Duel: The Knight vs. the Mage
In a real duel, not a practice bout, a knight is simply no match for a mage.
History spanning thousands of years has proven it, and even I—who have pushed swordsmanship to its absolute limits—have to agree, though it feels a bit arrogant to say it myself.
The reason is the protective barrier that mages carry with them—the Shield.
No matter what weapon a knight holds or what hidden strike he aims for, as long as the mage maintains his shield at all times, every possible counter is sealed off with a single method.
The sensation under my fingertips is nothing more than an absurdly solid plate, yet it stands as a full-circle shield.
Worse still, knights lack the force to shatter it. Isn't that absurd?
Meanwhile, every attack from a mage must be blocked by the knight using all his body muscles or dodged.
The knight is forced into one-sided stamina depletion.
Even mages consume mana, but...
The mind and focus of a person have limits. But in this situation, a mage can expend his focus whenever he wishes.
A knight, however, must constantly guard against unpredictable attacks, burning through mental energy.
That's why most knight-mage duels end in the mage's victory.
Even knights of equal skill and mages of the same level are obviously the mage's win, and even low-level mages usually secure victory against them.
It differs in actual battlefields with cover and obstacles, but at least in a duel, it holds true.
But what exactly is a knight?
One who has fought in endless one-sided unfairness.
One who has always battled against numerical disadvantage and even clashed with dragonkin, who possess far greater mana than mages.
In countless battles, knights have learned how to fight when facing superior opponents.
If the opponent is infinitely stronger than you, you drag them into a muddy brawl.
***
"Duel begins."
Dalek's voice echoed slowly across the training ground, empty save for the two of us.
I immediately circulated mana to reinforce my body.
...Is he a specialist in magic?
Range manipulator? Projectile? Or maybe he can use both.
But if I stay calm and watch from the sidelines like this, it would only put me at a disadvantage. I can't afford to give him time to prepare.
The foundation of the Grand Duel Academy.
Tok.
The moment Lir kicked off with her toes, her body shot forward like an arrow.
'There's no way I'd miss a reaction.'
The blade tip in my grip aimed precisely for Ferdan's abdomen, a fatal spot. Even A-1 level strength wouldn't fail to react at this speed.
Lir's view of the training ground vanished as Ferdan's tiny figure rapidly enlarged, filling my viewfinder.
Kaaang!!
The straight blade tip stopped with a spark of flame a few steps before Ferdan.
A crack appeared on the translucent blue mana shield before my eyes, but it healed instantly.
I didn't even need to look closely to sense it.
He reinforced the local part of the shield and repaired it instantly if it broke, eliminating gaps.
Matching the skill of the top student in Class A of the Magic Department, this wasn't on the level of a normal student.
Churruk.
Magic circles rose from both sides above me. From the silver-white circle came a window formed with cold energy, firing straight toward me.
"Ugh?!"
Twakwaang!
I kicked off again, dodging the ice arrow flying at me. The distance stretched, but I charged back at Ferdan.
The battle was still in its early stages. It was basically a mutual reconnaissance.
At least Ferdan seemed to be reducing variables. He didn't know what I was about to do.
I leaped up and dove toward Ferdan watching me, gripping the sword in reverse. I grabbed the handle with both hands and brought it down in a chopping strike.
Chjeojjeok, chjjeok!
With a clang, a large crack formed on the shield, shattering and sending mana fragments flying.
Ferdan's eyes seemed to shine at that moment as he looked at me floating above the shield in mid-air.
Inside them, I prepared to use mana by reaching out my hand.
But Ferdan had already extended his hand toward me and prepared the magic circle.
"Shock-Wave."
Such...!
With a dull thud, Lir's body was sent flying into the air.
***
"...As expected."
Dalek thought with some variables in the process, but the result had been as he expected.
Even though Lir's strategy of concentrating all weight and mana in one instant to break the shield worked.
When Ferdan was probing, he had thought it was tactically correct to pour everything into a short decisive battle.
But the opponent had lost.
