Dueling Resolve

The sound of clashing steel was deafening.

Even amidst the clamor of battle, Medrauta’s parries echoed like thunder as she traded devastating blows with her opponent while soldiers raged around them. While the more braver troops on both sides attempted to aid their allied knight, such attempts were swiftly shut down by the knights through a mixture of bewildering swordplay and lightning-fast reflexes that were interwoven into the rhythm of their deadly duel.

“Not bad for a junior knight!” Medrauta’s opponent smirked as she issued her latest attack, the wild look in her eyes a clear indicator of how much she was enjoying the battle.

“Hah! I could say the same to you, Dame Cassandra!” Medrauta returned her opponent’s fierce grin as she parried Cassandra’s scything blade, causing the massive greatsword to scream as it slid down the length of her slender longsword. “Y’know, I think we could’ve been friends if you weren’t so blind to the truth!”

Without responding, Cassandra allowed her greatsword to drop to the ground, presenting an opening for Medrauta to strike. However, Cassandra had already anticipated this. As the silver-haired knight’s blade darted forward to strike, Cassandra flicked her wrist, driving the tip of her weapon into the ground and leaping high into the air. Using her greatsword as a massive fulcrum, the momentum of her powerful jump carried her through the air, sailing above Medrauta and her attack.

“Ugh!” Cassandra grunted as she was sent flying backwards, barreling through the soldiers behind her and sending them toppling to the ground.

Thanks to her lack of heavy armor and unmatched reflexes, Medrauta had managed to twist her body just in time to put her in range for a powerful thrusting kick that she launched the moment Cassandra landed. Although the crushing force of the attack had mostly been absorbed by the thick plate that Cassandra wore, the blow still opened up the senior knight to Medrauta’s vicious follow-up attack.

Cassandra winced as Medrauta hammered her blade into the senior knight’s hastily raised weapon. “Blind to the truth? I’m not stupid, you know.”

“Then why?” Medrauta asked as the senior knight scrambled away rapidly after receiving a particularly vicious side cut from the silver-haired knight that opened a gash in her side. “Throw down your weapon and surrender. I’m sure your men will follow suit.”

Cassandra merely laughed, ignoring the blood running down her hip. “As a fellow knight, you should know that’s not something I can decide on my own.”

Medrauta nodded decisively as she deduced the implication behind her opponent’s words. “Very well, Dame Cassandra. It seems that I must decide for you.”

“...I invite you to try, Dame Medrauta.” Cassandra replied, resting her colossal weapon on her shoulder. In terms of sheer size and weight, Cassandra’s weapon was far superior to Medrauta’s comparatively delicate longsword, yet the silver-haired knight advanced confidently anyway.

Medrauta launched herself forward without hesitation, her sword descending furiously upon Cassandra who desperately defended herself against Medrauta’s rapid assault. As a senior knight, she was far more accustomed to dealing with weapons of similar size and weight due to the fact that most knights gravitated toward large and heavy weapons once they became older and stronger.

Because of that, she had foolishly pressed the attack against Medrauta earlier, believing that her weapon’s superior leverage and weight coupled with her impressive strength would soon wear down the junior knight’s defenses and smash straight through her blade. Unfortunately for Cassandra, she had sorely underestimated her opponent’s mastery of leverage and mobility.

Now with her stamina partially exhausted, defending against Medrauta’s unfathomably intricate combinations had become nigh-impossible. Of course, Medrauta had known that she would win the moment their roles reversed, and now that she was on the attack, Cassandra had virtually no chance. In fact, the excitement that she felt earlier from crossing blades with the senior knight had all but disappeared.

Even if Cassandra had wisely conserved her stamina, Medrauta doubted that the senior knight would be able to strive for victory. After all, the moment they crossed blades, Medrauta had already been able to approximate the level of skill that Cassandra held. Much to her disappointment, the senior knight’s skill was only comparable to Leticia’s.

...But even so, I doubt she could beat Leticia. Medrauta thought as she casually flicked her wrist, exploiting yet another opening in Cassandra’s defense and catching the senior knight by the forearm. In truth, the greatest difference between Cassandra and Medrauta or even Leticia was the fact that the senior knight’s blade was empty.

