11 — 11. Duel With The Strongest Palace Guard Knight

“Y-yes, understood…”

Reet nodded in response to Ursu’s offer, though tension coiled in his chest.

Fear of facing the “strongest palace guard knight” warred with his desire to measure himself against him—to discover not just how strong he truly was, but whether his own power could match his.

Ursu outlined the rules of their match.

“We are both Swordsmen. Let’s fight with pure swordsmanship alone. We won’t use any Skills except those that are constantly active. Of course, we’ll both wear protection rings.”

“Understood.”

When Reet nodded, the other knights stepped back to give them space.

“Then I shall give the signal,” Iris offered.

“Let’s begin then—”

Reet relaxed the tension from his body and assumed a natural stance with his sword.

In response, Ursu drew his blade.

Just that movement alone revealed the caliber of opponent he was.

“—Begin!”

Reet moved first.

His instinct screamed that hesitation or trickery would mean death in a single blow.

He charged at full speed, driving forward in a straight line.

Ursu met him with an intercepting slash.

The two blades crossed.

It’s so hard!!

Ursu’s sword was a weapon of pure, devastating power.

Its core—thick as a great tree with roots thrust deep into the earth—transmitted raw strength through the blade and into Reet’s hands.

Ursu wielded the Swordsman-class constant Skill: Physical Enhancement.

Reet, by contrast, bore the Holy Knight-class constant Skill: Sacred Fortification.

In terms of passive abilities, Reet possessed the advantage.

Yet despite this, the two remained evenly matched in the moment.

Reet recognized he couldn’t overwhelm him and pivoted, adding a horizontal slash.

Even against this follow-up strike, Ursu remained immovable.

He’s far too solid; there’s no way I can win!!

The thought seized him.

Yet Ursu, for his part, was equally impressed by Reet’s assault.

This is the power of a Holy Knight indeed. But that’s not all—his swordsmanship is genuinely excellent, and he’s extracting every ounce of his Skill’s potential.

In this brief exchange, both had come to recognize the formidable strength of their opponent.

Then, after Reet had sustained the offensive, Ursu finally launched his counterattack.

A slash released with minimal movement, powered only by the transfer of his body weight.

Yet this single strike, laden with the full recoil of the earth beneath him, struck with incredible force.

Reet intercepted it at the last possible moment.

But against such a crushing blow—like a great tree toppling—terror flooded through him.

He couldn’t fully absorb the impact and was thrown backward.

Reet caught himself on the ground and regained his footing.

Ursu is absurdly strong.

The certainty crystallized within him.

But as they’d clashed, he’d noticed something: Ursu fought with an defensive posture, measuring his power rather than pressing for victory.

He wasn’t employing tricks or gambits against him.

He was taking everything on directly.

Because of that, Reet understood he didn’t need to hold back in his attacks.

If he struck at full speed, regardless of success, the blow would land true.

Then I’ll abandon defense and stake everything on a single strike.

Reet launched himself from the ground with every ounce of strength and unleashed a desperate, all-or-nothing blow.

Head-on, he released a strike that contained all the swordsmanship he’d honed throughout his life.

Ursu’s eyebrows flickered.

The two swords collided once more—

The spectators around them held their breath.

Reet’s blade shattered cleanly in two.

The match was decided.

Reet understood immediately that his power had fallen short.

The protection ring remained intact, but his full-force strike had been directly shattered.

There was no way to continue.

…

…

…

But.

“—I surrender.”

It was Ursu who declared his defeat.