On the light screen, the figures in black armor and silver-blue skirt armor collided at high speed. The sight of clashing swords and energy eruptions firmly gripped the audience's attention. In the real world's online discussion forums, the heat soared once again.
"Holy crap! This fight scene! The budget is burning! It's way more intense than those special effects blockbusters!"
"Kuchiba Hiro's armor is insanely cool! It can even transform —Dual-Wielding plus Spider Spears? This gear is too awesome! It's practically a killing machine born for actual combat!"
However, more of the discussion focused on the newly appeared Knight Maiden.
"This blonde young lady is too cool! Beautiful and strong! This temperament, this skill —I'm in love!"
"Calling herself a knight? She even speaks so formally, talking about a 'Knight's Creed' and how 'harming the innocent is not the righteous path.' This refinement, this aura —she's clearly a protagonist character!"
"In comparison, Kuchiba Hiro's move of going after someone's family is indeed a bit... Although I can understand his hatred, targeting innocent female relatives looks like something only a villain would do no matter how you look at it."
"Exactly. Current mainstream values emphasize that debts should be settled with the debtor. Involving family is indeed hard to accept. Kuchiba Hiro is losing some fans with this move."
During the discussion, some people were also curious about the Knight Maiden's manner of speech and behavior.
"But then again, aren't this Knight Maiden's way of speaking and code of conduct a bit too 'retro'? What era is this? She's still full of talk about Chivalry and protecting the innocent... What kind of educational background could produce such a... well...'standard' knight?"
"Agreed. Her whole person exudes an old-fashioned purity that doesn't belong to this era. It feels like she walked straight out of some classical novel."
Some research-oriented fans who loved digging into details began to take action. They repeatedly replayed, slowed down, and enlarged every frame of the battle footage, trying to find more clues. Finally, someone captured a brief moment before the 'Strike Air' was activated, when the knight's longsword was not yet completely invisible, and successfully sharpened the image of the blade.
"Look! There's writing on the blade! After enlarging it... this looks like... ancient Celtic?"
"I compared it with the database! This combination of symbols, and the styling of the sword... it's very close to the descriptions of the legendary sword of 'King Arthur'—'Excalibur'!"
This discovery was like a giant boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up a thousand waves.
"King Arthur?! Are you kidding me! Wasn't King Arthur a man? And that's a legendary figure from ancient Britain. What does that have to do with this Transcendent world set in modern Tokyo?"
"Exactly! First of all, the gender doesn't match! The era is also off by ten thousand miles! Even with Transcendent abilities, it's impossible to live for over a thousand years and still look like a young girl, right? That's too ridiculous!"
Immediately, someone who knew quite a bit about the legend of King Arthur came out to provide some "popular science":
"Let me clarify: the legendary King Arthur was indeed male. His story is quite explosive even by today's standards —incest with his sister Morgan le Fay resulting in the birth of Mordred, Queen Guinevere's affair with Lancelot, the greatest knight under King Arthur, which led to the split of the Round Table... It's completely inconsistent with the image of this upright and noble young girl!"
"In that case, she definitely isn't King Arthur himself. Then could she be... an admirer of King Arthur? Or a Transcendent who inherited the title or power of 'King Arthur'?"
This speculation gained the approval of most people.
"Or maybe some kind of 'Heroic Spirit Possession' or 'Conceptual Weapon'? She obtained a legacy of power related to King Arthur, so her words and deeds were influenced, making her act in an ancient style?"
"It's hard to say. There's too little information about the Transcendent system in the plot!"
Although the initial bold guess that "King Arthur is a girl" was rationally rejected, the Knight Maiden's mysterious identity and powerful strength, along with the sharp contrast between good and evil she formed with Kuchiba Hiro, caused her popularity to skyrocket.
Because of the appearance of this "King of Knights," the plot on the light screen gained more suspense and a sense of epic scale. Everyone looked forward to the next development, wanting to know if this guardian knight could truly stop the already frenzied blade of revenge.
The battle within the light screen suddenly changed style. It was no longer just a collision of strength and skill, but had upgraded to a contest of mind and guile.
(The Knight Maiden clearly realized Kuchiba Hiro's tenacity and resolve. She no longer stood her ground in passive defense. Her footwork became increasingly agile and elusive, performing exquisite defensive counterattacks while dodging and shifting.
More troublesome was that her attacks were mixed with more and more feints and deceptive postures —at times appearing to thrust directly, only to change into an upward slash midway; at times pretending to strike with a heavy vertical blow, while actually concealing a spinning slash. Coupled with the completely invisible blade, her sword techniques became ghost-like and unpredictable. Every exchange kept Kuchiba Hiro's nerves highly strung, requiring more mental effort to predict and respond.
The two sides went back and forth with flashing blades, falling into a dangerous stalemate. Kuchiba Hiro barely held on by relying on the versatility of 'Arata' and his own reaction speed, but he understood the principle that a long defense must eventually fail. Moreover, his goal was a breakthrough, not a protracted fight.
"I can't keep wasting time like this..." Kuchiba Hiro's mind whirled, and a crazy, risky plan took shape in his head.
