017 – Tournament(4)
Rain Rover was bewildered by the match that ended in a single blow.
“Bergan. Did you just see the movement? Pava in an instant! And I don’t know for sure.”
Berggan frowned at the simple victory Tigris had taken.
“…without seeing you, you have turned into a monster.”
“A monster?”
Berghan nodded.
“I knew that Tigris was a genius in swordsmanship. But I didn’t know you had a knack for fighting.”
“Is there a difference between being talented in swordsmanship and being talented in combat?”
“Swordsmanship is just swordsmanship. It’s a sword-wielding skill. But the battle is different. To effectively incapacitate with a faster judgment than the opponent in a fleeting moment between life and death. That is the battle.”
Tigris accurately read Doria’s sword and accurately measured how far it would dig, and took a step back.
Tigris watched to the end as the tip of the sword passed by a single sheet of paper and drew it without hesitation.
In the process, Auror did not use a single gram.
“Tigris got the perfect victory with minimal movement. Perfect body control, a clean sword, and even boldness. It would be hard to get a more perfect victory than that.”
So I couldn’t hide my curiosity.
Due to the nature of the Norberd where Tigris lives, it was absolutely not an environment where they could experience human-to-human battles.
Because monsters such as ogres and orcs often descend the Gaul Mountains, there is no war with humans.
Rather, Tigris would understand if he knew how to hunt monsters.
Tigris inherited the blood of Norberd.
However, although Tigris was born in an environment where there was no need to cut people, he knew how to kill people all too well.
‘Did Beowulf teach Tigris himself? not really···. He wouldn’t be the kind of person who would put human blood on his son who hasn’t become an adult…’
If that was a talent, Tigris would be one of them.
Will you become a celestial fortress or a hero of salvation?
Whatever it was, he was destined to see more of the blood of others than his own.
Berggan looked into Tigris’s indifferent eyes and fell in thought.
‘Shall I teach you?’
Regardless of the nature of Tigris, Bergan was definitely a genius with a desire to teach at least once.
I thought that the sword of Tigris would not be used in the right place if he led it.
Rain Rover smiled at Bergang, who was seriously looking at Tigris.
“I think I will win this bet. Bergan.”
Berggan coughed and said.
“Still, Gordon will win. Gordon has 4 rings. The moment he uses his sword without being vigilant, it will be Gordon’s victory.”
“Have you ever read a lot of novels like Bergan?”
“A novel?”
“yes. If you make a decision like that now, like Bergan, you are 100% wrong. We call it a cliché.”
Rain Rover said as he watched Tigris leave the pitch.
“If the cliché goes on, the Tigris will win.”
“…this is not a novel. It is reality.”
“That’s right. But you know how often novels like that happen? As far as I can see, today is just that day.”
Bergang said as he looked at the gambling ticket in Rain Rover’s hand.
“Isn’t that because you paid 10 silver for Tigris?”
“Because it’s not! It definitely explodes!”
“I have to tell the Emperor that I am concerned because Princess Rain Rover seems to be aiming for a chance for a thousand gold. I should have known from the moment you said let’s bet…”
Rain Rover furrowed his eyebrows.
“When you meet Rachel, you’ll know you’ve gambled.”
“Please, only that for my wife…”
The match started while Rain Rover and Bergang were arguing.
* * *
Gordon left the waiting room when it was his turn.
Gordon entered the arena but did not see an opponent to fight.
I was looking for someone to be in the stands.
Gordon’s eyes froze as he scanned the crowd.
Tigris was there where his gaze reached.
‘Tigris….’
Gordon continued to recall Tigris’ clean and bold moves he had just shown.
The sword was as smooth as touching silk, and the movement of dodging the sword by a single sheet of paper was bold and skillful.
‘It won’t be easy.’
Rumors spread that Tigris di Norverd was a genius.
However, I thought it was just a rumour, as not a single step had been taken from Norberd.
But watching today’s game, I knew it wasn’t a rumor at all.
Rather, I wondered if it had been reduced.
Gordon suddenly realized that he was facing the sword with his opponent.
