Chapter 97
Chapter 97
How much time had passed?
The only thing that spread across this vast training ground was the sound of a keen sword honed coldly and a fierce sword blazing hot crashing against each other.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The countless spectators watching all of this from the stands no longer made a single sound. They merely held their breath and watched their sword dance.
Forgetting all about the beads of sweat on their brows, the sweat gathered in their palms, and the sweat that had soaked their backs damp, they watched the beasts’ bloody battle.
At the beginning of the match, the gamblers who had placed bets on them had chattered on endlessly, anxious they might lose their stakes, but now even those bettors had completely forgotten that fact and were absorbed in the fight.
That was how fierce the duel between Ron Winterbell and Adrian Helios had been.
“…….”
“…….”
Their eyes gleamed chillingly. Their entire bodies were soaked in blood, yet the corners of both their mouths curved upward.
Those mad about the sword.
They were the very men who best suited the words sword demons.
At first, there had only been small scratches, but as time passed, the wounds covering their bodies only increased, and by the end, they were so gravely injured that the training ground floor had been filled with blood and flesh.
Yet despite that, their momentum not only refused to break, it only grew more violent.
“I’ll kill you.”
Ron’s voice changed. It was no longer human. It was the roar of a beast.
“Yeah, yeah! Come at me like that!”
Adrian’s laughter rang out hysterically. His eyes were bloodshot red, and at the corners of his lips hung a lunatic smile like a crescent moon.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Every time the two swords collided, flesh flew. Now they looked no different from beasts maddened by the sword. Ron’s Clear Sky Sword aimed for Adrian’s heart, and Adrian’s Crimson Flame Sword aimed for Ron’s neck.
“Kraaagh!”
“Uoooh!”
Blood poured down like rain. The training ground floor had already been dyed red with blood. Every time their steps landed on it, a sticky sound rose up.
“More! Show me more! Pour everything you have into me!”
“O divinity of Helios. Today, the wolf of Winterbell will tear out your heart.”
Moonlight reflected in Ron’s wavering eyes, heavy with killing intent. Adrian’s mad laughter only grew louder. They had now completely lost their reason. Nothing remained but the urge to kill each other.
The Clear Sky Sword and the Crimson Flame Sword clashed, scattering sparks. Their faces drew close. Ron’s eyes were filled with killing intent, and Adrian’s eyes were full of madness.
“It ends now.”
Ron’s muscles swelled as if they would burst. Blood dripped from the corner of Adrian’s mouth. Both men had reached their limit. The next strike would be the last.
Someone in the crowd let out a scream. But it did not reach their ears. In their world now, only the other existed.
“Uaaaaaaah!!!”
“Kraaaaaah!!!”
The two swords tore through the air. The arcs drawn by the Clear Sky Sword and the Crimson Flame Sword performed their final dance beneath the moonlight.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The shockwaves shook the entire training ground. The resonant sound created by sound upon sound swallowed this vast space whole.
Upon the training ground trembling as though an earthquake had struck, their swords continued to accelerate without end.
The final minute.
The density of time they felt had been split into countless tiny fragments.
It was as if time had stopped. In the field of vision they saw, everything except themselves looked frozen.
‘I will kill you without fail. I’ll kill you. Kill you. Kill you. Kill you. Kill you. Kill you. Kill you. Kill you. Kill you. Kill you. Kill you. Kill you. Kill you. Kill you. I win. I cut you down.’
‘I’m having fun. This is fun. I’m happy. I’m thrilled. I kill. I murder. I cut. I kill you. My sword kills youyouyouyouyouyouyouyouyou, killskillskills.’
Ron and Adrian’s movements drove toward the absolute extreme. At the sight of the two swordsmen moving at superhuman speed, the spectators’ eyes trembled. Those with only ordinary martial ability could no longer even follow their movements with their eyes.
Ssaeng! Ssaeng! Ssaeng!
The speed at which sword and sword collided had crossed singularity and grown faster still, to the utmost limit. Flashes like successive bolts of lightning filled the training ground. Even the moonlight could not keep up with their movements. The trails drawn by the Clear Sky Sword and the Crimson Flame Sword left brilliant afterimages in the air.
Without the aid of mana, they were creating a miracle through nothing but their physical abilities alone.
“Uooooooo!!!”
“Kraaaaaaa!!!”
Sparks flew from the point where their swords met. The trajectory traced by the Clear Sky Sword did not waver by even an inch, while the movements of the Crimson Flame Sword grew even more violent. It was as though two savage beasts were tearing into each other.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The shockwaves shook the entire training ground. People in the stands covered their ears. The sound of the two swords colliding was far too loud. A thunderous roar, as though the heavens themselves were rumbling, rang through the training ground. Even the stands shook from the vibration.
Ron’s muscles swelled as though they would burst. Blood spurted from his arm. These were movements that had surpassed his own limits. But he did not stop. Rather, he swung the Clear Sky Sword faster, harder. Now, only Adrian remained in his sight.
Adrian’s condition was the same. Blood flowed from his hand as well. The joints of the fingers gripping the Crimson Flame Sword had turned white. Pain like his skin tearing apart and his muscles snapping swept through his whole body. But his gaze only grew more deranged. His mad laughter did not cease.
“Ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!”
“Kha ha ha ha ha! Kha ha ha ha ha ha!”
The two swords grew faster and faster. These were movements that had completely stepped outside the realm of ordinary swordsmanship. The trajectories their swords drew left afterimages across the training ground.
The cold light of the Clear Sky Sword and the burning light of the Crimson Flame Sword blended together to create a strange color.
Gasps burst from the stands. This was no longer human swordsmanship. It was a spectacle like the dance of gods. No one could tear their eyes away.
“Is this the true strength of the Winterbell family and the Helios family, called the greatest martial houses on the continent? What am I witnessing? My whole body is trembling, trembling! Ah! To think I’d get to see a match like this. I want to learn the sword too. My heart is pounding.”
“To think a match shown by those who aren’t even the direct heirs of the two families is at this level. I can’t even believe this is their first match. Truly terrifying. To witness with my own eyes that the renown of being the greatest sword houses on the continent is no empty boast…….”
“The best! Ron Winterbell! The cold wolf of the North!”
“You’re amazing! Adrian Helios! Your flames will melt the cold wave rushing in!”
Those in the stands cheered passionately. Within their hearts too, an unknown flame had risen.
Ron’s Clear Sky Sword shone. The trajectory his sword drew became even faster. Adrian’s eyes widened. Now he could not even follow Ron’s sword with his eyes anymore. He could only move his sword on instinct and block.
“Now I’ll end this for certain. I’ve learned how hot your sword is, but it is not enough to withstand the cold wave of the North.”
Craaaaaang!!!!
The two swords collided.
In that instant, a metal shriek rang out as if it would tear their ears apart.
Then a crack appeared in the Crimson Flame Sword Adrian was holding.
Crkcrkcrkcrk.
“…!”
For a moment, bewilderment flickered across Adrian’s face.
Ron’s strength was far too great. This had long surpassed human physical power. He had been controlling his strength in his own way all this time. Beyond his wrist merely going numb, Adrian realized the bone had been crushed.
‘Not just my wrist, my whole arm’s gone dead.’
“Kgh!”
Adrian ground his teeth. But the match had already been decided. Before Ron’s overwhelming strength, the Crimson Flame Sword could not endure. The crack spread like lightning.
Crash!
The Crimson Flame Sword shattered into pieces. The broken fragments scattered in every direction. It looked as though red flower petals were drifting through the air. Moonlight shone on those fragments, creating a beautiful scene.
And then, at that very moment.
Thud!
What had happened?
Ron too.
Adrian too.
Everyone in the audience fell silent.
A heavy stillness.
It was as if time had stopped.
Ron’s Clear Sky Sword had pierced Adrian’s abdomen.
Deeply, very deeply. The sensation of cold steel cutting through flesh and driving inward swept over every one of Adrian’s nerves.
“Khk.”
Blood flowed from Adrian’s mouth. The madness vanished from his eyes. In its place, clarity returned. He looked as though he had awakened from a long dream. The pain in his entire body came crashing down on him all at once.
“As expected……. You truly never revealed your final move until the very end. Amazing.”
“I was lucky.”
“……Haha. Isn’t this far too overwhelming a defeat to wrap up as luck?”
Adrian staggered backward. Ron’s Clear Sky Sword slid out from Adrian’s abdomen. Red blood poured out. But there was a smile on Adrian’s lips.
“I thought…… this would be the ending.”
Adrian collapsed. Ron moved quickly and caught him. The two swordsmen’s gazes met. No longer was there killing intent in their eyes, nor madness. Only respect for each other remained.
“It was a good match.”
A peaceful smile rested on Adrian’s lips. It was a smile that acknowledged defeat, yet held no regret. Satisfaction lingered in his eyes.
“The sword of the North… was fiercer than the rumors said. It was an honor to cross blades with you. Ron Winterbell. This… is my defeat.”
The match was over.
It was Ron Winterbell’s victory.
Silence returned to the training ground that had been dyed in madness.
Ron Winterbell’s snow-white hair had been stained entirely with blood. After glancing around for a moment, Ron Winterbell slowly raised his sword. Then he looked toward Arkan Winterbell, his father and the head of the Winterbell family.
“Head of House. Please announce the result.”
Arkan Winterbell nodded. As his mouth opened, his deep voice spread across the entire training ground.
“The final victor of the first match of this friendly spar is Ron Winterbell of the Winterbell family.”
Cheers erupted from the audience, which had been sunk in silence. Those cheers were so loud that it seemed the entire training ground might be swept away. Everyone was passionately cheering for this outcome, for Ron Winterbell.
It was courtesy shown to the two men who had delivered a match so ecstatic it sent shivers through the whole body.
Ron Winterbell’s gaze turned toward Adrian. With a sword wound in the center of his abdomen, he had stopped the bleeding himself and was waiting for the medical team.
Ron Winterbell approached.
“Adrian.”
“Yes. Ron Winterbell.”
“How about next time we spar without these restrictions and use mana?”
“…Haha! Sounds good.”
A short while later.
The medical staff who had been waiting in advance took Adrian and left the training ground.
The next match was between Lux Winterbell and the Imperial Family.