The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 290

The third test.

It was as simple as Chris had said.

Either show you’re good enough with a sword, or prove it by beating someone in a fight.

Favre wanted to win by fighting, of course.

He stepped forward, thinking, ‘Should I pick someone I don’t know, or someone famous?’

Favre knew he could easily beat someone unknown. But this was the first test, and he wanted to impress everyone.

He thought, ‘If I can win against a strong opponent, that would be even better. It would make it much easier to pass the last test.’

He imagined a great plan in his head. If he beat a strong opponent, everyone would notice him.

Chris’s words hung in the air, and Favre scanned the faces around the training ground. He needed to choose someone to fight.

“Chris.”

Absolutely not. Favre swallowed hard just thinking about it. Chris, they called him the Flash of Dmitry. He had even beaten Diego, one of the famous Twelve Swordsmen of the Continent! People whispered that Chris was so fast, even a powerful 6-star swordsman couldn’t keep up. No, fighting Chris was like walking into a dragon’s mouth. Favre quickly pushed Chris’s name out of his mind. That was a fight he would definitely lose.

“Kevin.”

The Fiend of Dmitry.

He was a troublesome opponent.

Everyone knew he was around 3 stars in aura, but he was becoming famous after beating Blanco of the Chronos Empire.

Like Chris, his name was on the Continental Rankings.

Beating him would guarantee acceptance, but Favre wasn’t foolish enough to choose such a difficult fight.

One by one, he looked at the soldiers from Dmitry.

He wanted to pick someone well-known if possible, but when he saw faces like Vulcan and Pooky, he hesitated. They didn’t seem easy either.

He couldn’t think of an easy way to win. As Favre thought, he finally saw someone who seemed suitable.

“Macburney.”

Left-Handed Sword.

From the Southern Training Camp, he became known for his good leadership when the Chronos Empire attacked Dmitry.

Also, people said his unusual left-handed attacks were dangerous.

It wasn’t that Favre thought he was an easy opponent because he was missing an arm. It was because Favre was used to fighting against left-handed swordsmen.

Favre also mainly used his left arm.

This meant Macburney’s unusual attacks wouldn’t be as effective against him.

“I will choose Macburney,” Favre said.

Chris smiled slightly and looked at Macburney.

Macburney stepped forward. His face showed nothing, but his one hand gripped his sword tightly.

Chris said, “The time limit is 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, the fight will end. Your acceptance will depend on what happens in the match. Of course, if you beat the person you chose, you will pass, no matter what. Are both sides ready?”

“Yes.”

“Then, I will start the sparring.”

A flag fluttered.

Chris stepped back, and Favre charged forward immediately.

The swords crashed together with a loud CRACK!

Favre released his aura.

He moved quickly, closing the distance with Macburney. His eyes watched Macburney’s reaction closely.

Macburney didn’t move back.

He raised his sword to block Favre’s attack. Favre increased his aura, trying to control the space around Macburney.

‘With just his left arm, he won’t have many options!’ Favre thought.

Because he only had one arm, Macburney would have to turn his body to protect his right side.

Favre suddenly changed direction, attacking from the opposite side.

Whack!

It was an unexpected move.

Favre decided to attack not where Macburney was weak, but where he was trying to protect himself.

Favre was an experienced swordsman.

He had fought many times as a knight for the Umberto family. His experience helped him make a move that seemed to throw Macburney off balance.

However…

Clang!

“……?!”

Favre’s eyes widened.

Macburney took a strange step, and his sword met Favre’s attack, which curved like a snake.

For a moment, Favre felt confused.

He barely blocked the attack and looked up to see Macburney right in front of him.

Clang!

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

A fierce battle began.

Favre felt dizzy.

Macburney used strange swordsmanship, pretending to attack on the right and then suddenly attacking on the left, and then back to the right.

It was clear that he had limited reach with only his left arm.

But he moved his sword freely in both directions, as if he had two arms. It was amazing.

Favre couldn’t understand.

Macburney’s skill with the Left-Handed Sword came from his footwork.

By moving his feet to the right place at the right time, Macburney perfectly controlled the space around him.

Wham!

Favre stumbled back, his feet sliding on the dusty ground.

“Kugh.”

He groaned.

During his time at the Southern Training Camp, Macburney was just an ordinary person who couldn’t use aura.

But even with Favre’s 3-star aura, the impact was strong. Now, Favre had to admit he had picked the wrong opponent.

The reputation of Macburney, the Left-Handed Sword, was well-deserved.

People like Favre, who used common sense, were easily defeated, adding to Macburney’s fame.

Favre gritted his teeth.

He gathered his aura, taking advantage of a brief opening.

‘Now is the time!’ he thought.

A gap between attacks.

He attacked in that quick moment.

Favre pushed forward, knocking Macburney’s sword aside. He focused his aura at the end of his sword, aiming for Macburney’s heart.

He didn’t care if he might kill Macburney.

Macburney was not an opponent he could hold back against. Giving it his all was the only way to win.

Rumble!

The attack came quickly.

Fabir’s sword rushed towards him. McBurney knew he had to move. He stepped back quickly.

The space between them grew. It felt like he had jumped back much further than just one step.

Then, *Clang!* McBurney blocked the sword.

