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"That should be them all."
Slace stood in the crowd of corpses at his feet; he sounded quite exhausted, breathing heavily. Vira was too, but less than Slace. Vira simply nodded, unfazed by the smell of blood and death; Slace was too.
"Quite the commotion you caused here."
Both Slace and Vira quickly turned their heads. Slace thought the voice sounded familiar, but now he was certain he knew who this was. Slace then pronounced his name with a bitter but almost quiet tone to it.
"Valerius…"
The royal knight from Sindre's past and the knight who defeated Herald, Valerius, was here.
Valerius unsheathed his blade, slowly walking towards Slace. He then smirked as if he was happy to see Slace.
"We never settled the score, and I don't hope to settle it now either. But it would be quite the experience to fight you again."
Slace didn't get ready to fight yet, as if expecting something. Valerius halted before bowing, requesting something in quite a polite but refined tone.
"May I take this opportunity to duel you, Slace of the Kurai Clan?"
Slace whipped his blade in his hands, splattering off some of the blood before getting into a stance, seemingly not minding the comment of his Clan even though Vira technically found out. Slace then turned to Vira, speaking firmly.
"Don't interfere unless I lose."
Vira simply nodded, finding somewhere to sit and watch. Slace knew it was risky to take on Valerius while being fatigued, but unlike Valerius, he actually had someone at his side.
Valerius stopped bowing, his face turning rather serious. He had quite the distance from Slace; despite that, he swung his sword, a huge burst of fire originating from the slash and coming directly at Slace. Slace happened to dodge the attack, Valerius using the fire as an opportunity to rush at Slace and slash at him with his sword.
Slace deflected the slashes with his blade, noticing Valerius's blade; it was special, a blade with the ability to control elements, any element (fire, water, wind, earth, or lightning). Despite that massive power, it had a glaring weakness.
Valerius struck straight at Slace's face, but he stepped back, dodging. Ice came out of the tip of Valerius's sword in the form of an ice crystal that went straight forward towards Slace. As he dodged the earlier attack, he quickly brought his sword up, blocking the ice and clashing with it, using the momentum of the clash to slide his sword and divert his body to the side, getting out of the way of the ice.
Slace then stepped forward to Valrius's side, striking directly at his neck, and he turned his body and clashed with Slace once more.
Well, clashing blades, Valerius asked Slace a question.
"How come you're not using your Endland flames? It would've given you a huge advantage over me."
Valerius was asking because Endland flames were the Kurai's specialty and because he wanted to see the full extent of Slace's power, but Slace didn't answer.
Valerius didn't bother further, as his blade was now enhanced with the element of wind, overpowering Slace and driving down on his blade.
Slace stepped slightly back, bringing his sword back as Valerius struck his blade into the ground. Slace threw his sword up in the air, stepping on Valerius's sword, grasping Valerius's arm, and putting his other palm against Valerius's chest, earth magic coming out of his palm and directly striking Valerius, sending him flying into a pillar.
As Valerius recovered, opening his eyes, he saw Slace pick up his blade; he was looking at it as if analyzing it before tossing it back to Valerius and catching his own blade, which finally fell down to Slace's level.
"Your blade, it has a glaring weakness: those emblems in the middle of the sword. When they switch, it indicates which element you're using."
When they first fought years ago, Slace hadn't figured out that detail; that's why that fight was a draw, but now that Slace knows, in their rematch he easily took advantage of its weakness.
Valerius got up applauding, impressed with Slace as he picked up his sword from the ground.
That's when Slace felt it, his legs getting weak and his vision getting blurry. Slace fell to the ground sweating heavily, unable to speak.
Valerius looked down at Slace; guess Slace's fatigue caught up to him. Valerius then pointed his sword at Slace, proclaiming a goal for himself, with Vira not rushing to Slace's side as if she knew Valerius wouldn't do anything.
"I swear to you I'll get stronger; when I do, I'll wait for you to come back, and then we'll have a rematch."
And with that, Valerius walked away,
specifically walking into Sindre's building; he wanted to settle something.
Slace seemed annoyed, not at the fact he was fatigued but rather at the fact that Valerius was so insistent on fighting him specifically; he disliked it quite a bit.
—
Both Bjornulf and Nao were still fighting Loather; the two surprisingly worked well together, but Loather was holding up quite well. The fight would go on forever if they didn't do something, Nao thought.
Nao then called out to Bjornulf, who was directly attacking Loather, Loather blocking each attempt with his legs
"Bjornulf!"
Bjornulf turned to look at Nao distracted, causing Loather to side-kick Bjornulf straight in the gut, knocking him into the wall of the building, the wall crumbling, and Bjornulf almost falling out but catching himself on the ledge on the floor of the building.
Loather started walking towards Bjornulf, pure hatred glaring in his eyes, planning to make Bjornulf fall.
"Sindre isn't worth saving!" Loather yelled, frustrated.
Nao got in the way of Loather, giving time for Bjornulf to get up, but he seemed annoyed Nao had interrupted the battle by distracting him earlier.
"What is it?! It's not the time for distractions!"
Nao dodged one of Loather's kicks, looking back at Bjornulf.
"We have to do something! Try to knock some sense into Sindre while I handle Loather!"
Bjornulf hesitantly agreed, as he wanted to be the one to finish Loather instead of Nao. He then went over to Sindre, kneeling down and breaking Sindre out of the chain.
The weakened Sindre looked up, seeing Bjornulf in front of him and, in the background, seeing Nao getting overpowered by Loather.
Bjornulf looked straight at Sindre trying to talk instead of fight.
"You need to get up, get up and fight! Don't give up just because you're scared of fighting!"
Sindre shuddered and nervously averted his eyes from Loathers replying to Loather in a depressive tone, like he had already lost all hope.
