It wasn’t like this now, but in the past, in the Land of Proof, gladiators would be wounded and often killed in matches.
The games were done in a poor environment with no quality potions or priests on standby, and accidents often happened.
For that reason, some gladiators established the ‘Weapon Break’ rule to prevent that.
It was to decide the victory and defeat without aiming for the life of the opponent but the sword.
Recalling that, the former champion Ricardo Pinto smiled.
His white teeth created the atmosphere of the fangs of a vicious beast.
‘How dare he think of a weapon break, of MY weapon?’
Naturally, the victory or defeat of Weapon Break wasn’t determined by the sword alone.
Even a legendary sword, when held by a villager, would be inferior to a wooden sword or a cheap sword in the hands of a Sword Master.
However, if asked, ‘Does the quality of the sword have an effect on the match?’ then Ricardo would shake his head in affirmation.
‘It will be because of this sword that I will be able to win against Ilya Lindsay.’
The value of a famous sword is truly great.
It allows one to withstand a Master, and makes people equal in a match, and allows one to constantly go against people of similar skill.
Then the current situation?
The opponent lacked swordsmanship skills compared to Ricardo.
With a sword too lower in quality than him, what on earth was the young man thinking by taking up this match?
He couldn’t figure it out.
But…
‘I’ll accept this!’
Ricardo Pinto decided to accept the match.
With a smile, he swung his sword.
“Teheh!”
Swosh!
Kwanng!
The two swords clashed violently.
Most of the audience frowned at the deafening sound.
However, that wasn’t the end. Once, twice, and thrice… the sound kept coming.
As if it didn’t care about anything else.
Even the other gladiators who were watching were shocked.
They too, realized the flow of the current match.
“Crazy, is he that confident?”
“He must be crazy. Even though the fact that it is a sorcery sword, going against the Vulcanus sword is…”
“He wouldn’t be able to win in a normal way, right? Then thinking about this…”
Some thought it was stupid, and the others thought that this was a fine plan.
But they could do nothing.
They all knew that Ricardo Pinto’s swordsmanship skills were on the same level as a Master, so it was highly likely that Irene wouldn’t even have a chance of winning in a head-to-head match.
Of course, the fame of the Numbering Sword was even greater…
‘Sometimes, when cornered, people make bad judgments.’
Right.
In the end, Ricardo’s victory was already decided in the beginning.
Although the audience cheered for Irene for the sake of the match, the veteran swordsmen who knew the flow already decided.
What could happen if Ricardo Pinto meets a Numbering Sword? How great would the synergy be?
Maybe he… could actually defeat a Sword Master.
Because of that, the eyes of the gladiators were already looking forward to the next match.
However, not everyone was like that.
“…”
People who knew Irene before the others knew about him.
People who knew better than anyone what kind of training Irene had been doing, what kind of talent, and what kind of mindset he had.
Judith and Bratt had completely different ideas from the others.
They watched the stage with stiff faces.
Even if people around them criticized Irene for his foolishness, they couldn’t think as such.
Seeing these two, people murmured. The strong bond of Krono. It was a voice filled with sarcasm.
However, Judith and Bratt weren’t shaken, and the same was with Irene.
And time went by…
About 10 minutes after the start of the match.
The audience, including the veterans, felt something strange.
Kwang!
Swords collided.
Kwang!
Kang!
Again and again.
Kwaang!
As much as the sound of hammering in a blacksmith, the sound of metal colliding kept reaching their ears.
If one was a child, the child would start crying, saying that its ears hurt.
However, no one complained.
Someone unconsciously mumbled.
“When, when is the sword going to break?”
Talking to himself, but not just himself. It was the question which represented the thoughts of everyone watching.
Wasn’t the sword they were looking at now the one of the great Vulcanus Numbering Swords?
The one in Ricardo’s hand.
Except for Jet Frost, no Expert could win over him.
But this young man was holding out?
Even if the sword was made with sorcery, it looked crude and unsightly.
However…
And that wasn’t all.
One of the swordsmen who saw the haze-like light on Ricardo’s sword exclaimed.
“Ricardo is being pushed!”
It was unmistakably true.
Through ‘manifestation,’ the aura in the body is extracted, and ‘concentration’ prevents the scattering of energy.
The result was the light on Ricardo’s sword; it was something most Experts couldn’t even dare to do.
However, this was an aura operation which was only glamorous on the surface and not suitable for usage.