Cassandra fought not for victory nor her own ambitions. Instead, she merely fought because she had been ordered to swing her blade, no matter how devoid of motivation she truly was. While the senior knight enjoyed crossing blades with a knight as skilled as Medrauta, she could not muster enough resolve to carry on through the wounds that the silver-haired knight inflicted upon her, nor was she championing an ideal that would allow her to hold fast against Medrauta’s merciless onslaught.

Instead, Cassandra fought for a cause she did not believe in. Her blade rose and fell in a war that she hadn’t wished to participate in, and her battle cry reached only the ears of the soldiers but not their hearts.

“Surrender, Dame Cassandra.” Medrauta pointed her blade at the senior knight who had collapsed onto her knees, forced to lean on her greatsword for support.

Around them, a few soldiers had stopped fighting, transfixed by the strange scene before them. As some of them were seasoned veterans, they were used to seeing enemies dispatched as quickly and efficiently as possible, especially when it came to enemy knights. For Medrauta to offer another knight mercy on the battlefield was unheard of.

“...I cannot.” Cassandra replied, spitting out a thick globule of blood that soon merged with the other crimson pools staining the ground. Gritting her teeth, the senior knight painfully pulled herself back onto her feet as she fixed the silver-haired knight in her eyes. “To surrender here would be to disgrace myself and my honor.”

Is it because I’m a junior knight? The tip of Medrauta’s blade never wavered even as she fell into thought. “You have already disgraced yourself by stepping onto this battlefield, Dame Cassandra. A knight who sheds blood emotionlessly has no place here.”

“...Perhaps you’re right, Dame Medrauta. But still, I cannot disgrace myself further.” Cassandra winced as she hefted her greatsword, pointing it at Medrauta. “So long as I can see the path laid before me, I shall fight even if it leads me to ruin!”

“Your resolve is impressive, but I can’t say it’s admirable.” Medrauta flicked her blade, deflecting a clumsy slash from Cassandra. “So be it, Dame Cassandra. Let’s finish this.”

With a roar, Cassandra shot forward, mustering every ounce of strength her battered body still possessed. Though rivers of blood ran through the striations of her aching muscles, Cassandra continued charging toward certain defeat. Her breath came labored as she raised her sword high in the air, preparing to bring it down upon her opponent’s head unfalteringly.

Again, Medrauta deflected the blow, deftly weaving through the mass of troops that fought around them. While most of the soldiers had given them a wide berth, it was inevitable that the tide of combat would ebb and flow in a battlefield.

“...’Let’s finish this’?” Cassandra spat. “Don’t fuck with me, Dame Medrauta... I’m not... finished yet...”

Medrauta raised an eyebrow, gesturing to Cassandra in an effort to emphasize her broken condition. “You’re barely even awake, Dame Cassandra. You’re not finished? What a joke. You were done the moment you dared stand on the same battlefield as me.”

“Don’t... belittle me...”

“Didn’t I already tell you? A knight who sheds blood emotionlessly has no place here. That empty blade of yours will never reach me.” Medrauta said with an air of finality as she slowly walked up to Cassandra, raising her blade high in the air as she prepared to deliver the final blow.

“I... I...”

“Farewell, Dame Cassandra.”

CLANG!

“I SAID I’M NOT FINISHED YET!!!” Cassandra roared. Somehow, she had tapped into a reservoir of strength she didn’t even know existed. Powered by nothing but her own willpower, Cassandra raised her blade just in time to parry Medrauta’s downward strike before pushing the silver-haired knight back.

Cassandra staggered forward slightly, glaring at Medrauta through bloodshot but determined eyes. She jabbed her arm forward, pointing her greatsword at the silver-haired knight. Although the tip wavered slightly from muscular exhaustion, her resolve remained ironclad. “I’m not... fuckin’ finished yet. Fuck my lord, and fuck you. What the hell do you mean my blade is ‘empty’, huh? I’ll show you, you little brat.”

“Finally showing your true colors, huh?” Medrauta smirked.