When Lir tried to manifest the sign inside the shield, Ferdan had already finished casting at high speed.
And with the intense shock wave, Lir's body was instantly blasted into the sky.
'No. I have to end the duel.'
She must have taken a huge blow to the abdomen. If they continued the duel like this, it would only worsen the pain for Lir without changing the outcome.
Using the breaking of the shield the other way around, to take the shock instead.
Not only was he more than just skilled in magic, but also his design sense in luring the opponent into the trap he had dug.
Kwoong.
After a full circle in the sky, Lir knelt on the ground, clutching her belly.
"Kkok, kkok...!!"
Because of the fierce impact to her abdomen, Lir coughed repeatedly while holding her stomach.
And she spat blood onto the floor.
"...It's fine if you want to quit the duel, thinking it's hopeless."
Even in this obvious future result, Dalek managed to spit out a line.
Lir said nothing in response. Instead, even with blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, she smiled with ease and smugness.
There had been a brief exchange, but in the end, the one-sided depletion had been Lir's.
But that was not how she saw it. The sight of her rising from the ground with a hand on the floor was something Dalek could not understand.
Her absolute confidence that she would never lose.
Even after taking a hit, her hand showed no tremor and seemed even more confident.
"What are you doing? You're giving up?"
That provocative remark was the last straw. Ferdan's eyes wavered.
As soon as Ferdan extended his hand, numerous magic circles appeared above Lir. At the same time, dozens of ice-tipped windows fired from the sky.
Twakakakak!
Ice flowers scattered across the ground. But they didn't reach Lir, who was charging toward Ferdan at lightning speed.
Ferdan wasn't the type to give up like that. Seeing her flying toward him, the corner of his mouth twitched.
Ferdan Aitana, who had become serious, gathered his power in both hands for a massive strike.
Chjeok, chjjeok.
A gigantic magic circle appeared beneath Lir, who was lunging at Ferdan.
At the same moment the magic circle released brilliant light, the air froze. It wrapped Lir from the outside and froze completely inside.
This was a magic that didn't make sense, freezing an entire range.
"This...!! Ferdan!!"
Dalek realized that even though Ferdan called it a duel, this technique was one that shouldn't be used in student sparring.
Since all the ice had already surrounded Lir, it was already too late. Lir would soon be completely frozen inside.
It was a situation where her life could be in danger. Ferdan's current action was clearly not normal.
Dalek gritted his teeth. He had to call a professor. He had to call the professor still at the school so that Lir's life...
At that exact moment, a sound he couldn't hear reached him.
...Kwaaang!!
Dalek, who had turned his body toward the outside of the training ground, looked back, and the ice prison was pierced by a sword.
Kwaajangchang!!
Chopped. Even with his own power, it wouldn't cut that ice wall.
And with no issue at all, he started running toward Ferdan again.
Lir pulled the sword back behind her and gathered both hands on the handle. She was going to concentrate all power in one instant to break the shield.
In response, Ferdan opened his eyes wide and gathered both hands in one place.
He intended to receive and block the attack with the shield, and thick mana burst from Ferdan's body.
It was hopeless. No matter how Lir concentrated her powerful strike in one spot, breaking that shield was impossible.
"...I thought so."
Haha, Lir laughed as if mocking.
She released her hand from the sword. At the same time, as Lir gritted her teeth, she extended her hand toward Ferdan.
"Sound-Wave"
The simple yet deep circuit engraved in her palm glowed.
At the same time, a low sound wave that felt like it shook her entire body shook Ferdan and Dalek's brains.
"Ugh...!! Kkuk..."
Ferdan couldn't concentrate. Forget focus, he had to clutch his head and use all his strength just to stay conscious.
Of course, a shield that required a certain level of concentration had no way to hold.
Eventually, after a few seconds passed.
After the long few seconds that had shaken his brain ended, Ferdan sat down heavily on the floor.
"...See, I won, right?"
Lir, who grabbed Ferdan's collar and pulled him up, looked at him with a smug smile and said.