Chapter 407

I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t usually go around committing violence against others.

Unless it’s in a special environment like a duel or practice, I don’t exactly have a hobby of hitting people.

Even when I do hit, I tend to fight close to ‘subduing.’ Like when I just sparred with that dancer.

But if the time comes to use violence, I can throw a punch without hesitation. Especially when I’m angry, I’ll deliver a nice shot.

-Crunch!

“Oof?!”

Just like right now.

With a crisp body blow, Uro, the heir of Bouwar, expelled his breath.

With that satisfying grip in my hand, I figured his ribs must have been properly cracked.

Using my left hand for attacks will be difficult from now on. I know all too well because my ribs were once smashed.

‘It’ll get better with time, but…’

Sure, ribs heal, but adrenaline will kick in and act like painkillers.

People tend to suppress pain for self-protection when they get seriously injured.

I’ve heard whispers of it on Earth too, like stories of people who didn’t even notice getting shot in the middle of a war.

But with the kind of intuitive pain I’m feeling now, it’s a different story. Breathing must be tough by now.

“Ugh…! You bastard…!”

Uro glared at me like he wanted to kill me while clutching his ribs. Usually, he’d be too busy catching his breath, but he seemed to be holding up pretty well.

Regardless, the duel has just begun. I plan to keep hitting him until he’s down, or even until he’s gone.

I think everyone knows the reason. This guy is a problem himself and he’s been bothering Kara.

If I hadn’t seen him bothering Kara, I might have let it slide.

‘But getting hit is the same.’

I approached Uro, who was slowly backing away to recover.

Realizing that actions speak louder than words, he gripped his greatsword with his right hand.

With his ribs out of commission, it’d be tough for him to hold it with both hands. He’d probably swing it with one hand.

“Ha!”

-Whoosh!

Just as I expected. Although he had strength, he swung the greatsword like it was a dagger.

It was simple yet fast. Typically, a greatsword is heavy and slow.

But Uro wasn’t slow; he was pretty quick. Well, considering ‘for him,’ anyway.

-Thunk!

I casually caught the sword’s edge with my hand. A little move like this wouldn’t even leave a scratch on me.

Once I grabbed the sword, Uro seemed startled, his eyes widening slightly. But he quickly pulled it back.

I pretended to let it go, acting as he wished. There was no fear of cutting my hand.

-Slash! Swish!

Now that the pain seemed to be easing up, Uro held onto the greatsword with both hands and swung it. His face was all scrunched up with fury.

“How dare you! Who do you think you are?!”

Wow. He’s breathing while attacking. This guy really doesn’t have basics down.

I have no idea how he became the chief. Did he win a wrestling match or something?

Given his well-built muscles, he seems like a type that pushes ahead with power. No, it’s certainly a power type.

And that kind of style has clear limitations, with obvious ‘natural enemies.’

Running into someone with greater strength. When that happens, you’re totally stuck.

That’s a lesson I learned facing Rize. There’s just no way to win.

-Crack!

“Ugh!!”

I slammed my fist right into the area I had hit earlier. A nice, crisp popping sound echoed from my knuckles.

Each movement was big, making it super easy for him to counter. Just a simple dodge and a hit, and that’s all it takes.

If the last blow cracked a rib, this time it sounded as if it broke entirely.

Maybe I hit too hard, but that thought flew right out the window. Like I said before, this guy needs a lesson.

“Ugh… ugh…”

Uro staggered while clutching his ribs. Judging by his wide eyes, breathing must be difficult.

If the broken rib is piercing his lung, that’d be a problem. In that case, we’d need to stop this duel immediately.

‘I’ll just have to hit gently from now on.’

It feels like I should hit with a strength level similar to the dancer earlier. I relaxed my body.

Even if I relax, my durability won’t drop, so there’s no need to worry.

“Are you okay? Should we stop?”

But when it comes to disrespecting him, I just couldn’t resist. I casually suggested with a hint of genuine concern.

Would this proud guy accept my suggestion?

“Don’t… mock me!”

What a laugh. Uro, staggering, gradually gathered his stance.

Seeing him gripping his greatsword with both hands until the end shows he’s forcing himself to endure the pain. I have to admit, that takes some guts.

With that kind of guts, he probably bothered Kara. But that arrogance won’t last much longer.

“Alright. I’ll go easy on you.”

“Y-you bastard…!”

That said, I won’t stop with the teasing. I treated him with total disdain.

For someone as prideful as Uro, he must be feeling rage morphing into inferiority.

“You primitive piece of trash!!!”

The arena echoed with a resounding roar. Along with that, Uro’s face contorted in rage like crazy.

His momentum wasn’t normal either. The murderous intent to kill me was bubbling up…

‘Huh?’

…Except not. It felt less like murderous intent and more like just anger.

Something’s off. Rod and Rize, and even Kara could let out real killing intent.

The aura of someone who can kill when not in a berserk state, driven by pure instinct.

Thanks to my wilderness instinct, I know very well what that feeling is when someone who has experienced murder radiates killing intent.

Killing intent and mere anger are distinctly different energies. The mental state of someone who’s experienced murder and someone who hasn’t is not the same.

Just like how severe injuries leave ‘scars’ on the body, killing intent is a very faint aura that feels like scars on the person.

“…Aha.”

Now I finally understand why that guy was flapping his gums so much.

While I was inwardly smiling, Uro raised his sword and charged at me.

His movement was full of intent to cleave my body in half. But it was way too obvious.

-Whoosh!

I easily dodged by taking a single step back. The attack was too clear to see coming.

Uro didn’t have any intentions of stopping; he swung the greatsword again and again.

Even compared to Luna, his swordsmanship was seriously lacking. He was quick, but lacked precision.

