Chapter 168
Chapter 168
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 168
Chapter Title: Sword Festival (11)
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“You guys need to cool off a bit.”
A tidal wave of monsters was surging forward. Ronan gripped the hilt of his sword. He gathered mana in the blade while waiting for the monsters to enter his range. His still-immature core was heating up like it was about to explode.
As big as possible.
No battle lacked the need for it, but in one-against-many fights, seizing the initiative was especially crucial. It didn't change even if the opponents were monsters instead of humans. The moment the lead monsters entered about twenty steps, Ronan spun his body horizontally and unleashed a wide sword strike. A red crescent shot out along the path of La Mancha's blade. Seeing the sword aura's diameter was only two meters, the spectators let out sighs.
“What an idiot—what does he expect to do with that?!”
“Disappointing. Is he only strong in duels?”
Against the flood of monsters rushing like a torrent, his sword aura even looked reckless. At best, it would take out two or three coming straight at him. The monsters seemed to find it laughable too—the lead giant boars and black orcs didn't bother dodging and charged even more ferociously. Seeing that, one corner of Ronan's mouth curled up.
“Idiots.”
Suddenly, the crescent shattered. The sword aura fragmented into hundreds of pieces, scattering in a fan shape. Each one was a shotgun pellet compressed to extreme sharpness. Pababat! The widely dispersed fragments stabbed into the monsters' bodies.
“Kreeek!”
“Kweek!”
The orcs and boars, turned into beehives, rolled on the ground. The unlucky ones hit in the heart or head dropped dead on the spot. Though the surface area was small, the penetration was tremendous, inflicting fatal wounds the moment they hit.
The red droplets tore through skin, shredding muscle, bone, and organs before exiting and striking the monsters charging behind. The monsters on both flanks, completely unprepared, suffered devastating losses as well. Those watching cried out in shocked expressions.
“My god!”
“To use sword aura like that...!”
It was a sword aura technique they'd never seen before. That single strike seemed to have reduced their numbers by at least thirty percent. The monsters, tripping over each other, lost momentum. Ronan, catching his breath, wore a satisfied smile. Aside from the heavy mana cost, it was quite useful.
“Not bad.”
This proved he could handle enemies within thirty steps using sword aura. It was the fruit of his efforts to catch up to geniuses like Naviroje or Schlieffen, even with his power suppressed by the curse. He fired off the same sword aura once more, then suddenly bit his lower lip.
Still not enough.
But what Ronan ultimately had to cut down was the giant flying through the sky. To drag down those baldies raining spears from above the clouds, he needed far greater range. As he focused his mind once more to launch a third crescent, a shaggy snowfield troll came flying in a parabola from far away.
“Gwaaak!”
“Damn, what the hell?”
It was a massive beast that looked at least three meters tall. From its flailing limbs, it was still alive. Ronan reflexively swung his sword. The sword aura shot out like an interception, bisecting the troll at the waist. Blood exploded out, raining down over Ronan's head. As his vision cleared, he spotted a Twin-Head Ogre roaring in the distance.
“Krwooooreuk!”
“Graaaargh!”
Anyone could tell that thing had thrown it. The one that turned the fox knights into a fox carpet. It seemed pissed from the pellet wounds. Confirming his core's mana was nearly depleted, Ronan sighed.
“Such is my fate.”
No choice but to dive into melee now. Of course, he'd expected it, so it didn't matter. Come to think of it, this was his third time facing a Twin-Head Ogre. Ronan crouched. Thud! Strengthening his legs with the remaining mana, he kicked off the ground and leaped.
The motion was so instantaneous that the ogre lost sight of him. As its two heads swiveled searching for the vanished foe, a small shadow fell over the ogre's face.
“Gruk?”
“Gwok!”
The two heads looked up. Ronan had already reached right above, spinning like a swallow as he descended. Sensing instinctive dread, the ogre desperately raised its club into a defensive stance. But it meant nothing. La Mancha sliced through the oak club like tofu and plunged between the two heads.
“Guk?!”
Chwaaak! The blood-soaked blade carved vertically across the ogre's hide. The moment Ronan landed, the wound split open, and blood gushed out. Guts spilled like a landslide, covering the ground. It was great to dispatch the most annoying one in a single blow, but there was no time for self-congratulation. Ronan immediately rolled to the side. Thunk! Three spears, each about two meters long, flew and embedded where he'd been. Spears thrown by the lizardmen positioned in the rear. Meeting their eyes, Ronan spat on the ground and sneered.
“Reptile bastards.”
“Krrk.”
The lizardmen split their mouths wide and cackled. They looked relaxed due to the distance, which was infuriating. Wordlessly, Ronan drew the dagger Imir. He hurled it into the still-open maw of the cage. A faint sound of the blade piercing something echoed. Seconds later, a thunderous roar erupted.
“Krwaaaak!!”
The attention of the spectators and monsters turned to the cage. At the same time, a massive manticore burst out bellowing. Its lion's right eye had the glittering dagger deeply embedded. Seeing it, Ronan chuckled.
“The boss has to step up. What's the point of being the strongest if you just sit around.”
It was the strongest monster available in this exam. Struck by lightning, the manticore went berserk. The monster lion wildly swung its claws and poison-tailed stinger, unleashing indiscriminate attacks around it. The lizardmen who'd thrown spears at Ronan screamed and fled, only to be impaled by the stinger in an instant. Their sturdy bodies turned black and rotted away in under three seconds—truly terrifying poison.
Ronan slaughtered monsters alongside the manticore. Each swing of his sword splattered colorful blood across his face. He severed a troll's limbs in one stroke as it cheered, and crushed a goblin's skull with a kick as it tried to stab his back. Claws, fangs, and vicious blades flying from all directions—he dodged or parried them all. Not a single one grazed his body.