"B-But the things I've done to Loather, I deserve this punishment…"
Bjornulf slapped Sindre in the face, knocking him to his senses, his cheek red with a mark. He was now looking directly at Bjornulf.
Bjornulf had a determined look on his face; he was quite persistent.
"I don't care about your past! The current you is the one I want to save!"
Sindre looked surprised at that, his eyes lighting up a bit, tears starting to form; he couldn't believe someone still cared for him.
Tears began to rush down his face, his face becoming a mix of different emotions: hope, love, nostalgia, sorrow, and desperation. His face was unable to convey it all, but there was still a fear holding him back, a shackle.
"I can't... I don't even remember how to fight! I CAN'T DO IT!"
Sindre said, unable to move, frustrated with himself. Bjornulf got up, looking down at Sindre, then at the fight between Nao and Loather as he spoke in an almost stoic way.
"A warrior's duty is to fight till the end; their skill and worth do not matter. As long as they keep fighting, they are a warrior."
The words hit Sindre like a bullet, making him realize just what type of person Bjornulf was.
Bjornulf then looked at Sindre, lending his hand for Sindre to take.
"It's never too late to change... friend."
Sindre just stood there a moment, then a slight smile appeared on his face, taking Bjornulf's hand and breaking the shackles that once held him.
"You're right... I can't keep running from my past anymore." Sindre said, wiping his tears away.
Bjornulf laughed quite loudly, letting go of Sindre's hand and patting him on the back quite harshly.
"That's the spirit, friend!"
Sindre nodded quietly, chuckling.
Sindre gripped his chain that Bjornulf broke, planning to make it his weapon in this fight.
The two of them walked towards the fight, SIndre shaking but still stepping forward espite that as he thought to himself,
"(i'm going to change.)"
—
Nao was getting overpowered and beaten by Loather. She now lay on the ground defeated and bruised. Loather looked over to Sindre, who was walking towards him.
"Better end this quickly and get rid of one nuisance."
Loather lifted his leg over the weakened Nao, then brought it down, planning to end her with one heel kick to the head.
Loather's leg was suddenly stopped in place by a chain, Sindre's Chain. Loather's surprise was quickly dismissed as Bjornulf rushed toward Loather, taking out his axe and striking his lifted leg.
Loather quickly moved his lifted leg back, making the chain block the impact of the attack. Loather spoke, irritated.
"Why do people have to be so irritating?"
Sindre quickly let go of the chain as Bjornulf took that chance to drive down his axe into Loather's leg.
Suddenly an earthquake and swinging sound rang out, a huge amount of earth magic terraforming in the middle of Bjornulf's attack and blocking the impact of the axe's slash.
Loather brought his leg down, breathing heavily, not from exhaustion but rather some type of small fear.
Bjornulf turned to look at where the swinging sound came from and saw a royal knight; it was Valerius. Bjornulf spoke as if he was admiring the man.
"It's Valerius, the prodigy knight…"
Sindre looked over towards Valerius, while Nao weakly and slowly got up, watching the scene.
Valerius sheathed his sword, looking directly at Loather; he then spoke clearly, commanding Loather to halt battle.
"Stop this battle at once; there's no need for senseless violence."
Loather was confused; what did he mean by senseless? That confusion quickly changed to conflicted anger.
Although before Loather could exchange any words, Valerius continued.
"Since Sloane isn't here, I guess I can finally tell you… everything Sloane said to you was a lie."
From conflicted anger, Loather's face changed to confusion and slight shock; he then fell to his knees in utter disbelief. The Knight King lied to him, to their people? It was unbelievable.
"Is that… Is that true…?"
Valerius simply stood there for a moment before nodding, Loather just looking up at the ceiling in disbelief.
Valerius then walked past the three bystanders over to Loather, the three watching in complete silence.
Valerius kneeled down, pulling Loather up to his feet as Valerius put his hand around Loather's shoulder and began to walk out.
But before they left, Valerius turned to Sindre.
"I'm against Sloane's rule, yet I appear to be in this position. You should all leave before more knights arrive."
With that, Valerius left with Loather.
—————
Vira was sitting near the exhausted, laid-down Slace, picking at the grass bored.
That's when both of them saw figures running out; it was Bjornulf and Sindre, Bjornulf holding Nao as she was too weak to walk.
They stopped running when they got to Slace, with Bjornulf and Nao looking at Slace and laughing a bit at his state. Slace tilted his head to the side, ignoring them.
Bjornulf then got down to also pick up Slace.
"Don't you dare do that." He said with a threatening glare.
As Slace slowly got up, backing away from Bjornulf, Herald fell from his unconscious body, slipping off the tiles.
Slace then started walking ahead; he was fatigued, but he wouldn't be embarrassed like this.
"How about you help him instead?"
Bjornulf sighed. Why did Slace always have to be so cold and harsh? Either way, he picked up Herald too, Herald's injuries seeming not too bad.
And with that, they left before the knights could arrive.
————
In the knight kingdom, while Herald and Nao were getting healed, both Bjornulf and Sindre stood alone outside, away from the group.
Sindre turned to Bjornulf, looking up at him.
"Thank you, Bjornulf; if it wasn't for you, I would've never been able to change."
Bjornulf looked down at Sindre, a bit flattered.
"You're welcome, but there is no need to thank me."
Sindre wanted to be like Bjornulf, to change, to be strong; he admired Bjornulf.
So Sindre asked something of Bjornulf with a determined look in his eyes but still had that hint of nervousness.
"Bjornulf… May I join you on your journey? I want to learn how to be a warrior again."
Bjornulf stayed silent for a minute, then a huge smile appeared on his face as he laughed.
"Even if you didn't want to, I would've dragged you along anyways, friend!"
Sindre's face formed a slight smile as he nodded.
"Thank you, Bjornulf..."