The stunned silence was palpable as all stared at the nub of a blade that was, supposedly, the Holy Sword. What was left was only about a foot in length. The blade itself was thin and as dull a gray as its guard.

Then the silence ended as Silva snorted with laughter. “You’re kidding me, right? All that, and the sword turned out to be a fake! That’s just too funny!” She continued to laugh and even Heide began to giggle. I felt the heat begin to creep into my face.

“I thought you said this was the Holy Sword!” I hissed to Ulrich.

“It is. Sheriff Steel kept sayin’ it was,'' he hissed back. “”Course, he could have been jokin’. My Sheriff’s always been one for pranks.”

“You just thought about that now?!” This was utterly humiliating! I, Prince Anno, still could not escape the curse of a shattered sword! “At the very least, you should have said it was broken!”

Ulrich tilted his head in the horse-equivalence of a shrug, “I didn’t know. I’ve actually never seen it drawn before. Whoops.”

Whoops?! This was something that could not be swept away with a mere whoops. I gave him a withering stare, “Well, then, what do you suggest I do?”

It was Silva who answered, “Probably should give up and give me that flute. It’s the best option for everyone. You get to live, we take Lina back, and the Hero––”

“I’ll never let you have her!” I interrupted. So what if the supposed Holy Sword was broken? I had fought with less. And what little blade there was left looked sturdy enough to take a blow or two. What was more important, though, was that I had Silbermond back. Regardless of Silva’s new ability, I would fight with all I had.

Silva fell silent as she gave me an inscrutable look. “You seem to care a lot for Lina. Why are you going so far to protect her? You don’t even know anything about her.” Her voice was equally inscrutable.

“You’re right. I don’t know anything about her. For all I know, Lina has been using me for some nefarious purpose.” I drew Silbermond once more and crossed it over Rudolf. “However, what I do know is that your precious Hero wants her for an even darker purpose, and that’s enough for me. And if that means standing against you, my friend, then so be it.”

“My precious Hero?” Silva tilted her head with a rather odd expression. Then her eyebrows unfurrowed and she gave a foxish grin. “Sure. I guess Gertrude told you the happy news. We’re gonna get married. Just as soon as we get Lina back, isn’t that right, Heide?”

“Oh, yes~!” said Heide with graceful delight, “We’re almost there, Silva! Just get me my flute!”

“I already said I would.” Her smile became a scowl. “Let’s end this quickly.”

I pushed past the bile that rose in my throat at the mere mention of marriage to that worm. But I could not dwell on it as I watched Silva press her palm against the back of her blade in a Paw stance. She held her arms steady, and her image began to blink rapidly.

Without so much as a twitch, Silva began to teleport left and right, popping in and out so fast that my eyes could no longer differentiate which was real. There appeared to be three Silvas in front of me.

My breath caught at the sight. This Fox Flash power was something else. I should never have underestimated Silva’s determination. I could no longer say that she was bad at teleportation.

There came a warning from Ulrich, “Behind you!”

It was the same cry as I had given the sheriff, thus I obeyed without hesitation, whirling around in time to see her blade slash downward. I calculated her momentum and prepared Silbermond to intercept.

I was glad for Ulrich’s quick warning. It gave me plenty of time to stay one step ahead of Silva’s little tricks.

But then, something odd happened. It was like I blinked without closing my eyes. Silva’s slash was at the start of its arc, and then it wasn’t. In an instant, it was much lower. And I found that I could not raise my blades fast enough.

Out of shock more than skill, I stepped back just before Silva’s slash connected with my chest. I was not far back enough that the steel did not miss my clothing, however. Her blade sliced into my vest as if it weren't there at all. I felt the cool evening air touch my exposed skin as my shirt and small shirt were also sliced.

What was––?!

I could not even complete that thought before Silva followed up her slash with another horizontal one. And then it happened again. Silva’s attack began and reached its apex in an instant. Her attack was not a single, continuous motion. It was as if Silva had skipped an entire chunk of the arc of her slash.

I nearly fell on my rear as I leaned back and let Reynard whistle through the air above my face. It was so close, I could feel the wind from the strike tickle my nose.

My hands lifted instinctively as I stood straight, crossing the blades in front of my chest as I scrambled back. I could feel Heide’s flute threatening to fall from the pocket of my vest as the ruined garment wobbled, hanging precariously from my shoulders.

