Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: The Preliminaries
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Ripley was a case of a non-noble who had made it into the advanced class.
Similar to Frixon, who had gotten in through a donation, but slightly different.
This guy had been admitted on a scholarship, recognized for his talent.
Perhaps because of that, his execution of the Imperial Sound Lock Sword was quite skillful.
Seeing the sharp angle of his attack, aimed at breaking my flow, he seemed to know exactly where to strike.
I'd have to say his combat sense was excellent.
Of course, he wasn't without his clumsy aspects.
Especially to my eyes.
'Let's see how he responds.'
*Clang!* *Clash!*
I struck Ripley's practice sword and swiftly pulled my arm inward.
As the blade that should have been pressing in from the side retreated, my opponent's movements fell into disarray.
Honestly, he couldn't help but be flustered.
It was a move that completely reversed the standard Imperial Sound Lock Sword.
"Hngh!"
"Oh!"
Ripley let out a groan and quickly recovered his sword, and at the same time, gasps of admiration erupted from the crowd.
It was the sound unconsciously uttered by the teaching assistants who were surrounding the sparring grounds and scoring the match.
They knew it was an interpretation only possible for someone who had mastered the Imperial Sound Lock Sword.
'They can't help but be surprised. Most of the assistants probably never even considered a reverse variation.'
But I didn't pay much attention to their reactions.
I had no intention of letting it go to a decision.
My plan was to play around with him for a bit, and the moment I saw a real opening, I'd end it.
But surprisingly, the match was dragging on for quite a while.
The reason for this, despite the clear skill gap, was simple.
'This is surprisingly fun.'
There was a strange thrill in exchanging blows with Ripley.
His skill level was much lower, but he was a guy who knew how to creatively construct his variations.
The more we crossed swords, the more a desire to see something more interesting welled up inside me.
'Ah, at this rate, I'll just make my opponent look good.'
The assistants would know I was displaying far superior swordsmanship, but from the outside, the situation looked a bit different.
Ripley was the one constantly on the offensive, so if it went to a decision, it would inevitably raise questions.
I should stop playing around and end this quickly.
I executed the third form, Single Measure Severing Wave, jabbing his cross guard and then pushing the sword straight up.
*Swoosh—!* *Clang!*
The blade, naturally forced upward, stopped right in front of Ripley's neck.
Naturally, the guy couldn't even think of retaliating.
The blow to his cross guard had completely broken his flow.
Frozen mid-technique in an awkward stance, Ripley closed his eyes with a sigh.
"Hah!"
"M-Match decided! Ray Carter, victor!"
Somewhat flustered, the referee belatedly intervened and declared my victory.
It seemed he hadn't imagined I would achieve such an overwhelming victory.
Especially since it was a match where aura wasn't even properly manifested, that likely added to it.
Ripley, with a stiff expression, gave a respectful nod and then turned to leave the sparring grounds.
He seemed to have a clean personality, one who knew how to accept defeat.
As I put away my practice sword and stepped down from the sparring grounds, I overheard the voices of the students watching.
"Isn't Ripley at least above average in the advanced class?"
"He is."
"Then why did he get beaten so helplessly without even using his aura? It's really strange."
"Hmm! You're right. Doesn't this seem a bit problematic? Like match-fixing or something."
The students didn't seem to understand why Ripley had lost.
'Of course not, you amateurs.'
I broke his flow completely before he even had a chance to manifest his aura.
Even if someone more skilled than Ripley had come, I would have dealt with them the same way.
Anyone who had properly watched that match would have admired the timely swordsmanship.
Sure enough, the way the princes were looking at me was unusual.
They were watching me much more openly than before.
Of course, with matches happening all over, the attention focused on me didn't last long.
After getting confirmation of my victory from the referee, I found a suitable spot on the outskirts of the training grounds and watched the preliminaries.
'Everyone's doing well.'
Frixon and Curtis were struggling a bit against fairly strong opponents, but Mac and Kamil were a different story.
Perhaps because they were direct descendants of the four great families, they easily defeated their first opponents.
Even though they were up against students from the advanced class.
The second and third princes were also crushing their opponents.
"It's a tough choice. Who should I make vice president to make my life easier?"
* * *
My remaining opponents in Group 9 of the preliminaries were, frankly, nothing special.
That feeling was even stronger since Ripley, my toughest competitor, had already been eliminated.
Moreover, most of them had lost their will to fight before the match even began.
There were even instances where someone would come up, forfeit immediately, and leave.
As I was going through these dull preliminary matches, what I'd been expecting finally arrived.
'It's Raul.'
The young, ambitious man I met during the special escort mission.
His eyes were burning with the will to succeed.
I could feel his fighting spirit, even with such a vast difference in our skill levels.
'Talent is talent.'
He was definitely a guy worth keeping an eye on.
Several years had passed, but the fact that he hadn't given up on his ambition was proof enough of his capability.
