As the duel progressed, Gluttonyâs mouth was chanting the spells under the glove which covered Theoâs left hand.
Theo had triggered Sonata of Speed as soon as the duel began, allowing him to respond to Rebeccaâs preemptive strike. Compared to Randolphâs swords, she was lacking power, and compared to Superbia, she lacked speed.
Before Rebecca could move again, Theo cast his magic hurriedly, âChain Lightning!â
A net of lightning instantly covered dozens of meters. Regardless of oneâs speed, there was no way to escape from the chain of lightning. Just the power of one stream of lightning was enough to fry a person. If Rebecca hadnât raised her aura reflexively, then the match mightâve been decided here.
Pajijik! Paijijik!
âKukâŚ!â
However, receiving damage was inevitable. The lightning penetrated the gaps in Rebeccaâs armour and struck against her aura, causing smoke to rise from her armour. It was pure destructive power, one of the reasons why aura users found it hard to compete with magicians.
Therefore, knights always tried to avoid a magicianâs attacks or went for preventative measures. They had to stop Chain Lightning and other magic before they were activated. Thanks to this, Rebecca was one step slower.
âLightning Spear.â
A brutal attack came from Theo just as she managed to escape from the lightning. Lightning Spear focused on one point, so it could cause deadly damage to a body protected by aura. Theo called five lightning bolts in mere seconds and aimed for Rebeccaâs abdomen. Simultaneously, the five streams of lightning struck horizontally.
It was possible to respond to one lightning bolt. Three would be difficult even if she was fully prepared. By the time it reached five bolts, even elite knights couldnât avoid a serious injury. This was impossible to defend, and trying to avoid it would also be meaningless.
Therefore, Rebecca boldly grasped her double swords and struck the lightning bolts head on. âHap!â
Blue aura leaked from the blades, and the two swords broke through the lightning bolts. The remnants of the lightning, which werenât completely eliminated, struck her fingers, but she never let go of her swords. No, her hands actually held on tighter.
There were three more Lightning Spears. Even if she took care of two more, there would still be one remaining.
Rebecca gritted her teeth with a determined expression.
Kiiing-!
The moment that her two swords struck two lightning bolts, the remaining one hit her abdomen.
Peeeeeong!
It was awful. Rebecca swallowed the blood which had risen into her mouth and put strength into her legs. Her concentrated aura defense had burst, and the impact was transmitted inside her. Fortunately, there was little impact on her combat strength.
As she returned to herself, Rebecca pointed the tips of her swords toward Theodore.
Theodore couldnât help admiring her fierce fighting spirit. âShe is fairly familiar with pain. Additionally, her body is hard enough to block a Lightning Spear. I donât think she can be defeated by an ordinary blow.â
In fact, he had restricted his own abilities to a certain extent in this duel. It was too dangerous to show the power of Umbra, a national treasure, to another countryâs delegation, let alone the empireâs Seven Swords. He had various hidden cards, so he decided not to use any skills related to Umbra.
The case of Magic Bullet was a little special.
ââŚI canât control the strength.â Theo was worried about the power of his index finger.
After regaining the original strength of Magic Bullet, he had only shot it once against a human. Despite the fact that he had suppressed the output, the power had still been enough to leave a wound on Veronicaâs cheek. If it hit a vital point, the person would die before a healing spell or potion reached them. He didnât want to kill someone who might be related to Randolph.
Theoâs aim was to knock her down thoroughly. The determination in his eyes deepened, and he ran toward Rebecca.
âWhat, heâs approaching?!â
âA magician going into close rangeâŚâ
âOnce again, those guys from the Red Tower have strange heads!â
Buzzing chatter could be heard from the stands.
Theo stared at the double swords pointed at him and accelerated toward Rebecca. For a magician to enter a knightâs close range voluntarily⌠This was an effective method of provocation.
Rage sparked in Rebeccaâs green eyes.
Shaaack-
Her scimitar blades disappeared like they had melted into the air. This acceleration, which used the power of aura, had the ability to disrupt the laws of physics, which in turn caused the swords to move faster than the air resistance. That speed exceeded even Theoâs enhanced eyesight.
The duration was short because it consumed aura rapidly, but it was a secret technique which increased her speed by a few times. A storm of steel raged around Rebecca. Even an ogre famous for its sturdy muscles and solid skin would be turned into minced meat if it got close.
The audience started screaming when they saw that Theo was heading into that storm. Rebeccaâs technique was a terrible weapon.
Theodore felt in awe as he jumped into her storm. âTruly fast. Is it speed-focused swordsmanship like Randolphâs?â
The tips of Rebeccaâs swords came down and aimed to cut his waist into pieces. Lee Yoonsungâs experience was essential as he used Shift Energy to turn away the blades. The robe with defense magic was turned into a rag, but the result was that Theo was only bruised.
