〈 Chapter 124 〉 Graduation Tournament (9）

*

He said.

“You can’t prove it until you fight.”

And from now on, the plan she was going to execute was using that very statement.

“I must make it happen.”

For the past few weeks, she had practiced a lot for this operation.

It required immense focus, and even the slightest gap would mean failure.

A moment of weakness would equal ultimate failure.

“Let’s focus.”

The moment she stepped into the opponent’s line of sight, the operation had already begun.

Though they hadn’t clashed yet, she was certain that her plan had started.

All her nerves were focused from her toes to the tip of her hair.

“First, my steps.”

In swordsmanship, movement is a crucial element.

Everything starts with movement, from position determination to both attack and defense.

That’s why you can tell a swordsman’s skill just from their step.

“I was told to nibble away at the opponent’s space.”

She still didn’t quite understand what that meant.

But she didn’t need to worry too much about it. To her, space didn’t seem too important in her swordplay.

Unlike regular swordsmen, her style didn’t require paying attention to such things—Alan’s directive was simply to walk boldly.

“Walk boldly.”

As if to say she could strike at any moment without seeing an opportunity, her strides were wide and unwavering.

Her expression and posture also couldn’t lose confidence.

“Be assured.”

That was the biggest weakness Alan pointed out.

Previously, her wariness due to the relic’s overload characteristic had made her overly cautious.

But now, things were different.

“Sacred Cleave.”

Just thinking about that word filled her with confidence.

Moreover, since it was a real situation, she could enhance her relic without hesitation.

It was the graduation tournament, after all.

“If it breaks, I’ll just get a new relic.”

Of course, she didn’t think there would be a hero willing to pass her a relic after seeing her shatter one.

But Alan had told her not to worry about it directly.

If he said so, then there was probably no need to fret.

“So…”

The final stage.

She drew the Relic Sacred Replicant from her scabbard.

And she used her one and only ability.

“Overload.”

To the maximum extent.

Then, a malevolent aura began to swirl around the sword.

Yeah, with this much, it should be…

“I should be getting a reaction.”

*

Her opponent was Yusera.

When he first saw the match-up, despair filled his mind.

Half of the students participating in the tournament inevitably faced opponents ranked higher than them, but he hoped it wouldn’t be him.

“Of all people, why Yusera?”

If he faced someone else, he might stand a chance of matching swords.

But he had already experienced Yusera in a mock battle and knew her strength was on another level.

“It’ll probably end in a single blow.”

That was an attack where the concept of blocking didn’t apply.

With her in the tournament, he would have to worry about not dying rather than just losing.

“What should I do?”

He had already asked to change opponents, but that hadn’t worked.

It seemed that if he couldn’t do it, forfeit was the only option.

But…

“I don’t want to forfeit.”

This was a rare opportunity for a graduation tournament.

Sure, even if he skipped this, he could still become a regular hero, but he would miss the chance to inherit from many seasoned heroes.

However, he wasn’t sure if that was worth more than the threat to his life.

“I don’t even know if I’m worthy of inheriting.”

Many candidates were already above him in the rankings.

Even if they all received their inheritances, would his time ever come?

Even if it did, would inheriting mean he’d actually benefit?

“Maybe just quietly receiving a relic from the church is better.”

He had heard many tales of heroes whose lives were ruined after inheriting the wrong relic.

Inheriting didn’t just mean receiving a relic; it also implied receiving the hero ranking, so it wasn’t something that could be ignored.

“Then let’s do this.”

No matter how strong she was, she wasn’t without weaknesses.

Specifically, that the relic could break if it couldn’t handle its power.

Thus, while she had shown formidable power in mock battles, this time might be different.

“If she realizes how precious the relic is, that is.”

The relic she used was a sword created by Heinz Armanus, the headmaster of the Hero Academy and a former hero, by duplicating the holy sword.

Reportedly, 101 of these swords existed, known to be given to promising heroes or candidates lacking their own relics.

But would she truly destroy such a sword in front of other heroes?

“I doubt it.”

That just didn’t seem likely to him.

So he decided to participate in this tournament and determine one thing.

Would she use her ability or not?

“If she doesn’t use it, I might have hope.”

However, the hope he harbored began to slice away the moment he stepped into the arena.

“What the…?”

When she appeared in the tournament arena, her presence was already different.

For some reason, it felt like every time she stepped forward, the space she occupied was being swept away in an instant.

As if he were standing in a space where he shouldn’t even be.

This could not go on.

“Don’t panic.”

The tournament hadn’t even started yet.

He was clearly being intimidated by her blade, which he hadn’t even drawn yet.

He took a deep breath and managed to walk towards the center of the arena.

Yusera was getting closer.

At that moment, he saw her lips move slightly.

“What was she mumbling?”

That was the moment.

The atmosphere around Yusera changed dramatically.

If it felt like the water had risen to his knees before, now it felt as if it had risen to his chest.

“Why?”

No matter how he thought of it, Yusera shouldn’t feel this strong without using her ability.

