Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: The Duel's Climax
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‘Just what is he thinking…?’
Finding Beonald’s actions strange wasn’t limited to his enemies; Kedron of the Valderian family, who could be considered on his side, felt the same way.
When Beonald first sent the message, Kedron could only think someone had tampered with its contents, but when the man himself appeared and confirmed it again, he was utterly dumbfounded.
Moreover, seeing Lloyd’s equipment, it was clear he had brought out his family’s most serious arsenal, so the visible disadvantage only amplified Kedron’s anxiety.
‘Just as I expected, that bastard Lloyd brought out all his family’s hidden weapons. The glow of mana flowing from those arms… Duke Kermel… Even with the family’s honor on the line, are those armaments sane?’
Shivering at the ominous mana flowing from the magical artifacts, Kedron looked at Beonald with pitying eyes.
The Valderian family had also intended to lend their treasures to Beonald quite readily, seeing it as a chance to stick it to the Kermel family, but Beonald had refused, leaving Kedron speechless.
p>‘Even if I brought them just in case… he refused. What on earth is he thinking? He could get killed! Beonald!’
As he watched Beonald with worried eyes, Beonald himself was admiring Lloyd, who stood before him.
Each piece of equipment was undoubtedly excellent, but a few were items very familiar to him, which only deepened his admiration.
‘What a coincidence… I see some gear I recognize. The cloak is Venom Silk, issued to the knights in our territory. The armor is the lightweight enchanted plate armor developed for the southern expedition. I thought he might bring out something incredible… maybe even an artifact older than the Unified Empire era, but this is disappointing.’
‘…What’s with that composure?’
‘But still, this should be enough to make the power difference look significant. Let’s see… there are so many people.’
Replacing the originally scheduled ‘grand melee,’ this was the final battle of the Knight Merit Club, a duel that the Kermel family had staked their honor on by challenging Beonald.
Add to that the background story of Beonald and the Princess’s love transcending status, and the tale of him single-handedly defeating five knights to earn merit, and it was no wonder that not only noble families but also commoners had crowded in to watch.
p>"Looks like we don’t have to worry about witnesses, haha."
"The witness will be His Majesty the Emperor, seated above."
"I see."
Where the moderator pointed, the Emperor and the entire Imperial family were gathered—though Princess Zelsi was still absent.
Beonald smiled at the perfectly orchestrated situation and watched as the moderator, confirming the duel’s time had come, proceeded.
"Today’s duel shall be conducted fairly in the name of the Goddess and His Majesty the Emperor. With His Majesty the Emperor, the High Priest of the Capital’s Goddess Church, and Duke Roshen serving as witnesses, no one may deny or dispute this outcome. Furthermore, all must accept the victory or defeat of this duel, and swear before the Goddess to hold no future grudge or hatred…! Duelists, raise your swords and each declare this oath."
"I swear."
"I so swear."
"Good. Next, priests of the Goddess Church will bless you, after which this duel—which ends only when one of you is dead—shall begin. As the two of you are engaged in a duel to the death, the condition of leaving the arena may not be met. Therefore, we have specially gathered several mages and priests from the Magic Tower to erect a barrier. And…."
Priestly blessings, barrier setup, and so on… After numerous tedious procedures that even felt annoying, the two finally faced each other in the center of the arena, and with the moderator’s declaration, the duel began.
"Then! For the Goddess! May this be an honorable fight without shame! Now! Begin the duel!"
"……."
"……."
Though the duel had started, the two merely drew their weapons and quietly began a probing battle.
From any perspective, Beonald was at a disadvantage, making it unwise for him to take the initiative first. As for Lloyd, Beonald’s appearance was so shabby that he seemed to have some other trick up his sleeve, making Lloyd hesitant to charge in recklessly.
"Why hesitate? Are you perhaps frightened by this appearance? The audience doesn’t seem to like it much."
"I merely avoid repeating the same mistake."
"Still… if you delay, won’t the Duke be displeased?"
"How kind of you to worry about another family’s affairs—it almost brings a tear to my eye. And you, a man who will die today."
"Hahaha, I absolutely will not die."
"That baseless confidence… is unpleasant."
In the end, Lloyd, provoked, took the offensive first.
Beonald thought, Finally, here it comes, drew up his Aura, gripped his sword tightly, and met Lloyd’s blade with all his might.
‘Ah… as expected!’
"Ssuuuu…."
Kwaaaaang!
Pitifully, Beonald was pushed back about four meters, and his sword blade visibly shattered in a single blow.
But Lloyd, showing no intention of holding back, pressed on before Beonald could regain his stance, intensifying his assault using his family’s sword style.
‘Kermel Family Sword Style, Fourth Form—Tree-Splitting Slash’!
A vertically swung sword flying toward Beonald with the force to cleave him in one stroke. Overwhelming Aura laden upon it, the wind pressure and force crushed down on Beonald. Thinking it impossible to dodge, Beonald swung his sword with Aura, sweating cold sweat.
‘Imperial Knight Order Derivative Neumel Second Form—Black Mamba’!
Beonald’s violet Aura gathered, taking on a darker hue as it was channeled into his sword and swung.
As secret techniques of two martial houses collided, brown and dark violet Auras raged, trying to devour each other, but in the end, Beonald was forced back again.
"What are you doing? Is that all you have?"
‘Huu~ As expected, I need this level of handicap to… feel like I can go all out too. This way, the acting will be more natural! And I can gauge my own strength!’
