79 – Agillem (14)
“…”
With her mouth agape in astonishment, Bella watched the fight unfolding in the street.
No, could it even be expressed simply as a fight?
Despite being just a clash between two individuals, it felt as if the aftermath resembled the aftermath of a war, with explosions and repercussions one after another.
Just swinging their weapons a few times, the road was torn apart, and buildings collapsed.
The vibrant streets of the entertainment district were desolated by their fight, and the overflowing crowd had already fled far away.
The Agillem guards responsible for the security of the entertainment district, as well as the guards privately hired within the establishments, heard the commotion and peeked out, but upon witnessing the scene, they all turned and fled without looking back.
It was instinctual recognition that this was a fight beyond their interference.
If they intervened, they would only end up losing their lives.
Bella, the only one who could somewhat trace the remnants of their fight, was currently engulfed in shock.
The man, Hamel, was a Ten Swordsman.
Perhaps a name that could be counted among the top martial artists on the continent.
Yet, there he was, evenly matched with Wade.
“He’s… a Ten Swordsman level martial artist…?”
To be able to contend equally with a Ten Swordsman level martial artist… no, to have a fight that could be considered valid, there was no one but another Ten Swordsman level martial artist.
Even if a martial artist not reaching that level came close, in a one-on-one duel, they would only be able to delay the inevitable.
However, Wade was exchanging blows evenly with him.
There was only one thing that could mean. He was a Ten Swordsman level martial artist.
“This… can’t be.”
Bella knew to some extent about Wade’s background.
That he was about to turn nineteen, just reaching the age of adulthood.
But at that age, to possess the strength of a Ten Swordsman level?
That was… an unreasonable story in terms of common sense.
It was a story that completely destroyed all common knowledge.
Perhaps Bella wouldn’t have believed it if she had heard this story from someone else.
It was a story so unbelievable.
However, that unbelievable presence was right in front of her.
“Exactly… who are you…?”
Her gaze struggled to follow Wade.
She had never thought of him as ordinary from the start.
First of all, the fact that he killed the prince and ended up being chased by the empire distinctly set him apart from the ordinary.
Moreover, considering that he managed to escape unscathed from there, she had anticipated that his abilities were quite exceptional.
But this was beyond that.
Until a little while ago.
She thought she knew about him in her own way.
However, as she got to know his abilities, cracks started to appear in her thoughts.
Just who is that man, exactly?
What kind of circumstances does he harbor?
Bella’s mind was in turmoil.
Yet, amidst all that, the most prominent thing was still worry.
Although he possesses the skill of a Ten Swords, not all problems can be solved with that.
Well, because the opponent is an opponent.
Until Hamel builds his current reputation, he has defeated numerous formidable foes, including those of Ten Swords level.
Moreover, Wade is in a disadvantageous position with several unfavorable conditions.
Still not fully recovered, his weapon is also a severely deteriorated item.
Although they are far from reaching their levels, even Bella could tell that Wade was at a disadvantage.
In fact, the actual course of the fight was also as such.
Hamel consistently pushed Wade into a corner, utilizing the advantages of his spear to focus on attacking Wade’s sword from a distance, without allowing Wade to close in.
Smiling, he remained composed.
As if driving prey into a corner like a beast.
Seemingly in no hurry at all.
As if his victory was certain if things continued this way.
Hamel was approaching the battle leisurely.
However, such a situation wouldn’t last forever.
From the moment Wade suddenly charged forward, the situation changed.
“….!”
Startled by the sudden advance, Hamel widened his eyes and skillfully distanced himself immediately.
And as Wade rushed straight towards him, Hamel sharply thrust his spear towards Wade.
A precise strike aimed directly at Wade’s path.
A move that could not be ignored.
If dodged, he would chase until the end, and if blocked, Hamel would once again create distance.
It’s a repetition of the same pattern as before.
That delicate move, Wade…
Swoosh—
He resolved it by sliding the blade with the dark side.
“No…!”
This time, astonishment crept onto Hamel’s face.
And seizing the opportunity that arose, Wade did not miss a beat.
Shiiing!
With a speed faster than an arrow shot, Wade swiftly closed in on Hamel in an instant.
Although the spear’s reach was an overwhelming advantage, if the distance closed to this extent, that advantage would rather turn into a disadvantage.
Moreover, if an attack was already leaked once, that disadvantage would be further magnified.
Ultimately, without any response, Wade’s sword struck Hamel.
In a life-or-death situation, Hamel…
“Huh.”
Smiled.
Gradually, his body twisted like a snake, evading Wade’s sword.
“…!”
As the decisive blow missed, Wade, bewildered, tried to swing his sword again, but in the end, he had to retreat without achieving his goal.
Since the fierce momentum of the grand spear was aiming for his body.
