"Did he win?"
Watching as Jill vanished without a trace into the exploding flame, courtesy of Riezel's magic, the audience couldn't help but wonder.
Upon learning that Riezel was a Tactical-Class Magician and an expert swordsman on the level of Sword Master, many people began to lean toward him, hoping he would emerge victorious in this War Festival.
Not only did they not know Jill, but many hadn't even realized he was once a notorious Demon Swordsman three years ago. They simply judged him as someone not to root for based on his peculiar behavior.On the other hand, Riezel, young and handsome, proficient in both swordsmanship and magic, was highly respected. His prowess far surpassed that of an ordinary character, leading many to favor him and hope for his victory.
It could be said that Riezel's popularity among the audience at this moment was almost on par with Yuri's.
As a result, the audience couldn't help but anticipate the final outcome.
Even the young nobleman from the royal capital, unknown guests from a foreign country, and the Frenzel siblings were all eagerly anticipating and feeling nervous about it.
"He should have won, right, Elder Sister Mediste?"
Even Isaac, unknowingly setting aside any grievances he might have had with Riezel, stared at the training field, his voice tinged with nervousness.
"I don't know..." Mediste shook her head, her eyes also betraying nervousness.
She hoped Riezel would win. Not only because he represented her elder sister's side, but also because this man might very well be her future husband.
Initially, she had been pessimistic about her father's arrangement to marry her off to him. However, after witnessing his performance today, she suddenly felt that maybe it wasn't so bad.
In any case, she definitely wished for his victory.
Meanwhile, Yuri hoped desperately that Riezel would finish off Jill once and for all, potentially averting any further unexpected events. She had already dispatched Ain and Ian to scatter the audience but unfortunately, their efforts yielded little result.
All the audience was too absorbed in the battle between Riezel and Jill, and with the barrier protection in place, many didn't think there was any danger and were reluctant to leave. This made her feel increasingly anxious, sensing that trouble was brewing.
Because of this, she earnestly hoped Riezel could deal with Jill directly, even if it meant violating rules or resorting to lethal measures. However, dealing with a powerful swordsman like Jill, whom Riezel had evaluated as a Level 6 expert adventurer, wouldn't be that easy.
"AAAAAAHHHH—!!!"
Suddenly, Jill's furious howl echoed throughout the training field, causing the exploding flame to tremble.
*BOOM!*
Before long, the exploding flame burst open.
Covered in burns, with charred skin, Jill relied on the crimson magical energy enhancement to unleash a powerful swing of his sword, creating a surging airflow that dispersed the exploding flame.
"Hahaahaa... Hahahahaa..."
Jill gasped for breath violently, yet still laughing as he did so.
"Very strong... it hurts... very strong... it hurts... very strong, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts! It fucking hurts! DAMN BASTARD—!"
As his laughter subsided, Jill suddenly turned his face, yelling hysterically at Riezel. His frenzied appearance was indeed frightening, causing several audiences to involuntarily step back and tremble.
However, Riezel, despite looking somewhat battered himself, calmly observed Jill, who seemed to have sustained no serious injuries, with a slight furrow of his brow.
"What a tough bastard..." Riezel muttered.
Jill was indeed tough. Having been hit by Arcs Ray twice, and having been slashed multiple times, he still looked lively, almost inhuman.
It was worth noting that Riezel was already at Level 5, with a remarkable accumulation of latent basic abilities unmatched by anyone else. With the assistance of his 'Mage' development ability, the power of his Arcs Ray had surpassed even the original owner of the magic, Lefiya.
Lefiya was known for her Level 5 attack power as a mage, so Riezel's attack power, theoretically speaking, was not inferior even compared to Riveria, the strongest mage in Orario.
Such a degree of attack power, let alone against a Level 6 opponent, would be strong enough even against a Level 7. If it didn't hit, that was another matter, but once it did, Riezel doubted that a Level 7 could withstand his magic unscathed.
And yet, Jill endured two hits like nothing. Although not entirely unscathed, he was far from being incapacitated. For this reason, describing him as 'tough' was entirely fitting.However, Riezel could sense that Jill hadn't fallen yet not because of his strong defense, but because of his remarkably robust vitality.
In gaming terms, his maximum health point was so high, even with two perfect hits from Arcs Ray, it wasn't enough to push him to the brink of defeat because of his abundant health points.Moreover, despite Jill's eccentric and peculiar behavior, akin to that of a berserker, his combat intuitions were undeniably sharp.
