Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Harvest Festival (6)
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Chris von Leonhardt.
The heir to the Leonhardt Ducal Family and a young duke. At the same time, the genius who had reached the rank of Master at the youngest age in imperial history.
No matter what else one said about him, it wasn't an exaggeration to call his talent the pinnacle.
He wasn't just born with talent. He genuinely loved the sword.
Only... that love was a bit—no, quite excessive, making him seem like an eccentric.
He wanted to reach the pinnacle of the sword. He wanted to wield it better than anyone else.
A man born with talent who even deeply loved that talent? It was impossible for him not to achieve greatness.
However, as mentioned earlier, the problem was that his passion and love were overly intense.
Not only his own swordsmanship, but even others' swordsmanship—he loved it all.
He loved it so much that if he spotted a skilled swordsman, Chris couldn't resist challenging them directly.
'How strong is Lord Blackguard? What does the sword of Blackguard feel like? I'm dying to know. I'm going mad with curiosity.'
To such a Chris, Cain Blackguard's existence was like a meteor suddenly plummeting from the heavens.
A peerless commander who had appeared out of nowhere and conquered two of the four major factions of the Demonic Realm in less than a year.
Even Master Grandel had personally said he possessed talent more than sufficient to ascend to Master.
For Master Grandel, who was stingy with praise, to offer such high acclaim—it was only natural that Chris's blood boiled.
'Once might be one thing. But a hundred spars? What kind of madman is this?'
Of course, to Cain, he just seemed like a sparring-obsessed lunatic.
However, sparring with a Master was quite appealing even from Cain's perspective.
Cain had already fought the Water King in a life-or-death battle and emerged victorious. That was an undeniable fact no one could refute.
Yet it was also undeniable that the Water King hadn't been at full strength.
'A chance to fight a Master in perfect condition without dying isn't something that comes often. Thanks to this, I can properly gauge it.'
"Very well."
"I knew you'd say that."
Seeing Cain accept without the slightest hesitation, Chris nodded as if he'd expected as much.
As expected, swordsmen shared a certain understanding. Lord Blackguard must have been itching for it just like him.
But Cain couldn't help being slightly taken aback by Chris's immediate follow-up suggestion.
"Then how about we start right now?"
"Right here in the middle of nowhere?"
"I have wooden swords."
"Well..."
He'd thought it odd that he carried three swords. Who would've guessed the other two were wooden ones?
Unless he was the type to wander around like that normally—which this eccentric clearly wasn't—he must have come fully prepared for a spar from the start.
Otherwise, it meant he was so obsessed with swords that he carried two wooden ones and a real blade daily, which was a bit much.
But Cain didn't hesitate and immediately took the wooden sword Chris offered.
He didn't particularly want to become a spectacle for others either.
Especially not against a Master in perfect condition. Showing defeat to onlookers didn't appeal to him.
"Please, one bout."
"The pleasure's mine."
"W-Wait, you're really going to fight in this rundown spot?! A Master of the Empire and a general?!"
The ones actually flustered were Morgana and the Dragon Knights who had been walking with Chris and Cain.
In a barren field with no maintenance, scarce even of people—now a duel between a lord and a Master was about to begin?
Of course, the vice captain's eccentricities weren't new. It was believable he'd challenge the lord to a spar.
But even the Dragon Knights couldn't have predicted the opponent would accept.
"To accept a duel with a Master without so much as a change in expression..."
"Impressive courage. Now I'm curious about his swordsmanship..."
"The sword that has already conquered half of the Demonic Realm's four major factions. There must be much to see and learn."
"..."
Without saying a word, Cain had somehow become a figure of immense courage in the Dragon Knights' eyes.
But regrettably, it was a misunderstanding. He just figured it was manageable since it wasn't a fight to the death.
Cain and Chris faced each other with wooden swords drawn. In the desolate backyard of an unmanaged manor.
It was certainly a shabby venue for a lord and the Dragon Knights' vice captain to clash swords... but they paid it no mind.
"I'll take the first move."
"Come at me!"
With a resounding shout, the two men's wooden swords clashed fiercely.
The first bout ended surprisingly anticlimactically.
Five exchanges. Chris's wooden sword touched Cain's neck before he could even endure that long—a clear defeat for Cain.
It was inevitable. Without a life-or-death struggle, Cain couldn't wield his Death Force, his greatest advantage.
"Hm, I never imagined it would end like this..."
"How could I beat a Master?"
"You're not at full strength, Lord Blackguard. That's a bit disappointing."
Yet a Master was still a Master, even holding back. Chris immediately saw through that Cain hadn't gone all out.
His voice dripped with thick regret as a result.
But what could be done? It was just a light spar. A Master in perfect condition was truly on another level.
Cain, on the other hand, was reasonably satisfied. He'd confirmed the gap between himself and a prime Master.
That's what he'd thought. Until time rewound to the past once more.
"Then how about we start right now?"
"..."
"Lord Blackguard?"
Chris, who had been smacking his lips in disappointment, vanished in an instant. Now he stood there, wooden sword extended.
Unless Chris was even crazier than imagined and had somehow erased his own memory of the previous bout.
What had happened was all too clear.
Defeat Regression. That power had intervened. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The reason Cain hadn't gone all out was simple. He'd always swung his sword only to kill enemies.
He didn't know how to swing without killing. Of course, against a Master, it wouldn't be fatal, but...
Even so, how could he swing at an ally with killing intent?
Cain had been satisfied with enduring five exchanges amid that restraint. Until the regression triggered.
'Damn it!!!'
The worst-case scenario he'd feared had come true. Not death regression, but defeat regression.
If that was the case, perhaps even minor defeats weren't allowed. That fact was being proven right now.
Thanks to it, Cain—who had agreed to the spar lightly—was now fighting with everything he had to break the regression.
"W-What ferocious sword strikes!"
"Indeed... power befitting the master of Leonhardt."
"Even as vice captain, just blocking those strikes won't do."
The Dragon Knights watching the duel were stunned by the ferocious onslaught.
They weren't underestimating Cain Blackguard. But everyone had an upper limit, didn't they?
Yet Cain Blackguard's reserves were overwhelming their expectations.
Still, even Cain's desperate strikes couldn't pierce Chris's sword barrier.
'Damn!'
He wasn't using Death Force, but everything else was at full power—and the wall was too solid.
Bang! Boom! Sparks flew as swords collided, scattering around them in an instant.
Yet amid the brutal scene, Chris wore a smile.
"Excellent strikes. My hands are tingling from blocking them!"
'Don't say that with a grin, damn it.'
He felt pathetic for his earlier worries. It was an overwhelming gap.
A Master in perfect condition was a wall he couldn't surmount even in death.
The problem was realizing it too late. The spar had already begun, and Defeat Regression kept sending him back.
Initially lasting only five exchanges, the bout had now surpassed twenty.
In the end, Cain's top priority became breaking this damned infinite loop.
In truth, he didn't need to win. It was just a spar—if he avoided defeat, that should suffice. That's what he'd thought.
"My blood's starting to boil. I'll go at full strength too."
"Huh?"
Until Chris, thrilled by the rare enjoyable spar, powered up.
Watching Chris ignite like a wildfire, Cain smiled.
Looks like he'll never spar with that monster again.