Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 18 - Sunrise

"Ignite thy majesty, Galatine!"

At Prince Galahad's command, the immense greatsword ignited with a plume of brilliant red flame that cascaded down the entirety of its length like a volcanic waterfall. The air around him was bathed with staggering heat, yet the prince remained unaffected.

A Wyrblade, huh...? I wouldn't have expected less. Medrauta clicked her tongue in displeasure.

As a member of the imperial family, Galahad had access to the vast treasury of Palace Avalyne, the imperial estate. Within it were countless treasures, and among them were mysterious weapons known as Wyrblades.

While not intelligent, Wyrblades were capable of responding to commands that produced special abilities, much like that of an edict type sigil.

Galahad demonstrated one of those now as he charged at Medrauta, swinging his weapon even before she entered his reach and causing a wave of flames to shoot toward her position.

Medrauta leapt into the air, allowing the flames to pass beneath her as she landed just in time to deflect Galahad's heavy swing, sending his sword crashing into the ground beside her.

Galahad grunted as Medrauta thrust her sword forward, finding an opening as he attempted to recover from the failed attack. Though he was wearing full plate, Medrauta's attack had been issued with such authority that it had penetrated the armor and pierced through the chainmail underneath, forcing him to retreat as her sword drew blood.

The attack had struck the side of his ribs, and he estimated that the impact alone had broken at least two. Galahad was immensely frustrated, but he knew he could not allow it to show on his face.

Despite having unleashed the full power of Gwenhwyfar's Crest and brandishing the true form of Galatine that was now wreathed in brilliant crimson flames, the only thing he'd managed to do was push her back and singe a few strands of her hair.

But Galahad knew that this frustration was in part due to his own pride. Had he wanted to, he could have simply sent the flaming swords that hovered around him—the Ignis Fatui—to attack Medrauta's lady directly.

As fast as she was, there would have been no possible way that Medrauta would be able to defend Viviane against such an attack. Yet, he couldn't bear to do so. Despite having availed himself to the full arsenal of his sister's Crest, he still wanted to defeat Medrauta as a knight, not as a pair.

"Just what the hell are you...?" A bead of sweat rolled down Galahad's cheek. Though he was gradually pushing Medrauta back toward her dais, he certainly didn't feel like he was winning any of their exchanges.

"I could ask you the same thing," Medrauta said as she sidestepped two of the flaming swords before stabbing at a third, causing it to disperse. "You're wounded in at least six different places, but you're still coming at me like a damn zombie."

In response, Galahad merely laughed and swung his sword in a wide horizontal arc. Though Medrauta had been out of reach, it wasn't a problem for him. A crescent wave of flames shot forth from where he swung, shooting toward Medrauta viciously.

It was too wide to evade. Medrauta ducked under it, feeling it pass over her head as she did so. The heat caused her eyes to water and her vision blurred. But it didn't matter. Her finely tuned senses and uncanny battle instinct told her what the prince would do next.

She rolled to the side just in time as Galahad's sword slashed down at where she had been standing a mere second ago. The heavy weapon bit deeply into the arena floor and opened a wide gash.

Despite the prince's quick recovery speed, Medrauta was even faster.

Before Galahad could pull his blade back, Medrauta had already leapt to her feet, the glittering steel of her sword flashing dangerously toward his head.