While Kail was battling Kenneth for the protection of the Academy and his personal desires, the oblivious academy students and onlookers were watching the tournament finals that had finally begun.
At this time, Arthur was having a headache due to the chattering red-haired woman beside him.
“Thus, this tournament is essentially the exclusive domain of our Knight Department.”
“…Yes, that’s right.”
“Yeah. Of course, there are occasionally talented fighters from the Mage Department. Battle Mages or something, right? But none of those so-called talents amount to much. At best, they become mercenaries or adventurers…”
Arthur suspected that this woman was trying to damage his hearing before their match, giving her an unfair advantage.
There was no stopping her endless chatter. Arthur twitched his irritated ears and slightly stiffened his expression as he glanced at her.
“Can you… focus on the match?”
“Aah- sorry about that. Was I talking too much? It’s just, when I see talented individuals, I can’t help but babble. From now on, I’ll be more careful…”
Ignoring her half-hearted apology, Arthur prepared for his upcoming fight.
Arthur’s opponent was Mei Bell, a cute girl with faint purple hair tied in short pigtails. Despite her adorable appearance, she was a student known for her sharp, merciless swordsmanship.
Whether it was due to insufficient aura or some other reason, though not yet reaching Expert level, it was clear that her sword skills surpassed Arthur’s.
‘Not that I’m at Expert level either.’
–Next up, the match between student Arthur and student Mei Bell!
Upon hearing his name called, Arthur stood up and entered the arena. He could feel Mei looking at him with a tense expression from the opposite side.
Looking at her expression, Arthur casually drew his sword. They were both Aura Users, and while her sword skills were superior, he had the physical edge thanks to the Heart of the Dragon enhancing all his physical abilities, not just aura quantity.
–Match, begin!
This time, Arthur managed to secure a narrow victory after a fierce battle unlike before.
* * *
Day 3.
After barely cleaning the restroom due to the headmaster assassination rumors, I headed to the arena to watch the matches. The inside was already packed with people, but there were seats reserved for academy students, so I could sit and watch.
After waiting for the match to start, someone cautiously approached my side, blocking the sun.
“Hmm?”
“…Kail.”
“Short on words?”
“Ka, il. Big bro…”
The one blocking the sun was Hundred. Standing in front of me, he awkwardly addressed me as “big bro,” despite clearly disliking it – which made me think this guy was a bit off in the head.
I raised an eyebrow, silently asking what he wanted as I looked at Hundred. He carefully looked down at me and spoke.
“…Even though I lost this time, next time I’ll definitely win.”
“Oh, good luck with that.”
“And… did you really teach Arthur that Eightfold Art?”
“If I did?”
“Could you teach me as well?”
Only then did I realize why this guy had forced himself to approach and talk to me. The Eightfold Art was the exclusive domain of nobles and knights.
In the academy, it wasn’t taught, and knight families secretly passed down their techniques only to their heirs through single-line inheritance.
He must have been surprised to learn that Arthur, a mere commoner, had been taught such a technique, and now hoped to learn it himself.
‘Think again.’
This guy was a mercenary who would sell his pride for personal gain if it benefited him. While his willingness to set aside his pride to learn the technique was admirable, he wasn’t skilled enough to handle it.
“No.”
“But you taught Arthur, didn’t you? I’ll offer the same compensation.”
“Same compensation? You?”
I chuckled, making Hundred curious about what Arthur had offered in exchange for learning the technique.
Arthur had his own reasons – being a main character type or deciding to split the championship prize – but there was no need to share those details with this guy.
“–Arthur’s cute.”
“…What?”
“I taught Arthur because he’s cute. What about you? Just looking at your large build makes me uncomfortable. Get lost.”
Upon hearing that, Hundred took a step back with a slightly disgusted look.
“Are you a homosexual? Ugh…”
“Idiot.”
* * *
Reaching the finals without any trouble in the semifinals, Arthur slightly stiffened upon seeing Ruby standing before him.
‘As expected…’
Just looking at her face brought back the incessant chatter from yesterday that kept echoing in his mind. It seemed her attempts to impair his hearing and cognitive abilities were successful.
Judging by the dizziness already setting in, there was no doubt about it.
Ruby tilted her head worriedly upon seeing Arthur’s tense expression.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?”
“No, nothing like that.”
“That’s good. Defeating a strong opponent has meaning, after all.”
She was concerned that Arthur might have overused the Eightfold Arts in such a short time, given his flashy performance so far.
