The situation continued to unfold as Adele thought, but Lothos, watching it all, still felt somewhat uneasy.
He wondered if this was really the right choice; after all, he had seen Bunta’s skills, and they weren’t to be dismissed.
Even if his head was a bit dense, wasn’t he the one who was closest in ability to Adele?
Choosing Bunta seemed like a misstep.
Lothos let out a small sigh, slightly worried that he might face unnecessary embarrassment.
He quietly approached Robert and cleared his throat.
“Hmm, hmm.”
Robert quietly regarded Lothos. He roughly knew what he was about to say.
Is it really okay? Wouldn’t it be better to choose someone else? He chuckled lightly at those thoughts.
Normally, Lothos would find Robert quite bothersome, but since he judged him to be Adele’s beloved, he would likely look out for his convenience.
Lothos knew that Bunta was the most competent person here.
In fact, that was why he had chosen him.
If he had chosen someone else, the fight would probably drag on due to various tricks and skillsets.
Fighting against a simpleton like Bunta would be more convenient to showcase the skill difference.
Right now, with his magic power not fully accumulated, Robert couldn’t fight for long.
Thus, it was better to display his strength in a short and intense manner.
Using tricks might buy some time, but it would be difficult to leave a good impression on them.
Fighting fiercely like a wolf, and as harsh as the north wind, would surely be recognized as strength by these people.
As he headed out of the banquet hall towards the empty space, his heart beat lightly.
Even though it was just the usual verification process, he found himself feeling this way at this moment.
“It will be okay.”
“Excuse me?”
“At the very least, I won’t disappoint you, so it’s fine to trust and watch.”
With that, Robert drew his sword.
A light and nimble draw created a strange breeze.
With a demeanor still so relaxed it seemed indifferent, Lothos shook his head and sighed.
Every time he saw that face, it felt like looking at the Grand Duke.
He must have been born in a different place and lived a different life, yet…
With a strange sensation of déjà vu, Lothos ultimately raised his hands in surrender.
“Do as you wish. I certainly warned you. If things go south later, it’s not my fault, right?”
“Understood. So, are we fighting here?”
“…Yes, Bunta will be arriving soon.”
In the open space surrounded by people sitting in a circle, Robert looked around.
The faces of those who had just been enjoying the banquet were now filled with strange excitement.
To them, it must have seemed like an enjoyable spectacle to see an outsider engage in such a fight.
If possible, they would hope Bunta would crush the outsider.
At that sudden thought, Robert chuckled faintly and quietly began channeling his magic power.
A blue light began to swirl in the darkness.
The crowd’s initial puzzlement quickly shifted to awe as they spotted the gigantic figure in the distance.
The enormous axe that could split a person in an instant was itself a symbol of fear.
Lothos swallowed hard and scrutinized Robert’s expression.
He wondered if he might be scared, but instead just bitterly smiled and stepped back.
“…Is it really the Young Master?”
To see that and remain unfazed, who should truly be called the Young Master now?
Stepping back and blending in among the people, Lothos’s gaze was still fixed on Robert.
#
It was a situation completely different from facing an assassin.
Back then, I had fought carefully to avoid waking Arwen, but this time it was better to show my skills outright.
Of course, I planned to hide them to some degree depending on the situation.
Even so, I was confident I could overwhelm them, slowly infusing magic power into my sword while scanning my surroundings.
‘Still going with the axe.’
Every swing of the axe killed dozens of people.
I had witnessed that scene up close, which is why I was confident I could dodge that axe.
As for my physical condition… well, it wasn’t bad at all.
At least it was much better than when I had first reincarnated.
Since my time facing assassins, I had consistently stayed in shape, so my senses had returned significantly compared to before.
Still, it was far from those days when I swung my sword all day long.
It’s hard to find a time in all my life when my body felt as good as it did back then, so there’s no helping it.
I jumped into the air a few times, swinging my sword toward the empty space.
Horizontally, vertically, as I thrust the sword, magic power flowed into it, creating a blue trajectory that burst into a small sound.
This was an action meant to show Bunta.
Stay alert, don’t swing it carelessly; clash with all your might.
Since not anyone could infuse magic into their sword, I realized Bunta’s gaze had grown serious, and I stopped my movements.
“It seems we can start soon.”
“Really? You won’t need to borrow my sword this time, right?”
“This one’s quite handy too, so no problem.”
Nodding, Adele also checked Bunta’s condition.
Gripping the axe, which was much larger than her height, she swung it a few times and satisfied that there was no problem, began to return to her original spot.
In the round clearing, Adele, seated in the highest position, spoke up with a slouched posture.
“The fight will end when one side concedes or drops their weapon. I hope no one gets hurt. Shall we start right away?”
No one answered, but Adele soon announced the start of the fight.
Buuuu—
Gripping my sword tightly at the sound of the trumpet again.
By the time the trumpet sound ended, the surroundings fell silent, and only the sound of my own heartbeat could be heard.
Rustle, the sound of my feet brushing against the ground.
The wind blew, gently sweeping over my entire body.
Thump.
I saw Bunta’s form launching off the ground, but it looked infinitely slow.
The awakening of my brain due to magic and my heightened senses revealed the trajectory of how this human, Bunta, would move.
Even with my eyes closed, there was something I could see.
The weeds crumbling underfoot twisted, and just by that, I could read the ‘direction’.
As I lowered my head, a massive whirlwind roared.
An axe swung by a nine-foot giant was truly close to destruction, and Bunta let out a huff as he realized how narrowly he had dodged it.
“Huff!”
Boom! The axe struck the ground, creating a tiny crack.
I didn’t need to expend too much energy on dodging.