It was because the wastage was far greater.
Nevertheless, using it meant Ricardo was being defensive.
But something even shocking happened.
Irene Pareira, who looked at Ricardo’s sword, swung again instead of taking time or widening the distance.
Kwanng!
The loudest sound.
Of course, it didn’t end here.
A roar spread. A roar rang out. And it kept ringing without stopping.
Without even covering their ears, the people kept watching the match.
No.
It was a solo stage.
Because only one person was taking the attention of the audience, Irene Pareira.
And after a while.
Clack!
“…!”
A completely different sound than before was heard, and the match ended.
The dignified appearance which was there in the beginning was nowhere to be seen, and Ricardo Pinot was standing in disbelief with a broken sword.
After bowing to the man, Irene Pareira looked at something.
There was no need for the referee to give out the end sign.
There was no need for an interview.
The audience, full of excitement, kept screaming one name over and over again.
“Irene Pareira!”
“Irene Pareira!”
“Irene Pareira!”
The arena was in a frenzy.
Of course, that was just the beginning.
The really important match would be held next month.
Ilya Lindsay vs. Irene Pareira!
And people were screaming, anticipating the final battle which would come.
“…”
The current champion of the Land of Proof ignored Irene’s gaze and quietly left the arena.
A day after the match between Irene Pareira and Ricardo Pinto, the schedule for the championship match, which the audience were waiting for, was revealed.
About two weeks later, on 13th of April, it will be 4 months since Irene came to Eisenmarkt.
As always, people were back to picking sides.
Some said that Sword Master Ilya Lindsay would definitely win, while the others argued about the sorcery sword, which broke the numbering sword of Vulcanus.
And there were those who objected.
But there was one thing everyone agreed on.
It was that Irene Pareira’s sword could handle aura sword attacks.
“Maybe, something good might happen.”
“I know, right. If this was what happened with Ricardo Pinto? His Sword was great, but his swordsmanship wasn’t bad either. Then wouldn’t he have a chance to go against a real Sword Master?”
“What is certain is that he has much higher odds than the past matches. Even if I have to sell my fortune, I will get a ticket for that match.”
“Me too!”
“Me too!”
It seems that all the residents would go to the match.
In the hot atmosphere,
Woong!
Ilya Lindsay wielded her sword in her mansion.
There was one person watching her, Emma Garcia, her escort knight.
But her expression wasn’t good.
It was because the young lady whom she had loved so much was in pain.
“Huk, huk, huk…”
Was it because she had exhausted her stamina by training hard?
No. her lady, Ilya Lindsay wasn’t someone to be in pain because of training.
And was she weak? She was the lady who was now the youngest Sword Master and the Champion of Land of Proof.
However…in some ways, she was weaker than normal people.
Compulsion and anxiety.
As she recalled the emotions which plagued Ilya Lindsay, Emma Garcia felt her heart break.
‘She doesn’t have to push herself like that…’
The young lady has been the same since she returned from Krono.
Even though she worked harder than anyone else, she was never satisfied with it.
In order to live up to the expectations of the arrogant people watching her every move, she moved her body and mind every day, and when an important day came up, it would turn more severe.
After seeing her lady force herself like this, Emma Garcia could never ask her to take a break.
‘There have been times when she was in more pain…’
“Huk, kuak, huakkk…”
Ilya Lindsay swung her sword again.
Her breathing was still ragged, and her body trembled. It was so bad that one wouldn’t think of her as a Sword Master.
However, as time passed, that appearance disappeared.
Woong!
“Phew”
Woong!
“Phew…”
Ilya Lindsay trained again and again like she was sharpening herself.
As the process repeated countless times, she felt she turned thin enough to break at a single touch, but she didn’t mind.
That was what it was meant to be…sharp. And it was okay if she could stab before it broke.
Ilya nodded and continued her training.
The guards watched her like that for a long time.
12th April.
The long-awaited championship match was just one day away.
Although it was fine to be nervous, Irene Pareira, who was focused on his sword, looked extremely calm.
Accumulation, strength, hardening, flowering, concentration, and manifestation.
After confirming all the concepts, he closed his eyes.
It was to bring out the Aura Sword, which he had failed to do countless times, but a voice came from behind.
“Meditating again?”
A feeling of familiarity.
This was something which he had heard a lot when he was a prospective trainee; Irene opened his eyes.
Irene, who turned his head, spoke with a subtle smile unlike the one he had during those times.
