Gatomon's exhilaration stood in stark contrast to Aurora's dejection.
A slight gap in swordsmanship and a lack of combat experience had led to Aurora's ultimate defeat.
But that didn't mean Aurora was truly weaker than Gatomon.
Under this match's rules, she could have unleashed her aura in a burst.
It could only be said that her sense of principle was remarkably strong.
After leaving the field, Aurora simply sat back down on the bench.
Since the Vampire Young Lady had already run back to the Phoenix Maiden's side, Aurora ended up sitting on Dark's right.
Dark noticed she looked dejected but not overly so, and chose not to press her with questions.
Once Gatomon returned as well, Dark pulled its Magic Guide Card from his deck and gave it a little shake. "Take a short rest..."
Gatomon nodded, unstrapped its sword, and handed it over.
Dark took the sword, shook the Magic Guide Card once more, and drew Gatomon back into the card.
Then he sketched a magic circle and quickly replenished its mana.
Once Gatomon's mana was full, he summoned it forth again.
The Gatomon that now materialized, aside from a touch of mental fatigue, had fully recovered to peak condition.
It hefted its sword once more and looked toward Diana, raising an eyebrow.
Diana had just gone through a round of deep self-reflection, still fidgeting and lost in scattered thoughts, until Gatomon's gaze fell upon her face and she snapped to attention.
At the same moment, Claire's voice rang out: "After an unexpected bit of drama, this match — held to test what everyone has learned — has finally reached its final stage."
"Much as I'd love to pretend to be excited and shout a line or two, being the referee is honestly boring..."
"So now, let's welcome our special guest who's pushed through to the finals, Diana, along with the white cat who just defeated Miss Aurora — Gatomon!"
Thunderous applause broke out.
Diana and Gatomon looked toward Dark at almost the same moment.
Dark simply said, "Go on up," watching as the two of them drew their swords and walked onto the field.
...
Whatever thoughts Diana and Gatomon carried with them, once they stepped onto the field, they became opponents.
Gatomon planted itself ten meters from Diana, raised its sword to point at her, and said, "Victory favors the prepared."
Diana gripped her sword hilt, brow furrowing slightly. "You also have to be able to seize it."
Gatomon gave its sword a small shake. "Then let's find out."
An inexplicable tension, sharp as drawn blades, settled between the two of them.
Dark focused entirely, pouring his hopes for victory into Gatomon, and that burning anticipation became Gatomon's driving force.
The fight was about to erupt.
"Match start!"
Claire announced right on cue.
Neither side held back from the opening moment — swords fell like a sudden storm, thunder crashing down.
The instant their blades clashed, Diana understood the strength behind Gatomon's blows. She drew her gaze inward at once, pressing the surging qi back into her meridians, keeping only the most natural state.
Even so, her strength still exceeded Gatomon's.
Both possessed "innate divine strength," but Diana's was clearly purer than Aurora's had been.
Once she had her qi under control, she let herself go completely, each strike landing like a bear's paw — [Sturdy] and heavy.
The vibrations from her blows traveled straight up through the sword into the base of the palm gripping it.
After barely ten or so exchanges, Gatomon already felt its sword hand growing faintly numb.
Realizing the gap in raw power between them, it immediately shifted tactics, weaving cunning feints into its swordplay.
Gatomon's agility had always outstripped its raw strength, and compared to Diana, who fought in straightforward, head-on fashion, it undoubtedly held the advantage here.
Striking at the enemy's weakness with one's own strength — that was simply sound strategy.
Without a doubt, the adjustment paid off. Gatomon gradually clawed back from its disadvantage, even gaining a slight edge.
This turned the whole match murky and unpredictable once more.
Dark sat with his fingers interlaced, still watching the fight with full attention.
Gatomon's performance had already far exceeded his expectations.
The earlier match against Aurora hadn't just given it confidence — it had also brought real progress in swordsmanship.
"Combat really is the surest path to improvement."
"Gatomon's swordsmanship right now has probably already surpassed Meowth's."
"I figured it would eventually surpass Meowth, but I didn't expect it to happen this fast."
Meowth's status as a Technician let it pick up small tricks far faster than others, but swordsmanship wasn't just a collection of "tricks" — the deeper one went, the more elements it required.
Meowth would gradually lose its edge.
By then, Gatomon would surely overtake it.
It's just that now, that moment had arrived sooner than expected.
"By comparison, my own swordsmanship is honestly quite clumsy."
Dark had been fairly satisfied with his progress over these past two weeks, but nothing ruins satisfaction like comparison.
With Gatomon and Meowth shining so brightly ahead of him, he looked painfully mediocre by comparison.
But thinking it over carefully — wasn't a Magic Guide Spirit's swordsmanship essentially his own swordsmanship too?
So really, there was nothing wrong at all!
...
The situation on the field shifted by the second.
No sooner had Gatomon gained the upper hand than it suddenly realized Diana was also adjusting her tactics!
Her adjustment wasn't even gradual — it was exactly the kind of bold, sweeping change that matched her personality perfectly.
