Episode 101
The final match of the Fight Club.
Each representative of the great noble families has their own reasons for participating in the Fight Club. Some wish to eliminate competitors, others are driven by a pure desire to test their strength against formidable opponents, and then there is the most crucial reason of all.
To claim the ultimate prize awarded to the victor of the Fight Club.
The winner is granted the privilege of securing any item from the Black Market with an immediate, guaranteed bid.
Assuming the rumors from Guild City hold true, it is imperative to seize victory and secure the coveted prize they boast about.
With his resolve firm, Dale lifted his gaze to his final opponent.
Standing before him was Mikhail, the second son of the Lancaster family, one of the Empire’s three great ducal houses. Despite the significant age difference, Mikhail regarded Dale with utmost seriousness.
There was no trace of arrogance or disrespect in his noble demeanor.
“It is an honor to meet the young lord of Saxon,” Mikhail said, bowing respectfully.
“I humbly ask for your guidance in this duel.”
“The honor is mine, to witness the swordsmanship of Prince Mikhail, said to be closest to the ‘Seven Swords of the Continent.’”
“You flatter me,” Mikhail replied with a modest smile.
“Who would dare speak of ‘talent’ in the presence of the Saxon heir?”
With a soft, metallic sound, the blood-red blade of Mikhail’s sword emerged from its sheath. Dale recalled the swift, relentless assault Mikhail had demonstrated before. Yet, just as Dale couldn’t recklessly harm Ray Eurys, Mikhail couldn’t easily dispose of the Saxon heir.
In this world, as in any other, equality is a myth.
The value of one’s blood is not equal, determined from birth.
While the accidental death of a mere knight might be dismissed as a mishap, the same cannot be said for the heir of a ducal house or the Red Tower.
The weight of blood, the predetermined nobility or commonness, does not allow for complacency.
Mikhail Lancaster is a formidable opponent who cannot be underestimated.
Dale accelerated the four circles of his heart, projecting the philosophy of the Peacemaker onto his knight’s sword. As a dark lake spread beneath him, Dale’s Death Knight adjusted its grip on the black sword.
“Shub.”
Finally, Dale invoked the name of the grimoire residing in his heart.
He had already revealed the ‘Book of the Black Goat’ to everyone, and there was no longer any need to hide the most dreadful of grimoires.
─ Yes, brother.
Shub smiled sweetly, and a flicker of emotion crossed Mikhail’s face, as if he were witnessing something utterly vile.
The hero’s sword, the grimoire, the acceleration of four circles. Amidst the swirling cold and darkness, Dale prepared for battle.
Mikhail Lancaster also adjusted his grip on his sword, raising it high above his head.
The posture of the hawk (Posta di Falcone).
On his breastplate, the white and red roses symbolizing the Lancaster family were displayed.
That emblem signified ‘ruthless nobility.’
Just as the raven emblem of the Saxon family symbolized ‘the harbinger of death.’
In Dale’s mind, the memories of the Saint Magdalene Knight he had absorbed began to replay.
The sword of Mikhail Lancaster, his avatar on the battlefield, and the overwhelming despair felt in the face of his extraordinary talent.
’…This is no ordinary opponent.’
Unlike Ray Eurys, who might become a future threat, Mikhail’s swordsmanship had already surpassed what one could achieve in their mid-twenties.
With a swift motion, Mikhail raised his sword high and brought it down vertically. It was a basic head strike, fundamental to swordsmanship.
’…!’
The distance between Dale and Mikhail had closed in an instant. The Death Knight’s black sword met Mikhail’s descending blade head-on. Mikhail’s sword slithered like a snake, piercing through the Death Knight’s skeletal frame.
Slicing cleanly through the shoulder bone, the Death Knight’s structure crumbled smoothly, and simultaneously──.
The severed bones of the Death Knight exploded right in front of Mikhail.
A basic necromantic spell, corpse explosion. But considering the destructive formulas projected onto it, its lethality was far beyond that of an ordinary necromancer.
As the bones shattered and scattered, Mikhail swung his sword again.
Like a net cast to catch dozens of fish, tightly woven.
Then, Shub’s tendrils descended. The spiked tendrils of the 《Shadow Lurker》 emerged from the shadows.
A relentless barrage from all directions.
Simultaneously, from the shadowy cloak, ‘bullets of darkness’ began to rain down from the black barrel.
Mikhail swung his sword once more.
Covering the onslaught from all directions in a 360-degree arc, the wind of his blade scattered like a whirlwind.
‘The wind of the blade…?’
No, it wasn’t mere wind pressure. It was aura released from the sword, scattering in projectile form, targeting each incoming attack from all directions.
Yet, the blood-red sword Mikhail wielded showed no hint of color.
The aura was invisible.
Formless, colorless aura.
And that aura finally enveloped Mikhail Lancaster’s ‘sword.’
The Invisible Sword.
It wasn’t the aura color symbolizing the ‘Rose Cross Knight’ of the Lancaster family. It was Mikhail Lancaster’s unique aura.
“The most terrifying sword is the one you cannot see.”
With that invisible sword in hand, Mikhail Lancaster smiled.
“I never imagined my sword would be known even in the northern tundra.”
“In this world, nothing is harder to conceal than a talent that shines so brightly.”
Feigning nonchalance, Dale maintained his composure.
Had he not absorbed the brain of the Saint Magdalene Knight, he might have allowed a fatal strike. Even with memories of a past life, Dale didn’t know everything about this world. The ‘invisible aura’ was something even he found astonishing.
But that wasn’t all.
