Chapter 438: Integrated Ranking (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 438: Integrated Ranking (5)
Crackle, sizzle.
His skin was burning.
The 8th Circle magic had turned the arena into a pit of fire. The searing heat felt as if it would melt his flesh right off his bones just by standing there. It was a lethal situation. Had he been directly exposed to the Hellfire, even the regenerative power of the Ghost Soul Demonic Art wouldn't have saved him, but Kevin had escaped death by a hair's breadth.
No.
Even this was only possible because he was Kevin.
Anyone else would have surrendered the moment they felt their skin melting from the heat.
"Prince Edwin Hector. Dmitry does not fall to something like this."
He smiled.
They said the pain of burning alive was beyond human endurance, yet not a trace of agony showed on Kevin's face. This was a man who had severed his own arm at a single word from Roman Dmitry. Physical pain could not break his spirit; instead, his sheer resolve overwhelmed the onlookers.
He would never back down.
Walking out of the blazing flames, Kevin let his sword hang low and flashed a distorted, demonic grin.
"Here I come again."
Whoosh.
Rumble!
He kicked off the ground.
As Edwin Hector took a step back and gathered his mana, Kevin's senses expanded to a maddening degree.
The realm of Control.
He unleashed the Ghost Soul Demonic Art to its absolute limit. His mind flooded with demonic whispers, and his movements became even faster than before.
However...
"Fire Storm."
Fwoosh!
Edwin Hector did not back down either. Kevin wasn't the only one with a reason not to lose.
He had to win for the Hector Kingdom. Edwin conjured a storm of fire, willing it to change direction. Flames surged wherever Kevin moved. Although the power of the magic was enhanced by the burning effect, the mana strain from casting spells in rapid succession was immense.
Boom!
Fwoosh!
The attack missed.
Even as the flames exploded continuously, Kevin's ability to dodge them by a hair's breadth was nothing short of miraculous.
And then.
Flash.
In an instant, he was right in front of Edwin's face.
Edwin Hector counterattacked while simultaneously casting Blink, but when the world reconstructed itself, Kevin was already right in front of him again. It was a shocking sight. Kevin's movements had been incredibly fast before, but now that he had pushed the Ghost Soul Demonic Art to its absolute limit, he was arriving at his destination at the exact same moment as the one casting Blink.
Rumble!
An explosion of Aura.
Edwin Hector gritted his teeth at the attack clearly aimed at his head.
"Blink."
Flash.
Once more. He teleported just ten centimeters away.
As Kevin immediately slashed at the empty space right next to him, a change occurred before Edwin Hector's body could even fully reconstruct.
"Blink. Blink."
It was predictive magic.
Anticipating that Kevin would follow him, Edwin cast Blink in rapid succession, shifting his body to another space before his senses could even fully adjust. Thanks to this, he managed to evade Kevin's blade. Countless afterimages of Edwin Hector appeared, as if an illusion were splitting apart. Yet, even at a distance where they could feel each other's breath, Edwin did not merely run away.
Flash.
"Explosion."
Fwoosh!
In that split second, appearing right next to Kevin, Edwin Hector activated his fully opened Upper Dantian to unleash a fire spell. At such close range, the destructive power was bound to be devastating. Kevin quickly protected his body with Aura against the oncoming flames, but the surrounding space was instantly engulfed in a raging inferno.
It was a fierce, close-quarters battle.
Edwin Hector showed a performance that transcended the limits of a mage—he was truly something more.
However.
Whoosh.
Fwoosh!
The flames swirled.
Bursting through the inferno, Kevin used his Aura to minimize the damage, leaving the rest to the regenerative power of the Ghost Soul Demonic Art. People said that in close combat, Aura Swordsmen and mages were natural enemies. Although the development of the Upper Dantian had resolved some of a mage's traditional weaknesses, Kevin himself possessed every single trait that mages detested.
Powerful physical abilities.
Sharp senses.
And a monstrous regenerative capacity.
He was their ultimate natural enemy.
Seeing Kevin relentlessly pursue and attack him, Edwin Hector knew he needed a decisive move.
Rumble!
He erupted his mana. Unleashing his full power, he attempted one final, direct clash with Hellfire.
But then.
Flash.
