Arc 2 Chapter 26 : My Knight Way

[Alisha PoV]

The match had ended, both fighters eliminated as their respective limiters activated.

Which meant whoever won next would advance directly to the finals.

Looking toward the field, I saw a black-haired man lying unconscious on the ground, and on top of him, a blonde woman, also unconscious, resting comfortably against his chest.

I suspected their fight hadn't really been about winning at all — just enjoying themselves, savoring the adrenaline. They seemed completely indifferent to the tournament itself, ignoring the fact that tens of thousands of people were watching them.

Thinking back on that match, their abilities left me genuinely surprised.

I'd never seen swordsmanship as impressive as what Elena had just displayed, not from anyone our age. On top of that, her speed was absolutely insane — my eyes could barely keep up with her movements.

But the most shocking part wasn't Princess Elena — it was the black-haired man.

There was no mistaking it — I'd seen him use Redirect Impact with my own eyes.

Back in my homeland, only Old Man Rasputin could use that technique, and even then, only with a fifteen percent success rate.

Not just Reject Impact — he could also use Redirect, both of which required exceptional mana control to execute properly.

I hate to admit it, but his mana control seems to be far superior to my own.

On top of that, Raul hadn't shown a single trace of his Nature Mana this entire time! Why did he keep insisting on holding back?

I was certain he could have easily defeated Princess Elena if he'd used his Nature Mana at all.

What exactly was he trying to hide?

"Next match, Princess Alisha Romanova versus Luis de Catanbria!"

The announcer's voice broke my train of thought.

Finally, my turn had arrived — which meant if I defeated this man, I'd advance straight to the finals.

I wondered who my opponent would end up being.

[Elena PoV]

My whole body ached...

Opening my eyes, I found myself in a room that smelled of medicine. It seemed after I'd passed out, they'd brought me here to treat my wounds.

How long had I been unconscious?

In the end, I still couldn't defeat him...

My heart still raced, thinking back on our fight. That had been so much fun — he was the only one who let me enjoy fighting with everything I had.

But still, that wasn't enough. He always seemed to have an answer for whatever ability his opponent threw at him.

He'd also still held back, refusing to use his Nature Mana. Which meant I still wasn't strong enough to force him into using it.

I need to grow stronger, and I should probably talk to Uncle Raymond once the academy break arrives.

I want to tell him about this man — a fighter capable of matching me, even with far inferior magical talent and combat ability compared to my own.

Hmmm... I think I'll pay him a visit during my field practicum, once the third year begins. I'll show Raul just how far I've grown by the time we meet again then.

Just wait... I'll be far stronger than this by then.

[Raul PoV]

My body still hadn't fully recovered, even after being healed by the priests and resting for several hours. Still, I needed to watch the rest of the matches.

Right now, I was making my way to the participant stands.

Arriving there, only Princess Alisha remained. I walked over and sat down beside her.

"Ah, you're awake, Raul," Princess Alisha greeted me. "You missed a few matches."

"Is that so? How far has the tournament progressed?" I asked her.

Princess Alisha simply pointed toward the field in response.

I looked in the direction she indicated and saw a blond man facing off against a white-haired man.

"The tournament's already reached the semifinals," Princess Alisha said casually. "Brian and Leon are fighting for the chance to face me — I've already advanced to the finals."

Brian versus Leon, huh? This should prove to be an interesting match.

Leon's Anti-magic against Brian's virtually limitless mana. If Leon couldn't finish Brian off quickly, he'd likely struggle immensely against our so-called hero.

It was true — Anti-magic was an incredibly overpowered ability. But he couldn't rely on it indefinitely, and the ability had certain limitations while still at level one.

"So, between the two of us, you were the first to be eliminated from this tournament, Raul," Princess Alisha said. "Which means you owe me that date, exploring the capital, doesn't it?"

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

That was right — I'd forgotten about the bet we'd made on the first night. I had no choice but to clear my schedule to accompany Princess Alisha later.

