Chapter 172

Chapter 173. Can You Feel the Difference in Power? (12)

The rules of the individual tournament were simple.

Within a flat, square ring measuring 50 meters on each side, Contestant A and Contestant B would face off. The winner would advance to fight other winners, while the loser would battle other losers for a chance at redemption.

Ultimately, only two would remain in the finals, with one becoming the ultimate champion.

*Boom—boom, boom, boom!*

The majestic sound of drums reverberated through the arena, blending with the audience’s heartbeat, amplifying the tension and anticipation.

*Dugududududung!*

As the drumming ceased, the spotlight focused on the podium.

The announcer, holding a staff enchanted with amplification magic, struck the ground.

*Thud!*

The audience’s attention shifted to the podium as the announcer’s voice echoed throughout the arena.

-“The 9th Southern Sword Tournament. We now announce the interim results.”

-“First match, Battle Royal Group A’s top scorer: Garcia’s Sword Dragon Rajis. Group B’s top scorers: Sephira’s Keter, Witch of the Sword Henya Eslow, Galahind’s Red Wolf, Pasian. Group C’s top scorer: Shadabon’s Norman.”

-“Second match, Team Tournament Group A’s top scorer: Rajis. Group B’s top scorer: Pasian.”

-“Out of the 256 participants in the 9th Southern Sword Tournament, 37 have withdrawn due to personal circumstances or injuries. The remaining 219 will prove their strength in the individual tournament.”

As the announcer neatly summarized, the audience reminisced about the past matches, lost in memories.

There were many memorable moments. But the most vivid memory was, of course, Sephira.

Her first appearance as an archer.

Despite being considered the weakest among the prestigious families, Anis and Taragon proved it was just a rumor with their remarkable performances.

And then, Keter’s appearance.

*Shiver.*

Just recalling Keter made the audience tremble. It was inevitable.

His arrogance and boldness.

Overwhelming divinity!

And even his insane composure.

Keter, with his devilish charm, captivated not only women but also men.

Of course, Sephira and Keter weren’t the only highlights of the tournament.

Though ugly, Rajis, one of the Seven Dragons and a swordsmanship prodigy from the prestigious Garcia family, was equally impressive.

Henya, Lord Eslow’s daughter, showcased dual swordsmanship and a new aspect of martial arts, while Pasian, revealing Adeus Kingdom’s secret technique, Muryeong, also garnered much attention from the knights.

Lastly, the suddenly risen divine Norman proved overwhelming strength, but his cynical tone and cruel actions left him with no fans among the citizens or nobles.

The announcer, who had the audience reminiscing about past matches, continued.

-“Among the 219 heroes gathered to become the knight representing the South, the current top contenders are as follows.”

-“Henya Til Eslow, 13 points. Keter El Sephira, 14 points. Norman Ken Shadabon, 14 points. Rajis El Garcia, 15 points. Pasian Ken Galahind, 15 points.”

-“Unfortunately, Pasian Ken Galahind will not participate in the individual tournament due to personal circumstances.”

The audience buzzed at the news of Pasian’s absence.

“Tell us the reason!”

“I was looking forward to a rematch with Prince Keter!”

“I was curious who would win against Sir Rajis!”

Despite the audience’s demands, the announcer ignored them. The announcer didn’t know the reason either.

Not just the announcer. No one knew why Pasian withdrew.

Even Marquis Galahind, who had him as a son-in-law, was at a loss, furious to the point of bursting.

Even the knights who followed Pasian had disappeared, leaving Galahind no choice but to think Pasian had betrayed him.

Who could have known?

That Pasian and his subordinates had been absorbed by Norman, the Monster of the Demon Realm, a transparent slime.

The announcer pointed his staff at a section of the audience to calm the buzzing crowd.

Until now, the audience seats were divided into two types.

General seats and noble seats.

But now, a new section, hidden by a magical barrier, was revealed in the center.

-“Let us welcome the 219 warriors who will gloriously decorate the 9th Southern Sword Tournament with applause and cheers!”

As the announcer shouted, the magical barrier disappeared, revealing the 219 participants.

A new method was introduced where the participants waited in the same space as the audience, descending into the ring when their turn came.

Seeing the participants up close, the audience cheered wildly.

“Wooaaah!”

“It’s Sir Keter! Sir Keter is in the center!”

“Lady Henya is right next to him!”

“Prince Keter is waving at us!”

The participants sat still like statues, either maintaining their dignity or feeling nervous or embarrassed.

But only one person, Keter, stood up and waved at the audience.

“He saw me! He saw me!”

“Idiot! He saw the jumbotron!”

*Smooch.*

As Keter blew a kiss, the female audience members went wild.

“He, he kissed! It was definitely for me!”

“What nonsense are you spouting, you orc? It was for me!”

“What are you talking about, you goblin-looking hag!”

As the audience went crazy over Keter’s every move, suddenly everyone stopped.

This time, it wasn’t the announcer who stopped them. No one spoke or moved.

It was an instinct as living beings.

Like feeling awe at the vastness of the universe beyond the distant sky—they sensed a certain ‘presence.’

“…….”

The presence said nothing.

