051 – Lucas (2)
A man entered the hotel where Lucas de Vinsmoke was staying.
When Lucas saw the man’s face, he told the people around him.
“Everyone get out.”
The users bowed their heads, and not one of them left the room.
Only Carter remained with Lucas.
Lucas glared at the white, dry man’s face.
“Isn’t the side effect of a moment that you couldn’t even fix? Levis?”
He was Lota’s Mouth Levis.
“I never said that. He said that fleeting moments leave no trace on the body.”
Levis took off his fedora hat and sat down on the sofa.
And he slyly put his legs on the table.
I felt a rush of heat at the sight, but I endured it.
Levis was deliberately scratching Lucas’ temper.
“If there was a way to treat a momentary side effect, wouldn’t it be natural to tell me?”
“Why is that obvious, Lucas?”
Lucas vomited out anger.
“Because I keep bringing knights for your damn chimera lab!”
“Did you forget we signed a contract to hand over the knights who couldn’t stand the side effects to the Chimera Lab? Would you have brought the article to the Chimera Lab if you had told me how to treat the side effects?”
The guy was right.
Lucas brought the knights who had been obliterated by drugs to the Chimera Lab and dedicated them.
Instead, it was promised to provide a stable supply of fleeting moments.
“You are now in the wrong direction of your anger. It’s not my fault, it’s your mismanagement of Roy, isn’t it?”
“If there was a way to treat the side effects, there would be no way to pass Roy over to Tigris.”
Levis said with a round of applause.
“Come on, stop talking like this. Don’t you know that there is no end to whoever made the mistake first? We must see the future.”
“… from the beginning, I didn’t get your suggestions.”
Lucas studied the Welf family in order to overthrow it.
After examining all of the Welf family’s swordsmanship, geographical advantages, and relations with neighboring nobles, one conclusion could be drawn.
It is impossible to destroy the Welf family.
I made the sword technique of ‘Dragon Cleave’ used by the Knights of Heaven, but it was so difficult that no one could learn it, and the walls of the Welf family were strong and there was even cultivated land in the castle, so it could last for a long time.
What I feared more than anything was the sword technique called ‘Dragon Slayer’ used by the Welf family.
The dragon slicing was a swordsmanship that broke the hard scales of a dragon, whereas the dragon slash was a swordsmanship that cut the dragon’s scales and bones.
No matter how much he wore black iron armor, he was useless in front of the dragon.
So I made a contract with them.
I will summon the red blood demon, who has caused a stir on the continent for several years, to kill the head of the Welf family, so I ask for financial support.
In fact, they summoned the Red Bloods and destroyed the walls and killed the head of the Welf family.
It was good back then, but lately I keep thinking that Lucas seems to have fallen into their trap.
Levis grinned.
“Are you regretting coming here? It’s all over when you brought down House Welf.”
“What the hell are you guys looking for?”
“Why are you suddenly curious about that?”
“Don’t try to deceive my eyes. You were targeting the Welf family from the beginning. Even if it wasn’t for me, you guys would have thought of using the Red Blood Ghost to bring down the Welf family. The thing that made Oslo my adopted son also broke me…”
“If that’s the case, what would you do?”
Levis got up and walked over to Lucas.
“From the beginning, I made a red blood demon to destroy the Welf family, and I approached you because you wanted to destroy the Welf family. And if that’s what made Oslo adopted so that if the Vinsmokes went wrong later, what would you do?”
“Yes man!”
🤩🤩🤩
The sword was pulled out of Lucas’ staff.
But Levis stood still.
There was flesh in that sword, but it was because he knew he would not be able to strike Levis on the neck.
Lucas cannot influence the Black Soil without Levis.
If we simply cut off the supply for a brief moment, the elaborate tower that Lucas built will crumble.
“You must have been on an unstoppable train from the moment you joined us. If you don’t become the King of Black Earth, the Vinsmoke family will be destroyed.”
“…what the hell do you want from me? Now, why are you showing me your teeth?”
“It’s my hobby.”
“What?”
