"I've been thinking since earlier, I really don't like your hairstyle."
The words Theo had spoken echoed in Cyrus' mind.
He was taken aback.
Until now, the Theo he had known didn’t get provoked by such trivial comments.
But the Theo now advancing towards him radiated pure fury.
All these thoughts occurred in a mere 0.5 seconds.
“D-damn it!”
Desperately, Cyrus raised his spear to block Theo’s onslaught.
The force behind the attack was immense, and its speed was surprising.
'Was he this strong?'
Watching from the audience gave a wholly different impression than experiencing it firsthand.
Actually facing it, Cyrus barely managed to defend himself.
'I guess I've poked a sleeping dragon.'
He had assumed their engagement was merely one of political convenience...
How wrong he was.
He regretted provoking Irene in front of Theo.
“Argh!”
Theo’s sword grazed Cyrus’s calf.
Just one second had passed.
Theo was relentless.
Cyrus tried to block an incoming sword strike, but the blade shifted and came in from a different angle.
"Damn it! What the hell!"
With great difficulty, Cyrus managed to fend off the longsword.
But he couldn't block it entirely.
Minor cuts appeared on his body following the one on his calf.
“Why are you suddenly acting like this? I get my hair styled by a top designer from the Capital every two weeks!”
“Nice to know that. But...”
Even as Theo spoke, his longsword didn’t rest.
“It looks terrible. A buzz cut would suit you better.”
“Ah, agh!”
A scream of pain escaped Cyrus as Theo’s sword stabbed into his stomach.
If it had been a real sword, it would've pierced right through him with that force.
"...Don’t underestimate me! You're not even worthy enough to be in the 'Talent Showcase'!"
Gritting his teeth, Cyrus mustered all his willpower to stay in the fight.
The thrill of the battle kept him alive.
In any normal match, he would've dropped his spear, but this was different.
If he dropped his spear, he felt like he'd be torn to shreds.
“...I don't care about such things.”
Theo, unflinching and unchanged, had the same steady gaze as before.
It was as if he was devoid of the basic human element called 'emotion'.
A chill ran down Cyrus' spine.
'He... He really intends to kill me!'
Even if it was a dull weapon meant for practice, it could still be lethal.
Of course, a regular person wouldn't think of killing in a high-profile final match with so many watching...
'He’s insane!'
The searing pain from his stomach made Cyrus feel like vomiting, but he endured.
If he let his guard down for even a brief moment, it would be over.
'Damn it, this is all because of Sally.'
Cyrus thought of the classmate he secretly adored.
The silver-haired lunatic swinging a longsword in front of him had defeated her in the quarterfinals.
The starting point was when Sally, from the audience, watched Theo compete with a complex expression.
Anyone who wasn’t a fool could read that look.
Without a doubt, Sally was a girl deeply in love.
What frustrated him more was what she had said: Theo hadn't even given her a second glance.
Yet Cyrus had pursued her passionately, but she only smiled apologetically... and this guy stole her heart without even trying?
The audacity!
From what he had heard, aside from his fiancée Irene, Theo had countless other women around him.
Even Aisha, the idol of the academy, and Siena, the elf princess of the Great Forest, were rumored to be on that list.
That was enough to make Cyrus explode.
"Damn it! You insane bastard! Enough is enough!"
Suddenly, Cyrus, now battered and bruised, shouted out.
"We're just having a match."
As Theo said that, his longsword grazed past Cyrus's thigh.
"You..."
Cyrus was overwhelmed with a bizarre mix of emotions.
A chilling realization swept over him.
'Except for the stomach, he's deliberately missing all my major weak points.'
As if on purpose.
Like a predator toying with its prey before the kill.
Cyrus's face turned from red, like a mountain about to erupt.
"You bastard!"
Unable to contain his anger any longer, Cyrus swung his spear with all his might.
With such a large swing, his ribs, heart, and stomach were all clearly exposed - something even a mediocre student from the knight department would have exploited.