But everyone knew of his existence.

The Southern Lord, Weaponmaster Eslow.

He appeared on the podium.

*Clang!*

The Iron Knights, Eslow’s knight order protecting the arena, all knelt on one knee and bowed their heads. The announcer prostrated himself, showing extreme submission.

The audience, including the nobles, couldn’t even look at Eslow. They could only barely glance at his feet.

Eslow said nothing.

*Swoosh.*

He glanced up at the clear sky—

Looked down at the empty square ring—

And finally, scanned the audience from right to left, stopping at the center.

“…….”

Eslow looked at the participants’ waiting seats. The knights, renowned in the South, couldn’t bear his gaze and turned their heads away.

But there were five who didn’t look away.

Dragon Spear Jordic.

Sword Dragon Rajis.

His daughter, Henya.

Norman.

And finally, Keter.

The five met Eslow’s gaze directly.

* * *

‘So, you’re aiming for victory after all.’

Eslow looked at Keter in the audience. The guy dared to meet his gaze without flinching, even smiling with composure.

It wasn’t just composure from strength or ignorance.

He had guts.

High self-esteem.

The confidence that even if Eslow tried to harm him, he could overcome it.

‘An interesting guy. I want to tear him apart.’

Eslow suddenly recalled his days as a human.

Back then, he was like Keter. Full of confidence. Rejecting norms, breaking molds. Making the world revolve around him.

The days when he sought out and defeated countless strong opponents, faced the unknown without fear, never losing composure even against overwhelming foes…….

All those versions of Eslow were reflected in Keter.

‘Given time, you’ll reach the same realm as me.’

A 5-Star Master is said to be the pinnacle of human strength. One who possesses the maximum aura a human can have, equivalent to 100 years of aura.

A 6-Star Grandmaster breaks that limit. Their body itself changes, evolving to accept infinite aura, allowing them to wield near-limitless aura.

And when one reaches 7-Star Prime, they transcend humanity completely. They can intervene in the physical world with will alone, defying laws.

From then on, their perspective of the world changes. They are human, yet no longer human.

Eslow wondered if Keter, as a 7-Star Prime, would remain the same as he is now.

Eslow had changed. At first, he denied and avoided it, but eventually became who he is now.

As a 6-Star Grandmaster, one becomes a ruler of the world—but as a 7-Star Prime, one becomes a discusser of the world. Without being told, without being taught, one naturally realizes it.

‘If I can live that long.’

The world isn’t easy. No matter how transcendent, one can’t let their guard down in this world.

Eslow’s gaze passed Keter and stopped at an ordinary-looking man. A man who smiled without showing his teeth.

‘Norman, was it? That monster.’

A monster mimicking humans, Norman.

When Eslow heard reports from his subordinates that Norman might not be human, he didn’t care.

“If he follows human laws in human form, there’s no reason to bar him from the tournament.”

To Eslow, Norman was quite an extraordinary monster. Though Eslow didn’t know his true nature, he estimated him to be at least an A-Class Named Monster.

‘Another hidden entertainment in the tournament. I wonder how he’ll act if he becomes the Southern Sword.’

Eslow’s gaze shifted again. His interest in Norman, the Monster of the Demon Realm, ended there.

In this tournament, Eslow’s biggest thorn wasn’t Norman or Keter, but Ayrus.

‘You haven’t given up.’

Ayrus, a handsome man in blue uniform, mingled with the citizens in the general seats.

Even after meeting Eslow’s gaze, Ayrus didn’t look away and smiled slyly.

‘I’ve recovered all the bombs. Captured all the traitors. The Empire’s agents have left the city. So, what are you planning to do alone?’

Eslow had deliberately ignored Ayrus and Kai’s schemes to uncover their plans, but now there was no need.

Kai had left the city. Without a trace, cutting all ties.

So Eslow cleaned up everything he had ignored until now.

He recovered all the bombs installed in the underground waterways. He rooted out all the traitors who had aided him.

‘Upper Noble Casper Galahind. Lower Noble Victor Arden Burke, Quentin Hegenbach, Stephan Inghardt, Joaquin Derpen. Captain Calvin of the Peacekeeping Force, 9th Division Commander Alister Grimstone of the Iron Knights…….’

Including the seven ringleaders, all 40 operatives were executed or arrested and thrown into the underground prison.

‘The disappearances and undead appearances in the city seem to be connected to you.’

Ayrus hid it well, but Eslow could feel it. The sinister dark mana emanating from him.

‘Hmph. I’ve beheaded hundreds of dark mages with my sword.’

Though Ayrus was over 200 meters away, Eslow could decapitate him with ease if he wished.

But he decided to let him be.

Because he was curious what Ayrus would do.

Because no matter what he did, Eslow could stop it.

‘It wouldn’t be bad to show the dignity of a lord after so long.’

Thanks to Keter, Eslow’s human side had slightly returned after decades, and he thought it wouldn’t be bad to show the citizens a glimpse of his rulership.

No matter who the opponent was, no matter what they did, it wouldn’t work on him.

* * *

The moment Norman met Lord Eslow’s gaze head-on, his human transformation almost slipped.

