There was no time to undergo physical therapy or undergo any serious treatment. Ketis and the Swordmaidens had to board their shuttle and move to the arena in order to prepare for the next match.

At this point, there were still a few Swordmaidens left in the tournaments, but the average caliber of opponents that made it this far was quite formidable!

Even if some of the Swordmaidens had been lucky enough to draw weaker opponents, their luck would eventually run out, just like what happened yesterday.

The chance of bumping into strong swordsmen like the seeded competitors had become a lot bigger!

There were dozens more sword initiates like Ivan Reid in contention and hundreds more who were not that much weaker.

Even if notable veteran Swordmaidens such as Commander Sendra were very skilled at swordsmanship, their shallow heritage and tradition eventually lost out against the richer traditions of the sword schools.

The Swordmaidens weren't fighting against single swordsmen. They instead had to struggle against the entire swordsmanship tradition of the Heavensword Association!

Entire institutions along with a strong reinforcing culture pushed up the level of swordsmanship in the state to an amazing height! The Swordmaidens could only look up to that in awe.

In fact, the model of the Heavensword Association already gave their leader a lot of inspiration. Commander Sendra and some other Swordmaiden officers were constantly taking notes in their mind.

"When we go back, we should definitely foster a similar environment in the Larkinson Clan." Ketis muttered as she reluctantly suited up and got ready for her next appearance.

This was the first time she wanted to enact a large and substantial change in the clan. Previously, she was too preoccupied with progressing her mech design capabilities to care about any of that boring political stuff.

Yet now that she had become aware of how far the Swordmaidens was behind compared to a fantastic state like the Heavensword Association, she yearned to bring a part of it back to the Larkinsons!

While she did not expect Ves to convert his entire clan into a sword cult just because she asked nicely, she at least wanted to carve out a place for her fellow swordsmen!

The ambitious and hopeful glints in the eyes of the other Swordmaidens indicated that she was not the only person to hold these thoughts.

The Swordmaidens were previously content to stay in their own corner in the Larkinson Clan. They already knew they were too different to blend in with other Larkinsons.

Now, they were no longer satisfied with remaining isolated. Having tasted some of the benefits of living in a large society of sword fanatics, how could they not try to recreate their own little kingdom when they returned home!

Every single Swordmaiden that took part in this visit was willing to stand up and become politically active in order to achieve this new dream!

Fred Walinski walked up to her. "You're up soon, Ketis. Have you studied the details about your next opponent?"

"I already watched some footage of Horvast Trion in action. While I wasn't able to catch everything, I have a good idea how he fights. He's a solid swordsman but not a particularly inspiring one. I should be able to handle him if he fights in the same way as before."

"Don't look down on him too much. Horvast managed to make it this far without losing, so that counts for something. It is also possible that he has been hiding his strength up until now. You need to end this battle fast enough to minimize the damage to your body, but you also have to be careful enough to prevent falling into any traps."

This was a difficult balance to achieve. It all depended on how much force she was willing to utilize and how much resistance Horvast Trion put up. If Ketis wasn't able to finish the battle in time, she might have to end her tournament run with a whimper!

"I can't fold now."

She was fighting for more than just the Swordmaidens now. Within her heart, her unyielding will pushed her onwards. She wanted to push herself forward and make it as far as she could go! Even if her body screamed at her to take a rest, she did not wish to end this rare and unique opportunity to temper her swordsmanship!

"Let's go, Sharpie."

Swish…

When she stepped onto the arena, she was greeted by more welcoming cheers. It was a drastic change from the jeers and insults she received before.

"The Sword Devil is back! I knew she would get up again!"

"Ivan Reid is trash compared to her! No one has been able to display two separate sword styles as proficiently as her. She's a true genius!"

"Where is your big sword?"

Different from before, Ketis opted to bring a single weapon this time. Her current condition was so awful that every single gram of equipment counted.

While she couldn't do anything about the weight of her protective suit, she had made the hard decision to forgo her favorite CFA greatsword.

Unending alloy may be unimaginably tough, but its mass and density were not low by any means!

"I'll be relying on you this time, Shiva."

She slowly unsheathed her weapon and held it point downwards with both her hands.

The weight of the saber was bearable to her for now, but she knew that could easily change as long as the fight dragged out. She estimated that she wouldn't be able to maintain her combat effectiveness after just two or three minutes of intensive fighting.

Her opponent eventually showed up. Her eyes widened as she saw that Horvast Trion broke his pattern.

In his previous matches, Horvast wielded a typical longsword. He fought with a balanced sword style that emphasized both power and finesse in equal measure.

However, the Mandair Sword School he belonged to did not just teach how to fight with a longsword. The school specialized in teaching basic but solid sword styles to mech pilots.

This not only included swordsman mech pilots, but also knight mech pilots!

"Damn." Ketis softly cursed.