“Ready.”
The referee was placing a coin on his thumb.
Gordon drew his sword.
Little was known about the opponent.
He only knew that he was a graduate of the Imperial University.
The number of rings is two and it is a spearman.
The opponent prepared to rush in a state of great tension.
There was a sense of ignorance in that look.
Ting-!
A coin flew into the sky and crashed to the ground.
At the same time, the opponent rushed in.
The opponent rushed at such a speed that it was hard to believe it was a two-ring.
‘The speed is quite good.’
The fact that the spearman rushed in first was disgusting.
The advantage of spears lies in their distance.
Gordon’s weapon is not a great sword, but a regular long sword, so he has to bear a disadvantage in the difference in reach.
That spearman, in haste, abandoned the best advantage of the spear himself.
An island-like stab.
Gordon turned his body lightly to the side to avoid it.
A small delay after that.
Gordon thought this was his chance, but the spearman’s eyes were strange.
‘There’s something more.’
Gordon pretended to wield his sword, and two stabs flew towards Gordon’s body.
Gordon flicked his sword to block the second stab, then took an exact step forward.
A distance so close that you can see a small dot in the nostrils.
The spearman tried to step back, perhaps embarrassed, but Gordon had no intention of letting go of this golden opportunity.
thud-!
Gordon rolled his feet.
Then the ground shook like an earthquake.
It was one of the basic Auror operation techniques, ‘ground pounding’.
It was one of several ways to hold an opponent who was about to take a step back.
The opponent tried to step back, but the ground moved and he tripped and fell.
Finally, the opponent tried to kick.
But the seasoned Gordon didn’t make the variable.
He moved the sword he was holding in both hands to his left hand and wrapped his spear with his right arm like a snake.
And he brought the sword to the neck of the fallen opponent.
“victor! Gordon Daker!”
At the referee’s words, cheers erupted from all sides.
Gordon put away his sword and reached out to his opponent.
“It was a good match.”
The opponent grabbed Gordon’s hand and stood up.
“…they said it had four rings, and it seems to be true.”
Gordon wanted to say it wasn’t because you didn’t have the basics of spear handling, but he resisted.
It was because he looked like an aristocrat when he looked at his pretty face and his natural servant.
There was nothing good about saying anything and only getting insults.
Gordon paid more attention to the man behind him.
‘Tigris.’
Tigris watched Gordon’s battle.
What could you get from this?
‘Perhaps there is no income.’
Gordon didn’t give all his heart to the guy in front of him.
Gordon hid both of his organs.
There was a reason Gordon didn’t want to reveal his power to Tigris like this.
‘You can’t get caught that you can’t pull out the sword well.’
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Just because you got 4 rings doesn’t mean you can handle swordsmanship right away.Of course, they must be trained and guided.
However, Gordon, a former mercenary, had never learned how to handle swords from anyone.
I was just practicing alone as if heading to the ground.
If he collided head-on with Tigris in a situation where he did not know how to properly handle swordsmanship, Gordon thought that victory and defeat would be 50-50.
‘To defeat the Tigris with certainty, I have to hide my organs.’
Gordon left the arena to avoid the birds of prey eyes of Tigris, who was constantly staring at him.
* * *
consecutive winning streak.
Tigris and Gordon lightly defeated their opponents and advanced to the final stage.
Other matches took at least 10 to 30 minutes, but Tigris and Gordon’s match lasted about 5 minutes at most.
Tigris never lasted more than 10 seconds.
This was because Tigris simply avoided the sword or flicked it to the side and brought the sword to his neck.
Gordon also took victory by hiding his swordsmanship skills as much as possible.
The opponent struggled, but it was not Gordon’s opponent.
It was because there was only one person, Tigris, who could stop the know-how and genius accumulated through 13 years of mercenary life.
As a result, when news reached the Imperial Palace that the tournament was expected to end earlier than expected, the emperor hurriedly returned from the meeting.
“Your Majesty, please!”
At the eunuch’s shout, all the spectators who were seated in their chairs arose.
