Chapter 24: God of Swordsmanship
Ren's attack had looked ferocious, but looking at the field, everyone was merely unconscious. No one was seriously harmed.
To do that to over a hundred people, at such incredible speed, and with the precision to only stun—not harm... it was a level of precise control he wouldn't have dared to even dream of.
This wasn't a person. This was a god!
This man was a God of the Sword!
"Minister! Minister!!"
"Your Majesty! I'm here! I'm here!" The minister scurried over, hearing the king's urgent shout.
"In ten minutes, I want all the information you can find on this man! Go!"
"Yes! Yes!" The minister ran, wailing internally. Serving a king is truly like serving a tiger!
The king could feel it. If it was this man, the dragon-slaying plan would absolutely succeed.
"Wh... what... what just happened?"
"I think I saw a fire dragon... and then it was just over."
"The Nine-Star genius, Allen... he was one-shotted?! But he's a Nine-Star Swordsman!"
"Who is this guy?!"
Gradually, the crowd in the stands began to recover from their shock, staring at Ren in the arena. Their entire Kingdom of Soar had barely enough Nine-Star Swordsmen to count on two hands.
Nine-Star represented the pinnacle of swordsmanship. They had never heard of a Nine-Star being one-shotted.
When two Nine-Star Swordsmen fought, even with a skill gap, the battle should be intense, a drawn-out affair where both sides used every trick they had before a winner was decided.
For a Nine-Star to be one-shotted meant only one thing: the opponent's skill was on a completely different level. They weren't even in the same league.
"The winner is decided!"
"The victor: Yoriichi Tsugikuni!!!"
"Amazing! This man is simply amazing!"
"In one instant! Just one instant! Over a hundred contestants—including high-star swordsmen and even a Nine-Star genius—were all one-shotted!"
"And... to do it while only knocking them out, not harming them... that control! That level of skill!"
"This man isn't human! He's a god! A GOD OF SWORDSMANSHIP!!"
The announcer was quite skilled himself. As an Eight-Star Swordsman, his insight was sharp.
"SWORD GOD! SWORD GOD! SWORD GOD!"
The entire stadium erupted, chanting the new title. To them, the higher the skill, the more respect one deserved, and the swordsmanship Ren had just displayed was the pinnacle of pinnacles.
"We will now take a one-hour break, after which the semi-finals will begin! In the meantime, please enjoy a wonderful performance by our Sword Maiden Troupe!"
A group of beautiful girls in cute outfits rushed into the arena and began to perform.
Ren, meanwhile, returned to his designated contestant area. There were four separate waiting rooms—A, B, C, and D—so the winners wouldn't bother each other.
Ren returned to the Group D room, locked the door, and released his transformation.
"Hoo~!"
He let out a light breath. Yoriichi was different from Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra's transformation rapidly drained magic power just by being active. Yoriichi's, however, cost almost nothing as long as Ren wasn't using a breathing technique or fighting. At his limit, he could probably maintain the transformation for three or four hours.
But if he used powerful techniques or fought intensely, that time would be drastically shortened—down to three or five minutes, possibly.
He needed to use this hour to rest. This was 20,000,000 J on the line, after all. He didn't want to mess up when it mattered most.
Ren had no idea what a massive uproar he had caused. Everyone was debating just who this "Yoriichi Tsugikuni" was. Some said he was a hermit who trained in isolation. Others said he was a veteran master from a foreign land. The theories were wild.
In the royal palace.
"No record?! What do you mean, 'no record'?!" The king frowned at his minister.
The minister nervously wiped his sweat. "Your Majesty! It means just that. I had my men check the entry roster of every person who has entered the city recently. There is no 'Yoriichi Tsugikuni.' Not only that, but the guards on duty at the gate have never seen this man."
"..."
"Transformation magic?" the king mused. It was a common type of magic, but it had no combat application, so most people disdained to learn it.
But whether it was transformation or not, his skill was real. It didn't matter who he was. He had to be part of the dragon-slaying plan.
The minister asked, "Your Majesty, how should we arrange the semi-final matchups?"
"Hmm... do it like this." The king finalized the bracket.
An hour passed.
"Everyone! The heart-pounding semi-finals are about to begin! The matchups are set! Please look at the main screen!"
All eyes turned to the giant projection.
Semi-Final 1: Arthur vs. Erza
Semi-Final 2: Cray vs. Yoriichi Tsugikuni
"OOOOOOOHHH!"
Seeing the bracket, the crowd went wild. They had seen all four of these fighters. Every one of them was a top-tier swordsman.
Arthur was the strongest Nine-Star in the kingdom. Cray was said to be his equal. Erza was the only woman to make it this far, incredibly beautiful and just as skilled.
And then there was Yoriichi, the mysterious "Sword God." Everyone was desperate to see his divine skill one more time.
"And now, please welcome Contestant Arthur and Contestant Erza!"
"Ohhh!"
"ARTHUR! ARTHUR! ARTHUR!"
"ERZA! ERZA! ERZA!"
The crowd roared both their names. Arthur and Erza walked out from their waiting rooms, meeting in the center of the arena.
"The Fairy Queen, Erza?" Arthur said, identifying her.
Erza was stunned. "You know me?"
"Not personally," he replied. "I just heard your name during my travels in Fiore."
"I see."
"You're a mage. You had better use your magic."
Erza frowned. "Magic? Isn't this a tournament of sword skills?"
"Yes and no," Arthur said. "All star-ranked swordsmen are magic swordsmen. My swordsmanship is my magic. If you think you can beat me with pure swordsmanship, you're underestimating me. Show me your full strength. Let me see the power of the 'Fairy Queen'!"
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