âIlya Lindsay is stronger than I thought, but itâs indeed hard to defeat the Black Knight Commander. There is an age difference of 9 years. And it isnât like I would lose to a guy 20 years younger than me, butâŠâ
âI am 30 years older than you.â
âAh, come to think of it, everyone is the same. Donât get me wrong, I wasnât meaning to make fun of seniors.â
ââŠâ
âRalph? Why are you silent?â
â⊠my head is a bit confused.â
Ralph Penn gave that excuse to Inashio Karahan.
After dropping out of the tournament, he hung out with Devan Kennedy and Inashio Karahan.
They were evaluating the game with an objective perspective with regard to talent and styles and were discussing the good things of the contestants, so he was having a good time even with his shy personality.
âBut I cannot understand what just happened.â
It was possible to support one side. Maybe it was an acquaintance or a person they were fond of.
But in the previous match, the two people were strange. Really strange.
The appearance of Devan Kennedy and Inashio cheering for Ignet as if they were possessed by something felt so bizarre to him.
âSir Inashioâs actions can be explained with his attitude, but Sir Devan is a gentle person⊠what happened to him?â
The occurrence where the two of them were initially coughing up angry words about Ignet, and then suddenly started cheering for her... Ralph Penn couldnât figure it out.
This was because he married as soon as he turned 20, and he was in a happy marriage.
Airn and Ilyaâs love, which everyone frowned at, was something nice to him.
âAh, now everything is sorted out.â
âUm. What more to expect⊠Senior, what do you think?â
âAbout what?â
âAbout who will win? I wonder if Airnâs energy would undermine Sir Camrinâs skillsâŠâ
âThings like that can happen. But I have a different opinion than you.â
âDo you have any reason?â
âYes. Both of their styles are similar. Being faithful to the basics of swordsmanship and continuing to hone itâŠâ
â⊠it is really weird.â
Ralph Penn shook his head.
Devan Kennedy was back to his calm form, and Inashio was listening with a serious face.
Either way, something exciting would happen soon.
Ralph turned his head to the sky and thought.
âHoney, I miss youâŠâ
About 30 minutes later, the second match of the semi-finals started.
Normally, it would have taken longer. This was because the fight between Ignet and Ilya was so fierce that the entire stage was a mess.
But thanks to Jia Runtel, the Queen of magicians, the stage was repaired and ready to use sooner than expected.
âSeeing something like this makes me want to learn magic.â
âRight.â
âYou donât feel that too?â
âJust training with the sword is hard enough.â
âThat is strange for someone who uses sorcery to say.â
âHaha, is that so?â
Camrin Ray and Airn Pareira. The two of them were chatting on the stage. It was completely different from the previous match.
Needless to say, Ignet and Ilya were entangled in a relationship that everyone on the continent knew about.
However, there was no connection between these two currently on the stage. As gentle and good people, they had no reason to argue with each other or say harsh words.
âBe careful. Looking at how things have gone till now, I might over-exert myself.â
âI would prefer it if you did that.â
That didnât mean that the matches till now were meek and soft. Following the refereeâs guidance, the two of them raised their heads with bright eyes.
The audience looked nervous as they watched the two people.
Unlike the first match, where a lot of weight was placed on one side, the second was dominated by the opinion that anyone could win.
Of course, in the midst of that, there were advantages and disadvantages.
The public viewed Camrin's victory in high regard, and those who participated in the Warrior's Festival also had similar opinions.
However, Inashio Karahan didnât think that.
âHeâs a monster.â
He remembered the match he had in the Round of 16 and frowned.
The basics of swordsmanship, the body, and the aura... it was all different.
It was as if a 70-year-old man had become younger; he could feel the skills of an experienced man.
His senses were sharply forged, so he wondered what Airn had to go through to develop like that.
Airn will win.
Camrin Ray is strong, but heâs not strong enough. When they both were facing each other, the latter seemed likely to win.
It was the moment when he was concentrating on the match.
Pong!
ââŠâ
ââŠâ
ââŠ!â
There was a wave strong enough to cause cracks in the ground.
With that, the middle-aged man stepped forward as if he had become a new being.
With one step, he approached Airn and swung his sword.
Kwang!
ââŠ!â
Airn clenched his teeth, and the hand holding the sword trembled.
If it wasnât for the calluses on his palm, his hand would have bled, but the speed of recovering from it was fast.
He stopped the attack again. And then slashed.
Watching the attack coming from the side, Airn used the energy of steel.
Chik!
A deafening sound echoed throughout the area.
The people watching it from close by had to cover their ears, and those far away were frowning.
They couldnât take their eyes off them.
A more splendid movement occurred right in front of their eyes.
Swish!
The yellow aura sword, which flew at a frightening speed, turned grey when it was struck.
At the same time, the pressure of the strike flowed through Airnâs sword. He let out a groan and stepped back.
