Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Dominating the First Round
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Havel returned to the preliminary venue after receiving his sword.
By then, the room was packed with those who had advanced to the main tournament.
The preliminaries must have been fierce, as everyone looked utterly exhausted.
"Lord Havel!"
At that moment, Elasiya's voice rang out.
When Havel turned around, he saw her approaching with Pyod.
"Where have you been? I was worried you might have been eliminated since you weren't here."
"Mage girl, that's ridiculous."
Pyod seemed not to have even considered the possibility of Havel being knocked out.
"I had some business to attend to."
It was still too early to explain that.
'More importantly.'
There were ears listening here too.
After causing such a commotion, the Five Great Families surely knew about him by now.
'The guy who moved the God of Night, even if not to my extent.'
Havel intended to find that man.
He would undoubtedly try to interfere when Havel cleared the floors.
'Better to deal with him beforehand.'
The Five Great Families had participants in the preliminaries too.
Since no humans were visible, they must have deliberately hidden themselves.
'In that case, catch the ones hiding.'
Then make the Five Great Families guide him directly.
"Everyone, thank you for your hard work in the preliminaries."
Right on cue, Durandal, the hero of Tendal from earlier, stepped forward.
He scanned the gathered eyes, spotted Havel, and gave a slight smile.
"There was a bit of a disturbance in the preliminaries, but it's been resolved, so no need to worry."
Was that directed at him?
Havel recalled turning Group A into a trio and rubbed the back of his neck.
He felt a little sorry about that.
"And so, we will now proceed with the main tournament for our 64 participants."
Boom!
At that instant, the ceiling above began to split in half.
As everyone looked up in astonishment.
The ceiling and walls vanished downward, revealing a massive arena.
The spectator seats surrounding the arena were filled to the brim.
"Waaaaaaaaah!"
The cheers exploded, echoing thunderously.
Even the timid might have hesitated.
But perhaps because those who entered the martial tournament were born warriors at heart.
They puffed out their chests at the chance to show off their skills.
"And here is the bracket for this martial tournament's round of 64."
At that moment, fireworks burst, and letters engraved themselves in the sky above.
Faces appeared one after another.
Lines then formed below, connecting them.
The completed bracket drew another roar from the crowd.
"This is all magic?"
Elasiya muttered blankly at the sky.
Even magic applied to real life far exceeded her standards.
"Idiot, it's not magic, it's magecraft."
"Yeah, you're right..."
Even Pyod's taunt got only a dazed response from Elasiya.
The spectacle achieved through magecraft was that impressive.
Even Havel, with little knowledge of magic, found it spectacular.
While doing so, he quickly scanned the bracket.
For starters, he wasn't likely to face Elasiya or Pyod.
Instead, they were set to meet in the quarterfinals.
Elasiya and Pyod's eyes met.
One of them would have cozy training sessions with Havel.
Sparks flew between their gazes, naturally.
Havel left them to their staring contest and examined the bracket closely.
Then he tilted his head.
Surprisingly, there was one other who had entered with his real name, just like Havel.
'No, not that surprising.'
Azaris Ignor
The direct descendant of Ignor, the mad arsonist with a screw loose.
And someone Havel rated highly for his talent and unhinged nature.
"Azaris, huh."
According to Baria, he had been captured and dragged off by Ignor.
Yet here he was, showing up at the martial tournament.
'Not visible even scanning the surroundings.'
Whatever he was up to, they would meet soon.
Because Havel was scheduled to face Azaris in the semifinals.
"Now, with the bracket set, let the first match of the main tournament begin."
In the meantime, Durandal actively pushed the tournament forward.
He seemed eager to see the young warriors' battles.
"First match! Havel versus Arseonna Parsis!"
And lo and behold.
Somehow, Havel was picked for the very first bout.
"Waaaaaaaaah!"
The cheers suddenly swelled even louder.
Everyone had witnessed Havel's prowess in Group A.
The spectator stands erupted in chaos.
In an instant, Havel's name spread across the world.
"Wh-what? Lord Havel, did something happen while we were in the preliminaries?"
Elasiya and Pyod had been occupied with their own matches and were clueless.
They looked utterly baffled.
Havel shrugged as if it were nothing and stepped into the arena.
His opponent climbed up with heavy footsteps.
There stood a massive crow-like figure.
Havel remembered this Tendal.
After all, it was the one who had spoken to him when he met Princess Valea.
"Lord Arseonna, fighting!"
"Show us the honor of the royal knights!"
A royal knight, was he.
His black wings gleamed as he ascended, flashing a sharp smile.
It was a handsome, dashing grin.
"Kyaaaa!"
"Lord Arseonna, crush them!"
The women's cheers grew even louder.
He was apparently quite popular.
In each hand, he gripped a massive mace.
Unlike his refined appearance, he wielded brutal weapons.
"Didn't expect to face you so soon. Nice to meet you. How was your chat with the princess?"
"None of your business."
"Fair enough, then."
Havel's casual reply ignited Arseonna's competitive spirit.
"I've wanted to clash with you since I first laid eyes on you."
Whoosh!
A mace the size of Havel swung, unleashing a ferocious roar.
"Truth be told, I hoped we'd meet higher up."
