Heading to the Academy
More precisely, we are heading to an academy engulfed by a gate.
It’s just me and Cecilia in the carriage.
We could have brought soldiers from the Iris Duchy, but a large-scale operation would only attract the attention of other families and factions.
After much thought, I concluded it would be best to handle this situation alone with Cecilia.
"I can see it from here too."
Through the window, I saw the red fissure.
We still had some time before reaching the academy, but the buildings were already bathed in an ominous red light, as if viewed through a crimson filter.
Cecilia, gazing at the scene, was smiling for some reason.
"My homeland, the Kingdom of Allenmis, was destroyed by the 'Monster of the Red Mist.'"
She spoke those words as if recounting an old memory.
Cecilia’s past was well-known among the nobility.
"Back then, a red gate opened in the sky too. Monsters poured out, and the Kingdom of Allenmis was consumed by the red mist."
"So, do you think it's the 'Monster of the Red Mist' that’s taking over the academy now?"
"I couldn’t confirm it. I was too busy running for my life to see it up close, but it’s likely..."
Her words trailed off.
But I didn’t need her to finish. I could tell Cecilia was convinced.
"I told Lady Laura it was for revenge, but the truth is, I don’t hold any desire for vengeance. The people of the vanished Kingdom of Allenmis wouldn’t want revenge from me either. It’s just..."
It’s just another trial.
That day, Cecilia spoke those words.
[Broadcast] The Lady’s better at this, huh?
She's even fighting without her weapon!
[Comments]
[Broadcast] I’m done!
The moment the Lady deflected the greatsword and beat down Rinko, I was done!
I lost it, and now I’m watching the second set’s ban/pick from a urology clinic.
[Comments]
[Broadcast] Round 2: Lady picks Dark Knight!
It’s been ages since we saw Dark Knight!
[Comments]
[Broadcast] A 3-0 sweep incoming!
I expected the Lady to win, but Rinko might not even take a set, lol.
She had expectations she couldn’t meet.
Sure, there were hate comments, but they didn’t bother her. She was used to them.
Who, after all, hasn’t received hate as a streamer? And these weren’t even particularly harsh.
So the viewers' reactions didn’t affect her much.
Her teammates’ encouragement.
But it didn’t feel right.
Receiving expectations she knew she couldn’t meet.
That was Rinko Kisaki’s guilt.
Rinko's greatsword was blocked by Aurora.
Rinko was startled.
"As a Gladiator, you can’t start an attack without a downward strike."
Gladiators use a greatsword planted in the ground as leverage to turn kicks into their primary weapon.
In reverse, this means the downward strike is always a prerequisite to planting the sword. It wasn’t hard for Laura to read Rinko’s movements.
Of course, the Dark Knight uses a one-handed sword, so she couldn’t fully deflect the greatsword due to the weight difference.
But she didn’t need to. She just redirected it slightly.
That was enough.
By slightly reducing the momentum of the greatsword, Rinko's plan to establish leverage failed.
The sword didn’t plant into the ground, and Aurora advanced.
Tsk.
Rinko clicked her tongue and executed a wide kick.
It was a kick strong enough to shatter bones if it connected.
Rinko had experienced times when she couldn’t use her leverage before, so she had some countermeasures for close combat.
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Aurora squinted, stepping back. The angle of the kick was surprisingly good.
"If I had armor, I would’ve pushed through."
Of course, the armor was discarded at the start of the game.
Without armor, a misstep could lead to a quick end, so Aurora retreated further.
Though there was an opening, Rinko had once reached Master Tier with her Gladiator. It was no easy task to deal with her.
As Aurora distanced herself, the two remained locked in a standoff.
Both contemplating their next move.
Rinko hesitated to swing her sword recklessly. Laura had clearly prepared well against Gladiators.
Laura, too, found it hard to approach.
She had assumed Rinko's skills had dulled after so much time away from Labyrinthos, but Rinko’s experience still shone through.
Among all the opponents she had faced in Labyrinthos, Rinko was the toughest.
And she wasn’t wrong. That was a fact.
‘I need to establish leverage if I want to beat Laura.’
Rinko came to that conclusion first.
Laura had been continuously blocking Rinko’s attempts to swing the sword.
It seemed like Laura believed that if Rinko couldn’t establish her leverage, the Gladiator’s strengths would be nullified. And so far, that strategy was working—Rinko hadn’t landed any meaningful hits.
So, she needed to use her range.
Rinko could plant her sword at a distance where Laura wouldn’t be able to deflect it. Then she could apply pressure using her greater range.
There was already a decent distance between them.
