The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 141

Baron Conrad paced back and forth in front of his men, his voice sharp and urgent.

“Gabriel,” Baron Conrad said, his voice tight with anticipation. “How are you feeling? Ready?”

“Ready, Baron,” Gabriel replied, his voice calm and steady. “I’m in top condition.”

Conrad nodded, a slight smile playing on his lips. “Good. You know how much I’ve invested in you, Gabriel. You can’t afford to be anything less than perfect today. Everything is riding on this.”

Gabriel was a swordsman in his early forties. Having served the Conrad family since he was a child, he was their carefully crafted secret weapon.

Gabriel was not a super genius like Chris, another famous swordsman. But Gabriel improved steadily, just as the Conrad family hoped. They gave him all the help he needed to become strong.

As a result, he had become a 3-star swordsman a month ago.

It was a great achievement, but Baron Conrad kept it a secret.

Baron Conrad thought about the rules of the tournament. “People might think limiting aura is bad for strong swordsmen,” he thought. “But actually, it’s the opposite! The stronger you are, the more powerful even a little bit of aura becomes. This rule is really bad for weaker swordsmen. They can’t use their full strength, but Gabriel, being a 3-star swordsman, will be much stronger just because of his aura.”

Rumor had it that Gabriel was only a 2-star swordsman. Since 3-star swordsmen were rare in the Northeastern Union, Conrad saw no reason to reveal Gabriel’s true strength and give their opponents a chance to prepare.

He glanced at McBurney and smirked at the sight of the empty right sleeve.

Baron Conrad leaned closer, his voice low and intense. “Gabriel, remember, you are the only one left from the Northeast. Everyone is watching you. Just winning isn’t enough. They need to see a clear victory. No pity for this one-armed fool. Make sure Roman Dmitry regrets ever sending him into the arena. Understand?”

“As you command, Baron,” Gabriel replied, his own eyes hardening.

“Indeed,” Conrad said with a grin.

Baron Conrad smiled. He felt happy. “Yes,” he thought, “it’s not over yet.”

Roman Dmitry’s people were strong.

Watching the opposing swordsmen fall one after another in the previous matches, Conrad began to worry that beating Dmitry might be impossible.

But even Dmitry had weaknesses. They couldn’t send six top talents, and in the end, a weak link named McBurney appeared.

Of course, a small worry flickered in Baron Conrad’s mind. Even though Gabriel was stronger, McBurney was one of Roman Dmitry’s people. ‘Could there be more to this one-armed fighter than meets the eye?’ he wondered, quickly pushing the thought away. ‘Nonsense. Gabriel will crush him.’

Gabriel was a 3-star swordsman.

Victory was certain, and this match was just a step towards winning the whole tournament.

“Both competitors, onto the stage,” the referee announced.

From now on, there was no turning back.

The referee called them forward, and Gabriel and McBurney stepped onto the sandy stage. The crowd roared, a wave of sound washing over them.

Gabriel, who arrived first, looked at McBurney with a sneer.

“Tsk,” Gabriel clicked his tongue.

He couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief at the sight of the fluttering sleeve.

Even if he hadn’t known McBurney, he would have felt the same way. But before the tournament, he had heard about McBurney from a colleague.

“McBurney? He used to fight on the Western Front, but he lost his sword arm and became useless. He has no chance of winning. I met McBurney a year ago, and he struggled to lift heavy bags with his remaining arm, let alone use it skillfully. The fact that Roman Dmitry included such a weakling means he has no hope of winning all six matches.”

His colleague was sure of it.

McBurney’s supposed miracle was a lie.

Hearing those words, McBurney seemed even more pathetic. ‘Some people don’t know their place. He was a commoner who couldn’t even dream of becoming a knight when he had both arms. Now that he’s lost one, he still hopes to win a tournament full of knights. Today, I will show McBurney how harsh reality can be.’

Apart from his duty to the Conrad family, Gabriel felt annoyed just looking at McBurney.

