Chapter 173

Chapter 174. Can You Feel the Difference in Power? (13)

“Anis of Sephira, his opponent is—Captain of Jephyrus’ Knight Order, Regan!”

The announcer’s shout was met with cheers from the audience.

“Pay him back for the humiliation during the Battle Royal, Regan!”

“If you stay quiet after being told your lower body is weak, you’re not a man!”

“Hahahaha!”

Anis and Regan had fought one-on-one during the Battle Royal.

At that time, Anis had managed to knock Regan down with martial arts, gaining the upper hand, but due to the interference of other knights, the match ended in a draw.

“Back then, you were lucky that Sir Rajis saved you, but this time, there’s no way you’ll get away with it.”

When Regan provoked Anis first, Anis scoffed.

“You’re definitely one step ahead of me when it comes to shamelessness.”

“Don’t get the wrong idea. Even without the other knights, you’re no match for me.”

“What’s the use of being a knight if all you do is talk?”

Anis, who saw no value in continuing the conversation with Regan, signaled the referee to start quickly. The referee nodded and raised his hand.

The two faced each other and took their positions.

“Fight!”

As the referee’s hand came down, Regan was startled.

“Gah!”

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

All he could see were arrows. If his instincts hadn’t kicked in and made him twist his body, he would have been turned into a pincushion.

‘Were Anis’ arrows always this fast?!’

Regan had fought Anis before. The arrows he faced back then were fast, but not this fast.

“Ugh!”

To deal with an archer, you have to close the distance. But Regan couldn’t get close.

Just dodging the incoming arrows required all his focus. If he made even the slightest mistake, he’d be hit, and once hit, more arrows would follow.

Using Aura Armor to block the arrows and advance wasn’t an option either.

‘The Aura Armor will definitely be pierced. I can’t hold out like this.’

It was absurd, but Anis’ arrows were not only powerful but also fast and numerous.

However, it wasn’t all doom and gloom. Regan was currently dodging like a dog with its tail on fire, but he judged that Anis’ relentless assault wouldn’t last forever.

‘He can’t keep firing arrows with this much Aura power indefinitely.’

In other words, Anis was overexerting himself. If Regan could just hold out a little longer, the tide would turn in his favor.

‘The speed of the arrows is starting to become familiar. I can start moving forward bit by bit.’

As the arrows became more visible, Regan began to move forward cautiously, step by step.

However, the very idea of advancing was a mistake born of greed.

Thud!

The moment he took another step, Regan felt a burning pain in his side.

He didn’t need to look down to know. An arrow had pierced through him. Blood gushed out.

“Gah!”

Before he could even process what had happened, Regan contracted his muscles to stop the bleeding.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Another barrage of arrows flew in. They were still powerful, but now even faster.

Splat!

Until now, Regan had been dodging arrows with minimal movement, but this time, the arrows were so fast that he had to throw his body to avoid them.

‘Oh no.’

He regretted it immediately. While throwing his body did allow him to dodge the arrows, the aftermath was even worse.

His posture was completely disrupted, and the arrows kept coming. Anis continued to fire powerful, fast arrows as if he had infinite Aura.

“Damn it all!”

Regan, who had been conserving his Aura for the final showdown with Anis, now had no choice but to use it.

He enveloped his entire body in Aura Armor and unleashed his Aura Blade, deflecting the incoming arrows.

But with his unstable posture, there was no way he could block Anis’ enhanced arrows.

Clang, clang, clang!

A few arrows were deflected by his sword, but—

Thud, thud, thud!

More arrows pierced through his Aura Armor and embedded themselves in his body.

“……”

Regan couldn’t believe the current situation. His body was already in tatters?

He hadn’t even gotten close to Anis yet. No, he had only advanced about three meters. To swing his sword at Anis, he needed to close at least another twenty meters.

It felt insurmountable. In all his life, he had never felt a distance so vast.

Thud, thud, thud.

He forced his body to move. Each time, the arrows embedded in his body touched his nerves, sending excruciating pain throughout his entire body.

“Ugh…”

Even for a knight with a strong will, the pain was dizzying.

But he didn’t have the luxury of savoring the pain. Anis didn’t give him a single second of respite.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Another barrage of arrows.

In his dazed state, Regan had a thought.

