Chapter 193
Chapter 193
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 193
Chapter Title: Martial Dragon Grand Tournament (2)
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Inside the waiting room for participants of the Martial Dragon Grand Tournament.
Gunter, clad in silver armor with his sword planted in the ground, looked every bit the boy hero.
But even someone as valiant as him couldn’t escape the tension, it seemed.
A long sigh escaped Gunter’s lips.
Hoo—
Along with the drawn-out breath came a quiet mutter.
“…Annoying.”
Gunter’s brow furrowed slightly.
‘Tch, my mind’s shaking like this right before the crucial moment…’
His first opponent was a third-year, no less.
Yet instead of nerves, what he felt before facing such a foe was irritation.
As he reflected on it, Gunter wondered why this annoyance had arisen.
‘Why?’
He racked his brain for possible causes.
Was it because Poppi had yawned nonstop from behind her shield throughout yesterday’s sparring, as if she wasn’t even itchy?
Or because Arin had scarfed down her share of snacks this morning and then snatched his too before bolting?
Or maybe because Yuri had called him a “Gunter-like bastard” for no reason again?
Or was it the pitiful glare from Senior Theresia, asking why a perfectly fine kid was turning into such a wimp?
‘…Too many annoying moments to pinpoint just one.’
Gunter was lost in serious contemplation like this when—
“Gunter Irons, enter the arena.”
At the black-armored soldier’s call, Gunter donned his helmet and ascended the stairs from the waiting room.
Clank—clank—.
The faint echo of his full plate armor rubbing together.
He passed through the short corridor and emerged through the entrance bathed in light.
What greeted him was an arena oppressively silent.
Whoooo—.
The first match of the Martial Dragon Grand Tournament.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say nearly every knight was in attendance, packing the stands.
Yet not a single cheer or shout of support rose from the seats.
Everyone simply stared down at the arena with piercing eyes.
The silence made Gunter’s expression harden slightly.
‘…This isn’t some festival, huh.’
The Martial Dragon Grand Tournament wasn’t a place to simply watch others fight for fun.
Higher-years showed off their hard-earned prowess while crushing the lower-years.
Lower-years openly threatened that they could catch up to their seniors at any time.
And the Cradle had laid out the stage for them to go all out.
That was why neither participants nor spectators could laugh or chatter while enjoying the event.
Gunter was gauging the atmosphere from the arena’s center when—
Step-step—.
Just as he had appeared from one side, a figure emerged from the opposite.
180 cm tall.
Deep bronze skin and short, tightly curled white hair.
A boy with a sharply intimidating look.
Gunter eyed him sharply.
‘Hys Blom, was it?’
For the 50th Cohort at the bottom of the Cradle’s food chain, every match and opponent was daunting, but this one was especially tough.
Ranked 4th in the 48th Cohort, hailed as the greatest golden knight in nearly 15 years.
He was also one of the elites called Kwonter Rider’s personal guard.
Sching—.
Hys strode to the arena’s center and scanned Gunter up and down.
“You’re… one of the punks hanging around with Yuri Holland.”
Gunter let out a faint sigh at the assessment.
‘Haa…’
It had been months since he’d lost his memories, wandered into the Demon Cave on his own, and stayed after being tempted by the personal tutelage of the Severing Sword.
Much had changed in that time, but the biggest shift Gunter felt bone-deep was how others perceived him now.
Yuri and her friends, lumped together.
Or Yuri and her little quartet, and so on.
At some point, everyone around him had started seeing Gunter as part of “Yuri’s crew.”
It felt a bit unfair to him.
‘Me, lumped in with them.’
A rational, normal person like him treated as one of their kind.
Utter nonsense.
Already in a foul mood from the inexplicable irritation, Gunter lowered his visor to hide his darkening expression.
He raised his sword in salute.
Clack—.
“Gunter, eldest son of House Irons, humbly requests a lesson from you, Senior.”
Polite and courteous, despite his annoyance.
Hys sneered.
“Pointless and stupid.”
“……”
“I’ll give you some senior advice. Know why there are no referees in the Martial Dragon Grand Tournament?”
“…No idea.”
“There’s only one rule: ‘Only the victor advances to the next match.’ The Cradle doesn’t care how victory is achieved. Even if one side dies in the process.”
“……”
“And the match starts the moment a knight steps into the arena. That’s why there’s no need for referees.”
“…What’s your point?”
“Still don’t get it? You should’ve ambushed me the instant I entered. That was your last chance to beat me… and you blew it, wasting time on pointless courtesy.”
Gunter’s expression turned icy behind his visor at Hys’s mocking smile.
“Thank you for the advice, but…”
The politeness vanished from his voice.
“You’re irritating.”
“…Irritating?”
“That confidence of yours, assuming I can’t beat you.”
“You…”
Not even “Senior.”
Not even “sir.”
Hys’s face turned murderous at being called “you.”
“The 50th Cohort really lacks respect for their elders.”
Hys drew two daggers from his belt.
Shing—.
Gunter’s eyes flashed as he saw the blades in each hand turn red.
‘Soft Sword.’
As befitting a top talent of the 48th Cohort, Hys was Certified 2nd Dan.
And a highly refined one at that.
“I’ll teach you exactly how a junior should treat a senior…”
With that, Hys began advancing slowly.
Then, in an instant, his movements exploded.
