Chapter 179
Someone had once said that a human could move faster than speed itself to the point that their opponent would only realize that their head had already been severed by their opponent once their opponent saw their own headless body.
Ulabis had once seen a human being move faster than sound. And the same human being wielded a sword always drenched in bleed. The people who managed to survive more than three moves from him could only be counted on one hand.
The man was a demon capable of shattering the skulls of his opponents with a mere stomp. The man was the reason why Thran was still a vassal of the Swallow Empire and the reason why Ulabis was working hard to become even stronger.
Ulabis vowed to conquer the Swallow Empire one day, and if he wanted to do that, he had to defeat the man.
The man was none other than Grand Duke Lucifer, a Star of the Nine Stars.
Ulabis had never seen someone else whose sword was faster than Grand Duke Lucifer, but today, Ulabis finally saw someone who could match Grand Duke Lucifer’s sword. Of course, the man in question was wielding a spear rather than a sword.
A new weapon was etched into his memory, and this one was even faster than Grand Duke Lucifer’s sword. Even more astonishing was that it was a heavy spear rather than a sword.
“...” Ulabis’ eyes stared blankly at the air in front of him. More specifically, he was staring at Joshua’s lengthy afterimages that the latter left in his wake as he thrust with his spear and pierced through Ulabis’ defenses.
Ulabis was staring at the end of the ray—he was staring at the navy blue-haired young man with a monstrous talent.
“T-this is impossible…!” Ulabis gnashed his teeth.
Quickly following his muttered words was a barely audible cracking noise. Ulabis’ beloved lifelong comrade, a fragment of the deity that withstood the flames of annihilation, and the medicine for his anguish had fractured.
Crack!
The Circle of Fire crumbled into dust with a loud crack and disappeared into the wind. His delicate old comrade on the battlefield had passed. The swordsman had lost his sword. What else was there for him to say?
‘If this were a real battle, I would have used a secret technique but…’
Unfortunately, this wasn’t a real battle. It was a match in the Reinhardt Masters’ Battle, which was fundamentally a spar.
Blankly, Ulabis lifted his head to regard his opponent through the still-rising flames. His eyes held nothing but an empty void.
From the start, he hadn’t even considered retreating, much less defending himself. How could he when his opponent wasn’t backing down but aiming for a head-on confrontation? He had responded by taking out his most powerful card; that was how he could honor his most formidable foe.
And he had lost.
No regrets, no remorse. Ulabis had done everything he could.
“That was close…!” Joshua gasped. A razor-thin line on his cheek slowly welled with ruby-colored drops of blood. He promptly raised his arm and wiped it off.
‘Ulabis’ swordsmanship is strong because of its unpredictability. But who knew it would be this fast…’?
Joshua smiled bitterly as he muttered to himself. He realized that the future Nine Stars truly were formidable foes.
Truthfully, Joshua had gambled by trying to end the fight instantly because while he looked calm, there was a burning inferno in his heart. Ever since he learned that the Mercenary King was on the move, a glimmer of worry had sunk into his heart, and it only got worse after he met Lilith Aphrodite.
If Ulabis hadn’t responded to his head-on confrontation, then it would have been him who was in trouble.
“Ah, I guess I’ll become someone’s subordinate. I am a king of a country… but I can’t believe I got drunk in the heat of the moment and said things I can’t possibly take responsibility for…” Ulabis shook his head as he scolded himself.
He stared at his empty hand, looking a bit lost.
“It will be enough if you fulfill one request of mine.”
“Whatever it is, I will do my best to fulfill it. Anything is better than servitude.” Ulabis laughed. “However, I have two questions. May I ask?”
“I’ll answer as long as I am able to,” replied Joshua.
Ulabis shrugged. “You look like you’re only fifteen years old, but inside, you’re as old as a whole fistful of old men, so you’ll be able to.”
When Joshua remained quiet, Ulabis continued. “First… a spear is a soldier’s weapon. Its reach and power are unmatched, but—given its size and weight—its speed is inferior to that of a sword. This is a truth that everyone throughout the continent knows.”
“...”
Joshua revealed a surprised look when he heard Ulabis talk about something like this right after losing. Of course, Joshua quickly composed himself after realizing once again that Ulabis was truly different from the people Joshua had encountered so far.
It was evidenced by the fact that rather than being discouraged by his defeat, Ulabis quickly sought to examine his failure and learn from his mistakes. Seeing that, Joshua was sure that His Highness Ulabis was still going to become even stronger.
A person like him could grow endlessly.
‘What is Magma’s role in his life, then? A mere helper?’?Joshua grinned.
