Chapter 88 The preliminaries are for beginners?
Holy Sword Tournament Arc
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(POV: Akashic Records)
Jericho confidently strode into the arena, glancing up at the bleachers to see Genevieve and Garret waving and cheering him on.
"You can do it, Brother Jer!" (Genevieve)
"Go for the win, Prince Jericho!" (Garret)
With his impressive Rank B [Sword Mastery] and Rank C [Magic Sword Mastery], he had reason to feel confident.
"(I'm sure I can win this... if I at least get into the main elimination round then maybe I'll be able to show father that I'm more suited for a Margrave than a Duke. C'mon Vesis and Royce, don't fail me now..)"
Vesis and Royce... the names Jericho gave his biceps.
He grinned and drew his sword, a normal one rather than a magic sword, and adjusted his radiant high-grade armor.
As he awaited his opponent, the coliseum grew quiet.
Suddenly, a figure strode onto the arena with echoes following every step.
Jericho eyed the unusual newcomer, standing just above 130cm with a featureless full-face white mask, and wondered what kind of fighter he was.
He stood at attention as the figure came to a halt.
They stood silently before each other, eyes locked in a stare down, both fighters communicating their intent without words.
"(This guy looks dangerous... I can already imagine what horrible thoughts are going on in his mind.)" (Jericho)
"(Jeez, I wonder how Serena's doing..)" (Lumiere)
...
In the bleachers, Genevieve and Garret observed the strange newcomer.
"This guy, he looks weird." Genevieve remarked.
"Guy? I thought it was a flat chick..." said Garret.
Genevieve sighed pinching the bridge of her nose, "It's obviously a guy."
"That aside, he isn't even wearing armor," Garret pointed out.
"Maybe he's a Magic Knight.." (Genevieve)
A guess based on the fact that they had better defensive enchantments and physical resistances than swordsman class.
Hence, they wouldn't need armor as a back up.
"(But I'm a Magic Knight and I wear at least some armor... no matter how light... is he that confident that he won't take any serious damages? Or maybe he's a speed-type. If he is, it'll be a problem for Jericho who's a strength-type... hmm..)" (Genevieve)
Garret stared jadedly at Black.
"If that's his class... then Jericho might be in trouble," he said.
Meanwhile, Skum, a pro-betting analyst, was scribbling something onto paper nearby.
Suddenly, he spoke up, "This dark horse will be my ticket to hitting it big!"
"You are?" Genevieve asked.
Ignorant of Genevieve's royal status, Skum replied, "I am Skum! A pro at analyzing the speed, strength, dexterity, and agility of fighters!"
Right after, he adjusted his spectacles causing light to bounce off them, followed by a sharp grin.
Garret raised an eyebrow in interest.
"Is that all?" Genevieve's voice was serious.
"He moved with such fluidity and finesse, as though his weapon was an extension of his body," Skum explained, his eyes shining with excitement. "I've never seen anyone with that level of dexterity before."
He was recalling events from the quick beat down Black delivered on Ress.
Genevieve turned back to the fight, her eyes glued to the two fighters as they were about to face off.
Skum leaned back in his chair, his eyes glinting with mischief. "Listen up, folks. If Black decides to attack first with his sword still sheathed or his sword unsheathed, the battle will end in a blink of an eye."
Genevieve raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "You must be kidding. That's impossible."
Garret nodded, agreeing with Genevieve. "Yeah, that's a load of hogwash. It would take Rank A [Blink Strike] or higher to do that kind of move."
[Flash Step] and [Boost] could also achieve the same feat but the former had lower attack potency (AP) and the latter took more time to activate.
[Blink Strike] on the other hand was an instant blitz strike with sufficient attack potency.
Skum laughed, twirling his hair like he was in a shampoo commercial. "Oh ye of little faith. You'll soon understand why I'm the pro-better here."
Genevieve still looked skeptical, but before she could express her doubt, they heard the announcement.
"P-Prince Jericho, are you awake? Prince Jericho?" the coordinator called out several times, all to no avail.
Jericho was lying on the floor, unconscious but seemingly unscathed.
"T-the winner is Black!" the coordinator announced.
"What the- when did that happen?" Genevieve screamed, her voice echoing through the coliseum.
Amidst the chatter of the crowd, people were asking who this Black was. Some complained that how could royalty lose so easily. Others were infuriated by the fact that they barely saw a thing even after watching the battle frame by frame.
Meanwhile, Genevieve and Garret were still in disbelief over what just happened.
"I didn't see anything. All I saw was Jericho fall down," Garret stated, a hint of fear in his voice.
Genevieve was still trying to make sense of it all. "Maybe he just tripped and fell or something?"
Skum's laughter cut through the air like a knife. "No, my dear younglings that was my ingenious analysis at work."
Genevieve stared at Skum. "So, you're saying that planless Black did that thing with the sword?"
Skum's eyes lit up with excitement. "Yes!" then he paused, "Well I don't know! But the fact is... my analysis was spot-on!"
"This is stupid." Garret's voice was barely above a whisper.
Genevieve couldn't help herself. "The real stupidity is taking advice from this guy. He's scum, and I mean that literally."
Skum laughed it off, sensing he wasn't going to win any fans with them. He leaned back in his chair, confident in his own abilities. "Just wait and see. I always have a card up my sleeve."
Watching from the stands as well, Fanatio was bewildered.
"He won with a quick chop to the neck... that was definitely the [Flash Step] skill he used, if he'd used [Blink Strike]... I'm certain the prince would've died.." she wore a grim look on her countenance.
A battle that ended in less than a second.
Walking away, Cypher placed his hands together and muttered, "Forgive me Brother Jericho."
...
As Fanatio watched the match with keen interest, she remarked, "Truly impressive."
Suddenly, she felt a hand touch her buttocks from behind.
"Oh?"
She turned around to see Salmarc standing there, grinning like a smug cat.
He grabbed her ass tightly, relishing the moment.
Fanatio remained composed, her arms still folded across her chest.
She closed her eyes as she heard Salmarc say, "Impressive indeed."
He leaned in close and whispered, "I could show you something even more impressive, my lady."
Fanatio opened her eyes and looked at him, giving him a wry smile. "I hope it's not your junk because I'm not quite interested in that small pee-pee of yours."
Salmarc was immediately shocked and pulled back instantly.
"Take that back this instant!" Salmarc exclaimed.
Fanatio chuckled and smiled, telling him, "Insecure now, are we?"
Salmarc placed his hands over the bulge on his pants. His cock stiffened progressively, turning from a slab of meat to a strong rod. The insides of his pants grew tighter by the minute.
Fanatio opened her eyes and watched covering his junk. She then told him, "Did you seriously get hard from simply touching my butt?"
She laughed a bit more and Salmarc's cheeks turned red.
"You'll pay for this," he warned.
Fanatio shrugged and told him, "By all means, but I'm not sure I could manage such a small cock."
Salmarc shouted, "Why are you always talking about sizes?"
The coordinator then announced the next match.
"Fanatio Pendragon...! vs Salmarc Alufilia Banst Cross!"
Upon hearing his name, Fanatio told him, "I guess we'll be fighting each other then." She added, "It's a shame someone like you can be considered royalty."
The tension in the air was so thick, one could almost cut it with a knife.
Salmarc took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves.
"I can't let this woman get to me. Not now, not ever," he mumbled.
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