“Because it’s so much fun to tease someone who has to shake hands. You have given up little in order to gain much, but now I see the time has come when you must give up much in order to gain little.”
“Yeah, this guy!”
Levis grabbed the blade and pushed it gently.
Lucas gave him strength, but he couldn’t stand the force that Levis pushed.
“Will you be able to become the king of the black land without war that you dream of? Is the position of king really worth more than what you sacrificed?”
Drop-!
Levis broke Lucas’ sword with two fingers.
“Ah, of course, you have to defeat Tigris tomorrow for this question to be meaningful.”
“Do you think I’m going to lose to that kid?”
“You seem to be very careless, but I have a relationship with you, so I’ll tell you one thing. Sincerely from the beginning. Still, it’s up to you to win or not.”
Levis knew the ability of Schwitz’s clone to some extent.
A body comparable to that of a 6-star knight, he had enough magical power to use up to 5th circle black magic.
Beyond defeating Schwitz’s alter ego, will he be able to defeat Tigris, who has turned his soul into a rag?
It won’t be easy.
“Are you saying I’m going to lose to that kid?”
“You seem to have become very proud of unifying the Black Earth. The reason I value you highly is not because of your swordsmanship skills, but because of your tongue. On the other hand, the reason I am wary of Tigris is because of his swordsmanship skills.”
“Are you trying to provoke me again?”
Levis said with serious eyes.
“no. This isn’t a provocation, it’s my sincere advice. Don’t be fooled by his short career and age.”
“I know. He must have prepared something for me as he asked me to duel. So I will do everything with all my heart, just like a lion hunts a gazelle.”
“no. You must be the mind of a gazelle, not of a lion.”
Levis said as he put the broken knife piece on the desk.
“You may be busy, but I am busier than you think. I want you to think carefully about why I have come all the way here to warn you.”
Thick black smoke came out of Levi’s mouth.
“Oh, of course, if you lose, I gain something as much as you lose, so it doesn’t matter much.”
Levis’ black smoke seeped into the broken blade.
“Then I’ll just go. Tomorrow’s duel, I’ll be sure to watch.”
* * *
Tigris stood in the middle of the terrace.
Five months have passed since Tigris became a four-star knight.
During that time, Tigris trained her body without missing a single day.
It also used ‘cell growth technique’, an Auror technique that can develop the body of Tigris in the fastest and most stable way.
Tigris injected Aurors into each muscle cell to make them elastic and Auror-friendly.
In addition, Tigris’ magic circuit was cleansed and greatly enlarged by the starlight-infused ice essence.
We are ready to make the fifth ring.
Tigris took out the red manacho that had been given to him by His Majesty the Emperor.
Manacho is a plant that is highly influenced by its surroundings.
As it grows in an area with abundant magical power, the leaves turn red as it grows, and the leaves of this manacho were red as if they were bleeding at any moment.
The best way to consume these manacho is also raw.
Like when I ate the ice essence last time, there was no need to perform the moon dance sword dance to exhale the cold, just absorbing the magical energy flowing from the manacho as it is and making a ring.
“Whoa….”
Tigris exhaled once, and then put in the red manacho at once.
A faint bitter taste filled the mouth with the earthy smell.
well well.
Tigris chewed the red manacho as carefully as possible and then swallowed it.
Tigris took a break and spun the four auror rings hotly.
Like last time, there was no sound of fireworks exploding from Tigris’ body.
It was because when he ate the ice essence, even the veins were pierced.
Instead, Tigris’ body began to heat up rapidly.
Unlike ice essence, red manacho had mana of hot energy.
You have to be careful when absorbing an elixir with such hot mana.
This is because if you do it wrong, an imbalance can come to your body like Irene.
Tigris took a deep breath.
Then, hot heat spurted out of his mouth.
Tigris was exhaling all the heat through sweat and breath.
There was no risk of exhaustion on the way because I had replenished a lot of water beforehand.
Tigris made a single circle of Aurors who escaped while circling the Auric Ring.
