207. Final Weapon (2)
Today.
At the Lastium Stadium, a match was held to select the best sword of the Empire.
And then, outstanding talents took to the sparring hall and showed off their brilliant matches.
But the sparring was soon forgotten.
Because….
“It doesn’t make sense….”
Because one man defeated all the black knights as if breaking a seal.
“Something unbelievable happened!!”
The judge’s voice echoed throughout the amphitheater.
As if broadcasting the finals, he shouted with more passion than ever.
“The Defense Knight Sir Bale is pushing the Black Knights Commander Sir Lin with great force!!”
All spectators were enthusiastic about the shaking appearance of the Dark Knights, the unofficial number one force in the empire.
However, the emperor still looked down at the leader of the Black Knights with a sour look in his eyes.
「That’s strange, Leon.」
No matter how unsatisfactory his son’s actions were, he was a strong successor to the empire.
But seeing it collapse so easily was not a very good picture for the country.
「That guy is definitely holding up better than the previous leaders, but rather than being honorable, it’s pitiful.」
Gilbert and Liam had a pretty good competition.
However, that was just my consideration.
Former leaders and people who have fought in the past.
As a senior, I guided them with the utmost honor.
“No way, Liam and Gilbert were watching too… ?”
However, this fake leader in front of me was different.
Despite my last consideration, the crown prince tried to deceive me.
You would have thought that this guy would be able to break up an argument with a whistle.
Because they probably wanted to hide their last ‘weapon’.
But.
「It won’t work like that.」
Today I will reveal all your rotten inner thoughts.
In front of everyone.
――――――.
Irina’s long sword was raised with one hand.
Then, he turned her shoulder as much as possible and hit her hard.
With the head of the fake leader.
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“… !!”
The guy raised his sword blade to block the onslaught of swords.
However, the moment we collide.
Chaae Aeng―――!!
My lips twitched from the shock of my wrist being twisted.
“What power…” !”
He clearly cut down several enemies on the battlefield.
The number of people killed in that way was as many as 450.
However, none of them had ever shown such monstrous strength.
「Give strength to your teeth.」
The swords that collided with each other were pushed forward with the front foot.
Then, his sword let out a loud scream.
「Because black mana may accidentally pop out.」
“Ugh… !!”
The guy was pushed by my strength and stumbled greatly.
Meanwhile, I was pushing and spinning in a circle at the same time.
Afterwards, I swung my long sword and cut the guy’s chest.
――――――.
The guy’s shirt was torn in half.
However, it did not defend itself with black mana.
As if you are not afraid of death.
“Whoa…” .”
He narrowly escaped fatal wounds and staggered out, widening the distance.
And then he glared and exhaled like an animal.
“How many people did you kill to obtain that power?”
He judged his strength by the number of people he killed.
He was a man who was accustomed to killing.
「Do you calculate your strength by the lives of those you kill?」
“Of course, there is no number as accurate as that….”
The fake leader wiped his face with the back of his hand.
Afterwards, he raised his great sword again and lifted his quivering lips.
“And, I’m really curious how much power I will gain if I kill you!!”
He rushed at me, his legs faltering.
Indeed, although he may not have the skills of a leader, he has the mental strength to understand why Leon let him go.
However.
That was just it.
「Okay, I’ll tell you. “The difference in weight between yours and my sword.”
A duel cannot be endured through mental strength alone.
You can only win if you have the appropriate skills.
――――――.
I stretched my sword into the sky.
Afterwards, I focused the white aura flowing through my body onto the tip of my sword.
White air currents gathered in the air, emitting a bloody light.
The audience and the emperor watched the strange sight in fascination.
「Vail has made up his mind.」
The emperor enjoyed it as if he were watching his own youth.
He then spoke in a sarcastic tone to his son who was sitting next to him.
「Leon. “I understand your intention to hide your maximum power and strengthen your position.”
“….”
The crown prince listened to his father’s words and closed his golden eyelids.
Then, he took a deep breath and calmly organized his thoughts.
「If you send out the real leader here and lose, your qualifications for succession will be ruined.」
“Father…. This is completely off topic. Who would have thought that someone like that would suddenly come rolling in?”
Leon’s blue eyes flashed.
And then, he glared cruelly at me, who had me buy Mithril, ruined his weapons, and wiped out all the Black Knights.
「So you shouldn’t have done something that would raise suspicion.」
Leonhard looked at his son with meaningful eyes.
Then, Leon defended himself with a relaxed look similar to Rosanna.
“Doubt…. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
The two father and son looked at the stadium together.
Soon, I witnessed the aurors gathering around the long sword and taking the form of a mace.
「That kid will soon find out what you mean.」
As if he was about to inflict divine punishment, Mace’s head also rushed towards the fake leader.
The moment when that intense light hits the wicked long sword he is raising.
