"But I wanted to."
I wanted to.
That was an extremely powerful reason, one that came entirely from the heart. It was unreasonable, and no one had the right to refute it.
He wanted Moonlit Embrace to have a grand finale. It was the result he and Bronya had discussed, containing both their wishes. What right did Durandal have to force him to accept otherwise?
The gauntlet and knight's lance collided fiercely in midair. The ice cracked, and the water that surged up froze into fresh solid ice.
"Do you really intend to..."
Zhao Bai shook his head, cutting Durandal off. "There's no need. I already passed the age when simple preaching could change my mind. But you're only sixteen. Keep talking, and perhaps your own thoughts will be changed."
Durandal fell silent.
Though she was only sixteen, her heart had long since become as strong as steel.
This was an endless expanse of sea, without fishing boats or navigational markers. Only the ice reflected the deep blue moonlight. They could fight without restraint, and they happened to be evenly matched opponents. Such an opportunity was truly rare.
They would fight first and talk later.
Historically, the enormous knight's lance had been a heavy weapon used in conjunction with a charging warhorse. Yet in Durandal's hands, it was as light as a rapier. She held it in one hand, its tip falling like a storm of pear blossoms.
Zhao Bai silently met it with his blade.
In a single breath, three thousand slashes.
The lance tip that fell like a storm of pear blossoms was whipped aside by the supple katana, every strike landing in exactly the same spot and making exactly the same sound. Zhao Bai's arm was like a flickering phantom, dissolving the thrusts into nothingness. Durandal