622. [Side Story] Last Festival (12)
Whatever the circumstances.
Whether the audience cheers or jeers, how the other teammates fight, whether or not the sword in the hand is irrelevant.
Lucas and Hecate immersed themselves in each other and exchanged sword fights. Without backing down even an inch, they did their best to exchange swords for swords.
Years have passed since graduation.
The two honed their swordsmanship in their respective hells. He trained on the battlefield where he could not survive unless he was killed.
By washing the roads built with corpses with blood, they paved the way for their respective monarchs.
The two have changed. The swordsmanship of the two also changed.
But, however –
only the core principle, the core principle, remains the same.
A basic skill that was trained together during school days, piled up at the bottom as a foundation for a swordsman. That alone remained intact from that time, so the two were relieved.
Although each fell into their own hell.
Lucas and Hecate were still maintaining themselves.
Taat!
The wooden sword and parasol pushed each other away, and the two knights stood apart.
Hecate grabbed the handle with both hands and slowly raised the parasol over her head.
Lucas also lowered his body as he lowered his wooden sword, holding the handle with both hands.
Hecate at the top and Lucas at the bottom. The two knights, who took completely opposite postures, stared fiercely at each other.
With the exact same composition as the battle that took place on the day of the graduation ceremony.
And-
the victory was achieved in an instant.
Tuhak-!
Hitting the ground, Lucas charged Hekate with terrifying momentum and threw a single sword.
And Hecate, who smoothly avoided the charge like a bullfighter, gently lowered his parasol.
Tsukaak-!
The wooden sword was cut off.
It was a reenactment of the graduation duel. Hecate thought he had won, just like that day. however.
“Huh!”
The half-remaining wooden sword does not stop.
Lucas’ wooden sword, which continued smoothly, rotated in a graceful arc. After Hecate blinked, it stood still in front of Hecate’s neck.
Lucas guessed from the beginning that Hecate would cut down his wooden sword, and set the sword path so that he could subdue Hecate with the remaining blade alone.
The sword is broken, but Lucas wins.
A gust of wind blew up belatedly following Lucas’ movements, and Hecate’s brim hat floated in the air and fell to the ground.
Slowly lowering the umbrella to the floor, Hecate raised both hands up.
“…You’ve grown, Lucas.”
“If you were in school, it would have been your victory at the point of cutting the sword.”
Lucas also slowly retrieved the wooden sword.
“But in practice, it didn’t end there.”
“that’s right. There were no teachers who would blow the whistle that a game had been won, uniforms that protected us, and fences on campus… no more.”
Hecate laughed.
“You’ve grown up, we.”
The world outside school was harsh, and both of them adapted.
There is only one factor that determines the outcome. How many times have you rethought the last duel.
Lucas was constantly thinking about how to fight to win the duel that day, and came up with an answer. And it proved this.
“I lost!”
As Hecate gave in with a refreshing voice, Lucas added slowly.
“next time.”
“huh?”
“Next time, tell me your answer.”
Lucas smiled awkwardly at Hecate, who opened his eyes wide.
“How will you move to stop this number?”
“…”
“I’ll wait for the next match, Hecate.”
The hardened corners of Hecate’s mouth also slowly drew a smile.
Lucas’ straight gaze was really not different from his school days.
“I was relieved. You’ve grown and changed a lot… but you’re still you, Lucas.”
“You too. Hecate. and.”
Lucas slowly turned his head to the side.
“The same goes for your lord.”
Lucas’ gaze turned to the fake dragon.
Damian was shooting rubber-headed arrows, and the rest of the crew were trying their best to block them.
The arrow slipped through Ash’s fingers as he jumped up. Ash rolled on the floor screaming, and Evangeline blocked the arrow with her shield instead.
Ash clapped the seals as if he had never screamed.
“My lord has lost his memory.”
Lucas, who had been silently watching, looked at Hecate again.
“A lot of things have changed. He’s no longer the same person he was in school. But… when you talk about the grandiose and vain purpose of protecting the world.”
“….”
“The smile on his face at that time is still that of that time. It is his light that I have chosen to follow for the rest of my life.”
Suddenly, a picture of her school days flashed in Hecate’s field of vision.
A black-haired boy walked the front with a haggard gaze.
The blond boy who always stood firmly behind the black-haired boy.
And the beige-haired oneself who followed the blonde boy’s eyes while following him.
When Hecate closed and opened her eyes again, her childhood images disappeared like an illusion and she saw herself as an adult.
“We are the ones who continue to change after graduating from school and living in a harsh world… but if there is one thing that does not change. If you protect the one that shouldn’t change.”
“…”
“Isn’t that what it is? With that, we are still us.”
Lucas smiled softly.
“I try to keep that which does not change.”
Although a lot has changed.
Still insensitive, still following only his master, still- wanting to compete with himself.
While looking at the face of such a first love, Hecate stopped laughing.
“haha. It’s good that you came to this festival. Really…”
***
…Apart from the match between the two knights.
This one flowed into a structure where Damian’s rubber-headed arrow came out and Evangeline Jr. and the four black knights twisted their bodies to block it.
Even avoiding the fake dragon’s water cannons and rope whips!
Damien & Fake Dragon (Lily) VS the other 7. Would you say it’s the same angle?
In the end, Damian won. Later, the arrow reached the point of drawing a whirlwind shot in the air. Can’t stop cheating?!
Fortunately, the battle between Lucas and Hecate came first. Glad we got out of this absurd situation where we prevented our team from winning!
The two knights turned around after bowing to each other with more refreshed faces.
Wow…!
clap clap clap.
Applause poured out from the audience for the two knights who played a wonderful match. Cheers also flew to us who had suffered.
I patted the shoulders of the dark knights who suffered together.
