The Kingmaker System

Lishen smirked, "It’s been a while since I had a worthy opponent for a spar. If it’s not much of a trouble for the mighty and generous Marquis then may I challenge you for a duel?"

The knights behind him smirked as if thinking that Ocean was in a big trouble while Eric sighed thinking that Lishen was digging his own grave, he would be destroyed not only physically but also socially.

Ocean smiled warmly, "It has been a while for me to have had a good fight too. If Sir Barclay can honor me with the kind that makes me want to use my full potential then, I’d love to accept your challenge."

"A duel with Marquis Ocean,"

Everyone turned hearing the third voice and they saw Arian walking towards them. He chuckled once before smirking.

"Now that will be worth watching,"

"Your Highness," Eric sighed as he thought that Arian would definitely enjoy such kind of a thing.

This young man loved fights, didn’t mean that he was a brute who loved swinging his sword at any given moment but for him the thrill of moving his body and getting to learn from the stronger opponents was the goal.

"Don’t tell me you don’t want to see Marquis in action, Your Highness Eric?" Arian smirked and Eric looked at Lishen pitifully.

"Let’s even bet who wins." Arian offered.

"Is there even a point in betting, Your Highness? It’s obvious to know who’s going to win. Sir Barclay had been the royal knight for twenty years and had been the captain for seven years. Only his experience is of the age Marquis could be." One of the knights behind Lishen said making the others to laugh.

Arian scoffed and Eric said, "I’m betting on Marquis Ocean."

Arian laughed, "Not fair, Your Highness, I was going to bet on him first."

The knights couldn’t help but stare at their Crown Prince, why would their future ruler not bet on their own Royal knight but on a man from different kingdom?

"You’re wondering why I’m betting on him?" Arian asked looking at Lishen, "Then I’ll tell you after your spar."

Lishen bowed before Arian and then eyed Ocean. The man didn’t look intimidating at all at first glance, his body was tall and lean, there was no visible muscle on his body but then again there was more to him that met the eye.

The man who could fight the cursed ones alone, the man who used an incredible amount of mana to teleport not one or two but a hall full of people at once and finally the man who was capable of turning the thoughts of his King. This man screamed danger and it was his duty as a Royal Knight and the first shield of the crown to assess this man and if he was an enemy take care of him right away.

Ocean could see the thoughts running through Lishen’s head without even having any skill of telepathy.

"Let’s go, shall we? I have to have my breakfast after the spar." Ocean said turning on his heel walking down the hallway with Eric and Arian following after him.

The knights behind him snorted.

"What a load of crap!"

"Sir Barclay would break him into two."

"He will have breakfast on his deathbed."

Ocean, Eric and Arian heard their snarky comments but none said anything. The spar would be enough to show them their place.

The spar was going to happen in the training grounds where the knights trained every morning, so, they had quite a big number of spectatorship.

The chairs were arranged for Arian and Eric while Lishen moved towards the center of the training ground waiting for Ocean.

"Would you like to use my sword, Marquis? It’s been a while since I used it in a battle." Eric offered brushing his fingers over the hilt.

"I’d have to decline your offer, Your Highness. As much as I’d love to wield your sword at least once, but, you wouldn’t want me to kill your Captain, would you?" Ocean said and Arian chuckled.

"Well, try not to." He said.

Ocean smirked back at him and then looked at Eric, he was planning on giving him the sword of his ancestor but there was still some time. He couldn’t just bestow upon him the sword that would be his family’s hierloom so, it would be only better if they waited until Eric was declared as the Crown Prince at least.

Ocean walked over to the weapons stands and glanced at all the weapons. The knights had started betting already and currently Ocean had only two people betting on him while all the knights were betting on Captain Barclay.

Ocean picked up a short sword and brushed his gloved finger over the silver blade before he nodded. He usually refrained from using weapons because the weapons were barely ever able to keep up with his power but in front of so many people he couldn’t possibly show his Dragon’s powers.

Ocean walked to the center of the training ground still assessing the sword.

"Is the sword not of your liking?" Lishen asked and Ocean hummed.

"No, I wonder how long it would last."

A small smirk curled up over the corner of Lishen’s lips, "I wonder so too."

Ocean observed him for a brief moment before he sighed, relaxing his body. He glanced once at the excited knights and noticed as how their chatter had attracted the attention from others as well. Ocean glanced at Davian and Sol who also came up, Davian grinned widely waving at Ocean. Ocean smiled waving back.

"Since they all are making a bet over us. Let’s us make a bet, shall we?" Ocean offered.

Lishen’s eyes narrowed, "And what might we bet over? Our lives?"

Ocean turned his gaze on Lishen and Lishen couldn’t help but feel as if he wasn’t looking into the eyes of a human. Somehow, those blue rings and the pupils seemed to have changed, the pupils seemed to have turned into slits while the rings glowed eerily.

Ocean smirked, "Since when did a Snake’s poison kill a Dragon?"

Lishen frowned but Ocean quickly continued, "I’m talking about something else. If I win, I want you to get on your knees and apologise to my Prince for your disrespect."

Lishen’s eyebrows furrowed, but then he scoffed.

"And what if I win?"

Ocean’s eyes narrowed with a smirk, "What do you want?"

"You will get on your knees and apologise to me and my knights for disrespecting our King right in front of us."

Ocean could have burst out laughing but he simply smirked and tilted his head.

"Fine,"

Lishen unsheathed his claymore and stood with his legs apart in a fighting stance. Ocean could see the years of experience on battlefield standing in front of him, if Ocean were only a human then he probably wouldn’t have much chances of winning this but, it was thanks to his Dragon’s bloodline that his victory was set in stone.

