Chapter 212: Sword Emperor Kinkarnon (2)
After Theo took his seat in the special section prepared by the Central Intelligence Bureau, the atmosphere of the Soaring Dragon Battle quickly heated up.
- Wow, I thought I was going to suffocate to death!
- The two of them were having a battle of nerves, weren’t they? I didn’t think Lord Theo would be particularly interested in this…
- He must have had no choice. Both of them are dead serious about the throne.
- From Lord Kinkarnon's perspective, he absolutely has to win this Soaring Dragon Battle.
Though the spectators were careful with their words, they were all deeply curious about who would come out victorious in the competition between Theo and Kinkarnon.
Those betting on Theo’s victory spoke of the weight of the Young Lord's position.
Those hoping for Kinkarnon’s triumph spoke of the weight of his achievements.
But regardless of whose side they took, one thing was certain.
- Whoever seizes the advantage in the Soaring Dragon Battle will establish their superiority.
Because of that, everyone’s attention was drawn to the battle.
And—
"It’s starting again."
Lezé did not like this situation one bit.
She had boldly told Theo to wait because she would be joining him soon.
Yet, not a single person was paying any real attention to her.
Not even the Reaper Division, her own elite guard.
All she saw were uneasy gazes directed her way.
"Lord Ansio Ragnar has just declared surrender. I repeat, Lord Ansio Ragnar has just declared surrender. His reasoning was that someone more worthy should take the seat of the Soaring Dragon. As a result—"
She had always walked her own path, unwavering, never letting the opinions of others shake her.
But to say she felt nothing now that the expectations around her had completely disappeared—
That would be a lie.
It only meant one thing.
She had failed to capture people's attention all this time.
"—Lezé Ragnar and Anonymous (meaning 'Nameless') will now face each other in battle. Both contestants, please step onto the stage."
If only the Grim Reaper could offer her a few words of encouragement at a time like this.
That she was truly fine.
That she would somehow pull through.
'But that would never happen.'
"I repeat. Lezé Ragnar and Anonymous, please step onto the stage."
A bitter smile curled on Lezé’s lips.
The Grim Reaper was far too silent now.
“Lezé Ragnar-nim, please step onto the stage. If you delay any further, it will be considered a declaration of surrender. Lezé Ragnar-nim—”
As she ran her fingertips over the hilt of the Grim Reaper, childhood memories flashed through her mind.
Back then, she had no idea of the weight resting on her shoulders. She simply did whatever she wanted.
And she took everything she desired.
Maybe now, just like then, she needed that reckless drive to push forward without looking back.
“Lezé Ragnar-nim, only 30 seconds remain until the match. I will begin the countdown.”
She was lost deep in thought when—
「Lezé-nim!」
「My lord! What is wrong? Is there a problem?」
Only then did Lezé realize the countless transmissions buzzing in her ears.
The spectators, the members of the Reaper Division—they were all looking her way, shouting something.
Lezé frowned.
What the hell are they saying?
They were gesturing frantically, trying to convey something, but she couldn’t understand a word of it.
It all sounded like noise, and the inability to comprehend made it all the more frustrating.
Just as she was about to speak—
『Lezé.』
Through the cacophony, a single voice pierced sharply into her ears.
And then—
Wuuung! Wuuuuuung!
The Grim Reaper began to tremble.
For the first time since it had clashed with Theo and fallen silent.
But now, it seemed to have something to say.
Wuuuuuuung!
Get up already.
What the hell are you doing?
‘Ah.’
Lezé snapped back to reality.
The noise she had dismissed as mere background sound finally began to make sense.
“Lezé Ragnar-nim, now your match will be considered a forfeit—”
Just as the announcer was about to declare her surrender—
Paah!
Lezé leaped onto the stage with effortless grace.
Standing across from her was a small-framed masked contestant—who insisted on being called Anonymous, though everyone present knew full well she was Demon Amore Tan.
The masked opponent smirked lightly.
“Aww, too bad. Thought I’d get to the finals the easy way.”
“I got lost in thought for a moment and failed to hear the call. My apologies.”
“Got your head sorted out now?”
“Yes. Thanks to you.”
Giggle!
The laughter behind the mask grew louder.
Like she found Lezé utterly adorable.
“Although she was late, since Lezé Ragnar-nim has arrived on stage on time, we shall now begin the match—!”
With the announcer’s declaration, the second semifinal match began.
The winner here would face Kinkarnon in the final match.
Lezé gripped the Grim Reaper tightly.
An inexplicable confidence filled her chest.
* * *
‘You did well.’
『I should be the one thanking you.』
Magara’s voice buzzed through Theo’s mind.
There was a hint of bitterness in that voice.
He was happy to finally encourage Lezé after so long, but the fact that he could no longer be by her side left him feeling bitter.
It seemed his affection for Lezé remained unchanged.
Theo had noticed that Lezé was gradually losing her drive, which was why he had lent her Magara’s strength.
『More importantly, why did you help us?』
‘Help with what?’
