Episode 83
After finishing the first round of the main tournament, Zeke and his companions returned to Atlas’s mansion.
When Zeke mentioned to Farrell that the second round would involve tightrope wrestling, Farrell’s expression turned serious.
“Tightrope wrestling, huh…”
Noticing Farrell’s reaction, Zeke asked, “Sir Farrell, is there a problem with this event?”
Farrell shook his head. “No, Sir Zeke. The event itself isn’t the issue. It’s just that Siemens chose it, and that worries me.”
Tightrope wrestling wasn’t a particularly complex event. Two people would fight on a single rope, and the one who managed to stay on would win. It was a straightforward test of martial skill.
Just then, Catherine entered the drawing room.
“Ah, everyone’s here,” she said, taking a seat with a slightly flushed face.
“I found out about the second round event,” she announced to Zeke.
Felix, sitting nearby, interjected, “Lady Catherine, we already heard from Reina Dreiker. It’s tightrope wrestling, right?”
Catherine nodded knowingly. “Yes, but it’s not just any tightrope wrestling.”
Zeke was taken aback. “What do you mean, not just any tightrope wrestling?”
“They’re holding a team tightrope wrestling match.”
“A team match?” Zeke echoed, surprised.
Even Farrell, who had witnessed many Dreiker tournaments, had never heard of such an event. Catherine pulled out a piece of paper with a drawing on it. It depicted ropes strung between walls, with people fighting on them, swords in hand.
Farrell’s expression hardened as he examined the drawing. “This clearly favors the side with more people.”
Zeke nodded in agreement. In a team format, the side with fewer members would be at a disadvantage, potentially facing multiple opponents at once. If Siemens’ allies cut the ropes around Zeke, it would be difficult for him to hold his ground.
Farrell gritted his teeth. “They must have changed the event last minute. They know Sir Zeke is unbeatable one-on-one.”
If Siemens had prepared, there were likely other rules designed to disadvantage Zeke’s team. But then Catherine, with a confident smile, opened her fan.
“Don’t worry too much, Sir Zeke.”
Zeke looked at her, puzzled. “Lady Catherine, do you have a plan?”
Catherine waved her fan playfully. “What’s the point of having a sponsor family if you don’t use them, hmm?”
She whispered something to Zeke and his companions, leaving them astonished. Catherine’s smile widened as she watched their reactions.
“I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s match.”
From the second round of the main tournament, outside spectators were allowed to watch. This meant that sponsor families would be more actively involved than before.
The arena for the team tightrope wrestling was already packed. On one side, the bloodline families allied with Siemens were loudly cheering, their banners on display.
Trumpets blared, and drums beat as the bands sang of Siemens’ victory.
On the opposite side, the Agamemnon family and central nobles occupied their seats. They didn’t make much noise, but their sheer number, waving countless flags, was intimidating. It was a clear display of the Agamemnon family’s dominance in the central region.
Just before the match began, players emerged from both sides of the arena.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sound of drums echoed as the players stood before the chaotic web of ropes strung between pillars. The distance between the ropes was significant, making it difficult to move to another rope if one broke.
Gareth stepped forward to explain the rules, which were simpler than expected. Falling off the rope meant elimination, and those who lasted until the end would advance to the third round.
Felix gaped at the large tightrope setup and whispered to Zeke, “M-Master, maybe I should just forfeit here…”
“Anyone who gets eliminated here will train in seclusion for a year,” Zeke warned, prompting Felix to head toward the ropes with a resigned whimper.
The referee signaled the start of the match.
Thump!
The players climbed onto the ropes. They weren’t tightly strung, but rather elastic, making it challenging to maintain balance and move.
Edward Siemens stood comfortably on the rope, arms crossed, with a smug smile directed at Zeke’s team.
‘This is a Siemens specialty training tool. I’ve been playing on these since I was five.’
The ropes were indeed one of the many training tools developed by Siemens for aura control. Although it was a shame to reveal a family secret, it was worth it if it meant eliminating Zeke and Reina.
Zeke, Felix, Liam, and Reina moved closer together, navigating the ropes. However, most of the other participants were from Siemens’ allied families.
Edward shouted from his rope, “Go knock them off!”
Zeke’s team drew their swords, ready to defend against the approaching opponents. As expected, they were swarming from all sides, seemingly intent on dragging them down together.
The Agamemnon spectators booed at the unsportsmanlike tactics.
“Shame on you!”
“Siemens, you dirty cheats!”
The central nobles hurled insults without restraint, but Edward and the Siemens faction remained unfazed. If they were easily swayed by such words, Siemens wouldn’t be where it was today.
The Siemens allies ignored the jeers, drawing their weapons and charging at Zeke’s team. But then, something unexpected happened.
“Whoa!”
One of the Siemens participants stumbled, accidentally pulling others down with him.
Thud!
Four people fell simultaneously, getting eliminated.
Edward scowled from his vantage point. ‘What a bunch of fools.’
But it didn’t end there.
