Their swords continued to cross.
The spectators could no longer even see the two fighters themselves. Only the countless afterimages of blades filling the air proved that the battle was still ongoing.
At this point, calling it a mere "spar" was no longer appropriate.
Both sides were unquestionably fighting at full strength.
And the result—Several kilometers around them had become a forbidden zone that no one else could enter.
Boom—!
Explosions continued to erupt.
As the battle grew increasingly intense, Reinhard found himself becoming excited for the first time in years.
As the latest Sword Saint of the Astrea family, he had been burdened with countless expectations from the moment he was born.
The weight known as responsibility had always rested upon his shoulders.
From childhood, he had been taught everything a knight was expected to know.
Although Reinhard had never resented that life, even he inevitably found it somewhat monotonous after so many years.
This battle finally made his blood boil again.
For a [Sword Saint], perhaps nothing was sadder than living in a world where no one was worthy of drawing your sword against at full strength.
And Reinhard had lived in exactly that situation for a very long time.
Yet he was not merely the Sword Saint.
He was also a knight of the Dragon Kingdom of Lugunica.
Even if he could find no worthy opponent within Lugunica, he could not simply abandon his responsibilities and wander the world searching for one.
Besides, the other nations feared the title he carried far too much.
They had even established specific laws concerning him.
If Reinhard left the Kingdom of Lugunica, it could trigger a serious diplomatic incident.
Shiro's appearance had perfectly fulfilled Reinhard's long-standing desire—To find someone against whom he could finally fight with everything he had.
"Haaa!"
With a powerful shout, the Dragon Sword Reid in Reinhard's hands once again erupted with dazzling blue light.
He brought it down directly toward Shiro.
Years of relentless training had already pushed Reinhard's body to the absolute peak attainable by humanity.
At the same time, several Divine Protections he possessed strengthened him depending on the weather and time of day.
[Divine Protection of Rain].
[Divine Protection of Blue Sky].
[Divine Protection of Night Sky].
[Divine Protection of Dawn].
With his physical strength combined with those blessings, merely swinging the Dragon Sword Reid seriously was enough for Reinhard's sword pressure to stir tides and split mountains apart.
However—
Clang—!
That overwhelming strike was once again blocked by Shiro.
Its monstrous force vanished in an eerie manner.
Reinhard showed no surprise.
The exact same thing had already happened thousands of times within the past few seconds.
But this time—Something was different.
Reinhard's eyes sharpened.
Then an incomprehensible power gathered upon his sword.
This was the Divine Protection passed down through the Astrea family since the first Sword Saint.
Only someone who possessed it could draw the legendary Dragon Sword Reid.
And only someone chosen by it was worthy of being called the [Sword Saint] by the people of this kingdom.
[Divine Protection of the Sword Saint]—It allowed its bearer to cut what could not normally be cut.
The Dragon Sword Reid erupted with brilliant silver light.
The strongest steel combined with the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint—Together, they could sever anything.
Whenever Reinhard used this power, it usually signaled the end of the battle.
But this time—
Crkkk—
Reinhard's blade collided with Shiro's sword, producing a harsh scraping noise.
The plastic-like shell covering Shiro's blade trembled violently beneath the strike.
Creaking sounds continuously came from it.
Yet in the end—It remained intact.
The Divine Protection of the Sword Saint had failed to cut through it.
This could no longer be described as merely unbelievable.
Unless Shiro's sword itself possessed an existence surpassing the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint, such an outcome should have been impossible.
Even the other nine blades among the Ten Great Swords would be severed beneath the combined power of Reid and the Sword Saint's Divine Protection.
While Reinhard was still processing that fact—He suddenly caught a faint trace of disappointment in Shiro's eyes.
'Disappointment?'
Before Reinhard could think further—Shiro's blade suddenly erupted with equally dazzling white light.
Reinhard immediately recognized the nature of that power.
It was the same kind of ability as his own Divine Protection of the Sword Saint.
An ability capable of severing anything.
That realization left even Reinhard momentarily speechless.
Yet Shiro was not finished.
After revealing the same cutting ability—He abruptly vanished from Reinhard's vision.
Although both possessed the power to sever, Reinhard had always been overwhelmingly strong.
Because of that, he had never seriously researched the deeper applications of this ability.
In terms of how to use it—Shiro was already one step ahead.
Like teleportation, his figure appeared behind Reinhard.
By severing the very concept of distance between himself and a chosen coordinate, Shiro needed only the slightest movement to arrive there instantly.
Then—His sword descended without hesitation toward Reinhard's neck.
Shiro knew this alone would never defeat him.
The true "gift" he had prepared for Reinhard was still waiting later.
Just as expected—
[Divine Protection of Initiative] activated once again.
Using his left foot as a pivot, Reinhard spun around like a top.
The Dragon Sword Reid dragged the surrounding mana along with it and smashed violently into Shiro's blade.
BOOM—!!!
Perhaps realizing that Shiro had poured everything into this strike, Reinhard likewise responded with his full strength.
The resulting explosion exceeded everyone's expectations.
The violent shockwave shattered everything nearby.
Even Emilia, watching from far away, was forced to use ice magic to protect the others from the aftermath.
Ferocious winds battered both fighters and forced them several steps backward.
But the attack had not ended.
Shiro activated magic.
His body transformed into a streak of light as he launched a kick toward Reinhard.
'A kick?'
'He wants to force me backward?'
'Why?'
Reinhard watched the supersonic kick approach as questions surfaced in his mind.
[Divine Protection of Telepathy]—
It allowed him to roughly understand the thoughts of the opponent before him.
He could tell that Shiro wanted to drive him backward.
But because of the difference in information available to them, Reinhard could not determine why.
Boom—!!!
While he was thinking, Shiro's foot slammed heavily into the Dragon Sword Reid.
The tremendous force pushed Reinhard another two steps backward.
Just as he expected Shiro to continue attacking—He suddenly noticed the strange smile on Shiro's face.
From the very beginning—Shiro's goal had never been to lure Reinhard here and then defeat him.
The moment Reinhard had been forced into this exact position—Shiro's plan had already succeeded.
Reinhard clearly realized it as well.
But the instant he tried to escape—
Shhk—
His vision was suddenly stained crimson.
His entire body burned as though engulfed in flames.
Without warning, large amounts of blood erupted from his body.
Reinhard—Was injured.
…