128. martial arts contest (1)

Long ago, there was a country called the Empire. The empire, which held the hegemony of the continent and feared no country under the world, was ironically divided into three branches due to internal power struggles. Here, the kingdom of Liint was established as the capital of the empire, the city where the palace of the great emperor was located. The kingdom was able to inherit most of the brilliant legacy left by the empire.

The huge amphitheater located not far from the palace was one of them. A place where those who wished for romance and became knights, but lost romance after becoming knights, rekindle the fire in their hearts. A place where warriors have shed blood over hundreds of years. A place where the mad shouts of the citizens of the capital can be heard every year.

““Waaa-!””

Under the very blue sky of December 30th, the Colosseum, which was called the crown of the empire, was regaining its former glory.

bang-!

The first match of the finals and round of 32 was progressing in a fierce manner. A knight from the north and a knight from the royal capital clashed swords and gasped for breath. The citizens of the royal capital urged each other to raise their swords again, shouting the name of the knight they were cheering for. In this way, the name of the knight became known among the citizens of the capital city, and the knowledge spread and reached the ears of the aristocrats who would become owners.

“hey! What are you doing, Edward! Raise your sword!”

“The name of the north is a waste! Elin!”

The knights raised their swords while infusing a spirit of evil. cold winter. The joints of the armor creaked even though they were oiled, and for a long time the hands wielding the swords were freezing cold even with the gauntlets wrapped around them. However, after the preliminary action was over, the swords that collided with them embroidered sparks in the air at a speed that the eyes could not dare to follow.

“Yes, well done! Even the king cuts off the miser!”

“Damn it! Show the northern countrymen what the royal capital is like!”

People scream good things without even realizing what is going on. After exchanging sums, booing is poured out on the side that is pushed out, and bigger booing is poured out on the side that is pushed out.

Wow… , wow… .

When I closed my eyes, the shouts were far away. It wasn’t just the shouts. It just felt like the world was shutting itself away for a while. In the darkness revealed by closed eyes, Maxim was completely alone. The only thing I could clearly feel was the weight of Baek Ah in my hand. The pure white fangs seemed to be sleeping quietly, still hiding their feral nature.

I felt the beating of my heart. It was running at a steady beat as usual. I don’t feel any tension. Exchange swords, destroy the opponent’s sword, and win. That’s it. Maxim opened his eyes again and listened quietly to the commotion in the Colosseum. Pongong sound was heard regularly, then it burst out once loudly and then fell silent. One side must have widened the distance with a strong attack.

“Time to cast an aura.”

Maxim was looking forward to the next round of competition. Just as Maxim muttered quietly, someone’s shout was heard, followed by people’s exclamations.

keying-!

A sharp noise like tearing metal pierces your ears. The sound of pulling out the aura from the sword became tinnitus and lingered in my ears.

“Come! Sh*t, isn’t our royal road knight coming?”

“Good job, north! I mean, kill the spirit of the king too!”

Even though one side cast an aura, there was no sign of an opposing aura being cast. It’s probably a knight who can’t manifest an aura. Maxim could easily predict what would happen next.

bang-!

A collision sound that is different from the previous sound. Judging from the fact that the match was not over at the first match, it seemed that the knights of the royal capital were still holding out against the knights of the north who were using auras. Maxim could hear the sound of a sword darting past another sword.

“Damn, isn’t Aura cheating? I think our royal road knight used the sword better!”

“If you twist it, you should use it. Push more!”

bang-! bang-!

And,

visor-!

The sound of sword blades breaking echoed. Maxim could guess that the match was over. And after a moment of silence, a huge roar was heard. The referee’s voice pierces through the waves, and announces the winner.

“victor! Elin Thuram of the Red Wolf Knights!”

After the referee’s declaration, the cheers doubled. Maxim began to relax slowly. The second match of the round of 32 would be a match against a knight from the western border. Maxim’s consciousness, which started with breathing, expanded to every corner of his body. A ritual that awakens the body. As Maxim’s breathing subsided and he soon entered combat readiness, the door to the waiting room opened and the guide entered.

