Chapter 614: The Fighting King Tournament (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 614: The Fighting King Tournament (1)
It had been a dreamlike battle.
Days later, the sensations and experiences of being a Fighting God during the opening match remained etched in Jin’s mind, a constant source of stimulation.
He was like an artist struck by a sudden, intense burst of inspiration just before creating a masterpiece. Jin spent his days in a daze, his eyes vacant as he incessantly replayed the opening match in his head.
I shouldn’t have blocked the Kaio brothers’ arrows like that. If I hadn’t just blocked them, but had parried and sent them back, I could have handled their follow-up attacks much more easily. And then…
Watching him, his brothers clicked their tongues in concern.
“Brother Jin has been acting strange since the opening match.”
“He does seem a bit out of it. Do you think he’s disappointed that the Fighting God’s power wasn’t truly his own?”
“That doesn’t sound like him. It looks more like he’s just processing the combat insights he gained that day.”
“In any case, everyone’s treatment is finished, so the Fighting King Tournament starts today. I’m worried if he can actually hold his own against the Twelve Fighting Kings in that state.”
As Ban had announced, the first match after the opening ceremony was between Jin and Teto. Unlike Jin, Teto had been training relentlessly every day since Boras finished treating him.
Jin could no longer use Fighting God Union until the tournament concluded.
He had to prove his worth against his brothers using nothing but his own martial prowess.
While the ordinary warriors gathered to chat or train together, the Fighting Kings—with the exception of Boras—hardly even exchanged glances.
It was enough to make one wonder if these were the same brothers who had once been so close.
Regardless of the opponent, their sheer determination and fighting spirit to crush one another resulted in an immense psychological war.
Even if one became the final victor and took first place, all members of the Pluto Tribe, excluding the Fighting God, were still just brothers.
At least, that was how it had always been in Ban’s era.
Yet, the reason the Fighting Kings were so on edge was due to their innate competitiveness and pride. They believed that giving their absolute all was the only way to show respect to an opponent.
Above all, the final victor of the Fighting King Tournament would be the one “closest to the Fighting God.”
The Fighting God was the ultimate aspiration for the Pluto Tribe.
To become the being closest to the Fighting God was, in itself, the highest honor a member of the Pluto Tribe could achieve.
Jin, too, wanted to be the protagonist of that glory.
Rumble—! Crackle!
Lightning suddenly struck down from above the Main Hall.
It was the signal that the matches were about to begin. Defying the lashing bolts, the Pluto Tribe members on the ground threw themselves toward the Main Hall.
Some used ropes, some created sword winds to fly, and others leaped by stepping on the backs of their ascending brothers.
It was a bizarre sight, yet a certain sublimity radiated from the Pluto Tribe as they ascended the hall against the lightning.
Ban was waiting for them in the center of the Main Hall.
“The Twelve Fighting Kings and Brother Jin, step forward.”
Only then did Jin and Teto lock eyes for the first time.
Unlike his usual playful self, Teto’s eyes were burning with fighting spirit, while Jin maintained a calm expression.
“The rules are simple,” Ban announced. “You win by incapacitating your opponent or knocking them out of the Main Hall. Killing is strictly forbidden, but there are no restrictions on using lethal techniques.”
Since the Fighting God and all the standby Pluto Tribe members acted as safety officials, one could unleash lethal sword arts to their heart's content without fear of actually killing their opponent.
If an accident occurred despite that, it was simply unavoidable.
As the lightning subsided, a brief silence fell.
The fight began the moment Ban turned and stepped back.
Swish—!
Jin thrust his sword first. Sword energy and lightning surged in all directions, triggering explosions, and Teto thrust his spear through the gaps.
From the very first exchange, both were clearly aiming for vital points. Jin targeted the chest, while Teto aimed for the neck; both left grazing wounds on their targets.
The droplets of blood flickered once before evaporating without a trace into the crackling lightning energy.
A distance of a hundred paces repeatedly closed and widened in an instant, leaving afterimages of the two men everywhere.
This was incomparable to the sparring match they’d had to check their skills before purifying the chaos.
The brothers watching the fight were also on high alert. The battle was so fierce that it wouldn't be strange for an accident to happen at any moment.
“Surely this isn't all you've got! Fight properly, Brother Jin!”
Teto let out a shout and repelled Jin.
Jin’s posture became unstable under the subsequent barrage of attacks, and Teto relentlessly pressed his advantage.
However, it was strange.
Even while Jin was off-balance, Teto couldn't seem to inflict anything more than minor scratches.
Of course, even small wounds were accumulating at an insane speed, so the damage would eventually add up, but Teto exercised caution due to an inexplicable, unsettling sensation.
It didn’t feel like this before…
And Jin, even then, was still reviewing the opening match.
He was engaged in an internal struggle, trying to replicate that sensation as much as possible while the Fighting God Union was deactivated.
“Ah!”
When Jin shouted with wide eyes, Teto momentarily halted his attack.
“Sorry, Twelfth Fighting King. I couldn’t focus because I was busy thinking.”
It wasn't a lie, but he said it in a deliberately annoying way to provoke him.
Teto blinked and replied.
“Throwing out such a shallow provocation all of a sudden just kills the mood, Brother Jin.”
