"No way!"
"He’s still standing?! "
"What is his body made of?!"
"......"
A chorus of groans erupted from the audience.
On the arena, Violet was also somewhat shocked. This was the first time she’d encountered someone who dodged her attack so effortlessly.
"It’s fine—let’s try again!"
Hum! Hum! Hum......
The Magic Sword blazed with dazzling blue light once more.
Meanwhile, across from her,
Luigi’s thumb—resting on the hilt of his sword—curved slightly, pressing against the guard......
"Go!"
Boom——!
The brilliant blue light erupted again, hurtling straight toward Luigi.
But this time, Luigi didn’t dodge......
Clang——!!!
A deafening sword cry echoed throughout the entire arena.
As the blue light from the Magic Sword faded, the stadium fell completely silent. Everyone stared at the arena in disbelief, unable to process what they’d just seen......
Luigi Sloan had actually slashed through Violet’s attack with his sword!
"Am I seeing things......"
"That’s...... Luigi Sloan? "
"Someone punch me—I think I’m hallucinating."
"Same here. Am I still asleep......"
No matter how unbelievable it seemed to the audience, the remaining Y-shaped gash on the arena floor spoke volumes—it was the truth.
Violet was equally stunned.
She stared blankly at Luigi.
"My attack...... was slashed through?"
......
"Hahaha! Fools! Now you see how strong Luigi is~!"
In the stands, Monroe let out a triumphant laugh, then stood up and shouted loudly toward the arena.
"Go, Luigi! Take her down! Win that championship for me——!!"
He paid no mind to the countless sharp glances around him.
"......"
This senior brother......
Muttering silently about the overly loud voice, Luigi turned his attention back to Violet.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
By then, she had regained her composure.
"Mr. Luigi...... you’ve been hiding your strength well. I never thought you were Rank B!"
Luigi shook his head.
"That’s not the case. I said from the start that I was taking this seriously, and I never hid anything—I simply—"
"my previous opponents failed to notice."
"I see.""Were they not qualified......"
"Not at all, Lady Violet," Luigi slowly raised his sword. "It’s not a matter of qualification. It’s your strength that forces me to give it my all."
"Oh, I’ll take that as a compliment. Though I wonder—"
Hum! Hum! Hum......
"Mr. Luigi, can you slash through my attack a second time?!"
Boom!
Violet launched another attack.
Clang!
And Luigi struck back simultaneously.
Blue light collided violently in the arena.
Before the aftershocks could spread, two figures radiating powerful mana drew closer rapidly.
In an instant, they engaged in an intensely fierce close-quarters battle.
Countless water blade auras and mana slashes crisscrossed the arena, weaving into a brilliant display of sparks.
"......"
At that moment, the entire audience was utterly captivated by the battle, unable to utter a sound.
Their prejudice against Luigi quickly faded, swinging to the opposite extreme.
"Magic Sword—Full Release!!!"
Hum——!
Violet unleashed her most powerful attack.
In response,
"Thousand Currents—Severing Slash!"
Luigi unleashed a devastating move of his own.
A massive water blade aura collided with a towering tide of mana.
Then, just like the first attack, the tide of mana was split cleanly in two......
Boom!
After the explosion,
Clink~!
A Magic Sword flew high into the air, then clattered to the ground.
On the pockmarked arena floor, only one figure remained standing......
Ding——!
The bell signaling the end of the match rang out.
"The winner...... Luigi Sloan!!!"
Only then did the audience finally snap out of their daze.
The contestant they’d criticized for being sluggish was actually terrifyingly strong.
"I must be dreaming—this is insane......""......Luigi!""Luigi!""Luigi!!""Luigi!!!""......"
One hundred thousand spectators roared in excitement.
It wasn’t the first time Luigi had received cheers—but it was the first time they were genuine.
Now, no one complained about Luigi’s previous behavior. Instead, they began to see it as a unique quirk of a strong warrior—perfectly reasonable!
Their complaints had been utterly unwarranted—they’d misunderstood such a powerful champion.
......
During the intermission,
there was still some time before the final showdown.
The audience remained abuzz, eagerly discussing the previous match.
"That was absolutely amazing! I never thought I’d misjudge someone so badly!""Me too—I was yelling at Luigi earlier. I’m so blind!""Show some respect! It’s Mr. Luigi!""Huh?""Huh nothing! I’ve decided to make Mr. Luigi my idol! Please respect my idol!""......Dude, didn’t you used to idolize Boguna? You change your mind way too fast!""What do you know! This is the respect a strong warrior deserves! And don’t mention that name!""Fine, fine—let’s drop that guy. Speaking of...... doesn’t the outcome of the final seem obvious now?""Yeah, totally. It feels like the real final was just now!""Exactly! Sometimes that happens—it’s all about luck.""Hey...... come on! You’re acting like Hulim doesn’t stand a chance!""Huh? Are you serious? There’s no way she can win!""Why not? A contestant this young who’s made it to the final might just pull off an upset!""Hahaha, impossible!!! The power gap is too big. There’s no way someone this young is Rank B! If she were ten years older, I might suspect she’s hiding her strength too—but twelve? ""Impossible! Absolutely impossible!""If she wins, I’ll eat my plate for dinner tonight!""You guys......""Hey, are you really supporting Hulim because you bet on her?""......S-So what if I did?""Ha! Friend, we all bet on Violet to win. We all lost—no need to be stubborn!""That’s not true! I haven’t lost yet!""Sigh, you really can’t face reality.""Forget him. Once the match is over, he’ll shut up on his own. He’s probably clinging to unrealistic hopes right now.""Yeah, you’re right. The final is starting soon—let’s just watch the match."
......
"Ladies and gentlemen! Finally! The moment we’ve all been waiting for——!"
The host George, holding a magical megaphone, shouted at the top of his lungs.
"The final match of this year’s Royal Martial Arts Festival is here! Who will claim the ultimate championship? Let’s wait and see! Now——"
"Oh! Here they are! The two contestants vying for the championship! They’re entering the arena!""Let’s give them a warm welcome!""On the left—Luigi Sloan!!!"
"Luigi!!!""Luigi!!!""Luigi!!!""......"
A unified, fanatical roar erupted from the crowd.
"On the right—Hulim Heyerar!!!"
"Hulim!""Go for it!""Good luck......"
Countless cheers rang out as well. Unlike Luigi’s sudden surge of fans, Hulim’s following had been steadily growing. But most of these cheers were filled with encouragement rather than certainty......
