The Bastard Swordsman Of The Imperial Guard [EN]: Chapter 112

In the quiet of the night, with moonlight streaming through the window, Lucas sat in the training grounds, lost in meditation.

Though the surroundings were silent, countless battles replayed in his mind.

The clumsy figure he was when he first held a sword, and the moments he rose again despite numerous failures and frustrations.

The lucky breaks he found in the academy and the relationships he forged outside of it.

Among his many experiences, Lucas focused on those concerning Rahel.

‘I need to absorb everything about Rahel.’

There was a wealth of information about Rahel.

He had sparred and trained with Commander Lein countless times.

He lost most of those fights, but every battle taught Lucas a valuable lesson.

Lucas calmed his breathing and turned his attention inward.

Rahel’s movements. The way he channeled mana [magical energy]. His strategic methods, and so on.

‘Rahel fights relying on instinct and intuition. To overcome that overwhelming talent, I’m not strong enough as I am now.’

Absorb everything about Rahel.

It seemed impossible, but Lucas believed he could do it.

“Hoo…”

The swordsman, who possessed the potential to become an empire’s hero, believed in himself.

The key to surpassing Rahel lay within himself.

Lucas relentlessly examined his inner self.

Until morning came, only the sound of his breathing echoed faintly in the training grounds.

*

“Maintain order!”

“Anyone who disobeys the Central Guard’s instructions will be punished under imperial law…!”

On the day of the Yongbong Tournament finals, the imperial capital was swamped with an unprecedented number of people.

Central Guard members struggled to control the crowd, but there were simply too many spectators.

“Damn it! Get out of the way! I’ve bet my entire fortune on Rahel!”

“Lucas has decent odds too, you know?”

“You fool! Who can stand against Rahel, who defeated Velen?!”

“What, you little…!”

“Hey! Break it up!”

Throughout the capital, people were buzzing about the Yongbong Tournament finals.

Amidst all this chaos, Rahel and Carlson were making their way toward the stadium.

“There are so many people, it’s insane, right?”

Rahel sighed as he navigated through the throng.

Not only nobles but also commoners had flocked to see the finals.

It was annoying that so many people recognized him, but he supposed it was the price of fame.

“Indeed, Brother. Even the Church’s events weren’t this crowded.”

“But where is Lucas? The match is about to start.”

“He told me not to look for him until the match starts. Something about inner contemplation, he said.”

“Inner contemplation? Is he suddenly meditating or something?”

Rahel was puzzled but didn’t press the issue.

Geniuses always do strange things.

Trying to understand them only gives you a headache.

The sun was high in the sky.

Rahel headed to the stadium for the finals.

“Rahel, good luck in the finals!”

“…Carlson. Thanks, but how long are you going to follow me?”

Rahel frowned at Carlson, who had trailed him all the way into the stadium.

Why was this guy, who should be in the audience, following him?

“The Church is supporting holy knights and priests for the finals. I can’t miss an event like this!”

“…A guy who never usually works.”

He probably came because it looked fun.

Rahel turned away from Carlson and looked toward the entrance of the stadium.

Step. Step.

Lucas was entering the stadium.

Rahel smiled when he saw his red hair.

“Lucas. Did you prepare well?”

“Yes, Rahel.”

Lucas also looked at Rahel.

And he felt the weight of the audience’s gaze.

He had reached the finals, but everyone expected Rahel to win.

Considering the swordsmanship he displayed against the demon in the exhibition match, and his battle with Velen in the semi-finals, it was only natural.

His swordsmanship had already surpassed the graduate level.

He was a prodigy on the verge of becoming a Sword Master [a master of swordsmanship] at the age of 25.

Perhaps those who recognized his skill had no expectations for this final match.

‘Really… I don’t like this.’

Lucas felt the audience’s eyes on him.

In the end, Rahel would win, and Lucas was a weaker opponent compared to Velen. That gaze stung Lucas.

He understood.

Rahel was truly strong.

Even if Lucas were a spectator, he would have believed in Rahel’s victory without a doubt.

“I don’t intend to lose easily, Rahel.”

A fire blazed in Lucas’s heart.

Just because he was kind didn’t mean he lacked competitiveness.

Rather, he wanted to become stronger than anyone else in swordsmanship, which was why he admired Rahel.

“… I know, you idiot.”

Rahel sensed Lucas’s energy and smiled wryly.

From the moment he faced Lucas in the stadium, he had tried to suppress his own energy, but in the end, he couldn’t stop Lucas’s mana from flaring.

