The crimson flash devours the blue flash. The azure flash, not willing to be outdone, bristles and resists against the crimson flash.
The two flashes, which had been biting and tearing at each other repeatedly, now return to their respective places and begin sharpening their fangs.
‘It’s not fake.’
An Aura Blade can only be blocked by another Aura Blade. That red Aura Blade was the real deal.
Of course, its density was abysmally low, and its duration wasn’t long either—but it was enough time to finish the fight between the two Swordsmen.
“Haha, hahahaha-! To think I’ve finally reached this level that countless others couldn’t…!”
Demian drooled as he gazed lustfully at his own Aura Blade. The look of a madman. Kail slightly furrowed his brow and pointed his sword towards him.
“Shut up. You’re not a kid—stop getting all worked up over some Aura Blade.”
“…Wha, what!?”
That single remark seemed to sting Demian’s pride, as an even fiercer Aura began pouring out from his sword.
Kail knew that this Aura was nothing more than a foolish act of directly spewing out life force.
‘Idiot.’
An Aura Master is someone who has learned to draw their Aura outside their body. Aura is life force itself; if you had to compare it, it’s closer to blood.
What Demian was doing was akin to punching holes all over his body to spray blood outward. For a brief moment, he might exhibit abilities similar to an Aura Master, but well…
‘It won’t last long anyway.’
Though it seemed like some mysterious “Fruit of Life” or whatever had extended its duration and reduced side effects, it was still riddled with flaws and adverse reactions.
The advantage of an Expert-level Knight gaining the power of a Master for a short period simply overshadowed all those downsides and drawbacks.
“Haha- hahaha! Hahahaha! What’s wrong, Kail-!”
Demian pressed on against Kail, recklessly pouring out his life force. Sensing victory if he could just hold out, Kail momentarily thought it was a pity.
With fleeting thoughts crossing his mind, Kail wondered if he himself was going mad.
A pity? His opponent was temporarily a Master, wielding the same abilities as him. In the worst-case scenario, even he could lose his life.
‘…Pity.’
Realizing his own feelings, Kail swiftly retreated and muttered toward Arthur, who lay collapsed on the ground.
“Arthur. Run away from here.”
“What? Kail, I can’t leave you—”
“You’re in the way, just scram-!”
Arthur froze stiff at the sight of Kail’s eyes glaring at him. Weren’t they like the eyes of a beast with prey right in front of it?
After trembling for a moment, Arthur quickly came to his senses and fled the scene immediately. Even in his intoxicated state, Demian hadn’t forgotten how important it was to stop Arthur, so he charged forward to block his escape.
Kail swung his Aura Blade at the charging Demian. The red Aura and blue Aura, the two Aura Blades clashed, scattering starlight in every direction.
“Move aside─ you damn brat!”
“Come to think of it, I feel sorry for you.”
“What?”
Swish-! After pushing Demian back with a swing of his sword, Kail couldn’t help but smirk, raising the corners of his mouth.
In front of him stood an opponent whose skills were nearly equal to his own—an enemy who could kill him if he let his guard down.
Wasn’t this the worthy rival he’d been searching for since he became an Aura Expert? An opponent perfect for real combat.
“If I drag this out, I’ll win—but such a victory would be meaningless.”
A hollow victory was unnecessary. Even if it cost him his life right here, Kail wanted to cross swords one more time.
Ever since becoming a Master, he hadn’t found a suitable rival—until now. Right before his eyes, a worthy opponent had appeared.
“─Come at me.”
“Heh, heh- …I thought you were just some overly talented brat.”
How knightly.
Looking at Kail standing before him, that’s what Demian thought.
Never had he seen such a dignified Knight anywhere else.
And so─.
“Demian Rotus.”
“Kail Meyer.”
Both instinctively realized that one of them would have to fall for this battle to end.
* * *
“Ha, haagh-!”
Arthur, who had fled harshly from the training grounds, leaned his body against the auditorium wall, panting heavily. The instructors, who had been searching for undiscovered cadets around the auditorium, rushed to check on Arthur when they saw him running in barehanded.
After confirming that his entire body was drenched in blood and sweat, they immediately called for a Cleric to treat Arthur.
“Cadet Arthur, what on earth are these wounds?”
“Ha, haagh- well, you see…”
Arthur tried to explain what he had endured up until now. But at that moment, his words caught in his throat.
To explain what happened to him, he’d have to break his promise with Kail. Not only that, he’d have to explain why they were targeting him, inevitably revealing the fact that a dragon’s heart was embedded in his body.
Seeing Arthur firmly close his mouth to protect his and Kail’s secrets, the instructors began pressing him, demanding to know what had happened.
“Stop it.”
“G-Gawein, Professor!”
Had Gawein not arrived from afar, dragging unconscious cadets in both hands—the instructors would have continued interrogating Arthur until they got the answers they wanted.
Gawein handed over the unconscious cadets to the instructors and spoke.
“Restrain these guys.”
“Huh? Why restrain the cadets…?”
“They’re terrorists. Whether they enrolled as cadets from the start or were later swayed, I don’t know.”
“W-what do you mean─.”
The instructors were shocked to hear that a cadet from the prestigious Diaros Academy was involved in terrorism, but they soon followed Gawein’s orders and began restraining the cadets.
Regardless of the truth, they couldn’t doubt the words of Professor Gawein, a legendary hero.