The process was so natural that it started as if there were five rings.
This was because Tigris had already been working on making 5 rings before eating red manacho.
how long has it been
Tigris opened his eyes.
Charlotte, Irene, and Linia were all around, looking at Tigris with curious eyes.
“Did you make another ring?”
“okay.”
“Woah ah ah ah!”
Charlotte hugged Irene and Linia tightly and ran wildly.
Irene and Linia also ran together without knowing it.
“Master made the five rings, so why do you like them?”
“It just feels good. is not it?”
“…that’s what.”
“Then it’s right to be honest with you.”
Tigris said as he wiped his face with the towel Lenny had given him.
“Then the three of you should prepare to make a ring.”
Linia’s eyes widened.
“Are we making it now?”
“I got a good elixir, but it would be better to do it now. Teach me how to make a ring using an elixir.”
Tigris looked at the three of them and said.
“Then come dressed as light as possible. And drink plenty of water.”
“Yes!”
The three quickly entered the room.
That day, Charlotte and Irene completed 3 rings and Linia completed 2 rings.
* * *
on the day of the duel.
The match between Tigris and Lucas will be played at the gladiator arena where Tigris played last year’s tournament.
The gladiator arena was filled with people.
Originally, I had no intention of gathering people like this and proceeding with a duel.
However, when Lucas gathered the crowd and had a duel, the offer was made, and Tigris readily accepted it, and the matter grew.
Lucas might have proposed it with the intention of raising the honor of the vanquished Vinsmoke family by beating Tigris in front of all people, but it is not known why Tigris accepted Lucas’s proposal.
Princess Rain Rover entered the VIP room with Tigris.
“Sir Tigris. It’s not too late now. Think again.”
Rain Rover was worried about Tigris and was about to die.
I knew that Tigris was a very talented person and that he had become a 5-star knight yesterday, but his opponent was Lucas.
Lucas is the master of unifying the Black Earth and an outstanding knight.
From the time he became a 1 star knight, he went to the battlefield and became a 6 star knight.
A lot of people cheered for Tigris, but there were more people who thought Lucas had a better chance of winning.
Princess Rain Rover could not lose Tigris like this.
“It would really make no sense for me to beat Lucas. It is suicidal for a knight with just five rings to challenge an old man who has been rolling the battlefield for over 30 years to a duel.”
“Does anyone know that? so···”
“But I need to break that impossibility.”
If you ask a lot of great generals what is the most important thing in war, the answer is the same as the morale of the soldiers.
No matter how winnable a war is, if the soldiers think they can’t win, they will lose, and if they think they can win, the war will also be won.
There was only one way to quickly raise the morale of those soldiers.
It was to make a hero on the battlefield.
When the heroes of the battlefield ran side by side with them, the soldiers risked their death and threw themselves at the invincible enemy.
By defeating Lucas today, Tigris will engrave in their hearts the belief that the impossible can be made possible.
It was because he knew that he would never be able to defeat Rota and Arfem without doing so.
Today’s duel was the first step to engraving that belief.
Rain Rover said, looking into Tigris’ eyes, which were mixed with unknown emotions.
“Sir Tigris. I’ve been feeling it for a long time, but I’m hiding a lot of stuff.”
“Didn’t the principal Bastian never ask me why he made me an instructor?”
“…obviously you said it was a secret back then.”
“I will tell you all the secrets after the duel is over today.”
Tigris thought it was time to tell Princess Rain Rover everything.
Tigris glanced at the staff staring at him and said.
“Please ask Sir Bergang to watch my swordsmanship carefully. Then I’ll just go.”
Tigris passed the princess and headed for the arena.
We hadn’t even entered the stadium yet, but it was deafeningly loud.
Upon entering the stadium, Lucas was waiting.
Rather than the staff he usually carries, Lucas was holding a curved sword with the blade slightly curved upwards.
Tigris knew what kind of sword that curved sword was.
In the era of giants, it was the curved sword of the okto (沃土) used by the Neo King who calmed the black soil.
Tigris and Lucas looked at each other without pulling out their weapons.