‘Can you get this strong just by contemplating your inner self? Damn it, then I’ll just meditate all day.’

Rahel looked at Lucas, his hand resting on his sword hilt.

The fastest way to find out if he had truly become stronger was to test him himself.

Sreung-!

Rahel’s sword reflected the sunlight.

He relaxed his body, letting the sword hang loosely.

A stance not taught in the academy.

A stance with nothing special and no apparent theory, but Lucas swallowed hard as soon as he saw Rahel’s stance.

“…I’ll come at you, Rahel.”

Lucas charged at Rahel with his sword.

Taang-!

At the same time, a deafening clang erupted as the two men’s swords collided.

The swords met at a speed too fast to follow with the naked eye, and sword energy aimed for openings, targeting the opponent’s vital points.

It was a simple war of nerves, but many nobles began to focus intently on their clash.

They realized that there was something profound contained within it.

‘…Fast!’

Carlson, who was watching from the sidelines, felt the same.

He focused on their clash and began to closely observe the sparring match.

“S, Sir Carlson. What’s going on over there?”

At that moment, the Silver Cross Knights next to him asked in bewilderment.

From their perspective, they couldn’t properly follow the exchange between Lucas and Rahel.

“Lucas stabbed at his side, and Rahel twisted his body, and with that momentum, he struck the sword down again. And now! Lucas deflected that sword and cut Rahel’s hair!”

“…”

What are you talking about?

The Silver Cross Knights, who couldn’t follow their movements, couldn’t understand Carlson’s words.

Noticing their gazes, Carlson shook his head and turned his attention back to the fight.

“Even if you don’t understand, just watch. You don’t get to see such high-level sparring matches easily. It will definitely help you someday.”

“Yes, sir!”

At Carlson’s words, the Silver Cross Knights focused on the sparring match.

Kkaang-!

“Lucas.”

Rahel smiled as he blocked Lucas’s sword.

“Yes, Rahel.”

“Tell me how to meditate next time. How did you become a different person in just one day?”

“I’ll tell you anything if you beat me!”

Taang-!

Rahel deflected Lucas’s sword, which was coming at him with incredible speed.

Lucas was momentarily taken aback, but he didn’t loosen his grip on the sword and thrust it toward Rahel’s face.

“You’re really going for the kill?”

Rahel leaned his head back and pushed Lucas’s chest with his foot.

That attack was genuinely dangerous, and he couldn’t help but sweat.

“I thought Rahel could block it.”

Lucas didn’t let his guard down, holding his sword.

The monster-like swordsman in front of him hadn’t shown his true power yet.

“Well, since we decided to do it properly.”

Rahel said, lifting his sword.

It was quite early, but he was going to go all out from now on.

“Celestial Slaughter Sword, Form 1.”

It wasn’t just anyone, it was Lucas.

The protagonist of the original story and the man who would become a hero of the continent.

If such a guy couldn’t even block his attacks, there was no way he could protect the world.

“Entering Heaven (入天) [a sword technique].”

“…!”

A lightly created sword energy.

Lucas also tried to create sword energy to block it, but a chilling cold ran down his spine.

If he took that sword head-on, this sparring match would be over.

Taat-!

Lucas immediately twisted his body and jumped back.

And Rahel’s sword, which was stuck in the ground, overturned the stadium floor.

Kwaaaaaang-!

‘If I had been hit by that….’

Lucas swallowed as he looked at the floor, which had become unrecognizable.

And he realized that he couldn’t win like this.

‘I have to break through.’

Lucas took a step forward, wielding his sword energy.

Rahel’s strength is his beast-like sharp senses.

Going inside that is like suicide, but if he keeps his distance, he’ll end up like Velen.

If you want to catch a tiger, you have to go into the tiger’s den [a Chinese proverb meaning to face danger directly].

Chwaak-!

“Keuk!”

At that moment, Lucas, whose eyes widened at the sudden pain, looked at Rahel in front of him.

Rahel’s sword, staring at him with cold eyes, had already brushed past his armor.

‘When the hell…?!’

Lucas didn’t let his guard down for even a moment.

Lucas, who was holding a sword, had never missed the movements of the opponent in front of him.

But this time, he didn’t feel anything.

“Celestial Slaughter Sword, Form 3. Trampling Heaven (踏天) [a sword technique].”

Immense mana erupted from Rahel’s sword.

The sword that transcended space began to tear Lucas’s body apart.

Chwaaaaaak-!

“Keeup…!”

Lucas staggered back, swinging his sword.

To Rahel, the distance between swordsman and swordsman was meaningless.

