Chapter 739

Hilt, who was still frozen in the position with her palm outstretched, stared at Fran, who was walking while swaying like a zombie. A look of astonishment crossed her face.

She was undoubtedly surprised her secret art could not finish us off. The divine attribute is, in a sense, a guaranteed kill, especially since this was a battle between humans that have far less vitality than magic beasts. She must have thought that she would win if her attack connected.

However, it's not like we just took the hit standing. Fran had jumped back slightly to mitigate the damage, and I activated my telekinesis to weaken Hilt's momentum as much as possible.

It may only have been a little bit, but it mostly likely saved Fran's life.

I continued to cast healing magic, but Fran remained in her daze. Her Awakening and Brilliant Lightning Rush had already been broken since the damage she had taken made them too hard to sustain.

Even in this state, her unbreakable fighting spirit was still driving her body.

「How… terrifying……」

Hilt muttered in between her ragged breaths. Even from her point of view as a first-rate adventurer, Fran must be worthy of admiration.

「But… I can't lose… either……!」

Hilt was not moving. More precisely, she was moving little by little, as if she was in slow motion.

It seemed that she is still feeling the recoil from her secret art. Her movements were dull, and the huge amount of ki she had been cloaked in has already dispersed.

It wouldn't be difficult to win against Hilt now. All I have to do is to charge in and attack her by myself. The fierce battle has drained my mana, but I can manage a single Kanna Kamui in addition to a Telekinetic Catapult.

However, I would never do such a thing.

Win or lose, Fran should decide this match.

「……」

「……」

Hilt was doing her best to catch her breath, and Fran was swaying from side to side and moving forward with unsteady steps.

The stage was surprisingly quiet.

Hilt was the first to make a move.

She still looked pale, but her breathing has calmed down somewhat. Although she previously looked like she was hyperventilating, it's settled down to around the level of someone after sprinting.

「Hah…… Hah……」

Hilt exhaled in pain as she turned her slightly protruding left palm toward us. Her hips were lowered into a stance.

It looked like a stance focused on parrying and countering, rather than an offensive one. On closer inspection, I can see that Hilt's legs were trembling lightly. She may not have the strength to move towards us anymore.

Fran was still approaching Hilt with her wobbly steps.

As the distance between the two was gradually closing, a change suddenly occurred to me.

『What the……?』

My morphing was activated, changing my shape from a sword to a katana.

I was surprised because I didn't do it intentionally. But it wasn't as if I was forced into it either.

Fran's intent flowed into me, and my body naturally accepted her will. As a result, my morphing was activated.

That's how it felt.

It was only after the transformation that I realized that I had activated my skill.

It is a strange feeling, similar to the time when I was wielded by Fran in her Sword God Transformation state, but I feel a greater sense of unity than I did then.

Perhaps because back then, I felt like I was being wielded by someone of a higher rank with overwhelming skill.

But this time I could feel that Fran needs me. Not as a subordinate, but as a collaborator. I felt the bond between a sword and its wielder.

（Ma…… ster……）

『Fran! Are you awake now?』

（……Let's go…… win……）

It's no use, Fran's still in a daze. And yet, or perhaps because of that, she was unconsciously performing all the optimal movements.

Even at a time like this, a small amount of joy welled up inside me. She was not completely conscious, and yet she still relied on me as her partner, and as her Master.

That made me so happy.

『Yeah, victory will be ours!』

（……Nn……）

Whether she could hear my words or not, Fran seemed to nod her head slightly.

As usual, her steps were slow.

Ten seconds… twenty seconds.

It felt like time was moving in slow motion. I could see the audience gasping, leaning forward, and staring at us.

Five more seconds passed, and the distance between Fran and Hilt was down to five meters.

「……Ah.」

Fran, whose eyes had been unfocused and unable to see anything, suddenly captured Hilt. At the same time, her body moved.

She charged forward and slashed her. That was all.

But the movement was too fast, too sharp, and too unexpected.

Even I did not realize Fran had moved until I felt my blade cutting through Hilt's flesh and bone.

The trick to Fran's sudden acceleration was magic release. With her whole body relaxed, she moved without using any muscle power, only the recoil of her magic release.

It was not just a push from the back either. The arms were raised by releasing magic power from the elbows, and then lowered by releasing magic power from the shoulders. She also released magic power from her knees, hips, and heels. All of this was done practically simultaneously.

What she was doing was similar to Hilt's Garuda, but Fran's technique was even more complicated and advanced. You might say it was the perfected version of what Colbert had used on Sibylla.

Hilt could not detect it exactly because she is an expert in responding to her opponent's breathing, muscle movements, balance, and other indicators.

Of course, Fran's perfect magic concealment was also a big factor.

It was the culmination of everything she had seen and learned during this tournament.

The speed itself was not that great compared to her Brilliant Lightning Rush. Even so, the quickness of the attack was unbelievable coming from someone half-dead, and it would be hard to find something better for taking someone by surprise.

Hilt could not react at all. She was staring back into Fran's unfocused eyes, oblivious to what had just happened.

Ah, she just now realized that she had been cut. Her mouth dropped open.

「Eh?」

That's all that comes out of Hilt's mouth, and shortly after, blood gushes out of her body.

The light of rewinding envelops her crumpled body.

『A-After such a fierce battle in the finals, the end was surprisingly quiet! The winner was a 13 year old! F-Fran of the Black Cats! Without a doubt! Without a doubt we have the youngest winner in the history of the competition!』

The commentator's voice sounded more excited than ever. So excited that he was stuttering somewhat.

I listened to his words with a strange feeling, as if I was dreaming.