“Get ready. I will enter soon.”

Maxim nodded, tied Baekah around his waist, and stood up. The land felt by the extended senses was near. The background sound of the Colosseum, which had been filled with shouts, had changed to a cloud-like murmur before I knew it.

“next-! Carl Dorian of the White Hawk Knights!”

Half jeers, half shouts can be heard. When the guide signaled that it was time to walk out, Maxim stepped out into the brightly lit aisle. With each step, the sound of the Colosseum became clearer.

“And-! Arsene Bern of the 2nd Guards!”

Maxim appeared at the referee’s call. I can hear a shout that I don’t know if it’s a shout or a boo. It was as if my body moved automatically according to the sound of the crowd. When I turned my eyes, thousands, maybe tens of thousands of people sat tightly in their seats and chanted the names of Arsene and the other person.

“Both players promise to do their best in the match in accordance with the spirit of chivalry… .”

The story of chivalry recited by the referee and the oath of the match flowed out of one ear, while Maxim took a deep breath. The air in the Colosseum smelled familiar, a mixture of blood and earth. slowly. Again, Maxim exhaled the air from the Colosseum. The clear shouts fade away again. Even though he opened his eyes, the only thing that caught Maxim’s eyes was the image of the other person.

“Yang players, get ready!”

A look of nervousness was evident on the opponent’s face. Carl Dorian pulled out the sword from his waist. It looked like a pretty famous sword. The crowd also let out exclamations when they saw the sword drawn by Carl Dorian. At the exclamation he heard, Carl Dorian was able to erase the tension from his face and put on a triumphant smile.

“Great? Isn’t that enough to slice through rocks?”

“Since he is the son of a rich merchant baron, he should use a sword like that. This, I don’t know if the opponent won’t be intimidated by the sword… uh?”

The crowd’s exclamations turned to silence in an instant. It was the moment when the blade pulled out of Maxim’s scabbard caught the eyes of the spectators. The sunlight of the sun high above the blue sky shone on Baek-ah. White, like the frozen snow of winter, it flashed with a humble, unassuming color. A murmur, not an exclamation, came from the audience.

“… what is that black? sword right? Where did you get the artifact from?”

“I don’t know if the other knight won’t be intimidated.”

“That knight, isn’t he just using a fancy sword?”

At Baek Ah’s figure, the expression of Carl Dorian, who had been smiling triumphantly while people were agitated, hardened into a tense one again. Pointing their swords at each other, the two knights finished warming up. The referee looked at both fighters once, then raised his hand and stepped back.

“The match begins!”

Along with that loud declaration, deafening cheers are heard. Carl Dorian used that roar as a stepping stone and thrust out his sword with furious speed. Maxim took the option of shedding the sword rather than forcefully accepting it. The wind from the sword passed by Maxim’s ears. The sword raised by Carl Dorian stopped in the air and then changed its trajectory toward Maxim.

Kang-!

first collision. Maxim could feel the sword of Baek Ah, who was crying happily. Perhaps he was glad that he could fulfill his duty as a sword, Baek Ah guided Maxim’s arm like a living creature. Maxim moved his body as the sword guided him. Flowing naturally and gracefully from the top left to the bottom right.

shhhhh.

Carl Dorian could feel a cool sensation running up his spine and up to his head. It would be dangerous to receive that attack right away. Before he could even think of it, Carl Dorian leaned back. With a short hair difference, Baek Ah’s pure white blade brushed past Dorian.

Peeing.

A black wind arose. Maxim laughed at the sight of sharp sword marks on the floor following the sword path Baek Ah had drawn. The other person also looked at the figure and raised their eyes as if they were dumbfounded. In the meantime, Maxim continued the next sword attack. Baek-ah moved her body as she wanted. The wind was on Maxim’s side. The swirling mana in his body brought Maxim to the realm of swiftness.

bang-!

strange sensation. Maxim realized that the opponent was trying to extract the aura. Mana was swaying from Carl Dorian’s sword. Maxim deliberately created a gap for him to form an aura. Carl Dorian wrinkled his expression as if his pride was hurt and began to slam Mana into his sword.

