Chapter 185: A Kid Who Drives Me Crazy (2)
Chapter 185: A Kid Who Drives Me Crazy (2)
Patrick looked into Sierion’s desperate eyes and continued.
“I won’t help you.”
“Double Dragon…”
“I have a rough idea of what you expected from me. But the thing is,” Patrick said, staring intently at Sierion as if drawing a line between them, “I’m not like you.”
At those words, Sierion bit his lower lip hard. He looked back at Patrick and spoke.
“Then are you saying you’re fine with things staying as they are?”
“…”
“Are you saying you’ll just turn a blind eye? That you’ll keep maintaining the peace of this continent through the deaths of the powerless, piling up walls of corpses for eternity? Is that it?”
Patrick shook his head at Sierion’s words.
“I was also born on the eastern front. You don’t need to explain to me what it’s like to live as a neighbor to the Great Forest. It’s nothing new.”
“Then…”
“I have my own plan to improve this shitty situation. It’s just a different path from yours.”
To protect the people of the East from the Great Forest, one must attack other nations and unite the strength of the entire continent to face it.
It sounded good on the surface. But…
“The blood spilled in your process of unifying the continent will also be the blood of the weak. You know that, don’t you?”
“So? Are you going to preach some idealism to me?”
“Is there something wrong with that?”
“What?”
“I asked if there’s something wrong with that.”
“…”
Sierion’s expression crumpled miserably.
It was something he truly hadn’t expected to hear.
But Patrick spoke calmly, without a hint of bravado.
“Listen, kid.”
“Who do you think you’re calling—”
“Even if your intentions are good and your goal is for the sake of everyone…”
“…”
“If the path is wrong, then everything is wrong.”
“That’s just empty lip service.”
“Yeah. Maybe it is.”
Patrick let out a short laugh.
He couldn’t deny Sierion’s words. Patrick had spent his whole life trying to learn and follow such ideals, but he had never truly been convinced in his heart.
But… even so…
“At least, that’s what I was taught.”
He was simply trying to walk that path. Even though he knew it didn’t quite suit him.
“Haaa…”
Sierion let out a long sigh.
It’s not going to work.
He had expected this to some extent from the moment the Dark Mage was mentioned, but hearing the result like this felt more devastating than words could describe.
Was this what it felt like to be rejected by a lover?
Because his desire had been so earnest, the disappointment Sierion felt was immense. However…
I can’t go back empty-handed.
Composing himself, Sierion looked at Patrick and continued.
“Patrick Schneider.”
“What? What now?”
As Patrick responded listlessly, Sierion spoke with a faint smile.
“After defeating the knights of the Decatur Kingdom, you didn’t come to our Yuzef Kingdom; you headed for the Caesar Kingdom instead.”
“Isn’t that obvious? Do I look like the kind of irrational person who would go to a country in the middle of a civil war just to request a duel?”
For a moment, Sierion almost reflexively said, “Yes.” But he managed to control his lips and said what he needed to say.
“No, that’s probably not it.”
“…”
“Didn’t you just run away because you were scared?”
“Hooo…”
The corner of Patrick’s mouth twitched upward.
And Sierion began to ruthlessly fan the flames.
“You’re called the strongest swordsman of our generation, but honestly, I can’t acknowledge that.”
“Is that sooooo?”
“Think about it. You…” Sierion looked down at Patrick with an arrogant expression and said, “You’ve never even fought me, have you?”
“Hoh… Reaaaaally?”
Now, Patrick’s expression clearly showed he was contemplating exactly how to crush this fearless brat.
Sweat trickled down Sierion’s forehead as he watched Patrick, but he pushed through to his goal.
“Double Dragon. As a fellow swordsman, I challenge you.”
“Hmm…”
“If you’re not afraid, don’t avoid it.”
“Huuuuuuuuuum…”
The corner of Patrick’s mouth curled into a crooked smirk.
“Of all the things you’ve said today…”
“…”
“That’s the one I like the most.”
Patrick Schneider vs. Sierion Vaisus Yuzef.
A fated match that hadn’t happened at Arcana was now taking place in this unexpected location.
* * *
When news broke that Patrick and Sierion were going to duel, the reactions from both sides were very different.
“Right. It was bound to end up like this.”
“Now he’s even beating up kings.”
“Logically, I thought there was a high probability of this happening.”
At his companions’ reactions, Patrick’s jaw dropped, and he spoke as if he were being deeply wronged.
“No, I wasn’t the one who wanted to do this first. Seriously.”
“Did you hear that?”
“He must have coaxed him into it.”
“How can a human be so wicked?”
“He’s a Demon Clan, after all.”
Patrick insisted with a look of genuine grievance.
“No! I’m telling you, no! We were just talking and then he suddenly asked for it! It’s true!”
“I just can’t…”
“Bring myself to believe it.”
“Logically, that’s too much of a stretch.”
Wow, this was unfair. Truly unfair.
