Not long after, Ikki, who had fallen to the ground, finally managed to stop the bleeding under the combined effects of Luo Zhen's Healing Talisman and Shizuku's healing technique. His injuries were far from fully healed, but he could at least force himself to stand.
"I lost..."
Slumped in a pool of blood, Ikki looked utterly exhausted. He touched the hideous wound across his chest, which had only just stopped bleeding, and fell silent.
"Big brother..."
Seeing Ikki like this, Shizuku supported him without caring that his blood would stain her. Her voice was filled with sorrow.
Even Shinguji Kuroono and Nishikyo Neone chose to remain silent, quietly watching from the side.
In the end, Stella was the one who spoke.
"Although you did indeed lose, you're only an F-rank knight. To have fought to that extent is already something to be proud of, isn't it?"
Stella spoke as though she had gained a new respect for Ikki.
"Was that called 'One-Sword Overdrive'? With a move like that, even I can't say I'd definitely be able to beat you. You don't need to be so depressed, do you?"
Stella awkwardly comforted Ikki in her own way.
But what she said was not wrong. With a Blade-Breaker Technique like One-Sword Overdrive, Stella truly could not claim that she would definitely defeat Ikki within one minute.
Rather, considering Ikki's superb and powerful swordsmanship, Stella was actually more likely to be the one who fell in defeat.
That was why Stella was genuinely both surprised by and impressed with Ikki.
However, there was one misconception in her words.
In the past, Stella indeed could not claim that she would definitely defeat Ikki. But if it were Stella now, who had mastered Dragon Power and absorbed the blood of a dragon, defeating Ikki was