Of course, Ulabis was unaware of Joshua’s thoughts, so he continued speaking, “Luck was on my side as soon as I drew my sword, but how did your spear reach me first? And…” Ulabis hesitated for a moment, but he quickly recovered and continued with determination. “How did you manage to aim for my sword and accurately hit it when you were already in the middle of your move?”
Ulabis’s words were surprising. In some ways, Ulabis sounded like he was mocking himself. How could Joshua possibly aim for his sword deliberately in the middle of the chaos just now? Was that even possible?
Ulabis stared at the smiling Joshua with bewildered eyes.
“First of all, I didn’t intend to break your sword… but I had to get it out of the way. The way it moved was genuinely odd. It was incredible—you have no idea when, where, or how it would strike, so I had no choice but to watch your sword carefully...” Joshua's smile deepened as he continued. “So isn’t it obvious how my spear got to you first?”
“...?” Ulabis’ confusion deepened as he stared at Joshua with a frown.
Joshua smiled when he saw Ulabis’ confusion deepen.
“It’s because I am stronger than you who uses that tremendous sword of yours.”
“...!”
“That’s all there was to it.”
“...” Dumbfounded, Ulabis stared at him with wide eyes.
A battle not between weapons but between humans wielding them. An artist would never blame their equipment for their failure, so what other answer could there be other than the fact that Joshua was simply stronger than him?
Joshua’s speed was simply too overwhelming for Ulabis to react, and it was evidenced by the fact that he won the match.
‘What a shame that he’s from one of the three great powers. If he were from Thran—no, even anywhere else aside from the three great powers…’?Ulabis revealed a bitter smile because he understood it. ‘Joshua Sanders is a monster.’?
He was strong, but he wasn’t a villain, unlike the strong figures Ulabis had met so far.
Joshua’s personality was great, so if he were a citizen of Thran…
“Hup…!” Ulabis grimaced as he forcefully heaved himself up despite his aching, overheated muscles.
“I cannot be weak. I have lost, yes, but I have to show everyone that the heart of Thran still beats.”
“...” Joshua was staring at him with a smile.
Ulabis continued speaking, “My second question is… are you an enemy of Thran?”
Without warning, Ulabis sought to resolve a possible concern. In the proverbial blink of an eye, he was no longer the Knight of Red Flame, Ulabis. He was now His Highness Ulabis of Thran—the guardian of his nation and his people.
At that, Joshua replied, “I shall not raise my spear nor my sword against Thran unless Thran provoked my people and me first.”
“...!” Ulabis was momentarily astounded by Joshua’s reply. Eventually, he revealed a relieved grin. He hadn’t lived that long, but he was convinced that he had an eye for people.
At the very least, he was convinced that Joshua didn’t have a dishonorable bone in his body. and it was evidenced by the unwavering conviction that Joshua had shown him earlier.
“You’re the best opponent I have ever had.” Ulabis turned around with a small grin, donning his confidence once more. “Next time we meet, let’s be friends rather than opponents. I acknowledge my loss, Master Joshua Sanders of Avalon.”
Whoosh!
As soon as Ulabis spoke, the surrounding flames surged before they started to dim. Ulabis had exhausted all of his strength, so the seemingly unquenchable flames of annihilation shrunk before converging on a single point.
The flames were flying toward Joshua, who was still covered in a wreath of lightning.
- The Primordial Stone has a direct link with its user. It is a divine treasure, so it has a sense of pride to match.
Lightning kept on pouring out from between Joshua’s eyes when he suddenly heard Lugia speaking in his head.
- The Primordial Stone does not tolerate defeat. Soon, Magma will eject itself from that human.
Lugia was right. A blazing red stone of pure power, similar to a miniature sun, manifested above Ulabis.
- Now, Bronto will absorb Magma, the weaker Primordial Stone between the two.
Slowly moving currents ultimately converged around Joshua and emitted an immense quantity of light.
- I think it’s not a bad idea for you to gather all the Primordial Stones into one. If only you were capable of…
Lugia’s voice became quieter and quieter until Joshua couldn’t hear her anymore.
‘I’m absorbing it…?’
Two apparently opposed auras met, but they remained entirely distinct. The overwhelmingly powerful force of lightning dominated the force of the flames. At that moment, a burning sensation engulfed Joshua. Close to Joshua’s heart, the apocalyptic power of the flames of annihilation was rekindled.
“The Champion of this year’s Masters’ Battle is the representative of the Avalon Empire—Joshua Sanders!”
“Waaaaaaaaaah!”
Reinhardt’s huge coliseum became filled with thunderous applause and cheers.
At last, the new lord of Reinhardt was born.
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