Though I'd actually planned on visiting Joff Bozes to check on the progress of the trading guild he was building with my funds.

"Alright, Princess Alisha," I said, resigned to it. "A deal's a deal. I'll show you the capital's charm — far more impressive than your homeland up north."

Hearing my words, Princess Alisha laughed softly. "I'll be looking forward to it, Raul."

"Are both competitors ready!?"

Just as we were chatting, we suddenly heard the announcer's voice, ready to begin the next match.

Turning my attention back to the field, I saw Brian and Leon nod, then draw their swords.

"The second match of the semifinals, begin!"

The moment the announcer declared the match underway, Brian and Leon both activated Accel magic and charged toward each other.

Brian launched a combo attack against Leon, and the white-haired man tried to parry and dodge. Still, several cuts appeared across his uniform, proof that some of Brian's strikes had landed.

Leon leapt backward to create distance, but Brian pursued relentlessly, giving him no room to breathe.

Still, Leon looked calm, gripping his sword with both hands. He then swung it, even though Brian was still far outside his sword's reach.

Brian's face showed shock — he stopped in his tracks, clutching his shoulder, blood now visible.

"Flying Sword magic, huh?" I murmured.

"You figured that out right away too, huh," Princess Alisha remarked, glancing at me.

What Leon had done was coat his sword with wind Nature Mana, and when swung, that magic would launch outward and strike the target.

Honestly, it wasn't a particularly unique spell. But for someone unaccustomed to fighting a swordsman capable of ranged attacks, it would certainly prove troublesome.

"Arrghhh! I won't lose!" Brian shouted.

His body began glowing with golden light, boosting his magical output and physical abilities.

He charged toward Leon again, but the white-haired man wasn't about to let him close the distance easily.

He swung his sword again, launching the same attack as before.

Brian moved in a zigzag pattern to dodge every one of Leon's attacks.

Before long, he'd closed the distance and unleashed a horizontal slash.

—Tang!

Leon blocked Brian's attack with his sword. Still, his body was pushed backward, proof that Brian's strength, with his buff active, far exceeded Leon's own.

"I won't let you run!" Brian shouted, chasing after Leon again.

The blond man swung his sword again. But this time, Leon dodged it with ease.

Brian's face showed shock at what had just happened — suddenly, the golden light wrapping his body vanished, his speed dropping back down, allowing Leon to dodge his attack.

—Bamm!

Leon delivered a brutal kick to Brian's face, sending him flying and tumbling across the ground.

As Brian had approached Leon moments earlier, the white-haired man had activated his Anti-magic ability, stripping away whatever buff Brian's body carried.

Brian was truly foolish — hadn't he watched the earlier matches, seen that Leon could neutralize any magic thrown at him?

He was only wasting mana by continuing to approach Leon with his spells active. Still, given Brian's Infinite Mana, I doubted this was actually much of a problem for him.

"Wind King Legacy!"

Leon's body suddenly became wrapped in green light after shouting out his spell's name. This was his own buff, boosting his speed and strength.

He then charged toward Brian, who activated his own buff again, his body once more wrapping in golden light.

But the moment their bodies drew close, Brian's buff vanished again, stripped away by Leon's Anti-magic effect.

The white-haired man then attacked Brian relentlessly, covering his body in slash wounds from Leon's sword.

—Tang!

Brian blocked Leon's slash with his sword, but due to the difference in strength, his body was sent flying far backward.

"Justice Spirit!" Brian shouted, activating his buff yet again.

The spectators began cheering for Brian, urging him not to give up. It seemed they favored the hero over a student from a foreign nation.

"Is something wrong with Brian's head?" Princess Alisha said, looking baffled. "He already knows his magic won't work near Leon, yet he keeps insisting on using it."

It was true — what Brian was doing seemed careless and reckless at first glance. Still, this strategy actually suited him perfectly, given his virtually limitless mana capacity.