-Clang! Clash!

Rather than avoid each of those, I batted them down with my hand. Even with magic power, he couldn’t land a single scratch on me.

Any normal person would probably pick up on something odd. “What’s up? I’m channeling magic and not slicing him?” they’d wonder.

Whether it’s due to a lack of experience or his current excited state, Uro didn’t realize it.

-Whack!

“Cough!”

I grabbed Uro by the neck with my right hand and started to lift him gradually.

He struggled, but it was all in vain. Even his kicks were easily thwarted by my grip.

“Calling me a primitive man?”

“This bastard…”

“You’re just a politician whose mouth writes checks his skills can’t cash.”

-Whoosh!

With that sharp retort, I tossed Uro upwards. He spun and ascended high into the air.

Just before he hit the ground, I kicked him like a soccer ball while shouting.

“Don’t underestimate primitives!”

-Thud!

That line reminded me of some senator somewhere. It felt oddly fitting.

Kicked like a soccer ball, Uro tumbled and crashed straight into the audience wall.

He wasn’t knocked out. The way he struggled to rise showed he still wanted to keep fighting.

‘His stubbornness is impressive.’

I scoffed and walked toward him slowly. Uro was nothing but a half-baked brat who had never even killed a person.

Of course, I hadn’t killed anyone either. But if necessary, I could willingly harm another.

However, it seemed like Uro hadn’t genuinely fought at all. He had likely just been using force all this time.

That strength could come from his natural physique or the power of being an heir.

He deftly used those to stir up the fighting spirit of the Tartars and pulled it into politics.

‘But this isn’t really politics. It’s just playing politics.’

Politics require emotion but must also be rational to be truly effective.

If all you do is act on feelings, why even bother with diplomacy? You could just act purely based on emotions.

But ironically, this is also a point of ‘civilization.’ Politics can only exist if a civilization is established.

In Uro’s case, he vividly showcases the side effects of a newborn nation. To evolve, he needs to be pruned.

‘Let Hector handle that.’

Right now, all I need to do is hit Uro enough so he can’t get back up. His ribs are cracked, and that last kick must have made a mess of him.

Yet, he stubbornly rises…

“AAAHHH!!!”

-Crunch!

Now I just want to keep hitting him.

As Uro charged in, fueled by rage, I easily dodged and struck his ribs with my left hand.

Uro’s body swayed heavily as he staggered back. Drool dripped from his open mouth.

With both his sides completely out of commission, time to target the other side. I swung my leg like I was sweeping the floor.

-Thud!

With a light low kick, Uro lost his balance and crashed to the ground. I waited for him to get back up.

Maybe because both his sides are broken. Uro dropped his greatsword and clutched his abdomen.

His body shook, but his face twisted in some sort of twisted grimace, as though he were preparing for one final struggle.

-Smack!

“Ugh!”

Well, what’s that supposed to do? Another low kick it is.

There’s nothing more humiliating than going down. I’m sure Uro recognizes that too.

But he can do nothing at this point. All he can manage is a grumpy attempt to rise.

What if he doesn’t get up?

“Get up.”

“Ugh…!”

I fished him by the nape of the neck and lifted him off the floor. He dragged himself like a punished child.

It was beyond humiliating. But he shouldn’t care about that. He’s probably dizzy from pain by now.

But was he prepared for one last ditch effort? Using his hand, he groped my face.

-Splat!

“Ugh!”

So I hit him with another body blow. The sound was utterly delightful.

Before delivering my final strike, I shoved him back a little. Uro staggered as he managed to regain his balance.

“Ugh… ugh… ugh…”

He’s basically on the brink of collapsing. Shouldn’t have hit him that hard, maybe.

I quietly waited for Uro to catch his breath. I had to hear his last words (?).

After a bit, his breathing started to steady.

Gradually, his head, which had dropped lower, began to rise. The murderously glaring gaze aimed at me.

“AAAAGGGHHHH!!!”

Uro’s shout resonated through the dueling arena, silencing everything.

Thanks to that, I could hear him clearly.

“This damned primitive bastard! Do you know who I am?!”

“…”

“I am the heir you can’t even compare to! Of the great Sigurd…! Ugh?!”

He didn’t get to finish his speech.

-Bam! Bam! Bam!

I grabbed his ankle and slammed him down like I was beating laundry.

Checking mid-slam to see if he was still alive was just an added bonus.

“Ugh…?”

Well, alive.

Guess I’ll hit him some more.

-Bum! Bam!

With that, I threw him down two more times to finish the fight. The ground cracked slightly.

I looked down at Uro, lying like he was dead. His eyes wide open, struggling to comprehend what had just happened.

He wasn’t dead. Just in a mental daze. But he probably wouldn’t be getting up for a while.

“The heir is a weakling, huh?”

I remarked with a cynical smirk. With that, the Bouwar heir was out of commission.

That leaves just one person left. Coincidentally, that person was also rising slowly from the VIP seats.

-Whoosh!

As soon as he stood up, a man leaped high into the air.

With a thud!, kicking up a cloud of sand, he entered the dueling arena with a bang.

With bright red hair flowing like a lion’s mane, and a heavily scarred body, he was a warrior.

He was unarmed, but the pressure he gave was no joke and would put anyone on edge. He at least had a reason to feel tense.

“You handled that quite refreshingly.”

The King of Tartars and the Destroyer, Hector said with a satisfied grin. He looked genuinely excited.

Just as I was about to quietly take a combat stance, Hector stopped me with a hand.

Wondering why, he pointed somewhere and said,

“Get rid of that trash over there. Unless you want to pay a fine.”

“…”

“That’s your mess to clean up.”

As a ‘king’ it was his order, so I complied without a fuss.

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