As the magnificent wind music sounded the stadium, a pale blonde man appeared in a special seat wearing a golden crown.
When the emperor appeared, everyone bowed their heads.
Tigris and Gordon entered the arena as well.
As expected by Rain Rover, the Emperor arrived just before the start of the finals.
The emperor opened his mouth.
“Subjects of the Kingdom of Lucet.”
People bowed their heads even more at the majestic voice of magic that flowed from the emperor’s mouth.
“We are here today to see with our own eyes the birth of a young hero and the glorious future of the Empire. Just being in the same room with our heroes will be the eternal pride of our sons and daughters, grandchildren and grandchildren.”
While the Emperor’s speech was in progress, Gordon glanced at Tigris.
The king’s words were not heard.
He was only thinking about a duel with Tigris.
However, Gordon could not picture the duel with Tigris in his mind.
‘Tichrist is hiding his own power.’
Tigris won the victory with a single blow.
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Just as Gordon came up with only one sense of battle, not swordsmanship, so was Tigris.No matter how much I drew the simulation with my head, I couldn’t predict how the Tigris would turn out.
thump- thump-
Gordon’s heart started beating like crazy when he first went to war when he was 16.
At that time, my heart was racing because I wanted to live, but now my heart is racing because I really want to win.
It wasn’t because Tigris was an unlucky nobleman, nor was it because he was a young swordsman who was only 19 years old.
I wanted to defeat Tigris purely man-to-man.
“… may Goddess Lux’s blessing be with you.”
The emperor’s speech was over.
Tigris and Gordon raised their bowed heads.
“Start the game!”
At the Emperor’s words, Tigris and Gordon looked at each other.
Tigris never drew his sword first until the finals.
But this time it was different.
Sureung-
Tigris drew his sword first.
The spectators cheered at the sight.
– Tigris drew his sword!
– Are you finally able to see a real gladiator?!
Gordon smiled involuntarily.
The reason Tigris drew his sword was because he knew it meant respecting him.
Gordon also drew his sword.
‘Then I must do my best from the beginning.’
Gordon took a deep breath.
All four rings were activated and the Auror flowed violently through the magic circuit.
Auror’s movements were crude and rough.
So he was a mercenary.
“after···.”
Hot steam erupted from Gordon’s mouth.
Warm-up is over.
Gordon glared at Tigris as if it were about to bite him at any moment, like a hungry beast.
Ting-!
The referee flipped the coin and immediately stepped back.
As soon as the coin crashed to the floor, they fired their swords at each other.
bang-!
The floor of the arena shattered from how hard they both stomped their feet.
The floor was broken and the swords collided almost at the same time.
blah blah!
Some audiences covered their ears at the horrifying scream of steel.
Then the swords collided one after another.
Each time there was a roar, so violent that some spectators fainted.
Gordon’s swordsmanship was like the claws of an untamed beast.
For 13 years, while rolling on the battlefield, Gordon mainly used four types of slicing: vertical slashing, horizontal slashing, diagonal slashing, and stabbing.
Like an instinctive movement, like an animal biting with its teeth and scratching with its claws, it attacks when it sees a gap and blocks or avoids it when it is dangerous.
To put it bluntly, it can be said that the sword is simple and rough, but the strong body and survival instinct covered it all.
Tigris shed Gordon’s bell and lifted it up and cut it.
It was two movements, but it was as smooth as one movement.
Gordon barely escaped.
A few strands of Gordon’s brown hair flew through the air.
Since then, Tigris has attacked Gordon again and again.
However, Gordon blocked the attack and either counterattacked or narrowly escaped.
It was subtle to be called a simple instinct.
Tigris decided to give it a try.
Tigris drew his sword while cutting the bell, stopped and stabbed it.
It was a paint attack.
Since it was a perfect match, it was impossible to avoid this attack if the reaction speed of an ordinary person was.
But Gordon leaned back and escaped.
It was then that Tigris was convinced.
That movement was not a survival instinct.
“You have very good eyes.”
“…I didn’t know this was going to get caught already.”
