Chapter 133 : Chapter 133

Chapter 133 : The Knight Competition (4)

Countless blades, shattered into pieces, swirled about.

In the middle of what looked like a typhoon of blades, Pakar, having drawn a new sword, was also ready to charge at any moment.

I never intended to win without getting hurt from the start.

As this was a Knight Competition that placed its significance on competing with only the knight's own physical strength, Tunes could not be used.

The method of fighting by widely spreading [Intangible Armor] to block the blades was impossible.

But I ran.

Since I ran without using [Rush], I couldn't be as fast as usual.

But my movements were by no means slow.

Whoooosh──!

I charged into the center of the storm with the sound of a fierce wind.

I succeeded in swatting away the smaller blades and devouring the aura surrounding them.

But I couldn't possibly swat away all the blades that were furiously swirling from all directions at high speed.

I had no choice but to trust the plate armor Pasion had gifted me and charge in.

Until the finals, I had not taken off the armor even when sleeping, getting my body accustomed to its weight and bulk.

It was far more durable than the uniform I had worn until now, so it would block the blade fragments for a while.

Clang! Clang! Claang! Rip!

Blades I failed to swat away cut through the plate armor and tore my flesh.

But I didn't stop running.

I used the momentum I had built up from my run and thrust Maron forward.

Kaaaang!

The new sword Pakar had taken out shattered at once.

The problem was that the broken pieces were also absorbed into the storm and began to swirl along with the rest.

Pakar quickly drew a second sword.

But my sword was faster in cutting him.

Rip!

The chest plate of the armor worn by Pakar from the Rosamund Knights was split open.

The emblem of the Empire engraved in the center was also cut away.

A sense of exhilaration welled up.

I didn't care that my body was covered in scratches.

The battle of the knights I had seen in the semifinals was deeply embedded in my mind.

The members of the White Dragon Knights who, regardless of their wounds, had focused on stabbing their opponents just one more time.

I too was now a temporary member of the White Dragon Knights.

Realizing that fact, I swung my sword once more.

Claaang!

Blood gushed from Pakar’s chest once more.

But he too was a knight.

A chunk of aura was shaved off where my sword had passed, and he suffered a large wound, but he didn't let out a single scream.

He now drew two swords and brandished them.

Wielding one sword and wielding two should have different combat mechanisms altogether, yet Pakar was skillful.

I could tell how much he had trained, and what an excellent knight he was.

Above all, the most difficult thing to get used to was that Pakar did not fear his swords breaking.

It was my first time fighting a knight who did not cherish his own weapon, so it was bewildering in many ways.

Rather, Pakar would swing his swords wildly to widen the cracks in them.

I had thought I could escape the influence of the blade storm by closing the distance somehow, but Pakar handled his Fourfold Transformation with extreme skill.

Even though I was fighting almost pressed up against him, blades dug into my back.

It was now a do-or-die situation.

The first one to fall would be the loser.

Both of us had shed a considerable amount of blood.

The cheers of the audience didn't reach my ears.

All I could hear was the sound of my own breathing, my heartbeat, and the clash of swords.

At the same time, I could hear Pakar’s breathing and the metallic clang made by the swirling blade storm.

We had talked for quite a long time before we properly engaged, but since our swords had crossed, we hadn't spoken a single word.

We were fighting with the sole intention of striking the other down.

We were both staggering.

I had lost so much blood that my vision would sometimes fade away as if flickering.

But I squeezed out my remaining strength and struck Maron against Pakar's sword.

Clink!

Pakar’s last remaining sword broke.

He fumbled at his waist, but there were no more swords left.

He gave a slight smile.

His face, splattered with blood, was no longer simple.

Just a well-honed knight stood before my eyes.

Pant, pant, he gasped for breath and made a motion of gripping the air.

Then the scattered blades came together to form a greatsword of immense size.

I raised my sword.

This is the last attack.

I had that intuition.

Pakar probably felt something similar.

Perhaps because we had fought such a bloody battle, I felt like I could read his mind even without exchanging words.

“Uwoooooh!”

Pakar let out a battle cry and swung the greatsword.

The aura he had squeezed out to the limit was imbued in the greatsword.

I too swung Maron towards the greatsword.

Craaaack!

I heard the sound of a huge explosion.

Maron, having devoured a great deal of Pakar's mana, was humming and raging.

Soon after, Pakar’s knees buckled.

He looked at me once, then collapsed onto the training ground floor.

“Waaaaaah!”

Only then did the cheers shouted by the audience become clear.

– Polarin! Polarin! Polarin!

Many were chanting my name.

No, nearly everyone gathered in the training ground was raising their clenched fists and shouting my name.

My physical condition was at its worst.

It was to the point where I wondered if God’s Avatar would have been activated if I had been wearing the holy relic, Mutis.

There wasn't a single part of my body that was unharmed, and my eyelids were so heavy that it took a long time each time I blinked.

But I laboriously waved my hand, responding to the cheers pouring down on me.

When I raised my hand, an even bigger cheer erupted.

I looked towards the Rosamund Knights.

They couldn't hide their somber mood.

When I raised my hand, an even bigger cheer erupted.

I looked towards the Rosamund Knights.

They couldn't hide their somber mood.

The referee checked on my and Pakar’s conditions.

Although it was an unspoken rule not to kill each other, it wouldn't have been strange if one of us had died.

“Transport him quickly!”

At the referee's words, the members of the Rosamund Knights rushed over and took Pakar away.

He also sent me a worried glance.