『Logically speaking, shouldn’t you have sided with that masked woman, who could technically be considered our ally?』
So that’s where this was going.
Tsk.
Theo let out a scoff.
‘You must be mistaken about something—I never do anything that puts me at a disadvantage.’
『Mistaken? Me?』
‘That’s right. Why do you think I would only claim Amore?’
『……!』
‘Lezé is someone I should claim as well. That’s the only reason I helped her.’
『I see…』
It was only then that Magara realized he had been completely misjudging Theo all this time.
The kind of person Theo was, the sheer scale of what he could contain—Magara was no match for that.
‘There’s no reason for me to give up on either Amore or Lezé.’
Theo hadn’t forgotten Lezé’s attitude back at the Mausoleum.
She could have fully opposed him, yet she had the magnanimity to acknowledge her defeat.
Despite being at a strategic disadvantage, she never surrendered.
He had met many brothers and sisters over the years, but without a doubt, none of them handled a match as cleanly as Lezé did.
She was someone he could entrust his back to.
More than anything—
‘If Magara thinks this strongly about her, that only makes her even more trustworthy.’
Throughout Theo’s experiences with the dragon species, he had learned one thing: they were always honest about their emotions.
They never lied and always poured out their true feelings.
The fact that Lezé had won over such a being spoke volumes about her worth.
For the first time, Theo felt the same desire for talent that Julius had once directed at him.
『If she is to be your person… then I suppose it’s only right that I help her as much as I can.』
Magara must have read Theo’s thoughts, as he carefully asked that question.
Theo nodded without hesitation.
『Thank you, my master.』
Magara beamed brightly.
At that moment—
Fwaaaah!
The Grim Reaper in Lezé’s grasp trembled violently as a pillar of light shot into the sky.
Startled by the sudden phenomenon, Lezé flinched, but she quickly regained her composure, steadying the overwhelming power surging through her body.
“Huh? What the heck? This is totally cheating!”
Amore whipped her head toward Theo, protesting in outrage.
Theo smirked.
「If you lose to a much younger junior, I’ll unmask you right here and let the whole world know.」
“…This little bastard?”
For the first time, the usual cutesy, lisped voice carried a hint of profanity.
Even behind the mask, it seemed like her face had slightly twisted in annoyance.
“You really act just like that guy!”
The reason Amore had concealed her identity and entered the Soaring Dragon Battle was simple.
—Just once, I wanna smack Julius in the head.
She had been endlessly irritated by how he worked Division 1 to the bone, pushing them to the brink of death on a regular basis.
Even during the war with Troyban, she had suffered immensely because of him.
And when she had finally voiced her grievances?
His response had been nothing short of a masterpiece.
—If you don’t like it, take my position. Until then, you know it’s just insubordination, right?
That infuriating smirk of his had driven her mad.
So Amore had made up her mind.
She would rise to the rank of Soaring Dragon, Julius’s equal, and challenge him to a fight.
That way, it wouldn’t exactly count as insubordination, would it?
Of course, she had no intention of actually leaving the White Armored Dragon Cavalry—she just wanted to crash into him headfirst and then hand the title right back.
Oh well, it wasn’t like Amore Tan was becoming the Soaring Dragon anyway—Anonymous was. So it didn’t matter, right?
Anyway, from Amore’s perspective, Theo’s antics right now were far too similar to Julius’s.
As if he wasn’t already the next leader of the White Armored Dragon Cavalry!
Was that position only meant for people with infuriating personalities?
Shraaaaa!
While Amore was lost in thought, Lezé swiftly swung her massive scythe downward.
A sound like paper tearing echoed as space itself split open, unleashing dozens of surging aura strikes.
Cha-cha-cha-chang!
Amore deflected the attacks with a flurry of sword strikes.
Then, as the shattered aura fragments obstructed her vision—
Swish!
At that precise moment, the Grim Reaper’s blade slipped into her blind spot, aiming directly for her throat.
Somehow, the blade was now engulfed in black flames—Lezé’s signature power, burning more fiercely than ever!
<Purgatory Road – Reaper’s Blade>
Like a grim reaper harvesting souls, the massive scythe fell, wreathed in the same hellfire.
“You really think I’d let something like this take me down? That’d make me look way too weak, don’t you think?”
Amore grinned, spinning her body like a top.
Her tone was almost that of a senior imparting wisdom to a junior—
But in truth, Amore felt a strong sense of rivalry toward Lezé.
She acknowledged her as someone skilled enough to truly cross blades with.
Just as their attacks were about to collide—
“How tedious. Let’s end this here.”
A single sword suddenly dropped between them.
Kwaaaang!
Rumble, crash!
Both Amore and Lezé swiftly leaped back, widening the distance while keeping their eyes locked on the explosion site.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”
“You…!”
At the very center of the stage—
Kinkarnon stood, looking utterly bored as he sheathed his sword and stared at the two.
“Semi-finals, finals—whatever. Watching such low-level fights is just dull. Let’s just end this quickly. All of you, come at me together.”
“……!”
“……!”
With those words, Kinkarnon gripped his sword tightly.