"...?!"
He was clearly out of range. Yet, just as he was about to cast the spell with absolute certainty, Edwin Hector felt a sharp pain bloom in his chest.
Blood splattered.
He staggered.
Only then did he realize. That final blow. Just as he had hidden a trump card, Kevin had also kept one final strike up his sleeve.
*
"Cough."
He fell to his knees, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
With his insides completely ruptured, Edwin Hector looked up at Kevin with a pale face.
To think he has grown this much in just a few years.
Edwin Hector and Kevin. This was not their first encounter on a battlefield. They had met as enemies on the Southern Front, and though they hadn't clashed directly back then, Kevin had never exuded this level of presence. That was his memory of the man. Although Kevin had earned fame as the Devil of Dmitry over the years, Edwin Hector still clearly remembered the moments he had personally witnessed.
And this...
This was the true strength of Dmitry.
The moment he, who had dreamed of winning, knelt before Kevin, he realized just how terrifyingly powerful the Dmitry Empire truly was.
Once this tournament is over, everyone will realize. Some believe that Emperor Roman Dmitry built this empire solely through his own strength, but that is not the case. The more participants like me shine, the more Dmitry's prestige—which overwhelmingly crushes us—will rise to absolute greatness.
He raised his head, asking with a strained expression.
"That last strike. Did you prepare it specifically for this tournament?"
Kevin. Edwin had prepared thoroughly to defeat him. He had completely figured out Kevin's aggressive style, but he had never heard of a fast sword technique that could literally pierce through space.
Kevin approached.
Wiping away the blood flowing from his forehead with the back of his hand, he pointed his sword at Edwin's neck.
"Let's end this."
He clearly had no intention of answering. Kevin merely looked down at him with an indifferent gaze.
Edwin Hector let out a dry chuckle.
It was over. This monster had completely overwhelmed him.
"...I admit defeat."
The second round. It was the outcome everyone had expected, but the sheer intensity of the fight was more than enough to shock the crowd.
*
The match just now.
Countless people had watched it. Not only the common folk, but the representatives of every nation could not hide their shock.
"...My mind is in a tangle."
"To think the Evil Ghost of Dmitry is this strong. I don't even know what we were planning."
The speaker was Count Bellatro, a high-ranking official of Kronos. He had hoped for victory by putting forward Mendes, but the reality he just witnessed showed him how absurd that dream had been.
Count Bellatro continued, "Dmitry already possesses an overwhelming military power that other nations cannot even hope to match. The strong contender our Kronos put forward was no match for Chris, and Valhalla's swordsman knelt before Edwin Hector. And look at that stage. Look at what Dmitry's Evil Ghost just showed us. If we were to encounter such a monster on the battlefield, do you think we could survive?"
He was completely overwhelmed.
And this wasn't even Roman Dmitry. It was just a mere swordsman serving under him. Overcome by a creeping dread that gripped his heart, Count Bellatro babbled on without realizing it.
"From now on, the era of Dmitry will begin. Not just because His Majesty Emperor Roman Dmitry won the Continental War, but because the raw power and authority they possess will make it so. We must adapt to this altered reality. Since Prince Edwin Hector has also proven his formidable personal might, if we continue to treat the Hector Kingdom as just another minor kingdom like before, we might find ourselves pushed away from the center of power."
Right next to him, the high-ranking officials of Valhalla stared reality in the face.
As the era of the two empires that once ruled the continent drew to a close, a new era led by Dmitry and Hector was dawning.
Roman Dmitry.
Edwin Hector.
They were the new heroes who would write history.
Thinking of the future they would lead, Count Bellatro felt a sudden, strong urge to drink heavily tonight. This tournament was supposed to be an opportunity for everyone, but instead, it had become a stage that plunged the rest of the world into the depths of despair.
And so, the second round came to an end.
People were certain.
Chris and Kevin.
The two of them would meet in the finals. With Edwin Hector defeated, there was no one left who could stand against them.
It went exactly as expected.
Round 3: Chris and Kevin won.
Round 4: Chris and Kevin won.
There wasn't even a close match. As the two of them crushed their opponents with overwhelming capability, the crowd focused on only one thing.
The finals!
A few days later, the moment everyone had been waiting for arrived.