“Come! I’m in a hurry, so I take it out first.”

“Damn it! What is our article doing! I hope you won’t be able to use your aura again this time!”

Read at noblemtl. com

Now, it might be possible. Maxim looked at the aura that Carl Dorian had manifested. I hadn’t directly applied the blade when dealing with Auras, but now I felt like I could destroy Auras from the front. Carl Dorian smiled at the corners of his mouth, as if he had noticed what he was thinking in Maxim’s eyes.

“Come in and see.”

To the opponent’s provocation, Maxim responded honestly. Leaving herself in the wind, Maxim disappeared before everyone’s eyes. When Carl Dorian caught Maxim again, the pure white blade was already halfway to his sword. It’s really going to come head-on. Arousing an aura to the fullest, Carl Dorian thrust the sword with the force to cut the shining sword in half.

Kang-!

The sound he heard betrayed Carl Dorian’s expectations from the front, and fulfilled Maxim’s expectations. The opponent’s smile froze, and Maxim raised the corners of his mouth very slightly. It is possible. If it’s the swordsmanship that Baek Ah and Naira taught me. More strength entered Maxim’s grip.

‘I’m being pushed back?’

Carl Dorian was shocked inside. The murmur in the crowd was growing. Can’t be pushed like this Carl Dorian became desperate and gathered his strength. If he didn’t switch to the offensive, he would just be beaten and the game was ready to end.

“aaa!”

With a spirit, Carl Dorian triggered his aura. There was an explosion, and the pressure on the sword disappeared. At the same time, the knight named Arsene Bern, who was in sight, also disappeared. Second, I wasn’t embarrassed. Carol moved behind her, thinking that she twisted her body and swung her sword, but she couldn’t see anything in her eyes.

‘… where?’

And, a shadow fell over her head. Carol belatedly recognized him and raised her sword like a shield. Like a feather falling down, Maxim descended without a sound. The white egg in her hand embraces the winter sky and falls like a meteor, drawing a shining tail.

bang-!

There was a sound that I couldn’t believe that an ordinary sword collided with a sword that emits an aura. Carl Dorian gritted his teeth at the heavy shock that resonated deep in his bones. However, Maxim’s series of attacks had only just begun.

Baek Ah pierces again with a sharp sword. Carl Dorian’s sword, wrapped in an aura like a shield, struggled to block Baek Ah’s sword attack. again, again. Heavy sword strikes flew one after another in a strange trajectory. Every time I blocked an attack, it seemed as if the sword’s aura was being sheared away. At first, the audience buzzed in bewilderment at the incomprehensible phenomenon taking place in the middle of the Colosseum, but soon, when Maxim started pushing Carl Dorian perfectly, they let out a huge cheer.

“Well done! Just kill me without an aura!”

“Build up the pride of a knight on the royal road!”

draw a sword Now, there was no need to use the sword his master had taught him. He just swung his sword as Baek-ah led him, as if recreating the karma they had accumulated together. below, above. sometimes head-on. If you don’t see gaps, create gaps.

bang-! bang-!

Carl Dorian subconsciously realized that he couldn’t win in Maxim’s double attack. As if the aura had really been shaved off while fighting, it suddenly changed into an unstable form, and the body that poured mana into the aura reacted slower than expected.

Even if you lose, shouldn’t you show a little cool and lose?

Carl Dorian drew mana for the last time. The aura that had been unstable took shape again, and the body moved as expected again.

“Huh!”

With a spirited spirit, Carl Dorian swung his sword following Maxim’s sword strike. However, it could not be reached. The sword continued uninterrupted. Carl Dorian, who was unable to hit Maxim’s sword even once, was helplessly caught up in the continued sword attack.

“this… !”

“Thank you for your effort.”

Maxim said that one last time, and stabbed Baek-ah straight ahead.

Tung-!

