Postinger Euclid found it impossible to believe the situation he was currently in.
After only five minutes since the match began, disbelievingly, he was the one kneeling, not his opponent.
He was uncertain if this was reality or a dream, entangled in confusion itself.
Unlike the holy energy that felt like a warm spring breeze filled with floral scents, the eyes of the unnamed holy knight from a rural area looking down at him were chilling in the extreme.
“Have you finally thought of apologizing for insulting the Church of Latima?”
“…”
He was only able to utter a word.
He answered that he had never heard of the title ‘Holy Knight of the Church of Latima’ which was the one the knight Ail, who looked amiable with his smile and greetings, used to introduce himself.
Postinger genuinely didn’t know where the Church of Latima was located.
From the beginning, since both churches were located at opposite ends of the continent and both pursued beauty, it was largely due to not appearing where the other’s ecclesiastical authority reached.
The Church of Aries hadn’t expanded its influence to the eastern part of the continent, just as the Church of Latima didn’t expand westward.
The distance was far, and even if they met face-to-face, they’d only growl at each other. Hence, an implicit agreement existed.
However, the average person didn’t know this. Nobody cares about a church that doesn’t show its face.
“It’s not over yet!”
Gritting his teeth, Postinger Euclid stood up and swung his sword.
Although he was only twenty-five, which could still be considered youthful, he was achieving a level on par with seasoned knights.
Without taking a specific stance, the ‘Cutting’ wave he unfurled with just a swing of his sword aimed to cut down the rural holy knight sharply.
Clang—!
“Ugh?!”
But as if it were nothing, ael deflected Postinger’s sword, exploiting an opening and thrusting his sword forward.
It was the ‘Spring Breeze’, one of the techniques handed down through generations in the Church of Latima.
Swoosh—!
“What is this kind of wave?!”
Suddenly, as Ail’s sword disappeared, an intense floral fragrance burst forth.
Dozens and hundreds of beautiful petals rushed at Postinger as if caught in a warm spring breeze.
Contrary to the name ‘breeze’, the petals contained the finesse to cut anything they touched, a mystery embedded within ‘Cutting.’
Postinger unleashed his sword dance—Melody(聯), slicing away the countless petals pouring toward him, and hurriedly erected a barrier. He understood he couldn’t block the wind with just his hands.
‘What exactly is the Church of Latima?’
In the Rondel Kingdom, the place with the strongest influence was the national church, the Church of Aries.
Postinger had sparred several times with holy knights from the Church of Aries and maintained contact with holy knights from other churches in the western continent.
Being the eldest son of the kingdom’s premier duke family, he had been taught by numerous prominent figures, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with facing opponents who wielded holy energy.
Yet, it was his first time encountering such dazzling and unpredictable waves.
‘Damn it, I can’t bear any more humiliation.’
The saving grace was that since it was still the round of 16 in the finals, his grandfather hadn’t come.
If he had witnessed such a disgraceful sight in person, Postinger didn’t think he could endure the consequences.
However, it was certain that word of his struggles would reach his grandfather’s ears, so retreating wasn’t an option for him.
If he lost here, his grandfather would likely put him through hellish training himself.
“Hmm?”
Ail, who had been pressing Postinger with the Spring Breeze, noticed a change in his mana and a flicker passed through his eyes.
It was a transformation in mana, different from the previously displayed wave modification and application techniques.
And scarcely a few seconds after Postinger recognized this change, his newly transformed mana manifested.
“What is this…?”
As Postinger extended his left hand, not holding his sword, his mana spread widely from below his feet.
Rumble—!
From beneath his feet, dozens of blazing chains emitting a blue light surged forth, cutting through the petals Ail had sent flying.
This newly experienced technique piqued Ail’s curiosity. Though proficient, it wasn’t capable of completely countering his Spring Breeze.
Then, realizing who this man might be and to which lineage he belonged, ael inadvertently voiced a possibility aloud.
“Ether Weapon?”
***
Those observing from the audience, as well as officials and participants, were unanimously astonished.
“Could that possibly be an Ether Weapon?!”
Aira was no exception to the surprise.