*
There were no upsets.
Chris and Kevin secured their spots in the finals.
With the two powerhouses finally set to clash, public opinion was fiercely divided.
"Who do you think will win?"
"My money's on Chris. Chris has a solid pedigree; he was called Dmitry's genius swordsman even before he met His Majesty Emperor Roman Dmitry. He has always executed crucial roles flawlessly, so I believe his high position in Dmitry speaks for his skill."
"I disagree. Everyone saw his match with Prince Edwin Hector. Edwin Hector definitely showed a strength worthy of a title contender, but Kevin tore into him like a wild beast. Imagine that blade pointed at Chris. Do you think even Chris would come out unscathed? I'm telling you, in this tournament, Kevin will defeat Chris and establish the hierarchy once and for all."
It was a frenzy.
Since both had shown such incredible performances, public opinion was split down the middle, with people passionately debating who would emerge victorious.
On the day of the finals, crowds flocked to the venue.
In the VIP seats overlooking the arena, Roman Dmitry sat to grace the occasion with his presence.
"Your Majesty. Who do you think will win?"
It was Knight Commander Jonathan.
At the casual question, Roman Dmitry smiled.
"Well. It doesn't really matter who wins. We have already achieved the purpose of hosting this Integrated Ranking tournament. As the powerhouses representing each nation fell one by one to Dmitry's swordsmen, we have shaped public opinion to overwhelm the leaders of other nations without having to resort to a reign of terror."
"Once a winner emerges, that person will challenge Your Majesty. This means you will have to accept a challenge from either Kevin or Chris."
As the end drew near, a topic of great interest began to circulate among the people. Namely, the privilege of the winner.
Regarding the opportunity to challenge Roman Dmitry, people gossiped about what would happen if an upset actually occurred.
Great achievements that defy common sense tend to fade with time. Only a small fraction of the total population had actually witnessed Roman Dmitry's feats; most had only heard of them through rumors. Since he had ascended to the throne and had fewer opportunities to fight, some groups began to question whether such absurd feats were truly possible. It wasn't that they didn't acknowledge his achievements, but surely there had to be some exaggeration, right?
What if?
Just maybe.
Perhaps.
What if the challenger actually defeats Roman Dmitry?
To those who had witnessed the legend on the battlefield, such talk was horrifying, but the ignorance of those who had never experienced the truth was only natural. Since they had to accept a truth that defied common sense solely through hearsay, they could not hide their anticipation, eagerly uttering such nonsense at the prospect of finally witnessing the legend with their own eyes.
Roman Dmitry spoke.
"That is precisely why I hosted this tournament. To establish a clear hierarchy among the nations without resorting to a reign of terror, and to engrave deep into their bones every year how a being like me was able to conquer this continent. Knight Commander Jonathan. Whether it is Chris or Kevin who stands on the stage against me, I will treat them purely as a challenger, setting aside our past relationship. That is why it does not matter who the winner is."
It was immense confidence.
In this tournament, Roman Dmitry had accepted Chris's request with the intention of personally proving his authority as Emperor.
It was completely intentional.
Judging it to be entirely necessary, Roman Dmitry had created this stage of challenge.
A tournament repeated every year.
A winner crowned every year.
And a duel with that winner.
Convinced that this series of events would endlessly elevate the Emperor's prestige, Knight Commander Jonathan could not help but nod.
This man is truly the first Emperor of the Dmitry Empire, whose name will go down in continental history. Once all these festivities that have stirred the continent come to an end, Dmitry's power, as solid as an Iron Fortress, will place the entire continent beneath its feet.
He turned his gaze.
Just then, the participants made their appearance in the arena.
*
"Contestants, to your positions."
The time had come.
Kevin, who had been waiting in the staging room, slowly stood up and made his way toward the arena.
His heart pounded.
He felt the weight of countless gazes looking down at him. At the center of them all was Roman Dmitry.
And the weapon gripped in his hand was a Famous Sword personally crafted by his lord, a man who was like the heavens to him.
He could not lose.
He had no intention of losing.
As Kevin finally stepped onto the stage, he locked eyes with his lifelong rival, the one who had handed him two prior defeats.
Chris.
Finally.
The time had come to prove himself.