Chapter 414

Words : 2414 Updated : Oct 15th, 2025

After confirming that Alex was almost in a trance, Rudger looked back at the arena where the fight was taking place. The sound of collisions grew louder. Besides the sword and harpoon, as Pantos began to fully utilize the anchor chain, the sound of metal chains dragging echoed everywhere. -Slash. The black chain that tore through the air was definitely threatening. Even an average knight would find it difficult to wield such a weapon, but Pantos swung it with one hand brutishly. In effect, the chain was practically being used like a whip. Just then, the end of the chain struck the ground where Pasius stood. The entire arena rumbled and a cloud of dust rose high. Pasius retreated through the smoke. It was thanks to his judgment that it would be dangerous to deflect it. A tunnel-like hole opened in the still unsettled dust cloud as Pantos burst through. At the same time, his right arm holding the harpoon became blurry. -Bang bang bang. Another triple thrust was unleashed. In that moment, Pasius’ upper body also split into three. These were phenomena occurring due to their extremely fast movements. Pasius’ leg, which had dodged all the thrusts by a paper-thin margin, shot up vertically aiming for Pantos’ chin. Pantos blocked the attack with his left forearm while swinging the harpoon handle to target Pasius’ temple. -Thud. Pasius lightly blocked that attack with the pommel attached to the end of his sword handle. It was a sword technique that intervenes by thrusting the weapon before properly gathering power for a swing. Pantos’ attack flow was suddenly interrupted and in that moment Pasius gripped his sword in reverse and quickly spun in place. Pantos raised his left arm vertically. His forearm was tightly wrapped with the black chain. -Clang clang clang! Sparks flew repeatedly in the air, casting a red glow on their faces. Pantos and Pasius were both smiling as if enjoying themselves. ‘They’ve both properly heated up.’ Rudger thought this while distinguishing the differences between Pasius and Pantos. Pantos overall physical abilities were superior. While Pasius was also at the master level and his physical abilities were already superhuman, Pantos was even more superior. Being a beastkin, he was naturally more physically capable than humans, and among beastkin, he had the highest talent. His strength was obviously greater, and speed was the same. ‘Usually there’s a perception that bigger builds are slower, but the instantaneous energy from muscles is actually stronger.’ While long-distance running might be different, in close combat like this where instant quick movements are shown, muscle power naturally takes precedence. In both strength and speed, Pantos had the advantage, yet Pasius was matching evenly with such a Pantos. What could be the reason for this? ‘Pasius’ technique is far more overwhelming.’ Pasius didn’t have a single movement that used excessive force. At every moment, he deflected, dodged, or blocked Pantos’ attacks with the appropriate amount of force and technique. ‘His movements seem even more restrained than when I saw him in the underground chamber.’ This wasn’t an illusion. In fact, Pasius had become stronger since the fight in the underground chamber. A master-level knight is a completed being in itself. When reaching such a level, most stop there rather than yearning for the next level because they’re already strong, because it’s enough. Even if they try to train beyond that, their physical threshold becomes too high to receive stimulation from ordinary fights. Just as going from 0 to 80 points is easier than raising from 80 to 90 points. But what if a master-level knight is given sufficient environment and opportunity? What if they’re given extreme situations that make them desire to become stronger? ‘Is this that moment right now?’ Pasius had faced that wall. Since most don’t even discover it before ending, the fact that he discovered the wall was truly remarkable progress. Even if he couldn’t overcome it, standing before it meant he could see ‘possibility’. ‘And he didn’t leave that possibility as a mere illusion.’ -Clang. Pasius pressed Pantos with even more restrained movements. His swinging sword was fast like lightning, but sometimes swept like wind and was smooth like water. Pasius realized while fighting Leopold that fighting with output alone was now meaningless, there exist those with stronger power than himself in the world. Just look at Commander Luther Wardot. So he changed his thinking. He decided to take the stance of a challenger looking up from below again. What’s important is mindset. The moment he gained that realization, Pasius’ sword was honed much sharper than before and even now as he clashed with Pantos. Pasius was being tempered like iron that keeps being hammered. The same was true for Pantos. They now stood as if nailed to their spots and continued exchanging blows. Their will to not give up even a single step was clearly evident. Every time their weapons clashed, the ground between them cracked and fragments flew, like a storm raging in all directions. In the increasingly intensifying atmosphere, Rudger saw two flames that had grown stronger than before. ‘They’re gradually becoming complete.’ The more they fought. Like dull and rusty iron being refined and carved, they changed and advanced to the next level. Pasius’ sword became faster and sharper while Pantos’ harpoon and chain became more precise. The two created distance between them again. It happened simultaneously, with neither taking the initiative. Pantos’ appearance had changed dramatically from when he first entered the fight. -Hiss. White steam rising around his body. Every time he breathed in and out, his whole body’s muscles convulsed explosively. The fat that had been on top of his muscles had long since been burned away by the fight so far. It was evidence of how extreme Pantos’ movements had been in the sparring with Pasius. Pasius also exhaled his held breath as sweat ran down his forehead. The master-level knight’s muscles had moved so intensely they were screaming but neither of them spoke of stopping first. Both had already fallen into a state of selflessness, preparing for the next clash. “This...” Eileen’s eyes twitched as she watched the scene. “We should probably stop them soon.” Everyone present, including her, could feel that while it had been sparring until just now, from here on it would become a real fight. Indeed, the air in the arena had grown notably colder. That chilling atmosphere could be felt even beyond the VIP room protected by magic. -Shiver! Hans rubbed his arms as if cold. “W-what is this?” Hans’s face showed he had trouble understanding why he was showing such a reaction. It was the same for Seridan, Bellaruna, and Violetta. Rudger slowly rose from his seat. “Alex.” Alex, who had been still until now, stood up as if responding to Rudger’s call. “Yeah.” “Are you ready?” “It’s a bit ambiguous, but hmm. I think I can do it. I’ve got the feel for it.” Alex’s mumbling was difficult to understand. For Rudger, that seemed to be enough of an answer as he lightly nodded. “Good. I’ll take Pantos.” “Then I’ll handle the other side.” -Swoosh. At the same moment shadows swallowed Rudger and Alex. Pantos and Pasius, who had raised their fighting spirit to the maximum, charged at each other. They had forgotten this was sparring and abandoned power control. In that urgent situation where someone could be seriously injured if not careful, what decided the outcome was neither Pasius nor Pantos. “That’s enough.” Rudger, wrapped in Aether Nocturnus, grabbed Pantos’ harpoon with his large shadow-covered arm. “How about you take it easy too?” Alex’s drawn sword blocked Pasius’ sword that seemed like it would cut through anything with its sharp blade. The atmosphere that had heated up to the critical point deflated like a puppet with cut strings. “...” Pasius stared intently at Alex’s face showing his characteristic frivolous smile. That gaze was so fierce that Alex shrunk back exaggeratedly saying “Ah, hot.” Pasius seemed to slowly regain his reason as he quietly withdrew his sword. Only after he sheathed his sword did Alex also lower his guard. “Leader. It’s done here. How about over there?” Alex said this as he looked back. Over there they were still in the middle of a battle of spirits. “Pantos. Stop now. The sparring is over.” “...” Pantos glared at Rudger with predatory eyes. Even after meeting Rudger’s gaze within the plague doctor mask made of black shadows, Pantos did not respond. Pantos’ fighting spirit showed no signs of diminishing. Rather, perhaps because he was interrupted at a crucial moment, it blazed even more fiercely. Rudger inwardly clicked his tongue at the sight. He had tried to stop it as quickly as possible, but Pantos was rather crying out that it wasn’t enough. He was even directing a strong fighting spirit at Rudger who came to stop them. It’s not that he didn’t understand but it wasn’t the time yet. “Need help?” As Alex said this and tried to approach, Rudger stopped him with his hand not holding the harpoon while still keeping his gaze fixed on Pantos. At that ominous energy, Alex halted his steps that were heading toward Rudger. Rudger slowly opened his mouth while focusing his senses on Pantos again. “Or would you like to finish the match we couldn’t complete before?” “...” There was a change in the blue eyes behind the plague doctor mask. Very slightly, but a red energy began to mix in. -Shudder! Pantos felt the hair all over his body stand