No matter how powerful Leon's Anti-magic was, it still had limits and consumed mana. This had now become a battle of attrition.

Could Leon take Brian down before his own mana ran dry? Or would Brian outlast him and turn the tide of the fight?

These two questions would decide the outcome between them.

"Agghhhh!"

Brian was sent flying again after failing to fully absorb Leon's attack. But he had no chance to rest, since Leon had already unleashed another Flying Sword spell from a distance.

He tried to dodge, but unfortunately, several strikes still landed.

His body was now covered in fresh blood. Both up close and at range, Brian was losing decisively against Leon.

"Surrender!" Leon shouted at Brian. "You don't stand a single chance of winning against me!"

Brian slowly got back up, using his sword for support, his legs trembling from all the cuts he'd taken from Leon's blade.

"Surrender, you say? Don't make me laugh! My dream is to become the strongest knight in this nation!" Brian shouted with burning passion. "I won't take back my words, because this is my knight's way!"

Wow... what incredibly cool words there, Uzumaki Brian-kun!

I was so moved, I nearly wanted to throw up.

The blond man raised his sword above his head with both hands — it looked like he was about to unleash the AoE from his Profound Codex, Incursio.

Golden light began emerging from Brian's body, converging and focusing onto the sword gripped in his hands.

The wind around the arena began to stir from the sheer magnitude of this mana reaction.

"Fool! No matter how many times you try, the result will always be the same, pointless!" Leon shouted, creating an Anti-magic Barrier around his body.

"I'm the one who's going to win! Roar, Incursioooo!" Brian shouted, swinging his sword, now wrapped in his Nature Mana.

A wave of magic, like an ocean tide, surged toward Leon.

But the wave of magic came to a halt the moment it struck Leon's Anti-magic Barrier.

Gradually, the wave Brian had unleashed began shrinking, smaller and smaller, until nothing remained.

"Not yet! Roar again, Incursioo!"

Brian unleashed another AoE attack toward Leon.

The white-haired man looked shocked that Brian could use it repeatedly like this. Still, it seemed he had no time to dwell on that.

—Boom!

Leon activated his Anti-magic again, halting Brian's wave of magic once more.

"One more, I won't stop until victory is mine, Incursioo!"

Brian kept relentlessly attacking Leon with the AoE from his Profound Codex. The light generated by that spell began to blind my own vision.

"This is insane! How can he keep unleashing magic that powerful, over and over!?" Princess Alisha said, looking shocked watching Brian's assault. "Isn't he afraid of experiencing Mana Exhaustion!?"

Ehemm... ehemm...

My apologies, Princess Alisha — I was the one who gave him that overpowered ability while building this game. Brian could spam that spell endlessly, without limit, thanks to his Codex — Infinity Mana.

—Crack!

Leon's Anti-magic Barrier began to crack, it seemed his mana was finally running low from using that ability so frequently.

"Aaarrghhhhh!"

With that shout, Brian unleashed the same wave of magic toward Leon once more.

This time, the Anti-magic Leon had created shattered completely, leaving him swallowed entirely by the wave of magic Brian had unleashed.

An explosion erupted as Brian's attack struck Leon, dust flying everywhere, obscuring our view.

Before long, Leon's body lay motionless on the ground. It seemed he'd lost consciousness after taking that devastating spell.

"Advancing to the tournament finals against Princess Alisha is... Brian!"

The moment the announcer declared the winner, Brian clenched his fist and raised it high into the air.

The spectators, watching his heroic performance, erupted into cheers, praising Brian's fight.

"Such a shame Leon had to be eliminated from this tournament," Princess Alisha said, her voice turning notably cold. "Don't worry, Leon. I'll avenge your loss in this tournament."

Ughhh... it seemed Brian was about to find himself in serious trouble in the finals, facing off against the woman known by the title "Frosty Monarch."