Chapter 429 (2) – The Academys Weapon Replicator

The Academy’s Weapon Replicator

And the man who had struck him down…

“…Uh, oops.”

He stood there awkwardly, barehanded, with a somewhat youthful face, blinking blankly as if he didn’t understand what he had just done.

And witnessing this scene…

“…What?”

Aias’s jaw dropped in disbelief.

All the students who knew Pielott gasped in shock.

And Frondier’s eyes widened.

“Wow, that was incredibly fast. I couldn’t even see it.”

Carla, who was standing next to him, exclaimed in admiration.

Indeed, the man had moved at a speed imperceptible to the untrained eye. And he had done it barehanded, without any weapons.

But there was something else that surprised Frondier.

‘Pielott clearly blocked that with his sword. But even then…’

Pielott had used the flat of his blade to deflect the man’s attack. It had been incredibly fast, but not fast enough that Pielott couldn’t react.

And yet, the man had sent both Pielott and his sword flying with that single blow.

Pielott was by no means weak. In fact, he possessed exceptional physical abilities. Even in the Falind continent, where the average level was higher than here, his talents shone brightly.

Furthermore, as a genius at Aura manipulation, it was only natural for him to maintain a constant Aura of self-defense, focusing it precisely where he anticipated an attack.

Pielott had clearly done all of that.

And yet, the man had pierced through it all and sent Pielott flying.

‘What is this monstrous guy?’

Naturally, Pielott was also breaking out in a cold sweat. He quickly regained his footing and focused on the man before him.

‘What was his name again? Glaucus, was it? A freshman, they said.’

A name he had never heard before. And a freshman, no less.

Pielott wasn’t seriously injured. He had defended himself properly. However, his hand still tingled from the impact against his sword.

“Well done, Glaucus!”

“Go for it!”

Cheers and words of encouragement erupted from Glaucus’s classmates.

However, Glaucus himself seemed rather flustered. He looked around, unsure of what to do next.

“What are you doing?”

“…Ah.”

Pielott questioned him, noticing his hesitation.

“It’s not over yet.”

The rules of Machia were simple: surrender, unconsciousness, or ring out.

Merely knocking someone down wasn’t enough.

“Y-yes, sir!”

Glaucus replied earnestly and resumed his stance.

And then,

Whoosh!

Boom!

This time, it was even more intense, more ferocious.

“Gah…!”

Glaucus’s fist collided with Pielott’s sword.

Screech! Clank!

This time, Pielott wasn’t sent flying, but he was pushed back, his feet scraping against the ground.

These two attacks were all it took for Pielott to understand.

This man possessed the greatest raw strength he had ever encountered.

And watching with eyes that had witnessed even stronger individuals, Frondier thought,

‘…Renzo.’

Only one other person came to mind who could compare.

‘He’s like Renzo.’

That savage strength and speed. That overwhelming force that seemed to disregard all defenses.

‘To think someone like him existed in this continent, as a freshman, no less.’

Frondier was genuinely impressed.

He had initially intended this Machia to be a source of motivation for Pielott, who craved growth.

Pielott was undoubtedly prepared to be defeated, to rise again stronger than before.

However, Frondier had believed that it would be sufficient for Pielott to encounter someone close to his level within the student body.

After all, defeating the current Pielott was an incredibly difficult task for anyone at their level.

But here stood someone who defied all expectations.

“Haaa! Take this!”

Boom! Whoosh! Crash!

Every time Glaucus threw a punch or a kick, a terrifying sound echoed through the arena. When his strikes connected, it was like cannon fire shattering a wall. When they cut through the air, it felt as if the very atmosphere was being torn apart.

Pielott stood firm against this storm. Frondier knew that feeling all too well.

The heart-pounding, gut-wrenching, bone-chilling sensation he experienced every time he faced Renzo.

‘…But still.’

Even as he witnessed that fearsome momentum, Frondier thought,

‘It’s not enough against the current Pielott.’

Thud.

“Huh?”

Pielott lightly kicked the back of Glaucus’s extended foot, throwing him off balance. Glaucus, caught off guard, stumbled backward.

In that split second of vulnerability, Pielott sheathed his sword.

Aura activation.

Ribanche swordsmanship.

Pielott’s unique sword style.

Draw, simultaneous strikes.

The instant Pielott drew his sword, Glaucus instinctively raised his arms to shield his face.

Thwack!

He felt the blow land against his arms, and at the exact same moment,

“Oof!”

He realized he had been struck in the abdomen as well.

Thump.

Glaucus collapsed, clutching his stomach. However, he was still aware of Pielott, and he instinctively rolled away to create some distance. He was already doing better than Antero in that regard.

Boom! Crash! Whoosh!

However, Pielott didn’t let up. He pressed his attack, and ultimately, his sword point reached Glaucus’s throat.

“I… I yield.”

Glaucus declared, and the match concluded.

Cheers erupted, washing over the arena. Pielott let out a sigh and sheathed his sword.

Glaucus struggled to his feet and said,

“…You’re merciless, Senpai.”

“You should have been too.”

Glaucus could have easily pressed his advantage after landing that first blow on Pielott.

Glaucus honestly nodded.

“…You’re right.”

He possessed overwhelming strength and speed, but his lack of combat experience was glaringly obvious.

Pielott had read him like a book, and despite his superior physical abilities, Glaucus had lost.

And Aias, who had witnessed it all…

“…What the…”

He stared with wide, unblinking eyes.

‘What was that?’

He had thought that defeating Pielott would be enough. And then, eventually, he would surpass Frondier as well.

But that wasn’t the case at all.

The stage had already moved on without him.

Aias experienced a strange, unsettling feeling.

Defeat and humiliation were a part of life, but this was different.

It was as if he should have been up there, as if he had committed an irreversible mistake by not being there.