beta-reader:

Mein lieblings Spitz

With swords that are different from each other, like light and dark, block the spear strike. Again and again. Block blow after blow until somebody finally gets a chance to counterattack.

A red haze enveloped the air— heavy, thick air that literally burned my lungs... They didn't interfere with his concentration at all. After all, nothing and no one else existed except for her — the only one and most precious person for him.

The black, broad knight's lance swung forward again, intending to pierce him, rip open his chest, and take his life, but the swords again became a hindrance, saving their owner.

The whistling of the wind in his ears, the trembling of his hands from heavy painful blows, the ringing in his head — all of this was practically not perceived and did not interfere with the fight. Most of all, it was the awareness of who he was fighting at that hindered him. What he's fighting for.

Whenever he almost lost consciousness from tension, his hands seemed to move on their own saving him hanging by a thread from death. Again, the spear should have struck him in the head and this time, it would have taken it off his shoulders, but the left hand that held the curved sword with its black, red-patterned geometric blade shot up, and with a force that its owner should not have, threw the spear up, causing the black knight opposite to widen her eyes in surprise and unconsciously lift the corners of her lips in a slight smile.

"In every fight, you show me something new."

Consciousness returned to him just as the knight uttered his sentence in a deep, clear female voice. He stepped back and looked at her steadily.

"That's right. But you've been my only teacher and mentor all this time".

The smile warmed up, but the bright yellow eyes were still cold, vividly contrasting with it.

What is it but a miracle?

Even with such a frightening expression on his face, he couldn't help but feel the same affection and sympathy for her.

He didn't want to fight her… He didn't want to attack with his swords and cause pain… Which, it's unlikely that she would experience it. After all, he still has never been able to hit her. Even the time they'd trained together, he'd spent trying in vain to get her.

And in all ten years, he never managed to do it.

Except once.

Steel screamed again and again the wild, irrepressible ringing in the ears, the spear was thrown aside, and the blade sank into the knight's armour.

For a moment they both froze. At first nothing happened, but then the knight raised her hand and squeezed the blade of the sword, breaking it into small fragments. The shattered armor was intact a moment later, but he could see a trickle of blood running down the black, deliberately distorted plates.

"Show me what you can do! Otherwise…"

As if on purpose, she didn't finish the sentence. He knew exactly what she was talking about. He knew very well what could help him in a battle with a warrior like her. Only that one weapon.

The red-haired youth sighed softly, stepped back a few, let go of the current weapon, and then held his hands out in front of him, as if gripping the hilt of a new as yet unseen sword.

The woman's eyes widened slightly. She seemed to understand what he was about to do, but… she didn't stop him, instead stabbing her spear into the ground to her right.

"Only one weapon can help me defeat you".

Proud bearing, unwavering gaze, and steely will made the young man standing before her an Invincible King. The one what she had once been, the ideal she had aspired to. The ideal that she wanted to pass on to her daughter. The ideal that she tried so hard to convey to him.

And finally…

"You're the one who gave me this weapon".

A beautiful sword appeared in his hands, the hilt of which was decorated with jewels, and the blade itself was painted with elvish characters.

Yes, of course she recognized it. After all, it was…

"Let me use this weapon to defeat you".

He raised his hands with his sword, and an intolerably bright light flooded the entire area, forcing a vague, black-and-scarlet stench to rush in all directions in fright.

The woman laughed lightly, her eyes never leaving the young man's face. She already had her weapon in her hands, the spear with which she intended to defeat him.

"I'm sorry… mother…"

"Attack, Shirou!"

He lowered the sword, and the warm, familiar light made them remember where was it all started...