Side Story Chapter 62

Side Story Chapter 62

Zero tensed up. The situation had become extremely dangerous.

The Martial God had said himself that he was currently unable to use his mana. Although he had no problem dealing with small fries, he had mentioned that he would be in trouble if he ran into someone genuinely strong.

Cain de Harry, the Combat Emperor Star, was one of the Nine Stars, the strongest people on the continent. If he wasn’t genuinely strong, who else could be?

“Are you serious?” Cain asked.

“Of course.”

“I don’t think you’re in your usual condition.”

“I knew it.” Joshua smiled bitterly. “You noticed it right away.”

Zero became extremely anxious when he realized his worries had come to pass.

‘I need to stop this,’ Zero decided. He prepared to step between the two men.

“Since it’s Berche’s Bloody Battle, we should do this on equal terms,” Cain said.

Joshua looked askance at him.

“In order to make this fair, I’ll also seal my mana and make this into a battle of pure strength. This’ll be a fight between two men.”

Zero brightened up, but his positivity didn’t last long.

“That’ll make Berche’s Bloody Battle less meaningful. If you go easy on me just because I’m the emperor, who will try to reach a higher rank? Social status, title, rank... These external factors don’t matter in Berche’s Bloody Battle. This tradition is a test of skill and skill alone.”

“Wait, what in the world are you doing?” Zero stormed up to Joshua, looking as if he was going to grab Joshua by his collar. “He offered to go easy on you!”

Joshua shrugged. “I’m the Martial God.”

“You said that you’re under restrictions!”

“Don’t use an excuse during a duel.”

“What did you say?” Zero frowned slightly.

“It’s genuine advice. If you lose, then you lose. What matters is how you react after your defeat. Use it to improve yourself or drown in a pool of despair.”

“Huh...” Zero stared at him, slack-jawed.

Of course, Joshua was also worried. It had been a while since he had been tense like this—his palms were actually sweaty. On top of that, this body wasn’t his in the first place; his real body was still trapped in the ice boulder. He had trained himself physically and accumulated his mana for decades. He even used to have a weapon that he was familiar with.

However, he had nothing right now. Technically, he was a phony who had infused his soul into another person’s body.

“Who are you?” Cain interrupted, eyeing Zero.

Zero realized that he and Lilith were still wearing their robes and bit his lip, mortified by his mistake.

“Can you give me the chance instead?” Lilith took off her hood and stepped forward.

All of the Imperial Knights of the Avalon Empire were male, so when a beautiful woman showed up, they inhaled sharply. Their jaws dropped to the ground.

“W-Wait. The Silver-Eyed Ghost Sword...?”

“Lilith Aphrodite!”

“The next pope’s daughter!”

The murmuring among the knights became louder. Although they were going through a civil war, they still had eyes and ears.

After Lilith had manifested the authority of a demon king, the Hubalt Empire had publicly declared Lilith Aphrodite a public enemy. Then the Empire had sent numerous paladins to hunt her down—that very fugitive had shown up in the Avalon Empire right now.

“I’ve been wanting to try fighting against the Combat Emperor for a long time.” Lilith smiled.

She chose to take the bull by the horn. The news was going to spread anyway, so she decided that she would choose when she would reveal herself. It was intended to prove her value to Avalon, but her eagerness actually caused a misunderstanding.

“Why is she with His Majesty?”

Everyone tensed up, certain that Cain would be victorious. Joshua was going up against none other than the Combat Emperor. How could Jousha defeat one of the Nine Stars without using his mana?

“...Since many spectators are present, I’ll hurt your pride a little bit.” The end of Cain’s mouth curled upward.

Cain’s fists were immediately enveloped in layers of his golden mana.

“If you manage to hit me even once, I’ll admit defeat,” Cain declared.

“I told you that you don’t need to go easy on me.”

“I should do at least much to hurt the Martial God’s mighty pride.”

“You’ll regret it,” Joshua lightly responded.

“...I’ll start.”

Cain disappeared, reappearing in front of Joshua in the blink of an eye.

‘I knew it...’ Cain thought as he saw how slowly Joshua reacted.. Without his mana, Joshua was only a little stronger than an ordinary knight. Although he was still remarkable, that meant nothing to Cain right now.

Cain’s fist rocketed ruthlessly toward his heartless master’s face. It was time to let go of all his lingering anger. He couldn’t leave this man anyway, and Cain had felt this way for his entire life. Joshua was his first master and Cain respected him with all his heart, so he would probably remain loyal to Joshua until the day Cain went to his grave.

So Cain was going to punch Joshua just this once to let go of his resentment and his remaining negative emotions.

‘It’s going to hurt a little, master,’ Cain thought.

Cain threw a straight jab that boomed through the air and leisurely observed its travel. He was sure that he was going to see Joshua’s face slam into his sturdy fist.

Cain was quickly rewarded by the sound he had been waiting for—a meaty smack, like a drum bursting. He immediately noticed the Imperial Knights boggling at them and shut his eyes. ‘Was that too hard?’ he thought.

Although it was secretly refreshing, he also felt sorry like a parent holding back their tears as they whipped their children’s calves.

‘...Wait.’

Cain enhanced his eyes. Strange. He should have seen Joshua getting punched, not the other Imperial Knights. He heard the sound, but why couldn’t he feel the impact on his knuckle? More importantly, why did the left side of his face hurt?

“Ugh!” Cain groaned.

Cain lay on the ground, staring dumbly at the roof. Blood dripped out of his split lip.

“What in the world...?” Cain mumbled.

“Cain, have you forgotten because it’s been so long?”

“What are you...?”

“The characteristic of my mana utilization technique,” Joshua clarified.

Cain’s jaw dropped to the ground.

“I may not have a single trace of mana in me, but I can still use mana for a short time. You know why, don’t you? I use the mana in nature, not from my mana hall in my abdomen.”

“Wa-Wait...!” Cain sprang up from the ground, propelled by a sudden feeling of being cheated.

However, their fight was long over.

“What did you say before? That If I manage to hit you even once, you’d admit defeat...?”

“This is cheating!” Cain yelled.

Joshua smiled mischievously. “Cheating? It’s you who didn’t remember it, so why are you blaming me? You shouldn’t have added a weird condition in the first place.”

“This fight is invalid! If you don’t let me restart the fight, you’re the true villain and a fraud, Master!”

“How dare you talk that way to the supreme emperor?” Joshua joked.

Cain unconsciously clenched his fists. He already lost the fight and knew that Joshua wouldn’t let him, but he still had to say it:

“I’m begging you. Let me just punch you one time. Please.”