Ch . 226 …I Won’t Lose (1)
“The winner of this match will be the champion of the tournament . Who will the goddess of victory smile upon?”
Because it was the last match, the host gave a longer introduction to the crowd than usual . The audience in the stands were on their feet, and were shouting at the top of their lungs for the knights they supported .
“Derek! Derek! Derek!”
“Wickley! Wickley!”
The stadium was filled more intense fervor than ever . At the challenge of facing her first difficult opponent in a long time, Elena felt her sleeping instinct slowly start to wake up . With only a split second to react in battle, the wrong choice between attack or defense could spell death . After a few games of life and death, it became like a drug . However, experiencing the moment of the battle was a thrill unlike anything else .
Despite Elena’s rising anticipation, she calmly looked at Wickley across from her, proudly standing beside his horse . Wickley had a muscular physique even compared to other men, and so when he stood up straight, his form looked considerably different from Elena’s slim one .
‘The pain medicine has made this easier, but I’ll be at a disadvantage if that battle drags out . ’
If she fought with Wickley directly, she would be forced to use more energy with her relatively weaker muscles . She had to control the flow of the match to her favor .
“Knights, please get on horseback . ”
At the host’s signal, Elena mounted the horse that was prepared for Derek . When she turned her head, she noticed that Carlisle was watching her closely with a fierce expression . He really did look a moment’s away from leaping into the arena himself . She was here for Derek of course, so she wouldn’t let it happen . However, the thought of it brought a warm smile to her face .
‘…I won’t lose . ’
Now and in the future, Elena would not lose a fight for Carlisle .
Hwiig!
Elena swung her lance atop her horse . The wind blew through the handkerchief, causing it to point in Carlisle’s direction . She had done it intentionally, and Carlisle understood the gesture immediately . He was meant to believe in Elena and wait .
A smile crossed his mouth, but his brow was furrowed in a frown . For a very brief moment, Elena’s and Carlisle’s eyes met in midair, their feelings coming across each other wordlessly .
When all the match preparations were complete, the host continued .
“At the signal, begin the final match . ”
Kung kung kung kung .
The sound of drums rang in the air, thundering like the collective heartbeat of everyone in the stadium .
Elena looked at Wickley from across the arena . She could see the confidence in his eyes between the slats of his helmet .
Ppiig—!
When the signal went off, Wickley and Elena charged at each other at the same time .
Tdadadadadag .
The harsh sound of hooves thundered on the dirt, and two lances clashed in the air .
Chang! Chang!
Dozens of attacks and counter attacks were exchanged in the blink of an eye . The audience could barely contain themselves at the incredible display of skill .
Wickley’s spear shot furiously towards Elena’s side .
Kaaaang!
Elena noticed it quickly and rapidly struck it away . Wickley’s attacks grew in speed in power, and Elena’s red eyes shone brightly as she took in her opponent’s every minute movement .
If it weren’t for the fact that the battles were fought on horses, Elena would have been able to use her slender body to dodge more freely and attack from unexpected angles . She had far less flexibility and agility on a mount . That didn’t mean she would inevitably lose, but she did have to work with one less advantage .
‘Well, I can’t complain because I was able to hide the height difference between Derek and myself . ’
It was almost impossible to notice on horseback, so mounted combat could not be regarded as a complete drawback .
‘The problem is when we’re forced to strike each other…’
The more such attacks came, the worse it was for Elena . She didn’t have the same muscle mass and brute force as Wickley, and whenever their lances struck each other’s, she started to feel pain in her back . Although the medicine had numbed the pain somewhat, the longer she fought, the more it grew .
‘…I don’t have much endurance left, so I’ll have to end this as quickly as possible . ’
Elena blocked an attack with her lance, and she searched for an opening to strike back . Wickley then spoke in a voice that was audible only to her .
“You’re better than I thought . But it’ll be another hundred years before you can beat me . ”
Elena kept calm in the face of his taunt, and replied back with gritted teeth .
“I look forward to what you’ll say when you lose to me . ”
“You cheeky bastard!”
Kwaang!
Wickley used his strength to push down on Elena’s lance . Elena pushed back upward as hard as she could, and then swung her lance to the side to redirect it .
At this point, an observation lit Wickley’s head . When Elena made a strong attack, she would swing her lance to use the momentum, and when he tried to directly attack her, she avoided it .
‘He has less strength, so he must have been injured during the tournament . ’
Wickley usually won his battles with overwhelming force, and as a result, his opponent’s strategies were fairly obvious . None of them actively evaded his attacks as much as Elena, but he intuitively noticed that she was afraid of his power .
‘Then I’ll fight even harder . ’
Wickley began to aggressively attack Elena with more cold confidence . They had both displayed their own style of combat to each other, and were now trying to hunt out each other’s weaknesses .
Kwagagang!
Wickley’s lance struck heavily against Elena’s . She was unable to withstand his strength, and her slender body shook slightly . He soon felt that victory was near .
‘Strange…his body looks smaller . ’
But he didn’t care about every little detail . What was imperative right now was to win the competition .
Ophelia made no mention of hiding a paralyzing needle to Derek’s armor, but she had summoned Wickley before the match .
— Kill Lord Derek on the field if possible .
Wickley was going to follow her orders .
‘I didn’t like it at the start, but now I think this is a great opportunity . ’
Wickley grinned, raised his lance, then slammed it down . Elena had no choice but to lift hers to stop the attack again . Wickley was planning to push through by force, then bury his weapon into Elena’s neck .
“Last words!”
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