Rinko began to back up slightly to increase her range advantage, all the while keeping an eye on Laura’s movements.
‘I need to prevent Rinko from planting her sword.’
Laura was thinking along similar lines.
To be honest, Laura didn’t believe she was inferior to Rinko.
It wasn’t arrogance. Rinko didn’t know. Laura had faced life-threatening battles countless times.
So, she wasn’t lacking in experience. Nor did she think she was weaker in terms of physicality, strategy, or even combat sense.
If there was one area where she was at a disadvantage, it was her understanding of the Gladiator class.
‘I’ve faced Gladiators before.’
But there’s a big difference between facing one and playing as one.
Rinko had played Gladiator for a long time. She knew the class inside and out, its strengths and weaknesses, and had experienced countless situations as a Gladiator.
If Laura could nullify that experience, Rinko would no longer be a threat.
"Come at me."
Laura deliberately provoked her. A sign that she was ready for a head-on clash.
Rinko found it somewhat ridiculous but accepted the challenge.
Rinko charged, swinging her greatsword hard into the ground.
And as Rinko flipped herself through the air,
A wall shot up from beneath her.
Dark Knight's second skill: Wailing Wall.
"...Tch!"
Rinko was flung back.
The knockback effect of Wailing Wall.
As the wall pushed the greatsword away, it also sent Rinko flying through the air.
It was a life-or-death situation.
But Rinko still gripped her greatsword tightly.
‘I haven’t let go yet.’
It wasn’t just sheer willpower keeping her going. Part of her was ready to give up.
But even in that moment, she didn’t release her weapon. It was an old habit from her time playing Gladiator. Losing your weapon often meant losing the match.
That small habit stopped her from giving up completely.
Ironically, it also left her with a sliver of hope.
‘I can still control my posture.’
Rinko looked down. There was still some distance between her and the ground.
The Gladiator class was built for posture control. It had skills designed for that purpose.
And Rinko, having mastered Gladiator, was an expert at controlling her posture.
It was her first time adjusting her position mid-fall, but she felt she could do it.
"MadMask..."
The name of an old nemesis slipped from her lips.
She hadn’t been thoroughly defeated like this since that time. And her opponent wasn’t even a pro-gamer. Just a newly debuted junior ranked only in Diamond.
Somehow, the situation felt eerily similar to that day.
The Black Team had placed all their hopes on Rinko, and she had tried to prove herself against MadMask.
Her comrade Ichika. Her juniors, Michael and Gabriel.
They had been beaten by the 6th-gen VTubers, and the only thing left for them was Rinko’s victory.
Was this for their sake? Or was this to prove herself?
Not knowing the answer, Rinko swung her arm.
As she landed, Rinko plunged her greatsword into the ground with only the strength of her arm.
Then, summoning all her might, she kicked at Aurora.
But Aurora’s sword sliced through Rinko’s ankle.
"Wow... Aurora’s playing incredibly well."
One of the pro-gamers remarked.
"Hey, do you think Dark Knight can counter Gladiator?"
"In theory, yeah, but we’ll need to test it. It might work in practice."
"It’s pretty obvious, though. Dark Knight isn’t a troll pick, and it’s been proven in team fights. It lacks CC, though."
"What about increasing wall placement range? You could knock out those turret setups too."
"Hey, you should practice Dark Knight."
As the pro-gamers marveled at Aurora’s play and discussed strategies, Arima remained silent.
‘Rinko...’
Arima was the only one taking this match seriously.
Last year, Arima had been the owner of the Black Team in the Streamer League.
He had selected Rinko as their top-tier player, shared his knowledge with her, and even encouraged her to face MadMask.
‘I should’ve been the one to face MadMask back then.’
Arima had many regrets from his pro-gaming career, but that moment might have been his biggest regret.
Arima was a professional gamer. Everyone around him was also a professional gamer, and their job was to accept mistakes and losses.
If you couldn’t handle that, you weren’t fit to be a professional gamer. At least, that’s what spectators believed.
But Rinko was a streamer. She was just a gamer who enjoyed playing.
If Rinko had been hurt by LabyrinthosVR, it was because of pro-gamers like Arima.
‘She still hasn’t moved on.’
Arima sighed.
Winning or losing didn’t matter anymore. He just hoped she could find meaning in it.
That was all he could do—watch and hope. There was no way to reach her from the distance of the virtual world.
The only one who could intervene was Aurora, who was facing Rinko.
Would Aurora be a new despair for Rinko? Or would Aurora be her salvation?
Arima didn’t know yet what Aurora would come to mean for Rinko.