Eventually, some fed-up monsters turned tail and fled. But Ronan had no intention of letting the routed ones escape. Thud! As he stomped his right foot, sparkling roots sprouted and ensnared the fleeing imps.
“Hweeeek! D-dog, doggy!”
“Kieeeek! It's biting!”
The imp-like creatures, resembling human children, wailed and begged for their lives, but by then Ronan's sword strike had already slit their throats. Crushing an imp's head underfoot, Ronan let out a low chuckle. The dizzying blood scent piercing his nose and brain. The sporadic death cries echoing around.
Ronan liked this sensation. At least while drunk on blood, he didn't have to think about anything.
“Krwaaaah!”
Spotting Ronan, the manticore spread its wings and roared. Unlike the manticore Baren had brought to the White Tower, this one had no flight restrictions. If it flies, that's trouble. Muttering that, Ronan switched cores. As the airborne manticore reached the arena's apex, he activated the aura he'd stolen from Teranil. Resonating with the core, Imir emitted a pure white glow. Kwaaaang! A powerful shockwave exploded centered on the blade, shattering the manticore's head into pieces.
Shwaaa... A rain of blood and brains poured across the entire arena. Far worse than the troll. The half-headless manticore crashed down with a boom. Thunderous cheers erupted from the stands.
“Waaaaaaah!”
“Kill 'em all!”
Now no one cared about Ronan's safety or actions. Primal excitement and ecstasy enveloped the arena. Overwhelming force, a blood-soaked spectacle transcending common sense—it drove the crowd into madness. The supervisor's lips parted quietly.
“...Is that really human?”
He was like a flame dancing in a haystack. Amid it all, Ronan diligently continued the massacre. His figure slashing through the red downpour even gave an impression of diligence. It didn't take long to wipe out all one hundred. Confirming the surroundings had quieted, Ronan lowered his sword.
“Hoo.”
His narrowed vision began to widen again. In the arena turned into a red swamp, only Ronan stood. Covered head to toe in blood, he evoked the image of someone who'd just swum out of a hellish river.
Ronan roughly wiped the blood from his face with his palm. Raising his head, he saw his stunned companions. Schlieffen, Naviroje, and Rin all wore similar expressions. Silently raising his fist, he extended only his index and middle fingers once more. Cheers twice as loud as when the manticore's head exploded shook the arena.
The third exam didn't end until late at night. It ran longer than expected because Aran Farjan's side had to airlift more monsters for the remaining participants. Like the others, the blood-drunk supervisor hadn't noticed the shortage until right before the next round.
Schlieffen, who tested exactly two people after Ronan, also nominated one hundred, but there weren't enough left. He had to settle for shredding fifty-six with wind. Thus, priority nomination naturally went to Ronan.
Only twenty passers returned to base. Among them were Naviroje, Rin, and Russell. As if by prior agreement, they headed to the restaurant. After toasting so hard glasses shattered, they gathered around Ronan as if by agreement.
“That was incredible! I knew you were strong, but not that strong. So it wasn't bluffing about beheading the Winter Witch!”
“Couldn't tell who the monster was. What's your deal anyway?”
“There's a ball at my family's estate next week. Haven't found a partner yet—dance with me? You wouldn't refuse, right?”
They each expressed awe and favor in their own ways. The nobles proposing recruitment offered twice the conditions compared to before the third exam ended. Ronan mostly responded with a lazy smile. It signaled refusal, but exhaustion was the main reason.
Damn, can't take anymore.
The excitement in his chest hadn't faded, but his body couldn't endure the fatigue. He needed to conserve strength for any variables tomorrow. As he was about to bid goodnight, the restaurant door opened. The innkeeper, who'd just left, slunk back in hesitantly. Looking at Ronan, he spoke.
“Um, uh... Lord Ronan...?”
“Yeah?”
Ronan turned. The innkeeper's face, usually ruddy from roasting boar, was pale as snow. Ronan raised a brow.
“What's up?”
“Outside... th-there's a guest looking for you.”
“Guest?”
“Y-yes. Said they have business and to come alone, no exceptions...”
The innkeeper's voice trembled. He looked like someone who'd bumped into a ghost in the woods.
“What? Who is it?”
“J-just go see for yourself... I-I delivered the message!”
Shouting that, the innkeeper fled to the kitchen. Frowning at the sudden situation, Ronan muttered.
“What the hell is this...”
Couldn't ignore a guest. Leaving word he'd be right back, he exited the restaurant. The drunkards cheerfully saw him off. Whoosh! The moment he opened the door, cold wind tousled his bangs. Aside from the snowy field, Milky Way, and stunning view of mountains below, nothing was there.
“What? No one's here.”
Ronan grumbled irritably. The innkeeper wasn't the type for such cheeky pranks, no matter how bold. Puzzling. Then a familiar voice came from behind.
“Long time no see.”
His heart dropped for an instant. A low, deep voice like a mountain. Turning, Ronan slowly looked up. A massive shadow perched on the restaurant roof. A tail dangling from under the eaves swayed like a fishing line. Guessing its identity wasn't hard. Steadying his breath, Ronan spoke.
“Zaifa.”
“You look well. Was late due to business.”
Zaifa, gazing at the sky, hopped down lightly. Despite its size, its footsteps were nearly silent. Striding over, it stopped right in front of Ronan.
“There's something I've wanted to ask you all this time.”
Ronan didn't reply. No emotion readable in the subdued voice. The red eyes gleaming far above looked like an ill omen heralding disaster. Silently gazing down at Ronan, Zaifa opened its mouth.
“Follow me.”