Chapter 23: Just a 'Little' Shock
BOOM----!
The entire arena practically exploded with noise.
"OOOOOOOHHH!!"
"SO COOL, ARTHUR!"
"LORD ARTHUR~~~!!"
"ARTHUR! ARTHUR! ARTHUR!"
The announcer leaped to his feet, screaming with excitement:
"It's over! The winner is decided!"
"Contestant Arthur, with just one single strike! Has defeated all other opponents!"
"He is truly worthy of being our Kingdom of Soar's strongest Nine-Star Swordsman---!!!"
Ren, however, was dumbfounded. "W... wait, that was magic, right? Isn't that cheating?"
"Magic? No, that's swordsmanship," the helpful guy next to Ren explained. "A magic swordsman is still a swordsman. Besides, all the high-star swordsmen are magic swordsmen. What hick town did you come from, not even knowing that?"
"..."
Ren was speechless. He wasn't wrong. Ren really did come from a world without magic. He originally thought that, at most, they would use magic to enhance their physical abilities or release some magic-infused slashes. He never expected full-blown magic spells to be part of it.
"So strong!"
Erza's expression was grim as she watched Arthur's attack. He defeated so many people with a single strike. Is this the strongest Nine-Star Swordsman in the Kingdom of Soar?
If she Requipped, she could probably withstand that attack. But without Requipping, she wasn't sure.
"Tch! Still such a show-off!" Cray muttered, clearly annoyed that Arthur was so much more popular than he was.
"Excellent!"
In the palace, the King watched the screen and nodded, satisfied. Arthur was someone he had watched grow up. He had been a sword genius since he was young, but never arrogant, always working hard to improve his skills. His power had grown rapidly. If the Magic Council didn't only recognize mages, Arthur's strength would have definitely earned him a spot among the Ten Wizard Saints.
"Next up is Group D, the final group! Contestants, please enter the arena!"
After all the defeated swordsmen were carried off for treatment, the announcer called for the last group.
"My turn?"
Ren (as Yoriichi) stood up and walked toward the contestant entrance.
The moment he entered the arena, another wave of wild cheers erupted.
"ALLEN! ALLEN! ALLEN!!"
Ren looked back and saw a young man about his own age, with fiery red hair, taking the stage. The young man had a sunny smile and waved to the crowd.
"Waaah! It's Allen!"
"He's so handsome!"
"Go, Allen! Take them all down!"
The young girls in the audience screamed. Allen was handsome, his sword skills were superb, and most importantly, he was young—only nineteen. He was the dream boat for many of them. Cray and Arthur, despite not being old, were both over a decade older than Allen. In the eyes of 14 and 15-year-old girls, they were practically old men.
"Tch! Just a brat," Cray muttered, jealous of Allen's popularity.
"It's the genius swordsman, Allen!!" the announcer boomed. "He is our Kingdom of Soar's youngest Nine-Star Swordsman!!"
"He is also the only Nine-Star Swordsman in this group! Will he be able to sweep the field just like the other two Nine-Stars?! Let's wait and see!!"
Ren glanced at him and walked onto the field.
After entering, Ren could see the dynamic: everyone avoided those with higher star ranks and prioritized eliminating those with lower ones. The moment he stepped on, he felt at least ten pairs of eyes land on him.
Looks like they're treating me as an easy target. A small smile touched Ren's lips.
In any case, I'm dropping this persona as soon as I get the prize money. Might as well give them just a 'little' bit of a shock.
"This match has no suspense."
"Yeah, Allen is a Nine-Star genius!"
"See, our Kingdom of Soar's swordsmen are the strongest. That woman was pretty good, but she still can't compare to our country's Nine-Star."
"Let's just sit back and enjoy Allen's performance!"
"Exactly!"
The audience was in full agreement that this round was a foregone conclusion. The gap between an Eight-Star and a Nine-Star swordsman was massive, and the gap between a genius and an ordinary person was even wider.
"And now, the preliminary round for Group D... BEGIN!"
GONG----!
The fourth battle began.
Almost in the same instant the gong rang.
"Sun Breathing, Eleventh Form: Dragon Sun Halo Head Dance!"
"Aaaaannnngg----!"
A piercing dragon's cry echoed across the arena. In the next instant, a massive, flaming dragon snaked through the air, weaving through all the contestants in a single, fluid motion.
"Gwaaaaaah!"
"Uwaaaaaah!"
All the contestants—including the Nine-Star genius Allen—were sent flying by this one attack.
The fire dragon dissipated. A man with long, dark red hair, wearing a red haori, stood where the dragon's head had been. On his back was the contestant number '0556'.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
All the other contestants crashed to the ground, out of commission.
"..."
The entire stadium was dead silent.
In the contestant waiting area, the three other winners—Erza, Cray, and Arthur—were all on their feet, staring in absolute shock at the calm man in the arena.
Cray's eyes were wide with disbelief. "That... That's impossible! How can anyone's swordsmanship reach that level?! No! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Arthur's expression was heavy. "It just happened right in front of us. How can you say it's impossible? That man is standing right there."
"So strong... He's just... too strong." Erza couldn't find any other words. Her eyes were locked on the man's figure. "Shocked" and "stunned" weren't enough to describe what she was feeling.
One word surfaced in her mind: God!
If there was truly a God of the Sword, then that man was him.
In the royal palace.
SLAM!
The king shot to his feet, slamming his hands on the table. He stared at Ren's image on the screen, completely thunderstruck.
The king was also a veteran Nine-Star Swordsman. He, too, had once been called the strongest swordsman in the kingdom. As he aged, he had gradually stepped back, allowing the younger Arthur to take the title. But though his age was great, his insight was even greater.
To the untrained eye, both Arthur's and Ren's attacks were one-hit-KO victories, seemingly the same. But to a true, top-tier swordsman, the difference between the two was not just "a star and a half."
It was the difference between heaven and earth.
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let's go!
We cross the 300 power stone goal and as promise here the bonus chapter
Wanna more bouns chapter
Next goal 400 power stone, good luck guys.
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