Whoosh!
Although the grand spear futilely struck the air.
“Wow, you’re fast.”
Hamel smiled.
“I almost lost my neck. You seem definitely faster than me, don’t you think?”
A face that showed no tension even in a moment where his life was almost in danger.
No, perhaps to him, the recent events might not have been a crisis from the beginning.
Meanwhile, Wade, with a firm expression, was recalling the movement Hamel had shown a while ago.
The flexibility of the human body was excessively remarkable to the eye.
“Well, now that the preliminary skirmish seems to be over, let’s start playing for real.”
Saying that, Hamel assumed a stance.
But his stance was different from what he had shown so far.
If his previous stance was a fairly orthodox spear stance, the stance he took now was quite different from the conventional framework.
Gripping the spear with one hand, extending his left foot forward, and shifting the center of gravity backward around his right leg.
Indeed, it was a peculiar stance that made one wonder what spearman in the world would adopt it, yet there was no disappearance of tension in Wade’s eyes as he observed it.
The opponent had reached a level of mastery.
Such a master would not adopt an inefficient and strange stance without any reason.
Therefore, Wade concluded that there must be a reason behind that stance.
“Alright, here we go.”
With those brief words, Hamel’s body moved.
At first, it seemed like an unremarkable, ordinary thrust.
However.
Thud!
“……!”
Wade, who blocked the spear with his sword as usual, widened his eyes at the shock coming through his grip.
He realized that the current strike was different from all before.
“Different?”
Enjoying that reaction, Hamel smiled, and as he said, the spear in his hand began to dance.
Thud! Clang!
A relentless barrage that seemed to overwhelm Wade poured out incessantly.
And each of those attacks carried an unmatched power just a while ago.
Wade quickly realized the cause.
Why the power had increased to such an extent.
The secret was elasticity.
Hamel, using his incredibly flexible body, was handling the spear as if it were a whip.
The power that elasticity and resilience possessed in martial arts was intricate and profound.
To the extent that the power of an attack could be doubled with just a handful of elasticity added.
Hamel was intentionally controlling that elasticity to enhance the spear’s power.
And the force thus created was steadily accumulating undeniable damage on Wade’s sword.
“….”
Realizing that his sword would break in no time if he continued like this, Wade immediately stepped back.
Hamel, facing such a Wade, simply let him go.
Even though surely he could gain the upper hand by continuing to pressure Wade relentlessly.
“You won’t last long like this. Neither your sword nor your body.”
“….”
Wade remained silent, but Hamel’s face exuded confidence.
In the midst of fierce combat, Hamel had recognized that Wade’s body was not in top condition.
Hence, he was relaxed.
Everything, from his weapon to his physical state, spoke of his superiority.
He was certain he wouldn’t lose.
“Regardless of how it ends up, the result is clear… Let’s wrap this up slowly. It’s not cheap to recover from this mess.”
Swish─
The spear spun once in his hand.
And.
Hmm─
The spear let out a deep, heavy hum.
Hamel lifted the spear with his right hand and swung it over his shoulder.
Eventually, he forcefully thrust the spear towards Wade.
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The trajectory of the spear in that series of movements evoked the image of a snake.
Graceful and deadly, a dark-colored snake.
─────!
And then, an explosion occurred.
The man who single-handedly brought down a large building in the pleasure district with just one arrow.
“…Hm.”
He lowered his head with an uncomfortable expression.
“Rusty.”
His gaze, as if grumbling about his displeasure, was fixed on the building crumbling and the dust rising.
More precisely, on the one person standing inside.
Hamell, as if annoyed, swiped the arrow once to brush off the dust.
And what was revealed was Wade, covered in a lot of dust.
“It’s been too long, maybe that’s why my aim’s off.”
But.
“The next one won’t miss.”
Hamell adjusted his stance again, and his bowstring let out a cry once more.
“Goodbye.”
Hamell thrust the arrow again, and the dark serpent emerged once more.
The dark serpent, ready to devour and destroy everything, this time sank its fangs towards Wade.
In that life-or-death moment, Hamell saw Wade swinging his sword.
“It’s useless.”
Hamell had already calculated.
He knew Wade’s level.
With his honed senses and the insight gained through countless battles, he was confident that he understood Wade, the unstoppable force.
That’s why he was convinced. Wade, at this moment, didn’t have the ability to block his secret move.
Swinging the sword like that was nothing but a futile struggle.
Thinking so, Hamell thrust the arrow once more.
Confident in the end of the fight.
Finally, the serpent of Hamell’s magic and determination met Wade’s sword—
The serpent, which seemed to break everything, disappeared without a trace.
“…Huh?”
Without time to feel perplexed by this fact, Hamell lowered his gaze to the pain coming from his chest.
And he realized.
That he himself had been cut.