Ocean kept his posture relaxed as he watched Lishen, the knights were cheering for Lishen while Ocean’s supporters sat silently waiting for the show.

"Since you’re just a noble man without much experience in battle, I’ll give you a handicap, take a first blow at me." Lishen said and Ocean hummed.

"You won’t survive that, come at me yourself," Ocean said.

Lishen’s eyes narrowed, he knew Ocean was saying that because of his mana, but if he used his mana to defeat Lishen it would only prove that he was a good mage but not a good swordsman.

Regardless, Lishen moved ahead at blinding speed, Ocean watched him appear before his eyes in a split second before he stepped aside in the fraction of the moment avoiding the large sword that was aimed at him.

Lishen turned his sword aiming for Ocean without any hesitation and Ocean stepped back, Lishen’s blade came at a blinding speed and Ocean simply dodged it swiftly seemingly dancing around like a weightless feather while all Lishen’s sword could cut was the air.

The knights kept cheering for him while Ocean’s supporters kept a keen eye on the battle. It was rare to see Ocean fighting, it was usually his tactic to dodge the incoming attacker, a part of his play as he watched his opponent, studying their fighting style and the patterns of their attacks and their body. He was usually the kind of person who wouldn’t stretch out a fight as he worked by the principle of know thyself and know thy enemy.

If one knew themselves and their enemy then it was all a game for them, a game in which they could predict and at some point even manipulate the movements of their opponents. Ocean was fundamentally a strategist who saw others as pawns so, this fight wasn’t even a fight to begin with. It was just a game which he was playing by himself

Lishen was growing frustrated by Ocean’s dodging.

"Didn’t you say you were going to fight? Why are you running?"

Ocean smirked, "You are fast, aren’t you? Then why aren’t you able to land at least one attack on me?"

Lishen gritted his teeth, he didn’t want to go harsh on a nobleman of a neighbouring kingdom but he was having no choice here. He imbued his sword with his mana and circulated his mana all around his body to increase his agility and strength.

Ocean saw the mana movement within Lishen’s body and smirked. Lishen swung his sword and Ocean stopped for a moment, finally bringing up his sword for the very first time to block Lishen’s claymore.

The wind generated from their clash rushed for a good few meters and Lishen smirked, satisfied to know that he wasn’t being played around.

Lishen pulled his sword back and administered strong blows over Ocean’s short sword, Ocean could see the chips beginning to appear over the blade but didn’t react over it. He knew such a thing would happen, but it wasn’t a hindrance.

Ocean was letting Lishen be on the offense just to observe him but now it was fine enough to turn their footing.

Ocean’s eyes glowed a bit before his smirk disappeared and his grip tightened over his sword ever so slightly to create the compression marks of his fingers over it. Lishen was trying to pressure Ocean’s sword to overpower him but watching that glint in his eyes made a chill run down his spine.

Ocean swung his arm and Lishen stepped back, Ocean’s speed didn’t even register to his eyes as he appeared right inches from him and the blade gleamed right before his face, had he not been trained on the battlefield he would have lost his head in that moment.

Ocean’s attacks rained down on him like the blows that made him feel like he was fighting not one man but at least twenty of them and the number seemed to be growing as he was slowly taking his steps back. His arms trembled as he barely kept up with the blinding sword before him.

The knights who had been cheering up till now went silent as they watched the tides turn so swiftly that they were almost taken aback.

By now, Rune, Duke Aurelius, Marquis Fairisles, Lyall and the other guests who were of great importance had also gathered hearing the loud cheers of the knights.

Miri and Zale were also present and like Eric and Davian they and the Sestians had placed their bets on Ocean.

All he could see was the eyes of the man before him which were fixed on him as if a predator who had zeroed in on their prey.

In the first time in his life, Lishen felt as if he wouldn’t be able to keep up. He gritted his teeth as he refused to accept defeat and imbued his sword with more mana and created a blast which forced Ocean to bounce back. But it lasted only for that split second as Ocean’s sword sliced down on his claymore again.

Lishen gritted his teeth as he felt the pressure over his arms, he couldn’t help but feel as if his body was starting to feel the pressure of the blows. His arms trembled and his feet barely could hold the ground. Ocean Ryujin didn’t even look like he could have enough muscle on his bones yet, where was this strength coming from?

Lishen was taller and buff enough to crush Ocean’s body but why were this lean man’s attacks pushing him back?

His mana wasn’t able to keep up with the man before him, no, not a man but monster, there was no other way to call him. Ocean Ryujin was a monster.

Lishen still refused to accept defeat despite his instincts screaming at him to get away from him. However, he couldn’t throw away his reputation and his pride, he did his last and used his mana to control the metal and enforced his sword enough to slice off Ocean’s short sword.

Lishen thought it was all over but he shuddered as he saw the dark smirk over Ocean’s face as half of his blade was high up in air and he was running straight for Lishen like a predator rushing onto his prey.

Lishen swung his sword and Ocean jumped narrowly avoiding the blade before he grabbed the half of the blade that was midair and shot it down at Lishen. Lishen moved on instinct and hit it away with his sword only to then feel the blow at the back of his feet which knocked him over his knees and the cool shattered egde of the blade pressing against his jugular.

He gulped as he felt Ocean standing right behind him and his broken sword at his neck.

The knights were shell-shocked while Ocean’s supporters clapped. Ocean stayed in that stance for a moment before he sighed and removed the sword from Lishen’s neck and stepped back.

He stared at his broken sword and smirked, "It lasted well."

He tossed the broken sword away as he moved towards his supporters.