Kwaaaaang!
Beonald continued to draw up his Aura, then swung his sword to face Lloyd.
Since it had come to a duel, he wanted to see the limits of his swordsmanship under conditions close to real combat at least once.
Anyway, his scenario wouldn’t break no matter what, so Beonald intended to use this opportunity differently.
‘How foolish. A duel is just a playground created by nobles and knights….’
"Haaaat! ‘Kermel Family Sword Style, Eighth Form—Quivering Willow Leaf’!"
A feast of raging sword energy and Aura. While Beonald drew up his Aura and struggled desperately in defense, Lloyd, thinking Beonald still had hidden cards, cautiously subdued him.
With lives on the line, one could never be too cautious.
Carefully observing the opponent’s cards and subduing accordingly was more than enough!
"Hmm!"
‘…Huu~ Very good. But this guy, is he being cautious because it’s a life-or-death duel, or because I got him last time?’
Thus, the two continued exchanging blows. Perhaps because it was a spectacular power duel between ‘knights,’ it was enough to captivate the spectators’ souls.
Moreover, from the outside, it clearly looked as if Lloyd was overwhelmingly pushing Beonald back with splendid equipment and power, while Beonald’s plain gear created a stark contrast.
"Uh, what’s happening? Isn’t Lord Beonald being pushed back?"
"The Kermel family is going too far. To bring out all the family treasures for a duel like this."
"Didn’t the Valderian family offer support?"
"They did, but he refused and came out like that."
Murmur murmur….
Even though Lloyd hadn’t yet used his equipment’s power at full strength, each time their swords clashed and Auras collided, the impact caused small cracks to appear on Beonald’s armor and sword, making the spectators watch with pitying eyes.
As Beonald seemed to be struggling to withstand Lloyd’s one-sided assault, the audience’s sense of crisis heightened, and everyone began to watch Beonald with sympathy and cheer for him.
"…What on earth is that bastard thinking? Hey, Count Valderian, care to have a chat? That gear condition… is it what he intended?"
"Pfft~! Do I look like the kind of fool who’d buy trouble for myself? That guy’s the one smearing shit on your faces; I was going to lend him some good stuff myself~ And didn’t I tell you not to call me ‘Count’?"
"But your current title is that, so what can I do? Hahaha, Count Valderian."
Sitting side by side in the VIP noble seats, the head of the Valderian family, the Count, and Duke Kermel were bickering as if proudly displaying their poor relationship.
As if to show Lloyd’s dominance, Beonald’s armor and sword shattered, and he began bleeding, but the more that happened, the more the audience immersed themselves, feeling sorry for Beonald.
"Hmm… What exactly is that bastard plotting? Sir Legion, this is supposed to be a duel, right? Lives are on the line…."
"Hard to say. Excessive confidence? Or perhaps he plans to gain sympathy points with that?"
From the Imperial family’s exclusive seats, higher than the VIP section, the Emperor and Sir Legion also watched the duel, finding Beonald’s gear condition and his one-sidedly pushed-back state strange.
Even if the audience’s response was good, it was still a duel.
If he was going to claim the fight was unfair due to the gear difference, he should have done so earlier. Why was he acting like this?
"I don’t get it. That bastard… I have no idea what he’s thinking."
"Neither do I… I can’t grasp it. But since it’s a duel… if things continue like this, the only fate awaiting him is defeat and death. There might be some backlash, but if this cuts off future troubles… we couldn’t ask for more."
"Right, that would be good."
The Emperor clenched his fist tightly, hoping desperately that Beonald would die here without any further issues.
The Valderian family armor, which had looked sturdy, was now quite broken and tattered; the helmet was split, hanging loosely by half. Blood dripped from wounds on his arms and legs, splattering on the ground as he struggled.
"Huu… Huu… Huu… Indeed, gear advantage can’t be ignored. Hahaha."
"Don’t think it’s cowardly. You also could have prepared but chose not to, didn’t you?"
"Who knows? Huu~"
Tuk!
Beonald shook his head, removed the tattered helmet, wiped away sweat, and looked at Lloyd.
Lloyd’s armor remained unscathed, without a single scratch. Looking closely, his ring and bracelet glowed faintly with a light different from his inherent Aura, indicating they were active.
Having clashed repeatedly with Aura built through the Unified Empire’s mana breathing technique, he should have consumed a significant amount, yet his opponent seemed fine—likely gear that aided mana, stamina, or Aura recovery.
‘On top of that, the armor is lightweight, the Venom Silk cloak is tough and hard to tear with ordinary swords, plus enchantments. And finally, the sword… contains power that amplifies Aura. Huu~ So that’s the level of gear needed to be stronger than me.’
"If that’s your limit, there’s nothing more to see. Disappear quietly."
‘…A genuine crisis, a situation where I could die if careless. Now, then… shall we move to the finale?’
Chik.
Feeling the chill of death’s embrace, Beonald gripped his sword, focused his Aura, and prepared the Neumel family’s ultimate technique—one he had never successfully executed before.
Sensing the unusual energy gathering, Lloyd also gripped his sword, raising his guard fully, ready to confront it.
‘As expected… in a life-or-death crisis! The ultimate technique I’ve never used before! And was training for! It’s the predetermined development! Here goes!’
‘Imperial Knight Order Derivative Neumel Style Sword Art First Ultimate Technique—Hydra’.