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Even the dragonborn could tell that Olivia’s latest strike was incredibly powerful, and Fan-Yen had taken it head on, so they were convinced that she had to be in bad shape. But when the dust settled, both of them were still standing and facing each other.

The first one to move was as always, Fan-Yen, her eyes completely bloodshot.

That sent Olivia into high alert, wondering what her opponent would do, but contrary to her expectations, Fan-Yen’s hand reached to her neck, firmly holding a certain scale and tearing it off without hesitation.

Without caring for the pain or large amount of blood gushing out, she just threw that scale away, while her eyes seemed to regain their sanity.

All dragonborn had a scale growing in the opposite direction as all others in their neck, an area especially sensitive and those who touched incited the dragonborn’s wrath and fury, which would not be placated unless they killed the perpetrator a thousand times, and that was one of the areas Olivia had hit earlier. A dragonborn tearing one’s own reverse scale would be more painful than taking one’s life, something no human would ever be able to endure.

“My apologies, I didn’t keep things fair in our fight.”

No one had expected her first words to be an apology.

“I know I have no right to ask, but could we resume our match for a bit longer?”

Giving in to anger and using unneeded strength was only making her look desperate, just like that swordsman had pointed out before. There was no point in a fight won or lost through such means.

So she swallowed her pride and asked for a proper rematch. She was ready to grovel and lick her boots if Olivia declined, as Fan-Yen was determined to make up for her disrespect and reach a proper conclusion to their fight.

“Sure, let’s end it properly then.”

But the young girl accepted right away. That made a warm feeling well up in Fan-Yen’s chest and eyes, but she shook them off right away.

Olivia was staring right at her opponent, her right arm raised and ready despite her left arm’s serious injuries. She was badly hurt, but she was still ready to fight, and still looked at Fan-Yen as her opponent. Getting emotional in such a situation was the height of disrespect.

Fan-Yen was still impressed however, Olivia looked like she was not even in her twenties, so Fan-Yen could only imagine what sort of grueling training she endured to become so powerful.

And that made her valuable. She was a worthy opponent to take down! And she was a worthy opponent to be defeated by! Fan-Yen could feel her blood getting hot like molten rocks, and she did not care if it gushed out from all her wounds.

They exchanged no more words, though her heart was beating loud.

The black haired girl in front of her also prepared for combat.

This time, Fan-Yen would use her true definite move. One she had never used against someone of a different species until now.

“Secret technique…” There was a burst of mana which made the entire mountain shake. “Roaring Brilliant Iron.”

Olivia had already used everything in her arsenal, and had no more options left if the fight continued. She had lost all sensation on her left arm a while back, and her right arm and legs were at their limit.

On top of that, the backlash from Divine Wind Form Zero was starting to hit her. Due to that skill’s high demands on one’s body and mana, it would have a strong negative effect on the caster if it was used to its limits. That was why Shuma had simplified it into two different forms for Olivia to learn.

It was possible to avoid that by turning it “on” and “off” rapidly whenever necessary, but Olivia had not understood and mastered it enough to be able to do that herself.

But she still decided to face off against Fan-Yen.

She had just seen Fan-Yen tear off her own reverse scale to make the fight fair, so Olivia could not possibly disregard that determination.

There was a stronger reason why she had no option but to continue, and it was not because Fan-Yen asked to continue, or because the fight was fun.

It was because Natalia was still holding back. Natalia had a nearly suicidal predetermination when it came to defending her master, but she was watching this fight without stepping in.

So Olivia would not give up.

I have to do it even if it hurts!
I have to use more mana!
And if I don’t have enough I just need to gather more!

“Secret technique, Roaring Brilliant Iron.”

Fan-Yen exclaimed that in a low voice, and then seemed to teleport in front of Olivia.

Even her tail had struck the ground alongside her feet to let her dash so quickly, moving faster than Olivia’s eyes could register.

But it was not the time to admire that. Fan-Yen’s fist was covered in an energy ball as large as Olivia was tall, which looked like a huge lump of molten iron. There was no way for Olivia to dodge something so big from so close by, so her only recourse was to counter attack.

Olivia gathered what little mana remained in her body, as well as everything she could absorb from the surroundings, gathering it all into her fist as she lunged forward without hesitation.

A wave of heat spread out as something black darted forward.

There was a thunderous sound as an arrow of black lightning pierced through the entire town and crashed into the side of the mountain.

Natalia was the first to react. She was desperate to see who had won the fight, and the other Servants and dragonborn followed her as well.

They all stopped at the end of the town, which bordered a cliffside. A large crater had appeared on the natural rocky wall, with Fan-Yen in the middle, a fist piercing through her chest.

Olivia breathed heavily as she slowly pulled her fist out.

“…That was wonderful.”

Fan-Yen muttered before vomiting blood and falling on the ground.

Olivia’s body was battered and bruised, her feet so unsteady she looked like she could fall over if someone blew on her. But she was still standing, while Fan-Yen showed no signs of getting up again.

But more importantly, Fan-Yen’s words had declared a victor. Unable to move a muscle, Fan-Yen asked from the ground.

“You…strong girl…tell me, what’s your name?”

Fan-Yen had finally met someone she could not defeat, so in her last moments she decided she wanted to know her opponent’s name and carry it with her to the afterlife. The story of a dragonborn’s fair and square defeat would be the perfect gift for her lost comrades.

“…I’m Olivia Eto Gardeland.”

Seeing the girl give her name with a satisfied smile, having thoroughly enjoyed their fight, Fan-Yen recalled the man who had defeated her in the past.

‘I’m Etou Shuma. Wait no, Shuma Eto Gardeland.’

Maybe she was just thinking too deeply about it, but Fan-Yen felt certain about the connection between the two.

Ahh, I see. So he died, but a piece of him still remains.

That thought made her feel like there could be more to life after all, her determination to die fading away, while also finding her change in conviction almost humorous.

“Got it. You win.”

Fan-Yen said with a bright smile before losing consciousness. A moment later Olivia’s body collapsed.

“Young Lady!”
Obviously enough, Natalia was the first to run to her aid.

“…Natalia…I won.”
“Yes…I know, you fought really well.”

Olivia had won, but she had also suffered grave injuries, especially to her left arm. But Natalia tried to ignore the worry that fraught her, all to praise Olivia.

“I’m sorry…I think I’ll sleep now…”
Olivia closed her eyes, letting go of her senses.

“You’re always pushing yourself overboard…”
Natalia’s voice was shaky as she embraced Olivia and carried her.