With its tracking capability, Arc's Ray hitting him was unavoidable, no matter how hard he dodged. Yet, this man managed to evade almost all of Riezel's fast slashes, aiming away from vital points.
The first time they clashed, when Riezel swung his sword toward Jill's chest, he suddenly sensed danger and instinctively paused his charge in a split second, resulting in only a superficial cut. During the recent clash, Riezel abandoned defense and went on the full offensive, slashing at Jill repeatedly, but most of the vital points were still evaded due to his keen intuition.
In the end, Riezel only managed to hit non-vital points such as Jill's cheek, thigh, and side, with the only threat being a near miss of the major artery.
Jill's crimson magical energy was also peculiar, not only making his body stronger as the fight dragged on but also seeming to have a strange effect on manipulating the flow of blood within other people's bodies.
If not for Riezel's Self Redemption, granting complete immunity to physical and mental interference, he might have been affected by this effect. At best, he would feel uncomfortable, and at worst, it could lead to ruptures inside his body, allowing Jill to absorb his blood.
'What's the deal with this guy?'
Riezel, who did not know about the events three years ago, was completely clueless about the existence of Demon Sword Style and Demon Swordsman.
The original Riezel had been farming in the countryside until the age of fifteen when he ran away and, by a stroke of luck, took part in the entrance exam for Spriller Academy, and entered this prestigious school.
At the age of fourteen, which was three years ago, his understanding of the outside world was limited, so he was completely ignorant of Demon Sword Style and Demon Swordsman.
This resulted in Riezel having no clue about Jill's origin, only finding him mysterious and dangerous.
However, this didn't stop Riezel from dealing with Jill as he wasn't one to turn the other cheek. Since Jill wanted to kill him, he wouldn't hesitate to retaliate.
However, just as Riezel was thinking this, the next thing Jill would do was something that would thoroughly enrage him.
*Whoosh—*
Enveloped in crimson magical energy, Jill suddenly turned around and transformed into a human-shaped projectile, dashing toward a certain direction.
Standing in that direction was none other than Yuri.
"My Lady!"
Marilyn snapped into action, her usually calm and expressionless face showing alarm for the first time as she drew her dual swords, prepared to protect Yuri.
"?!!!"
Yuri, who had been watching Jill all along, had her expression changed abruptly when she saw him rushing toward her at incredible speed.
Both of them tried to react, but their response speed couldn't match Jill's speed at all. He was like a wounded wild beast, displaying a speed even faster than before."Let me patch myself up first!" Jill yelled, his sword slicing through the air, aiming for Yuri's throat.
He was in pain now, his whole body ached, and he understood that he wasn't Riezel's opponent.
If things continued like this, he would definitely lose to Riezel.
If he couldn't kill Riezel, he couldn't drink his blood.
He wanted Riezel's blood, the blood of an expert, the blood of the strong.
For this reason, he must find someone to drink their blood, become stronger, and then challenge Riezel again.
With this thought in mind, Jill didn't hesitate much, charging straight at Yuri, who happened to enter his field of vision.
Unfortunately, this turned out to be the biggest mistake Jill Dardis would make in his life.
"Tempest!"
When such a voice echoed through the training field, reaching everyone's ears, a hurricane arrived.
*WHOOSH—!*
As the frenzied wind howled across the entire training field, transforming Riezel into a gust of raging wind, he swiftly darted across half of the training field as the wind swept through.
*Pu-chi!*
Jill's sword descended, leaving behind a splash of crimson blood, splattering into the sky.
However, his slash didn't hit Yuri's throat but landed on a hand that suddenly appeared in front of her.
*BANG!*
At the same time, a kick, accompanied by the raging wind, struck heavily against Jill's chest, sending him flying.
*Cough!*
Jill spewed forth a mouthful of blood before flying backward and crashing into the wall surrounding the audience seats, shattering it.
"Riezel!" Yuri's expression changed instantly as she emitted a startled cry.
Riezel, surrounded by raging wind, suddenly appeared before Yuri, blocking Jill's recent slash with his own hand.
*Drip* *Drip*
Despite the pain from the wound on his hand, with blood dripping from it, Riezel disregarded it and merely raised his gaze, fixating on Jill crawling out from the rubble, his eyes exuding unprecedented rage.
"Blood... BLOOD—!" Jill struggled to rise while yelling wildly.
Upon hearing his yell, Riezel had only one response.
"You want blood that much?"
"No problem..."
"I'll crush you into a BLOODY PULP RIGHT NOW!"