Chapter 66
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Battle Against the Prodigy
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Abel's attack zeroed in precisely on Ruel's opening.
Sensing that he couldn't dodge it easily, Ruel spun his spear half a turn to deflect the blow.
Kaaang-!
The clash of metal on metal rang out with a deafening crash.
But Abel stomped the ground hard with his right foot, regaining control of his rebounding sword before swinging it down once more toward White Swan's shoulder guard.
Kang! Kang! Kang!
The metallic echoes continued in rapid succession.
Ruel desperately parried the sword away, while Abel doggedly pressed forward with relentless swings.
No proper strikes had landed yet, but anyone could see who held the disadvantage.
"Hmm. Letting him get that first approach was a big mistake."
"It was a surprise charge, but the response was lackluster."
Scarlett was chatting with Alten Blaine, the head of the Blaine family delegation.
Alten was the current family head's brother and the man who always handled their exchanges with the Klein family.
Their ability to discuss the exhibition match so candidly stemmed from the considerable rapport they'd built over time.
"But it's too early to call the winner."
Even as Ruel was being pushed back unilaterally, Alten grinned without a care.
"I'm looking forward to it. Let's see how she counters."
Scarlett replied with a smile of her own.
And sure enough, not long after, Alten's prediction came true—an upset unfolded.
Ruel's Gigant, which had been on the back foot, suddenly displayed an eerie maneuver.
* * *
Ssssslide-.
The massive Gigant slid backward as if gliding on ice.
Abel's sword sliced through empty air in a move no one had anticipated, and Ruel seized the opening to thrust his spear straight at Abel's head.
Whiiish-!
Abel barely twisted his head aside to evade the attack.
-That was close.
'Thanks.'
Abel gave a curt thanks in response to Lupus's words.
That last move had been half Lupus's doing.
Otherwise, his head might have been smashed clean off.
'I got careless...'
Abel thought as he quickly retreated.
The bizarre maneuver Ruel had just pulled off was surely one of her family's secret techniques.
As heir to a prestigious martial house, she would naturally master several such arts.
Pushing too aggressively in hopes of capitalizing had been a clear blunder.
"Hoo."
Abel exhaled shortly, maintaining his tension while adjusting his tempo.
His opponent wouldn't hand him an easy opening like before anyway.
Rather than rushing in, restarting with probing exchanges was the wiser play.
Thud!
Of course, that was just Abel's thinking.
Ruel charged first, as if seeking payback for everything so far.
Whiiiiiish!
The long-reaching spear flew at him in artful arcs from tricky distances, making it hard to close in.
Sssslide-.
On top of that, Ruel began freely deploying the secret technique she'd shown once before.
'Is it low mana cost, or does she have mana to spare?'
The spear's flashy trajectories combined with those ghostly slides turned deadly.
Boom!
Kaaang-!
Deafening roars echoed one after another.
Abel barely deflected the snaking spear thrusts.
-When are you going to do it?
At that moment, Lupus spoke up.
Abel took a step back and eyed Ruel.
Her flowing combo was tough to interrupt.
He'd planned to endure until an opening appeared, but perhaps stung by her earlier mistake, she showed none.
'I have to force it.'
So Abel told Lupus.
'Now.'
-Good.
As Lupus replied, the mana permeating the Gigant began to boil.
And...
Kaaang-!
Sword met spear in collision.
Normally, Ruel would have smoothly recovered and chained into the next attack.
But not this time.
Her spear flew far away, while Abel's sword held firm.
Thud-!
Ruel tried to hastily regain her stance without panic, but Abel gave her no chance.
Kwaaaaaang-!
An even fiercer roar erupted, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
Abel caught the spear on his shoulder guard and plunged into Ruel's guard.
The shoulder parts shattered completely, but Abel was smiling.
Whooooom-!
The mana, moving at high speed under Abel's will, formed a specific pattern.
And the instant Abel's sword cleaved the air...
Kwaaaaaang-! Boom!
With the roar, White Swan was hurled backward.
A clear sword gash marked its chest plate.
'Too shallow.'
But Abel wasn't satisfied and readjusted his stance.
At the very last second, Ruel had twisted away, preventing a lethal blow.
That said, it wasn't for nothing.
Key components around the core had been smashed, and White Swan's movements visibly slowed.
Thud, thud, thud!
Abel charged forward vigorously to finish it.
Instead of dodging, Ruel slowly raised her spear.
She instinctively knew this clash would be the last.
As the distance closed to point-blank...
Whoom-!
Abel saw it.
Ruel's ultimate technique, held in reserve until the end, hurtling toward him.
But she wasn't the only one with an ace up her sleeve.
Woooooong-!
Mana pushed to its limits produced movement beyond reason...
'...!'
To Ruel, Abel's sword seemed to double in number.
