Chapter 23: A World of Difference
Boom— — — —!
The entire arena almost exploded from the sheer force of Arthur's single magical strike.
"Oh oh oh oh oh oh!!"
"So cool! Arthur!"
"Mr. Arthur~~~!!"
"Arthur! Arthur! Arthur!!"
The commentator, his voice hoarse from excitement, stood up and shouted into his lacrima:
"The winner has been decided!!"
"Contestant Arthur, with just one strike! He has defeated all other opponents!!!"
"Truly worthy of being the strongest 9-Star Swordsman of our Sobelia Kingdom—!!!"
Ren, still in his Yoriichi Take Over, watched from the lounge, his expression one of profound, calm disappointment. "No… no, this is magic, right? Isn't this cheating?"
The enthusiastic big brother next to him, who had been cheering for Arthur, looked at Ren like he was an idiot. "Magic? No, this is swordsmanship. Magic Swordsmen are also Swordsmen. All who become high-star Swordsmen are Magic Swordsmen. Where are you from, that you don't even know this?"
"…"
Ren was a bit speechless. He was right; he had indeed come from a world without magic. But more than that, his current persona was that of Yoriichi Tsugikuni, a man for whom swordsmanship was a pure art, a path of physical and spiritual perfection.
Originally, Ren thought that at most, magic here would only be used to enhance physical abilities, and then perhaps condense magic power to release some slashes. He didn't expect a "swordsman" to just cast a massive, area-of-effect light spell.
'This isn't swordsmanship,' Ren thought, the memory of Yoriichi's life providing the context. 'This is just a Mage casting a spell with a sword as a focus. There is no skill in it. Only raw power.'
"So strong!"
Erza's expression, however, was very serious as she saw Arthur's attack. With one strike, he defeated so many people. Was this the strongest 9-Star Swordsman of the Sobelia Kingdom?
If she were to Requip her Heaven's Wheel Armor or Adamantine Armor, she was confident she could withstand that strike. But without Requipping, using only her base armor and skill... she wasn't sure. His power was immense.
"Tch! Still so fond of showing off!" Clay felt a bit displeased seeing Arthur's popularity so much higher than his own.
In the royal palace, King Reno looked at the screen and nodded in satisfaction.
"Excellent!"
The King looked at the screen and nodded in satisfaction. Arthur was someone he had watched rise through the ranks. He was a swordsmanship genius, never arrogant or conceited, always striving to improve his sword skills, and his strength was rapidly increasing. If the Magic Council had not only defined Mages, Arthur's strength would definitely have a place among the Ten Wizard Saints. He was the perfect candidate to wield the Dragon Slayer Sword.
Back in the lounge, the staff quickly cleared the arena of the dozens of unconscious bodies.
"Next up is Group D, also the final group! Contestants, please enter!!"
After all the defeated Swordsmen were carried off for treatment, the commentator announced the entry of the final group of contestants.
"Is it my turn?" Ren said, his voice calm. He stood up and, in his simple red haori and carrying his plain red blade, walked towards the contestant entrance of the arena.
As soon as he stepped out into the massive stadium, another round of enthusiastic cheers erupted, even louder than the ones for Arthur. But they weren't for him.
"Allen! Allen! Allen!!"
Ren looked back and saw a young man with fiery red hair, about his age, entering the arena behind him. The young man smiled brightly, his teeth flashing in the sun, and waved to the audience, expertly playing to the crowd.
"Wow ah! It's Allen!!"
"So handsome!!"
"Go, Allen!! Defeat them all!!"
Many girls in the audience screamed. Allen was very handsome, his swordsmanship was also very superb, and most importantly, he was young. At only nineteen years old, he was the dream lover of many girls.
Although Clay and Arthur were not old, they were in their thirties, which in the eyes of fourteen or fifteen-year-old girls, made them almost "old men."
"Tch! Just a stinky brat," Clay muttered from the lounge, seeing Allen so popular with young girls.
"It's the genius Swordsman Allen!!" the commentator roared.
"He is the youngest 9-Star Swordsman in our Sobelia Kingdom!!"
"And also the only 9-Star Swordsman in this group! We wonder if he can sweep through like the other two 9-Star Swordsmen!! Let's wait and see!!"
Ren glanced at the other party, then walked calmly to the center of the arena, finding an empty space.