Patrick felt incredibly wronged, but looking back at his track record, he didn’t really have a leg to stand on.
Regardless, the general consensus among Patrick’s companions was that they knew this would happen.
And they weren’t actually worried.
Another victim is about to be added to the list.
I’ve seen a lot of things traveling with this madman, but now I’m going to see the king of a nation get thrashed.
Logically, this is quite interesting.
There were people worth worrying about, and then there was Patrick.
Worrying about Patrick Schneider?
Neither Matthew, Isabella, nor even April bothered with such a meaningless gesture.
“Young Master. Here are your weapons.”
Patrick sighed as he watched April hand him his twin swords.
* * *
Unlike Patrick’s side, which acted as if they had expected this, the atmosphere on the Yuzef Kingdom’s side was quite different.
“Your Highness, are you truly going through with this?”
“I can’t back down after coming all this way, can I?”
“But Your Highness…”
“It’s fine.”
Sierion lifted his weapon and said, “I can’t leave empty-handed after coming all this way. I should at least squeeze out a minimum appearance fee.”
The knights of the Yuzef Kingdom watched Sierion’s back with concern as he stepped forward.
Sierion was strong.
He was likely second to none among his generation.
In fact, hadn’t he even defeated Antorius of the Holy Kingdom at Arcana? But…
Of all people, it has to be that monster…
Why was someone like that born in the same era as His Highness?
Damn it…
They knew. No matter how strong Sierion was, if his opponent was Patrick Schneider, it was practically a lost cause.
How many 7-Star knights had already fallen to Patrick’s twin swords?
Recently, he had even fought and won against the regular army of the Caesar Kingdom.
There were even rumors that he had overwhelmed multiple 7-Star knights during that process.
Even if they only believed half of those rumors, Sierion had no chance of winning.
The knights’ hearts were heavy as they watched their lord enter a duel where defeat seemed certain.
To those knights, the middle-aged knight who had first guided Patrick’s group spoke.
“Don’t worry, just watch.”
“Sir Carvan.”
Matthias Carvan. That was the middle-aged knight’s name.
He was Sierion’s hidden ace and closest confidant, as well as the master who had taught Sierion the sword since childhood.
Every knight present knew of this man’s skill. So, they asked with a glimmer of hope.
“In your opinion, Sir, do you think His Highness has a chance?”
“No, that will be difficult.”
“Pardon?”
“Double Dragon… I’ve heard the name many times, but I thought the rumors were mostly exaggerations.”
Matthias narrowed his eyes as he watched Patrick grumpily stepping forward.
“The rumors didn’t do him justice. How can such a monster exist…”
At that, one of the fiercely loyal knights shouted indignantly.
“His Highness is also strong!”
Matthias nodded readily.
“Indeed. If it were Prince Sierion, he could easily win even against the grandson of the Sword Saint.”
“Then…”
“Even so, that thing over there is different.”
Matthias shook his head with a sigh.
That wasn’t just a genius. It was a monster whose existence was beyond comprehension.
“His Highness probably won’t win. It’s only normal that he can’t. But…” Matthias paused for a moment before speaking to the knights. “His Highness probably isn’t just looking for a victory. Yes, he must have another move in mind.”
“Another move?”
“For now, just watch. Watch how our King stands against that monster.”
Under everyone’s gaze, Patrick and Sierion stood facing each other.
“You’re still using a monstrous sword.”
“I deal with monsters more often than humans, you see.”
The weapon Sierion used was a Two-Handed Sword. Even among its kind, it was freakishly large.
Honestly, if someone had handed that to an ordinary knight, they would have grabbed the blacksmith by the collar for playing a joke. But…
Whoosh!
Sierion swung the freakishly large sword with ease.
Patrick nodded as he watched him swing the massive blade lightly with one hand.
“Well, the best weapon is the one that fits your hand. Even if it’s a niche one.”
“Aren’t you in no position to lecture me about weapons?”
“Huh?”
“The only one on the continent who uses twin swords is you, the Double Dragon. Ah! There have been a few more lately, but they’re all just copycats.”
“Hooo… so that’s how you’re going to play it.”
“Admit it. Twin swordsmanship is even more niche than a two-handed sword.”
At that moment, Matthew and Isabella, who were standing some distance away, shook their heads.
“Ah… he did it.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk…”
Riman, who was beside them, asked, “What’s wrong?”
Matthew sighed and answered Riman’s question.
“That’s the twenty-third.”
“…The twenty-third what?”
It wasn’t Matthew who answered, but Patrick, who shouted from across the field.
“Disrespecting twin swordsmanship is the twenty-third thing I hate most, you bastard!”
Patrick Schneider had a lot of things he hated.
Boom!
The first move was Patrick’s.
Patrick lunged forward with a downward strike. Sierion swung his massive sword to parry it.
Or rather, he tried to parry it. But…
“Urgh…”
Despite the weight difference being more than twenty-fold, it was Sierion’s sword that was pushed back upon impact.
