151 The Heir of Grimaldi
Raymond, standing as the official witness, completed the formal rite of combat and stepped aside.
The moment he did—
BOOM.
Harald exploded forward.
An unnatural speed.
William nearly let out a chuckle.
’It’s the artifact!’
The runes hidden along the axe’s blade flickered to life, unleashing a wave of magic.
A normal knight wouldn’t have even considered facing him head-on.
They would have staggered back, searching for an opening.
But William—
Met force with force.
His blade swung at full strength to meet the incoming axe.
A thin blade against a massive war axe.
The moment they clashed—
KAAAAAANG!
A sound like thunder tore through the air, shaking the ground itself.
Fwaaaash!
Palmyr, a knight of Calix County, felt his legs tremble.
The shockwaves from the battle rattled through his very bones.
If it had been him standing in that ring—
One single clash like that would have shattered his arms.
But those two?
They had already exchanged multiple blows of equal force.
’Ridiculous… it’s absolutely ridiculous…’
Harald’s strength was immense, but at least that made sense.
He was a veteran, known for slaughtering wolves in his youth, a seasoned warrior whose name still carried weight among old noble families.
His massive frame, his years of training, his artifact’s magic—
With all that combined, it was understandable that he was this strong.
But that boy…
’How is this even possible?’
Palmyr’s gaze locked onto William.
Sixteen.
Average height.
Minimal battle experience.
Not even wielding an artifact.
’And yet… he’s matching Harald.’
BOOM.
Another shockwave burst outward.
As the battle raged, both warriors took a brief step back to assess each other.
Then—
"Hahahaha!"
Harald suddenly laughed.
A booming, raw laughter, filled with exhilaration.
Even now, his eyes still flickered with astonishment.
’I expected him to have some hidden tricks… but this?’
Harald had given everything from the start.
Not to win, but to teach William what it meant to fight in the north.
If the boy had crumbled under the pressure, he would have known he had no place here.
Because sheer willpower wasn’t enough in the north.
Here—experience and raw strength decided survival.
Even if William lost, Harald expected him to at least try some desperate gamble.
Some clever maneuver, some reckless trick.
But instead—
William was beating him with pure power.
Like a rising storm.
His heart, which had remained dormant for so long, pounded with life.
It wasn’t just battle-frenzy.
No—he was seeing something greater.
This wasn’t some reckless child.
This was a legend in the making.
An heir to greatness.
A hero, yet to be born.
’Maybe… maybe the north can be united after all.’
If this young warrior stood at its center.
If he truly inherited the will of Grimaldi.
"Are you satisfied?"
Harald turned his gaze back to William.
Visit freёwebnovel.com for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience.
Even after all those earth-shattering blows, the boy still stood strong.
His breathing was even, his stance steady—and a confident smile played on his lips.
"Ha! Damn right, I’m satisfied!"
Harald gripped his axe.
"But you still have more to show, don’t you?"
"If you’d like—"
William’s aura ignited.
A wave of blue mana radiated from his body, visible to the naked eye.
The watching knights gasped.
"Visible mana manifestation!?"
"What kind of monster…!?"
For mana to be visible, two things were possible:
Either the user had absolute mastery over it, to the level of a Sword Saint—
Or their raw mana reserves were so overwhelming that they barely qualified as human anymore.
In either case—
It meant William was far beyond ordinary.
"Hah… in all my years, I’ve never been this shocked before."
Harald clenched his axe.
He wanted to continue.
To see what other secrets William was hiding.
But his body—even enhanced by the artifact—was starting to falter.
"One last exchange?"
William nodded.
"Sounds good. Come."
"Hahaha! You really are something!"
Harald grinned, stepping into an attack stance.
In battle, the one who moves first controls the flow.
And yet, William allowed Harald the honor of making the final strike.
Then I suppose I should live up to his expectations.
A deep hum resonated through the air as the runes engraved on Harald’s axe flared to life, responding to his unwavering determination. The glow intensified, growing so brilliant that it outshone even the weapon’s former glory in its prime.
For a brief moment, the blinding radiance obscured the spectators’ vision.
Then—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion shook the entire domain, sending tremors rippling outward.
Several onlookers near the arena collapsed, clutching their ears in agony. Others stumbled, struggling to regain their balance.
As the dust settled and the dazzling light faded, the crowd’s vision slowly returned. And when they finally laid eyes on the duelists once more—
Only William still held a weapon in his grasp.
Harald’s hands were empty, positioned as if he had just swung at something that no longer existed.
A dull thud followed a beat later.
"…!?"
All eyes turned toward the source of the sound.
Harald’s axe had embedded itself deep into the fortress wall, its handle still trembling from the force of impact.
Harald let out a slow breath, his hands still trembling from exertion. Then, with a wry shrug, he muttered, "Well, well. I suppose there’s nothing left to say when one is defeated so completely."
William met his gaze and nodded. "It seems this match is mine."
"Indeed. You are the victor."
Harald’s lips curled into a small, amused smile before he clasped his hands together and bowed deeply.
It was not the gesture of an elder showing leniency to a younger warrior.
It was the salute of a true warrior, paying his respects to another worthy fighter.
"My conduct was discourteous until now. Allow me to properly introduce myself once more—Harald Osgor, greeting the heir of Grimaldi and a warrior of the North."
’Unbelievable. Just how strong was he in his youth?’
William massaged his aching wrist, shaking his head in astonishment.
Though his physical abilities had been amplified through the artifact, it had been pure skill that had enabled Harald to wield his axe with such flawless precision. Every swing followed a perfect trajectory, with power distributed at its optimal efficiency.
Harald’s sheer strength was impressive enough, but combined with his masterful execution, it reached a level that even William found awe-inspiring.