Just enough, in that delicate space where it almost touched but didn’t—that was something one couldn’t fake.
A way to preserve my strength while making the impatient Bunta a little more restless.
A method exists.
As the axe sliced through the surrounding air, my sword also struck Bunta’s armor.
It doesn’t cut. I could have infused magic power to strike, but this was a sparring match after all.
Even if I tried to find an opening and slash here, others wouldn’t look kindly upon it.
And my magic power wasn’t exactly overflowing. I’d use it in the times when it was most certain.
When I could seize the advantage and unleash my assaults, that would be enough.
It was a little later that I mixed my sword into my evasion.
Bunta’s attacks might have been a bit straightforward, but by now, I had a decent feel for how to swing my weapon to match Bunta’s strength.
With each loud clang of our weapons colliding, it was Bunta’s body that was being pushed back.
Step by step, with each movement forward, it became noticeable that Bunta’s brows were furrowing.
“Are you struggling?”
“Never!”
Clank—
I aimed my sword at Bunta’s arm and smiled slightly.
As time passed, it was most likely Bunta running out of strength.
Focused on hitting a foe that narrowly dodged his attacks, he was undoubtedly more concerned than on the chaotic battlefield.
Boom—
It doesn’t hit.
Even though I was draped in a cumbersome cloak, Bunta’s axe couldn’t even brush against its collar.
Every time I stepped, Bunta’s body was pushed back.
As I swung my sword towards his swaying body, Bunta let out a small roar and widened the distance between us.
Looking around, it seemed he realized the whole situation of this fight was quite skewed.
It was still calm, but the confidence pledging Bunta’s victory was absent from their faces now.
Instead, they were merely watching me, the entity wielding the sword.
I gazed intently at Bunta, who was huffing and puffing with bottled-up rage.
“Whew!”
As he exhaled sharply, Bunta wore a serious expression once again and adjusted his stance.
Extending one hand forward, the axe he held behind him sliced through the air fiercely.
This was a posture he occasionally adopted during one-on-one fights.
Magic power emanated from his body like steam, finally merging with sweat to produce a blue vapor.
“Oooh…!”
Like a living flame, Bunta’s body surged closer in an instant with renewed ferocity.
Clang—! A completely different power from before drew gasps from the crowd.
Every time our swords and axes clashed, flames erupted, and wherever we stepped, holes were formed in the ground.
The previously neatly arranged earth was now in disarray, as dirt flew everywhere with every swing of my sword.
Bunta’s body no longer retreated.
However, even that represented humiliation for him, as for the first time, his usually relentless charge faltered.
“Grrr!”
The clash of victory and defeat was decided in the blink of an eye.
With just a moment’s hesitation, his body lost its balance, and an off-balance attack couldn’t muster full strength.
A chuckle escaped me as I followed the “trajectory” that briefly crossed my vision with my arm.
Swish, the armor covering his chest smoothly sliced off.
There was no blood since I cut just enough to avoid leaving a wound, but Bunta looked quite taken aback and swung his axe wildly in an attempt to push me away.
It was torn away.
The sound of breath, panting heavily, filled the surroundings.
…But it was solely Bunta’s.
Bunta’s eyes, watching me without a drop of sweat, momentarily wavered.
The sight of a warrior losing confidence is truly pitiful.
A primal instinct towards an unknown force, something I had never encountered, a method I had continuously relied upon was no longer effective.
Once again, gritting his teeth, Bunta readjusted his grip on the axe.
People began to cheer for him again, but that was all.
Most, at least those well-versed in battle, must have realized.
The victory had already shifted to my side.
So, I took hold of the sword.
Gripping the sword, which I had fought with using both hands, with one hand, I resonated the magic power residing in my heart.
As I took a step forward, a blue flash enveloped my body.
A group of blue light began to form in the pristine white snow.
It was a flash that was paler than moonlight and bluer than water.
Originally, magic power is this pure. It’s not just magic wrapped around the sword.
The sword skill is merely one way to utilize magic; why focus solely on that?
The sword is just a tool, merely a means to assist in the intention to cut.
“Then, I shall go.”
At my muttering, Bunta corrected his stance.
However, the next attack was not something that could be blocked.
The reason I had conserved my magic was for this one strike, so I stepped forward.
There was a time I lived for the sword.
There was a time I felt disillusioned with everything I had pursued in life, living only gazing at the sword after forsaking all else.
Only when facing death against Miragen did I realize,
that only at the moment my life dependent on the sword was coming to an end did I understand what the sword truly meant.
If I want to cut, there’s nothing I can’t cut.
Even if what I hold is just a twig, if I want to cut, I would even cut a mountain.
Let alone if it’s a sword; what is there I couldn’t sever?
Swish.
The sword that sliced through the air drew a beam of light.
Like a meteor across the night sky, the sword traced a long trajectory, and for a moment, silence enveloped the scene.
The cheers of those supporting Bunta, the sounds of applause for my performance, all faded away.
Only the line drawn by the sword remained.
The axe was shattered, and the only outcome left was a clean slice through the armor, without a single wound.
Silence prevailed. In the quiet where no one could even breathe, Adele was the first to speak.
Her voice, slightly exhilarated and quite satisfied, split the audience.
“It’s over.”
Bunta dropped his weapon, while I still held the sword.
Even though the blue flash had receded, the results remained unchanged, and the cheers that had been bottle-necked erupted.
Due to using magic, I lifted my stiff neck to gaze at the sky.
The stars hadn’t changed. The fact that it was me standing there that day hadn’t changed either.
When Bunta collapsed, I exhaled with a faint smile.
What filled my eyes was nothing different from that day; a pitch-black night sky, and I could smile, albeit slightly, over the rising sense of satisfaction.
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