Dawn had broken.
It had come a little too quickly-more than half an hour earlier than Gawain had expected. The light of dawn was still faint, but it had unmistakably arrived.
Under that gentle light, Karna's golden armor shone all the brighter. His wounds varied in depth, but every last one was healing.
Was there... still a gap between them...?
Gawain's breathing was heavy. Compared with his opponent, whose breathing remained steady, he looked far more battered.
And that was exactly how things stood.
With their defensive capabilities evenly matched and little difference in their damage output, Karna, who could automatically recover from his injuries, undoubtedly held the advantage in a battle of attrition.
Moreover, Gawain's Master-Reika Rikudou-was an ordinary person who couldn't use any healing magecraft.
And so, as they traded blows, even though Gawain inflicted more damage on Karna than Karna inflicted on him...
When it came to the wounds that actually remained on their bodies, Karna had far fewer than Gawain.
"Well, King of the Dawn? Can you still hold on?"
Most people would probably have taken Karna's words as a taunt.
"Heh, of course... I can still keep going."
But Gawain had long since grown accustomed to such bluntness during his lifetime. He could even discern a faint trace of goodwill in it.
By comparison, a certain younger brother of his who had never shown any respect was a little... tsk, tsk.
(Agravain: Well, hello there.)
At that thought, even Gawain couldn't help sighing, leaving Karna thoroughly puzzled.
Suddenly, their telepathic channels opened almost simultaneously, carrying orders from their respective Masters:
"Lancer, dawn has broken. Retreat."
"Sir Gawain, please regroup with the others and return to the castle."
Their fighting spirit began to ebb with the orders they had received. Neither spoke again, but their eyes