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The Central Arena of the Sword Emperor Castle was known to be the largest in the world.
You are not able to visit this place unless you are a member of the Hairan clan.
As outsiders entered the arena, they involuntarily took shallow breaths at the vast arena before them.
In the center of the arena, Hairan's knights were lined up. At Ron's signal, the knights split to the left and right, guiding the spectators.
The spectator seats were quickly and orderly filling up.
Jin and Lata faced each other in the middle of the arena, and Ron took his place between them.
Despite the large crowd, not a single sound could be heard. Everyone silently wished for the person they supported to emerge victorious.
"Lata Proch, Jin Runcandel."
"Yes, Sir Ron."
"Yes."
"I don't know what dispute there is between you two. But as a senior martial artist and the owner of the Sword Emperor Castle, I feel I must offer you one piece of advice."
"Please go ahead."
"Refrain from incapacitating or killing your opponent. Any of you who violate this rule will face my sword."
In reality, Ron was warning Lata. Even those who didn't know the circumstances between them could tell that Lata had a one-sided grudge against Jin.
Murder during the banquet was strictly prohibited even at Runcandel's single-log bridge party.
"I will keep that in mind."
"Victory brings honor, and defeat brings wisdom. I hope this fight between you will be a splendid one befitting my grandson and all of you gathered here."
As Ron stepped back towards the spectator seats, a knight on one side of the arena struck a giant drum with all his might.
Dugong-!
It was the signal announcing the beginning of the duel. And even before the sound of the drum faded, Lata extended his weapon.
Just like Faye, he was also using dual swords.
Clang!
The clash of the two blades and Sigmund rang out with a thunderous noise that echoed in their heads.
'I expected it, but it's quite hefty.'
As the two of them stood on the solid ground, cracks spread beneath their feet. Those among the spectators who hadn't anticipated such a powerful exchange from the beginning were quite astonished.
"I thought you'd show some restraint, especially given that you're my senior and have a high reputation," Jin remarked.
"Well, I'm not the kind of guy who's fond of showing that kind of courtesy to you."
"True," Jin replied with a sly smile on his face. "If we look at it purely from the perspective of martial prowess, regardless of seniority or being famous, this seems to be the right match."
Upon hearing this, Lata couldn't help but feel a surge of anger.
He had sensed it the moment their blades clashed.
'The rumors about how he went wild in the Garden of Swords... weren't false.'
The blades of the twin swords, the "ghosts," trembled in response to the formidable energy emanating from Jin. The chill that ran down Lata's spine from the trembling of the sword was unnerving.
He is strong.
Initially, Lata had believed that Jin was just lucky or that his own subordinates had somehow made mistakes, allowing Jin to survive. Even though his younger sister had secretly participated in the mission, Lata had thought that as long as "Grimol" was by her side, there was no way they could fail.
But that wasn't the case.
'In the first place, it should have been me or my direct subordinates handling this mission. Or perhaps we should have assembled a team of executioners like Grimol.'
Lata had underestimated the weight of the title "12th Flagbearer."
Although it wasn't widely known, Lata had defeated other flagbearers of Runcandel in the past.
Clang, Crash, Thud!
The clash of three blades continued to create explosive sounds.
While Jin's strength was undeniable, it didn't mean that Lata's anger had subsided. He still believed that there was no way he could lose to Jin. Throughout his life, Lata had faced numerous formidable opponents, and he had never failed to overcome them.
Enemies who seemed impossible to defeat had eventually knelt before him. The future of the 12th Flagbearer of Runcandel in front of him wouldn't be any different.
On the other hand, Jin couldn't feel as much enthusiasm while facing Lata.
Even when considering Ron's strict rule against killing opponents, Lata's sword didn't feel particularly threatening, despite the constant close calls as Lata's twin swords brushed past him or thrusted dangerously close.
'…Have I been fighting only formidable opponents lately?' Jin wondered.
It had been just over a month since he had fought with all his might against the entire Runcandel clan.
In that battle, Jin had narrowly escaped death several times, and that meant he had broken through the wall of his own limits.
In other words, Jin's sword had become more refined than before. It now held insights he couldn't have achieved at his age, and even those who had reached the pinnacle of their martial art would have difficulty comprehending its depth.
It was as if he could predict the path of Lata's sword movements in advance.
"It seems like Runcandel's 12th Flagbearer is pushed back," someone in the audience commented.
"It's still too early to say that he'll surpass the ghost leader," another replied.
Those who had not much knowledge about martial arts guessed the result in that way.
However, the martial artists who accurately discerned the flow of the battle were barely concealing their astonishment.
While differing opinions were exchanged, Ron remained confident.
"Is that really the level of a 12th flagbearer?"
"At this rate, the Ghost leader will surely be defeated."
In his eyes, Jin and Lata were already living in different worlds.
