Chapter 176

Chapter 177. Sephira’s Big Shot (2)

The match between Rajis and Norman was shocking in both process and outcome.

Norman recklessly unleashed his aura as if it were infinite, pouring out secret techniques, but Rajis calmly deflected them with superior skills or overwhelmed them with even greater techniques.

But what happened?

The victory ended up being Norman’s.

Rajis was disqualified.

The audience couldn’t believe this shocking result, but no one stepped forward to protest.

Then, Keter stepped forward.

“I object!”

With a voice filled with conviction and passion, everyone turned their attention to Keter.

Whoosh!

Keter, who had been in the waiting area, leaped into the ring.

A distance of hundreds of meters, but—

“W-what?!”

“He’s jumping through the air?!”

Keter didn’t descend from the air but instead jumped twice more, landing on the ring where Rajis and Norman were.

After his objection to the match result, Keter pointed at Norman, drawing everyone’s attention with his aerial footwork.

“Cutting to the chase, this guy is cheating in this sacred tournament!”

“……!”

“What?!”

Norman’s face twisted, and the audience was horrified.

“I knew it!”

“Even if Sir Rajis looks a bit eccentric, his skills are real. There’s no way he’d lose to someone like that!”

“You cheater, you bastard!”

The audience erupted in fierce condemnation.

Keter raised his hand to calm them down.

“Don’t jump to conclusions without evidence. Just wait and see.”

“……?!”

Everyone was dumbfounded by his contradictory statement, having incited the crowd himself.

“When the evidence is revealed, then you can curse all you want.”

“Aha!”

“Wait, you have evidence? I don’t see anything. Do any of you see anything?”

The referee, who had been watching the situation, approached Keter.

“Prince Keter. Can you take responsibility for what you just said?”

“Of course!”

Without a hint of hesitation, Keter’s firm answer made the referee stroke his chin and glance at the other referees.

Nod.

They all gestured that they had no objections. If there was indeed evidence, the result could be overturned at any time.

Finally, the referee looked up to gauge Lord Eslow’s reaction.

Eslow simply smiled ambiguously, saying nothing. It seemed he wouldn’t interfere no matter what happened.

The on-site referee nodded.

“Show us the evidence. If it’s clear, Norman’s victory will be revoked, and he’ll be disqualified.”

“Alright, no need to drag this out. I’ll show you right now.”

Keter strode confidently toward Norman. Norman glared fiercely at Keter, who was now right in front of him.

“You’re wasting your time.”

“You’ve underestimated humans too much.”

Keter clicked his tongue, glancing at Rajis this time.

“Ugh, how frustrating. If you were cheated, you should say you were cheated. Why endure it in silence?”

“Sir Keter, I—”

“Ah, shut it. You’re not helping.”

Norman swallowed hard as he watched Keter scold Rajis.

‘What’s with this guy… Does he really have evidence? Evidence that I’m not human?!’

Keter was too confident and composed. It seemed he knew everything—that Norman wasn’t human but a monster from the Demon Realm, a transparent slime—and even had clear evidence to prove it.

But that was impossible. Norman wasn’t a fool; why would he leave such evidence behind?

‘Could it be… my bodily fluids left on the ring? When I switched places with Rajis, things were chaotic…’

Norman’s neck itched. He wanted to look around to see if he had made a mistake.

But there were too many eyes watching. In this situation, looking around would make it seem like he was scared of evidence being found.

“Enough talk, that’s the evidence!”

Without warning, Keter pointed to a specific spot.

“……!”

“……?!”

Even the lofty Lord Eslow turned his head to follow Keter’s finger. Norman also stared wide-eyed in the direction Keter pointed.

At the corner of the square ring was a pillar. It was a mana stone pillar, used to amplify magic.

Keter was pointing at that pillar.

“Huh?”

“It’s too far to see from here.”

“What’s there?”

As the audience stood up to get a closer look, leaning forward and murmuring—

Boom! Thud.

Norman’s head exploded.

Keter had suddenly punched the back of Norman’s head.

This wasn’t just any punch. It was a punch filled with aura.

Even orichalcon couldn’t withstand such a punch, so it was only natural that a human head would explode.

* * *

“Mwaaaaah?!”

The referee next to Norman screamed in horror. It was only natural, seeing a person’s head explode right in front of him.

Moreover, Keter had shown no hostility or killing intent. Who could have expected that Keter would suddenly blow off Norman’s head?

And this was in front of tens of thousands of people. Over 500 knights were participating or watching, and Lord Eslow’s direct knight orders were stationed everywhere. Even Lord Eslow himself was present. A surprise murder?!

The referee’s body trembled, but he spoke up.

“S-Sir Keter! What is the meaning of this?! I’ll arrest you for murder!”

Without needing a signal, Lord Eslow’s knights surrounded the ring. The two knight orders representing the Eslow family—the Immortal Knights and the Iron Knights—were present.

Nearly 100 knights formed an encirclement in the blink of an eye, closing in on Keter from all sides.

But Keter remained calm. He didn’t look like a murderer at all.

“Not bad. Even without a head, you’re still thinking. Trying to play dead, huh?”