As if in the blink of an eye, her swordsmanship transformed completely, shifting from straightforward power strikes into something remarkably delicate and nimble!
Gatomon, caught off guard by her sudden shift in style, instantly lost the small edge it had just gained.
Had it not adjusted in time, it would likely have already lost.
...
"This child — when it comes to combat talent, there's truly no one like her."
Outside the arena, Camilla watched her beloved daughter's outstanding performance with unmistakable pride on her face, then added with self-deprecating humor, "Honestly, I really don't know how she managed to rank only fifth in her year."
What sounded like self-deprecation, Alvit could only hear as thinly veiled boasting.
But Alvit quickly changed the subject: "Camilla, once this match is over, could I ask you for a favor?"
"What kind of favor?" Camilla asked, puzzled.
Alvit said slowly, "Starting tomorrow, I'm going to teach Dark the art of Armament Forging, but I honestly don't know how far his research into it has already progressed. If you're willing, I'd like you to test him in my place."
Camilla paused briefly. "Why not do it yourself, or have his Magic Guide Spirit handle it?"
Alvit explained, "As for me, I just can't keep myself in check."
Camilla couldn't help laughing. "Don't joke with me — you, unable to control yourself?"
Alvit smiled faintly. "What I mean is, I can't bring myself to go through with it."
Camilla froze for a moment, then rolled her eyes. "That's so like you. Then why not use his Magic Guide Spirit?"
Alvit said, "A Magic Guide Spirit can't measure it accurately."
"Fine," Camilla said, shaking her head. "You always have a reason ready."
Having had little contact with Alvit before, Camilla never would have guessed that this Valkyrie could be such a troublesome little woman in private.
She crossed her arms and turned her attention back to her precious daughter.
...
Both sides were using nothing but the most basic swordsmanship — simply footwork blended with technique.
There were no intricate, profound sword arts, no magic-infused sword techniques.
There was only the ever-thickening clash of ringing steel.
Gatomon's disadvantage became unavoidable.
Diana had already begun pressing her advantage.
The whole momentum of the fight kept tilting steadily in Diana's favor.
Gatomon's disadvantage grew more and more obvious, while Diana only fought with greater ferocity!
...
Dark, watching the match intently, frowned slightly.
The cause behind this turn of events was strikingly similar to the earlier match between Gatomon and Aurora.
Both stemmed from a gap in combat experience.
Diana's background and family upbringing meant that even without formal training, she'd steadily accumulated experience over time.
Gatomon, like Meowth, was still just a beginner with less than two weeks of practice under its belt.
To have matched blades with Diana for this long was, in truth, already remarkable.
Among those her age in the Greatbear family, few could even gain the upper hand against Diana.
But Gatomon's goal was clearly not to "put on a good show."
It wanted to win!
Among all of Dark's Magic Guide Spirits, Gatomon's hunger for victory ranked among the very highest.
It was the embodiment of Pride itself, the very essence of dignity.
Any result other than first place meant nothing to it at all.
But nothing worth having comes easily.
Trying, as a mere beginner, to defeat the Pearl in the Palm of the Greatbear family was simply too difficult, too far out of reach.
Though Gatomon fought on with everything it had, it never found the chance to turn the tables.
Facing a Diana who only grew fiercer as the fight wore on, it was pushed back step by step, until finally its sword was knocked aside, leaving its chest wide open and defenseless.
When Diana's blade came to rest against Gatomon's chest, Gatomon chose to accept defeat.
It didn't throw a tantrum like a child would — instead, with composed dignity, it lowered the hand holding its sword.
The outcome was decided.
"Thank you to both competitors for giving us such a spectacular visual feast. Finally, congratulations to Diana Greatbear on claiming final victory — your reward will be issued shortly; please go collect it from the Duke."
Claire applauded as she walked down off the stage.
This job of hosting and refereeing at the same time really wasn't easy.
Still, it was finally about to be over.
Just as she was thinking that, the "Silver Wolf Knight" Camilla walked toward the arena instead.
This made Claire pause in her steps, her eyes drifting toward Alvit, who stood motionless outside the field.
Alvit gave her a nod, so she had no choice but to return to the stage and keep covering the dual role.
Camilla, having reached the center of the field, gave Diana a high-five. "Well done."
Diana scratched her head. "Just lucky."
Camilla couldn't help but laugh. "What, have you learned some humility too?"
"Mom—" Diana tugged at her mother's arm, acting sweet. "Is there something else you came up here for?"
Camilla nodded with a smile. "Next up is my turn."
...
By now Gatomon had already returned to Dark's side.
Though it looked composed on the surface, Dark could clearly sense the dejection underneath.
So he reached out and caught Gatomon by the arm as it tried to slip away casually into the crowd of Magic Guide Spirits, acting as if nothing had happened.
Once he'd pulled Gatomon in close, Dark asked with a smile, "You lost too, huh?"
Gatomon's eyes went red, emotion bursting out all at once.
Dark patted its back. "I lost too."
Then he added, "So how about we work hard together, and win it back next time?"
Gatomon broke into tears and laughter at once. "Mm!"
...
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