He flashed that sharp smile again.
"But beating you now will raise our royal knights' name even higher."
He snorted arrogantly, lips curling into a sneer.
He was the previous tournament champion and the favorite this time.
His fighting spirit overflowed.
Havel merely placed his hand on his sword hilt in response.
"Then, for the first match."
Durandal, officiating as referee, stepped between them.
"Begin."
With those words, he fired a magic bullet from his hand.
Bang!
Arseonna charged at Havel like a mad bull.
With his natural bulk, he began bizarre footwork.
Then he swung his twin maces in succession.
Was it the harmony of his odd steps and mace swings? The number of maces seemed to multiply.
'Not an illusion.'
The maces were truly increasing.
Because Arseonna's arms were multiplying too.
'Manifestation.'
Had the floors ramped up properly?
Even someone not the floor master was using manifestation.
His multiple arms evoked the image of an asura.
And as if he had mastered some unique foot technique.
Dozens of maces overlapped in cunning patterns.
Kaboom!
The arena floor touched by the maces shattered.
This arena was specially built for the tournament.
Yet it crumbled from mere grazes by the maces.
The aura infused in them was the cause.
Moreover, though unaware, his calamity moved with him.
Arseonna was called a disaster in the tournament.
In the previous one, everyone fell to a single charge.
Yet Havel faced him without drawing his sword.
He just stared blankly.
Seeing this, Arseonna thought Havel was cowering in fear.
But this was the man who displayed such power in the preliminaries.
'He must have some trick!'
Arseonna stoked his rivalry further.
His footwork grew even more erratic.
Now his maces numbered in the thousands.
A world filled solely with maces loomed before him.
The mace storm closed in on Havel in an instant.
Yet Havel's hands remained still until then.
As everyone thought he had given up fighting.
Havel belatedly raised his left hand.
"You're overestimating yourself!"
Arseonna shouted at him.
Simultaneously, the mace storm engulfed Havel.
He intended to pulverize him without mercy.
But soon, Arseonna sensed something off.
His maces were rapidly dwindling.
Then Havel came into belated view.
Havel's left hand was extended.
The maces touching it shattered to pieces.
His hand extended again.
Another mace naturally disintegrated.
Arseonna's eyes widened in shock.
Every casual extension of Havel's hand destroyed his maces.
Manifestation reflects one's level.
If the opponent's is inferior, one side dominates.
The manifested tools or power would differ accordingly.
Arseonna's maces had been an unbreakable fortress until now.
Yet before Havel's hand, they were like paper.
It was only natural.
No matter manifestation, they were aura constructs.
To Havel, parting them was no different from slicing mist.
Chill!
His own maces shattering before his eyes.
Arseonna naturally felt immense pressure.
"Wh-what?!"
Losing composure, he pressed Havel even harder.
But Havel's left hand merely picked up speed.
The outcome remained unchanged.
Soon, only two maces remained for Arseonna.
Ragged breaths tormented his lungs.
Cold sweat drenched his body.
Yet Havel was unchanged.
Still in the pose of extending his left hand.
His feet hadn't moved an inch.
Arseonna, who had demolished everything with his manifestation secret art.
Even in the royal knights, he prided himself as the strongest.
But for the first time, a wall appeared before his eyes.
An insurmountable wall, no matter what he did.
Havel raised his left hand like a blade.
"I'm busy, so let's end this."
Busy with what?
Arseonna couldn't fathom it, but an unprecedented chill gripped him.
His warrior instincts deemed the situation dire.
He immediately dropped stance and swung his maces at Havel.
Shing! Shing!
The swung maces split in half simultaneously.
The steel heads enveloped in calamity cleaved cleanly.
Sliced as sharply as by a keen blade.
Yet Havel hadn't drawn his sword—he had merely raised his hand blade.
Arseonna ground his teeth.
Then, reaching skyward, he manifested a colossal mace.
A mace so huge it cast shadows, blotting out the arena.
Arseonna slammed it down with full force, enough to devastate the field.
Kabooooom!
The descending mace pulverized the area.
The moment Arseonna thought Havel was crushed beneath it.
Boom!
A sound echoed from the mace, splitting it sideways.
There stood Havel, hand on his scabbard.
He had drawn at invisible speed.
What kind of prescience was this?
The absurdly massive mace lay in two halves.
"M-monster."
As Arseonna muttered, losing all will to fight.
Havel's fist was already at his face.
"I've heard that one plenty."
Crack!
The resounding impact sent Arseonna flying through the air.
He soared far before being ejected from the arena.
Crash!
Colliding with the spectator wall base, he erupted in smoke amid thunderous noise.
As everyone watched silently.
The smoke cleared slowly, revealing Arseonna.
His handsome face was caved inward.
Even maintaining its shape seemed impossible now.
Onlookers couldn't hold back sighs.
And shortly after.
"First match, Havel wins!"
Durandal's belated shout rang out.
"Waaaaaaaaaah!"
"Havel beat Lord Arseonna!"
The cheers, far louder than before, erupted in unison.
Amid them, Havel leisurely turned away.
Instead, he glanced toward the main tournament participants.
'It'd be best if the Five Great Families showed themselves quickly.'
Otherwise, they'd all end up like that.