There was an empty sound, different from the previous clash, and Maxim’s sword was retracted under the chin of Carl Dorian, who let go of the sword and gasped for breath. The shouts that continued to raise their voice following Maxim, who overpowered the opponent, finally reached a climax and shook the Colosseum. The referee declared the winner in a loud voice.

“victor! Arsene Bern of the 2nd Guards!!”

With an expression of regret, Carl Dorian asked for a handshake with Maxim. Maxim held the hand of the other, who was trembling slightly from shock, and exchanged greetings. As the crowd chanted his name, Arsene slightly bowed his head and exited as instructed.

“Whoa… .”

Maxim entered the waiting room, looked in the mirror and sighed. I could still hear cheers from outside, but my heart wasn’t excited. What captures Maxim’s mind is the conversation he had with the king before the finals began.

“I.”

Arsene’s face is reflected in the mirror. Maxim put his hand to the mirror and recalled his conversation with the king.

—

“You broke through the preliminaries brilliantly, Arsene.”

Contrary to the words congratulating the ball calmly, the voice could not hide the excitement. The king was facing Maxim with Hugo accompanying him with a somewhat tired face.

“It only brought about the results it deserved, Your Majesty.”

“I heard that Louise fitted Sir with a new sword.”

“… Yes. I am deeply grateful for the consideration of the first prince.”

The King smiled happily and tapped the armrest of the chair.

“Actually, I wanted to prepare Sir’s sword separately. It’s like losing a player to Lewis.”

“I’m sorry.”

The King burst into laughter again at Maxim’s answer.

“You don’t have to be too humble. Jim seems to forgive me for being a little cocky now.”

After the story about Maxim’s overwhelming preliminaries was over, the king regained his original expression. It meant that it was time to get into the main topic.

“Leon Benning called Sir separately. Isn’t the reason why Kyung asked for a face-to-face meeting like this to talk about him?”

“Yes. It is so, Your Majesty.”

“Tell me what happened.”

Maxim let out a small breath and recounted his conversation with the Count. While listening to the story, the king’s expression was distorted with wrinkles between his brows, but soon returned to expressionless when the story was over.

“… Right. Could the Count have been suspicious of Sir’s true identity?”

“Yes. I must have been half convinced in my heart that I was Maxime Appart.”

The King didn’t look very troubled. However, his eyes were sunk very deeply, like those of a person who is about to make a major decision. The king thought deeply about something, then removed his hand from covering his mouth and finally opened his mouth.

“It is difficult to say that Beninga and the royal family have yet achieved a perfect equilibrium in terms of power. It seems that the powers revealed on the outside are similar, but if you have more cards like Sir Adeline, you won’t be able to evaluate them carelessly.”

The King’s eyes, as he said that, were not desperate.

“However, once the martial arts tournament is over, Beninga will become the second prince in earnest… It will start moving with Kyle at the fore. Conversely, this martial arts competition is a good opportunity to stop Beninga’s plan and move first.”

The King looked down at Maxim. Now, Maxim met those eyes with a light of heavy trust.

“Arsene, no, Maxim. After Leon Benning won the martial arts competition for his daughter, Theodora Benning, he must be thinking of becoming the second prince. When all the justifications are so perfect, he will draw his sword in earnest. And it will start turning the royal capital into a sea of blood.”

Maxim’s eyes darkened coldly. All thoughts came to a chilly halt, and the sword in my heart sharpened with the momentum to cut someone’s throat at any moment.

“Raise your head. Maxime Appart.”

The king called Maxim. Maxim raised his head and faced the king. In a solemn voice, the king asked Maxim a question.

“How did you feel? Do you think winning is possible?”

Maxim nodded without hesitation at the king’s question.

“No matter what the obstacles are, it is possible. I will make it happen.”

The king nodded his head as if convinced.

“Win. If you win the martial arts competition,”

The king’s voice rang low.

“Reveal your identity to the whole world, and become a royal knight again as Maxim Appart, not Arsene Bern.”

The king’s eyes were burning with fighting spirit.

“So I will declare war to take this country out of Benning’s clutches.”