I dared not lower my guard. Silva resumed Paw stance and was creating afterimages again. I kept my eyes straight ahead. She was trying to get me to lose focus and concentrate on all three at once, but I would not be fooled. My attention was on the rest of my surroundings.

In the few seconds I had to observe, I could tell that Ulrich had not moved from where he had been, which was concerning. His ears were pinned down and his legs were quivering. He really was in pain. But the horse’s eyes were rolling, his head swaying from side to side, following Silva’s movement.

I began to retreat backward in hopes that Silva would be tempted to attack again. This succeeded, and I saw her vanish. There was not even a second to decide where she would appear. I prayed to Iliana as I chose a direction to face. I turned ninety degrees to my left.

I was wrong. Silva appeared to my right. She would have been in front of me had I not turned. I braced myself for her attack, but no attack came. At least not with her sword. Her left hand shot out and grabbed my shoulder.

Without thinking, I leaped back and immediately regretted that decision as my vest came free in Silva’s hands.

“Too easy,” Silva mocked as she tossed the vest to adjust her grip. The cloth fell free as Silva held the flute in her hand. “Here you go, Heid. One creepy flute, as you asked.”

Instead of smiling, Heide looked aghast, “I know what you’re about to do. Don’t you dare throw my––!”

But it was too late. Silva tossed the instrument toward Heide, who reached out with a look of terror. From what I could tell, Silva’s throw was accurate, yet it did not reach Heide for the instrument was snatched out of the air by Albert, who appeared with a bellow.

“Got it! I guess we got here just in time, your highness!”

We? I looked to see that Dietrich was at my side, fists raised at Silva, who looked startled.

I, on the other hand, was relieved. “ Dietrich, heal Ulrich. He’s been hurt! I’ll take care of Silva!”

“Got it, boss!” He ran past Silva, toward the horse, who gave a grunt of protest that all ignored.

Silva looked stunned, “A Deborn?! What the––” She turned to look at me in shock, “Wait, you said that thing can heal? Interesting.”

But I was no longer looking at her. Instead, my attention was on Albert, “Snap the flute, Albert! Do it now!”

“Yessir!” The man took the flute in both hands.

Heide gave a cry of anguish, “No! Silva! Save her!”

Silva recovered from her shock in an instant as she blasted past me without another word. Dietrich tried to grab at her, but she was already gone. In an instant, she was behind Albert and smashed the back of his neck with her sword blade.

I stared in horror as the man’s knees buckled, and his hands began to slacken on the instrument. Yet before he fell, Albert had the sense to throw the flute high into the air.

I charged as soon as I saw her eyes lift, raising both swords for a horizontal slash. Her guard was completely down as she raised a hand to catch the falling flute. I could end her right here, right now, but I found myself unable to release my attack. I could not kill her. No matter what she had done, Silva was still my friend.

However, so was Albert. And so were Dietrich, Ulrich, and Lina. I needed to push past my feelings. As a prince whose people were in danger, I could not allow myself to be bogged down by personal attachments. Duty came first.

All it took was one moment. One moment of hesitation for Silva to look my way and slash with Reynard. Only this time, I could not dodge.

I felt cold steel glide across my chest. There was no pain, only the lingering chill of Reynard’s blade as my skin split in its wake. The impact of her attack sent me backward. I could feel my hands slacken as Albert’s had. Both blades threatened to fall from my fingers.

A rushing sound filled my ears and drowned out all other noise. Though from somewhere, I could hear the sound of my own name. Was Dietrich calling out to me? It sounded more like Silva, but I did not have enough strength to look. I could feel my legs beginning to give. And I knew that once I fell, I would not get back up.

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Silva…

I could hear her voice in my mind. “Everyone will know the name Silva Schafer wielder of the Red Fox style!”

They certainly will. Now that she had killed a prince of Cross.

Then came the pain, a deep burning that filled my entire being, which snapped me back into consciousness. My grip redoubled as I pushed against the gravity threatening to take my body.

I would not fall! Not until Silva wrung my last breath from my body! Just stopping myself from collapsing took inhuman strength, but I managed to stay on my feet, pushing myself until I was leaning forward, doubled over in agony.

My teeth grit as I stared down at my chest. A deep, diagonal gash decorated my destroyed tunic, which was reddinging with blood. Then I looked at Silva with fire in my eyes. She was no longer looking at me. The flute was still in the air. What had felt like hours, was not even a second. I raised my blades, ready to face her again.

“Boss! Are you okay?”

No, I was not okay! I was in the worst pain of my life! But I could not afford to succumb, not until I paid her back. This time, I would not hesitate!