The reason Gordon was able to survive 13 years on the battlefield rained with arrows and magic was not because he was good at swordsmanship, nor because he had talent in Auror operation.
It was because he was born with a reaction speed that transcends human limits.
The reaction speed of an ordinary person is limited to 0.25 seconds, and a trained knight can respond in 0.1 to 0.15 seconds.
But Gordon was able to react by 0.01 seconds.
Even if it was a superpower, it was an incredible speed of reaction.
Tigris drew his sword.
He even attacked with his feet instead of a sword to paint attacks at the wrong time.
But Gordon avoided it all and stopped it.
He even pared the bellows of Tigris.
Gordon’s sword flew into Tigris’ open arms.
It was perfect timing.
It was an unavoidable attack.
However, Tigris perfectly avoided it by bending her body almost to the ground.
“···how.”
When Tigris’ uplifting slash flew back, Gordon avoided it.
He looked at Tigris in disbelief from a distance.
“It was an angle and speed that could never be avoided…”
“I admit that your reaction speed is excellent. However···.”
Tigris’ pupils were shining with silver.
“Berserk has an auror operation that gives you an awakening effect as well as a reaction speed.”
Of course, since it was a high-level Auror operating technique, fewer than 100 people across the Empire could use it.
“Looking at it, you can feel it down to a hundredth of a second, so I’ll adjust accordingly.”
“What is that…!”
Tigris rushed and slashed the sword with his bell.
Gordon blocked the sword.
However, Tigris followed Gordon’s sword and descended.
‘shit!’
Hung-!
With the sword aimed at Gordon’s chest, he quickly retreated back, but was defeated.
Tigris stopped in the middle and stabbed.
Gordon managed to twist his body to avoid it, but the sharp tip of his sword brushed against his right shoulder.
Tigris slashed again.
You can see the sword coming in, aiming for Gordon’s neck every moment.
Gordon bit his lip.
‘I have no choice but to take it out.’
I really didn’t want to take this out.
If I take this out, other nobles might rush to kill Gordon.
But Gordon wanted to give everything to this man.
To be precise, I wanted to test it.
How far his everything can reach him.
His heart was closer to a knight than a mercenary.
Gordon disappeared like a ghost.
There was no noise and no notice of movement.
It literally disappeared like a ghost.
But Tigris knew right away where the sword would come from.
‘Back and top right’
Tigris raised his sword to block the bell slash that was coming in from behind, without looking back.
Gordon was not funny.
“Do you have eyes running behind you?”
“There are a few things I have hidden, like the ‘ghost walk’ you have hidden.”
Tigris deflected the sword and confronted Gordon again.
“I know the ghost walk disappeared with the fall of Count Schwein 11 years ago, but how are you learning it?”
“How did Tigris-sama know that my footwork was a ghost walk?”
“Nobles always record. Keep a record of each family’s weapon skills. The only way to disappear, leaving behind an afterimage that dazzles the eye is one ghost step.”
“This is really… I thought he was a Confucius who only handled swords well, but he seems to have studied hard.”
“The power of nobility comes from the pen, not the sword. In the library of every family, the weaknesses of each family’s swordsmanship and the destruction method are all written down. Of course, the law of breaking the ghost footwork is also recorded in the records of the Norbert family.”
Gordon laughed outrageously.
“He’s really good at making people go crazy. However···”
Gordon took the sword in reverse.
It felt strange to hold a long sword in reverse, but…
It wasn’t awkward at all.
“It is a mistake to think that only Tigris-nim has seen the record. There are only six noble families that I have destroyed.”
This is why war mercenaries are so scary.
Secretly steal and look at the secret books and records of the collapsed families.
And transform them into their own.
He knew that it would be condemned by the majority of nobles.
However, all the mercenaries, including Gordon, wanted to become stronger.
Tigris just smiled.
Tigris could not have imagined how many noble skills Gordon, who had been on the battlefield for 13 years and was gifted with swordsmanship and Auror operation, must have mastered the skills of many nobles.
The corners of Tigris’ lips went up.
“Then would you like to try it?”