on end. His beastkin ears on his head also perked up tensely and soon the fighting spirit flowing from Pantos was neatly contained. When Pantos relaxed his grip on the harpoon, Rudger also lightly released it. “Good thinking.” “...” Pantos, having regained his reason, shot a slightly disgruntled look at Rudger. It had been a feast he’d waited for so long but having it interrupted, even if it was the leader, he couldn’t help but feel annoyed. Rudger spoke playfully to such a Pantos while deactivating Aether Nocturnus. “Too much food causes indigestion.” “...I could have digested it.” Rudger silently tapped Pantos’ forearm with his hand. Pantos snorted roughly but that was all, then spoke while staring at Pasius. “Someday, let’s match our full strength.” “I’ll gladly accept.” Pasius was also internally dissatisfied, but he had much more patience than the beastkin. Of course he felt regret. Having reached the master level now, he knew opportunities like this didn’t come often but he wasn’t simply thirsting for battle like Pantos, and above all, there was one more thing that caught Pasius’ interest. That was Alex, who had blocked his sword. ‘How strange.’ His narrowed eyes carefully observed Alex’s figure. He was clearly weaker than Pantos. Of course that’s relatively speaking – Alex was also quite skilled. At least high-level knight but not master level, yet just now Alex had blocked his sword...and very cleanly at that. ‘Strength? Speed? Or some other unknown ability?’ No. Alex had blocked his sword with pure ‘swordsmanship’. More precisely, with the exact same swordsmanship that he had displayed, the technique of striking a weak point mid-flow to break momentum. Alex had used against him the very thing he had shown Pantos just once. As if sensing Pasius’ gaze just then, Alex glanced back at him slightly, then immediately grinned and shrugged. At that sight, Pasius couldn’t help but give a bitter smile. ‘My. Just when I was wondering why this person is also in an executive position.’ Alex possessed his own peculiar talent, namely the ability to perfectly copy others’ swordsmanship. Swordsmanship isn’t something you can just see and try to copy. Even to imitate it half-decently usually requires at least several years of training but Alex didn’t need that. ‘He couldn’t have seen my swordsmanship anywhere before, which means he analyzed it just from watching me fight that beastkin warrior just now.’ He penetrated and absorbed the core of my swordsmanship in that short time? All martial arts basically take years to master and when martial artists of different systems try to learn other martial arts, though shorter than before, they still need to invest several years again. Swordsmanship is the same. There is secret family swordsmanship or swordsmanship learned through schools. Once you learn one, it becomes practically impossible to learn others because the optimal physical form created by each swordsmanship is different. While becoming a master-level knight allows one to break free from such physical limitations, having a good body and perfectly executing movements are separate matters but the man before him, Alex, could do it. The eye to see swordsmanship, the mind to analyze it, and the body to perfectly reproduce it. ‘A beastkin warrior who grows stronger through fighting, and a knight who grows stronger just by watching fights.’ Just where did Rudger find these two with such insane talents? “You. What’s your name?” “Me?” Alex pointed to himself at Pasius’ question. “Alex. Just call me Alex.” “It’s strange that someone of your caliber isn’t well known.” Pasius said this purely evaluating the other’s skills highly, but Alex couldn’t help but give a bitter smile at those words. “Yeah, really.” From Alex’s subtle response, Pasius realized he had an unpleasant past. It was more like he was uncomfortable with it himself rather than having done something wrong so he didn’t press further since it might cause trouble for the other person. Besides, now wasn’t the time to worry about such things. “Sigh. Just when I thought I’d improved somewhat, to experience such humility again.” Pasius smiled as if troubled. It wasn’t that he hadn’t gained anything from the fight, but the other side had gained much more. Just then, Eileen and U.N. Owen’s other executives also came down to the arena. With everyone gathered like that, Eileen asked Rudger. “I watched the sparring well. They’re certainly strong. That beastkin warrior must be the strongest fighter among your companions?” Rudger shook his head. Eileen, who had held some kind of certainty, opened her eyes wide. “He’s not? Then who’s the strongest?” “Hans.” Rudger said this while pointing at Hans, who still looked bewildered.

Chapter 414

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