Volume 5 Chapter 49 Horace VS Shildress
Horace and Shildress faced each other in the audience hall.
Each held a sword: the magic sword Duran and the divine sword Shrinke.
Clad in white armor over a red dress, they fought with sharp, practiced moves.
"...That sword has a thin membrane."
"You noticed."
"It's more than that. I can't feel what's inside the blade at all."
"That's because its strength lies in keeping things untouched. This divine sword protects the inside from cuts, hits, shocks, heat, poison—everything."
"So it just focused on protection? Sounds like... shrink wrapping. That's a rare way to think of it."
"It's not about rare thinking. It's about being sure. In a fight, that's all that matters, right?"
"Yeah. That's true."
Magic always looks for balance.
People have a special nerve that helps them sense if magic is steady or not.
That's why certainty matters.
In battle, being sure is more important than anything else.
But human thoughts are limited.
To go beyond that—to reach the extreme—you either need to break your own limits...
Or find a reason so strong that you can believe in it no matter what.
It's hard. Complicated.
That's why—
"Certainty... huh."
"That sword holds the fights of the Order of the Sealed Dragon. I want to see how much I can draw out. I want to see how much it answers me."
"Well, there's only one way to know. Just swing it. Let's keep going."
To swing a sword once—or not at all—makes a huge difference.
After the first time, every extra swing matters less.
Since he had already taken the first step, now it was just about how far he could go.
Duran's power is the history of the Order of the Sealed Dragon.
The person using it cannot rely on their own strength.
That's why Horace couldn't use Laris's power.
No, Laris was too strong. If Horace had used that power, his story would have changed into something else—something far from his goal.
Now, the Order of the Sealed Dragon's power was in Shildress's hands.
"I don't know the origin of this sword... but I know its history. It's here now. I still have many things I want to try."
The magic sword Duran can take other allied weapons and boost itself by using them.
If a weapon is accepted by Duran, it can even use the experiences saved inside that weapon.
Still, Duran has no set element. What it carries is only sword skills.
Even so, it holds a huge amount of data.
It can even mix techniques together and create new sword styles.
There's no end to what it can do.
But not many people are strong enough to be tested with it.
"...Sounds fun."
"Of course, it's fun."
"Hehe... with that person."
Shildress smiled.
She was probably thinking about Poraster Glasha.
Her confidence burned hot. She got excited when facing strong enemies.
That drive made her look like a true battle freak.
That same feeling now poured out of Horace.
Ten years of hard training in the Diamante Kingdom had worn him down.
He looked tired all the time—dull, almost lifeless.
But that didn't matter now.
This wasn't about fate or pride.
It was about testing what he had made, what he had gained.
And that—
That sounded like a lot of fun.
"But I'm not losing. You've gotten cocky since beating Arzent, haven't you? That guy loses on purpose to grow. I'm not that soft."
"I see. When I swing this sword, it feels like I can't even hit anything."
"Well, swing it all you want. But that shard's time limit is almost up. If things get risky, I'll knock you out. Until then, try and win."
"Fine. I finished Arzent fast. This is the first time I'm really crossing swords with a god. I'll go all out!"
Horace's energy grew stronger.
Shildress answered it with calm eyes and a smile. She blocked each attack with ease.
She might have been thinking of that warrior from the past—Poraster Glasha.
And so, she also raised her sword.
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