Chapter 132 : Chapter 132

Chapter 132 : The Knight Competition (3)

The Knight Competition finals began.

As promised, I stepped up as the first runner.

As I appeared in the training ground, a roar of cheers poured out from the countless spectators.

– Waaaaah! It’s the Apostle of the Holy Order!

– Polarin Adjak! Win the championship!

Despite not having engaged in any notable public activities since my last speech, my popularity was still fervent.

I waved my hand, responding to the cheers of the audience.

Then I gave a nod to Pasion and the White Dragon Knights watching from the waiting area, as well as to the 1st Prince.

Perhaps finding my long greeting unsightly, the knight from the Rosamund Knights, my first opponent, spoke bluntly.

“This is your first Knight Competition, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Then I suppose you wouldn’t know this saying either. It is said that although renowned knight orders from across the continent compete in the Knight Competition, in the end, it’s a battle that the Rosamund Knights win.”

“Is that so?”

I replied nonchalantly, twirling my sword.

That attitude seemed to further stimulate my opponent’s competitive spirit.

“It is the way of the people to cheer for the underdog.”

“Really? I didn’t know. But the White Dragon Knights are not weak.”

“You aren’t even a knight, are you?”

“Hahaha!”

He was a knight who kept trying to get under my skin.

But the level of provocation was too low to anger me with a mere war of words.

He would never dream that I had become inured to verbal sparring by dealing with malicious commenters and gaming community regulars back on Earth.

“Do you find my words amusing?”

“Not at all. It seems the Rosamund Knights will receive a lot of cheers in the next Knight Competition.”

“What is that supposed to……?”

“Let’s just fight. I’m short on time since I have to defeat three people.”

Grind.

The sound of the knight grinding his teeth echoed loudly.

He too was the first to compete for the Rosamund Knights.

He must have a fair amount of confidence in his skills.

I had seen his face on the list of individuals to watch out for, given to me by the Vice Commander of the White Dragon Knights.

Once the battle of wills seemed to have ended, the referee approached.

The referee looked back and forth between me and the Rosamund Knight, then opened his mouth.

“I will explain the rules of the finals. Magical tools and Tunes cannot be used. You must defeat your opponent with only the weapon in your hand and your own body.”

“Yes.”

“Understood.”

“The person who makes their opponent shout ‘surrender’ first, or creates a situation where they cannot shout it, is the winner. Are you both ready?”

After the referee’s question, both of us nodded.

Then the referee slammed his fists together in the air and shouted loudly.

“Clash!”

However, the knight belonging to the Rosamund Knights did not charge at me at once.

He was watching me, his sword held at an angle, as if to see how I would come out.

I could guess the reason for his caution.

As Pasion had said, the outcome of the first battle could have a huge impact on the overall momentum of the future fights.

But I had no intention of just watching the fight.

I had to perform in a way that lived up to Pasion’s faith in me.

I also knew that to face three opponents, I had to push my opponent as quickly as possible.

Termination was already spread out.

I could clearly confirm that the opposing knight showed no immediate signs of charging at me.

I used [Rush] to charge at the opponent.

The opponent showed no signs of panic, even at the suddenly closed distance. Rather, he calmly took a defensive stance.

But I immediately initiated Fourfold Transformation.

“Ri-Right from the start!”

This time, the fellow couldn’t maintain his composure.

My intent influenced the world.

It was as if it was saying it was hungry.

As if it was telling me to devour the opposing knight’s solid aura.

Rip!

Sword and sword clashed, but no metallic sound was heard.

Just a chunk of the opponent’s aura was shaved off.

I didn’t stop and unfolded my Linked Sword.

Rip! Rip!

The aura at the point of contact with my sword was cut away in chunks.

There was something I hadn’t known because the aura used by the wooden doll I faced in Hike’s trial was similar to my own.

My Fourfold Transformation doesn’t just cut away the opponent’s aura; it devours it.

In other words, the more I swung my sword, the stronger my sword became.

The opposing knight belatedly tried to unleash his Fourfold Transformation.

But the fellow had already lost a considerable amount of aura.

After a few more slashes, I was able to bring my sword to the opponent’s neck.

“……I’ve lost.”

Following the opponent’s declaration of defeat, a massive cheer erupted.

I looked at the Rosamund Knights, who were standing with serious expressions, and shouted.

“Next!”

***

In the second battle, I fought in the same way.

As soon as the referee’s fists clashed, I used Fourfold Transformation and devoured my opponent’s mana.

My second opponent, perhaps frustrated that he couldn’t win even though I fought the same way, didn’t say the word ‘defeat’ with his own mouth until the very end.

I finally had to strike his chin with the back of my sword to knock him out before I could hear the declaration of victory from the referee.

Even after that, I didn't change.

I looked at the Rosamund Knights and shouted for the next opponent to come out.