The sword, which spread out, showed another color. It was blue when retrieving and purple when attacking.
Fighting Camrin with his ever-changing aura and swordsmanship was as if he was dealing with a person with different personalities. Airn too tried to utilize the five spirits to handle it.
Shhh.
The swords collided again, and there was a force that added weight at the moment of striking and also a force that wanted to drain the attack with water.
Pat!
Tung!
Without losing speed till the end, Airn let out a stab.
The ever-changing aura turned black and then blue, and it was taking center stage with the intention of letting the energy expand its territory. Then came the purple swordsmanship which had a certain flare to it.
It was as if several swordsmen were taking their turns to show off their skills, and the talented people in the audience were shocked.
Just mastering one style was tough, so how could he have learned so many types?
And they werenât being used individually.
Just as Camrin Ray was using heavy and quick movements, Airn too was maximizing his abilities by using various elements.
âIt is like watching Karakum.â
âUmâŠâ
Clifford and Preston nodded at the words of Paige.
They knew of the Spirit techniques, and there were times when they practiced them.
This was why, even if it was not as great as Orcs, they were able to feel what this young man was doing.
So, they felt sure.
That this was unbelievable.
Surely his skills were great, but against Camrin Ray, he didnât seem like much.
And after a while, he began to prove the reason why people showed support for Camrin Ray.
Swish!
ââŠ!â
An attack flew in by surprise, and Airn turned his head to avoid it. It was not a fatal blow. It even felt inferior to the high control Camrin was showing till then.
The problem was that it wasnât a one-time thing.
Swish!
Puak! Puak!
Woong!
A sharp, gloomy energy, sometimes as heavy as a rock, locked on to Airn. And it kept going for him.
They were afterimages.
That was the part Airn hadnât paid attention to. So, it was shocking.
Camrin Ray swung his sword, and the faint energy that was left in the place he previously stood wouldn't disperse, but rather, it would work with him to attack Airn.
And this was just the start.
The attack, which was complicated and difficult to understand, flew colorfully. It started to move more and more.
Airn's expression went stiff in a situation where it felt like he was dealing with several Masters, and the expressions of those supporting him also changed.
Inashio Karahan looked at Devan Kennedy and asked.
âDid you know about this, Senior?â
âNo.â
âThen how were you certain? That Sir Camrin will winâŠâ
âI wasnât certain. However, in the contest of weaving, combining and linking skills together⊠I just thought that the experience of the middle-aged man would be more important than an ambitious young person. See, that is the result, right?â
ââŠâ
âCamrin Ray knows the best way to use his versatility, and Airn doesnât.â
It looked like the match was decided.
Devan Kennedy spoke with confidence, and Ralph Penn nodded beside him.
âMaybe⊠it depends on how long he will last.â
The swordsmen of the west were under the same conclusion too. Inashio couldnât refute them. He was feeling angry. But he couldnât say anything. Camrinâs sophisticated way of going for his opponentâs gaps...it was as if Bratt Lloydâs technique was being used in a more flexible way, and Airn had no counter for it.
Airn was getting exhausted, and his breathing became rougher, and even Inashio thought.
âIt will be tough.â
'It might be difficult.'
It was the same as what the others thought.
People werenât saying it out loud because Ian was right next to them, but they all decided that Camrin Ray would win.
The skills Camrin had were greater than expected. The figure he was showing now, with a little exaggeration, could be said to be one par with one of the five strongest swordsmen.
ââŠâ
The swordsmen of Krono fell silent in that atmosphere.
As if they were accepting their fellow discipleâs defeat.
They werenât looking at the disciple's swordsmanship. What they were looking at now was the heart of the disciple.
From the past 10 years ago, when this child had nothing for himself, to now when he found something and made it bloom and nurtured it till now, along with the countless times he sufferedâŠ
Everything is different from the previous life of their disciple.
He wasnât someone who was obsessed and stayed alone. He was never cold nor cruel, or ruthless to people.
He was in the hearts of many.
He was like a huge tree that inherited the hearts of many people and grew solely with his own dreams and beliefs.
It wasnât brought up alone, and it wasnât lonely. And so, he could become stronger.
Ian mumbled.
âFinally, he found his sword.â
10 minutes passed.
Then it became 30 minutes. Camrin Ray kept attacking him throughout this time.
He was like an unstoppable wind and rain, constantly tormenting Airn.
But Airn didnât fall.
He wouldnât wobble or stagger.
âPhew, Phew.â
âPhew, phewâŠâ
On the stage where the both of them were breathing in a rough manner.
Camrin Ray realized that his sword would never break the will of this young man.
And right after that.
âHuhuâ
With his sword brought down, he looked at the referee below and said.
âI lost.â
ââŠâ
âI will admit defeat. The winner is Airn Pareira.â
That was the moment when the participants for the finals were decided.