The referee checked both fighters and then waved the flag.

Gabriel attacked first.

Gabriel charged forward, his large body rushing at McBurney like an angry boar.

Swords crashed together – CLANG!

Sparks flew as Gabriel’s heavy blade met McBurney’s. CLANG! McBurney stumbled back, his feet sliding on the sand of the arena.

He was clearly being pushed back.

Thinking that things were going exactly as he expected, Gabriel grinned and pressed his attack.

“Let’s see how long you can last!” Gabriel shouted.

CLANG!

He didn’t use aura.

He was sure he could beat a cripple like McBurney with just his swordsmanship.

Baron Conrad, watching from the sidelines, smiled, knowing Gabriel’s plan.

The pressure was intense.

McBurney was soon pushed to the edge of the stage.

Cornered, Gabriel feigned an attack.

‘If he blocks, he’ll have to dodge to the right,’ Gabriel thought.

He aimed for McBurney’s left arm on purpose.

McBurney’s only arm.

McBurney had no choice. As Gabriel predicted, he stepped to the right to dodge.

At that moment, Gabriel moved in close and attacked again.

He pretended to swing his sword horizontally to make McBurney defend, then quickly stepped to attack the unguarded right side where McBurney’s arm was missing.

‘It’s over,’ Gabriel thought.

It was perfect.

The left arm couldn’t protect everything, and this attack took advantage of that weakness.

Just then, McBurney twisted his body as if he were falling.

It was a strange move.

His back almost touched the ground, but McBurney kept his balance with his waist and barely dodged the attack.

And then, McBurney struck Gabriel’s forearm hard.

“Ugh,” Gabriel groaned.

He was lucky to react quickly. A moment later, and he would have been hit in the face.

“This bastard,” Gabriel hissed.

To be hit by a one-armed cripple was too much to bear. Gabriel unleashed his aura and drove McBurney back.

Rumble!

Even the sound of the swords clashing was different now.

The 1-star aura used by a 3-star swordsman was powerful.

Even blocking with a sword would cause internal damage, but McBurney deflected the attacks each time by angling his blade.

Dangerous moments kept happening.

McBurney couldn’t keep his balance and was constantly cornered, but at the last second, he always dodged the attacks with strange movements.

The first time, Gabriel thought it was luck.

But as it happened again and again, Gabriel realized something was strange about the unexpectedly long fight.

‘McBurney… This guy hasn’t lost his balance. He’s using the imbalance caused by his missing arm on purpose.’

This time as well, McBurney tried to counterattack.

McBurney moved his body quickly to get space for his left arm. He wanted to hit Gabriel in a weak spot, and he leaned forward as if he was falling.

For a second, everything was still. Then, Gabriel felt goosebumps. He just barely stopped McBurney’s attack, and now he understood something important.

Gabriel thought, ‘McBurney getting to round three wasn’t just luck.’ He looked at McBurney again. ‘A one-armed fighter.’ The loose sleeve on McBurney’s empty arm didn’t look silly anymore.

McBurney remembered the first time he learned about left-handed swordsmanship. He would never forget it.

His teacher said, ‘Left-handed swordsmanship is about using your body’s lack of balance. Normally, people use two arms and legs to move smoothly. But you’ve lost an arm, so you’ve lost that balance. People might think this is terrible for a swordsman. But left-handed swordsmanship turns this lost balance into a strength.’

When you use a sword with your left arm, your body naturally leans to one side. This seems like a big problem. Your right side is open, and it’s harder to block attacks compared to when you had two arms.

But left-handed swordsmanship sees it differently. Instead of trying to stop the body from leaning, you use your feet and waist in a special way. It’s almost like magic! You can dodge attacks easily and find the other fighter’s weak spots.

It was amazing. Left-handed swordsmanship! Experienced swordsmen had found many ways to use this broken balance to their advantage.