That wasn’t the case even during the early stages of the academy’s course.

But now, the strength radiating from Yusera was overwhelmingly vivid.

“This is like…”

It felt similar to when he had coincidentally encountered a high-ranking hero before.

No matter how hard he searched for gaps in Yusera’s presence, he found none.

Her demeanor was so natural, it seemed ingrained in her.

“No, not yet.”

Still, he didn’t want to forfeit.

If he forfeited in front of so many heroes, it would undoubtedly be an enormous disgrace.

Even if she really did use her ability…

Clank.

Yusera drew her sword.

And soon after, a dreadful energy began to seep into it.

That was her ability.

“Looks like she’s going to use her ability after all.”

He still didn’t know.

Maybe she would adjust her intensity so that the relic wouldn’t break instantly.

But the aura seeping into her sword grew stronger by the second.

“Damn, is she really going for the kill?”

The aura now spilled forth, not content to simply linger where it had seeped in.

It was strong enough that he could feel it on his skin.

He, who had already experienced her strike during the mock battle, understood well what this meant.

“If she swings the sword like that, I’m as good as dead.”

Fear began to overwhelm him.

Having already been consumed by the very space of power, his mind was in a fragile state.

“Could the support mages stop that? But even if they did, it’ll still end in defeat. Is this even a worthwhile fight?”

In the face of overwhelming power, any thought of fighting back vanished from his mind.

Only negative thoughts spiraled inside his head, and ultimately led to the words that escaped his lips.

“I forfeit.”

Yes, indeed, nothing is more important than life.

*

“I forfeit.”

As those words left him, I leaned back slightly against the corridor connecting the audience seats and the arena, feeling relieved.

“Does this mean the preliminary conditions of the plan have been established?”

You can’t prove anything without direct confrontation.

But not everyone can put their life on the line for evidence.

Using that to cause a relatively weaker opponent to forfeit is the premise of this operation.

“Of course, against a guy like that, landing even one hit is possible.”

But he didn’t seem like the type the support mages could handle.

And only Yusera and I knew that. Oh, maybe Yusera herself was unaware too.

So in a way, this operation was for that unfortunate guy. I didn’t want any bloodshed at the tournament.

“That was close.”

Yusera, who entered the arena, radiated the pressure I had taught her well.

However, I couldn’t help but feel a little apprehensive when she muttered “Sacred Cleave.”

“I told her to stop that.”

Yet, it actually boosted her confidence significantly.

Thanks to that, it was easy to induce the forfeit.

Perhaps now it was my turn to consider giving up.

“No, giving up? What’s that?”

If I heard “Sacred Cleave” during the fight, my concentration would break.

To prevent that, it was still too early to give up.

I must somehow avoid relying on that word.

“I’ll think about that later…”

First, there was something more important to do.

I needed to move on to the next phase of the plan.

“If Yusera’s tournament ends like this, it won’t mean anything.”

I planned to utilize a rule that existed within the graduation tournament.

A rule created for a challenger who hadn’t shown anything when a forfeit occurred.

“Essentially a kind of privilege.”

And I heard the announcer’s voice indicating that the rule was applied.

[Due to the forfeit, Yusera now qualifies as a challenger.］

This was the so-called challenger rule.

In fact, forfeits were rare in graduation tournaments, making this rule unfamiliar to the audience’s heroes.

The surrounding conversations confirmed that.

“A challenger? There’s such a rule?”

“I heard it was created when Stella’s opponent first declared a forfeit… but I’ve never seen it up close myself.”

The announcer elaborated on the rule for the audience.

[For the heroes present here, Yusera candidate now has a chance to challenge. If any hero wishes to accept the challenge, please raise your hand. Should the number of challengers gather within a set time, Yusera will personally decide her opponent.］

The heroes began to show interest.

“I can fight against a candidate?”

“I dreamed of standing in the graduation tournament when I was a candidate.”

“But is she really that strong? She didn’t seem it enough to forfeit.”

Yet, there were also heroes who weren’t keen on participating.

“If I fight and lose, won’t it be embarrassing?”

“You scared, are you?”

“I sensed something strange about that candidate’s sword. It looks like an ordinary Relic Sacred Replicant…”

Amidst it all, hands were still being raised from various places.

The announcer called out names one by one as he confirmed the aspirants.

[…Hero ranking 86, Hugo.］

When a higher-ranked hero appeared, gasps of amazement erupted.

After all, this was a rare spectacle for heroes, so it made sense to them.

But for Yusera and me, it wasn’t the same.

[Is there anyone else who wishes to challenge?］

No, there was still someone left.

To show that “relic” Yusera could obtain and to display her abilities properly, she needed a fitting opponent.

“Then…”

Apologies for the excited atmosphere, but Yusera’s opponent had already been decided.

I stepped off the wall I was leaning against and raised my hand.

Since fewer hands were being raised, the announcer quickly acknowledged me.

[Nearby corridor, the blonde male?］

I told him my name.

“I’m Alan Pleuk.”

*