Noel --- the creator of the ruckus of this place, asked for a fighting arena on short notice. The residents of the area were gathered together to witness their fight, the local leader and four big men were detained along with Noel's powerful men.
Kale was left holding his previous sword, while Noel received a new sword that had better sharpness than Kale's current sword. The match agreement had just been announced to the people there, and they broke out in a cold sweat.
Their hopes fell on Kale. Although they weren't sure, they hoped Kale could win the match against Noel. While Noel was still enjoying how the villagers were pinning their hopes on Kale, he felt quite confident in his current abilities.
His father had taught him swordsmanship since childhood, it wasn't difficult for him to defeat Kale --- the boy who dressed like a nobleman when he was just a poor boy.
"Let me give you some leniency, how about you surrender right now and apologize at my feet?" Noel offered with a condescending smile. Kale stared at him calmly, seemingly unoffended by Noel's condescending words.
"No, thank you. I'm quite confident."
"Conversely, do you feel insecure because of me?" Kale reversed what he had just said. Noel gritted her teeth like he was angry again. Who told him to start a fire? Kale had been quietly waiting for the match to start.
Kale wasn't without confidence. Even though he knew his sword skills were not good, he always tried to pick up this weapon to maintain his life principles. The only reason he felt difficult now was because he had killed Chale using a sharp object similar to a sword.
He felt traumatized.
"Start the match!" Noel ordered his men.
The two began to enter the matchbox that Noel's men had made. Both of them held their swords forward, their eyes locked on each other. Until finally the time they were waiting for had arrived,
"The match begins!"
Noel immediately attacked in the first second, making Kale hold him back quickly. Seeing that quick defense, Noel switched to attacking in another direction that looked empty. From one glance, he could tell that Kale was quite a novice with a sword.
How could he propose a match for her? It was a shame to accept.
Noel's swift movement after movement overwhelmed Kale and led to him being on the defensive without being given a chance to attack. It seemed that Noel had found many loopholes with each move.
This was bad. If Kale lost, then this place would remain in Noel's hands for the rest of his life. Kale couldn't let that happen. He had to at least make this place safe before leaving it.
Kale tried everything he could while blocking every attack from every direction, he tried to find an opening to counter Noel's attack. His gaze fell on one of Noel's usual moves to attack his left, his right hand had a slight opening for Kale to attack.
He wasn't sure he could reach it, but Kale had to wait for that moment to come. Turning his legs to the side, Kale decided to try to change his defensive position, until finally, Noel changed his attack quickly, Kale found the point where the opening came. He quickly moved forward and was about to attack Noel, but his plan was foiled when he realized that Noel had deliberately left an opening for him.
- CRASH
Kale's hand was almost cut off. He walked backward clutching the deep cut on his right hand. The sword he was holding seemed to have lost its power. Making Kale endure the deep pain of the wound Noel had formed for him.
"A rookie like you how can you make me lose? Don't you know how to measure yourself before challenging someone?" Noel asked with a slight laugh. Feeling Kale's current situation looked funny to him.
'I...'
'Feeling scared because of Chale...'
Kale looked down, watching the drops of blood fall onto the ground. He recalled how blood started to appear more on the ground when his birthday arrived.
Chale came, with Yesan's bloodstained sword. He finished off the entire three-eyed monster tribe with Kale at that moment. However, Chale also died, he died at Kale's hands.
Unfortunately, Kale was still afraid. He couldn't use the sword like he used to.
Every move he wanted to make seemed hesitant. It was all because of Chale. Not only because he had killed him, but also because Chale was the one who taught him how to wield a sword so well.
The stealthy stabbing move when the enemy felt victorious was Chale's teaching that Kale used to kill him that night. Kale was afraid. He was afraid of swords and blood. All because Kale would always remember Chale.
- SING
Kale dodged her attack quickly. He looked shaky, and it was obvious to Noel's eyes. "Hum, have you finally realized that challenging me is the end for you?"
He fell silent.
Noel laughed at that. "Oh, look at this, the arrogant kid who challenged me earlier has realized how weak he is now. Are you now going to give yourself up to be my slave for all eternity?"
Kale clucked while enduring the pain in his hand. His eyes shifted to the villagers, they looked frightened and scarred, his gaze fell on the little boy he had rescued being embraced by one of the four big men who had beaten him up earlier in the market.
He could not give up. The people of this place had suffered long enough. Kale could not give up when he had given them the hope of freedom.
Kale had to win. At the very least, he had to endure his fear, his trauma of Chale. For the sake of the people of this place. Kale had to.