‘The person who invented left-handed swordsmanship was also missing an arm, just like me. He must have been very upset about losing his arm. How could he create such a fighting style? Was he special? No. He was just like me. But instead of giving up when he lost his arm, he kept looking for new ways to fight.’

It was like seeing a new world. Left-handed swordsmanship showed him a new way to fight, and also that he could still have a good life even with one arm.

From that day on, McBurney worked harder than ever. He practiced swinging his sword countless times. He was used to using his left arm for everyday things, but fighting with a sword was different. He fell, his face hit the ground, he bled. It was a very hard time.

Even when things were really bad, McBurney had a reason to keep going. ‘My lord, Roman, showed me a new way to live. I can’t stay weak if I want to be worthy of him.’

When McBurney arrived in Dmitry, he was amazed. He knew Roman’s followers were skilled, but he was shocked that they had become so strong in less than a year of training. Roman Dmitry was like a god. He could make amazing things happen from nothing, and his people were improving incredibly fast.

Then, McBurney realized he still had a long way to go. He knew Roman Dmitry could train many swordsmen who would be even better than him, if he wanted to.

‘I feel so useless. Roman didn’t take me in because I’m a great fighter. He wants me because he trusts me. If I give up now just because I’m missing an arm, I’ll be left behind by all the talented people who follow Roman. I don’t want that to happen. This hope he gave me is too important to lose.’

If he couldn’t show his worth, he wouldn’t deserve to be one of Roman’s men. He wanted Roman, who had saved him, to see him as someone important and useful. He had been unwanted and ignored in his own kingdom. He hoped that this time, his life would have purpose.

‘I will become one of the best six fighters for Roman. I will win this tournament for him!’ For a month, he trained without stopping. He knew if he didn’t prove himself now, he would always be seen as weak because of his missing arm. He was just barely chosen as one of the six fighters. Being included in the six was a huge accomplishment for McBurney, a real victory in his difficult life.

“Hoo, hoo,” McBurney breathed heavily. Left-handed swordsmanship took a lot of energy. Gabriel was also very skilled and fought hard. But McBurney grinned. His breath came in gasps. Even as Gabriel’s sword almost hit him, McBurney felt like crying because he had fought so well with only one arm. ‘I can still fight!’

Finding strength from deep inside, McBurney stood up again. Everyone thought he would lose. Suddenly, McBurney moved close to Gabriel. ‘Where do you think you’re going?’ Gabriel shouted. *Whack!* He attacked back quickly, raising his sword to hit McBurney’s head. McBurney stepped aside just in time. Then, with power from his legs, he attacked Gabriel’s left side. *Rumble!* A special energy exploded from McBurney. It was a power he had barely learned to control. It was amazing, like magic. It was a surprise, but Gabriel was still fast enough to react.

*Rumble!* The energy exploded. Gabriel, looking angry, swung his sword at McBurney. But then, *flutter*. “…!” Gabriel’s face changed. McBurney had let Gabriel’s sword come close to his side on purpose. It looked like McBurney would be defeated. But where the sword passed, something fluttered in the air. His right sleeve. His right arm wasn’t there! Gabriel had forgotten for a moment that McBurney was missing his right arm. McBurney had tricked him by making him think he would defend his right side like a normal fighter. Gabriel wasn’t ready for this trick.

“You cheat!” Gabriel yelled. He realized he had fallen into a trap. Then, he saw McBurney’s sword coming right at him. *Thwack!* “Ugh!” Blood flew. Gabriel fell backwards. Through blurry vision, he saw the shocked faces of the crowd, the pale faces of the Northeast Union people, and Conrad, speechless with shock. And then, he saw Roman Dmitry. *Plop.* Gabriel hit the ground. McBurney held back his strong feelings and bowed to Roman. ‘Thank you for giving me a new life.’ Just then, the crowd roared, “Waaaaaah!” “This is unbelievable!” “The one-armed swordsman beat Gabriel!” Everything changed in that moment. It was a surprise no one expected, and it was a disaster for Conrad and the Northeast Union.