Chapter 105
Chapter 105
Two days had passed.
During that time, the friendly matches had continued steadily.
Every participant belonging to the Winterbell Family had won. It could be said they had been lucky with the bracket. However, since it was held in a tournament format, today an internal match within the Winterbell Family was inevitably going to take place.
Today was the match between Ron Winterbell and Lux Winterbell.
As expected, most gamblers placed their money on Lux Winterbell. The difference in odds was overwhelming. It was a similar pattern to the match between Ran Winterbell and Ian Caesar.
However, even on the day of the match, Ron Winterbell was incomparably calm. Was it because he had already anticipated defeat?
No. That was not it.
Those who carried Winterbell blood did not picture defeat in advance.
Ron Winterbell was no different.
He believed that he would defeat Lux Winterbell. It was self-suggestion. He constantly repeated it to himself and yearned for victory.
He viewed every factor positively.
If they could not use mana, then in terms of physical ability, he would not be greatly inferior.
This was better, if anything.
If mana could be used, then at his current level, he knew better than anyone that even if the heavens collapsed, he would never be able to defeat Lux Winterbell.
Lux Winterbell and Ron Winterbell arrived at the training ground.
Both wore calm expressions.
Unlike the previous matches, the spectators did not seem to expect much. As could be seen from the odds, almost everyone predicted Lux Winterbell’s victory.
The same was true for those in the VIP seats.
The Patriarch of the Helios Family, Rayven Helios, looked at Arkan Winterbell and asked,
“Who do you think will win?”
Arkan Winterbell answered immediately.
“Lux Winterbell.”
Rayven let out a faint laugh and asked,
“How can you be so certain?”
“It is the obvious result.”
“You do not see any variable?”
“There is none.”
“I see.”
Rayven Helios thought the same. From what he saw, the gap between the two was far too great. Even if the use of mana was forbidden, their very understanding of the sword differed overwhelmingly.
The Chancellor of the Empire spoke with a warm smile.
“Still, I heard that Lord Ron of the Winterbell Family gained his own kind of enlightenment through secluded training, so would this not become a fairly interesting match?”
This time, Izumi Winterbell answered.
“As expected of the Chancellor of the Empire. You really do have a good eye. I think so too. That idiot Ron was grinding his teeth pretty hard this time, you know? He’ll show something, at least. Definitely.”
“Hahaha! This really is something to look forward to.”
Arkan Winterbell watched them with an indifferent gaze, then soon rose from his seat.
“Ron Winterbell.”
“Yes.”
“Lux Winterbell.”
“Yes.”
“Do not approach this with half-hearted resolve. Face each other with the determination to kill one another. No, kill.”
Several people in the audience were flustered by such extreme words, words so harsh that it was hard to believe they were being said to his own flesh and blood.
But there was not the slightest change in Ron Winterbell’s or Lux Winterbell’s faces. As if it were only natural, they answered at once.
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
As Arkan Winterbell sat back down, he muttered in a low voice. His voice resounded throughout the entire training ground.
“The match begins now.”
The moment his words ended, the tip of Ron Winterbell’s sword charged toward Lux Winterbell’s chest.
Huuuuung!
The sword thrust forward so quickly that it was hard to believe their mana had been sealed.
Lux Winterbell raised his sword with an indifferent expression.
The instant Ron’s sword rushed toward his chest, Lux’s sword gleamed with a coldness like ice.
Clang!
A sharp metallic sound rang out as steel collided. Cold sparks burst from the point where the two swords met. The chill of the Winterbell Family clashed against itself and began freezing the surrounding air.
It was not sword aura, but a phenomenon created by the mana dwelling within their bodies.
A smile brushed past Ron’s lips.
“What do you think, Brother?”
Lux’s gentle voice rang out.
“You’ve grown, Ron.”
His wrist bent ever so slightly.
In that instant, his sword twisted and pushed Ron’s blade aside.
Whoosh-!
Ron twisted his body and avoided Lux’s counterattack.
Lux’s sword split the air. A sharp chill brushed past Ron’s cheek.
‘As expected… Brother’s sword is sharp.’
The gazes of the two men met in midair.
For a moment, it felt as though the air itself had frozen.
Lux’s sword split the air once more.
Whoom!
The trajectory drawn by his sword shone coldly, like ice crystals. Every single step Lux took, every single sword strike he made, was deadly. There was not the slightest waste in his swordsmanship.
Exclamations burst from the audience. The path Lux’s sword created was like the frost of death itself.
“T-that is…!”
“Absolute Sword…!”
“How can Lux Winterbell’s sword be so beautiful and lofty…? It’s hard to believe that this is the domineering swordsmanship of the Winterbell Family.”
Ron calmly received each of his attacks one by one.
Reading the fatal intent hidden within those cold and razor-sharp sword strikes.
Every time their swords collided, frigid sparks flew.
“It’s not over yet, Brother.”
Ron’s sword emitted a sharp light.
Lux’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Their swords clashed once more.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Pale sword strikes embroidered the training ground.
The frigid shockwaves born from the meeting of Lux’s cold sword and Ron’s seemingly blazing blade.
Even the breathing of the audience seemed to have frozen.
Lux’s sword cut through the air as it aimed for Ron’s neck.
But Ron’s reaction was even faster.
