(Heartfelt thanks to 'Mo Yu Linshang,' 'Love Anime Girls,' 'White Night Desu,' '? Ji Mo Ru Yan ?,' 'Zhen Yi,' 'I Am a Descendant of the Great Tang,' 'Youyouzi's Lament,' 'Mikoto-nee,' and 'Long Lian Qingxue' for their rewards!)
The battle ended in an instant.
Leora lay on the ground, clutching her chest. There was some pain on her face, but far more than that was satisfaction.
Holding the silver holy sword, Noah stood before Leora and looked down at the Dragon Duchess, speaking with a touch of helplessness.
"Well? Did that satisfy you?"
"Of course." Leora's breathing was ragged, and her face was pale, but the satisfaction in her voice was unmistakable.
"Though the result is disappointing, you let me witness the pinnacle of sword dancing. Now, I can advance toward that peak."
She was not obsessed with victory or defeat, nor with the outcome. She simply enjoyed the process of battle.
And once the battle ended, the first thing she thought of was not victory, defeat, or the result, but the path ahead of her.
How should he put it?
Even Noah was beginning to admire this princess of the Dragunia Dragon Principality.
Seeing how utterly satisfied she looked, Noah smiled faintly and said something.
"If there's another chance, you're welcome to challenge me again anytime."
"That goes without saying." Leora stared at Noah. Even though she could no longer stand and had suffered a crushing defeat, her eyes were still filled with the same blazing fighting spirit as before.
"From now on, you are my goal."
Looking at the blazing fighting spirit in Leora's eyes, not diminished in the slightest but even stronger than before, Noah shrugged and accepted it openly.
Clang—!
The silver holy sword gave off a dazzling flash and gradually shrank within the light, returning