Chapter 60: Sword Tournament (7)

Clang!

Bang!

Claaang!

Yet again, a massive cloud of dust surges into the air as the greatsword slams into the ground.

Once more, Lohengrin fails to properly strike anything.

He feels cold sweat trickling down his cheek as his eyes grow fierce.

It’s not that he’s thinking about defeat.

Rather, from the moment he began exchanging attacks with Isaac, it already felt no different from losing.

The fact that Lohengrin’s gaze hasn’t drifted in Arandel’s direction in quite some time is proof of that.

“Do you really think you can win by running away like this?!”

Lohengrin shouts at Isaac, as if venting his frustration.

However, Isaac’s eyes remain unshaken, fully focused on his next move—

as if this seemingly pointless exchange of blows is still a step toward victory for him.

That sense of unwavering resolve makes Lohengrin’s heart pound even faster.

He, widely recognized as one of the most overwhelming powerhouses under the name of Helmut, is being pressed by some lowly commoner.

And it’s not just Lohengrin—everyone around can feel it too.

The knights of Helmut can sense a strange fear creeping up the back of their necks, while others watch with pounding hearts.

It’s like being one of the monsters knights capture for live training sessions.

As if Isaac is using him to demonstrate to everyone how to bring down a “monster” called Helmut.

The moment his thoughts reach that point—

Lohengrin unconsciously shifts his gaze.

Even in the split second when their swords clash, he looks at Arandel instead of Isaac.

And there he is—

Arandel Helmut, wearing an expression that not even his own family has ever seen before as he watches Isaac.

Arandel’s body is leaning ever so slightly forward, and the corners of his mouth lift toward his ears.

Even Galenia and Rihanna, who stand on either side of him, seem more stunned by Arandel’s expression than by the duel itself.

Anyone could guess how shocking this situation must be.

And then—

‘He’s… smiling?’

Claang!

In that instant, Lohengrin’s greatsword tilts downward.

Cheers erupt from every corner.

They exclaim that Isaac’s efforts have finally paid off—that he’s managed to land a blow on Lohengrin.

‘He’s smiling… at him?’

In truth, the red aura radiating from Lohengrin’s body remains unbroken, and Isaac once again widens the distance between them.

“Ha, hahaha… hahaha!”

Covering his face with one hand, an eerie glint appears in Lohengrin’s eyes.

When the red glow, known as the “rose” of Helmut, becomes tinged with madness, his gaze darkens like that of a bloodthirsty demon.

“I’ll kill you.”

He despises everything about this.

The sudden shift in this duel’s flow—

The fact that Isaac dares to challenge him with two flimsy swords instead of Helmut’s massive blade—

That Isaac seems to be announcing to everyone that Helmut’s sword is not invincible—

That the dimwit who was always beaten down by him is now fighting so fiercely—

The way the setting sun colors Isaac’s black hair red, much like Helmut’s—

And lastly,

That he has managed to catch his father’s interest.

“I will kill you, no matter what.”

His pride and self-esteem have been trampled.

Suddenly, the crimson aura enveloping Lohengrin’s entire body disappears.

And then—

Puaaaaaaak!

It all converges into his greatsword, extending upward as though trying to engulf the sky.

“Kyahhh!”

“He’s insane! What is that?!”

“I—I can’t breathe!”

Screams and gasps burst from the spectators.

Even being nearby causes them distress.

Helmut’s overwhelming force begins to dominate the space.

That fierce aura surges and surges again, seeming as though it could slice through the sky.

Raising both hands high, Lohengrin lets tears well in his eyes as he lets out a wide, unhinged grin.

“Do you see this, Father?”

He prays that Arandel Helmut sees it clearly.

“This is the sword you showed me just once.”

The single most magnificent and overpowering strike that Arandel Helmut once displayed.

Though he was never formally taught, Lohengrin etched that sword into his memory since childhood—

and he strove relentlessly to imitate it, over and over.

At last,

He’s perfected it.

“I am your heir! The heir to the great Helmut!”

All he ever wanted was to follow in his father’s footsteps.

To walk behind the great man, shining a spotlight on his brilliance.

To become worthy of the name he carries.

Red Death Strike…

Shatter, rend, burn, and lay to waste.

The legendary strike, once wielded only by the head of Helmut, now crashes toward Isaac.

***

As he watched the sword poised to crush him, Isaac couldn’t help but curl the corner of his mouth into a grin.

From a distance, Rihanna could be seen in shock, trying to stop him, while Arandel held his daughter back.

Was his father-in-law always someone who could smile like that?

It was practically the mischievous grin of a child, mixed with an excitement he had never once witnessed in all the time before or after his regression.

Seeing the exhilaration on Arandel’s face, Isaac ended up breaking into a broad smile as well.

