"It’s chilling to think what might have happened if you’d jumped in from the flank while I was busy facing Osiris in the center."
Abeljan dismounted from his Emblem Horse. He had judged that fighting from the saddle would put him at a disadvantage against Leo's throwing techniques.
"I’m not sure how Zeno-san realized this line would be breached. No... he likely heard about you from someone who knows your face. Two thousand against one thousand... normally, that's a power gap a commander could trust with peace of mind. Looking at the field, it seems some sort of scheme worked in your favor, but even so, there aren't many knights capable of instantly killing a Two-Star like Kaizel."
Abeljan took a deep breath, shifting his mindset. The person standing before him was no mere soldier among the masses. This was an enemy—one who would eventually become a formidable wall. If that was the case, then he had to act here and now.
"All forces, charge! I’ll take care of the brat myself."
"Understood!" the soldiers roared in unison.
Leo also took a deep breath.
"Flare, Deskis-senpai... I’m sorry. Even though I’m the unit commander... can I leave everything to you?"
He brushed his bangs back with both hands and stared directly at Abeljan.
"Everything I have... I don't think this will even be a fight unless I go full throttle with the absolute best I can do right now."
"Leave it to us!" Flare shouted back. "But I won’t forgive you if you lose!"
"Leave everything that follows to me," Deskis added. "But stay on your guard, Leo. That man is, without exaggeration, one of the few standing at the very peak of this world."
"Yeah... that’s why..."
Leo wound up his arm. He threw the blade with the truest, most absolute power he could muster.
"I’m not holding anything back!"
He sprinted forward the moment the blade left his hand.
"What... He missed...?"
At first glance, it looked like the throw had failed. Given its incredible power and speed, even a slight misalignment would naturally cause it to fly wide. But that wasn't the case.
Leo had hurled the Crest Sword with the flat of the blade held vertically to catch the wind's full resistance. It didn't spin at all—a non-rotating throw—released at a slight angle. The air pressure striking the slanted blade forced it sideways.
In other words—
"It’s curving?!"
It was likely a first for this world. The Crest Sword drew a sharp arc through the air, homing in on Abeljan’s side. It was a curveball.
Even a veteran as experienced as Abeljan had never seen a projectile move like that. To begin with, the speed of the throw was in a different dimension entirely. Despite that, Abeljan’s honed senses adapted instantly. It was a testament to his skill that he was able to react at all.
He parried the blade with the Crest Sword in his right hand, a cold sweat breaking out on his brow. Then, as if slipping through the tiny gap in his concentration—
"What a monster..."
Leo was already right in front of him, arm pulled back for a strike.
The sword in Abeljan’s right hand wouldn't make it back in time. Normally, the fight would have ended right there. Even a Three-Star Knight would have been finished after being caught off guard by that "first-encounter-kill" curve throw. It was a combination that could only be described as perfect.
However, his opponent was a legend whose name echoed across the world, a warrior who had crossed through countless life-and-death situations.
Abeljan instantly dispelled the Crest Sword in his right hand to free up his movement. Using only his bare hand, he caught Leo’s swinging right arm.
Abeljan smirked. Leo’s speed was certainly terrifying, but he was certain that he held the advantage in raw strength. He had him.
Reacting instantly, Leo dispelled his own Crest Sword.
Abeljan’s eyes widened. Could the boy really have performed the exact same maneuver back at him in a split second?
The Crest Sword vanished, only to manifest again in Leo’s left hand. He swung immediately. Abeljan summoned a second Crest Sword in his free left hand and blocked the strike.
It was a dizzying sequence of offense and defense, as synchronized as a choreographed dance. From the moment Leo threw the first sword and started his sprint, barely a second had passed.
"I am Abeljan Rogren."
"Leo... just Leo."
Abeljan gave a sharp grin. Leo understood the meaning behind the introduction. He was being recognized as a worthy foe. While that made him happy, it didn't change the fact that he had to win.
"Haaaah!"
Leo lunged forward. He unleashed a storm of fierce attacks—summoning, dispelling, and throwing his blades in a blur of motion.
Yet, Abeljan parried every single one. He even managed to counter-strike, forcing Leo to block. Each heavy blow vibrated through Leo’s body, shaking him to the marrow of his bones.
The man was heavy. Every time Leo blocked an attack, his stamina was brutally gouged away.
"Haah... haah..."
Hardly five minutes had passed, yet Leo realized his arms were growing numb. He could no longer maintain a firm grip on his sword. He could still parry and react, but every one of the man’s strikes felt like a falling mountain.
"You are certainly fast... but your sword is light, boy. It lacks substance."
"Substance?"
"You lack the resolve to shoulder the burden of a nation. All you have is a sense of sympathy—the simple desire not to see anyone die."
"That’s not true—"
"Then let me ask you this. If I told you that I won’t kill a single person so long as you surrender and become my prisoner, what would you do?"
"Eh?"
Leo hesitated. If that were the case... then perhaps surrendering wouldn't be so bad, he thought.
"See? You hesitated. You don't actually care about the outcome of the war. You just want to protect people. You think it would be for the best if the war never happened at all."
"...Are you trying to say it’s wrong to want to protect people?"
"No, that isn't what I mean. But that hesitation is why your sword is 'light.' Weight comes from time. Being born in a country, being loved by your parents, walking with your friends, loving someone, being joined with them, and raising children. When you have countless memories and precious things you can no longer carry alone, you take root in that land. That is when the weight truly begins to build. A good knight is a good father, or a good mother. You are still just a child. How old are you?"
"...Twelve."
"The same age as my daughter. I am thirty-five. From your perspective, I suppose I’m just an old man?"
"I didn't ask... and I don't really want to hear about your family."
"......You're soft."
Abeljan glanced behind them. He saw the Odixia knights Leo had taken prisoner, handcuffed and guarded by soldiers ready to execute them at a moment's notice. He understood the situation perfectly.
"Why don't you kill them? They bear the Master's Emblem."
"Because I don't want to. I don't kill prisoners."
"Is that your ideology?"
"It’s my ideal."
"......Heh. Hahaha!"
Abeljan suddenly burst into laughter. Leo watched him, bewildered. Then, with a surprisingly gentle expression, Abeljan looked at the boy.
"...Leo, why don't you become my disciple?"
"Huh?"
It was a sudden, blunt attempt to recruit an enemy talent.