Quaaang―――!!
Dark smoke rose in the sparring hall.
So thick that my entire vision is obscured.
After this, the moment it slowly turns off.
The audience’s eyes widened.
I couldn’t close my mouth as I saw this for the first time in my life.
――――――.
The sparring hall has been made up of flat and sturdy granite tiles.
Because there was a cave in the middle of the sparring hall.
It wasn’t just a slight sinking of the ground.
The ground sank completely as if a meteorite had fallen.
The body of the fake leader was stuck like a tombstone in that deep pit.
He didn’t even move, as if he had fainted.
“….”
However, his mana did not go out.
Even though I passed out, my body seemed to remember it and instinctively I started to wake up.
「You are persistent.」
As much as the Black Knights did all kinds of dirty things, they would not have been able to survive with a sober mind.
Thanks to this, you can succumb to madness without realizing it and emit so much mana.
I gained aura from a long sword.
Then, I slowly climbed down the slope and tried to extinguish his mana myself.
But, the moment I was about to go down.
Someone came in from behind faster than me.
―――――.
A woman I have never seen before.
Dressed in her black uniform, her long hair flowing, she approached her false leader.
Afterwards, she traced the nape of his neck with her rough, bandaged hands.
“….”
Her fingers were so tattered that it was hard to call them woman’s hands.
However, the moment her hand touches her man’s skin.
“Hmm….”
The mana mixed with blue and black finally disappeared from his body.
“Rest in peace.”
The Black Knights clasped their hands as if it were their own hand signal.
Afterwards, he was shaken lightly and called for the medical team to take him out.
“―――.”
The lawmakers came into the sparring hall in a hurry.
They didn’t know what to do in the deep crater and came down as if they were going down a slide.
Afterwards, I took the fainted man up the hill, whimpering.
“I’m sorry, Lord Bale.”
Calm, low voice.
It was a completely different atmosphere from the guy who was excited to see me a little while ago.
“Risto is my successor. “He was the assault leader of the Black Knights.”
「The vanguard…. Somehow, my tenacity was good.”
As I spoke indifferently, she slowly lowered her head.
And, she expressed her gratitude for saving her junior’s life.
“I am the Director Lin you were looking for.”
When she raised her head, her bandaged forehead came into view.
There were deep dark circles under her eyes and swollen scars on her lips.
‘Was he really injured…? ?’
I stared at the woman in uniform.
She has unfocused black eyes like me.
I felt a sense of kinship, as if I had fought hundreds of life-or-death battles on the battlefield.
“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince told me never to go to Dalian, but I had no choice. “I also have to protect my successor.”
At her waist was a rapier of similar length as mine.
At first glance, it is an entry-level model with no appearance.
However, I realized it when I saw it.
‘This is me.’
No matter how famous a sword you use on the battlefield, it is bound to wear out and break.
That’s why they use cheap weapons and continue the fight by taking away what they killed.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Rin turned her body.
And then, in an instant, she climbed up onto her pit and shouted towards her VIP seat.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. Actually, I am Lin Canary, the current leader of the Dark Knights.”
I looked up at her back as she climbed up.
Black hair gently covers her buttocks.
The shape of her body was like a plaster statue, sleek and beautiful, like a goddess of war.
‘If Camilla practiced for 10 years, would that be exactly what she felt?’
「That’s strange. I heard that the person who was taken away a little while ago was the knight commander.」
The emperor looked down at the leader with cold eyes.
「Does that mean that you and the crown prince lied to me?」
If she were any other woman in her early 20s, her entire body would have stiffened under that gaze.
However, her black eyes blinked calmly.
“No. “If you give me a chance, I will do my best to explain.”
It was a different atmosphere from the Black Knight and the Crown Prince’s close associates that I had met so far.
Rin, with her black hair covering one of her eyes, requested in a calm and kind voice.
Then, the emperor realized that she was quite different from the black knights he had seen before.
「Tell me.」
“The reason you hid me from His Majesty the Crown Prince is because I am currently injured and cannot bear to fight.”
Lin rolled up her bangs in front of her public.
Then, her bloodstained bandage was revealed.
“Oh my…. It’s definitely serious….”
Rosanna returned to the VIP section.
She covered her hand with her lips and sympathized with her in her pitiful voice.
“Leon. “What did you do to make the head of a knighthood like that?”
The first empress of the empire scolded her son.
Then, the crown prince stared at her mother with a confused expression for a moment.
Soon, he nodded, probably realizing his intention.
“I’m sorry…” . The fighting with the southern city-states was so fierce….”
The audience also roared when they saw the blood-soaked bandages.
Plus, there are deep dark circles under her eyes.
It certainly didn’t seem to be in optimal condition.
