The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 139

Henderson stood on the stage.

If he was just anyone, people wouldn’t be so shocked. But everyone knew Henderson. He wasn’t a famous fighter. He was a farmer.

A buzz went through the crowd.

“Is that really Henderson?” someone whispered.

“Henderson beat Taylor? Knight Taylor!” another voice exclaimed, louder this time. People pointed and stared, their mouths open in disbelief.

“Are we seeing things right?” someone asked. “They say it takes over a year just to feel ‘aura.’ How on earth does Henderson, who used to farm with us, know how to use aura?”

Everyone was bewildered.

Henderson was a familiar face.

When Roman Dmitry suddenly became famous, they had to accept it because they didn’t know his story. But everyone here knew Henderson.

Friends who had shared a beer with him, colleagues who had helped with the farm work, and the village elders who had watched him grow up.

Everyone knew what kind of person Henderson was, and this just didn’t make sense.

The day Henderson left Lawrence, people grabbed him and said:

“Are you crazy? A caterpillar belongs on pine needles!” they exclaimed. “Why would a guy who’s been a farmer his whole life suddenly want to do something so dangerous? Life isn’t a fairy tale. A farmer should live and die as a farmer, and being a swordsman is for those born with it. I guarantee you, in less than six months, you’ll be begging to come back to farming.”

That was their last memory of Henderson.

But now, Henderson had defeated an aura swordsman.

A small smile touched Henderson’s lips. He remembered the harsh words from his village, and this victory felt sweet.

Those who had spoken harshly to him stared blankly as Henderson came down from the stage.

Only then did they realize that while they were repeating the same lives, Henderson had followed Roman Dmitry and made the impossible a reality.

For a moment, they felt envious.

But seeing Henderson bowing his head to Roman Dmitry, there was nothing they could do.

Like those who remembered Henderson, a group couldn’t hide their shock at the result.

“It seems the situation is turning out strangely,” one of them said.

“Wasn’t Henderson supposed to be the weakest in Group 5? How did he defeat an aura swordsman?” another asked.

“No way Henderson actually won, right?”

It was the Northeast Association.

They were sure of victory in Groups 5 and 6.

They thought McBurney might advance to the second or third round, but Henderson, who faced an aura swordsman from the start, was a different story.

According to their plan, Henderson was supposed to lose without doing anything against Taylor, but he unexpectedly defeated Taylor in an instant.

A sense of worry crept in.

Viscount Conrad tried to keep a bright face.

“Everyone, don’t panic. This is just the beginning. If Henderson couldn’t even swing a sword, would Roman Dmitry have entered him in the tournament? This is a natural result. So, let’s wait calmly. You can’t win the tournament by winning just once or twice. Surely, guys like Henderson will show their limits as the rounds go on.”

His eyes twitched.

He had seen it too.

The swordsmanship that defeated Taylor was surprisingly perfect for someone from a common background.

But what could he do?

The tournament had begun, and there was no way to escape.

“Trust me. The Northeast Association will be the ultimate winner.”

Even as he swallowed hard, he couldn’t accept that he was wrong.

Henderson’s victory was followed by McBurney’s victory.

McBurney’s opponent wasn’t a great swordsman, so people weren’t surprised by the one-armed swordsman’s victory.

Round 2 began immediately after the previous group finished.

“Son,” Baron Romero said.

“Yes,” Roman replied.

“About this tournament… why all the fuss? Why not just tell them what to do? The nobles of the Northeast Association are cunning. Even if they don’t win, they won’t sincerely bow to Dmitry.”

This plan was Roman’s idea.

Baron Romero supported his son’s idea, but he didn’t completely understand it.

Roman said, leaning forward, his eyes sharp and focused:

“I know. The Northeast Association is like bats; they hide their true feelings, no matter what we say. But this is necessary. They naively think they can face Dmitry with their ‘power.’ Even if that’s not true, their mistakes might please the central government.”

Dmitry is the king of the Northeast region.

The Northeast Association thought they were at least foxes, so they walked around proudly.

Their shallow confidence was dangerous.