Fabir’s attack was no problem for McBurney. In one smooth move, McBurney stepped forward, his sword striking like a snake.

*Thunk-* The sound of his sword hitting its mark. The fight was finished.

Fabir felt the cold steel of McBurney’s sword against his neck. His face turned pale as he looked at McBurney.

“……I lost.”

It was a total loss for Fabir. He hadn’t even touched McBurney. He had to admit he was beaten.

The match was clearly over. It was a clean win for McBurney.

Fabir believed he had put up a strong fight. But the people watching saw something different. It seemed McBurney had easily stopped Fabir’s attacks and defeated him in seconds.

A murmur of amazement went through the crowd.

Fabir was known to be a strong fighter, with a 3-star aura. People were shocked that someone so skilled could lose to just a regular soldier.

But McBurney, who had won, and his friends watching, just nodded. They expected this result.

Chris spoke, “Fabir, you’ve passed.” This test wasn’t just about who won or lost the fight.

He heard he could move on, but Fabir was too shocked to smile.

While Fabir was still in shock, the tests continued. Fabir was only the first. To test all 5,000 challengers, they needed to have many matches happening at the same time.

Challengers came forward, pointing to who they wanted to battle. Maybe because they thought Dimitri’s soldiers were weak, they chose to fight the well-known soldiers, like Fabir had.

Then, *Crack!* A sword broke. The challenger looked terrified at Volkan’s strong attack. He threw his broken sword down, showing he gave up, even though the fight wasn’t really over.

Of course, the challenger failed the test. Dimitri’s soldiers, who were not famous before, showed everyone how skilled they really were.

*Thwack.* “Cough.” Blood splattered. The challenger, punched in the face, knelt down, Kevin’s cold eyes on him.

This challenger was a leader of a big group of fighters. He thought he could fight anyone. But he couldn’t even last a minute against Kevin’s attacks that never stopped.

This was a humiliating defeat. Kevin looked so young, not even twenty years old. Yet, this young man was proving that all the mercenary’s years of experience meant nothing.

He had to accept defeat. Kevin’s skill was undeniable. The mercenary leader looked away, unable to meet Kevin’s eyes, which seemed to ask if he wanted to fight more.

“Failure.” Failure, failure, failure. They fell like leaves.

Many of those who were overconfident and chose famous opponents failed. Instead, some people who looked like average fighters actually passed.

The message was obvious from the results. None of Dimitri’s soldiers had been defeated. One challenger whispered, “This is serious. If you want to pass, don’t pick the famous Dimitri soldiers. The rumors about Dimitri are real!”

Dimitri’s soldiers were like monsters in battle. Now, people understood that it wasn’t just Roman Dimitri who was strong. All his soldiers were amazing.

Challenger.

Thames knew he needed to be smart to pass this test.

*’Even strong fighters are failing. I just need to do okay to pass. So, I should pick someone I can beat easily. Who…?’* Thames looked around.

Then, someone caught his eye.

At the very back of Dimitri’s soldiers, a man who seemed small compared to the others caught Thames’ attention.

Thames was a 2-star aura swordsman too. He wasn’t one of the strongest challengers here, but he thought he was strong enough to beat this small soldier.

Hunt was about 160cm tall. He had muscles, even though he was small. But Thames didn’t think that mattered. Size was everything in a fight. Thames was 190cm tall and strong. This seemed like an easy win, even if it felt a bit unfair.

“I will choose that person.”

“Hunt, step forward.”

Hunt.

It was the first time he had heard the name.

He knew famous Dimitri soldiers like Chris and Kevin. But he had never heard of Hunt.

Thames felt a little nervous, but he hid it. He knew being Dimitri’s soldier meant something. But if Hunt wasn’t famous, maybe he wasn’t very good.

The two faced each other.

As they got ready to fight, Fred, the commander of Marquis Memphis’s knights, who was watching, said to himself, “That challenger will definitely fail.”

“Why do you think so? He looks strong. He could win if he starts well,” said a puzzled challenger next to him.

Thames and Hunt stood ready. It looked like an easy win for Thames.

People thought Hunt probably wasn’t a strong aura swordsman. In a sword fight, his small size would be a big problem against Thames. And Thames was clearly not weak. His muscles were huge, making him look even stronger than a normal soldier.

Fred shook his head. “He’s wrong to underestimate Hunt. I’m from the Chronos Empire. I know what Dimitri’s soldiers are like. They fought on the Southern Front, the Western Front, in Valhalla. They’ve won every battle. Anyone weak would have died long ago.”

“……Ahem.”

The challenger swallowed, feeling nervous. After Fred’s words, Hunt suddenly seemed more dangerous.

“People don’t understand what this test is really about,” Fred continued. “If you think you’re better than your opponent, even a little bit, you’ll fail. You have to really win to pass this test.”

Fred was right. All the overconfident challengers were beaten. Only those who fought well against Dimitri’s soldiers, or those who chose their opponents carefully, like Fabir (even though he lost), passed.

So, Thames was in trouble. Unless he won quickly, like he planned, he would fail the test.

Just then, “Kraaah!”

Only five seconds had passed. As soon as the fight started, a scream of pain made everyone turn their heads.