His left hand immediately took over the sword, while his right hand was bent backward. Noel was intrigued by the stance he showed. It looked unfamiliar, but it drew him to find out more from the signs given.
Kale looked at him with confidence.
He was fighting in this moment using Chale's knowledge to save the people of this place. 'I apologize...'
'For using your knowledge, brother."
"Alright, let's show me your new moves, Kale!" Noel immediately dashed forward with his attack. Kale had already learned it, although each move Noel gave was very fast and difficult to read with his eyes. However, his eye skills were much improved due to the monster tribe's rigorous training for him.
Kale at least had the wherewithal to scrutinize Noel's every offensive move. He quickly blocked the first attack, before finally turning that defense into a surprise attack. It was because of this that Noel immediately shifted himself and attacked Kale from behind, Kale knew it and immediately held his sword back without moving his body.
He did that quickly as if his ears could hear every move Noel made, even though it was true. The martial arts training of the monster tribe made all the senses in Kale's body increase to a greater extent than children of his age. That's why, even when not using body martial arts --- but sword arts --- Kale could still utilize the sharpness of all his senses.
'Thank you, Sister Yesan.'
Kale turned his body around and directly attacked Noel, making the sudden attack successfully pierce his lower abdomen. He was surprised, not expecting the attack to be dodged by Noel, leaving him injured.
His eyes trembled slightly. His vision changed Noel's form to Chale who was fighting with him, enduring the pain in the stomach that Kale had accidentally pierced. He was terrified.
"Kale... Why... Why did you kill me?" Chale's voice asking him hoarsely rang clearly in his ears. Kale was trembling, unable to muster the strength to support his body.
Chale was in front of him.
Chale was his big brother. He even taught him many things and pulled him out of the warehouse that kept him imprisoned since childhood.
Chale freed him. Gave him a name and made him feel like a normal human being.
Just Chale.
However, with all the good Chale did for him. Kale killed him instead.
He killed Chale using the swordsmanship he had taught Kale since their first meeting after five years of separation.
Kale killed him. Killed his life. Killed his world. Killed the only person who considered him family. Kale ...
- CRASHH
Kale fell, a cross from his chest to his lower abdomen leaving him unable to stand. Noel pressed on the wound on his stomach. He was a little confused when Kale seemed to stay still after stabbing him, from his eyes he could see Kale looking at him with a sad face mixed with fear.
The fear he saw was different. Kale acted as if he had committed a great sin by stabbing him in the stomach. Strange thing. Noel didn't bother with it, so he used Kale's silence as an opportunity to attack him suddenly.
"First rule, don't let your guard down. You should have learned that, right?" Noel asked, looking curious.
Kale, who had been in pain, was shocked again.
"First rule, don't let your guard down. Just because I'm your brother, doesn't mean I'm going to be nice. In a battle between knights, we must remain vigilant." Chale's voice rang out.
"Whatever happens, use the defense and offense knowledge we have as a means to protect those who need protection." It was Yesan's turn to speak.
Kale looked down with a depressed face while clutching his bloodied shirt. The pain in his chest and abdomen seemed to have disappeared.
"We have to end this, right?" Noel raised his sword to slash Kale's body again. Before he could, Kale lifted his sword with his left hand.
"Still not giving up yet, huh?"
Kale immediately stood up with a limp. He gripped his sword tightly with his left hand, while his injured right hand was bent backwards. The droplets of blood that fell to the ground were increasing because the wound extending from his chest to his lower abdomen had not been sealed.
It was only necessary to defeat him. He did not have to kill him.
'I apologize...'
Kale moved his sword. "Alright, come here, face me." Noel challenged him by giving Kale room to strike first.
Sharpening all his senses to a single point, Kale moved forward by slashing into the wind with super-fast movements. 'I did it for them. I shouldn't look weak because of the trauma I feel.'
'At the very least, I should endure this uncomfortable feeling for a moment for the sake of those injured over there."
Noel withstood Kale's first deadly attack skillfully. Very quick to respond. His quality was different from the men Kale had previously defeated, he was probably the one to watch out for, especially now that Kale's condition was not good enough to fight.
The two of them were now attacking and defending each other with very fast movements that were hard to see by the ordinary eye. Noel laughed in satisfaction as if enjoying how Kale attacked and withstood his attacks skillfully.
Despite being seriously wounded in some of the strongest points of the human body, Kale was still able to attack and defend from him, even every move Kale showed was new to Noel's eyes.
He was intrigued.
Kale was an existence that was completely foreign to his eyes.
Rather than keeping him as a slave, Noel wanted to swallow all of this boy's swordsmanship. No matter what, Noel had to win the sword fight.