Chapter 65

#65 Chapter Tin Knight and the City of Winds Act 3 (7)

“Sir…!”

“Well, what impeccable timing!”

Seeing the Tin Knight blocking my path, Rene von Lenart felt a cold sweat trickle down his back.

‘So that old geezer has enough stamina to get involved here?’

Though he had successfully chased Gerhardt away, he once trained under him, and knew all too well what kind of stubborn, hardheaded old man he was and the skills he possessed.

Gerhardt was a monster known for dismantling trolls, famous for their remarkable regenerative abilities, using sheer physical power—no magical aids whatsoever.

That he was able to even momentarily distract Gerhardt was astonishing enough, but the Tin Knight bore no credible wounds.

‘I knew he was competent, but I didn’t expect it to be to this extent!’

However, Rene had risen to the position of a lead instructor at a dojo.

He had no intention of easily conceding just because he was in awe of someone else’s skills.

Bam!

Extending his left leg straight back while bending his right leg forward, he thrust out his arms.

It was merely a mechanical description, but the momentum and speed were like arrows shot from a bow.

What was even more terrifying was that this attack was not just fast, but also incredibly powerful.

*Clang!*

The moment the tip of Rene’s rapier met the Tin Knight’s shield, a tremendous spark erupted—so bright it could be seen even from the audience.

The Tin Knight swung his sword to retaliate, but Rene quickly retracted, getting out of the attack range.

Right after that.

*Clink, clink, clink!*

A noise similar to that of the initial clash rang out three times in rapid succession.

The sparks flew up three times as well.

And, as expected, Rene again distanced himself from the Tin Knight’s attack range.

Rene’s expression was remarkably calm.

‘To block my thrusts effortlessly while purely focusing on speed and throwing in quirks in trajectory and timing—that’s impressive.’

Considering the strength of Rene’s thrust could probably pierce through any shield, it was a defense that was nothing short of perfect.

Instead of just reinforcing a large surface area of the shield, the technique involved predicting the attack point, then inputting magical power in an appropriate ratio around that point—almost to the point where you could sense a type of obsession.

‘Even dividing 100 units of magical power into increments of 1 would be commendable; yet this knight seems to work in tenths or hundredths.’

If it had been pure martial prowess, Rene would have praised the Tin Knight’s outstanding magical manipulation, but as a businessman by nature, he interpreted it from a different angle.

‘When managing limited resources, the smaller the minimum unit, the less waste there is. If you need to support 1 at a point, you must also supply 1 to a point that only requires 0.3. Was this a result of trying to maximize magical efficiency? Did he have to fight in such resource-scarce conditions?’

There were two main scenarios he could foresee.

One, he was fighting in a situation where his available magical power was extremely low; or two, there was an overwhelming number of foes, even with abundant resources.

Rene was immensely curious about the detailed backstory, but there was no time to follow through on those thoughts.

*Pow!*

The Tin Knight’s body swayed slightly from side to side before suddenly lunging right at Rene’s face.

Rene instinctively extended his rapier, but the Tin Knight ducked, as if he anticipated it.

The blade infused with compressed magical power sliced across the Tin Knight’s shoulder, but that was all.

With a jolt of excruciating pain, Rene felt the blade scrape past his thigh.

He attempted to widen the distance as quickly as possible, but the Tin Knight seemed to predict his evasive maneuver, launching himself one step ahead.

“─Are you looking down on me!!”

What saved Rene was Gerhardt’s sudden strike from the side.

With an angular kick hitting down from above, it collided with the Tin Knight’s shield, creating a shockwave.

The Tin Knight’s feet dug into the ground up to his ankles.

Rene’s eyes glinted as the rapier emanated a glow.

*Ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-kang!*

Like a hailstorm, a flurry of thrusts rained down.

As he executed thrust after thrust in an incredibly rapid succession, it almost felt as if multiple thrusts were occurring simultaneously due to their speed.

The shield that should have weathered the onslaught was preoccupied fending off the old man’s kick, leaving the Tin Knight’s legs buried and his mobility restricted.

So.

‘You’ll BLOCK this!?’

Seeing the Tin Knight still managing to defend despite such circumstances, Rene was astonished.

Technically, he hadn’t blocked every single attack perfectly.

Some of Rene’s thrusts had indeed pierced the Tin Knight’s metallic body, leaving behind injuries.

But even so, none of the strikes made it to a vital spot.

Spinning around, the Tin Knight turned, shield forward and sword back.

The paths of Gerhardt and Rene, which had been misaligned, suddenly intersected due to the Tin Knight’s movement.

Of course, neither of them were easy to take down.

Gerhardt and Rene simultaneously delivered sweeping kicks to the Tin Knight’s legs, as if they were choreographed.

While an ordinary person would only injure themselves trying to kick a metal leg, it was another story for superhumans like them who could strengthen their bodies with magical power.