‘How many arrows does he even have?!’

By his estimate, Anis had already fired hundreds of arrows. Yet, the arrows kept coming.

In reality, Anis had brought 90 arrows, but by mixing real arrows with Aura Arrows, it felt like an endless barrage to Regan.

Finally, the situation Regan had been waiting for arrived. The arrows Anis fired began to slow down, and their power decreased.

Whoosh, clang!

Regan swung his sword to deflect the arrows.

His sword trembled violently. The tremor traveled from the blade to the hilt, from the hilt to his wrist, and from his wrist to his entire body.

“Ugh…”

Regan’s body swayed.

It was true that Anis’ arrows had weakened. But Regan had weakened even more, so it didn’t matter.

‘Just one breath, just one moment to stabilize my posture, and I can still…!’

Regan didn’t give up. Despite being severely injured and losing a lot of blood, he had stopped the bleeding and was holding on tightly to his consciousness. He was blocking or dodging as many arrows as he could.

But victory was nowhere in sight.

Because Anis’ arrows didn’t stop for even a second.

The gap created by a single misstep couldn’t be recovered.

‘If this continues, I’ll just be blocking arrows until I lose.’

Losing to an archer he had underestimated was humiliating, but losing without being able to do anything was a humiliation close to death.

But there was nothing more Regan could do here. He knew that charging in recklessly wouldn’t solve anything.

He could take a few arrows and make a big advance, but if Anis just stepped back, it would be over.

‘To secure victory here… I have no choice but to use this.’

Regan found it absurd that he had to use his trump card, prepared for Keter, on someone like Anis, but he had no choice.

Losing like this was something Galahind would never forgive.

‘I’ll use the Rage Potion.’

Using potions or elixirs during a match was strictly prohibited. So how could he use it?

It was hidden under his molar.

‘Pull out the molar and take the pill hidden inside.’

A pill refined from the Rage Elixir.

While its effects were weaker than the original, it had the advantage of being able to be taken quickly and secretly.

‘Anis, you forced me to take this. The price for this will be more than just an arm.’

Gulp.

The Rage Elixir had severe side effects. It could even end his career as a knight.

But Regan thought it was better than losing right now. So he took the risk and consumed the Rage Elixir pill, but—

“I knew it.”

“……!”

It only took two seconds for Regan to swallow the pill.

But Anis noticed the change in Regan. He could tell from Regan’s expression and body language that he was up to something.

This was thanks to Keter’s teachings.

‘To understand your opponent’s intentions, look into their eyes.’

Of course, he didn’t know exactly what Regan had done, but he knew he couldn’t give him any time.

So instead, he closed the distance. Then, he nocked three Aura Arrows at once.

The second form of the Zodiac Bow, Taurus, and the sixth form, Yaksha.

The three arrows, fired in a triangular formation by Taurus and at the fastest speed by Yaksha, targeted Regan’s entire body.

Regan, even if it meant breaking his legs, forced his thighs to push him back in a desperate leap. Then, he focused all his Aura to deploy his Aura Armor.

It would take time for the Rage Elixir to take effect. Not long, just five seconds. He just needed to hold out for five seconds.

But Anis, seeing Regan retreat, smirked.

“I already expected you to retreat.”

“……!”

Bang!

Anis had anticipated Regan’s retreat and fired his arrows, and Regan ended up offering his body to the incoming arrows.

Though he had deployed his Aura Armor thickly, the arrows arrived before it could fully form, shattering it like glass.

“Ugh!”

Three arrows pierced Regan’s shoulders and both legs. That alone would have been enough to finish him, but Anis didn’t let his guard down until the very end.

Though he had run out of arrows and Aura, Anis still had something to throw.

Whoosh! Thud!

He threw his bow like a boomerang.

It hit Regan squarely on the forehead, and Regan staggered like a drunk before collapsing backward.

“……”

Twitch, twitch.

Regan, with a large bump on his forehead, trembled. When he didn’t get up after five seconds, the referee entered the ring, checked Regan’s condition, and shook his head.

“Participant Regan, knocked out! The winner is Anis!”

The referee clearly declared Anis’ victory.

The audience, who had been holding their breath, erupted in cheers, chanting Anis’ name.

“Anis! Anis!”

“The famed archer of Sephira!”