The limit of his Hardening ability's defense had never truly been explored. He decided to take a gamble —gamble that the opponent's sword could not break through his Absolute Defense in one hit!
The opportunity was fleeting! After a swift charge, the Knight Maiden caught the gap when Kuchiba Hiro's twin blades were returning to defend. She used a deceptive hand feint to increase confusion, and a heavy diagonal slash aimed at the junction of his shoulder and neck fell violently! This strike came with a whistle that tore through the air. Although the blade was invisible, the sound of breaking wind still existed, clearly showing she had poured all her strength into it.
Facing this potentially fatal blow, Kuchiba Hiro made a move that caused the girl's pupils to shrink slightly —instead of parrying or dodging, he instantly retracted both blades and all the spider spears into his armor. He didn't flinch or evade, even leaning forward slightly, using the sturdiest part of his body to actively meet that invisible edge!
A flash of surprise and suspicion crossed the Knight Maiden's eyes, but her sword's momentum was spent and could not be retracted. She also resolved to leave no room for mercy!
"Clang—!!!"
A giant roar, like a great bell exploding and far exceeding any previous collision, erupted!
The expected scene of shredded armor and flying flesh did not occur. Instead, the Knight Maiden felt a terrifying counter-shock force travel from the hilt. Her arms were instantly numbed, her palms throbbed with pain, and that invisible holy sword was actually knocked high into the air by the sheer force, nearly flying out of her hand! Her entire person was also thrown off balance by this immense force, staggering back half a step.
Now is the time!
At the same instant the blade touched his body and was repelled by the Absolute Defense of his Hardening ability, Kuchiba Hiro deactivated the Hardening on parts of his body. Connecting with the momentum of his previous forward charge, he pounced forward like a true leopard!
"Bang!"
Caught off guard, the Knight Maiden was slammed to the ground by Kuchiba Hiro, sending dust flying!
Kuchiba Hiro showed no mercy. Sharp claw-blades instantly popped out from his right arm armor, and with cold killing intent, he stabbed directly at the girl's face!
At the critical moment, the girl violently jerked her head aside!
"Puchi!" The sharp claws grazed her cheek and stabbed deeply into the concrete ground beside her head, sending stone fragments flying.
The girl reacted extremely quickly. Even trapped on the ground, she didn't forget to counterattack. Her free left hand clenched into a fist and boomed toward Kuchiba Hiro's faceplate like a heavy cannon!
"Dang—!"
Another dull, giant sound! Sparks flashed on Kuchiba Hiro's faceplate. The Hardening ability proved effective once again, steadily blocking this punch that was enough to shatter stone.
"Hmph!" Kuchiba Hiro let out a cold snort, completely abandoning any technique and transforming into the most primitive beast. He sat astride the girl, his fists like pile drivers covered with Hardening ability. Punch after punch, accompanied by dull sounds of breaking air, he smashed them down frantically at the suppressed girl on the ground!
"Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!"
The muffled sounds of fist meeting flesh were like war drums beating under the silent night sky. The Knight Maiden's invisible sword could not be effectively used in such extreme close-quarters combat. To avoid accidentally harming herself, she could only helplessly discard the sword to the side. She crossed her arms, desperately protecting her head and vital points, relying on her own powerful physical constitution to endure this storm-like pummeling.
Without the holy sword, her counterattacks were like scratching an itch through a boot against the fully hardened Kuchiba Hiro, unable to cause any effective damage. She tried to exert force to break free, but Kuchiba Hiro was like a maggot on a bone, using his weight and strength to pin her down firmly, giving her no chance to escape!
The battle situation reversed in an instant. The Knight Maiden, who had been brimming with momentum just a moment ago, was now in an extremely passive position, barely able to hold on.
Just as Kuchiba Hiro raised his fist high, preparing to deliver an even heavier blow—
"Shuu—!"
A sharp sound of breaking air attacked from the side and above! His Danger Precognition ability was instantly triggered!
Warning signs flared in Kuchiba Hiro's heart. Without a second thought, he immediately abandoned his attack and violently rolled and leaped toward the rear side!
Almost at the same time he left his original spot, a strangely shaped arrow landed with a "thud," precisely pinning into the ground where he had just been. The tail of the arrow vibrated violently, showing the powerful force it contained.
Kuchiba Hiro quickly stabilized his figure, his cold gaze immediately shooting toward the direction the arrow had come from—
He saw a figure appear at the edge of the villa's roof at some unknown time.
It was a youth who looked quite young, about twenty years old. He had eye-catching red hair like fire and wore a dark red skin-tight combat suit suitable for movement, outlining a young yet lean and powerful physique. In his hand, he held a sleekly designed longbow, with a quiver on his back, and at his waist were two very different short swords, one black and one white.
He leaped down from the villa roof with light and agile movements, landing in the courtyard like a feather. Those sharp eyes, filled with vigilance, were firmly locked onto Kuchiba Hiro.
The battle situation, due to the intervention of this sudden third party, became blurred and confusing once again.)
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