Boom! A heavy thud echoed as the Tin Knight’s knee buckled under the force.

As the Tin Knight lost his balance and toppled forward, the two sensed an opportunity and launched simultaneous attacks.

It was an assault aimed at piercing through the Tin Knight’s metallic body with concentrated magical power.

There was no escape. There was no defense. At that moment when both believed victory was assured.

Above the fallen Tin Knight, a flash cut horizontally.

*Slice!*

Red blood bloomed like a flower.

***

Before the match began, the instructions the Tin Knight gave to Adel were succinct and twofold.

-Among the martial arts uniforms and standard uniforms, the standard is slightly weaker, so focus on that.

-There’s no need to win against the opponent. Just endure until further instructions are given.

Adel faithfully followed those instructions.

As the starting signal sounded, she faced off against Rene, avoiding any reckless attacks while focusing solely on evasion.

But soon, she had no choice but to realize.

If it wasn’t about winning, but simply delaying, then she could manage somehow.

How foolish that line of thinking was, though.

Rene’s movements were light, swift, and sharp.

The moment she thought she could evade this level of attack, the blade was already looming dangerously close—fear gripped her.

The time it took for Adel to be utterly cornered was barely 15 seconds.

And thankfully, considering it was a duel, she avoided vital strikes; if it hadn’t been, she likely wouldn’t have lasted even half that long.

After escaping the crisis thanks to the Tin Knight’s intervention.

Watching the overwhelming duel unfold before her, Adel felt anxious.

The Tin Knight holding his ground against two skilled opponents alone.

Even as she thought she should help, she had no idea how to break into such a high-level matchup.

She had thought she had grown stronger through various combat experiences, yet the ladder she had to climb was still steep, and the top remained shrouded in mystery.

Just as her carefully built pride seemed about to crumble again.

[‘Tin Knight’ is indicating it’s time to get ready!]

The message resonating directly in her mind wiped the shadows off Adel’s face.

Though she was bound by heavy strikes and pierced by sharp thrusts, the Tin Knight’s voice was calm as ever.

[‘Tin Knight’ says the moment the dealer gets a chance is when the tank draws attention!]

[‘Tin Knight’ says, when I say one, two, three, swing your weapon sideways at waist height!]

Though it appeared confusing at a glance, Adel’s body was already prepared.

She was still afraid and lacked courage.

She was still immature.

But.

‘If the knight says so!’

Even if she couldn’t believe in herself, she believed in the Tin Knight.

[‘Tin Knight’ says it’s one!]

As the Tin Knight smoothly pivoted, both instructors focused their attention toward him.

Adel gathered herself low as if preparing to leap.

[‘Tin Knight’ says it’s two!]

The instructors readied themselves, unwilling to give in, and launched a counterattack at the Tin Knight.

With a spring-like energy, Adel dashed forward.

On the tip of her sword was an ethereal golden glow, a shimmer she wasn’t even aware of.

[‘Tin Knight’ says it’s three!]

As the instructors’ strikes forced the Tin Knight to kneel and fall forward, Adel’s decisive thrust took out both at once.

*Slice!*

Blood blossoming vividly in the air.

Eyes wide open in shock.

Only then did the two instructors realize that the seemingly nominal participant was indeed a worthy warrior, but by then, it was far too late.

The Tin Knight, using the momentum from falling forward, rolled halfway over.

The feet of the Tin Knight and Adel closed in on each other like a perfectly synchronized dance.

[‘Tin Knight’ says jump up!]

As both of Tin Knight’s legs kicked out with force, Adel soared into the sky.

While the two instructors made a desperate attempt to strike back, their attacks sliced through nothing but empty air.

Up and down.

In the gap of time where they couldn’t decide which way to focus, the Tin Knight let go of his sword.

Then, capturing both their ankles with his empty hands, he yanked down with all his might.

“Ugh!”

“Oof!”

Even as Gerhardt was being pulled, he used his other leg to kick at the Tin Knight’s arm.

Caught in a strike imbued with unusual power, one of the Tin Knight’s arms crumpled inwards.

Were he human, he would have been looking at a complex fracture, but the Tin Knight paid it no mind.

The Tin Knight unceremoniously released Gerhardt’s leg with his right hand, swinging his grotesquely bent arm like a weapon to strike Rene’s torso.

That heavy metallic form was no different from a battering ram.

As Rene’s unprotected body took a forceful blow to the abdomen, he convulsed violently and slumped down.

*Bam!*

As Gerhardt kicked him, sending him spiraling, the Tin Knight tossed away his shield.

[‘Tin Knight’ shouts to strike down!]

The shield, aimed at the side of Gerhardt who was preparing to counter Adel’s attack, found its mark.

The once-solid Gerhardt lost his balance, and in that split second of vulnerability—

*Slice!*

A downward cut, executed with the force of his fall, cleaved through Gerhardt.

---