Chapter 320: Battle Festival

Chapter 320: Battle Festival

Editor: Tseirp

“Name is Chiron.”

“I’m Niels.”

The two men shook hands and then moved a short distance apart.

Centaurs have the body of a horse from the waist down and human from the waist up.

Therefore, their upper bodies are especially elevated.

Yet, they seem to be able to bend their bodies quite a bit, and shaking hands with Niels, who is a human, does not seem to bother them...

Chiron held a spear in his hand and a large sword suspended at his waist.

Niels was holding a sword... over one meter long with both hands and wore gauntlets over his hands.

He used to equip a small shield on his left hand, but not anymore, and if necessary, he could rely on the gauntlets.

If he were an experienced swordsman like Abel, he would have established his fighting style, but both Niels and Amon were still growing...

The referee, it seemed, would be the splendidly armed centaur from earlier.

“No dealing of finishing blows. If I deem it impossible to continue and that the match has been decided, it’s over. The match will also be brought to a close if either side surrenders. Are both sides ready?”

“Aye.”

“Anytime.”

Both Niels and Chiron answered.

“Then, begin!”

Niels spread his legs firmly and held his greatsword sturdily in front of him.

In the first place, the Centaur’s head and heart are almost at the same height as a person on horseback. Under normal circumstances, it would be difficult to deliver a fatal blow.

Of course, since it was a mock battle, killing was not allowed... but ultimately, he couldn’t ignore the height of the Centaur if he was going to place a sword to his throat or something.

That being the case, charging head-on was out of the question for Niels from the very beginning.

Chiron’s arms were higher than Niels’ head, who is one meter and ninety centimeters tall.

Plus the three-meter-long spear he wielded.

A battle of cavalry versus infantry so to speak.

The advantage of attacking from a higher ground is the same in both individual and group battles.

From the start, the battle was not in Niels’ favor.

Still, that didn’t bring Niels down.

He raised his hand, saying he wanted to fight.

Knowing full well that he’d be at a disadvantage.

“It’s fast...”

The one who muttered that was the dual swordsman, Gowan.

Next to him, Priest Zeke also nodded.

Chiron’s spear was fast.

Whether thrusting, jostling, or striking, the spear’s characteristics were sufficiently displayed, approaching Niels’ body from all directions.

But...

Niels carefully parried all of these attacks.

Since he was using a large sword, it was not a good idea to swing it wide against a swift opponent.

The spear had already been discarded, and it had become a sword fight.

Niels was connecting a series of thrusts, sweeps, diagonal slashes, and then rounding up with reverse diagonal slashes....

A complete reversal from defense to offense.

The sword fight began with Niels attacking and Chiron on the receiving end.

Both were wielding great swords.

However, the swordfight unfolded at a speed that didn’t seem like they were wielding very large swords.

Moreover, the sword fight, which began with Niels attacking and Chiron receiving, somehow switched to Niels being on the receiving end, and Chiron attacking.

Then, before you know it, Niels is back on the attacking side and Chiron on the receiving end.

The sword fight progressed, with offense and defense switching violently.

With both fighters using similar great swords, with no significant difference in skill, and with ample stamina, it was the most basic aspect of the fight that determined the winner.

As stated at the beginning.

An attack from a higher position is more advantageous on many fronts.

The sword that Chiron strikes down has gravity as its ally.

While the sword that Niels receives has gravity as its greatest enemy.

The most basic law of physics.

Objects are pulled by gravity and fall from top to bottom....

Niels’ stamina was slowly being drained as he continued to receive Chiron’s force-ridden strikes.

Three years ago, beginning with Ryo’s guidance, Niels had been working diligently to increase his stamina ever since.

However, as a human, he naturally has his limits.

He probably has more stamina than most B-rank adventurers.

However, the longer one wields a great sword, the more fatigue accumulates... that’s simply inevitable.

Even so, he has never cut corners in training.

He’s always trained to his limit.

In actual combat, he may take extra precautions for safety reasons, but in training, he challenges himself to the very limit.

To be able to wield the great sword longer than anyone else!

Chiron also wields a great sword.

Which he swung downward.

Niels dodged the sword, which he had been receiving or fending off until now...

He was utterly exhausted.

Chiron thought he would parry it, but he didn’t.

His great sword was now weighed down by gravity.

He hurriedly tried to pull it up, but....

Niels took a big step forward, stepped on Chiron’s sword, and stretched out his arm in one smooth motion.

As if thrusting his sword into Chiron’s heart!

“Halt!”

The referee’s voice resonated.

Niels emerged victorious in the ‘Battle Festival’.

If you like my translations, please support me on Ko-fi and Patreon and unlock early chapter releases!