“My apologies, then.”
The provocation had just been a test. Jin had just managed to recall a portion of that sensation from before.
With that, a sudden certainty washed over him: he could defeat Teto in a single stroke. Even if Teto was the weakest among them, he was still a Fighting King of the Pluto Tribe.
Crackle—!
Swirling lightning energy gathered into Sigmund.
In that moment, not just Teto, but everyone watching recognized what kind of sword Jin was about to unleash.
“As an apology, I shall accept the Twelfth Fighting King's suggestion.”
10-star.
Jin’s aura had already reached that realm. However, merely having the power of a 10-star knight was not enough.
What mattered was how transcendentally one could wield that power.
“I hope this sword remains a glorious memory for the Twelfth Fighting King.”
Pluto Sword Fighting God Technique, 10th Sword:
Pluto’s Sovereign Sword – Open.
Except for Ban, none of the brothers had ever seen Jin perform Pluto’s Sovereign Sword himself.
Even if they had, the Pluto Tribe wouldn't have been particularly impressed.
The Pluto’s Sovereign Sword Jin had displayed in the past couldn't even be compared to Ban’s original; it was fundamentally incomplete.
But the current Pluto’s Sovereign Sword was different.
Its power was still far below the original, but its form and execution were nearing perfection. He was performing it with his own body, but through the sensations he had felt as Ban.
Brother Jin… as I thought, he has mastered the secret techniques of the Fighting God.
The 9th Fighting King, Baba, who was watching, couldn't help but let out a bitter smile.
As for Teto, who was facing the technique head-on, he was nothing short of horrified.
The floor of the Main Hall shattered as lightning erupted like lava. Jin’s eyes glowed blue with lightning energy, and his Heart of Light vibrated as if it would explode, spreading its radiance.
Vicious lightning energy whipped up a storm, instantly forming Jin’s domain.
In response, Teto unleashed his own Fighting King Ultimate Technique of the Pluto Sword spear style. Within Jin’s domain, Teto’s Heart of Light throbbed, forming a single, distinct point of defiance.
The energies spreading from their two hearts clashed, creating brilliant blue sparks.
“Compared to the real thing… this is nothing!”
The match was as good as decided the moment Teto shouted those words. If it truly were nothing, he wouldn't have unleashed his Fighting King Ultimate Technique so desperately.
However, even though he was certain of victory, Jin did not stop his sword’s progression.
As he had experienced in the opening match, Fighting Kings were beings who could create variables even in absolutely disadvantageous situations.
And they were the perfect opponents for him to practice Pluto’s Sovereign Sword with everything he had.
Following the 3rd Sword Judgment, the 7th Sword Dragon Slayer and 9th Sword Extermination—which he had newly mastered through the Fighting God Union—fell upon Teto.
An ordinary warrior wouldn't have been able to withstand even one of them. In fact, the ordinary warriors were barely enduring the storm of Pluto’s Sovereign Sword even without the help of Ban or the Fighting Kings.
“Kaaaaah…!”
Teto’s spear momentarily pushed back Jin’s closing lightning energy. It possessed enough power to put Jin in danger had he not been using Pluto’s Sovereign Sword.
“You shouldn't have given me time to think, Twelfth Fighting King.”
He did not activate the second stage of the Pluto’s Sovereign Sword secret technique, Battle. Unless he intended to take Teto’s life, what he had already unleashed was more than enough to end the fight.
What brought Teto down was the 9th Sword, Extermination.
The blue energy spread out like giant wings behind Jin, raining down lightning like a tempest that battered Teto.
There was no avoiding it. All he could do was parry, block, and endure. Teto was gradually pushed back, his footsteps faltering, while the blades of Extermination struck him down even more savagely, their power amplified to the limit by Pluto’s Sovereign Sword.
“Cough, urgh…!”
By the time Extermination finally ceased, Teto stood there drenched in blood, looking as if he had died on his feet. Even then, Jin did not stop.
Finally, he fired the spikes of Judgment.
Even just before losing consciousness, Teto showed the resolve to parry the Judgment.
However, he couldn't withstand the recoil and went tumbling out of the Main Hall.
Jin caught his breath, suppressing the dizzying surge of energy, while the other brothers immediately threw themselves after the falling Teto.
It was the tradition of the Fighting King Tournament to rescue the loser in any way possible once the match was over.
Catch!
Rumora caught Teto, and the other brothers pulled them back up to the Main Hall.
“D-Dammit… I need to… stop being the weakest.”
“I told you to stop dreaming. Twelfth Fighting King, you were crushed so miserably because you fought with such a soft mindset. Try challenging Brother Jin again next time. Normally, the Twelfth Fighting King should have won.”
“The match is over. The winner is Brother Jin.”
When Ban calmly announced the result, Jin did not hear the thunderous cheers of his brothers as he usually did.
Instead, what greeted him were the predatory, bloodthirsty glares of the Fighting Kings, looking as if they wanted to devour him right then and there.
Even amidst that, there were some Fighting Kings who were subtly absorbing the atmosphere and relishing the achievement.
This will probably be my first and last easy victory.
Jin had no choice but to swallow hard, meeting his brothers' murderous gazes with a smile.