The storm of steel didnât touch him, as he moved through it like a light feather. Of course, the reason was also due to the difference in their abilities. Theodore was much stronger than before.
âIt is lighter than Randolph.â More than anything else, there was a difference in the weight of the falchions and scimitars, as well as their arm strength. If the strikes had been as heavy as Randolphâs and at the same speed, Theo would be cut easily.
Due to the lack of weight on the swords, it was easy to shift the orbit by hitting the sides of the blades.
âShe is slower than Superbia.â Superbia had a bizarre form and was able to shift to the traits of powerful creatures. Among them, the caracalos tail was one of the feared threats, and the speed and sharpness of Superbia had been enough to beat Alfred.
However, that comparison wasnât proof that Rebeccaâs skills were lacking. After the Pupil Tournament, Theo had gained Lee Yoonsungâs book and absorbed all of Alfredâs abilities, so he had a definite advantage. That said, Rebecca certainly had enough talent to be chosen as a disciple by one of the Seven Swords.
Theodore calmly deflected her swords until the end. No matter how efficiently the swords were swung, the human body didnât have an infinite capacity. Inevitably, it would reach its limit. It might be different for a sword master who transcended the limits of life. However, Rebecca was still at the level of an elite knight, and she was unable to maintain the storm.
âSuâŚsuaaâŚâ She had a shortness of breath and a pale complexion, and her muscles were trembling as she held onto her swords. The perfect storm of swords became weaker and began to collapse. Theo calmly waited for her to reach her limit.
He didnât care about his arm which had become bloody after deflecting the swords and simply stared on with ice-cold eyes. Finally, the moment came.
âHaack!â She reached the limit of her breathing and a tortured gasp burst out from Rebeccaâs mouth.
The movements of her two swords stopped completely, and Theo stepped into that gap. He used a winning technique; the palm of his hand touched the defenseless body naturally.
âAn ordinary blow wonât deal much damageâŚ!
âMemorize. All Slots Open. Shock Impact. Penta United.â
The shock wave attack magic, Shock Impact, was contact magic normally used to break down walls. However, Theodore had excellent melee skills, so he could use it this way. The five accumulated shock waves would exert a destructive power which could penetrate aura.
Shortly after that, the huge shock wave hit Rebeccaâs breastplate.
Kwaaaaang!
Rebeccaâs body was thrown back with a tremendous sound. She bounced a few times along the ground before barely stopping at the edge of the duelling stage. This was a good chance, so Theo didnât hesitate to call some Lightning Spears.
If Rebecca tried to counterattack, then he would intercept immediately. However, before she could stand up, a person jumped down from the stands. Theo stopped the lightning reflexively and stared at the person with a tense face. It was a situation where only one person could intervene.
âSir Pan Helliones?â
âThatâs right.â The big knight, Pan Helliones, nodded as he hoisted Rebecca onto his shoulder.
Pan Helliones didnât seem angry, so Theodore withdrew the lightning spell. Although Pan Helliones had jumped down here, Veronica was clearly visible behind him. Everybody had a hunch that the duel between the two countries had ended.
âI admit defeat, Meltorâs young hero. Your abilities are certainly beyond my discipleâs, and I am grateful that you didnât take her life.â Despite the shameful verdict, his voice contained a clear respect.
The empire was a place where they believed what they saw with their own eyes, not through words. The man before Theodore truly acknowledged him.
âWhat does that mean?â
âThis duel is the Andras Empireâs defeat! I will accept this result in the name of the empireâs Seven Swords!â
One of the empireâs Seven Swords declared defeat! The audience realized the weight of this result, and the air around the delegates grew heavy. The empireâs logic of communicating with strength had always been victorious.
It was only once in several generations that they would be defeated like this in a public duel. This was clearly a big event which would be mentioned in the history books.
Then Kurt III clapped his hands, and the unnatural silence of the audience was shattered.
ââŚ!!!â The magicians and courtiers yelled, causing the voices to echo. The loud cheers were enough to cause shivers. In the center of this, Theodore and Pan Helliones stared at each other. He couldnât read any emotions in Panâs black eyes.
Therefore, Theodore couldnât understand his identity. No, it was more accurate to say he wasnât sure.
ââŚThat guy.â
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The moment Theo had stepped toward Rebecca, just before heâd used the shock wave magic⌠He wouldnât have felt it without his sixth sense, but there had been a terrifying killing intent. Due to that murderous feeling, the timing of his magic had been delayed by one beat.
That killing intent had been from the imperial sword, Lloyd Pollan.
Looking at the back which had already turned around, Theo went down from the stage with a grim expression.
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