Chapter 154
Overwhelming.
There was no better adjective to describe Babelon’s current feelings other than the word ‘overwhelming.’
Gulp.
Babelon gulped a mouthful of his own saliva without realizing it.
‘How could a fifteen-year-old child have this much momentum…?’
Babelon’s eyes quivered as he stared at Joshua up ahead.
The boy had retrieved a lengthy red object from somewhere without Babelon realizing it. It had an odd, two-pronged shape, but Babelon could feel something special from it, something he hadn’t felt even from the many renowned swords he had seen before.
“What is that? A spear?”
“So the rumors were true? The young monster of Avalon is a spearman?”
“Nonsense. Why would he wield something like that?”
‘No.’?Babelon inwardly shouted. He trembled ever so slightly as if he were having a minor seizure at the words of the crowd he could hear from where he was standing.
The spear was not just “something”. Of course, it was a weapon in the strictest sense, and it was often used by soldiers who were unfamiliar with other weapons. After all, even unskilled soldiers could take advantage of the spear’s range.
However, the spear’s length wasn’t always an advantage. As one would expect, a spear was a tricky weapon to utilize because of its weight. In addition, it would become practically useless if the opponent managed to close in on a spearman.
This was why Babelon had always disregarded the spear as a weapon, and he wasn’t the only one who thought the same. It was evidenced by the fact that among those who could be called the Absolutes, none of them wielded the spear.
‘But why does the spear look more impressive in his hands than any other renowned swords I have seen?’
“Are you going to surrender?”
“...!” A voice awakened Babelon from his stupor.
“Well, I won’t refuse that offer.”
Bam!
With that, Joshua kicked off of the floor and shot forward.
‘Crazy…!’
Joshua’s speed exceeded Babelon’s expectations, so he hurriedly raised his sword.
Clang!
The sound of metal clashing against metal could be heard. Babelon broke out into a cold sweat after barely managing to block Joshua’s attack.
He stared at the spear right in front of him and started grumbling. ‘How is he so fast while swinging that massive spear?’
Joshua thrust his spear at Babelon’s side.
“Heup!” Babelon sharply inhaled. The spear looked like it was coming from all directions as it embroidered the air beautifully.
Clang!
Once again, the sound of metal clashing against metal reverberated.
The second clash…
The spear was moving so fast that it was hard to track it with the naked eye. Babelon was unable to overcome the spear’s momentum, and his right hand was flung back when he tried to cut his way out of the situation.
The third clash…
Joshua twirled, lowered his posture, and thrust his spear toward Babelon.
Slit.
Babelon hurriedly retreated, but he was a beat too late. The spear had already drawn a bloody line on his cheek. Unfazed, Babelon stared straight up ahead after widening the gap between him and Joshua.
The third clash ended in the blink of an eye.
Joshua was staring at Babelon with a placid look. It seemed like he had no intention of attacking Babelon anymore. However, Joshua’s eyes were overflowing with arrogance in Babelon’s point of view, and it made him feel as if Joshua was looking down on him.
Grit!
Babelon gnashed his teeth, and he felt something warm trickling down his cheek. It seemed that Joshua had injured him within three strikes during their skirmish.
“I don’t want to hear any excuses later, so I advise you to stop being careless. I’m here to improve the spear’s reputation, so I want you to do your best, so people won’t think that I won by a fluke.”
“You brat…!” Babelon tightened his grip around his sword.
Joshua muttered in response, “Ten.”
“...?”
“Including the moves we have exchanged so far, I’ll end this in just ten moves.”
“...” Babelon didn’t immediately understand what Joshua was talking about, so he stared at the latter with a dumbfounded look.
Eventually, the realization dawned on him, and he started laughing as the light in his eyes changed. “You’re thinking that I’m a joke, right? Yes, I admit that I judged you based on your appearance. I was wrong. You deserve to be here in the Masters Battle.”
“...” Joshua smiled softly at Babelon. He thought he could easily provoke the latter, but it seemed that Babelon’s reputation as the Knight of Steel wasn’t exaggerated at all.
“Come. From now on, I will give it my all.” Babelon started infusing mana into his sword.
Vrrr!
The air hummed and was split by blue mana. This was the dream of every knight out there—a complete Aura Blade. It soared high above Babelon’s sword, and it was dazzling enough that it looked like it could pierce the sky.
“...” Joshua's smile deepened as he stared at Babelon.
He was being watched by everyone on the continent. Among the spectators were tremendously powerful men with pride to match, and also influential figures of every country.
In his past life, Joshua was famous as the undefeated Spear Knight. However, he was actually infamous rather than famous.
