Chapter 199
Chapter 199
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 199
Chapter Title: Duel (2)
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‘I have no idea how this will turn out.’
Liam Bluegreen thought as he gazed at the two men standing atop the dueling arena.
He had no doubts about Demian Haksen’s skills, but his opponent was simply too strong.
Joshua Silva.
The prodigy who had fully inherited his father’s Master-class talents.
In fact, Joshua Silva had been considered a dullard in his childhood. His learning had been slower than others.
But after passing his tenth birthday, his talents began to blossom.
He advanced through the realms at a breakneck pace, reaching High-class at the remarkably young age of twenty.
Considering that Liam Bluegreen himself had only achieved High-class in his forties, Joshua was a genius of staggering proportions.
‘And with such a genius receiving focused instruction from a Master-class…’
A few years ago, a pack of wyverns had nested in the mountainous regions of the Dufflin Kingdom.
Wyverns were called degenerated dragons for good reason—they were incredibly dangerous monsters.
They had tough hides that could withstand aura, teeth and claws that pierced steel with ease.
Not only could they fly through the skies, but they could also breathe fire.
Even Mid-class knights struggled to handle a single wyvern.
And the wyverns that had settled in the Dufflin Kingdom were no ordinary ones.
They were a subspecies known as redwing wyverns, hailing from the Alista Wasteland—a hellish land.
The Alista Wasteland was barren and perilous, forcing its monsters to grow far stronger than their base kin.
Even Liam Bluegreen had shaken his head in disbelief upon hearing the news. As a High-class himself, he found a pack of redwing wyverns daunting.
Yet Joshua Silva had annihilated that very pack in less than a day.
“Michael, fetch me a tree branch.”
Demian’s voice reached the ears of Liam Bluegreen, who was deep in worry.
Like everyone else, Liam Bluegreen stared at Demian in bewilderment.
Soon, Michael cut a branch and brought it over. Demian took it and spoke.
“Come at me. I’ll fight you with this.”
Liam Bluegreen nearly fainted on the spot.
* * *
The moment he heard those words, Joshua Silva’s face flushed red with anger.
“…Sir Demian?”
But Joshua somehow held back his rage. He forced himself to stay calm and replied.
“Unnecessary provocations are unbecoming in a friendly duel. I’ll let it slide this time. Bring a proper sword next…”
“Who said it’s a provocation?”
Demian shook the branch lightly as he spoke.
“To catch a chicken, you need a chicken-killing knife, right?”
At that instant, sparks flew from Joshua’s eyes.
“Fine, have it your way! Don’t regret it later!”
Joshua spat out his fury and lunged forward. At the same time, he swung his sword down at Demian in a diagonal slash.
True to his High-class prowess, vivid aura coated Joshua’s longsword.
In that moment, Demian’s eyes swiftly read Joshua’s movements.
Demian twisted his waist slightly. The diagonal blade grazed past his head and face.
At the same time, Demian tapped Joshua’s throat with the branch.
“One.”
Joshua’s expression went blank for a moment. Then rage surged anew.
“What kind of joke is this!”
Joshua roared in fury and swung his sword again.
Demian leaned back. The horizontal slash passed by the tip of his nose.
At the same time, Demian struck Joshua’s forearm with the branch.
“Two.”
“I told you not to play around!”
Joshua’s face grew even more ferocious.
He unleashed a flurry of sword strikes at Demian. The blade’s trajectory enveloped Demian in an instant.
But the result was the same. Demian effortlessly dodged every attack.
‘Doesn’t he realize the gap yet?’
Demian felt puzzled as he evaded.
Joshua was pressing his assault relentlessly, yet he hadn’t so much as brushed Demian’s clothes.
Any decent knight would recognize the difference in skill by now.
‘For a genius, he’s awfully dense.’
Michael had recognized the gap without even fighting Demian and surrendered on his own.
Compared to Michael, Joshua might as well have been a blockhead.
‘Then I’ll smash him in an even more obvious way.’
Demian moved the branch. For the first time, he blocked Joshua’s attack with it.
“Foolish choice!”
Joshua shouted scornfully.
His weapon was forged from rare metal alloy and coated in aura.
To block it with a mere twig? It was laughable.
But reality betrayed Joshua’s expectations spectacularly.
Demian twisted the branch slightly. The sword’s trajectory shifted.
The longsword, falling in a straight line, veered sideways. It missed Demian and sliced empty air.
“…What?”
Shock appeared on Joshua’s face.
He wasn’t alone. Every knight around reacted the same way. Even Javier did.
“W-What did you just do…!”
Joshua panicked but didn’t stop his attack. His longsword arced toward Demian’s throat.
Demian swung the branch again, deflecting the blade. The horizontal swing suddenly shot upward.
Joshua’s torso was left wide open. Demian prodded his chest with the tip of the branch.
“Heart. Dead once.”
Joshua gnashed his teeth and swung again.
Demian easily altered the blade’s path once more. Then he tapped Joshua’s throat with the branch.
“Throat. Dead twice.”
Joshua’s face turned beet red. Even someone as dense as him could see it now.