‘So, this is a lord… Humans aren’t to be underestimated.’

Norman, who had secretly thought he could absorb even a 7-Star Prime lord if he timed it right, completely retracted that thought.

‘I must thoroughly pretend to be human in front of him. I can’t make a mistake like I did with Pasian.’

During the team tournament against Pasian, Norman could have taken the hit.

From a human perspective, losing an arm would be fatal, ending a swordsman’s career, but as a slime, Norman could just reattach it.

But he instinctively dodged. Using his slime abilities, not human ones.

Fortunately, he killed Pasian, who witnessed it up close, so no further issues arose, but showing slime traits in front of the lord again would be very dangerous.

‘The lord can probably see hundreds of meters away.’

Even if the lord discovered his true nature, Norman didn’t think he would die. As long as his core survived, he could revive endlessly.

So if things went south, he could abandon ‘Norman’ and escape. He could possess another human body and play dead.

‘It’s my privilege, something lowly humans can never mimic. Hehehe.’

Norman didn’t like the name humans gave him, Transparent Slime.

‘I’m not a monster. I’m a superior species surpassing you. I’ll become the progenitor of the humanoid slime race and rule over you, you primitive humans.’

Norman believed humans ruled the world not because they were strong, but simply because they were numerous. He was confident that given a few hundred years, he could change that.

‘So, if I can just get through this tournament and absorb Keter… Hehehe. Half my plan is as good as done.’

*Swoosh.*

Norman alternated his gaze between Rajis and Keter.

Sword Dragon Rajis. Though they hadn’t fought, he was clearly strong. His swordsman instincts told him so.

But there was no chance of losing to him.

All swordsmanship has weaknesses and compatibilities. Fast swords are weak against heavy swords, and illusion swords are weak against strong swords.

Having absorbed countless swordsmen, Norman had mastered all types of swordsmanship.

Fast swords, heavy swords, variable swords, illusion swords, flowing swords, middle swords, strong swords… So he couldn’t lose to a swordsman.

But Norman had one weakness.

‘I lack knowledge on dealing with archers.’

Though the archers of Sephira had shown their skills in the tournament, it wasn’t enough to identify their weaknesses.

‘I’ll have to focus on defense and drag it into a long battle, exhausting their stamina and aura.’

Though a monster, Norman had human-like thinking. Especially after absorbing Pasian, a seasoned mercenary.

With Pasian’s experience, Norman was convinced he needed to drag Keter into a war of attrition to win.

Archers have weak stamina. They consume aura far more than swordsmen.

‘And my stamina and aura are infinite.’

Though he didn’t know how to counter archers, Norman was confident he could win.

* * *

‘Eslow. I look forward to seeing that confident face twist.’

Ayrus, mingling among the citizens, smirked at Eslow, who had noticed him.

‘Judging by his reaction, he doesn’t know I have the Dark Document.’

Ayrus glanced at Sephira’s brothers.

‘I praise you for not telling the lord about my plan, only informing a few nobles. Thanks to that, I don’t have to bother changing my plans.’

Sephira’s Triad, Mail, Anis, and Taragon, had learned of Ayrus’s plan from Keter.

But they decided not to inform the lord, only sharing the information with trusted nobles to prevent a massacre, aligning with Keter’s opinion and minimizing casualties.

However, the Triad underestimated Ayrus. Ayrus had his own spies among the nobles.

And the Triad lacked the ability to weed out Ayrus’s spies.

When the Triad prepared with the nobles against the undead, Ayrus learned of it.

‘Keter. It wasn’t your doing, was it? You would have just watched.’

Even if Sephira’s Triad and some nobles prepared against the undead, Ayrus saw no need to change his plan.

But he had no intention of letting the Triad, who had exposed his plan, off the hook.

‘Just Keter’s toys. Why do you have self-awareness and meddle between me and Keter?’

Originally, Ayrus only intended to tie up Eslow. Of course, many citizens and nobles would die in the process, but he had no intention of causing it.

‘Proposing to protect the citizens. Such hypocritical noble talk. Or maybe they want to play hero—’

The Triad had proposed protecting the citizens when persuading the nobles, which further irritated Ayrus.

‘Because of your pretentiousness, more will die.’

Ayrus decided to give a separate order to one undead legion.

Not to kill Eslow, but to kill the citizens.

‘Keter. I wonder how you’ll react. You who called them family, not toys. Will you protect them? Or ignore them?’

Lord Eslow.

The Monster of the Demon Realm, Norman.

Lich Ayrus.

Though of different races and goals, the three had one thing in common.

All three were concerned about Keter.

Then, Eslow, who had been pressuring the entire arena, suppressed his power and slowly spoke.

“Begin the matches.”

At his words, the audience erupted in cheers as if nothing had happened.

The announcer quickly took charge. Soon, the first two contestants stepped onto the square ring.

The referee, not wanting to delay any longer, raised his hand and brought it down sharply, shouting loudly.

“Fight!”

The two knights on the ring, tired of waiting, rushed at each other fiercely from the start.

*Clang!*

It was the resounding clash marking the true beginning of the Southern Sword’s final event, the ‘Individual Tournament.’