“In the case of the Knights Templar, if the head is unable to perform his or her duties, his or her successor will perform the duties in his or her stead.”
Lin looked up at the emperor and spoke calmly.
“That’s why the former leaders, Gilbert and Liam, stepped forward, and when they too fell, the vanguard leader, Risto, stepped forward.”
The black-haired knight commander calmly lowered his head.
Afterwards, he asked the emperor for his understanding.
“Based on that point, His Highness the Crown Prince presented Risto as per the procedure.”
There was no particular magic in the words.
She just said what she needed to do so that she could avoid as much anger as possible in the current situation.
“However, your Majesty’s nuance in speaking as if Risto himself was the leader from the beginning was wrong.”
He boldly pointed out his master’s mistakes and persuaded the emperor.
“I would appreciate it if you could see this as a vain remark, as I was afraid it would look like I was using another injury as an excuse to avoid the challenge.”
Rin raised her head.
And then, she gave a solemn look with her one black eye.
“Instead, as an apology, I will burn this body and promise you a noble sparring befitting the Dark Knights.”
Naturally, he comes forward and at the same time covers up the crown prince’s lies.
Her intentions were obvious, but the emperor didn’t seem to particularly hate her.
It’s hard to believe he’s the head coach, with such a youthful face and sincere eyes.
A simple outfit that competes with skill, without any luxury items on the body.
Her emperor and I thought at the same time as we stood looking at her like that.
「Finally, an article worthy of a leader has come out.」
His Majesty glanced at the Crown Prince.
Then, he took a deep breath and said.
「Your faithful servant saved your life today, Leon.」
He stretched out his huge palm.
Then he pointed to me standing upright on the pit and said.
「Lord Veil, what are your thoughts?」
The emperor’s eyes looked quite displeased.
Director Lin actually appeared and said he would step forward.
However, although she was not that big at first glance, she had injuries.
So, even if I won here, I could hear that it wasn’t a fair fight.
And what if you lose to an injured Rin?
That is another problem.
Because it is announced to the whole world that he cannot win even if he is injured.
Either way, Leon benefited.
「….」
I glanced at Rin.
Her eyes were very beautiful.
If she hadn’t been on the battlefield, she would probably have become a charming princess and she would have lived happily ever after.
However, her pupils, like mine, were soaked in life-and-death slaughter and lost their shine.
For some reason, I felt a sense of kinship with that appearance.
「This is a difficult problem. “I also don’t like fighting with the injured.”
“There is no need to feel pressured, Lord Bale. “Even if I can’t see in one eye, I’m strong enough.”
She has already roughly analyzed my skills at the referee’s table.
She spoke to me with cold eyes.
“Okay…. “It must be difficult.”
The crown prince seemed to have finally found a way to live, and a smile spread across his previously stiff lips.
“Whether we win or lose sparring, this is not an equal fight.”
“It’s clear that Rin has ‘prepared’ well.”
Rosanna also smiled sensuously, as if satisfied.
「….」
Her left eye was wrapped with a bandage.
Her right arm was in a splint.
However, she endured the pain and picked up her rapier.
“I am ready.”
Besides, what is a rapier with a blade?
I was confused as to whether this was a sparring field or a battlefield.
「What are you going to do? Bale Mikhail.”
The emperor asked me calmly.
His face looked like the image of a god sending down trials.
「I will agree to a sparring match.」
When I said I would participate in the final fight, I heard whispers from the audience.
“But Director Lin was injured…. Is it okay to proceed like this? ?”
“That’s right. Even if Lord Bale played four games in a row….”
I smiled as if responding to the crowd’s voices.
Then, Director Lin frowned and frowned.
「Let’s do this instead.」
Because….
Because I took off my tie and closed one eye.
「For the sake of fairness, I will also cover one eye.」
Then, she held her two-handed sword with one hand.
After that, she put her remaining hand in her back pocket.
「I can seal even one hand.」
Director Lin’s eyes became cold as he saw the restrictions placed on me more and more.
「If the hand sticks out, I will abstain.」
“What, what…?”
The crown prince frowned at the unexpected suggestion.
However, there was someone else who was more angry than him.
“Are you kidding me, Lord Bale?”
She is the leader, Rin, who has always had the cool-headed gaze of a beast.
The bridge of her nose turned somewhat red, as if she felt humiliated.
Thanks to this, her pale skin began to glow with subtle vitality.
「Why? “I’m making it fair…”
Rin and the crown prince’s faces turned cold at the sound of my sly voice.
Leon, who had suffered a lot, ground his teeth like a male lion.
“How dare you…”
「Ah, should we use this sword as well?」
I picked up the broken fake leader’s sword that was lying on the ground.
And then, he smiled and waved at the host of this skit.
「If you want to lift it with one hand anyway, this is too light.」
As if the injury appeal was thoroughly punished.