The Hero King, Reincarnate to Master the Art of War ~And Thus, I Became The Strongest Knight Disciple (♀) in The World~-Chapter 440: 16 Year Old Inglis and the Highland on Distance Sea (49)

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“How foolish. You two are nothing more than the sidekicks of that girl,” Tiffany sneered, her cold smile dripping with disdain. "And you think you can stop me?"

However, her condescending smirk faltered slightly when her gaze landed on Leone’s right hand.

"A Special Grade Rune? Hmph…"

"That’s right! Keep underestimating us, and you’ll regret it!" Rafinha shot back confidently.

"R-Rafinha… wait a minute…" Leone tried to stop Rafinha from provoking Tiffany.

Leone had heard that Holy Knights’ combat abilities were comparable to Hyrule Menaces in their human form, like Tiffany. But she wasn’t confident she could match Tiffany’s power just yet. She didn’t feel she was at the level of Leon or Raphael, even though she bore the same grade of rune.

Even among those with Special Grade Runes, there were differences in ability. Having the rune didn’t automatically place her on par with the strongest knights.

"It’s fine…! Just arguing with her buys us time. You should say something too, Leone," Rafinha whispered, her tone surprisingly calculated. Despite her outward bravado, she was using her provocations strategically.

"I see… That makes sense."

"But I’m counting on you, okay? Honestly, I’m a little jealous of that Special Grade Rune…" Rafinha added with a teasing grin.

"!"

Leone straightened, reminded of her responsibility.

The path of a Holy Knight, tied to the Hyrule Menaces, wasn’t always glorious. Yet, it was still the dream of aspiring knights everywhere.

Leone was no different. While Inglis stood as an exception, Rafinha and Liselotte both shared the same dream. Having been granted a Special Grade Rune, Leone knew she couldn’t afford to show weakness—not now, not ever.

She had to prove herself worthy of this blessing and stand tall until Rafinha and Liselotte achieved the same. Doubt had no place here.

"Alright, Rafinha!" Leone stepped forward with renewed determination.

"We may not be as strong as Inglis, but we’re growing! We won’t let you have your way!"

"Exactly! You’ve got the same nasty personality as ever, but it doesn’t look like you’ve grown at all!" Rafinha added sharply, her words biting.

"Heh… I see, you’ve changed too," Tiffany remarked, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

"Huh?" Rafinha tilted her head, confused.

Tiffany pointed at Rafinha first. "Now you’re just a sidekick…" Then, she gestured toward Leone. "Of a sidekick. Truly, how far you’ve fallen."

"Th-that’s not true! If that’s what you think, then why don’t you try me?" Rafinha challenged, her voice unwavering.

"Shall I? I can’t afford to waste time playing around, after all." With those words, Tiffany kicked off the ground, charging directly at Rafinha and Leone. Whether it was arrogance or urgency, her attack came in a straight line, with no attempt at subtlety.

"Rafinha! Let’s do this together!"

"Right! Flowing Radiance!"

From Leone’s large black sword, a phantom dragon emerged. At the same time, Rafinha’s Flowing Radiance unleashed a barrage of shining arrows, spreading out like threads in every direction.

The combined attacks surged toward Tiffany, but she didn’t flinch. Calmly crossing her arms in front of her, she maintained her defensive stance, pushing forward undeterred. The phantom dragon and light arrows struck her directly, but her gleaming golden armor deflected them effortlessly.

"Those weak attacks are pointless!" she scoffed, charging through the onslaught without hesitation.

"What!? They didn’t work!?"

"We’ll need to hit harder!"

Leone shouted, quickly grasping that Tiffany’s golden armor was the source of her formidable defense.

"Rafinha! Charge up a stronger attack from behind! I’ll hold her off!"

"Got it!"

Leone moved to the front while Rafinha positioned herself behind her. Their formation shifted, with Leone taking on a defensive role to buy time for Rafinha’s next move.

"Yaaahh!!"

As Tiffany closed in, Leone swung her large black sword in a direct slash. She chose not to enhance the blade’s range with her Gift this time, relying instead on a straightforward strike. She knew a missed long-range attack would leave her vulnerable, and right now, her priority was keeping Tiffany from advancing.

"Your swing is wide…!" Tiffany effortlessly dodged Leone's downward slash, lowering her stance and twisting her body.

The black sword missed its mark, striking the ground and embedding its tip deep into the floor, leaving a small crack behind.

"Now you’re open!" With fluid precision, Tiffany closed the distance, aiming a punch at Leone’s exposed side.

"Leone!"

"…!"

Tiffany’s speed was remarkable—expected of a Hyrule Menace—but it wasn’t beyond Leone’s ability to track.

It reminded Leone of the speed Arles displayed during their training sessions. At the very least, she could anticipate Tiffany’s movements and understand what would happen. She had just enough awareness to react.

Just before Tiffany’s punch could connect, Leone’s body slid backward, despite her seemingly vulnerable position after the missed strike. To Tiffany, it appeared as though the ground beneath Leone had shifted, pulling her out of range in an almost unnatural manner.

"What…!?" With her target suddenly out of reach, Tiffany’s punch hit nothing but air.

"Nice one!" Rafinha shouted.

From her position, Rafinha could see what had happened: just before Tiffany’s fist connected, the blade of Leone’s black sword extended, pulling Leone backward and out of harm’s way.

Leone had deliberately refrained from using her Gift on the initial strike for this exact moment. By intentionally missing her attack and leaving herself seemingly vulnerable, she baited Tiffany into making a counterattack. Then, using her Gift, she created an opening for her opponent.

(Yes! I can do this!)

Leone nodded to herself, a surge of confidence swelling within her. Her late-night practice sessions were finally bearing fruit. While it might have seemed like a minor application of her Gift, this maneuver was something she couldn’t have executed before obtaining her Special Grade Rune.

Upon closer inspection, the tip of Leone's black sword, which had struck the ground, had deformed slightly, bending like a spade driven into the earth and anchoring itself firmly. Previously, Leone’s Gift could only extend or retract the blade, with no ability to alter its shape.

Now, she could make slight modifications to the sword’s form, and that small change had made all the difference in this maneuver. The Gift had always had the potential for such transformations, but the limitations of her High-Grade Rune had restricted her to merely extending and contracting the blade.

However, after obtaining the Special Grade Rune, Leone could fully tap into her Gift’s potential. The Special Grade Rune allowed its wielder to utilize Artifacts with complete mastery. In addition to this newfound flexibility, there was also a noticeable improvement in the blade’s speed and precision.

Previously, if Leone had tried to extend her sword quickly enough to match Tiffany’s speed, it would have stretched out too far. Typically, the farther and larger she tried to extend the blade, the faster it would move, while smaller, shorter extensions were slower.

This meant that regardless of its shape, the time taken was roughly the same. In the past, even if Leone had successfully dodged, the resulting distance between her and Tiffany would have been far greater.

But now, thanks to her precise control, Leone’s Gift kept her just an inch away from Tiffany’s missed attack. This precision granted Leone the crucial opportunity she needed.

"Ugh…!" Tiffany halted and began to turn around, her momentary hesitation creating the opening Leone had been waiting for.

"Got you!"

With a powerful thrust, the tip of Leone’s black sword struck Tiffany squarely on her side. The force of the impact reverberated through Leone’s hand as it met the hard resistance of Tiffany’s golden armor.

In that instant, Leone unleashed her Gift at full strength and speed.