As the instructors restrained the captured cadets, Gawein looked down at Arthur and spoke.
“What happened?”
“…It’s hard to explain.”
“Is it that Kail guy?”
“─How did you know?”
Startled, Arthur stared wide-eyed at Gawein, who nodded with a sly grin.
“I was the first to notice that guy’s potential as a Master. If it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t have even passed the Academy entrance exam.”
Recalling Kail’s written test scores, Gawein easily imagined what might have become of Kail had he not intervened.
Being a Master meant he wouldn’t starve anywhere, but he wouldn’t have passed the Academy either.
Gawein crouched down to Arthur’s eye level and spoke.
“If it’s that guy, there’s no need to worry. Unless a Master suddenly drops out of the sky, there shouldn’t be any danger.”
“No, but uh…”
“Hmm, then leave that aside─ Cadet Arthur, go wait in line over there.”
“Uh, Professor…?”
“Do you still have something to say?”
“…One dropped.”
Hearing Arthur’s words, Gawein tilted his head and looked down at the ground. Dropped? What exactly had dropped?
Seeing Gawein fail to understand, Arthur bluntly answered.
“Well, the person Kail is fighting right now… is a Master.”
“…What?”
A Master isn’t some neighborhood mutt’s name, what nonsense is this…
Gawein wore an expression of disbelief but soon steeled his resolve and headed in the direction Arthur pointed.
Though injuries from the war left him unable to fight, he could still manage to protect the young sprouts once.
* * *
Ching-! Chaeeng-!
Amidst the fragments of Aura scattered in the air from the Aura Blades, Kail realized that Demian’s swordsmanship was better than expected.
Using an Aura Blade requires a different technique compared to regular swordsmanship. It’s an invincible blade that can cut through anything it touches, so it can’t be wielded like a normal sword.
Thus, Aura Blade techniques are lighter and more agile than regular longsword techniques. With no need to apply weight, it’s closer to dance than swordplay.
Even if someone unfamiliar with swordsmanship knows how to use an Aura Blade, they’d inevitably end up cutting themselves.
“Huuuk- Huuuuk-!”
With the crackling sound of Aura as background music, the two danced like waltzing partners, realizing that the end of this fight wasn’t far off.
Demian made the first move. He tidied up the Aura he had been recklessly wasting and focused it into a single sword.
Kail, facing him, also concentrated his Aura solely into his sword without scattering it around.
When the two concentrated Aura Blades collided, an explosion like a storm erupted, pushing both fighters far back.
Sssrrrk- Kail slid backward and managed to stop by stabbing his sword into the ground. He then looked toward Demian, who knelt on one knee in the distance.
“Are you alright?”
“─Uwaaargh-!”
Seeing Demian spitting out blood, Kail thought, “Figures.” It was absurd for an Aura Expert to pull Aura outside their body.
If it were a wall that could be overcome with drugs or fruits, countless Swordsmen wouldn’t have died in vain trying to surpass it.
Kail murmured toward Demian, who still couldn’t stand.
“Raise your sword. Demian.”
“Cough, cough!”
“Raise your sword and fight back!”
Looking at Kail shouting fiercely, Demian slowly raised his sword and stood up. The Aura that had been bursting out like a flood was now almost depleted.
For Demian, who had been using his life force, this meant death was near.
“…I envy you. If only I could’ve become like you─.”
Demian looked at Kail enviously and squeezed out his last ounce of strength to raise his Aura once more. Seeing this, Kail charged forward with satisfaction.
Though the Aura was pitifully weak compared to before, it was still an Aura Blade.
The clash of Aura Blades. Kail overpowered the weakened Aura Blade and slashed through Demian’s upper body.
Schwing─! Blood sprayed out like a fountain. The life force, already at its limit, was completely exhausted after this injury, and with all his life force gone, Demian lost his life.
“It was fun.”
Kail sheathed his chipped sword and turned toward the auditorium. The flying dragon had disappeared long ago, and the thunderous booms echoing throughout the territory had ceased.
Everything was over now. Act 1 ended with a happy ending.
‘Still, there are plenty of guys like that—and even stronger ones out there.’
Just imagining the future sent a slight shiver down Kail’s spine, and he couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. Laughing, he headed toward the auditorium, spotting a fully armed Gawein from afar.
“Kail! Are you alright!?”
Gawein ran over to Kail as if he were his own son, checking his body for injuries. Confirming he was fine, Gawein sighed in relief and asked about his condition.
“What happened?”
“I fought some terrorists over there.”
“I heard something about a Master.”
“Oh, yeah—something like that?”
Seeing Kail, unscathed after fighting something Master-like, Gawein felt an indescribable emotion.
Did others feel this way when they looked at him?
Feeling inferior like this all the time might drive him senile, so Gawein laughed, “Haha,” and headed to the place where Kail said he fought the terrorists.
“…No, Kail.”
“Yes, old man.”
“Did you kill him?”
“Yeah, sure.”
Kail’s tone implied it was obvious he killed him, leaving Gawein staring at him with a hardened expression.
Kail shrugged as if to say, “What’s the problem?”
* * *
“Kail Meyer, I’m placing you under arrest for murder.”
Clang-.
I looked at the tightly locked iron door and belatedly realized.
‘Ah, right.’
You’re not supposed to kill people.
