Chaos Carrier With A Broken Talent

Defeating the Lost Knight in battle was an honor for any Carrier from the Hail of Swords, even if they weren't a swordsman.

Considering how devoted and passionate Loena and Klaus were to their path, it was essential to them.

Loena won.

Fortunately for Klaus, she did not kill him, which was very much contrary to how she had behaved before. She was not as sincere as Klaus.

She expected a few words of appreciation from the Lost Knight or at least recognition of her victory. According to the rules, she was now entitled to Klaus's rewards if she passed the Lost Knight's fight test.

However, to everyone's surprise, the Lost Knight turned to Ethan, who didn't even take part in the duel and was just watching.

"Me?" Ethan pointed to himself.

The Lost Knight waved his hand dismissively.

"Of course you. Do you see anyone else here who could do it?"

He pointed to the empty spot between the eleventh and first Twilight Reaper. This was not supposed to be there. The formation was clearly broken.

Strangely enough, Ethan understood what was going on right away. He took out the twilight shard and nodded toward Aime.

"She contributed too."

"Sure, you're right, we can't forget the help of others. However, I'm sure even she would admit that without you, nothing would have worked. Your strike put an end to one of my servants and gave you this shard."

Then, Lost Knight looked at Klaus. The cut ran across his chest to his left shoulder, deep and precise, but not fatal.

It seemed that Loena deliberately attacked in such a way that Klaus would not only remain alive, but also avoid muscle damage.

"So, what are you going to do?"

Ethan glanced at the twilight shard.

"Am I correct in understanding that this shard is just a spare crystal for the bell?"

The Lost Knight nodded in confirmation.

"Yes, but in addition, the twilight shard can destroy another participant's bell." He pointed at Loena. "That way, you can simply exclude her from the trial and leave her without a reward if that is your wish."

Fear mixed with anger filled Loena's eyes as she spun around to face the Lost Knight.

"WHAT?! How can that be fair?! This... this is all nonsense! The Twilight Reapers appeared almost at the very beginning. Why does he have the right to decide something so important just because...?!"

Tap.

The Lost Knight's hand rested on the hilt of his sword as Loena's pupils narrowed.

She couldn't understand what was happening to her, but time after time, she saw phantom silhouettes of the Lost Knight killing her in different ways. It all happened in less than a split second.

"Gh... GH!"

Loena tried to say something, but she couldn't. Her mind and body refused to obey her, they were too scared, believing they had just died countless times at the Lost Knight's sword.

Only when the Lost Knight removed his hand from the hilt did Loena breathe deeply, struggling to regain her composure.

She collapsed to one knee. Her heart was beating wildly. If she were a little older, she would surely get a few gray hairs.

"Young lady." The Lost Knight looked down at her. "Only I decide what is fair and what is not here. You came here, on this very night, knowing what to expect. Thus, you accepted the rules. You have only yourself to blame. If you had a twilight shard as well, you had nothing to fear."

Then, Loena turned to Ethan.

For the first time, her arrogant facade cracked. In a heartbeat, Ethan had complete power over her.

Without saying a word, Ethan tossed the twilight shard and stepped forward, crossing the line of the arena.

He approached Loena, locked eyes with her for a long moment, then tossed the twilight shard over his shoulder — straight toward Klaus.

Klaus caught the shard, slowly realizing what had just happened.

"Come on, enough of this sword stuff. You want to be a swordsman? Fine, but don't forget that you're a Carrier first and foremost. Not everyone gets this power, so use it to the fullest!"

Returning to the audience area, Ethan waved his hand.

"You have amazing abilities. Show what you're capable of and prove to Loena that you're right. This is your second and last chance."

Loena gasped.

"What? He can do that...?" She turned to the Lost Knight.

Before he could answer, arctic gusts of wind rushed toward her, emanating from Klaus, who was slowly rising from the ground.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The last drops of blood fell to the ground before his wound was frozen shut.

All attention turned to the ice wing that emerged from the right side of his back, as opposed to the left, wind wing he had used earlier.

Even the Lost Knight nodded slightly.

The six-winged seal on his hand exuded frost, wanting to create a violent blizzard around him.

"The second wing..." Klaus's hoarse voice rang out.

Immediately, Loena responded with everything she had to offer.

For a moment, an amber crescent reflected in her eyes as a torrent of energy burst from her sword, ready to pierce everything in its path.

"You cannot win, Klaus! You must stop trying, for your own sake!"

Loena's voice rang out in an emotional cry across the Desolate Meadow as their frames shook, ready to collide in the middle.

Then, a blue and amber flash lit up the field, blinding everyone for a brief moment.

"What? What happened?!" Sera's eyes darted from side to side, trying to figure out who won.

Klaus and Loena were at opposite ends of the arena, both standing firmly on their feet.

There was a wide hole in Klaus's left shoulder — a gaping one that was slowly filling with blood.

Loena turned around as a weak smile spread across her face.

Gush!

A stream of blood poured from her right side, covered with a thick layer of ice.

Cold trickles of blood flowed across the ground among the ice crystals, mixing with Klaus's blood from the first clash.

The Lost Knight raised his hand toward Klaus.

"The winner!"