"Okay. I hear you, but it looks like it's going to be another defeat." Wain nodded, grabbed his sword tightly, and headed toward the Knight, who, with a calm look, was waiting for him.

"This will be good for you." Gladius said.

"What?" Wain frowned, "You definitely like seeing me get beaten by some living armor!"

"Hahaha, yeah, I can't deny it. So what?" Gladius uttered in a joking manner, "You're strong, so I'm sure you always win, don't you? Can you remember your last defeat?"

Wain paused. Gladius' question made him think. He had been through many dangerous battles, but he had always won in the end.

'Maybe that time at Sven's bar?' Wain muttered inwardly as he touched his chin, 'No... That can't even be called a battle. Sven just crushed her, and I didn't even know what happened. Damn... Have I really never really lost?

As soon as Wain came into this world, he did everything to become stronger, so as he made a great effort, he always survived no matter what happened.

'Wait... I used to do nothing but lose...' Wain muttered to himself as his eyes widened, 'That was so long ago... Shit, I definitely had a terrible childhood, though all those slum fights and beatings made me stronger.'

"Exactly!" Gladius said loudly as though Wain had given the right answer on a quiz.

"Then you learned something very important - only by winning you can survive, so at one point you finally achieved that goal, but now you're not really progressing."

"Are you kidding?" Wain asked in a dazed voice, "I'm in the damn Fourth Chronicle already! I don't like to brag, but I've already done what millions can only dream about!"

"Yeah. Forms, unique skills, two Concepts, a Beyond that can literally devour space, but these are all external factors. Where's the guarantee that you could achieve the same heights without your soul? Gladius said in a slow voice, as though every word was important.

Wain wanted to say something, but he couldn't find the words. He felt as in his mind that Gladius had stripped him, left him without clothes, and that he had nothing to cover himself with. However, Wain knew this was not true.

"Huh, did you really think that would have any effect on me?" Wain grinned, "Yes, I use every means to achieve my goal, I play with the cards I'm dealt, no matter if they're good or bad. Up until the moment I got Soul, I had nothing! At all! But that didn't stop me from achieving everything!"

"Well said. Then it's time to do it again, isn't it?" Gladius smiled, "Go ahead, a defeat that Knight, all you'll have is my advice, but no more. Once you use some skill, it's tantamount to defeat to yourself!"

"All right!" Wain waved his hand, "I wasn't going to lose anyway! I'm going to enjoy this victory to the fullest!"

Whooooooosh.

Wain rushed forward as he instantly got to the Knight, everything was happening exactly like last time, but now Wain wasn't attacking, he wanted his opponent to do it.

The knight nodded as if he appreciated Wain's noble gesture, so he swung his sword from bottom to top.

Wain's pupils narrowed as his gaze focused on the blade that raced toward him at great speed. He took a step to the side as the sword swept in front of his face, but suddenly the world tilted.

'What...?' Wain inwardly muttered as the trees bent just as the mountains in the distance.

Bam.

His back touched the ground, and at the same time, the knight's foot slammed into his stomach. The impact threw Wain aside as his face twisted in pain with drops of blood that poured from his mouth.

Gladius was on the ground again, so he flew toward Wain.

"Well, well, you seem to have relaxed too much. Didn't I tell you to pay more attention to yourself than your opponent? You skillfully dodged a sword attack, but because of that, you didn't notice that your legs were hit. Even a child is more attentive than you." Gladius spoke in a frustrated tone as if he was a teacher whose student had failed an exam.

"Damn! That was awesome!" Wain said with a satisfied smile on his face.

"Hmm? Why are you smiling? You got punched in the stomach, not in the head." Gladius asked in a puzzled manner.

"Shut up. This is just the beginning! I swear, in three tries, I'll turn this piece of iron into scrap metal!" Wain exclaimed, grabbed Gladius by the hilt, and headed for the Knight.

.

.

.

"Fuck!" Wain slammed his fist on the ground with an angry look, "I already tried it ten times, but I couldn't even scratch it! Shit!"

"Eh... There's no way you can stop concentrating so hard on your opponent. Okay, I have an idea, but it's going to be dangerous." Gladius said.historical

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Next time you attack with your eyes closed!" Gladius exclaimed.

"What?!" Wain's eyes widened, "You definitely want to kill me."

"Just do it."

Wain nodded, shook off the dust, and held his sword out in front of him with his eyes closed.

Whooooosh.

He ran at the Knight and swung his sword, however Wain miscalculated the distance, so the blade tip passed within an inch of the Knight's neck.

There was a sound of metal that came from the old armor as the Knight attacked. Wain realized what was happening, so he immediately jumped aside before the Knight could even swing his sword.

Wain opened his eyes and saw that the Knight stood still. As before, he did not move in case the battle was beyond the columns.

"Well, at least this time, I didn't get hit in the stomach. Okay, I'll try again." Wain nodded as he attacked, but this time he saw his opponent.

The Knight also attacked, and their swords clashed, however Wain did not look at the weapon. His eyes were on his arms and legs, so when the Knight wanted to knock Wain down, he was able to react before it happened.