The sword energy that transcended space filled Lucas’s vision.

He had no idea what the principle was.

All Lucas could do was block the sword strikes coming at him.

‘It’s unbelievably fast….’

Lucas’s eyes followed the sword energy.

Left and right, and above and below.

It felt like he was fighting several people and being cut from all directions at the same time.

Not only that.

The position where Lucas was about to swing his sword.

Rahel’s sword energy was already waiting there.

It wasn’t just fast. It was an extremely precise and meticulous sword.

‘Rahel… how far have you climbed.’

After blocking the waves of pouring sword energy.

Lucas gasped for breath and checked his position.

“Haa, haa….”

He had clearly tried to approach Rahel, but when he came to his senses, he had been pushed back dozens of steps.

Lucas admitted his inadequacy.

Rahel is stronger than him.

He had grown once again by contemplating his inner self, but even so, he couldn’t reach him.

“Kueueueup!”

However, unlike Velen, Lucas didn’t lose his composure.

Even after enduring the Trampling Heaven sword, his eyes were still wide open.

“Supreme Sword of the Tai Chi, Chapter 2. Yin-Yang Circulation Sword (陰陽環劍) [a sword technique].”

Lucas unleashed the swordsmanship he was most confident in.

A sword that created a harmonious flow as mana circulated in a circle.

It was his own sword created after seeing Rahel’s Celestial Slaughter Sword.

“Rahel!”

Lucas straightened the tip of his sword.

This was the last sword he could unleash.

He believed that Rahel would accept this sword.

“Good. I like it, Lucas.”

Rahel raised the corners of his mouth and channeled mana into his sword.

He could win if he just stalled for time, but he didn’t want to ignore Lucas’s courage.

“Celestial Slaughter Sword, Form 2. Ascending to Heaven (昇天) [a sword technique].”

Rahel stepped forward with his right foot.

The sword that soared into the sky contained immense mana, and the thick sword energy of Entering Heaven became even more powerful.

“Aaaaaaaaaah!”

Lucas’s Supreme Sword of the Tai Chi, filled with sunset-red sword energy, collided with Rahel’s Celestial Slaughter Sword.

Rough mana rotated, creating immense pressure.

The dust in the stadium rose into the sky in the giant vortex that was soon created.

Kwaddeudeudeudeudeuk-!

In that brief moment, the explosion created by the collision of forces spread in all directions, and vibrations echoed throughout the stadium.

With a huge roar, the floor of the stadium was torn apart, and in a fleeting moment, Lucas felt the pressure crushing his body.

Kwaaaaaang-!

The Celestial Slaughter Sword, loaded with immense mana, swallowed the power of the Supreme Sword of the Tai Chi and brushed past Lucas’s body.

“Ah….”

Lucas briefly lost consciousness from the immense force that struck his body.

“…”

After a while, Lucas opened his eyes, feeling the cold chill of the floor digging into his back.

And he sighed as he looked at the sky that filled his vision.

“I lost.”

In the end, he had lost.

He had collided with all his might, but he couldn’t win.

At that fact, Lucas bit his lip and clenched his fist tightly.

“Lucas. Anyone would think you were dead. Get up quickly.”

However, when he saw the face of the man reaching out to him, a weak smile appeared.

Unlike Lucas, who was exhausted and couldn’t move properly, Rahel still looked energetic.

“Rahel.”

“Yeah?”

“Rahel, you always praise my talent, but… I’m really envious of you.”

“What nonsense are you suddenly spouting?”

Rahel blinked at Lucas.

He was acting strong now, but he was also slightly in danger at the last moment.

That’s why he gave it his all… Could he have been hurt by a head injury?

“The best talent for swordsmanship on the continent, you’re upright even though you do strange things sometimes, and you have a handsome face.”

“You have a better face. How many women are following you around.”

“Well, I prefer men who look manly like Rahel or Carlson.”

“So, why the sudden praise? Should I give up?”

“No, Rahel. Do you know what I’m thinking right now?”

Lucas, who was looking up at Rahel, smiled.

As a man, he couldn’t lose in every aspect.

“…I just hope that place is 3cm, Rahel.”

Rahel, who heard Lucas’s words, smiled despite himself.

And he looked at Carlson, who was among the Church priests who had come to check on Lucas’s condition.

“Carlson. Did you hear that?”

“Lucas. There are things in the world that can’t be done. Give up what you have to give up.”

“Haa, damn it….”

[The winner of the Yongbong Tournament is Rahel!]

Lucas, the hero of the empire, sighed and looked at the sky.