‘It’s undeniable that it’s a magnificent sword.’

Up until just now, by dismantling Helmut’s swordsmanship, he had shown the surrounding warriors that Helmut was no longer unbeatable.

On the other hand, precisely because Isaac had broken through Helmut’s technique, he had no choice but to admit it honestly.

Helmut’s sword was truly captivating.

Many swordsmen couldn’t replicate it, yet they still revered it. It was praised as insurmountable for that very reason.

[Why are you fighting again?]

‘…….’

[Your heart wavers like a reed. Decide whether you hate Helmut or like him.]

‘I was just irritated that someone among our comrades claimed Helmut fought using nothing but brute force.’

[Tsk, I see. I understand how you feel.]

He dislikes Helmut.

And yet, he admires that sword.

At least his grandmaster understood those complicated feelings.

[It’s a feat built by the man most gifted with the sword in this world, who abandoned everything else to achieve it.]

[It’s only natural you’d come to admire it, right?]

Honestly speaking, at some point while studying Helmut’s sword style, Isaac found himself starting to understand.

If he truly had to throw everything away for this…

Well, so be it.

But when he sought a deeper comprehension, studied Arandel’s will, and reached the same limits Helmut had touched—

Isaac let out a sigh and felt his rage flare.

“Grrraaaaah!”

With that fierce cry, Red Death Strike came crashing down. Never had he imagined he would have to face it within his lifetime.

Just as the surging Red Aura—like a raging demon of fire—was about to strike Isaac, he lifted his blade toward the sky. Amazingly, the flow of Red Aura shifted with that single, simple motion.

Like ink at the tip of a pen, as soon as Isaac swung his sword, Red Aura rippled around in sync.

Seeing that vicious power, which had been roaring so savagely just moments before, suddenly lower its tail before him was truly shocking.

“H-how is that possible?!”

“He just withstood Helmut’s power?”

“That’s impossible!”

They really have no clue. Isaac smirked. Though Helmut’s sword relies heavily on raw strength, it isn’t everything. And Lohengrin had merely imitated the sword style that Arandel once employed.

But do you think Arandel really just swung his sword using pure force?

‘Absolutely not.’

While Caldias’ spear was crafted so that anyone could handle it, Helmut’s sword carries a will that practically forbids imitation.

As for Lohengrin’s blunders—his single step’s distance, his grip on the greatsword, the angle of the blade, attempting Red Death Strike with a greatsword ill-suited for it, his shortness of breath, his failure to properly condense Red Aura, and so on—all those small mistakes piled up one after another.

Conversely, the current head of House Helmut allows for no such trivial errors—Arandel’s sword.

“A-ah, no—!”

Before he realized it, the imperfect Red Death Strike’s Red Aura had reversed its flow and now circled around Isaac.

Lohengrin’s face twisted in horror at the sight of Isaac seemingly taking command of that power.

It was as though the single sword strike he had spent years learning from his father had just been stolen away by that man.

“No! That can’t be!”

His Red Aura now drained, Lohengrin, left clutching only his greatsword, looked on in terror.

“It’s mine! That belongs to me!”

He pressed forward.

For the very first time in his life, Helmut’s Red Aura was lending its strength to Isaac.

“Helmut’s pride! That great honor—! A worm like you can’t possibly wield it! It’s… it’s—!”

Lohengrin’s frantic screams rang out, but in his ears, Isaac’s parting words hammered home:

“It was far too crude.”

Crude enough that Isaac could twist its flow with the mana imbued in his sword.

If Lohengrin had simply tried to crush him with raw power from start to finish, Isaac might actually have been the one to lose.

Learning is one thing, but mere imitation is—

“A poor copy.”

[Don’t become a mere imitation.]

“...!”

At the very moment Isaac’s voice overlapped with that of Lohengrin’s father, a sword wound carved itself across Lohengrin’s chest.

Lohengrin collapsed to his knees in a pooling torrent of his own blood.

Thud!

He was the first in line to succeed as head of House Helmut.

He was Helmut’s eldest son.

When Lohengrin fell, a heavy silence blanketed the scene. No one had anticipated this outcome—nor were they prepared to accept it.

In that world seemingly frozen in time, Isaac locked eyes with Arandel alone.

What Isaac wanted to say was this: the reason he was enraged upon completing his understanding of Helmut’s sword through silent training wasn’t because Helmut had cast him aside.

‘Did you truly believe Helmut had reached the end?’

Because Helmut sacrificed everything, he managed to arrive at that point.

Yet conversely,

being unable to advance further…

was also a result of having thrown everything away.

The man who had been abandoned was speaking.

Clap!

Resounding, thunderous applause.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

It was Arandel Helmut’s first-ever ovation in praise of another’s sword.

And then, the roar of the onlookers came crashing down upon Isaac.

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

 

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