Bernhard glared at the dull blade before laughing, his laughter echoing throughout the empty manor. "another dull blade?" He sneered "A sharpened blade is superior! Yet, you lost with that same dullness, and what do you expect from repeating the same thing? That is insanity!" he continued on as his laughter became louder before calming himself.
"Alright then," his lips widened into a smile, "let us fight till one of us falls!"
With that, Bernard charged, swinging his sword in aggression. However Ludwig remained focused, blocking and clashing with him, while staring him down through the sparks of heat emitting from the two swords. Ludwig then parried a slash from him before kicking him back, even though he was kicked back, he followed up by grazing Ludwig's cheek vanishing behind him.
"What's wrong? You aren't attacking me at all, quit being defensive and fight me like a real Azure!" Bernhard mocked as his attacks were relentless.
While Ludwig was parrying and blocking his attacks, a peculiar thought crossed his mind, "From the years of me being under Rin's mentorship and protection, this made me realize, he was fighting like the complete opposite of the Azure arts..what is it intentional?"
When he was distracted from that thought Bernhard took the opportunity to slash him in the chest, stumbling him back.
"You only kicked me! Why?" He demanded, "We both know you were a master at the Azure arts, so why not show me your mastery huh?!" Bernhard said in an angered tone.
The two clashed swords once again, "Oh I get it," Bernhard spat, "you think you can win against me without it huh? Is that how much you despise us?!" Bernhard insulted, while Bernhard was spitting insults at Ludwig, he noticed the same unfamiliar insignia stitched over the VHC insignia.
Bernhard then exerted as much force as can to knock Ludwig back who landed on the floor. "That insignia, where is it from?" Ludwig asked as he pointed his sword at him. Bernhard then grinned, spreading his arms wide.
"After you destroyed the Azure ways of execution, your mother retired a year after you left without fixing the execution protocol. So after I became the head, I figured why not and gave the failures of the family to a certain researcher." Bernhard laughed insanely.
As Ludwig was trying to think of "who" the researcher he was referring to was, Bernhard slashed him in the chest, sending him back. Then followed up by lacerating Ludwig in a swift manner.
Despite the wounds inflicted into him, Ludwig still stood, looking back at Bernhard with determination.
"You survived that, yet can you survive this?!" Bernhard roared as he charged in blinding speed toward Ludwig with the heirloom positioned toward his heart.
Ludwig upon seeing the incoming assault, gripped his new sword, then swung it up.
A loud clatter was heard once again, this time, the top end of a blade flew into the air, stabbing itself into the floor.
A sharp clatter rang out. The top of Bernhard's blade flew into the air, embedding itself into the floor as Ludwig's sword parried the heirloom with such force that it shattered the tip. Before Bernhard could react, Ludwig cleaved his sword through the air, sending shockwaves so powerful that the ceiling began to collapse.
But instead of cutting through Bernhard, Ludwig's strike tore open a starlit gate, as if he had sliced through the very fabric of the world. The gate consumed Bernhard, enveloping his lower half before closing, ripping him apart.
Bernhard's mouth opened, as if to speak, but no sound escaped. The gate closed with a final, resounding snap, severing him in two. His upper half remained, lifeless, as the lower half was discarded
Bernhard was dead on the spot. With the heirloom sword's blade being snapped apart. The family's head, along with the prized treasure, heirloom was destroyed. And the head of the family, dead.
The ceiling started to collapse even further, and before Ludwig opened a gate to escape before getting caught up, he caught a note that lingered into his hands.
"Keep going, Ludwig. Even if you weren't treated horribly by the family, still keep going. Even if you lack a goal, if you ever read this, you are in control of your own goal."
The note, written by Elias but signed by Julia, was a final gift, this note also seemed to have a faint stain of blood on the corner.
Ludwig's face went softer, before a single tear drop rained down his cheek, "She must've been holding onto this note on that day of her death.." Ludwig said in a quiet painful voice, but he smiled faintly along with those words.