『H-h-h-how is that possible?!』
『It... it broke!』
『Arthur's Light's Judgment... was cut in half!』
『What just happened?!』
Even the announcer was stunned and started to stutter. He had no idea what was going on.
Arthur's "Light's Judgment" was his ultimate move. It had always worked. Its power was terrifying. He had never seen anyone block it.
"What... what just happened?"
Even Erza didn't know. As the only other person to face that move, she knew how strong it was.
She had used her strongest defense and still couldn't block it. But this man, Yoriichi, had blocked it with just a sword. He had broken it. This was beyond what she could understand.
"That monster..."
Kray stared at Kael Vane. To everyone else, it looked like he was beaten in one hit. But he knew he had tested him over and over.
This guy was a real, out-of-this-world monster. Of course he could block Arthur's attack.
But even he was shocked that Kael had broken it so easily.
...
At that moment, Kael Vane slowly came back to his senses. It felt like only a second had passed, but it also felt like an hour.
So that's an epiphany?
He had read enough novels to know what that was.
He must have had an epiphany. He now understood magic on a much higher level.
Only someone with Yoriichi's amazing talent could grasp this kind of power so quickly.
Looking back, the way he used magic before was like child's play.
In that instant, he had rearranged his magic, focused it on the blade, and unleashed an incredible destructive power.
Kael Vane looked at Arthur. He raised his sword with one hand and casually swung it down.
Swish—!
A slash flew from his blade.
It shot past Arthur before he could even react.
CRACK—!
The giant arena wall was split in two with a perfectly clean cut, as if it were made of tofu.
"!!!"
Everyone was stunned. The announcer's microphone fell from his hand.
The whole stadium was silent, staring in terror at the huge cut.
"What... what was that?"
Kael's attack was silent, but the damage was real. Many people here could break the arena wall.
But to slice it so cleanly, like tofu, without damaging anything else around it... that was impossible.
Arthur stared at the clean cut, his face dazed.
He had thought he was just a little bit weaker than this man. Now he knew it wasn't a little bit. It wasn't close at all.
Kael Vane sheathed his sword and said flatly, "Someone who doesn't know the sword can't understand what they're seeing. Someone who does know the sword just realizes how small they are."
BOOM—!
Everyone was stunned by his words. It was bold. But in a crowd of the best swordsmen in the kingdom, not one person argued.
To not argue meant they agreed.
Arthur's eyes widened. His knees gave out, and he fell to the ground.
"I... lose!"
『It's over!』
『The winner is... Yoriichi Tsugikuni!』
『Too strong! He's just too strong!』
『The winner of the Strongest Swordsman Tournament is... Yoriichi Tsugikuni!』
『The strongest swordsman on the Ishgar continent! Yoriichi Tsugikuni! He deserves the title!』
"Sword God! Sword God! Sword God!"
The crowd was cheering. They didn't understand the details of his skill. They just knew he was so strong that even the best nine-star swordsman looked like a kid in front of him.
But to the seven, eight, and nine-star swordsmen... what they had just seen was beyond belief.
As they heard the crowd chanting his new title, they all had the same thought.
Is this man... really a god of the sword?
They couldn't imagine anyone else having such terrifying skill.
...
In the royal palace.
CRASH!
The king slammed his fist on the table, shattering it.
As the previous strongest nine-star swordsman, he knew what that last cut meant. He was still in shock.
Other people might think the man's final words were an exaggeration, but he knew they weren't. The gap between them was too big to cross.
It was a level he could never reach, no matter how hard he trained.
If he were younger, he would beg the man to be his teacher, no matter the cost. But he was old now. It was too late.
But he felt lucky to have seen such skill in his lifetime.
If he could get this man to join the dragon hunt, it would definitely succeed.
Suddenly!
A voice shouted.
"Report! Urgent news!"
A soldier ran in, his face full of panic.
"What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?"
"Your Majesty! Our scouts report movement in the Great Forest of Monsters! At least 100,000 monsters are heading for the city!"
"What?! At a time like this?!"
The king's face changed. 100,000 monsters. That was a huge number. If they weren't careful, the whole city could be destroyed.
The king quickly calmed down. "Minister! Get all soldiers on high alert!"
"Move all citizens to the arena for safety! And gather every swordsman in the city to fight!"
"Yes, sir!"