Lucas spoke first.
“Do you know what the oldest duel recorded in the history books is?”
Tigris answered without hesitation.
“I know it as a duel between King Neo and King Talmia of the Black Earth.”
“I know you well. King Neo and King Thalmia battled to save the lives of their soldiers and knights. On the condition that the winner has all the territory and all the people. In the end, the duel was won by the Neo King. In the duel that day, King Neo obtained all the territory that King Talmia had and was able to unify the Black Land. Then ask a question. Why did King Neo and King Thalmia fight such a gamble-like duel?”
“Because King Neo devoured all the territory except the castle of King Thalmia. King Thalmia’s request to duel with King Neo was a choice he had to make in order to protect his descendants with an honorable death.”
Lucas smirked.
“You know history better than you think. Somehow, I remember the duel of that day.”
Lucas looked around.
All sides were enemies.
Starting with the emperor, all the spectators were hoping for Lucas to die.
Lucas seemed to be able to understand the feelings of King Talmia in that history.
“If King Talmia had killed King Neo, would King Talmia have all the territory of King Neo?”
“It would be impossible. The realm is not governed by the sword, but by the charisma and wisdom of the king.”
Lucas picked up the octagonal curve.
At the same time, he drew the sword of the Tichrist Salamander.
“If you break me, you will never be able to create the peaceful black soil of today. The nobles of the Black Earth are like greedy wolves, and if the emperor rushes in with a sword and a stick, they will fight to death. In the process, the blood of countless people will again be splattered on the black soil. Can you bear that iniquity?”
“Rather, the people will shed more blood because of your greed.”
Tigris remembered the cruelty of Lucas who used the people as arrows to protect himself from the attack of the Empire before returning.
I remembered the cruelty of Lucas who turned wounded and wounded soldiers into ‘Rota’s body’ and turned them into chimeras.
“You shouldn’t hold hands with them.”
Lucas’ eyes lit up with surprise.
“how···.”
Then, Emperor Todd opened his mouth.
“I will conduct three questions and answers before the duel. The two of you answer the question. First, use only the weapons you have. Do you agree?”
“To agree.”
“···To agree.”
“Are you two going to settle this through an amicable conversation?”
“none.”
“The duel is a life-and-death match. Do you agree?”
“To agree.”
Lucas glared at Tigris as if to kill him.
“Before I kill you, let me tell you everything you know.”
Emperor Todd announced the start of the duel.
“Then start.”
Tung-!
Tigris and Lucas ran towards each other.
Lucas used the power contained in the sword of the Octopus, the Conqueror’s Earthbeat.
Then the stadium started to roar loudly, interrupting Tigris’ rush.
However, Tigris found a rule even in the irregular tremors and kicked the ground.
The sword of Tigris was drawn horizontally.
It was the first type of Norbert Ryu waterfall splitting.
Tigris’ swordsmanship drew hard and soft arcs like the sword master’s sword.
It was because it was a sword with the image of ‘cutting’, which could cut anything if he wanted to.
The curve of Lucas was drawn with a bell.
Lucas was the first type of red hound swordsman with red teeth.
The curvature of Lucas’ red sword collided with Tigris’ sword.
Sigh-!
But there was no sound of steel.
It was just the sound of something being cut, which penetrated Lucas’ eardrums.
The pain came late.
“Aww!”
Both hands were cut off along with the curvature of Lucas’ octagon.
The curvature of the soil turned into dust and disappeared.
Tigris put the sword on Lucas’ neck.
The victory or defeat of the duel was built so futilely.
“sleep···”
Scratch!
The sword of Tigris was merciless.
Lucas’s neck flew off and wet the ground with red blood.
The spectators had no idea what was happening now.
But Tigris was not vigilant.
It was because Lucas’ severed head was wriggling.
His head suddenly began to move and flew to Lucas’ body.
Lucas’ head stuck to his neck.
-G… now this is…
Lucas looked confused.
‘Also···.’
Lucas must have been cursed with immortality by Levis.