Sona's speed was terrifyingly fast, almost catching Maria off guard. She only felt the opponent turn into a red shadow. Subconsciously raising her shield, she felt a huge impact on it.
She didn't retreat or waver, but rather, she very standardly flipped her shield outwards, forcing the already close Sona to be pushed out of that range.
If she had been hit by the shield, she probably wouldn't have retreated herself, but would have been knocked flying.
Sona's build was small and very agile, giving her a great advantage in close-quarters combat. So she had originally intended to use her speed to approach Maria and then make her struggle to cope.
She hadn't expected Maria not to fall for it, immediately making her retreat.
Sona had not undergone formal knight training; all of her combat skills were honed through life-and-death struggles. They were concise, efficient, and devoid of flashy moves. Her choice of a rapier was simply to complement her speed. Her rapier technique appeared inelegant, striking directly, relying solely on its swiftness.
As the saying goes, 'one trick to rule them all,' Sona had relied on this unmatchable speed to fight her way into the current melee.
If she could win the melee, she would advance further, and might even transform the Red Pine Knights into a Grand Knight Order. Although this was not her original intention, she was an Infected, an Infected Knight. For the Infected, this was indeed a path forward, but it was a bloody and cruel one. Infected Knights faced far more brutal treatment than regular knights. Sona had once been thrown directly into a cage filled with vicious beasts and deadly traps, a man-made jungle, a sealed building. From that moment on, Sona understood that so-called Infected Knights were not like those glamorous arena knights.
They were beasts fed for entertainment, like animals in a bloody cockfighting sport, bred for display.
The only thing they held in their hands was their own lives.
But Sona survived. She didn't even know how she had survived…
Fighting, fighting… fighting… fighting until numb.
What truly transformed Flame Tail Knight into her current self was a formal knight competition… Infected against Infected. It seemed no different from before, and Sona herself hadn't felt any difference at the time.
But that battle completely changed her…
Allowing her to… proudly challenge Maria Nearl.
Allowing her to face the renowned Lingguang Family with the courage to challenge them!
Although knight competitions were carefully packaged bloody games, they were neither chivalrous nor competitive, merely capital-driven entertainment.
However, within these knight competitions, there were still knights worthy of respect! Sona never considered herself a knight; she didn't agree with the ideals of knighthood—but when she saw Maria Nearl, she had such a feeling. Before her was a true knight, a respectable knight who went against the tide of the times.
"Why didn't you join a Grand Knight Order?" During their clash, Sona's words reached Maria Nearl's ears. Clearly, she was puzzled by this and wanted an answer from Maria Nearl. "You would be safer that way. You could easily get through the melee round under the protection of a knight order."
"I didn't think that far ahead." Maria Nearl also lowered her voice, using her shield to once again deflect Sona's thrust. Chatting during an intense battle seemed strange, but Maria Nearl didn't think the other party was joking or trying to distract her. She genuinely wanted an answer from her.
"I just feel like I don't want to always be sheltered by others!" Maria Nearl said earnestly, "First it was my sister, then Aunt, and now Uncle… and…"
Maria Nearl paused, "I don't want to always be protected. I'm not a fragile porcelain doll. I want to protect the people I want to protect. If I can't even get through a situation like this, I won't be able to tell her 'I will protect you'! To protect the people I want to protect! I must maintain my status as an independent knight! I know this is reckless and foolish! But, I just want to prove that I'm not that fragile… and don't need this kind of protection."
…So that's how it is." Sona was somewhat surprised. This wasn't the answer she wanted, but it was still good. Sona agreed with Maria Nearl's idea. The desire not to always be the one protected, to protect others, to guard the hearts of others, should not be belittled. Perhaps it wasn't noble, but it was certainly not base! In fact, Sona also had similar thoughts to Maria Nearl; what she wanted to protect… were the members of the Red Pine Knights, and the Infected they sponsored. "As expected of—Nearl."
"Got you!" Maria Nearl's Stone source art shone brightly. Before Sona could react, she felt her head spin, as if she had entered hot water. That warm feeling wasn't like an attack, but rather a comforting power for the heart. However, it was only for an instant; her movements slowed down. Maria Nearl seized this opportunity, using her shield to knock the slowed Sona away. She didn't use much force, but with this one strike—the outcome was decided.
Sona landed lightly, touching the spot where the shield had hit her, and subconsciously looked at Maria Nearl. That strike could have completely incapacitated her, but the other party had shown mercy.
"This is a melee—" But Sona quickly understood why Maria Nearl did this. Their duel was over, so the encirclement was about to begin. Sona would not be at a disadvantage in the encirclement, so Maria Nearl was not in a hurry to eliminate Sona. As expected, the moment Sona flew out, the group of people finally couldn't hold back. Almost instantly, arrows flew towards Maria Nearl.
Blocking the arrows with her shield, Maria Nearl's radiance showed no sign of dimming. She faced the "knights" rushing towards her with a stern expression.
Not just Maria Nearl, Sona, who had just landed, was also surrounded by several knights. This didn't surprise Sona; Infected Knights were always targets in a melee. It was already rare for them to wait until she was defeated.
Dodging and weaving through the opponents' blades, Sona's agility was put to full use. She lost to Maria Nearl, but that didn't mean she was a pushover! She was countered by Maria Nearl; her sword found it difficult to break through Maria Nearl's defense, but it was different for these knights. "Score!"
Sona's sword struck armor, avoiding the opponent's attack, then two quick thrusts knocked off the helmet of the knight who attacked her. She was already well-versed in this kind of melee!
She was more concerned about Maria Nearl's situation. After all, she only had three or four people on her side, while Maria Nearl's side had already turned into a completely unequal group beating.
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