Horvast Trion came well-prepared. Instead of bringing just a longsword, he also brought a tower shield!

While it was rare for swordsmen to bring physical shields into the arena, it was allowed in the rules.

It was obvious that Mr. Trion took full advantage of this provision that was originally meant to ensure that knight mech specialists weren't excluded!

Horvast carefully kept his body behind his thick and massive shield. The tall and curved metal slab was so heavy that he couldn't help but rest it on the arena floor when stationary.

The man heroically pointed his sword forward even as he only revealed a sliver of his head from the side of his protective barrier!

"Sword Devil! You may have vanquished Ivan Reid, but today you shall fall before my blade! Let I, Horvast Trion, bring glory to the Mandair Sword School and be the first swordsman today to fell a sword initiate! Will you make the clever choice and admit defeat or shall I have to teach you how you never stood a chance in the first place?"

"..."

The audience was speechless for a moment.

"Shameless!"

"Get lost, Horvast! You're no sword initiate!"

"Don't be proud of picking up a bargain! You're just reaping Ivan's hard work!"

Even though Horvast Trion's approach to this match was absolutely shameless, Ketis had to applaud his ingenuity.

Instead of choosing to fight like a typical brainless swordsman, Horvast made an accurate prediction of her physical condition and altered his loadout as a result!

There was nothing wrong about exploiting someone's weakness. It happened all the time in real battles. Ketis just felt a bit sour because she was on the receiving end of this treatment this time!

When confronted with such a massive tower shield, Ketis knew that the best way to overcome this challenge was to outmaneuver her opponent and attack his unprotected sides.

This was why no one brought any tower shields in the single personal combat tournament up until now. While it had some tactical use in group combat, in a solo duel it was too easy for enemies to outflank its carrier!

Yet this time, Ketis did not have the ability to circle around Horvast's guard. She couldn't even run with all of the weight pressing down on her injured and overstrained body!

The only way for her to overcome her opponent was to attack him head-on, which also happened to be exactly what Horvast intended!

She looked at Shiva and tried to figure out whether she could evoke the power of Annihilation. Just thinking about it made her head hurt!

"Can you do it, Sharpie?"

..Swish… swish…

Her sword intent behaved like a deflated balloon. Even though it played a major role in allowing her to fight like a true sword initiate yesterday, it had clearly overdrafted its capabilities!

Her confidence flagged. Her weariness constantly increased with each second that passed while she was carrying all of her equipment. The combination of physical and mental weariness constantly depleted her condition and continually sapped her will to fight.

[Commence the match!]

No one moved. Ketis blinked for a time before she realized that she was in the rare position of being the lighter of the two combatants.

Previously, every opponent she faced beforehand carried lighter equipment than her. This time, her weight-saving measures along with Horvast's choice of equipment caused her to be the one who had to take the initiative this time!

Despite Horvast's wild boasts, he treated Ketis extremely seriously this time. Even if he gambled on her lack of recovery, he did not wish to make a move and bear more risks.

If Ketis kept standing, then she would forfeit the match by default. She had no choice but to approach.

Her steps were slow and hesitant. The more she looked at the shield, the more she felt as if she was tasked with accomplishing an impossible mission.

How the hell was she supposed to overcome this wall when she only retained a fraction of her combat power?

She knew that as long as she exposed her weakness, Horvast would definitely pounce and finish her off once her body started to droop!

"No! I can't think like this! A true Swordmaiden never folds this easily!"

She wasn't willing to accept defeat so quickly! She still had some fight left in her! As her determination surged, so did her will. As her will started to revive, Sharpie became a bit more energetic!

"So it's like this!"

Even as Ketis resisted the impulses that persuaded her to give up, she carefully sensed the changes in her mind. Even though she was unable to perceive as much as Ves, she still noticed that her willpower had a very strong effect on her condition.

Even the most desperate weaklings could unleash a surprising degree of strength when their willpower peaked!

Willpower also played a central role in enabling expert pilots to channel so much strength!

"My flesh may be weak, but my will is unyielding!"

Ketis purposefully aroused the same feelings and emotion as yesterday. Whatever she was doing was working. Her body felt a bit less weary than before and she felt as if she could put up an actual fight this time!

Swish swish swish!

Even Sharpie became a bit more energetic than before!

However, even as she drew upon her willpower, Ketis felt she couldn't sustain this state for long.

Nothing came for free. Even willpower had a price!

As her steps accelerated a bit, she looked down on Shiva yet again. She winced.

"Maybe I brought the wrong weapon."

Right now, her unyielding will was most compatible with the Swordmaiden Sword Style and her obsession for sharpness.

That meant she was in the right state to empower her greatsword!

Shiva was different. Due to Venerable Trey Walinski's influence, the heirloom weapon was only supposed to channel the Annihilator Sword Style!

"Damnit. How will I solve this problem?"