Indeed, Arthur’s actions had naturally raised such concerns. There was a reason why those possessing the Eightfold Arts didn’t use them recklessly – the fear of damaging their bodies from excessive aura usage. Fortunately, that wasn’t a concern for Arthur.
“Ruby-senpai.”
“Yes? What is it?”
“I’ve been thinking… senpai talks too much.”
“…Huh? You’re pointing that out? That hurts.”
With that, Ruby took her stance. Arthur did the same. The spectators watching them both fell silent simultaneously.
The drum signaling the start of the match sounded, and Arthur immediately charged forward despite Kail’s advice not to do so. After all, all his tactics were already known to Ruby.
Everything was exposed now. Since this was the final match, Arthur intended to give it his all without hesitation.
“Huff–”
Watching Arthur charge towards her, Ruby took a deep breath. In swordsmanship theory, the one who attacks first is always at a disadvantage compared to the one who reacts.
Rear Attack Before the Front.
Through elegant swordplay where defense and offense occur simultaneously, the second attacker can succeed simply by countering the first attack.
However, that was merely theoretical swordsmanship.
When facing an Eightfold Art that channels aura throughout the body and simultaneously explodes the mental state to instantly subdue the opponent, such theory becomes meaningless.
Mayer Style Modified
Falling Star
A meteor struck the ground. Though Ruby managed to deflect most of the impact, she still felt as if her arm was breaking from the direct hit.
Fortunately, having successfully deflected it, Ruby’s turn came next. She knew regular sword techniques wouldn’t work against Arthur.
Thus, she used her own Eightfold Art, developed and refined over decades by the seniors of the Swordsmanship Club.
Kalashnikova
The mass-production Eightfold Art created by non-Masters swept past Arthur’s body. Only then did Arthur realize what had hit him as he noticed the blood flowing from his wound.
“Ugh?”
Having stopped the bleeding by circulating his aura, Arthur looked at Ruby. She continued pressing her advantage without letting go of the momentum.
Once again, the mass-production Eightfold Art tore through Arthur’s defenses during their exchange.
“Guh-!”
After getting hit several times, Arthur realized the technique was theoretically perfect. Eightfold Arts don’t usually aim for physical perfection since structurally perfect techniques couldn’t compete with aura-based attacks.
But whether out of ignorance or dedication as a swordsman, Ruby’s Eightfold Art was not only compatible with aura but also structurally flawless.
It was indeed worthy of being called a mass-produced Eightfold Art.
“Not bad, huh? Eightfold Arts aren’t just for you.”
“Finishing… you off!”
Whish! Swinging his sword wildly, Arthur sent Ruby flying away, sensing that he would lose if this continued.
In the distance, Kail sat in the audience with a nonchalant expression, seemingly unconcerned about Ruby losing.
Seeing that expression, Arthur realized Kail believed in him. That unwavering belief that he would win the championship.
If even a Master thought so, it meant he truly had a higher chance of winning.
‘I’ll just do as instructed.’
What had Kail taught him? She said that since he had plenty of aura, he could outlast most opponents just by dragging out the endurance battle.
That’s right. An endurance battle.
Arthur circulated his aura throughout his body and gripped his sword.
“Huuuuggh!”
And unleashed his aura recklessly. Lightning, One Thousand Swords, Falling Star, Single Point Strike.
Each of these Eightfold Arts consumed a significant amount of aura, so Ruby assumed Arthur would quickly tire out and collapse.
But he didn’t.
‘What… is this guy even an Aura User?’
An overwhelming amount of aura that couldn’t possibly belong to a normal Aura User. This was Arthur’s advantage. Unlike his expectation of holding out until an opportunity arose, Arthur’s relentless assault showed no signs of stopping.
Thanks to the immense aura quantity granted by the Heart of the Dragon, Ruby was gradually being pushed back. When she reached the edge of the arena…
Clang!
“Huh?”
Unable to withstand the excessive use of Eightfold Arts, Arthur’s sword broke, creating an opening. Ruby didn’t miss the chance and swung her sword toward Arthur–
“Eightfold Art.”
Dragon Fist
A fist filled with dragonic aura slammed into Ruby’s stomach. Ruby spat out air as she flew out of the arena.
Realizing somehow his last-learned Eightfold Art had worked, Arthur cautiously panted.
“Haa, haa–”
The judge’s announcement of victory and the crowd’s cheers for him came belatedly. Arthur looked at the audience, feeling the thrill of victory.
Kail was smirking at him. In response, Arthur also smirked and gave a thumbs-up.
