CH 193

Ardis’s swords continued its onslaught on Kamlan one-sidedly.

Relentlessly clinging onto Kamlan who’s trying to escape, Ardis continued aiming only for his arm, abdomen or legs.

His attacks started to focus on his lower body. Ardis would fit in a kick sometimes as his sword continued to swing aiming for the knees or the calves.

Even if it’s a blunted sword, the weight and speed behind it is not light. If Ardis had mana here, Kamlan’s legs would’ve been severed long ago already.

But luckily or unluckily, Ardis’s swing without the aide of mana didn’t hold that much power.

Although there wasn’t any bloodshed, the damage on Kamlan was accumulating on parts of his body not visible to the outside.

「Ack! 」

His fatigue must’ve caught up as well. Kamlan who can no longer support himself up collapsed on his knees.

He tried to get back up in hurry. However, Ardis’s sword swung heavily at his ankle next.

「Guhhk! 」

Kamlan once again collapsed on the ground.

「Although I don’t have anything personal with you――」

Ardis continued to stop his attempts at standing back up as he said so coldly.

「I will have you sit right there until the match is over.」

「You…… wha!? 」

Despite Kamlan not able to understand Ardis’s words the first time, he was finally able to realize Ardis’s intentions after getting hit down so many times whenever he tried standing back up.

Losing his weapon, even if he’s hit in a vital spot, the judge who would pretend to see nothing won’t ever acknowledge Ardis’s victory.

Ardis didn’t care about it. Ardis just have to show that the difference in strength is obvious to anyone’s eyes in the prolonged match.

The longer the match goes on, the more embarrassment Marquis Holguin who is the one behind Kamlan will suffer.

With this much audience around to witness, and the Marquis essentially being made fun of, his prestige surely wouldn’t hold well.

Even if he might never win officially in this match, Ardis had already fulfilled more than enough of his purpose.

「You’re……making fun of us! 」

That’s right, as Ardis immediately answered silently inside his mind, he continued to stop Kamlan whenever he tried to get back up. The weaponless warrior would collapse on the ground again every time he tried to stand up.

On the other hand, there was a young magician standing while holding a sword with one hand as if reaping weeds in his garden swiping at the warrior’s legs mundanely.

No one would believe it is the finals of the Lotus Cup that can be said the biggest martial arts tournament in Nagras Kingdom.

It’s obvious even to a child that who’s the stronger one. Despite so, there was the judge who wouldn’t say anything.

It’s natural that there’re displeasures and angers from the audience. Without giving a thought to his accomplishment, Ardis continued to stop Kamlan from standing up.

Several tens of repetition must’ve happened then. Eventually, Kamlan who is scarred to the point that he didn’t attempt standing up again.

「What happened? Finally admitting defeat? 」

Although Ardis tried to provoke him intentionally, Kamlan had no response. Ardis used the back of his sword and tapped on Kamlan’s head.

It was a surreal scene. In the audience’s eyes, their difference in strength are like seeing an adult and a child fight.

Kamlan had lost his intentions to continue fighting already. Even if no blood was shed, his legs would be in tatters already.

Even if Ardis wasn’t strengthened with magic, and even if Kamlan was wearing protective gear, the count of him getting hit on the legs are still substantial.

It’s not strange for Kamlan to have a fracture or two by now. Just as he pondered what else to do next in order to win, he heard a man’s exasperated voice.

「Spare him from any more will you. 」

It wasn’t a voice from the audience. Just as Ardis turned around to the closer than expected voice, there was an unfamiliar person behind the judge.

It was a middle-aged man with a lush beard.

「Y-You are……! 」

The judge who turned around suddenly panicked. It seems like he’s someone superior to the judge.

「This match, it’s the Countless Swords Sorcerer’s win. 」

Leaving aside what rights he had, he declared Ardis’s victory easily. And of course, the judge didn’t sit quietly with that.

「I-It’s troubling for me if you make decisions abruptly like that. I am tasked to be a judge in this match, even if you’re our respected advisor, please refrain from doing ―― 」

Just as the judge tried to argue back, the advisor man’s atmosphere changed. A threatening glint showed in his eyes, and glared at the judge before shouting.

「You’re saying you are the judge!? 」

「Hiek! 」

A short cry can be heard from the judge because of the advisor’s pressure.

「Is there even meaning for a judge if they’re unfair? A judge is human too, it’s no helping that they’re preferential to their side. But if you’re not even saying anything when he’s like that, it’s nothing but that you have already stopped being a judge. How long has it been that he lost his weapon? How many times his vital spots are hit? And in this situation where even his intentions to fight is lost, is there a point in continuing? When will this match end? Until one side lost their life? Since when a match of Lotus Cup is decided with killing!? 」

The advisor’s voice was loud. His voice had reverberated in the arena that had quiet down due to the sudden intruder.

The advisor was making it loud intentionally for the audience to hear. His words are correct, and at the same time, it was a whole representation of the audience’s feelings.

「T-That’s……um……」

The judge who cowered peeked at the nobles’ seatings but, there was no figure of Marquis Holguin around.

「The Marquis is not here already. His Highness is terribly angered, you see. I’m here on His Highness’s intentions. 」

「Wha……! T-That’s……」

The judge panicked more than before and became speechless. He must’ve caught onto something, as the judge closed his mouth and refrained from saying anything.

「And so that’s it, Countless Swords Sorcerer. Spare him from any more beatings. Kamlan is just following his orders too. Although it might be a foreign concept for a mercenary like you, a soldier can never go against their orders. 」

Hearing that, Ardis obediently took his distance from Kamlan. Ardis had nothing personal with Kamlan in the first place, and he was pondering how to end the match too before he came.

Rather than an inappropriate result, Ardis had nothing to complain if he was declared the winner.

The advisor nodded lightly seeing Ardis obediently pulled back, before raising his left fist up in the air, and declared with all of his voice.

「The match is over! In the name of His Highness, the crown prince, the champion of the Lotus Cup is hereby the Countless Swords Sorcerer, Ardis! 」

At that moment, Ardis’s championship in the Lotus Cup is decided. Exploding cheers from all direction by the audience came at once as they showered on Ardis.

It was the first time recorded in history that someone outside the army had won in the Lotus Cup as the cheers continued on.