“Damn right,” Cassandra inhaled deeply, taking her time to catch her breath despite the numerous wounds sapping away at her strength. “You wanted to know my true feelings? My true desires? Well, all I want to do right now is pound your stupid fucking face into the ground even if I end up losing this damned battle. How’s that for a desire, huh!?”

The silver-haired knight frowned as she observed her opponent. It was obvious that Cassandra was only maintaining her consciousness through sheer force of will. The amount of blood that the senior knight lost during the course of the fight was by no means small, and the crimson pool at her feet testified to that. However, it was something else that drew Medrauta’s eyes. Despite everything, a fierce smile still remained on Cassandra’s face even as she forced herself to remain standing.

...So she’s finally managed to free herself from the shackles of her lord, huh? Medrauta shook her head in exasperation before replying with a grin of her own. That’s a senior knight for you.

“Not bad, but let’s see you try!” Medrauta replied, preparing herself as the tension of battle rose to a crescendo. Instinctively, the silver-haired knight knew the next few exchanges would truly be their last, and with Cassandra finally finding her much-needed motivation to fight, Medrauta could no longer treat the senior knight lightly.

In truth, this was the very first time that Cassandra had ever experienced such a thrilling battle. The feeling of striving to climb an impossibly tall wall, immutable and towering over even the heavens. She knew that she would lose even from the very start. The moment their blades collided, she could sense the iron will within the silver-haired knight and the overwhelming power that Medrauta wielded despite her status as a mere junior knight.

For a knight, victory was the preferred outcome, but not always the goal. It was the process of battle that drove Cassandra’s heart to beat and the reason why she had been capable of standing on her own as a knight despite her lacking skill even after becoming a senior knight. Her unstoppable tenacity allowed her to power through even the toughest of situations, repeatedly bashing her head against that insurmountable wall until it was forced to give in.

While she had stepped onto this battlefield with no true direction or motivation, she now found a purpose in Medrauta.

The ground erupted beneath Cassandra’s feet as she fired herself at her opponent, swearing to land at least a single blow against the silver-haired knight before she would inevitably suffer the bitter taste of defeat. With her greatsword leading the way, Cassandra streaked across the battlefield like a veritable comet, burning brightly but briefly as she exhausted the last reserves of her energy.

CLANG!

Medrauta flinched as she received the attack with her blade, the force of Cassandra’s strike bearing down on the fragile longsword struggling to maintain its integrity. She knew this was her opponent’s last strike, a decisive blow meant to seal not Medrauta’s fate, but her own. Had this been in the arena, Medrauta might have been tempted to allow this one attack to land, but the silver-haired knight currently stood on the battlefield. It was a place of violence where all those who trod upon its accursed grounds understood the price such a wicked place demanded.

There was no place for honor nor chivalry. But at the very least, Medrauta would use her overwhelming strength to make room for mercy.

“Haaaaah!” With great effort, Medrauta deflected Cassandra’s final blow to the side, driving her feet against the ground and pushing herself forward and adjacent to the senior knight. For a single moment, Medrauta’s eyes met Cassandra’s, and both knights knew that the duel had ended.

The senior knight’s ferocious smile softened, closing her eyes and accepting her fate even as Medrauta’s arm described a vicious scything motion that brought the pommel of her sword to the side of Cassandra’s head. The resulting impact was deafening, causing nearby soldiers to wince as the force of Medrauta’s blow shattered Cassandra’s helmet and rendered her unconscious.

The senior knight slumped to the ground, her beautiful lavender hair trailing behind her as she fell reminiscent of a comet’s tail.

Medrauta thrust her blade high into the air, releasing a feral roar. The sight of her victory inspired her men and broke the spirits of the enemy, causing them to retreat rapidly before the tide of Dietrich fief’s troops. As for Medrauta herself, she quickly scooped Cassandra up, placing the senior knight squarely on her shoulder as she pushed her way toward the place where Viviane and the archer unit waited.

With her keen vision, the silver-haired knight scanned the group of archers, picking out Viviane among their ranks only to see that her lady was staring straight at her, and not in a particularly endearing way.

...Oh shit. She’s mad.