'This devil has already reached the level of transcendents... the ghost leader has quite a lot of potential, but he still lingers in the world of criminals.'
In this fight one is strongest among criminals, and the other is the weakest among transcendents. To the onlookers, it appeared that Jin was pushed back, but in reality, it was because he could comfortably handle the incoming attacks.
Ron turned his head to look at his grandson.
To his surprise, Dante appeared to be in a state of near ecstasy, as if a devout follower saw his god.
'Is it just the thrill of rivalry or competition that excites you about your friend's achievements, Dante?'
It was a strange feeling.
Ron always believed that he was the only person Dante looked at with those eyes. Indeed, during his childhood, Dante had always regarded Ron in that manner.
He had considered Ron the ultimate goal he had to achieve.
But at that moment, Ron suddenly realized the most significant difference between Dante and Jin.
'Jin Runcandel, unlike my beloved grandson... that devil…'
Has no ultimate goal.
He must have seen his father and the world's strongest knight, Chiron Runcandel, merely as a 'wall.'
He likely believed that the extreme pinnacle he had to reach was somewhere beyond that.
This realization sent shivers down Ron's entire body.
It had been a long time since he felt such emotions while watching someone else's fight.
Swoosh!
Suddenly, blood spurted into the air.
It was Jin's blood. The twin swords, ghosts, had grazed Jin's hand. If it had been a little deeper, his hand would have been severed.
Jin quickly distanced himself. That's how it seemed in Lata's eyes.
'You should have gone all in and settled the fight, 12th Flagbearer!'
The twin swords fell diagonally. Jin, already in a disheveled state, seemed unable to avoid the attack.
Cut.
Or, rather, he should have been cut. The moment the twin swords, ghosts, grazed empty space, Lata felt as if the time of world had stopped.
'Impossible, the distance was perfect...!'
In the next instant, Lata saw a single dot in his vision.
It was the tip of Jin's sword. He couldn't comprehend when he had executed such a devastating thrust; it was beyond his understanding.
Slurp!
The drops of blood splashed from Lata's cheek. He had turned his head at the last moment to avoid the strike from Sigmund.
That evasion was already an astonishing feat for someone like Lata.
But Lata knew.
'He aimed for my face on purpose, so I could avoid a fatal injury.'
In a fight, the face was naturally one of the worst weak points.
However, it was also one of the easiest parts of the body to protect. A slight turn of the head or a slight tilt of the body could usually deal with attacks directed at the face.
That's why in fights among warriors, injuries to the neck or other areas were often more fatal than those to the face.
If Jin had aimed for something other than the face, like the heart, no matter how he had responded, he would have ended up with an injury that could have cost him the match.
Chatter!
A sense of humiliation gnawed at Lata.
"Fight properly, Jin Runcandel."
"What's the problem this time?"
"You aimed for my face intentionally..."
"I aimed for your face because I judged it to be safer than other parts. If I had aimed for your heart or abdomen, you would have counterattacked, even at the cost of your life."
It was not a lie.
In that case, Jin would have suffered some injury, and one side would have either died or suffered equivalent damage.
"And if I were to fight properly, you wouldn't survive, Sir Lata."
Unfortunately.
To Lata, those words didn't sound "arrogant." They simply sounded like a natural assessment from someone who was clearly stronger than himself.
"At least in this arena, that's the case. If this were a battlefield or my sleeping quarters, the story might be different."
The Ghost mercenaries' didn't fight one-on-one duels like knights. They were a mercenary group specialized in efficiently dealing with stronger opponents. Lata is their leader.
That didn't mean his combat prowess was lacking, but when the opponent was too formidable, there was nothing to be done.
For a while, the two of them stood silently, staring at each other.
Some in the audience saw it as a new phase of the battle, while others interpreted it as a moment of recognition between victor and loser.
And Lata felt ashamed. He wasn't ashamed of losing, not to challenge an opponent without knowing his true strength and make a fuss like a thunderstorm.
He was simply ashamed to realize that he had a lower hand than the young man in front of him.
Jin had saved his younger sister, who had come as an assassin, and had not made excessive demands of him so far.
Lata had barked like a frightened dog with the resolve to rescue his sister.
In the midst of the silence.
Jin suddenly felt an immense energy emanating from Lata.
'Even though he had accepted the outcome…'
Lata was also thinking the same as Jin. He thought that Jin was emitting this dangerous energy.
And so, as a martial artist, Lata was about to offer to cut a part of his own body according to the outcome.
It was natural to think that Jin would be angry.
However, that dangerous energy was neither Jin's nor Lata's.
It was originating right beneath their feet.
"Move!"
"Dodge!"
Both of them realized this fact and shouted at the same time.
The next moment, the entire arena floor split open, and something massive shot up. Ron was already prepared with his sword to stop it.