Clang!
Twisting his sword at an angle different from what was expected, he diverted Lux’s attack. Lux’s eyes widened for an instant.
‘This swordsmanship…’
Ron’s movements had changed. He was no longer purely defensive. Rather, even as he received Lux’s attacks, he was creating chances to counterattack.
The audience began to stir. Everyone had expected Lux to dominate one-sidedly, but the scene before their eyes was different.
“That…”
“Ron Winterbell is pushing Lux Winterbell back?”
“No way…”
“Stop making a fuss. Can’t you tell at a glance that he’s taking it easy?”
Huuuuung!
Ron Winterbell’s sword flashed like lightning. Lux barely twisted his body aside and avoided the attack. But Ron’s offensive did not stop.
With Ron’s words, his sword shot forth like rain.
“Show me the real thing, Brother. You’re not someone who’d be beaten by just this much, are you?”
For the first time, tension flickered across Lux’s face. But he welcomed this situation greatly. Before he realized it, he smiled. It was not a mocking smile, but one of joy.
A continuous barrage of sword strikes poured down like a storm.
The first sword cut through the air toward Lux’s neck. Its sharp trajectory shone silver. The moment Lux barely twisted his head and avoided it, the second sword followed.
Whoom!
Ron’s sword surged upward from below.
A sharp slash aimed at Lux’s chest.
But that was only the beginning.
The third sword split the air. The fourth sword flashed. The fifth sword gleamed. Before the continuous sword strikes pouring down like a waterfall, Lux had no choice but to be pushed back again and again.
Each and every strike drew a fatal trajectory.
If the first aimed for the neck, then the second aimed for the chest, and the third for the abdomen.
Each one contained its own independent intent to kill, yet together they formed a perfect chain.
The trajectory created by Ron’s sword was like a painting. The blade that cut across the upper line brushed past the lower line, then flowed perfectly into an attack for the flank. In between, fatal thrusts were mixed in from time to time.
To block those attacks, Lux had to sharpen every nerve in his body. It was a perfect continuous chain of sword strikes that did not allow even a single mistake. It held both the beauty of a dance and the threat of death at the same time.
The audience’s exclamations continued.
“What in the world is that swordsmanship?”
“I heard Ron Winterbell went into secluded training… It seems he made considerable progress.”
“I have no idea how this is going to end. Damn it! If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve bet on Ron Winterbell!”
Ron’s swordsmanship had evolved into an entirely new form while still using Winterbell’s swordsmanship as its foundation.
Lux Winterbell took a step back.
Ron Winterbell looked at Lux Winterbell with cold eyes and said,
“Brother.”
“……”
“I’m no longer the person I used to be.”
The corner of Lux Winterbell’s lips curved into an arc.
“Yes. It seems that way. You’ve grown a lot.”
Ron Winterbell’s sword shone once more.
This time, even sharper and even faster.
Lux Winterbell had to draw out a considerable amount of strength to block the attack.
‘To think he had grown this much. So it was true that he gained enlightenment in secluded training.’
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The moment sword and sword collided, shockwaves spread out. To think it had this much power even without mana. It was impact created purely through physical strength and skill alone.
The doubts in the audience deepened. Most of the gamblers who had bet on Lux Winterbell were beginning to grow uneasy. But no one knew the answer. They could only marvel at the overwhelming swordsmanship unfolding before their eyes.
“That swordsmanship is absurd……”
“To think Ron Winterbell was this strong… I misjudged him.”
“A-as expected… It seems the Winterbell Family’s secluded training really is something else.”
Lux’s breathing gradually began to grow rougher.
Meanwhile, Ron’s movements remained as sharp as ever.
There was not a single opening in any of his movements.
Each time the sword strikes continued, Lux was pushed back little by little.
Now it was clear to anyone watching.
Ron Winterbell was overwhelming Lux Winterbell.
The astonishment in the audience continued. The people of the Winterbell Family, in particular, looked even more stunned. Because they knew Lux Winterbell’s skill well, they understood just how shocking the current situation was.
Rayven Helios looked at Arkan with a mocking grin.
“Ron Winterbell is putting up quite a fight, isn’t he?”
Arkan Winterbell still answered expressionlessly.
“The result is the same.”
“Really? An upset could still happen, couldn’t it?”
“……”
As though it was not even worth answering, Arkan Winterbell turned his head away.
Ron Winterbell growled,
“Brother.”
Killing intent settled in his cold eyes.
“Do I look like I’m playing around?”
“……”
“How long will you keep humiliating me before you’re satisfied? Face me properly. I’m telling you to show your true skill!”
Lux’s eyes widened.
And at that very moment.
Ron’s body began to spin. Holding his sword horizontally, he began to move as though a single flower were blooming.
The Winterbell Family’s Seventh Decisive Battle Technique.
It was the stance of ‘Blizzard Flash.’
But even when the first rotation ended, Ron’s movement did not stop.
The second rotation.
Faster, sharper.
Before the afterimage of the first sword strike had even faded, the second strike followed.
The third rotation.
Speed pushed to the extreme.
The trajectory drawn by the sword shone in midair.
Shiiiiiing-!
A triple-layered sword strike shot toward Lux.
A sure-kill blow created by three consecutive spins.
Triple Blizzard Flash.