— — —
Shin's Perspective
Sometime later, hand in hand, we descended the building together.
The rooftop's stillness faded into the soft hum of Arc City beginning to stir again—gentle, cautious, like the first breath after a long nightmare.
"Kiana, From now on... I won't leave you. Not ever again."
She looked up at me, her smile faint but real.
"Yeah... we'll look out for each other. Always."
I asked, "Do you still want to go back? To everyone?"
She nodded without hesitation.
"Of course I do. They're waiting for us."
We reached the ground floor.
But just as the door to the lobby hissed open—The air shifted.
Face hidden in the dim emergency lights still flickering overhead.
Instantly, my instincts screamed.
Danger.
"Unfortunately..." A voice broke the silence—cold, deliberate. "She stays."
I stepped forward, arm outstretched in front of Kiana.
"Who are you?"
The figure moved forward, into the weak light.
And then I saw her.
The cold gleam of polished white armor.
Gold accents line the edges like royalty wrapped in steel.
A knight's regalia—sleek, elegant, merciless.
And the faintest smirk played across her lips.
"Someone cleaning up the mess you two left behind."
My heart clenched. That voice—
"...Durandal," I breathed, my stance hardening as I placed myself squarely between her and Kiana.
She tilted her head slightly.
"It's been a while, Shin. I never expected you'd survive a direct clash with a Herrscher of the Void."
"I'm not the same person I was back then."
I tightened my grip on my blade.
"And I won't let you take her."
Behind me, Kiana's voice rang clear and defiant.
"Shin..."
She stepped beside me, her gaze unwavering as she faced Durandal.
"I'm going back. To everyone. With him."
Durandal's smile faded.
"Don't be stubborn..." Durandal's voice echoed coldly through the ruined lobby. "Overseer Otto has ordered me to take you. But if you're not going to come willingly..."
She raised her arm—and in a flash of golden light, her signature lance materialized in her hand, gleaming with divine weight.
"Then I'll take you by force."
In a blink—
CLANG!
I was already in front of her, blade drawn, the air between us shrieking with the clash of steel and sparks.
She didn't even flinch.
Effortless. Calm.
Her lance had caught my slash mid-swing, the sheer power behind it cracking the marble beneath us.
"You've gotten faster since our last duel..."
Her eyes narrowed, analyzing every movement.
"Is that the power of the Herrscher of Blades?"
I didn't answer. I didn't need to.
Our weapons moved before we did.
A blur of motion—
Steel against steel, blade dancing against lance.
Each impact sent shockwaves through the lobby. Glass cracked. Walls splintered. The floor began to crumble beneath our feet.
"Kiana!" I shouted between strikes, "Stay back!"
"No!" she shouted, voice trembling with fear and fire. "We fight together—!"
"Last chance." Durandal's voice sliced through the chaos like her lance.
She leaped back a step, spinning her weapon into a ready stance.
"Come with me... or be broken right here."
I breathed, steadying my grip, my blade humming with light and pressure.
"I already made my choice."
And with that—
We charged.
Our blades collided again—Steel screaming against steel, pressure rippling like thunder through the lobby's shattered windows.
Durandal's strength hadn't diminished. If anything... she was holding back.
But I wasn't alone this time.
"Shin—cover me!" Kiana shouted from behind.
I twisted low, locking Durandal's lance in place for just a moment.
That was all she needed.
Kiana slid past me like a streak of light, one hand glowing with void energy, the other raised.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three rounds of void-enhanced blasts tore through the air, spiraling toward Durandal.
WHUMP!
She pivoted mid-block, raising a radiant barrier just in time, the impact shattering tiles under her feet.
"Impressive teamwork," Durandal muttered, brushing off the smoke.
Then with a sudden step, she vanished.
My eyes snapped open wide—
"Kiana, above!"
A golden arc tore down from the ceiling—Durandal descending like a meteor, lance-first.
I grabbed Kiana by the wrist and yanked her back just as the lance slammed into the ground, erupting a shockwave that split the floor in two.
"Kuh—!" I gritted my teeth, dragging her behind a toppled column as debris rained down.
She looked at me, panting, eyes glowing—half panicked, half exhilarated.
"You okay?" I asked.
She smirked. "Never better."
Before I could respond, a flash—Durandal came in low, aiming straight for my blind spot.
But Kiana was faster.
With a swirl of void energy, she opened a wormhole between her hand and Durandal's strike—
VOOM—!
The lance thrust passed through empty space—only to reappear behind her, missing its mark entirely.
Durandal's eyes widened for the first time.
"You're using the void to manipulate space..."
"You bet your pretty armor I am!" Kiana shot back.
I didn't waste the opportunity.
With my blade charged, I lunged in—
Slash. Parry. Dodge. Spin.
My strikes came faster now, guided by something deeper—my instincts synced with hers.
Kiana fired from behind me, arcs of void light zipping past as I ducked and wove through Durandal's counters. Every miss opened an angle for me. Every burst opened a window for her.
It wasn't just a fight.w
It was a symphony.
"Durandal—" I roared, crossing blades once more, "This time... we're not backing down!"
And just as her lance glowed with divine light, readying for her final blow—
Kiana jumped.
Both of her eyes—Void and Herrscher—blazed with defiance.
"Let's end this... together!"
She spun mid-air, conjuring a massive void blast in her hands—
"SHIN!"
"NOW!"
I roared, swinging upward with everything I had—
And she fired.
The explosion consumed the space between us in brilliant white—
Durandal stood at the center, bracing—
But even she staggered, pushed back by the force of our combined might.
She slid across the marble, heels digging deep cracks in the floor.
Smoke.
Silence.
And then...
She stood still—gasping, just slightly.
A single crack had formed on her gleaming white chest plate.
She looked down at it, then up at us.
And for the first time...
She smiled. "Not bad."