If a real fight broke out, the Dmitry family would have to bear the damage, even if they won.

War is still war.

Dmitry would lose troops, and the Northeast forces would retreat.

He didn’t like it.

Roman wanted to completely control the Northeast region.

“Father, I don’t want to fight the Northeast Association. There’s nothing to gain. Even if we defeat them, we can’t challenge the central government, which is the real power of the Cairo Kingdom. This tournament is a way to stop a war. The Northeast Association must have thought they had a good chance because the tournament is divided into six groups. That’s their shallow pride.”

This is the second of three stages.

With this, the Northeast Association will face reality.

“If the Northeast Association is overwhelmingly defeated and sees that they can’t even compete, they’ll realize they can’t overcome Dmitry’s wall, even with the central government’s help. Putting the Northeast region in my grasp starts then. Complete surrender. When they face reality, I’ll subdue their softened minds in one swoop.”

He didn’t check his father’s expression.

Just then, Kevin was stepping onto the stage.

Kevin of Group 2 was in a bad mood.

‘I was slower than Chris,’ he thought.

In the previous first round, Chris defeated his enemy in 3 seconds.

The opponent was a swordsman who knew how to use aura, but he was defeated, and Kevin saw it clearly.

So, he gave it his all in the first round.

He was going to defeat his opponent faster than Chris, but the opponent blocked his attack once, and it took 8 seconds.

It was fast enough, but Kevin wasn’t satisfied.

‘Chris is strong. I’m not his match yet, but I’m not giving up,’ he thought.

If people were asked who Roman Dmitry’s sword was, who would they think of first?

It’s a simple question.

Everyone would say Chris.

Chris was considered Dmitry’s genius swordsman, and he had been showing moves that matched that title since he followed Roman.

Sharp leadership and the ability to defeat a 3-star aura swordsman made him famous.

But Kevin didn’t like that.

He was the first to follow Roman, but he didn’t like that Chris was known as the person representing Roman.

‘I’m not saying Chris isn’t better than me. I will be loyal to my superior, but it’s not right that Chris is the first one mentioned as Dmitry’s sword. I want my lord to trust me the most. When only one person is needed to solve a problem, I want him to choose me, not Chris,’ he thought.

Roman Dmitry was Kevin’s hero.

Roman had saved Kevin when no one else would. He owed Roman everything.

Kevin always wanted Roman’s approval, and he wanted to be the best today.

He couldn’t match him in skill.

3 seconds was too fast.

So, he changed his mind.

‘I will prove my worth in my own way,’ he thought.

The lord said to show overwhelming ability.

As he saw his opponent coming up, Kevin’s eyes turned fierce.

The duel began.

Kevin’s opponent stepped forward.

Miles, a fighter from the cold Northeast lands, knew he had to give this fight everything he had right from the beginning. The arena was a large, dusty stadium, packed with noisy crowds waving banners. The air smelled of sweat and anticipation.

My opponent is one of Dimitri’s best, he thought, his muscles tense. If I don’t try my hardest, I’ll lose badly and be ashamed. Dimitri was known for training his fighters ruthlessly, pushing them to their limits. They were sometimes called ‘devils’ as a sign of respect, and a little bit of fear.

He felt a surge of power deep inside him, like a fire waking up. He called on his aura, and a faint blue glow surrounded his practice sword. The aura felt warm and tingly, like electricity under his skin.

The sword itself was just wood, not sharp, for practice. It was light in his hand, but strong. But with aura flowing around it, this fight felt as real and dangerous as any battle to the death.

Tap.

Kevin was quick. He moved with fast, short steps, dodging Miles’s attacks. He easily blocked the attacks that came right after too.

Kevin’s sword glowed with aura, just like Miles’s. His aura was a deep red, flickering like flames.

Miles already knew Kevin had aura. He wasn’t surprised at all. He kept attacking strongly.

Clang!

Clang! Clang!

It was only the beginning, but…

It looked like Miles was winning.

The people from the Northeast were surprised. Things were not going as they thought! They squeezed their fists and hoped Miles would win.

Suddenly, it happened.

Whoosh!