Sierion braced his lower body, regaining his balance, and thrust his sword forward again.
“Haaap!”
A disciplined thrust, so sharp it was hard to believe it came from a sword as thick as a small pillar, sliced through the air.
It was a precise strike that forcibly pushed aside Patrick’s sword.
Patrick saw the attack, grinned, and thrust his other sword to meet it.
Clang-clank!
The three swords became entangled and came to a halt.
Immediately after, Patrick’s lips curled into a smirk.
“Gotcha.”
Then, Patrick’s sword slithered along Sierion’s blade like a snake.
Sierion was horrified. By the time he realized what was happening, Patrick had already closed the distance and was right in front of him.
With his left sword pinning down Sierion’s blade and his right hand poised to strike, Patrick whispered softly.
“Neck.”
With that short warning, the sword in Patrick’s right hand became a thin ray of light, flying toward Sierion’s throat.
It was a move that was impossible to block.
In that split second, Sierion let go of his sword. He threw himself backward.
Swish!
Sierion narrowly escaped the sword’s reach. Patrick’s attack passed by, clipping a few strands of his red hair.
If his decision had been even a moment later, it wouldn't have been his hair, but his head flying off.
And as soon as he dodged the attack, Sierion lunged forward again, throwing a punch.
Whoosh.
Patrick tilted his head slightly to dodge Sierion’s fist.
But that wasn’t Sierion’s goal in the first place. He caught his sword before it even hit the ground. And then…
“Wooooooh!”
K-boom!
Explosive aura erupted from the ground toward the sky.
Patrick didn’t resist the attack, which was like a volcano erupting from the earth. He yielded to the force and leaped high into the air.
As he performed a mid-air flip and landed gracefully on the ground…
“An opening!”
With Sierion’s shout, his attack was already right in front of Patrick.
Taking advantage of the golden opportunity when he was out of his opponent’s sight, Sierion had closed in without a sound or trace.
It was the optimal move, seizing the perfect chance.
Got him!
It worked!
The knights of the Yuzef Kingdom clenched their fists.
And they saw it clearly. Sierion’s massive sword sliced through Patrick’s waist without hesitation.
Whoooooosh!
He did it. He had defeated that monstrous Double Dragon.
Just as cheers were about to erupt from the Yuzef knights…
“Your Highness!”
Matthias shouted urgently first. And immediately after…
A small voice was heard from behind Sierion.
“Opening, my ass.”
Baaaang!
“Guh…!”
Patrick’s kick slammed into Sierion’s back from behind.
Sierion was sent flying over five meters before tumbling across the ground. He hurriedly scrambled back into a stance and stood up.
In front of him stood Patrick, looking down at him with a bored expression.
Sierion wiped the blood from his mouth and spoke.
“Could this be…”
“Could it be what?”
“The technique you showed Garcia in the Arcana finals?”
“Yeah. Do you recognize it now?”
Sierion hadn’t been able to participate in the finals due to injury, but he had watched the match. At the time, he hadn’t understood how Garcia could be so easily fooled by Patrick’s technique of leaving behind an image. But…
Experiencing it firsthand, I can see why.
Patrick’s Afterimage Step left behind a remnant that didn’t feel fake at all. The traces unique to an afterimage were so clean that there wasn't even a hint of flickering, and by leaving a lingering scent of Qi in the duplicate, the attacker didn't feel deceived at all.
In fact, Sierion hadn't noticed a thing until the moment his sword passed through the afterimage.
“As expected, you’re incredible.”
“Ahem!”
Seeing him act so smug made Sierion want to say something, but he remained serious.
“Speed isn’t everything. I felt a presence from the duplicate that was no different from the real thing. Right?”
“…”
“You’re not a Magic Swordsman, but you’re not a pure swordsman either. You’re different. Yes, different.”
Watching Sierion mumble and analyze him, Patrick let out a chuckle.
“I guess you have the leisure to be lost in thought?”
“Ah, this is more doable than I thought.”
“Oh? Is that sooooo?”
“Is this all? It’s actually…”
“Actually?”
“Not that big of a deal.”
“Ha…”
A hollow laugh escaped Patrick’s lips.
But that laugh wasn't one of contempt or disbelief. Rather, it was…
This kid’s got some serious grit.
Pride? Endearment? It was a laugh tinged with that kind of emotion.
That provocation wasn't just bravado to save face. He was intentionally provoking Patrick to gain as much as possible from the encounter. Even if it meant the humiliation of being brutally thrashed in front of his subordinates.
“I’ll give you credit for your grit.”
“You’ll be acknowledging my skill soon enough.”
“I wonder how long you can keep flapping that mouth of yours.”
“Shut up and…” Sierion extended a hand toward Patrick and beckoned him with his fingers. “Come at me.”
“…”
Wow… so this is what it feels like.
It was his first time being on the receiving end of this, and it was quite a feeling.
Patrick smiled broadly and said, “You need a beating.”