The Dark Knights were embarrassed, but soon smiled and exchanged greetings with our members. It’s heartwarming.
‘Is it the final now…’
The final opponents were Dusk Bringer and the Dragon Blood Knights who had passed through the semifinals first.
Dragon Blood Grand Duke, the defending champion of the previous martial arts competition, and the dragon knights, who are called berserk warriors of the West. An ultra-luxurious configuration that all power supplies are SSR grade.
When I turned my head, I saw Dusk Bringer standing in the audience, staring blankly at me. The four knights under her command were lined up neatly behind her.
“….”
“….”
We exchanged glances without words.
I suddenly remembered the declaration of war she had sent me two years ago. Even back then, I said let’s play crossroads.
Maybe we had to fight like this in the end.
“….”
“..”
No, apart from that.
Suddenly the atmosphere became a snowball fight. Dusk Bringer and I glared at each other and our eyes met. Let’s see who dodges first!
“…Ugh!”
In the end, it was Dusk Bringer who averted his gaze first.
Unable to hold back, Dusk Bringer blinked his big eyes, reddened his cheeks, gnashed his teeth, and turned away.
“Looks like we won the first half….”
Lucas came and stood in front of me while Damian said ‘Get better’ to my bloodshot eyes during the snowball fight. After winning against Hecate, his expression is very clear.
“Another revenge match. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Oh, I see.”
In the last martial arts tournament, it was Lucas who faced Dusk Bringer in the final. At that time, I was horribly defeated…
“At the time, the use of kendo was prohibited in martial arts competitions, and we had to stick together purely physically. It was impossible to win against someone who was half-human, half-dragon.”
Lucas drew a new wooden sword with a face full of confidence and raised it into the air.
“But this time with a sword! And since then, I have been practicing diligently. I will take revenge this time!”
“You’re so confident after Hecate won, Lucas…”
Even though Hecate lost, his expression brightened. The way prosecutors think is difficult anyway.
Then Junior carefully asked me.
“Anyway, is it okay, Your Highness? It seems that the Grand Duke is very energetic.”
“Heng. The spirit is that I went in too.”
I savagely raised the corners of my mouth and clattered my fists.
The 5v5 PVP tactic intended against the Dragon Blood Knights had been established since ancient times.
Since Dusk Bringer sent a declaration of war two years ago, I had it very detailed, just in case.
In this martial arts competition, we had our party members master this tactic very hard in order to defeat Dusk Bringer from the start.
Almost half of the special training period was spent preparing for this side.
‘The Berserker of the West? Dragon Blood Knights? Power SSR? What do you know! Come on!’
It’s well within the range of my ‘attack’. I’ll use all the despicable moves I’ve prepared in advance to defeat you.
“Like a villain! Bring the former champ down the ring! I’ll take your belt and wrap it around your waist!”
I covered my face with my hands and giggled wickedly.
Then the main party members exchanged glances with each other… and smiled kindly at me. It’s like a ‘leave me to enjoy’ expression.
What are these children! If you have something to say, do it!
***
So. over an hour later.
The main event of this festival is the martial arts competition. The finals, which marked the end of the martial arts competition, had finally begun.
The weight of the final, the prestige of the two parties fighting each other, and the regret of the festival that was heading toward the end… The
audience was filled with people, and everyone waited for the match with faces full of anticipation.
…that was until about 5 minutes ago.
“Quaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
“Aaaaaagh!”
“Run away, everyone run away!”
“If you get caught up in it, you will die!”
Most of the people in the audience are screaming and running away.
Dark clouds swirl in the sky, and a suffocating mana vibrates in the air. Not only people, but even the animals in the area fled in fear.
Dragon Fear.
A dragon’s wide-area fear technique that subdues the surroundings with just its presence.
No, it’s not just Dragon Fear… Clearly, life-like magic is violently raging throughout the area.
I wiped away a cold sweat and stared squarely at the opponent who brought the situation to this point.
Gooooh –
Dusk Bringer.
Slowly walking towards us, she looked quite different from usual.
There were a pair of red horns on either side of the small forehead, a pair of red wings made of skin beneath the wing bones on both sides of the back, and a red tail sprouting from the lower back.
When she opened her eyes, which had been closed over her scaly red cheeks, all the whites of her eyes were stained black around her amber dragon eyes.
‘Dragon blood runaway?!’
Are you using this crazy risk technique right now?!
I trembled.
“Uh… Archduke? I’m sorry, but this isn’t a battlefield, it’s a martial arts competition…”
“Maybe it’s warmth that warms the world.”
Dusk Bringer gave an odd answer.
“In the end, what kills and saves people is the blade. so.”
oh oh oh-!
The dazzling sunset-colored mana swarmed and gathered into a huge greatsword in Dusk Bringer’s hand.
Chow!
The restraints for martial arts that limit magical powers hanging from her wrists could not withstand, and evaporated and scattered into the air.
We all opened our mouths at this ridiculous force.
This person, no, this dragon is serious…!
“I will become the blade. I will knock you down to protect you. ash.”
Dusk Bringer calmly glared at me with his greatsword pointed forward.
“If even I don’t win, the black dragon has no chance.”
“…!”
“If you really want to defeat the evil dragon, overcome the ordeal…!”
Tuhak-!
After hitting the ground, Dusk Bringer flapped its wings and took flight – and rushed towards me in the blink of an eye.
My main party members all looked at me with pale faces. It was because there had never been a case like this in the tactics of the Dragon Blood Knights that had been trained.
“My lord?! What should I do in this case?!”
“Once…”
I squealed and turned around.
“Come out-!”
Kwakwagwagwang!
At the same time, the mana exploded from the greatsword that Dusk Bringer swung down and blew the floor of the stadium away.
