Chapter 65: The Tin Knight and The City of Clockwork — Act 3 (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 65: The Tin Knight and The City of Clockwork — Act 3 (7)
“Sir Knight…!”
“Well, what impeccable timing!”
Seeing the Tin Knight block his path, René von Lennart broke out in a cold sweat.
He has the leeway to interfere here while dealing with that old man?
Although René had opposed Gerhardt's methods and driven him out, he had once learned martial arts under him.
René knew all too well the level of skill possessed by that stubborn old man who never listened to a damn thing anyone said.
Gerhardt was a monster who could dismantle a troll, famous for its regenerative abilities, with pure physical force and no magical aid whatsoever.
It was astounding enough that the knight had looked away while fighting such a man, yet there wasn't a single noticeable wound on the Tin Knight's body.
I knew he was skilled, but to think he was this good!
However, René himself had risen to the position of representative instructor of a dojo.
He had no intention of simply being awed by another's skill and giving up the fight so easily.
Pang!
He extended his left leg straight back, bent his right leg forward, and thrust out his arm.
It was a simple motion to describe in words, but its force and speed were like a loosed arrow.
What was more frightening was that it wasn't just a fast attack.
Klaaang!
The moment the tip of René's rapier met the Tin Knight's shield, a large spark flew, bright enough to be seen from the audience.
The Tin Knight swung his sword to counter, but René swiftly pulled back, moving out of attack range.
Immediately after.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A noise similar to the first strike rang out three more times in succession.
The number of sparks that flew was also three.
And just as expected, René once again created distance, pulling himself out of the Tin Knight's range.
René's eyes were perfectly calm.
Whether I focus purely on speed or vary the trajectory and timing, he blocks it with ease.
Considering that René's thrusts packed enough power to pierce through any ordinary shield as if it weren't there, it was a defensive technique so perfect it was unnerving.
Rather than reinforcing the entire surface of the large shield, his technique of predicting the point of impact and injecting mana in just the right proportion to that area and its immediate vicinity felt like a kind of obsession.
Just managing 100 units of mana by dividing it into portions of 1 is praised as mastery, but this knight feels like he's operating in units of 0.1, or even 0.01.
A pure martial artist would have praised the Tin Knight's outstanding mana manipulation, but René, who was essentially more of a businessman, interpreted it from a different perspective.
When managing limited resources, the smaller the minimum unit, the less waste there is. If the minimum amount you can move is 1, you have to use 1 whether a situation needs 1 or 0.3. Is this the result of trying to maximize mana efficiency to its absolute limit? Did he have to fight in a situation where resources were that scarce?
He could imagine two main scenarios.
Either he had to fight with an extremely small amount of mana, or he faced so many enemies that even abundant resources were not enough.
René was intensely curious about the knight's detailed history, but he didn't have the luxury to dwell on the thought.
Fwip!
The Tin Knight's body seemed to sway slightly from side to side, and in the next moment, he was right in front of René's nose.
René thrust his rapier with an almost instinctual movement, but the Tin Knight ducked low as if he had anticipated even that.
The sword, imbued with compressed mana, gouged the Tin Knight's shoulder, but that was all.
With a chilling pain, a blade grazed René's thigh.
Though wounded, René tried to create distance with unbelievable speed, but the Tin Knight lunged a step ahead, as if predicting the direction of his retreat.
“—Are you ignoring me?!”
What saved René was a strike from Gerhardt, who had jumped in from the side.
A kick, smashing down at a diagonal angle, collided with the Tin Knight's shield, creating a shockwave.
The Tin Knight's feet sank into the ground up to his insteps.
A glint flashed in René's eyes as his rapier began to glow.
KAKAKAKAKAKAKANG!
A barrage of attacks like a shower of arrows poured down.
The process of thrusting and retracting the rapier was so fast it created the illusion of multiple thrusts being launched simultaneously.
The shield that should have blocked the terrifying assault was pinned down by the old man's kick, and with both feet buried, the knight's mobility was restricted.
Therefore.
He blocked... this?!
René was aghast to see the Tin Knight blocking the attacks even in such a situation.
Strictly speaking, he hadn't blocked every attack perfectly.
René's attacks were certainly piercing the Tin Knight's metal body and inflicting wounds.
But not a single one of them reached a vital spot.
Whirl. The Tin Knight's body spun in a circle.
Shield forward, sword back.
The Tin Knight's movement forcibly brought Gerhardt's and René's paths, which had been out of sync, together.
Of course, the two of them were not ones to be easily taken down.
As if they had planned it, René and Gerhardt simultaneously kicked the Tin Knight's legs.
A normal person kicking a metal leg would only injure themselves, but it was a different story for superhumans who could enhance their bodies with mana.
