Chapter 76 Tournament (4)

Ser Herald stood still with his broadsword in a defensive stance ready to take any blow as Kahn approached like a shadow.

Everyone else also watched with anticipation and excitement. Ethan leaned forward in his seat carefully observing what seemed like the finale of the battle.

Kahn closed in on Ser Herald as his eyes visible beneath the helmet glinted with a determined glimmer as his demeanor changed to a ferocious one.

"Thuk!"

The booming sound rang as the needle sword met the broadsword, the first strike was targeted at Herald's head which got easily blocked as sparks flew out due to the impact. However, it also disturbed Ser Herald's posture for just a second. And it was all that Kahn needed.

Just as Ser Herald was about to counterattack according to his plan, suddenly Kahn's arm flickered unusually, pulling back abruptly and thrusting forward at Herald's breastplate.

As if it looked to be moving yet stationary at the same time. It made one rub their eyes and wonder if something had gotten in them

Second after, Herald felt an impact on his chest that was blunt and piercing in nature at the same time. Just before he could comprehend anything, a foul smell of burning metal entered his nose.

Kahn's arm from the distance looked stationary in front of Herald's chest with the needle sword in hand pointing at Ser Herald. While Kehn's back was bent slightly, his right leg was in front and the left one at his rear with some distance between.

However, only a few realized what was happening. Kahn was hammering his needle sword on Herald's breastplate with an unimaginable speed without facing any resistance.

So much so that his hand looked stationary, Ethan thought that it was similar to when at some point you stop seeing the blades of a fan when it's spinning at high speed.

This kind of speed and hand movement was absolutely crazy. Ethan realized that the needle sword was barely touching the armor's surface which created little to no resistance. Kahn was rapidly and surely chipping away at the breastplate with each thrust.

"Kahn is pummeling hundreds of thrusts in just a second and at one focal point of the armor! Holy shit!" Ethan muttered in amazement as he looked at the Arena wide-eyed.

'Sword Arte is also not to be underestimated!' Ethan thought inwardly, learning a new lesson as he made a mental note.

He used to think that only the magical powers of the blessings mattered, however, what he had seen today was nothing but supernatural.

…

Mere seconds passed and the result of this crazy skill finally showed as black smoke came out of Herald's breastplate creating a gaping hole in it.

The hundreds of thrusts per second on the very surface of the armor had created so much friction that the steel armor heated to the point of melting.

Sweat immediately appeared on Herald's face as a chill crept through his spine. In a panic, he immediately disrupted the bombardment of thrusts with his broadsword.

Kahn was panting heavily in exhaustion as he promptly retreated. Herald stumbled backward as the backlash of disrupting such a high-speed, brisk assault made his entire arm numb and his internal organs tremble.

It was like trying to stop a spinning turbine with bare hands. The hand would obviously bleed.

"KAHN! KAHN! KAHN!"

The crowd once again erupted in cheers as the short, speedy set of movements looked extremely cool, flashy, and damn powerful.

Both warriors stared into the eyes of the other. While Kahn was just panting, Herald had a gaping hole in his armor. He had already lost.

"I am truly honored to have fought you! Please, what is your name?" Herald sheathed his sword with a sigh as he asked.

He had officially yielded.

In response, Kahn refused to answer and only moved his head from side to side. Herald sighed again as he looked at the hole in his armor. Just one more second and the hole would have been in his chest.

"Blade of Kahnver Wins!" The announcer declared.

…

"Ethan, you saw that right? This is why you should not neglect your swordsmanship! We must try to recruit this knight, it's hard to find such skilled warriors!" Albaer said looking at Ethan.

Ethan nodded with understanding as the tournament continued.

Next, the remaining matches took place. A few other wandering knights were also very impressive but nowhere near Kahn.

An hour passed, and one after another wins and losses were announced as the tournament was reaching its climax. Needless to say that Kahn was undefeated.

During a particular match between the knights of House Iiivardin and House Kaelvyn, Albaer whispered to Ethan,

"House IIvardin and Kaelvyn both have been at each other's throats for a long time. They have had a deep rivalry and bad blood with each other for generations. Both come under the Whitesburg Duchy. Their situation is complicated but no major conflicts have occurred in recent years."

"I see…" Ethan responded as he made a mental note.

Many guests had come for the banquet but not all of them were on good terms with each other. Some had a bloody history with each other while some had territorial disputes. However, they had kept their issues aside for the event in respect of Albaer's invitation. It was quite an interesting thing to see.

Ser Cormac of House IIvardin and Ser Jarek of House Kaelvyn both were elite knights who were going at each other with all they had with the full intent of either killing or injuring their foe.

They were carrying the immense pressure of self-esteem of both their respective houses and thus fought ferociously like wild animals.

It was a lengthy battle which was the most bloody of all, in the end, it concluded in a draw as both knights collapsed at the same time while fighting.

More time passed and the participants were reduced by half with each round. At this point, many people present started noticing that Ethan had been winning 80% of bets, even Albaer was puzzled.

"Ahh! Eth! How come you always win the bet?" Naenna asked in frustration.

"Well I lost a few too, didn't I?" Ethan said.

"Seriously? You lost only a few times!" Naenna said.

"Oh… I must be lucky then!" Ethan shrugged.