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The duel was over quickly. Just thirty-five exchanges.
Ellen, gripping Lament in a half-swording stance, deftly deflected Reinhart’s blade and, with a swift counter, sent him sprawling into the sand.
Thud!
Reinhart was half-buried in the sand while Ellen straddled his chest, pressing Lament’s blade against his throat, signaling the end of the fight.
Their faces were so close that the blade nearly brushed against his skin.
“You’re dead,” she declared.
“Yeah,” Reinhart replied.
He nodded, a smile playing on his lips, as if he’d been waiting for those very words, even in defeat.
Though the duel had been brief, the clashing of these two monsters left the beach in ruins.
“Do you want to continue?” Ellen asked, her sword, Lament, still poised at his neck.
“No,” Reinhart replied.
From the moment their swords first met, it was obvious.
Ellen knew Reinhart never believed he could win. She knew even if they fought a hundred times, she would emerge victorious every single time.
Ellen was certain of her triumph, and so Reinhart had to have known it as well.
Ellen climbed off Reinhart, who was pinned beneath her, and extended a hand to help him up.
As he dusted the sand from his clothes, Reinhart offered a wry smile.
“As expected, I can’t beat you,” he admitted.
He could never truly defeat Ellen with a sword that was merely a reflection of hers. That fact hadn’t changed.
“Do you really need to beat me?” Ellen asked.
“Honestly, I don’t,” Reinhart replied, smiling. “But this is just nice, isn’t it?”
Ellen remained silent, pondering his words.
“Winning or losing doesn’t matter,” he continued, his gaze fixed on the waves gently rolling in.
The waves came crashing in, receded, and then returned, repeating their eternal cycle.
“Being able to do this together is what truly matters,” he said.
Crossing swords wasn’t about winning or losing; it was about sharing the moment. Win or lose, there would always be a next time, and another after that. He cherished the continuity of such moments, independent of victory or defeat.
Ellen still couldn’t fathom how Reinhart had managed to subdue her.
How had he done it?
If he couldn’t even defeat her while she was in this state, then how had he managed to subdue her and save her while she had been possessed by a spirit that...
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