrowed blue mana to charge again.
His greatsword hurtled toward me in a blur, wary now. Unlike before, it was a heavy, threatening swing I couldn’t deflect casually.
I caught my sword’s blade with my gauntlet, then at the moment of clash with his greatsword, rotated my blade in a circle to deflect the force.
Shhh—
No harsh scrape this time. Sliding along the flat of his greatsword while gripping my blade, I shed the impact. As it curved unnaturally toward me, I instinctively crouched low to evade.
Of course, the greatsword twisted grotesquely again and again, hunting my life. So I repeated the process—deflect, step closer; deflect again, step in.
Some strikes I deflected cleanly, but others I botched, sending grrrk vibrations through my body. Breathing hurt like broken ribs. My wrists where gauntlets met sword, my ankles at the boot edges—they were mangled beyond pain, numb to everything else.
Yet I couldn’t stop. Unlike the paladin now fixated solely on me, my gaze kept drifting to the woman behind.
Her beautiful eyes, fixed only on me, shimmered with gray luster. Her cheeks still flushed, her hands clasped tightly, fidgeting endlessly.
“…”
Honestly, I had no idea. When had it started? Sorry for being so dense, but I’d always thought her fondness for me was affection, not love.
And sadly, now wasn’t the time to dwell on it.
Kagaak—
“Kuhk…!”
Distracted by her for a split second, the greatsword slammed down heavily. Blood surged from my mouth in a gush.
With all my mana poured into offense, I couldn’t mitigate the impact.
“Cough… hugh….”
My knees buckled, body swaying, yet his assault didn’t relent. Focus. I spat blood, caught his descending greatsword with my blade gripped in gauntlet, and circled to deflect from above.
Plunging into his guard in one breath, I thrust my sword hilt toward his throat.
Of course.
“…I won’t fall for it twice.”
Not an idiot, he blocked with his free hand. Then he clamped down, preventing me from pulling back.
The weaker party needed split-second judgment.
“…”
Superior base physicals, mana, and divine power—all his. I released my sword and dropped low.
I needed a mana-infused blade to resolve this, but brute strength wouldn’t win.
Letting go disrupted his stance momentarily; I slid under, targeting the visible gap—left knee joint.
‘Look at my armor, Ain. Joints have gaps for mobility. Aim there in a fight. Sword not required.’
In such moments, his repeated advice resurfaced. I yanked my scabbard from my belt and jammed it in with all my force.
In other words.
“Kugh…! What the….”
The mana-infused scabbard held firm, unlike the dagger—lodged deep, it would hinder him until its mana depleted.
Clenching my gauntlet, I drove my fist into the gap between his upper and lower torso armor.
Kwaaang—
“Guk… cough…!”
Red blood sprayed from the paladin’s mouth. Mine flowed too from the strike.
Ridiculously, each success wrecked me worse. Fist bones inside the gauntlet shattered; blood seeped through the seams.
No time to care. I scanned swiftly for another shallow gap, stomping the opposite knee—unguarded by scabbard—with my boot until it crunched.
Dodging his swung fist barely, I hammered the hip joint gap.
“Kraaak…!!”
Finally, a human scream tore from him. That impassive, arrogant face twisted in agony.
The priests behind panicked, chanting healing spells frantically. I touched my earring.
‘Asha.’
‘…Yes.’
‘Block the priests’ healing spells just once. Please.’
‘Yes, Ain.’
I trusted her. Asha would handle it.
Sticking close, I continued the brawl. Breath ragged, throat burning with iron-tanged blood. My body shook violently, joints unresponsive like run through with a blade. Mouth filled with metallic bile; spitting dyed the ground crimson.
Still, I punched, deflected incoming blows.
‘Even the strongest waver when emotions stir—gaps open where none existed. Especially getting beaten by a weaker foe.’
Kwak—
His armor dented slightly from repeated strikes, the sound echoing.
The pristine white plate was smeared with blood and dirt, murkier than ash.
‘Exploit gaps relentlessly. Hammer the same spot. Bigger openings will follow.’
Now I lacked leisure to dodge fully—my body a ruin.
“Krup, why…!”
“…”
Shoulder and elbow long broken; unsure if my punches even connected properly.
“Why side with evil, with such talent…!!”
Simply.
I hammered the already shattered spots repeatedly, unsure if succeeding.
But one thing to say.
“You fuckers call your bullshit ‘talent,’ label innocent people evil—you’re the goddamn evil, you worthless shits!!”
Fury boiling, I twisted my body with all my might. His crushed knee joint from my stomp, dented armor from my fists—they’d carved a massive opening. Lower body battered, his chin exposed.
I snatched his dropped sword, stabbed it into the ground between his legs to anchor, then unleashed the gauntlet’s remaining mana in a kwaang uppercut to his jaw.
Mana-charged, it snapped his jaw again; staggering, he tripped on my sword and toppled backward.
“Hup!”
I crushed his hand underfoot, forcing the greatsword free, then booted it far away. It embedded deep in a tree.
To stop the groaning paladin rising from prone, I yanked my sword from the ground and rammed it into an armor gap.
In other words.
“Kaaaak…!!”
Puk— The blade slid smoothly, pinning him and the earth. Residual mana flowed along it, immobilizing him.
“…”
Blood loss blurred my vision. Kneeling one knee on his filthy armor, I caught my breath. The battlefield reeked of fishy iron; blood pooled everywhere we’d fought.
And.
The chaotic din of battle fell into stunned silence.
Priests thwarted by Asha, unable to chant properly.
Holy knights nearly felling Horn.
Others shaking off Asha’s illusions, rising.
All silenced by the sight of the paladin sprawled at a criminal’s feet.
Undeniably.
Enough to chill the fierce heat of battle.
Dawn broke beyond the ridge. The night the storm descended slowly faded.