THUD! A heavy impact echoed as the Tin Knight was forced to his knees.
The moment the Tin Knight lost his balance and fell forward, the two men sensed a golden opportunity and attacked together.
It was an attack with mana focused to the absolute limit, meant to surely pierce the Tin Knight's metal body.
Evasion was impossible. Defense was futile. In that moment, as the two were certain of their victory…
…a flash of light streaked left and right above the kneeling Tin Knight's head.
SWISH!
Red blood blossomed like a flower.
*
Before the match began, the Tin Knight had given Adel just two instructions.
-Between the martial arts uniform and the formal uniform, the one in the formal uniform is slightly weaker. Stick to him.
-You don't need to try to beat your opponent. Just hold on and don't get knocked down until I give the signal.
Adel followed his words faithfully.
She faced René as soon as the match started and focused on evasion without attempting any reckless attacks.
However, Adel was soon forced to realize something.
The thought that she could manage if it was just about stalling for time, not winning—how naive that had been.
René's movements were effortless, swift, and sharp.
The terror of thinking I can dodge this attack, only to find the blade right before her eyes in the next instant.
It took only about fifteen seconds for Adel to be completely cornered.
It was a good thing her opponent was avoiding vital spots, considering it was a duel. If not, she surely wouldn't have lasted even half that time.
After the Tin Knight's intervention saved her from the crisis.
Watching the tremendous battle unfold before her, Adel felt a sense of urgency.
The Tin Knight, holding his own against two skilled fighters.
She thought she had to help him, but she had no idea how to jump into a fight of that level.
She thought she had grown stronger through various combat experiences, but the stairs she had to climb were still so high, and the top was nowhere in sight.
Just as the pride she had painstakingly built up was about to crumble again.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ announces it’s about to start and tells you to get ready!]
At the message that echoed directly in her mind, the shadow that had fallen over Adel's face vanished.
Even as his feet were pinned by a heavy blow and his body was pierced by sharp thrusts, the Tin Knight's voice was as calm as ever.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says the dealer’s chance to shine is when all attention is on the tank!]
[The ‘Tin Knight’ instructs you to slash left and right at his waist level on the count of three!]
It was an instruction she couldn't quite understand, but Adel's body was already getting ready.
She was still timid and lacked courage.
She was still inexperienced.
But.
If Sir Knight says so!
Even if she couldn't believe in herself, she believed in the Tin Knight.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says, “One!”]
As the Tin Knight cleverly twisted his body, the two instructors were drawn toward one spot.
Adel's body coiled, as if preparing to leap.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says, “Two!”]
The two instructors, as if refusing to go down easily, corrected their posture and counterattacked the Tin Knight.
Paaat!
Like a released spring, Adel shot forward.
A shimmering haze of golden light, which Adel herself hadn't noticed, had formed at the tip of her sword.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says, “Three!”]
Under the instructors' attack, the Tin Knight fell to his knees and pitched forward.
Just as the two instructors tried to land the finishing blow on the Tin Knight, Adel's slash cut them both down.
SWISH!
A brilliant flower of blood bloomed.
Eyes widened in shock.
Only then did the two instructors realize that Adel, whom they had considered a mere token participant, was a full-fledged warrior in her own right. But it was already too late.
The Tin Knight used his forward momentum to roll half a turn.
The Tin Knight's and Adelaide's feet met, as if perfectly synchronized.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ tells you to jump up!]
As the Tin Knight's legs powerfully extended, Adel's body shot into the sky.
Though spattering blood, the two instructors attempted to counterattack again, but their strikes cut through empty air.
Above and below.
In the gap where the two men hesitated, unsure of which to target, the Tin Knight let go of his sword.
And with his empty hands, he grabbed both of their ankles with enough force to crush them and dragged them down.
“Hup!”
“Ugh!”
Even while being dragged, Gerhardt used his free leg to kick the Tin Knight's arm with all his might.
The attack, carrying extraordinary power, caved in one of the Tin Knight's arms.
It was an injury that would have meant a compound fracture for a human, but the Tin Knight paid it no mind.
The Tin Knight unhesitatingly released his right hand from Gerhardt and swung his grotesquely bent arm like a club, striking René's solar plexus.
His heavy metal body packed the same power as a mace.
Struck hard in the abdomen while defenseless, René's body convulsed violently before going limp.
CRASH!
Sent spinning like a top by Gerhardt's kick, the Tin Knight threw the shield in his left hand.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ shouts, “Strike down!”]
The shield, flying in from the side, slammed into the ribs of Gerhardt, who had been preparing for Adel's attack.
In that instant, as Gerhardt, who had been as steady as a solid rock, lost his balance and his defense faltered…
Shunk!
The descending slash, carrying the full momentum of her fall, cut Gerhardt down.