Thud! Thud!
More participants fell before even reaching Zeke’s team, nearly half of Siemens’ side was eliminated.
Zeke glanced at Catherine in the stands, a grin spreading across his face.
‘The power of money is truly formidable.’
The Graham family controlled the central continent’s financial sector. This meant that some of the participating families had borrowed money from them.
Catherine had compiled a list of those indebted to the Graham family and made them an offer they couldn’t refuse. If they simply got eliminated, their loan terms would be extended, and they’d be introduced to new, lower-interest loans. The bait was irresistible, and many took the offer.
Those who accepted the Graham family’s proposal pretended to fall off the ropes. If they managed to drag another participant down with them, they received benefits like interest-free loans or waived fees.
Edward, seeing his forces halved, shouted in frustration, “What are you doing? Grab them and fall!”
His strategy had been turned against him by Catherine. Even though these families were allied with Siemens, the reality of loan deadlines and high interest rates was unavoidable. The more financially strained families eagerly accepted the Graham family’s offer.
It was a fitting counterattack for the Dreiker tournament.
Zeke watched the Siemens participants fall and grinned.
“Now this is something we can handle.”
Reina and Liam nodded and charged forward.
Thump!
Reina used the rope’s elasticity to leap high into the air, delivering a powerful strike downward.
Tourn-style Dragon Slayer Technique
Charging Attack
Bull Skull Breaker
Boom!
The bold strike, characteristic of the Tourn family, overwhelmed the other participants.
Liam approached differently. Hanging upside down from the rope, he used his long arms to swing his sword from below.
Slash!
“Ugh!”
The sudden attack from below startled those on the ropes, disrupting their balance.
Liam moved like a gibbon, swinging from rope to rope, his unpredictable attacks leaving the participants disoriented.
Surprisingly, Felix, who initially struggled to adapt to the ropes, found his rhythm. Once he steadied himself, he stood firm, sword in hand, like an immovable boulder.
The imposing presence of Felix, standing unflinchingly on the rope, was enough to make other knights hesitate.
Zeke watched Felix with a satisfied grin.
“His potential is truly remarkable.”
Assessing his surroundings, Zeke sprang into action.
With Bahamut in hand, he dashed across the tightrope as if it were solid ground.
Whoosh!
For Zeke, who had mastered the art of the wind, there was little difference between a tightrope and the earth beneath his feet.
His main concern had been the possibility of cutting all the ropes and causing a catastrophic fall, but thanks to Catherine’s assistance, he found an opportunity to counterattack.
Zeke charged at the knights standing on the tightrope.
Thud!
A knight, struck by Zeke’s blow, lost his balance and plummeted to the ground.
“Ugh!”
Balancing on the rope was hard enough, but with Zeke’s heavy strikes coming at them, it was impossible to hold their ground.
Soon, several knights rushed at Zeke all at once.
They clung to the rope, trying to grab Zeke’s ankle and cut the rope with their swords.
It was a dirty brawl, devoid of any knightly honor.
But Zeke could slip away with even the smallest opening.
Swish!
Before they could catch his ankle, Zeke leaped to another rope.
Edward shouted from behind.
“You fools! Move aside! I’ll cut the rope myself!”
Edward began swinging his spear to sever the rope.
But it was too late.
As many fell, space opened up for Zeke to maneuver. He moved freely between the ropes, picking off the Siemens knights one by one.
“Aaah!”
Thud!
Realizing they couldn’t withstand Zeke’s attacks, the knights switched to a defensive stance.
They cut all the surrounding ropes, leaving only the ones they stood on, isolating themselves.
Zeke addressed Edward, who stood behind the knights.
“Edward Siemens. How about a one-on-one duel, like a true knight?”
Edward gritted his teeth, glaring at Zeke.
“What do you take me for?”
Despite his reckless nature, Edward was a direct descendant of Siemens and wouldn’t fall for such a simple provocation.
“If you won’t come to me, I’ll come to you.”
Zeke prepared to leap toward Edward, balancing on the tightrope.
But Edward, trained in tightrope wrestling since childhood, deftly moved between the few remaining ropes to evade Zeke.
Simultaneously, other Siemens knights positioned themselves in front of Edward to block Zeke.
‘These Siemens lackeys are a nuisance.’
Just then, something flew toward Zeke, who was airborne.
Clang!
A heavy strike collided with Bahamut.
Boom!
Zeke absorbed the recoil and landed on the highest rope.
Opposite him stood another figure.
A short-haired female knight with a sword.
It was Helen Draker.
Zeke pointed his sword at her.
“Helen Sabrina. I didn’t expect you to be with Siemens.”
He knew she wasn’t, but he decided to test her anyway.
Helen ignored Zeke’s words and raised her sword.
Vroom!
A clear hum resonated from her blade.
Then she charged straight at Zeke.
“Haaah!”
Helen unleashed a powerful strike at Zeke.
Bahamut and Helen’s sword clashed, sending a powerful shockwave through the air.