Before coming to reclaim the "spotlight," Cavendish had already mentally prepared himself for Maud's strength.
But being shot into this state by Maud was something he had never expected.
This was worlds apart from the script he had imagined!
A scene like this, a sequence like this...
He should have fought Maud bitterly, then emerged victorious in the end.
If that really happened, what did it matter if he was covered in grime?
But...
One shot.
Just one shot.
He had not even finished acting out the opening of the script, yet his image had gone straight to the ending.
Cavendish's mentality shattered on the spot.
Those strange looks from everyone around him made him feel as if he were sitting on pins and needles.
He did not want to become the center of attention in this way.
"Damn it!"
Cavendish's anger surged. He had lost all interest in spouting grand words before the battle. He raised his arm and assumed an elegant thrusting stance.
Deeply aware of the strength Maud had displayed, Cavendish feared that his beloved horse Faruru would be injured, so he chose not to fight alongside him.
"Beautiful Sword: Azure Bird!"
Cavendish's eyes suddenly sharpened. He stomped down hard, stirring up a ring of dust ripples that spread outward like the undulations of a jellyfish.
As the dust ripples drifted, Cavendish's body shot forward.
At the same time, his bent arm suddenly straightened, driving the tip of the famed sword Durandal to split open two streams of azure air that spread to either side, like a pair of Azure Bird's outstretched wings.
The point of the sword was the Azure Bird's sharp beak. Moving as swiftly as a fierce wind, it reached Maud in the blink of an eye.
Maud gripped Shusui's hilt in reverse with