The third man to appear was a face I knew.

“Could you be Sir Pakar?”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s a pleasure to meet you for the first time, Sir Polarin.”

He was one of the Five Morning Stars, chosen alongside me, so I knew his face well.

Light brown hair and a simple appearance.

But his eyes, at least, glinted sharply, and I could feel a strong competitive spirit in the way he looked at me.

“It wasn’t originally my turn, but since I heard you would be stepping down after facing only three, Sir Polarin, I asked to have the order changed.”

“What was your original turn?”

“I was the last in line.”

The final turn is a position that carries a unique pressure, just like the first turn.

That’s because the defeat of the last knight directly translates to the defeat of the entire knight order.

“It seems you are quite recognized in the Rosamund Knights.”

“I was just noticed by chance. In fact, I thought the probability of me competing was low.”

“Haha, the members of the Rosamund Knights are all overflowing with confidence.”

“It seems you are the same, Sir Polarin……. I think the White Dragon Knights have arranged their order incorrectly.”

“Why so?”

“If it were me, I would have placed you last, Sir Polarin, and aimed for the championship.”

Instead of answering, I looked at Pasion.

I also scanned the faces of the White Dragon Knights standing proudly by his side.

“No, even if I step down, our knight order will win.”

“Well, I’ll be……”

Pakar was looking at me with eyes burning with a competitive spirit.

My own blood was boiling just the same.

“Sir Wulferua, your first opponent, Sir Polarin, told me that it seemed you were using Fourfold Transformation. Is that true?”

“Yes, I have learned Fourfold Transformation.”

I had no intention of hiding it, so I stated it proudly.

At that, Pakar grinned.

“I also learned Fourfold Transformation a short while ago. Sir Polarin, by any chance, do you still have the strength to use Fourfold Transformation?”

Fourfold Transformation was not something to be used carelessly in a fight.

This was because using Fourfold Transformation required a highly concentrated intent.

The established theory was that once you used Fourfold Transformation, both your intent and mana would be consumed and lose strength, unlike before.

But I had used Fourfold Transformation in succession.

That alone would have surprised everyone in the training ground, but Pakar seemed to have figured out that I still had strength left.

‘By the way, Eighth-Rank shouldn’t be such a common level, but I’m meeting too many of them. Is this the power of the Rosamund Knights…….’

I pushed aside the thought and answered Pakar.

“I still have the strength to use Fourfold Transformation.”

“That’s truly amazing. It’s still difficult for me to unfold it just once.”

Pakar seemed to genuinely think I was amazing.

But his eyes were still glinting.

I thought it would be nice to join an expedition with him someday, but now was the time to face him with all my strength.

“Then how about we both initiate Fourfold Transformation from the start and fight?”

“Haha, that is exactly what I was hoping for.”

After reaching an agreement, we looked at the referee.

The referee approached and shouted for the clash.

This time, I planned to change my method from the previous two fights.

I wasn't confident that I could beat Pakar by fighting him the same way I had shown already.

Pakar was younger than the previous opponents, but in terms of momentum alone, he seemed much stronger.

And I was not in perfect condition.

Executing Fourfold Transformation in succession was not an easy task even for me.

I had spoken confidently to Pakar, but after the two previous fights, I didn't have much energy left to focus on the fight itself.

Even after hearing the signal to clash, we stared at each other for a while without engaging.

“You’re not charging at first this time.”

“Would you like to come first?”

“Shall I?”

Termination reported Pakar’s muscle movements in detail.

The fellow was ready to charge at any moment.

“To be honest, I was very surprised to see your Fourfold Transformation, Sir Polarin. It’s quite different from the usual Fourfold Transformation.”

“Is it too plain?”

“One could see it that way, but it was extremely lethal. On the other hand, my Fourfold Transformation is…… flashy.”

At that moment, a change occurred. Pakar’s sword began to glow.

Soon, the blade shattered into pieces, and those pieces swirled sharply around Pakar.

“This is my Fourfold Transformation.”

It was certainly a tricky Fourfold Transformation.

The broken blade fragments were not uniform, so some were huge, while others were small and sharp.

Each fragment was filled with aura, humming as it spun faster and faster.

‘This is not a good matchup.’

The main ability of my Fourfold Transformation was to clash with the opponent’s aura and absorb it as my own.

I couldn't possibly strike each and every one of those numerous fragments.

“You must have to carry a lot of swords.”

Pakar answered with a slight smile.

A clash between two Fourfold Transformations.

It wasn’t an opportunity that came easily.

The probing battle was over.

I had no intention of waiting from the start.

To charge at the opponent first and cut off their breath.

That is the way of the Adjak family’s fight.

And I am the one who uses the Adjak swordsmanship best, even within the Adjak family.

I kicked off the ground and leaped in.

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