Anis didn’t hear the cheers. He was still caught up in the heat of battle.

However, he had already known he had won. Watching Regan being carried away by the medics, Anis muttered.

“Don’t ever pretend to be my rival again. My only rival is Keter.”

* * *

While Anis and Regan’s match had drawn a lot of attention from the audience, the next match was even more anticipated.

“The Witch of the Sword, Henya! Her opponent is—Dragon Spear Jordic!”

The audience was excited for this match because Henya and Jordic’s performances had been quite similar.

Henya had been brutally defeated by Keter and had put up a good fight against Rajis but ultimately lost again.

Losing to Keter or Rajis didn’t mean Henya was weak. But the audience thought differently. Perhaps Henya was the weakest among the masters.

Rumors spread that her title of “Witch of the Sword,” earned by hunting named monsters as the daughter of Lord Eslow, might not hold up against a knight.

On the other hand, what about Jordic?

He hadn’t shown any standout performances and wasn’t a top contender, but he had consistently dominated other 4-Star Knights.

‘Maybe Jordic is a 5-Star Master, and if so, he could defeat Henya, the weakest master?’

The audience wanted to confirm their suspicions. They also wanted to see Henya’s moment of despair.

Watching a noble in despair was always entertaining and thrilling. Especially when it was the daughter of a lord.

Even Lord Eslow himself was watching this match.

Amidst the anticipation and excitement, Henya and Jordic faced each other. Jordic was tall for a man, but Henya was even taller.

True to her title as the Witch of the Sword, her expression was not that of someone about to fight but rather someone about to read a book.

“……”

“……”

The two, who had no connection or social skills, didn’t provoke or greet each other. They were too busy analyzing each other’s stances.

The referee, seeing no psychological warfare between the two, immediately lowered his hand.

“Fight!”

The distance between the two closed in an instant.

In front of Henya’s Body Enhancement Technique, 50 meters was like a stone’s throw away.

Jordic, who knew about the Body Enhancement Technique, wasn’t flustered. He thrust his spear as he had practiced. He didn’t care that Henya was a 5-Star Master or the daughter of a lord. He simply performed his best spear technique.

The match ended in the blink of an eye.

With Henya’s overwhelming victory.

It wasn’t that Jordic had made a mistake. The difference between the divine power Henya had shown in the team tournament and what she displayed now was immense.

Even Keter was impressed.

‘She’s finally combined her Dual Swordsmanship and Body Enhancement Technique into one system. Did someone advise her?’

Henya’s Dual Swordsmanship and Body Enhancement Technique were undoubtedly outstanding techniques. But the drawback was that they were separate.

But if those two powerful techniques were combined? The power wouldn’t just double. It would at least quintuple.

‘Of course, it’s still incomplete, but the fact that she thought to combine them and used it in a real match is what’s important.’

In short, Henya had awakened. If this awakening had come a bit sooner, she might have been able to take on Rajis.

Jordic wasn’t bad either. Losing to an awakened Henya without sustaining major injuries was a wise defeat.

‘Losing once doesn’t mean elimination. He probably thought he could come back from the loser’s bracket.’

In other words, it was a strategic defeat.

‘By the way, Henya, you. You still haven’t given up, have you?’

The chances of Henya becoming the Southern Sword had significantly decreased. Keter, Rajis, Norman. All three of them would have to finish in the top four for Henya to have a chance.

Of course, the likelihood of that was extremely low. But even so, Henya hadn’t let go of that slim possibility.

After Henya’s match, the tournament continued. The Triad of Sephira continued their winning streak without much trouble.

The initial excitement from the audience had cooled down. There were many matches between average knights, and there were no clashes between the strong.

As the tournament reached its midpoint, the bracket was updated.

“Huh?”

“Wait, did I see that right?”

“The next match is…!”

The audience’s faces lit up as they checked the bracket. An interesting matchup had been set.

-Keter vs. Taragon.

While the audience was excited about the intriguing matchup, someone else’s excitement was dying.

“This… this can’t be.”

Taragon, his face pale, looked to the side.

Keter stood up from his seat and said to Taragon.

“Brother, let’s see how much stronger you’ve become.”

As Taragon walked down to the ring with Keter, he realized a new truth. That a person can smile even while crying.