Demian was toying with him.
“…Joshua!”
Unable to watch any longer, Javier shouted loudly.
“How long do you plan to play around! Fight properly!”
Shock crossed Joshua’s face.
Properly? What more could he do here?
“Exactly.”
Demian sneered at the words.
“Fight properly. Enough of this pathetic display.”
That one remark shattered Joshua’s reason.
“Damn it! You bastard! Let’s see you block this!”
Joshua poured mana into his longsword. The aura coating it writhed violently.
It moved as if something were about to burst through the aura.
“What’s that…?”
Liam Bluegreen immediately recognized what Joshua was preparing.
“Sir Demian! Dodge! You have to dodge!”
Liam Bluegreen shouted urgently. At that moment, Joshua thrust his sword into the air.
Something flew toward Demian. Demian kicked off the ground with both feet and leaped back.
Dozens of holes punched into the ground where Demian had stood.
“Good heavens!”
Liam Bluegreen raised his voice involuntarily.
What Joshua had just used was an aerial sword technique.
Aerial sword strikes involved projecting aura to fight. They were powerful and unpredictable but demanded immense mana and focus.
As a knight who used aerial strikes himself, Liam Bluegreen could tell.
Just how potent and refined Joshua’s technique had been.
He had compressed aura into conical drills and launched them.
Their speed was so great that most knights wouldn’t even see the drills incoming.
“Strange.”
Demian tilted his head and asked.
“Is it okay to use such a dangerous technique in a friendly duel?”
“Don’t worry. If it gets truly dangerous, my father will stop it.”
Demian let out a hollow laugh.
“What a convenient rule.”
Joshua didn’t answer. Instead, he thrust his sword at Demian again.
Aura drills poured toward Demian. Just before they pierced him, Demian swung the branch.
Each swing of the branch erased a drill. It was like painting over the air with a brush.
In the blink of an eye, every drill vanished. Joshua’s jaw dropped in shock.
“You built it up like it was something amazing, but it’s nothing. If that’s all you’ve got, let’s end this.”
In that instant, Demian’s demeanor shifted.
Sharp killing intent poured toward Joshua. The moment it hit him, Joshua felt a chill.
He’d be done for if he stayed put.
An ominous premonition dominated his mind. Instinct drove him.
He kicked off the ground and leaped high into the air. As he passed over Demian’s head, he released aura downward.
The released aura turned into drills raining toward Demian.
Demian swung the branch again, erasing every single one.
The moment Joshua landed, he moved once more. He dashed circles around Demian, unleashing aura. Drills poured from all directions.
Demian swung the branch. An aura barrier unfolded around him, wiping out the drills.
That was when it happened.
Overwhelming mana surged from straight ahead. Demian turned his gaze toward it.
There stood Joshua, condensing aura into his longsword.
“Oh ho.”
Demian smirked, one corner of his mouth curling.
“That looks somewhat usable.”
Usable?
Joshua cursed inwardly.
The technique Joshua was preparing was his ultimate move. A secret art reserved for killing foes.
It was a family heirloom his father had refined—made stronger, more devastating.
In other words, it was a Master-class ultimate technique.
Joshua thrust the sword tip forward. The compressed aura unleashed.
Ultimate Technique – Amber Light Thrust
A brilliant beam of light shot toward Demian.
At that moment, Demian raised the branch. Blue aura erupted from it.
Demian swung the branch with full force. A massive slashing wave burst forth.
The aura slash collided with the light beam in a thunderous boom. The beam split apart to either side.
“…Huh?”
Shock appeared on Joshua’s face.
It wasn’t water—it shouldn’t split that easily…
While Joshua panicked, the aura slash closed in.
With no time to dodge, the slash engulfed Joshua’s body.
* * *
Just before, Javier Silva leaped in front of Joshua.
Javier swung his hand like a blade, smashing the aura slash. The massive wave shattered into pieces.
“Has your curiosity been satisfied now?”
“…Yes, it has.”
Javier Silva responded to Demian’s mocking question with a sour expression, like he’d bitten a bug.
Demian tossed the branch to the ground. He glanced at Joshua, collapsed behind Javier Silva.
Joshua had passed out. Apparently, sheer terror had overwhelmed him just before the slash hit.
‘What an odd guy.’
His aura handling was that of a true expert.
Yet he wasn’t utilizing it properly. Demian had almost mistaken him for a dullard.
‘And what’s with that sword?’
Demian had accepted the duel to uncover the nature of Joshua’s sword.
Throughout the fight, the sword’s strange energy had waxed and waned.
But no matter how hard Demian probed, he couldn’t identify it.
“Demian Haksen.”
Demian turned at Javier’s voice.
“You truly possess remarkable talent. The rumors were true.”
“You flatter me.”
“It’s no flattery. Truly… incredibly impressive. Enough to make me covetous.”
In that moment, Demian saw it.
Javier Silva’s eyes filling with greed.
But something was off.
It wasn’t the gaze of someone coveting talent. It was far more vulgar.
Like a thief eyeing another’s possessions.