Crack!
The forward thrust deflected Ruel's spear in one stroke.
Whish!
And simultaneously, the second sword flew straight at Ruel.
Boom!
A short roar echoed.
"Huh..."
"No way, how...?"
Gasps of awe and shock burst from all around.
It was inevitable.
Ruel's trump card ultimate had been completely blocked.
"Didn't Abel's sword just multiply there at the end?"
"Yeah, it looked like it... When did he learn that technique?"
"More than that, the proficiency is insane. Even deploying it later, it moved faster than hers to block the attack path."
Knights with sharp eyes dissected the exchange, unable to hide their admiration.
Scarlett was just as stunned.
"His skills have improved dramatically since last time."
"Really? For a first-year cadet to be at that level... Incredible."
Alten muttered, seemingly misunderstanding something, but Scarlett didn't bother correcting him.
She simply watched Abel with a satisfied gleam in her eye.
Boom! Boom! Kwaang-!
Meanwhile, Abel was wrapping up the fight.
Ruel barely blocked his relentless sword swings, but that was all she could manage.
No chance for a counter.
"Hoo."
Abel exhaled hot breath and drew up his mana.
He pictured a simple yet devastating finisher in his mind and raised his weapon.
To leave a lasting impression on everyone watching.
'Heavy Strike.'
The word formed the image, and the image became reality.
Screeeeech-!
Abel's massive sword fell like a meteor at unbelievable speed.
Kwaaaaaang-!
The roar kicked up a fierce dust storm.
The referee knight stared blankly before shouting only after the dust settled.
[Ah, Abel! Victory to Abel!]
He'd even dropped the honorific in his shock.
The moment the result was called, murmurs erupted everywhere.
"Did you see that last hit?"
"Of course! To unleash that kind of power already."
"At his age, with skills like that..."
It wasn't just the knights buzzing in surprise.
Scarlett and Alten were chatting with flushed faces too.
"Truly no ordinary talent. The Blaine family's future looks bright."
"Haha, you're too kind. More than that, I'm curious how you came to sponsor such a gem. Your eye for talent is remarkable, Countess."
The match's outcome was clear-cut, but Alten didn't seem too displeased.
After all, Abel's skill far surpassed his peers.
And Ruel had put up a solid showing herself.
As the spectators conversed with faces lit by excitement and satisfaction...
"Hoo."
Abel, with help from the waiting ground crew, laid Black Hawk down and climbed out.
The fight had lasted only seven or eight minutes, but he was drenched in sweat.
"Here, use this to wipe off the sweat."
"Thank you."
Abel wiped his sweat with the towel from the maid and glanced across.
Ruel had just dismounted her Gigant a bit later.
'Looks like she fared the same.'
She was in much the same state—no different from a drowned rat.
Not every fight left him this soaked, but this one had been among the tensest he'd faced.
Even a moment's lapse could have decided the winner.
"Abel!"
As he caught his breath after wiping down, someone called his name joyfully.
He turned to see Scarlett approaching with a smile.
"Countess."
"A magnificent duel! You've improved a ton since I last saw you."
Pleased with the match, Scarlett patted Abel's shoulder while heaping on praise.
"You're too kind."
"Too kind? No one would believe you're a first-year cadet. And beating Ruel Blaine? You'll be the talk of the town for a while."
Abel felt a twinge of curiosity at her words and asked quietly.
"Is she that famous?"
"Oh, right—I never explained?"
Judging by Scarlett's expression, she'd done it on purpose.
She leaned in slightly toward Abel and said.
"Ruel Blaine is renowned as a prodigy even in the United Kingdom. Especially lately—she just beat the famous knight Sir Talen, which shot her to even greater fame."
"Sir Talen?"
Abel asked in greater surprise.
He knew the name well.
Talen was a significant figure in the game, later earning the grand title of Divine Spear.
At this point, he was freshly knighted, but he'd gained massive fame even as a squire, so his skill went without saying.
"Yeah. It was a bare-handed spar with some handicaps, but still impressive."
"Indeed. At such a young age."
Scarlett chuckled at the 'young age' remark.
"That's funny coming from you. Ruel's the same age as you."
"Ah... right."
Abel knew Ruel was around his age.
It was just his Earth memories making her seem unusually young.
Plus, considering the fight's outcome, chiming in might come off as gilding his own lily, so he shut his mouth.
Scarlett laughed even harder at that before saying.
"Anyway, it was a great match. Rest up until dinner. You're free to roam the estate if you like."
"Yes. Thank you for your consideration."
It was a relief for Abel.
If Scarlett had dragged him along by force, he'd have been utterly drained.
With their talk concluded, Abel was about to chat with Dillon and head to his room.
"Lord Abel?"
Until Ruel suddenly approached and spoke to him.