Chapter 482: The Gallant Blade
Chapter 482: The Gallant Blade
After completing its mission, Dim Dim leapt and landed on top of Lex’s head.
The Old Knight didn’t mind the little bun doing this because he knew that Dim Dim preferred to watch the world from on top of people’s heads.
It then put on its gangster sunglasses before pointing at its eyes with two fingers and then turning those fingers towards the Duke.
Lex found the little bun’s antics quite amusing, but since they had already done what they came for, there was no need to linger.
A few minutes later, when the Duke was certain that their uninvited guests had disappeared, he gave one of his knights an order.
The knight bowed respectfully and left to find the person that the Duke was looking for.
’Rank 7... perhaps even a Rank 8,’ the Duke thought as he returned to his seat. ’It seems that I still underestimated the connections of that brat.’
Duke Percival gave his daughter a side-long glance. The Saintess had now shifted her attention back to the arena.
The second group, which included Emil Milan, had arrived.
Among the nobles, he was known as the Gentle Scholar. Out of all the Saintess’s suitors, he and Henry Moritz were the most favored by the Duke.
Perhaps wanting to forget the earlier incident, the Duke focused his attention on the next round of battle.
Emil and Henry had recently made a breakthrough. Both of them were now Rank 4.
Truly, they were among the most outstanding in their generation and were poised to become future leaders.
When the signal to fight was given, chaos immediately erupted.
It was very noticeable that the combatants of Group B had split into factions, which were now fighting against each other.
Emil led one such faction.
Within minutes, everyone could tell that his faction was dominating the other teams.
Unlike Renard’s desperate struggle against everyone, Emil’s superiority seemed almost effortless.
Half an hour later, his team was the only one left.
As several spectators had anticipated, two members conceded, leaving Emil and his cousin as the victors that would proceed to the semi-finals.
"And there you have it!" Alex shouted. "That was an exciting match! Now, let’s see what the next group has in store for us!"
He was having such a fun time being the tournament’s commentator that he managed to refrain from badmouthing anyone.
He was even hyping Emil and his cousin up so that more spectators would bet on them winning before the semi-finals started tomorrow.
That way, he could win even more money if Renard won.
At the end of the first Battle Royale, Alex had even publicly raised the possibility that Renard’s victory was due to luck!
"If I had participated, Renard would have been eliminated within the first three minutes!" he had boasted.
Of course, none of his club members took his words to heart because they knew he had bet their club funds on Renard!
If they hadn’t already known about this, they would have never believed that he really had faith in Renard no matter what he did.
When Group C entered the arena, Alex glanced at Henry Moritz—who had every intention of outshining Renard or Emil—before raising his hand.
"Battle Start!"
And with that, mayhem and cheers engulfed the Colosseum once more.
Henry Moritz moved like a blade drawn from its sheath. He was fast, sharp, and attacked without hesitation.
A controlled fury burned in the young man’s eyes. He refused to be overshadowed by Renard’s surprising rise or Emil’s easy dominance.
Today, he would remind the other nobles, especially the Duke of Dawn, that he was still one of the brightest stars of Solara’s younger generation.
Several participants lunged toward him, believing that eliminating him early would give them a fighting chance.
They were wrong.
Henry’s sword moved in a blur, annihilating those who had tried to attack him. His elegance in battle had earned him a nickname—the Gallant Blade.
His sword strikes were deadly yet graceful. Their power came from his determination to become stronger, which was now obvious to everyone in the audience.
But unlike traditional swordsmen, Henry also knew how to add variety to his attacks so his fighting style would be more unpredictable.
A pained groan escaped one of his attacker’s lips as he planted his foot on the young man’s chest and sent him flying.
"Too slow," Henry murmured as he eliminated another combatant, who had tried to stab him in the back.
He was already powerful on his own, but that didn’t mean he looked down on strategy. Like Emil, he also had two helpers by his side.
They were friends who admired him and had willingly followed him into the arena. Together, they were able to cover each other’s weaknesses and force their enemies on the defensive.
Duke Percival nodded with approval from his balcony.
"As expected of the Moritz heir," the Duke commented. "His technique hasn’t declined. A leader among young men."
Lady Celestria remained quiet. She couldn’t concentrate on the battle, busy wondering about the letter that Dim Dim had given her.
Her heart was still unsettled after the earlier incident with Lex, not from fear but curiosity.
Just then, the crowd exploded in cheers as Henry managed to defeat the Rank 4 leading an opposing team.
The battle between the two groups was intense, but Henry still managed to come up on top.
"Unbelievable!" Alex shouted. "Henry Moritz defeated a Rank 4 with such ease, befitting his title as the Gallant Blade. Oho? Is he showing off for someone on the balcony? Maybe a certain Saintess watching from above?"
Henry’s eyebrow twitched.
Celestria covered her mouth and coughed softly, pretending not to hear the teasing.
Duke Percival glanced at the commentator’s booth and snorted. "That brat has quite a slimy way with words."
"But he certainly makes the tournament livelier," Celestria replied.
The young lady didn’t tell her father that Dim Dim was Alex’s "Nature Spirit".
At least, that was what he had said back then when she had asked about the little bun.
When the battle finally ended, Alex made sure to praise Henry so much that even the latter was starting to feel embarrassed.
When it was time for the fourth battle royale, Alex smirked when he saw Charles entering the arena.
He had registered his friend and paid the sign-up fee.
Alex wanted to build Charles’ confidence and this tournament was the perfect way to do it.
Nessia had been opposed to this until Alex had mentioned that the champion would get seventy percent of the money from the prize pool.
"The prize pool comes from the fees collected from the participants," Alex had explained.
"Is that so?" Nessia had asked before turning to Charles. "Beat Renard if you have to."
Charles had scratched his head, surprised by his girlfriend’s sudden support.
"I will give you a special gift if you manage to win," Nessia had promised.
Standing in the arena, Charles still had no idea what kind of gift it would be, but just the thought of it filled him with competitiveness.
He had shocked the First Years of Solara Academy by defeating Gideon so easily, but that had only been the tip of the iceberg. Now, he would show everyone the fruits of his training.
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