Seeing that he'd made it into the advanced class, he must have been training his swordsmanship diligently.
In any case, a guy with eyes like that is bound to succeed someday.
"I look forward to our match."
"..."
"I hope to learn from you."
"..."
"I hope we have a good fight."
"...Same here."
I'd forgotten, but that persistent nature of his was also still the same.
Unable to resist his leech-like persistence, I ended up facing off against the guy in a secluded forest.
Finally, Raul nodded as if to signal he was ready.
Only then could the assistant properly perform his role as referee.
They really need to overhaul the Imperial Knight dueling rules.
"Ready! Begin!"
The referee's call rang out, but Raul didn't charge in first.
It was the complete opposite of the aggressive Ripley.
It seemed he was aiming for a counter, to use the Imperial Sound Lock Sword most effectively.
'Considering our past, I should at least indulge him as much as I did Ripley.'
If he occasionally showed a noteworthy performance, his overall evaluation was bound to go up.
Ripley was eliminated early on, but the assistants likely had a fairly good impression of him.
For one, he was unlucky enough to fight me, and he showcased his skills until the very end.
'But I have a feeling this fight is going to drag on...'
Suddenly, Raul's terribly tenacious nature filled my thoughts.
A nagging feeling arose that he would cling to my pant leg and fight to the bitter end.
In that very instant, my body shot forward like a flash of lightning.
What I unleashed was clearly the Imperial Sound Lock Sword, but its power was on a completely different level.
*Kaaang!*
But contrary to my expectations, he properly received my strike.
A blue energy that shimmered like a heat haze, a powerful fighting spirit, a heavy sword strike, and even the hum of his blade vibrating with a strange sound.
*Vwooom—.*
Unlike Ripley, who had been caught off guard, Raul had manifested his aura and was giving it his all from the very beginning.
It seemed that watching my matches up to this point had a significant influence.
All my previous opponents had been defeated without even getting a chance to use their aura.
'His skills have improved a lot.'
He was definitely stronger, on a different level compared to a few years ago.
Not just his bigger, more manly appearance, but internally as well.
"Hah!"
*Thump!* *Shwiiiiing—!*
Raul stomped his right foot hard on the ground, then charged in swiftly, swinging his sword.
It was an aggressive stance, leaning his upper body forward and launching a furious series of slashes.
It was a swordsmanship style I was sure I'd seen somewhere before.
'It's the one used by the Knights of Reilhash.'
*Thwack!*
No matter how much more skilled I was, I couldn't just take an aura-infused blow head-on.
I too circulated the Velgart Energy Arts and manifested my aura.
"Oh!"
At that, surprised gasps came from the crowd.
It was because a close, fierce battle of exchanging blows was unfolding.
Since it was the preliminaries, many matches were one-sided, so this spectacle-worthy fight seemed to draw even more attention.
Regardless, Raul and I were focused solely on the duel.
It might have looked like a mindless rush, but we were actually adjusting our distance with extreme delicacy.
On top of that, it felt like Raul's attack range was slightly wider.
Even though we were deploying aura at a similar level.
The reason was simple.
'I think the length of his blade is different.'
The other students might not have noticed, but it couldn't escape my discerning eye.
It seemed Raul had his practice sword crafted in a shape more suitable for his swordsmanship style.
Such a difference might have been a big factor against other opponents, but against me, it was useless.
I clashed our blades even more fiercely, inducing a battle of strength.
At the same time, I didn't forget to maintain my precise swordsmanship.
Gradually, openings began to appear in my opponent's attacks.
It seemed Raul's stamina wasn't enough to endure such a fierce exchange.
'I've gone easy on him long enough.'
A spectacular clash and sparks of aura scattering in all directions.
A fighting spirit that didn't back down an inch over dozens of exchanges.
By now, Raul should have left a strong enough impression to catch the faculty's eye.
It was about time to end it.
Amidst the flashing sword light, I found a single path.
'Since I'm currently affiliated with Venderford, I should end this with the Imperial Sound Lock Sword and the Velgart Energy Arts.'
Of course, it was augmented with Demonic Soul, but my current appearance would be that of a perfect Venderford student in the professors' eyes.
*Shwiiik—!* *Tzzang!*
As I took a step to the side, I thrust with Single Measure Severing Wave, which began to shatter Raul's defense.
After the initial impact, a follow-up strike slipped through an opening and landed squarely on his pauldron.
*Crack!*
"Kuh!"
Normally, it should have pierced his heart or lungs, but considering the rules, I deliberately aimed for his shoulder.
The strike landed on his armor, but this should have decisively settled the match.
*Thud!*
Staggering back, Raul dropped to one knee, panting for breath.
It was the result of frantically unleashing attacks without even breathing properly.
I gazed at him and muttered softly.
"You may be desperate, but I have a goal now, too. I can't afford to go easy."
And with that, I secured my spot in the round of 16 and left the arena.