I slashed with Rudolf while thrusting with Silbermond. Yet my arms felt like they were heavy with lead. She easily dodged my attacks and caught the flute once more.

“Looks like I win again, Anno.” She gave the instrument a little wiggle.

Heide’s sigh of relief was audible from here, which was followed by an almost shrill chastisement, “Don’t you dare throw my mother again, Silva Schafer!”

“Oh, I won’t. There’s no more need for you to get involved.” said Silva, almost to herself as she watched me with sharpened eyes. “I have to admit, Anno, I’m impressed you’re still standing.”

“You think… a prince of Cross would fall that easily?” said I, still through gritted teeth. I smiled despite my pain. “A little cut like this… is nothing.”

Of course, that was a lie. Each tiny movement made the pain worse. Even breathing felt laborious as every sharp intake of air felt as if I were trying to ingest flames. Still, I took a deep breath and shouted, “I won’t fall until our duel is finished!”

I thrust both blades forward in a Double Fang. Silva smirked and deflected both with a single swipe of Reynard. “You’re getting sloppy, Anno. Face it, you’ve lost. Might as well stop now and get that Deborn to fix you up.”

“Never!” I struck again, which she deflected.

Her eyes narrowed, “Seriously, stop.”

But I ignored her and slashed again. The taste of iron was strong upon my tongue. Something warm was beginning to leak from the corner of my mouth. The same warmth that spilled down my torso, I imagined.

I heard Dietrich’s voice from somewhere, “I hate to say it, Boss, but she’s right. I’ll take over. If you just let me––”

I did not realize how numb I was as I felt something resembling fingers touch my shoulder, but I shoved it off with a shout, “No! Don’t touch me! She is mine!” My grip on my swords tightened.

Silva’s eyes were wide as she looked at me. Was that regret on her face? It was difficult to tell as my vision began to blur. But I could still see her general silhouette.

I can still fight…

Her voice cracked through the air like a whip, “That’s enough! Give it up! I’ve won! Just accept it!”

“Not until you tell me why you left!” My voice sounded like it was coming from elsewhere. “You still haven’t given me a proper answer!”

“I told you already! I was––”

“Liar!” I slashed again, using what little strength I had to give it extra bite. Perhaps it was the pain, but I found all my pent up frustration spilling from me like the blood from my chest. “I’ve been annoying my whole life! And yet you stayed! We’ve fought over and over to the point I thought you were going to run away from home! And yet you stayed! So, why? Why when he appeared did you decide to leave me? Why did you go so far as to rob me to stop me from following you?!”

Silva was silent. Even if I could not see her, I could feel her glare boring into me, but I stood my ground.

“Be honest with me for once, Silva! No more tricks! No more games!”

There was a moment of silence. Then, “Alright, you win. You really want to know why I left, Anno? It's because you hold me back.”

It was as if her words cleared the fog from my vision. Her face came into sharp focus as I stared into her coldly fierce eyes.

“I what?”

Her mouth tightened, “Do you know what it’s like to want to make a name for myself and yet be stuck in your shadow? You’re not just a shadow, you’re the shadow of a shadow of a shadow! And to be beneath that? I would never become anything more than the maid of a spoiled, pampered brat!”

Of all the explanations I expected, this one had not crossed my mind. “I don’t understand.”

Silva rolled her eyes, “Of course you don’t. This might come as a surprise, Anno, but the world doesn’t revolve around you. And neither do I. I have my own hopes and ambitions. And for the longest time, I thought you would help me fulfill them, but you were always so concerned about yourself and how much your daddy hated you that I simply gave up hope that I would be anything more than a prince’s maid.”

A sneer curled her lips, “But then, to my surprise, a chance for glory appeared right in front of us. That was your chance, Anno––our chance to make a name for ourselves and break away from your family’s shadow, but did you take it? No!”

Silva resumed the Foxtail stance and slashed at me. Though my body was growing more numb by the second, I raised my blade in defense. The clash of steel rattled me to my very essence, but I held strong. Despite my wound, I felt my rage renewing my strength. I pushed against her with Rudolf and thrust with Silbermond, which made Silva back away as she continued.

“So, I took the chance for myself. And we did it! We defeated the Demon King!”

“And took his place!” I shouted, “Don’t you see what has happened to you! How your Hero manipulates you to serve him! What gain do you have by retrieving Lina? He’s going to use her to destroy the world! Is that what you want?”