Thud—!
He vanished, reappearing right in front of Gunter to thrust his sword.
The 50th Cohort spectators’ eyes widened in shock.
‘Huh?!’
‘F-Fast!’
Hys’s movements were swift, fluid, and bouncy.
Like a sleek black panther.
‘For a split second… I lost him!’
Hys’s speed was the fastest in the 48th Cohort, barring Kwonter.
Even many 49th Cohort members among the audience missed it, let alone the 50th.
But Gunter was different.
“……”
His eyes behind the visor tracked Hys perfectly.
And it wasn’t just his eyes.
Clang—!
Gunter’s sword parried the dagger with casual precision.
“……?!”
Hys flinched, not expecting anyone to react to his speed.
But he wouldn’t be 48th Cohort’s Rank 4 if a minor surprise halted him.
Hys swiftly reversed his grip on the dagger.
Snap—.
Kashing—.
It slid along Gunter’s sword, swinging the other dagger from his off-hand.
Slash—.
The soft sword-infused blade grazed Gunter’s torso with a chilling screech.
Hys pressed for a combo, but dodged a strike aimed at his face and leaped back.
He scowled at Gunter, standing calmly.
Gunter’s breastplate bore a line where Hys’s blade had scraped.
But that was it.
“Just a scratch…”
Normally, the soft sword should have sliced through the armor into flesh.
It had cut, but failed to penetrate fully.
That meant one of two things.
Gunter’s full plate was an extraordinary masterpiece.
Or it held some special power that withstood soft sword.
For Gunter, it was the latter, of course.
And what that power was became clear at a glance.
“…Battle Aura.”
Hys glanced at Gunter’s sword, gleaming with bright luster.
Proof of Sword Aura deployed.
‘Not bad.’
Certified 1st Dan in his first year.
Impressive enough, but more astonishing was using Sword Aura on his armor too.
Instantly channeling it in response to the attack.
No ordinary proficiency could manage that.
Realizing Gunter was far stronger than he’d thought, Hys shed his underestimation.
Swoosh—.
Now fully serious, his torso leaned forward.
Until he was half-crouched like a four-legged beast.
“Grrr—”
Flashing killing intent and a low growl.
A savage grin like he’d rip out a throat.
Whoooo—.
An intimidating aura rose from him.
Thud-thud—!
He charged like a predator pouncing on prey.
Swoosh—.
Gliding low over the ground, his speed had doubled.
Hys moved like a panther possessed by its spirit.
Clang—!
Now beside Gunter, he whipped both daggers in a blur.
Blom House secret martial art.
Breath Severer.
Shoo-shoo-shoo—.
The twin daggers targeted Gunter like a beast’s fangs.
Thrusting, slashing, mangling—like a predator savaging its kill by shaking its head.
Gunter countered with his house’s technique.
House Irons secret martial art.
Wings of the Thunder Heaven King.
Enormous griffon wings enveloped Gunter.
But the panther’s fangs pierced the gaps.
Each time, clean lines etched across Gunter’s full plate.
“Ahh…”
“It’s over.”
Sighs rose faintly from the stands.
Taking hits like that nonstop? He was holding for now, but he’d hit his limit eventually.
The crowd assumed the end.
However.
“……”
Gunter’s eyes still burned with life.
* * *
Meanwhile, as the Round of 24, Group 1 match raged on.
In a forest clearing not far from the third-years’ quarters.
A forbidden zone no third-year should approach.
The reason was simple.
It was Kwonter Rider’s personal training ground.
Even as most knights gathered at the circular arena for the tournament, Kwonter focused on solo practice.
Whoosh—.
A silver sword danced through the air, his honed body moving swiftly.
Thrust, dodge, slash—in endless repetition. His movements suggested more than mere training.
They were intensely lifelike, as if battling an imaginary foe.
Proving it, Kwonter’s eyes tracked a phantom figure.
Slash—.
The illusion darting before Kwonter.
None other than Yuri Holland, who had floored him months ago.
Kwonter was recreating a virtual Yuri from past experience to fight.
Splat—.
The phantom Yuri’s thrust grazed Kwonter’s cheek.
Incredibly, red welled on his actual cheek.
As if truly cut by the blade.
Kwonter ignored the wound and swung, but the phantom Yuri slipped away effortlessly.
Tap—.
Yuri landed a bit farther, facing Kwonter with sword raised.
‘Yuri Holland…’
Kwonter glared at the nonchalant phantom and swung.
Shoo—!
A crescent of black energy hurtled toward Yuri at devastating speed few could react to.
But the phantom Yuri dodged with absurd ease.
And right after.
Tsss—.
Golden light surged fiercely from the phantom Yuri’s sword.
Kwonter’s face stiffened.
‘…It’s coming.’
That was it.
The gold that handed him his first defeat.
Violence on another level from Demon Sword… the brutal force that had haunted his nightmares repeatedly like this.
It was upon him again.
Gripping his sword tight, Kwonter faced it.
Crunch—.
Jaw muscles clenched in fury.
Teeth gritted, he bellowed at the oncoming gold, eyes blazing murderously.
“Yuri Hollandnnn!”
And in that instant.
Rumble-rumble—!
The darkness cloaking Kwonter’s sword roiled unnaturally.
BOOOOM—!
A deafening explosion shattered the air above the forest.