I gave him a nod and looked towards the White Dragon Knights.

And I said clearly, for everyone to hear.

“As promised, I have defeated three.”

“You’ve worked hard.”

Pasion was smiling brightly.

It was a bright smile, as if he had never doubted it.

***

I walked down from the training ground on my own two feet.

The next duel soon followed.

A battle unfolded between a member of the White Dragon Knights, whose morale was high, and a member of the Rosamund Knights, who showed the will not to lose so helplessly.

It was a high-level fight between high-level knights, but it was difficult to concentrate.

The White Dragon Knights were gathered around me, pouring potions and wrapping bandages.

It was said to be a tradition that if someone was injured in the Knight Competition, they were to be treated within their own knight order.

“Um…… can’t we be the ones to treat the Apostle?”

“It’s fine. A knight doesn’t die from something like this.”

Because of that, the priests of the Holy Order who had approached to treat me had no choice but to turn back with worried looks.

I also sent them a pleading look, but I soon turned my gaze away.

That was because Pasion was standing next to me with a satisfied smile.

“By the way, the opposing knight who's out now looks quite strong.”

“…….”

“Still, I will trust in the power of the Adjak family.”

“As you should.”

Pasion took out a thick booklet and showed it to me.

“When the Knight Competition is over, the Imperial Palace Vault will be opened. And an auction will begin. Is there anything you want?”

The words were extremely tempting.

I had good memories from participating in the mages' auction after the Ostrum exchange meeting.

The auction that would be held this time would have many items that knights could use, so there would be even more valuable items.

“I’ll take a look first.”

“Look carefully. I’ll give you one, at least.”

“Then…… I won't refuse.”

I eagerly looked through the booklet.

They say the sword is the flower of a knight, but since I had Maron, I didn't need another sword.

But besides swords, there were so many eye-popping items that I forgot the pain and looked through it diligently.

‘First, I want to get a dagger…….’

When a chaotic battle unfolds, having a dagger that can be swung faster than a long-bladed sword seemed like it would be a great help in my future journey.

Especially the sight of the White Dragon Knights entangled with each other and stabbing with daggers on the semifinal stage was still deeply impressive.

As I was intently looking at the catalog where daggers were listed, someone spoke up from my side.

“If possible, choose a dagger made of Orichalcum or meteoric iron. The drawback is that they’re expensive, but since Sir Pasion is buying, you should choose the best one.”

It was Balan, who was pouring a potion on my back.

She saw me diligently looking at the daggers and gave me advice.

“Watching you wield a dagger, Lady Balan, was so impressive that I wanted to have one.”

“I still have a long way to go. If I had fought in a way that didn't require me to wield a dagger, I would have been able to compete in the finals too.”

Balan, whose entire body was wrapped in bandages, said with a hint of regret.

But her words weren't wrong. Knights use daggers on the assumption that a chaotic battle will unfold.

Normally, it would be better to use a long-reaching sword.

But if I go to Myeolji, I have to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

I too needed a dagger that I could draw at any time to stab an opponent in the worst-case scenario.

“Thank you for the recommendation, but there’s something I like more.”

“What is it?”

“Dragon Killer. I like this one.”

The Dragon Killer is famous as a sword that killed a dragon, a dagger said to be made by grinding a dragon’s bones.

“It’s a good sword, but…… it probably won't be as good as meteoric iron, though?”

“Haha, still, dragon bones have meaning to our family, don't they? It would be better than letting it rot in the Imperial Vault.”

Balan’s words had a point this time as well.

No matter how strong dragon bones were, they weren't as durable as meteoric iron.

But I knew how to make the Dragon Killer stronger than a dagger made of meteoric iron.

If I can just win the bid, I was confident I could evolve the Dragon Killer by one stage, so it would be better to get that.

“And I need to pick out a piece of armor, too. You went to the trouble of giving it to me, but it’s become unusable after just one use.”

“I believe Sir Pasion was only going to give you one item?”

“I have a lot of money.”

“……I suppose you are receiving support from the 9th Autonomous Region.”

Balan said, as if envious.

She too was from the 2nd Autonomous Region, so she would have lived without worrying about money.

Not to be compared with me, who was from the 18th Autonomous Region.

But living without worrying about money and having a lot of money were two different things.

“Lady Balan, if there’s an item you want, you should pick one out too. I’ll gift it to you.”

“Really?”

Balan’s face lit up.

But not long after, her smile faded.

“No, it’s alright. I have no reason to receive a gift from you, Sir Polarin.”

“No, it’s fine. What are batchmates for? I also learned a lot from watching you fight, Lady Balan.”

“Even so……”

“After you pick a good item, just help me out later.”

The corners of Balan’s mouth twitched.

As if she had never hesitated, she began to flip through the booklet wildly, searching for an item she wanted.

As I was searching for a usable piece of armor with Balan, Pasion spoke to me.

“A message came from Lady Hike.”

“Lady Hike? Ah……”

I was so absorbed in the booklet that I hadn't even noticed Hike had sent me a wireless call.

“She said one of your colleagues has finished the second trial and came out. It seems that Paladin, Everchen, has passed.”

It was happy news.

I wanted to see how Everchen had grown, even a moment sooner.

“Sir Pasion, I don’t necessarily have to go to the auction house, do I?”

“Well, no, but why? Are you thinking of making me your proxy buyer?”

Pasion asked, his eyes wide.

No matter how much he supported me, making him my auction gofer would be crossing the line.

I quickly changed my attitude.

“No, I was going to ask Lady Balan.”

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