Tap tap.

Keter tapped Norman’s arm, which had no head. But of course, the corpse didn’t respond.

Then, Rajis also stepped into the ring and spoke.

“Sir Keter. Stop insulting the corpse.”

“What’s that sword in your hand?”

“I agree that Sir Norman was suspicious. But you shouldn’t have killed him outright. He should have faced legal judgment through proper procedures. You don’t have the authority to execute the law.”

“Are you going to arrest me after I stood up for you?”

Rajis lowered his voice.

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m on your side. I’m doing this to defend you.”

“Then just watch.”

Whoosh!

The black tattoo on Keter’s right arm flashed. It soon transformed into a jet-black bow. The Demon Bow, Amaranth, revealed itself after a long time.

“Let’s see if you can still play dead after this.”

A mana arrow was nocked and fired instantly, aimed at Norman, who lay like a corpse.

At that moment, everyone’s eyes widened to the limit.

Thud!

The headless corpse, Norman, rolled to dodge the mana arrow.

“T-the corpse moved!”

“What the hell, am I seeing things?!”

The audience now left their seats, crowding against the walls of the spectator stands. Even nobles who carried telescopes couldn’t take their eyes off the scene.

The headless Norman staggered to his feet.

Gurgle.

A new head sprouted with bubbles.

At this shocking sight, everyone’s eyes and mouths couldn’t open any wider.

* * *

This Southern Sword Tournament wasn’t just for those who wanted to become the Southern Sword.

Over the course of the month-long tournament, Keter had seen and experienced many things.

Some were here for love.

Some for justice.

Some for power…

‘The world is simple yet a kaleidoscope, huh?’

A fellow Ruquer native, someone he had personally killed, came back as an undead.

He met an Imperial Spy Bureau agent whose name alone sounded cool.

He encountered monsters that defied common sense.

‘It’s all delicious.’

Things ended well with the Imperial Spy Bureau. He spent nearly all his fortune, 6 million gold, but made friends with a spy and gained an interesting homunculus, so it was a net gain.

Now, only two remained.

Ayrus, who had ulterior motives, and the monster Norman.

These two seemed separate but were intricately connected.

‘Ayrus, that guy will definitely use the Dark Document in the finals, right?’

If he makes it to the finals, it’ll be around 4 PM, when the sun starts to set. Naturally, the afternoon is advantageous for undead who are weak to sunlight.

Moreover, by the finals, the tension and complacency of the people will peak, and the knights who participated will be exhausted.

Most importantly, if he faces Norman in the finals, it’s obvious he’ll use the Dark Document when the match reaches its climax.

While everyone is focused on the finals, Ayrus will unleash his trump card.

‘Ayrus. You thought I’d just sit back and crush you head-on, huh?’

That was indeed my style back in Ruquer.

I’d walk right into traps, wait for the opponent to gather over 100% of their power, and then crush them head-on.

‘I still like that method. But you know, people change.’

I have something to protect now.

Something I want to protect.

So I decided to change.

‘Dealing with both Ayrus and Norman at the same time is annoying. Who knows what they’ll do.’

Of course, if it were the old me, I wouldn’t care what they did, but as I said, I have something to protect now.

So during the week between the team tournament and the individual tournament, I moved around a lot. It was quite thrilling to move while deceiving Ayrus’s attention.

Anyway, I managed to get a card to counter Ayrus’s Dark Document.

And I’ll kill Norman during the tournament. To be precise, expose his true identity. If he dies for real, that’s a bonus.

After the individual tournament started, I waited for the right moment to catch Norman.

And finally, the opportunity came.

The quarterfinal match between Rajis and Norman.

When Rajis was disqualified and Norman smirked, that was the perfect moment.

I interrupted the match, brought up non-existent evidence, and got as close to Norman as possible.

He’s a monster, but he’s pretending to be human.

This pretense is actually quite terrifying.

He firmly believes he’s pretending, but at some point, he’s truly become human.

‘Monsters don’t let their guard down with enemies in front of them. But humans do.’

Blowing off Norman’s head when his attention and consciousness were away from me was laughably easy.

‘Hmm, still not dead, huh?’

Slimes have a core. Unless you destroy the core, they won’t die.

Norman, with his head blown off, actually played dead. How do I know he’s not dead? Just a feeling.

And that was a pretty smart choice. If he kept playing dead, I’d become the world’s biggest trash, a lunatic.

But you know what? He didn’t think I had a mana arrow.

Mana arrows corrupt living beings they hit. Even monsters can’t escape this curse.

‘If you can still play dead after this, I’ll admit it.’

Whoosh!

Of course, Norman dodged the mana arrow. Instinctively, he must have felt that he couldn’t take this hit.

Norman regenerated his head.

I pointed at Norman and spoke to the crowd.

“I’ve shown you the evidence that Norman cheated. Now it’s your turn to curse him.”

“…….”

“…….”

I set the stage for you to curse him, so why aren’t you doing it? Is a head growing back really that shocking?

“Keter, I will definitely kill you… I’ll rip out your heart and shove it into your mouth.”

Drip drip drip.

Norman, this guy, has given up. Blade-like tentacles started emerging from his body.

