Clang—*?!!
Amid the clash of weapons and flying sparks, Lyon, commander of the Empire's Azure Dragon Knights, and Elwin, who had closed his eyes and resigned himself to death, passed each other in an instant.
"..."
After the crisp sound of a sword breaking, Lyon reined in his horse in the distance and looked back in astonishment. The orange-haired swordsman who should have been cut in half beneath his blade was still standing right where he'd been, more or less unharmed—though he looked a little unsteady and disheveled.
"Elwin!!"
"Mr. Elwin! Are you all right?"
Seeing Elwin standing there in a daze with his broken sword in hand, Hein and Liana cried out at the same time. They rushed to his side and anxiously checked on him.
"I..."
He looked in confusion at the sword in his hand, which had been sliced cleanly in two. Then he touched his neck, and only after confirming it was intact, with nothing missing, did he look fearfully and bewilderedly toward the terrifying commander of the Empire's Azure Dragon Knights, who had turned his horse around in the distance.
"I'm fine..."
Now Elwin had experienced firsthand just how fearsome that Imperial general was—the legendary figure hailed as "the strongest knight on the continent"!
There was no doubt about it: his opponent was far stronger than he was. Even with Hein's magic covering him in a direct confrontation, he hadn't been able to block a single one of the man's attacks. That was truly terrifying.
But...
What puzzled Elwin even more was what had just happened. Why wasn't he dead?
"..."
At that moment, Lyon, still seated on his horse, was also full of uncertainty.
He glanced at the weapon in his hand, which had a tiny chip in its edge, then looked over the