They called him a slaughterer, a madman crazy about blood, the Emperor’s dog, and even Kaiser’s puppet. He had spent his whole life on the battlefield, and not even once did the blood in his hands go dry. However, the people always talked about Joshua Sanders rather than taking another look at the spear.
The summit was a lonely place, but Joshua was sadder about the reputation of his primary weapon rather than the fact that he was alone at the top.
‘I’ll show the world—there’s no better weapon than a spear.’
Joshua stopped thinking and abruptly lifted his right shoulder back as far as he could.
He raised his left hand and pointed his open palm at Babelon.
Then, Joshua’s muscles visibly bulged.
“What?” Babelon muttered in confusion. He couldn’t quite grasp the meaning behind Joshua’s posture.
What was he trying to do? Was he going to throw his spear?
‘I hope not…’?Babelon seemed hopeful as he calmly raised his sword.
There was no point in getting caught up in the pace of one’s opponent. All Babelon had to do was respond. Even so, Babelon could have never imagined that Joshua would actually use his spear like a javelin. After all, throwing one’s weapon away in a battle of this caliber was like digging one’s grave.
Swoosh!
“...!” At the tearing sound that made Babelon feel like his eardrums would erupt, Babelon was forcefully dragged out of his thoughts.
The possibility had become the reality. A single ray of light was flying toward Babelon at breakneck speeds, leaving behind crimson afterimages in its wake.
‘I… I can’t avoid it.’
It was too fast for him to avoid.
Shrieeek!
The crowd went wild at the beam of light tearing through the air itself.
The fourth clash…
Clang!
The flying spear collided with Babelon’s sword, eliciting an ear-splitting noise.
‘As long as I stop this…!’?Babelon gnashed his teeth. The power propelling the spear was so great it was well beyond his expectations. However, he would be able to defeat his weaponless opponent quite easily, provided that he succeeded here.
“Heup...!” Babelon suddenly exclaimed after something dark fluttered in front of him.
Babelon’s eyes bulged, but by the time he came to his senses, Joshua was already in front of him. The spear was sucked neatly into his opponent’s hand as if there was a lodestone attached to his opponent’s hand.
‘He’s controlling the spear with his will?!’
Babelon was stupefied.
In the meantime, Joshua gripped the spear and rotated it once, gracefully carving through the air.
However, the trajectory of the spear changed from a swing into a thrust. It was an amazing move because the feint served as a distraction while the thrust was sent from the opponent’s blind spot.
The fifth clash…
Joshua’s spear made a beeline for Babelon’s thigh.
Despair flickered in Babelon’s eyes.
‘I can’t stop it…!’
A scorching pain spread from his thigh, which was announced by a horrific crack. He managed to twist, but the blow severely injured him. Babelon belatedly realized that Joshua had retracted the tip of his spear just before it actually pierced through Babelon’s thigh.
If Babelon had taken that attack head on, even at his caliber, he would have been stuck with only one leg for the rest of his life.
The sixth clash…
Joshua brandished his spear in a series of movements that made him look like his wrists had no bones in them. With stupefying flexibility and dexterity, Joshua flicked his spear upward after a thrust.
Babelon’s eyes unconsciously squeezed shut as the spear flew toward his face. A storm of thoughts was whirling in his head.
‘I haven’t even had the chance to even fight back...’
Had he gotten careless? Hilarious. He had underestimated Joshua, yes, but he started giving it his all after the third clash. However, Babelon was convinced that even if he gave his all from the start, nothing would have changed. Joshua was just that strong.
“Do you still want to continue?”
At the voice, Babelon quivered and quietly opened his eyes.
His thigh was still bleeding.
‘To keep fighting like this would only be a humiliation for me…’
“I—” Babelon started. However, his voice sounded so quiet it sounded more like a mosquito’s droning. “I lost.”
Slump.
With that, Babelon couldn’t stand it anymore and collapsed to the ground.
What was left of his pride demanded that he stand, but his opponent’s concern crushed that thought.
The arena was gripped by a suffocating silence.
“...”
On the field, there was a navy blue-haired young man standing while holding a bright red spear that seemed to be sparkling beneath the sunlight. A middle-aged man was kneeling in front of the young man.
The match was over, and earth-shaking cheers shook the massive coliseum to its foundations as the crowd went wild and unleashed their wild emotions.
The true protagonist of the opening day was finally decided.
It quickly became apparent to everyone here that this year’s Masters’ Battle was on track to becoming the greatest Masters’ Battle of all time, and everyone was incredibly interested to see who would take the crowd.
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