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âHow foolish. You two are nothing more than the sidekicks of that girl,â Tiffany sneered, her cold smile dripping with disdain. "And you think you can stop me?"
However, her condescending smirk faltered slightly when her gaze landed on Leoneâs right hand.
"A Special Grade Rune? Hmphâ¦"
"Thatâs right! Keep underestimating us, and youâll regret it!" Rafinha shot back confidently.
"R-Rafinha⦠wait a minuteâ¦" Leone tried to stop Rafinha from provoking Tiffany.
Leone had heard that Holy Knightsâ combat abilities were comparable to Hyrule Menaces in their human form, like Tiffany. But she wasnât confident she could match Tiffanyâs power just yet. She didnât feel she was at the level of Leon or Raphael, even though she bore the same grade of rune.
Even among those with Special Grade Runes, there were differences in ability. Having the rune didnât automatically place her on par with the strongest knights.
"Itâs fineâ¦! Just arguing with her buys us time. You should say something too, Leone," Rafinha whispered, her tone surprisingly calculated. Despite her outward bravado, she was using her provocations strategically.
"I see⦠That makes sense."
"But Iâm counting on you, okay? Honestly, Iâm a little jealous of that Special Grade Runeâ¦" Rafinha added with a teasing grin.
"!"
Leone straightened, reminded of her responsibility.
The path of a Holy Knight, tied to the Hyrule Menaces, wasnât always glorious. Yet, it was still the dream of aspiring knights everywhere.
Leone was no different. While Inglis stood as an exception, Rafinha and Liselotte both shared the same dream. Having been granted a Special Grade Rune, Leone knew she couldnât afford to show weaknessânot now, not ever.
She had to prove herself worthy of this blessing and stand tall until Rafinha and Liselotte achieved the same. Doubt had no place here.
"Alright, Rafinha!" Leone stepped forward with renewed determination.
"We may not be as strong as Inglis, but weâre growing! We wonât let you have your way!"
"Exactly! Youâve got the same nasty personality as ever, but it doesnât look like youâve grown at all!" Rafinha added sharply, her words biting.
"Heh⦠I see, youâve changed too," Tiffany remarked, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
"Huh?" Rafinha tilted her head, confused.
Tiffany pointed at Rafinha first. "Now youâre just a sidekickâ¦" Then, she gestured toward Leone. "Of a sidekick. Truly, how far youâve fallen."
"Th-thatâs not true! If thatâs what you think, then why donât you try me?" Rafinha challenged, her voice unwavering.
"Shall I? I canât afford to waste time playing around, after all." With those words, Tiffany kicked off the ground, charging directly at Rafinha and Leone. Whether it was arrogance or urgency, her attack came in a straight line, with no attempt at subtlety.
"Rafinha! Letâs do this together!"
"Right! Flowing Radiance!"
From Leoneâs large black sword, a phantom dragon emerged. At the same time, Rafinhaâs Flowing Radiance unleashed a barrage of shining arrows, spreading out like threads in every direction.
The combined attacks surged toward Tiffany, but she didnât flinch. Calmly crossing her arms in front of her, she maintained her defensive stance, pushing forward undeterred. The phantom dragon and light arrows struck her directly, but her gleaming golden armor deflected them effortlessly.
"Those weak attacks are pointless!" she scoffed, charging through the onslaught without hesitation.
"What!? They didnât work!?"
"Weâll need to hit harder!"
Leone shouted, quickly grasping that Tiffanyâs golden armor was the source of her formidable defense.
"Rafinha! Charge up a stronger attack from behind! Iâll hold her off!"
"Got it!"
Leone moved to the front while Rafinha positioned herself behind her. Their formation shifted, with Leone taking on a defensive role to buy time for Rafinhaâs next move.
"Yaaahh!!"
As Tiffany closed in, Leone swung her large black sword in a direct slash. She chose not to enhance the bladeâs range with her Gift this time, relying instead on a straightforward strike. She knew a missed long-range attack would leave her vulnerable, and right now, her priority was keeping Tiffany from advancing.
"Your swing is wideâ¦!" Tiffany effortlessly dodged Leone's downward slash, lowering her stance and twisting her body.
The black sword missed its mark, striking the ground and embedding its tip deep into the floor, leaving a small crack behind.
"Now youâre open!" With fluid precision, Tiffany closed the distance, aiming a punch at Leoneâs exposed side.
"Leone!"
"â¦!"
Tiffanyâs speed was remarkableâexpected of a Hyrule Menaceâbut it wasnât beyond Leoneâs ability to track.
It reminded Leone of the speed Arles displayed during their training sessions. At the very least, she could anticipate Tiffanyâs movements and understand what would happen. She had just enough awareness to react.
Just before Tiffanyâs punch could connect, Leoneâs body slid backward, despite her seemingly vulnerable position after the missed strike. To Tiffany, it appeared as though the ground beneath Leone had shifted, pulling her out of range in an almost unnatural manner.
"Whatâ¦!?" With her target suddenly out of reach, Tiffanyâs punch hit nothing but air.
"Nice one!" Rafinha shouted.
From her position, Rafinha could see what had happened: just before Tiffanyâs fist connected, the blade of Leoneâs black sword extended, pulling Leone backward and out of harmâs way.
Leone had deliberately refrained from using her Gift on the initial strike for this exact moment. By intentionally missing her attack and leaving herself seemingly vulnerable, she baited Tiffany into making a counterattack. Then, using her Gift, she created an opening for her opponent.
(Yes! I can do this!)
Leone nodded to herself, a surge of confidence swelling within her. Her late-night practice sessions were finally bearing fruit. While it might have seemed like a minor application of her Gift, this maneuver was something she couldnât have executed before obtaining her Special Grade Rune.
Upon closer inspection, the tip of Leone's black sword, which had struck the ground, had deformed slightly, bending like a spade driven into the earth and anchoring itself firmly. Previously, Leoneâs Gift could only extend or retract the blade, with no ability to alter its shape.
Now, she could make slight modifications to the swordâs form, and that small change had made all the difference in this maneuver. The Gift had always had the potential for such transformations, but the limitations of her High-Grade Rune had restricted her to merely extending and contracting the blade.
However, after obtaining the Special Grade Rune, Leone could fully tap into her Giftâs potential. The Special Grade Rune allowed its wielder to utilize Artifacts with complete mastery. In addition to this newfound flexibility, there was also a noticeable improvement in the bladeâs speed and precision.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Previously, if Leone had tried to extend her sword quickly enough to match Tiffanyâs speed, it would have stretched out too far. Typically, the farther and larger she tried to extend the blade, the faster it would move, while smaller, shorter extensions were slower.
This meant that regardless of its shape, the time taken was roughly the same. In the past, even if Leone had successfully dodged, the resulting distance between her and Tiffany would have been far greater.
But now, thanks to her precise control, Leoneâs Gift kept her just an inch away from Tiffanyâs missed attack. This precision granted Leone the crucial opportunity she needed.
"Ughâ¦!" Tiffany halted and began to turn around, her momentary hesitation creating the opening Leone had been waiting for.
"Got you!"
With a powerful thrust, the tip of Leoneâs black sword struck Tiffany squarely on her side. The force of the impact reverberated through Leoneâs hand as it met the hard resistance of Tiffanyâs golden armor.
In that instant, Leone unleashed her Gift at full strength and speed.
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