"How boring."
Whoosh!
Cyrus felt a sharp pain in his ribs.
Following that, Thud!
The sound of a blunt weapon striking something round.
That was the last thing Cyrus heard.
While Theo was facing Cyrus,
Irene took on Neike.
"You're incredible."
With a disheartened look, Irene stared at Neike.
'His talent isn't just extraordinary; it's overwhelming.'
To Irene, Neike seemed like an insurmountable wall, unyielding no matter how hard she tried.
So far, she hadn't even managed to graze the hem of his clothes.
Even the nameless thrust she'd used in the round of 16 against Noctar had been effortlessly parried by Neike, completely unfazed.
"Haha, you're no slouch yourself. Irene, right? With swordsmanship like yours... you'd have a good match against Piel."
Neike laughed happily.
Every match he had fought so far had been underwhelming.
Honestly, he wasn't even particularly interested in winning the tournament.
Real combat is the best form of training, so he had entered merely to hone his skills.
He was genuinely enjoying himself.
Facing a strong opponent was always exhilarating.
'I see it now. Irene is Theo's swordsmanship teacher.'
Her swordsmanship was impeccable, devoid of any excess movements.
By technique alone, she would rank among the top if placed in the Hero Department.
"Don't flatter me. I couldn't even touch the hem of your clothes. I knew you were strong, but not to this extent..."
Biting her lip in frustration, Irene lunged at Neike once more.
Neike held his spear loosely, studying Irene intently.
'From her stance, she'll probably feint a heavy attack and then switch to rapid thrusts.'
And indeed, Neike's prediction was on point.
Irene swung her sword wide and strong, as if aiming for Neike's shoulder, only to swiftly transition into a flurry of rapid thrusts.
Eleven thrusts in less than a second.
Clang, clang, clang, clang-!
'Hmm, it's certainly a practical technique. If I hadn't seen Theo's swordsmanship before, she might've taken me off-guard. But she seems to be putting too much force into her grip, slowing her down.'
With these thoughts, Neike twirled his spear, effortlessly deflecting all of Irene's thrusts.
Once again, Irene couldn't even leave a scratch on Neike.
"Sigh..."
Irene exhaled deeply, looking at Neike who hadn't moved an inch from his spot.
...She felt the insurmountable gap of innate talent.
Neike didn't counterattack once.
He merely defended against her strikes.
Like a parent watching their child's playful antics.
Growing up in the Aslan household, Irene met many prodigies throughout her life.
But this man was on an entirely different level.
'Can something like this be overcome with sheer effort?'
As Irene gazed at Neike with a bitter expression, a loud sound rang out.
Thud!
A bloodied Cyrus fell to the ground, struck down by Theo's longsword.
Both Irene and Neike witnessed the scene.
Neike looked slightly regretful.
"It seems this is the end. It's a pity I couldn't see more of your swordsmanship, Irene."
In a split second, Neike's energy shifted, and he charged towards Irene with a speed barely discernible by the naked eye.
Clang!
Irene, with tremendous effort, used both her hands to block Neike's powerful thrust.
"Ugh!"
It was so strong that if she had slightly loosened her grip, she would have lost her weapon.
Blood seeped from Irene's tightly pursed lips.
"Hmm?"
Intrigued, Neike swiftly launched another attack.
With traits like [Spear Master] and [Weapon Master] on top of numerous other master-level traits, and being a genius who trained harder than anyone, Neike's attacks were difficult to fend off.
Irene's palm tore as she defended against his second thrust.
"Ah!"
By Neike's third strike, Irene had lost her grip on her sword.
With blood dripping from her palm, she tried to catch her weapon in mid-air.
But Neike wasn't about to give her that opportunity.
"I hope to see more next time, Irene. It was fun."
Just as Neike's spear targeted Irene's stomach,
Clash!
Another training longsword intercepted, precisely in the path of Neike's spear.
"What do you think you're saying to my fiancée?"
It was Theo.
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