After entering, Ren also realized that these people were all avoiding those with higher star ratings than themselves, prioritizing eliminating those with lower star ratings. After he entered, in his simple robes and with an unknown face, he felt no less than ten gazes fall upon him.
It seemed they were treating him as an easy target. Ren couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth curl up slightly.
'They think I am the weakest. Good. That will make this faster.'
He was here for the 20 million J. Since this "Yoriichi Tsugikuni" persona would be shed after winning the prize money, he might as well give these people a little shock.
The crowd, meanwhile, was placing their final bets.
"This match is definitely without suspense!"
"Yeah! Allen is a 9-Star genius Swordsman!"
"As expected, the Swordsmen of our Sobelia Kingdom are the strongest. Only that red-haired woman was a bit powerful, but she still can't compare to our country's 9-Star Swordsmen."
"We just need to enjoy Allen's performance!"
"Exactly! Exactly!"
Everyone in the audience felt that this round was already without suspense. The gap between a 9-Star Swordsman and an 8-Star Swordsman was enormous.
"Now for the first round, Group D's showdown, begin— — — —!!"
Clang— — — —!
With the sound of the starting gong, the fourth battle immediately began.
"Heads up, robe-guy! You're first!" a 6-Star Swordsman yelled, already charging at Ren, who he perceived as the weakest link.
Almost at the instant the gong sounded, Ren's entire demeanor changed. The air around him seemed to warp with heat.
He took a single, deep, hissing breath.
"Sun Breathing · Eleventh Form: Dragon of Halos - Solar Dragon Dance!!!"
He didn't cast a spell. He moved.
In a single, fluid, serpentine motion, Ren flowed across the battlefield. He was a blur of red and black, his blade a simple, clean line. But as he moved, a colossal dragon of pure, golden-red flame, as bright as the sun itself, erupted from the trail of his blade.
"Roar— — — — —!!!"
A high-pitched dragon roar echoed in the arena, but it wasn't a magical sound. It was the sound of the air itself screaming as it was superheated and split by his perfect, flawless technique.
The giant flaming dragon wound and danced, instantly passing through all the contestants.
"Ugh ah ah ah ah!!"
"Wah ah ah ah ah!!"
The 6-Star Swordsman who had been charging him simply froze, his eyes wide, before being engulfed.
All the contestants, including the genius 9-Star Swordsman Allen, were all sent flying by this one strike, their armor seared and their bodies instantly knocked unconscious.
The fire dragon disappeared.
A man with deep red long hair, wearing a red haori, stood where the dragon's head had vanished, his red blade already sliding back into its sheath with a quiet click.
Thump, thump, thump, thump!
One by one, all 100+ contestants fell to the ground, having lost their fighting capability.
"…"
The entire venue instantly fell silent.
In the contestant resting area, the three victors—Erza, Clay, and Arthur—all stood up, looking at the calm man in the arena with shocked expressions.
Clay's eyes widened in disbelief: "This…how is this possible?! How can anyone's swordsmanship reach this level? No... impossible... absolutely impossible!"
Arthur said with a solemn expression, his voice tight: "It has already truly happened before our eyes, Clay. Why do you still say it's impossible? That man is standing right there."
"So strong! Truly... too strong!" Erza couldn't utter any superfluous words. Her eyes were fixed on the man's figure in the arena. Shock and awe were not enough to describe it.
She, a master of a hundred blades, knew what she had just seen. A word popped into her mind: God!!
If there truly were gods among swordsmen, then this man, "Yoriichi Tsugikuni," was the Sword God.
In the royal palace.
Clap!
The King slammed his hands on the arms of his throne and stood up, staring at Ren on the screen with a shocked expression. The King was also an experienced 9-Star Swordsman, once revered as the strongest in the Sobelia Kingdom.
However, although he was older, his insight was even greater.
Those who didn't understand swordsmanship, like the crowd, might see Ren's and Arthur's attacks as both clearing the field with one strike. They might seem similar.
But in the eyes of a true top-tier Swordsman like the King, the difference between the two was not just a little bit.
It was simply a world of difference.
'Arthur's attack was an explosion,' the King thought, his hands shaking. 'A release of raw magical power. But this... this Yoriichi... there was no Ethernano. It was all him. His breath. His body. His blade. He didn't cast the fire dragon... he became it. That wasn't magic. That was... that was the pinnacle of skill.'
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