“No way! How could that be an Ether Weapon?”
“Really? But…”
The unprecedentedly intense wave of mana, perceptible even from afar, was enough to make the skin tingle.
Each of many chains, possessing the destructive force equivalent to a wave modification technique, seemed to have their own will as they poured forth, even attacking Ail.
Observing Ail intensely focused on evading the chains, everyone harbored cautious speculation that these chains might indeed be an Ether Weapon.
However, Christian nonchalantly told Aira,
“Do you think an idiot like that could handle an Ether Weapon? Just possessing one might make his body explode. Even if, by some miracle, he contained it within himself, the moment he manifested the Ether Weapon, he’d just become a bomb terrorist detonating a massive mana bomb in the center of the arena.”
“Ugh…”
Aira shuddered at the horrible thought. Yet, she had a lingering curiosity.
“But how do you know this?”
What puzzled Aira was precisely that.
The Worden County didn’t have any current Ether Weapon holders, and even tracing back through generations, only a few family heads had ever possessed one.
Ether Weapons weren’t something just anyone could obtain, so Aira found it peculiar that Christian spoke with such certainty.
“Watch closely. If you really look, you’ll see why that isn’t an Ether Weapon.”
“Dodging the question again?”
Aira puffed her cheeks and pursed her lips, but knowing all too well that he wouldn’t tell even if she asked, she focused back on the match.
And as she concentrated and observed Postinger’s situation closely, aira seemed to grasp something and commented to Christian with a curious expression.
“It feels like they’re moving separately, doesn’t it?”
Aira could clearly see the connection between the mysterious chains and Postinger Euclid.
However, it seemed as though Postinger was wielding them clumsily, like a child swinging a great sword. Sometimes, they moved with unmatched precision, akin to that of a peerless sword master. The separate movements of the chains weren’t merely an illusion.
“Simply put, that’s a replica of an Ether Weapon for training purposes.”
In response to her query, Christian explained to Aira.
The Euclid family was a renowned lineage known to inherit a very few Ether Weapons across the continent.
Consequently, there had to be separate training for inheriting such a weapon.
One training method was the replica mentioned by Christian.
It wasn’t made from Spirit Stones but was realized as an artifact through mana stones.
“Isn’t it impressive, though? Even as a replica, it’s still an Ether Weapon.”
“I said it’s a replica, didn’t I? It couldn’t even exhibit a tenth of a real Ether Weapon’s power, and it moves clumsily.”
“That can’t be true.”
Though the dozens of mana chains seemed to be inconsistently controlled, their destructive power and speed were fearsome, yet Christian just snorted.
What could astonish this guy, aira wondered.
“Nonetheless, you think Postinger will win, right?”
Despite being labeled a replica or fake, to Aira, an Ether Weapon was such an extravagant concept that she naturally assumed Postinger Euclid would win.
In reality, it was Postinger pressuring his opponent, and the power emanated from the replica Ether Weapon he wielded seemed to be the most formidable among everyone she had seen in the tournament so far.
In fact, it exuded a pressure that was perhaps even greater than the demon beasts they had previously encountered.
“You think that fool will win?”
“Did you forget what Elder brother Liber warned? At least keep such comments for when we’re alone.”
“In any case, the opponent is a holy knight from the Church of Latima.”
“The Church of Latima? Is there such a place?”
“…”
When Aira asked with a puzzled face as if hearing it for the first time, Christian huffed slightly.
Of course, considering the headquarters of the Church of Latima was on the opposite side of the continent, very few people knew the name Latima, but still, he felt a bit annoyed.
“A holy knight capable of wielding such holy energy would be at least the level of a Guardian Holy Knight, if not more.”
“What? A Guardian Holy Knight? Like the one from the Church of Aries?”
“Yes, a Guardian Holy Knight.”
Among the many holy knights within the church, only a select few could bear the title of Guardian, embodying skill, faith in God, and unwavering loyalty to the church.
Literally representing the church, their might was unquestionable, the strongest sword and shield.
But such Guardian Holy Knights rarely left the church.
They generally ventured out to protect the pope, or perhaps…
‘…could it be?’
To guard a saint or Saintess.