Mikhail Lancaster spun the hilt of his blood-red sword, adjusting his grip.
With a swift motion, the blood-red blade segments split into metal pieces, transforming into a whip held together by wires.
The Blood Flower Sword. Named for the way its segments seemed to bloom with blood-red flowers as it sliced through flesh.
Dale was aware of the sword’s notorious reputation. But the blood-red serpent sword…
Was invisible.
Shrouded in the invisible aura, the whip’s blade concealed its form.
With a whoosh!
Dale could only infer its movements by watching Mikhail’s hand. But that wasn’t all. Once again, the invisible aura, the unseen sword energy, surged from his sword.
It wasn’t something that could be tracked and countered by sight alone.
And since Dale couldn’t ‘consciously perceive’ the attack, the Peacemaker’s ability 《Enforced Peace》 was meaningless.
《Enforced Peace》 only worked when the caster was consciously aware of the attack.
For the first time, a sense of unease gripped Dale’s heart.
“Shub.”
Simultaneously, Dale spoke. The most reliable method to counter the unseen.
“Go wild.”
─ Yes.
From beneath Shub’s dress, massive tendrils, reminiscent of deep-sea monsters, rose.
Boom, crash!
Like a colossal beast trampling a city, the gigantic tendrils began to wreak havoc across the arena. The dark lake spread, and the 《Shadow Lurker》 unleashed its spiked tendrils.
Amidst the countless tendrils providing cover, Dale lifted his head.
With a whoosh!
An indescribable killing intent surged, and Dale raised a shield with his shadow cloak.
Clang!
In the empty air, the shadow shield clashed with something, producing a metallic sound. But what met Dale’s shadow shield was no ordinary sword.
The whip-like sword clashed, and predicting the path of its serpentine swing, Dale raised another shield.
Clang!
The segmented blade at the end of the whip struck Dale’s shield once more.
”…!”
Seeing this, Mikhail swallowed hard.
A mere mage, deflecting an invisible whip blade relying solely on instinct? And accurately predicting the path of the serpent sword?
There was no sign of ‘a mage’s anxiety at being cornered by a knight’ in Dale’s demeanor.
Simultaneously, countless tendrils descended upon Mikhail from all directions. Retrieving the serpent sword, he began scattering sword energy in all directions.
Dale hardened his intangible aura into a protective barrier, fending off Shub’s tentacles and the black ooze. Simultaneously, he launched his aura as projectiles, slicing through the tentacles with precision.
It was a breathtaking display of offense and defense, seamlessly intertwined.
Swoosh!
And then, the ethereal blade-whip known as the “Blood Blossom Sword” began to live up to its name, blooming with crimson flowers. Blood blossomed from Dale’s shoulder.
The blade narrowly grazed his chest, leaving another trail of blood in its wake. The relentless onslaught of the blade-whip painted Dale’s body in red.
Amidst the agony of his flesh being torn apart, Dale narrowly avoided fatal blows, biting his lip in determination.
“This is driving me insane.”
He couldn’t deny it—his opponent was leagues beyond a novice like Ray Uris.
“Should I surrender?”
He considered it but quickly shook his head. If the prize was truly as valuable as the Black Duke claimed, others would covet it too.
Even though the Duke of Saxon was the empire’s foremost grand duke, his wealth wasn’t unmatched. In a bidding war against the prosperous Lancaster family, Saxon’s frozen lands couldn’t compete. If it came to a bidding war, Saxon couldn’t guarantee victory. If Mikhail Lancaster claimed the prize, there would be no contest.
He had to secure it—the prize for the Fight Club champion.
He needed a breakthrough.
“I need a way to shatter that intangible aura.”
But if he pushed Shub’s power any further, the Fight Club’s protective barrier wouldn’t hold.
Moreover, breaking the barrier before one of them conceded would result in disqualification.
He couldn’t unleash Shub’s full power or enter the realm of thought.
“This isn’t an ideal situation for a mage, is it?”
As if reading Dale’s mind, Mikhail spoke up.
“No, in some ways, it’s not an exaggeration to call it the ‘worst-case scenario.’”
”…”
“Allowing a knight to close the distance and maintaining this level of combat in close quarters…”
With genuine admiration.
“You’ve already surpassed what any ordinary mage could achieve.”
”…”
“Honestly, I can’t help but be amazed by your talent, Lord Dale.”
Mikhail Lancaster continued.
“The distance in this arena is too close for a mage against a knight, and the situation is heavily in my favor.”
He was right. Objectively, the circumstances were overwhelmingly against any “ordinary mage,” and the fact that only Dale and Uris were participating in the Fight Club proved it.
“So there’s no need to feel ashamed.”
There’s no shame in defeat.
“This is a fight a mage was never meant to win.”
A knight who displayed pride while respecting his opponent.
“So please, consider surrendering.”
Mikhail sheathed his sword and asked again.
“You’ve already proven the weight of your name, Lord Dale.”
”…”
“Even if you lose to me, it won’t tarnish the reputation of the ‘Black Prince.’”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I won’t allow it.”
Mikhail Lancaster spoke with a nobility that belied his ruthless swordsmanship, embodying the very essence of chivalry.
Dale remained silent for a moment.
“Are you not ashamed to lose to me, Prince Mikhail?”
After a pause, Dale countered. He didn’t need to hear the answer.
“Neither am I.”
For a moment, Mikhail’s expression froze.
“I have no intention of surrendering.”
Dale continued, his dark blue magic swirling around him.
“Unfortunately for you, I’m not an ‘ordinary mage.’”