But that’s not all. The fragments of his exploded head wriggled and expanded in volume. In an instant, they swelled up and turned into people.

Transparent slime transformed into dozens of naked men. I don’t know who they are, but judging by their physique, they must be knights.

Wait, I think I know who that guy is.

“S-Sir Pasian?!”

“Isn’t that Sir Dophema, who went missing?!”

Ah, I see.

I get it now. This guy is an insanely strong and capable slime.

A monster that can absorb living beings and replicate their information.

Sigh, tempting. I’d want to keep him as a pet.

But no.

‘I already have the slime Popo.’

And I’ve already got the homunculus Decameron, so adding you would make things too crowded.

“In many ways, you’re destined to die here.”

I sealed Norman’s fate.

Whoosh!

Are you angry? Without a word, you thrust your blade-like tentacle at me.

I dodged, but it didn’t feel like a simple thrust. There was a swordsmanship technique mixed in.

Interesting. So you’re saying this guy is now a swordsman wielding dozens of swords.

“Change the target of the encirclement. Eliminate Norman. Capture seems impossible.”

But you know what? I’m not the one dealing with you. It’s the knights who originally came to surround me. I didn’t plan it, but the situation is flowing nicely.

‘Now then. Only you remain, Ayrus.’

I looked at Ayrus, who was mixed among the spectators.

Isn’t this the situation you wanted?

Even if it’s not the finals, it’s chaotic enough now.

Will you just stand by and let Norman be defeated? Then your plan will fall apart.

If you really give up cleanly here and retreat to plan for another day, I won’t have the energy to care about you.

But you won’t give up this opportunity. You joined hands with the Imperial Spy Bureau and received great help from the Grand Duke to get this far.

When will you get another chance like this?

Well, if you wait, it might come someday. As an undead, you don’t age, so you can hide and wait.

‘If you were just a normally capable human, that might work.’

But you’re crazy like me. Crazy for something. A madman with a purpose can’t endure endless waiting.

So—

You’ll make your move now.

You’ll face Lord Eslow.

Thud.

Ayrus, who met my eyes, stood up. As expected, he’s decided to act.

Dark energy surged from his body.

People nearby were instantly killed by the dark energy before they could react. Those who realized too late screamed and tried to run away from Ayrus.

Ayrus opened his mouth. He was about to chant.

But would Eslow just let that happen?

Thud.

Ayrus’s head and body were separated.

In the blink of an eye. Even with my eyes open, I couldn’t see what happened.

I turned my gaze to the lord. He had already risen from his seat, holding a sword.

A sword with only a hilt.

With that sword, he had cut off Ayrus’s head from hundreds of meters away.

‘It’s not just cutting off the head.’

Eslow must know that Ayrus is either an undead or at least a dark mage.

Dark mages have tough life threads. They don’t die even if their heads are cut off.

But cutting off just the head means that’s enough.

Look, as proof, Ayrus’s body isn’t regenerating and is crumbling into dust.

‘It’s not just targeting a weakness. There’s a power that suppresses regeneration, even destroys it. Is it the effect of a weapon made with authority? Scary.’

Thanks to Henya, I knew Eslow’s weapons weren’t just ordinary metal, so this deduction was possible.

So, did Norman and Ayrus just die like this?

‘No way.’

Dugung!

The stadium shook. No, the world trembled.

Ayrus, whose head had been cut off by Eslow, wasn’t the real Ayrus.

It was a doppelganger that even Eslow couldn’t see through.

A simple but effective method. A surprise attack.

The real Ayrus was hiding among the nobles. The doppelganger had revealed itself openly to deceive Eslow.

Of course, Eslow swung his intangible sword again as soon as he noticed Ayrus’s real body—but this time, Ayrus was faster.

“Document deployment. The Silent Dark Book.”

Gung!

The document was summoned.

Grotesque, otherworldly characters floated in the air.

The power of the document, which alone could destroy human minds. Moreover, it even defended against Lord Eslow’s strike.

I locked eyes with Ayrus, who wore a triumphant expression. He even had the leisure to speak to me.

“Keter. I expected you wouldn’t stay still. That’s why I prepared a fake in advance. Hahaha!”

“Yeah, you’re clever.”

“Everything will be submerged in the dark sea.”

Ayrus, protected by the Dark Document, began to chant a spell.

Even Eslow was helpless at this point. He had been caught off guard once.

“Deep Dark—Fantasy.”

The darkness spreading from the Dark Document engulfed the stadium.

The most primal fear of humans—’darkness.’

Despite the sun hanging in the sky, the darkness ignored it and swallowed everything.

Even the eyes of the Sephira bloodline, which could pierce through darkness, could only see five meters in this darkness.

If even Sephira, with special eyes, could only see this far, what about others? They probably couldn’t see an inch ahead.

Moreover, this darkness was one that eyes couldn’t adapt to, so no matter how much time passed, it was useless.

Well, I expected this much.

Ayrus, just as you predicted me, I also thought you’d use the Dark Document somehow.

Do you think I didn’t prepare for that?

I cracked my neck and loosened up.

“Alright, let’s go!”