Ratatos hurled an angry reprimand at the legendary warrior before them. She knew with absolute certainty that the ambush on her sister and brother-in-law had been orchestrated by the Silverash Clan—even if this woman hadn't pulled the trigger herself.
Now, with the mastermind standing here wearing a calm expression, tossing out a hollow and absurd offer of cooperation, Ratatos could no longer suppress her boiling rage.
Though she spent most of her time nagging or rolling her eyes at her airheaded sister, Sciurus was her family. Nobody else had the right to harm her.
"A faction that tries to abduct family members to force a surrender has zero credibility in my eyes! No matter what sweet terms your master dangles in front of me!"
"Is that so? It seems we have nothing left to discuss," Degenbrecher said with a faint, regretful shake of her head. "Though I have no personal desire to raise a hand against you, duty is duty. My apologies!"
With that, the Black Knight drew her signature dual-wielded swordbreakers from behind her back—unusual, heavy notched blades known in the east as jian. True to her name, she wielded them with a terrifying, practiced grace rarely seen in these mountains.
"Step back and let me handle her," Jeanne said, her golden eyes locking onto the former champion. A soft, luminous glow materialized in her hand, rapidly coalescing into a fluttering battle banner.
If they were comparing rare or unconventional weapons, Jeanne figured she certainly had no room to feel inadequate. Compared to those heavy swordbreakers, her banner was leagues stranger.
"To be frank, you two are honored guests of the Clan Leader," Degenbrecher said, still hoping to avoid a pointless brawl. Given the Saintess's high status, the Black Knight preferred to steer clear of diplomatic nightmares if she could help it. "I see no reason why we must resort to bloodshed here. We should be—"
"From the moment your master sold us out during that council meeting, any talk of cooperation went straight out the window," the Doctor chimed in, ducking safely behind Jeanne while keeping a sharp eye out for hidden reinforcements. "And honestly, I wouldn't mind putting a permanent period at the end of that sentence!"
"A shame. I just hope the boss doesn't dock my pay when I get back," Degenbrecher sighed softly, shifting her grip on the twin swordbreakers.
She poured her entire focus into the opponent before her. A warrior's instinct screamed a singular, deafening warning: this girl is extraordinarily dangerous.
Even though Jeanne looked like a slender, delicate young woman with none of the brute muscle mass of a veteran soldier, the Black Knight knew better than to judge by appearances. Power didn't always come in a massive frame; she herself was living proof of that.
CLANG—!
The sharp crack of colliding impacts rang through the snowy gorge. Degenbrecher lunged forward with the speed of a thunderbolt, throwing her full strength into a ferocious opening barrage—only to find her momentum completely absorbed and deflected.
The girl before her was a combat prodigy of the highest order! Every single parry intercepted Degenbrecher's swordbreakers precisely at their weakest kinetic fulcrum, instantly neutralizing her leverage before counter-striking.
CLANG—!
This time, it was Degenbrecher forced to block a sweeping arc from Jeanne's banner. The sheer force behind the blow sent a jarring shockwave up the Black Knight's forearms through her notched steel blades, nearly knocking the heavy weapons straight out of her grip.
Where in the world does she get that kind of monstrous strength?! Degenbrecher thought, springing backward to put distance between them as she caught her breath, staring hard at the Laterano Saintess.
Slender, almost fragile-looking limbs packing enough explosive power to rattle a veteran champion—it was enough to leave her utterly astounded.
"I have to ask... exactly how does someone with a build like yours generate that kind of abnormal force?" Degenbrecher shook out her aching wrists, adjusting her stance as she prepared for a second wave far more violent than the first.
She wasn't holding back anymore—not just for the sake of the mission, but because she recognized a true master when she saw one.
How many years has it been? Degenbrecher mused inwardly, a fierce, long-dormant thrill igniting in her chest. How many years since I last crossed blows with an equal in a fair, head-on duel?
"Let me put your mind at ease," Degenbrecher called out, her voice cutting through the wind. "I didn't bring any troops with me today. I spotted your group by chance on the road, and those soldiers of ours are miles away—they couldn't possibly catch up in time."
To ensure her opponent could fight without reservation, the Black Knight willingly laid bare her disadvantage. If Jeanne decided to summon that colossal dragon right now, Degenbrecher's chances of walking away alive would plummet near zero.
Yet, for the sake of an uncompromised duel, she gladly accepted the risk.
"You really don't lie, do you? Telling me that just put yourself at a severe tactical disadvantage," Jeanne remarked, shaking her head. As someone who wasn't a professional warrior by trade, she still found the knight's honor slightly baffling.
Even if Degenbrecher had kept her mouth shut, Jeanne would have fought her anyway, but now the burden of asymmetry leaned heavily on the defender.
"Consider it my way of choosing the right answer, even if the path is wrong," Degenbrecher replied simply, offering no further explanation as she tightened her grip on her dual swordbreakers and surged forward once more.
In a heartbeat, she closed the distance, her twin blades blurring into a tempest of crushing strikes capable of shattering boulders into dust.
Standing behind the lines, the Doctor and Ratatos watched the high-speed exchange in stunned silence, feeling entirely redundant. Had they somehow become invisible?
"Who... who do you think is going to win?" Ratatos asked, her voice trembling slightly as she tore her eyes away from the blur of motion to look at the masked figure beside her.
"Jeanne," the Doctor answered instantly, without a fraction of a second's hesitation.
"Why?! Anyone can see the Black Knight is pressing the offensive!" Ratatos protested, her Zalak ears twitching anxiously. Though she wasn't a combat expert, she wasn't blind either.
Degenbrecher's shorter, more flexible swordbreakers allowed her to trap Jeanne in a relentless defensive loop. To Ratatos's eyes, passive defense against an opponent of the Black Knight's caliber meant Jeanne was already standing at the edge of a cliff.
"I don't know much about martial arts," the Doctor replied smoothly, entirely unfazed by the terrifying display of violence unfolding before them, "but I trust Jeanne. She has a way of handling these things."
Hearing such blind, unquestioning faith, Ratatos realized the Doctor was simply incapable of panic when it came to her eccentric protector.
Whether it was foolish or justified, Ratatos had no choice left but to pin her hopes on the Saintess and pray for the best.
Back in the arena of snow and steel, the duel had reached a boiling point. Pushing her legendary martial arts to their absolute limit, Degenbrecher rained blow after blow down upon Jeanne, giving her no quarter.
Yet, despite the overwhelming offensive, the Black Knight experienced a growing, chilling realization: she hadn't landed a single meaningful scratch. Her opponent wasn't just defending; she was effortlessly neutralizing every technique in Degenbrecher's repertoire.
Every strike was met at the exact point where Degenbrecher's muscles were midway through transition, smothering her power before it could peak.
How is she doing this? Degenbrecher gritted her teeth, darting back to catch her breath. Why does every single attack feel like it's being anticipated? It's like she knows my style better than I do...
Frustration bubbled up in her chest. It felt like punching against a solid wall of water—no matter how hard she hit, her energy was swallowed whole without leaving a ripple.
With a low grunt, Degenbrecher lunged for one final, decisive charge.
But this time, Jeanne didn't wait in her usual defensive posture. Instead of parrying, she stepped forward with fluid precision and swung her banner with crisp, devastating timing.
THUD!
A dull, heavy impact echoed across the snow. Before she could process what had happened, the legendary Black Knight was sent hurtling backward through the air like a struck baseball.