I did not know whether the nausea that began to overtake me was due to blood loss or my sheer disgust.

Silva leaped forward and skipped her movement into a thrust. I barely managed to dodge. Just moving made hazy circles appear in my vision; darkness appeared in the corners. But I pushed myself to keep going as Silva kept up her offensive.

“And what if he does? It’s not like you can stop him! You can barely manage me! And I’ve been holding back!”

Dietrich spoke again, “It’s not just him! You'll be facing me and––”

“I said she was mine! You stay where you are!”

Ulrich gave a grunt, “Best listen to the prince, boy. I’ve seen the kinda look in his eye before. It ain’t our place to interfere in a fight between rivals.”

I was grateful to the sheriff. This was my duel. As painful as it was, we were finally getting somewhere. I addressed Silva with a coolness that belied my burning body, “You could have left me behind, then. But you didn’t. You felt the need to come back and stop me by stealing my things.”

Silva was not deterred by this. She simply scoffed, “I figured you’d chase after me sooner or later to drag me back down with you. I thought if I made your journey harder, you’d get cold feet and run back home. But I was wrong. You’re as stubborn as you ever were!” Our swords clanged together several more times; I maintained eye contact throughout.

She made sense on the surface. Silva did have aspirations of greatness, she wanted more than anything for others to recognize her as the great swordswoman she was, but to go this far, this was not the Silva I knew.

“You’ve changed.” said I as deflected her next series of attacks.

She raised an eyebrow at me, “Have I? Or did you only ever see what you wanted to see?”

I felt a deep sadness wash through me. “You’re right, Silva. I was blinded by self-pity. But still, I could never see you becoming the lackey of someone as pathetic as that worm just to serve your own ambitions!”

Silva blanched at that, “You think so? Then maybe you didn’t know me at all!”

Those words hurt worse than any cut she could inflict. I had been so focused on becoming the best prince for my people that I had ignored the needs of the person I cared about the most. But it was too late for reconciliation. Silva had crossed a line when she attacked Ulrich and slaughtered his guards.

The more we fought, the darker my vision became. It was no longer just in the corners of my eyes, the pale circles had also blackened. I was passing out, and I knew it. But I could not find it in my heart to allow Dietrich to heal me. The gash in my chest was proof of my carelessness. And of Silva’s strength.

I would never concede to her. We had not fought nearly four-hundred times to just allow the other to win. But if I were to lose this duel, I wanted everyone to see the mark of her ultimate triumph. That would be my last gift to my friend. Though I supposed we were no longer friends…

My only regret was that, if Dietrich could not save me in time, I would die with a sword as useless as Rudolf. I was not sure why I did not drop the pointless thing. Perhaps a part of me hoped that it was truly the Holy Sword, and that it would perform a miracle of sorts. All I could do was pray to Iliana that I would be alive to witness it.

I no longer felt the pain in my chest. I was far too focused on Silva, who was now beginning to integrate teleports back into her attacks. Perhaps it was my growing dizziness, but she appeared to be coming at me from multiple directions at once. Somehow, I managed to block all her attacks.

“You…really are stubborn. Even with that wound.” said Silva, whose breathing was becoming labored. “I knew it was too early to face you.”

“What’s…wrong?” I could feel my lungs rattling as I panted, “Are you worried I’ll beat you?”

She shook her head, “I was just hoping I wouldn’t have to use my ultimate technique. You should feel honored to see…my Fox Frenzy…”

I could not help but smile at the name she had created at the age of twelve, “Yeah? And how many…spins did you add this time?”

She could only manage a grimace, “...A lot. You’ll never see it coming.”

I swallowed blood back down my throat and stood tall, swords raised. “Then show me. I’ll block every single one of them!”

Silva dropped the flute she was still holding––ignoring the cries from Heide––took Reynard in both hands and raised it parallel to her shoulder. She stood frozen for the briefest of moments, then she struck and vanished before it reached my neck. With a flourishing spin, Silva reappeared to my left to complete her attack.

And I found that I could not lift my arms in time. Even though I had anticipated this new modification to her attack, I could not keep up. I only wished I could have blocked at least one of her attacks.

Oh well… I knew when I had lost.

“Please…stop fighting…”

The voice was quiet, and yet it pierced through the both of us like an arrow. Silva froze mid-slash, blade mere millimeters from my neck.

We both looked and found Herman walking toward us. And leaning upon his shoulders, still dressed in a plain white nightgown was Lina.

She was awake at last.