BOOM—!
The entire arena shook as if it had exploded.
"Ooooooooooh!"
"So cool, Arthur!"
"Mr. Arthur~!"
"Arthur! Arthur! Arthur!"
The announcer jumped to his feet and shouted:
"It's over!"
"Contestant Arthur—with just one strike! He's defeated every other opponent!"
"He truly is the strongest nine-star swordsman in our Sorbear Kingdom!"
Kael Vane was stunned. "Wait… wasn't that magic? Is that even allowed?"
"Magic? No, that's swordsmanship." The helpful man next to him explained. "A magic swordsman is still a swordsman. Every high-star swordsman uses magic. What village are you from? You seriously didn't know that?"
"…"
Kael was speechless. He was right. I did come from a world with no magic.
Kael had thought they would only use magic to strengthen their bodies—or, at most, fire a few energy slashes. He didn't expect attacks like that to be considered normal swordplay here.
"He's strong."
Erza's expression turned grave as she watched Arthur's strike. He wiped out that many people in one hit. This was the strongest nine-star swordsman.
If she used her Requip, she could probably block that. Without it… she couldn't be sure.
"Tch! He still loves to show off!" Kray was clearly annoyed that Arthur was more popular than him.
"Very good!"
The king nodded in satisfaction as he watched the screen. He had watched Kray grow up. Kray was a sword genius, but never arrogant—always working, always pushing himself. His strength had risen fast. If the Magic Council didn't only rank wizards, Kray would definitely have a spot among the Ten Wizard Saints.
"Next up is Block D, the final group! Contestants, please enter!"
After the beaten fighters were carried off, the announcer called for the last group.
"Is it my turn?"
Kael Vane stood up and walked to the contestant entrance.
The moment he entered the arena, another loud cheer rose.
"Alan! Alan! Alan!"
Kael looked back and saw a young man with fiery red hair, about his age. The young man wore a bright smile and waved at the crowd.
"Waaa! It's Alan!"
"He's so handsome!"
"Go, Alan! Beat all of them!"
Many of the girls in the crowd screamed. Alan was handsome, skilled, and most importantly, young—only nineteen. He was the dream guy for a lot of them.
Kray and Arthur weren't old, but they were over ten years older than Alan. To fourteen- and fifteen-year-old girls, that gap might as well have been a lifetime.
"Tch! Just a brat." Kray sounded jealous at how much attention Alan was getting.
"It's the genius swordsman, Alan!"
"He is the youngest nine-star swordsman in our Sorbear Kingdom!"
"He is also the only nine-star swordsman in this group! Will he sweep the field just like the other two nine-star swordsmen?! Let's wait and see!"
Kael Vane glanced at him, then stepped onto the field.
Once he was in position, Kael noticed the pattern. Everyone avoided the higher-ranked fighters and went after the lower-ranked ones first. He could feel at least ten pairs of eyes locking onto him.
Looks like they think I'm the easy target.
A small smile tugged at his mouth.
Well, I'm ditching this disguise after I get the prize money anyway. Might as well give these people a little shock.
"This match is a sure thing!"
"Yeah! Alan is a nine-star genius!"
"See? Our Sorbear swordsmen are the strongest. That woman was pretty good, but she can't beat our nine-star swordsmen."
"Let's just enjoy Alan's performance!"
"Right! Right!"
The crowd was already convinced it was over. The gap between an eight-star and a nine-star was huge—and a genius stood on a different level entirely.
"The first round, Block D, begins… NOW!"
GONG—!
The fourth match started.
The very instant the gong sounded—
"Sun Breathing, Eleventh Form: Setting Sun Dragon Halo!!"
"ROOOOAR—!"
A thunderous dragon's roar rolled across the arena. In the next second, a massive, coiling dragon of fire tore straight through the contestants.
"Aaargh!"
"Waaaaah!"
All the contestants—including the nine-star genius Alan—were sent flying.
The fire dragon vanished. A man with long, dark red hair and a red haori stood where the dragon's head had been. The number "0556" was printed on his back.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Bodies hit the ground—one after another—knocked out cold.
"…"
The entire stadium fell into dead silence.
In the contestant area, Erza, Kray, and Arthur all shot to their feet, staring in shock at the calm man in the arena.
Kray's eyes were wide with disbelief. "Th-That's impossible! How can anyone's sword skill be that good? No… it's impossible. It can't be!"
Arthur's face was grim. "It just happened right in front of us. How can you say it's impossible? That man is standing right there."
"So strong…" Erza's voice came out thin. "He's just too strong."
Erza couldn't find any other words. Her eyes stayed locked on the man in the arena. "Shock" wasn't enough to describe what she felt.
One word rose in her mind:
God.
If there was a god among swordsmen, that man was it.
…
In the royal palace—
BAM!
The king slammed his hand on the table and stood up, staring at the screen. The king was also an old nine-star swordsman. He used to be called the strongest in the kingdom, but as he aged, he slowly stepped back and let Arthur inherit that title.
But even old age came with something else: clarity.
To a rookie, it might look like Kael and Arthur did the same thing—cleared the field in a single strike. But to a true master, the difference between them was enormous.