Kevin moved just in time.

Kevin dodged the attack.

He jumped forward, pushing his sword out to hit a small opening in Miles’s defense.

Thwack!

Ugh.

The hit was hard and loud.

Miles quickly used his aura to protect himself, but the hit to his side still shocked him.

He didn’t fall down.

Miles gritted his teeth and attacked Kevin again.

Kevin had moved in close, and he looked open to attack, but Miles couldn’t hit him.

This rat!

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Anger grew inside Miles.

Kevin was only a step or two away.

Miles thought, He’s so close, he can’t dodge me! But Kevin moved like he was dancing, just barely avoiding every attack.

Even when they were right in front of each other, Kevin’s movements were unbelievable.

Kevin wasn’t even using aura to protect himself! He was stopping all of Miles’s attacks just by moving.

It was very brave, or maybe foolish.

If Kevin got hit, it would hurt a lot. But he didn’t seem worried.

I just need to hit him once!

Tap.

This was his last chance.

He ran forward without thinking.

He was ready to risk anything to hit Kevin.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, Kevin was gone!

Miles quickly put aura around himself to defend.

Wham!

Ugh.

He was hit again, hard.

Kevin didn’t hit any important parts of his body.

But the hit made his legs wobble.

He stumbled back, looking around wildly for Kevin.

One step behind.

Kevin was there.

Kevin was close enough to attack again. Miles didn’t have time to breathe or calm down.

After that, Miles stopped thinking.

He just fought using his feelings. He swung his sword at anything that moved. When he felt danger, he used aura to protect himself.

Whoosh!

Again, he didn’t feel his sword hit anything.

Miles was getting angry.

They were so close, fighting face to face! But Miles couldn’t hit Kevin, and Kevin kept hitting him.

Damn it!

It was clear who was better.

Kevin and Miles.

Even though they both used aura, Kevin was much, much more skilled.

Half a year ago, Kevin was just a poor boy from the streets. But hard training and fighting in wars had made him strong.

Thwack!

……!

Another hit, right on Miles’s head.

It really hurt.

He stumbled back, and finally saw what was happening.

You little…

He looked at Kevin.

Kevin took a step back.

Miles realized he had been too busy defending himself to see what Kevin was doing. Kevin had hit him many times, but never attacked again right after.

It was all Kevin.

Kevin was even letting Miles get his breath back after each hit. It was clear Kevin wasn’t even trying his hardest.

Chris beat his opponent in just 3 seconds!

Kevin saw that and changed his plan.

Chris finished fast, so Kevin would do the opposite.

He could have won quickly, but he made the fight last longer to show how much better he was than Miles.

You!

He felt power building up again.

Tap tap tap.

Miles ran at Kevin, his eyes burning with anger.

It was about his pride now. Even if he lost, he couldn’t give up easily.

Miles just wanted to hit Kevin one time.

His sword glowed with aura as he swung it at Kevin. But Kevin just stepped back and dodged again.

Their eyes met.

Miles thought he saw a chance to hurt Kevin. He thought, If I attack now, I might really hurt him!

But…

Heh heh.

Kevin just chuckled softly.

Kevin stepped back.

He didn’t attack.

Even though he knew he would win, Kevin gave Miles more time.

At that moment…

Miles lost his will to fight.

I give up, Miles said quietly.

Kevin’s plan worked.

He didn’t win fast. He showed everyone how much better he was by making the fight last a long time.

Miles fell to his knees. He was a talented fighter from a small town, who had always wanted to be a great swordsman. But today, he learned there was a limit he couldn’t pass.

The announcer shouted, Round 2 is over! Kevin from the Dimitri family wins! He will fight in Round 3!

Kevin won.

The fight lasted a full 10 minutes.

It was the longest fight in the whole tournament! But strangely, people were impressed by those 10 minutes.

But…

Kevin didn’t smile.

While Kevin was fighting Miles for 10 minutes… Chris won his fights in just a few seconds each! Round 2: 5 seconds. Round 3: 8 seconds. Round 4: 10 seconds. Chris amazed everyone and got to the final round very quickly.