"Did he win?"
Watching as Jill vanished without a trace into the exploding flame, courtesy of Riezel's magic, the audience couldn't help but wonder.
Upon learning that Riezel was a Tactical-Class Magician and an expert swordsman on the level of Sword Master, many people began to lean toward him, hoping he would emerge victorious in this War Festival.
On the other hand, Riezel, young and handsome, proficient in both swordsmanship and magic, was highly respected. His prowess far surpassed that of an ordinary character, leading many to favor him and hope for his victory.
It could be said that Riezel's popularity among the audience at this moment was almost on par with Yuri's.
As a result, the audience couldn't help but anticipate the final outcome.
Even the young nobleman from the royal capital, unknown guests from a foreign country, and the Frenzel siblings were all eagerly anticipating and feeling nervous about it.
"He should have won, right, Elder Sister Mediste?"
Even Isaac, unknowingly setting aside any grievances he might have had with Riezel, stared at the training field, his voice tinged with nervousness.
"I don't know..." Mediste shook her head, her eyes also betraying nervousness.
She hoped Riezel would win. Not only because he represented her elder sister's side, but also because this man might very well be her future husband.
Initially, she had been pessimistic about her father's arrangement to marry her off to him. However, after witnessing his performance today, she suddenly felt that maybe it wasn't so bad.
In any case, she definitely wished for his victory.
Meanwhile, Yuri hoped desperately that Riezel would finish off Jill once and for all, potentially averting any further unexpected events. She had already dispatched Ain and Ian to scatter the audience but unfortunately, their efforts yielded little result.
All the audience was too absorbed in the battle between Riezel and Jill, and with the barrier protection in place, many didn't think there was any danger and were reluctant to leave. This made her feel increasingly anxious, sensing that trouble was brewing.
Because of this, she earnestly hoped Riezel could deal with Jill directly, even if it meant violating rules or resorting to lethal measures. However, dealing with a powerful swordsman like Jill, whom Riezel had evaluated as a Level 6 expert adventurer, wouldn't be that easy.
"AAAAAAHHHH—!!!"
Suddenly, Jill's furious howl echoed throughout the training field, causing the exploding flame to tremble.
*BOOM!*
Before long, the exploding flame burst open.
Covered in burns, with charred skin, Jill relied on the crimson magical energy enhancement to unleash a powerful swing of his sword, creating a surging airflow that dispersed the exploding flame.
"Hahaahaa... Hahahahaa..."
Jill gasped for breath violently, yet still laughing as he did so.
"Very strong... it hurts... very strong... it hurts... very strong, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts! It fucking hurts! DAMN BASTARD—!"
As his laughter subsided, Jill suddenly turned his face, yelling hysterically at Riezel. His frenzied appearance was indeed frightening, causing several audiences to involuntarily step back and tremble.
However, Riezel, despite looking somewhat battered himself, calmly observed Jill, who seemed to have sustained no serious injuries, with a slight furrow of his brow.
"What a tough bastard..." Riezel muttered.
Jill was indeed tough. Having been hit by Arcs Ray twice, and having been slashed multiple times, he still looked lively, almost inhuman.
It was worth noting that Riezel was already at Level 5, with a remarkable accumulation of latent basic abilities unmatched by anyone else. With the assistance of his 'Mage' development ability, the power of his Arcs Ray had surpassed even the original owner of the magic, Lefiya.
Lefiya was known for her Level 5 attack power as a mage, so Riezel's attack power, theoretically speaking, was not inferior even compared to Riveria, the strongest mage in Orario.
Such a degree of attack power, let alone against a Level 6 opponent, would be strong enough even against a Level 7. If it didn't hit, that was another matter, but once it did, Riezel doubted that a Level 7 could withstand his magic unscathed.
However, Riezel could sense that Jill hadn't fallen yet not because of his strong defense, but because of his remarkably robust vitality.
Moreover, despite Jill's eccentric and peculiar behavior, akin to that of a berserker, his combat intuitions were undeniably sharp.
With its tracking capability, Arc's Ray hitting him was unavoidable, no matter how hard he dodged. Yet, this man managed to evade almost all of Riezel's fast slashes, aiming away from vital points.
The first time they clashed, when Riezel swung his sword toward Jill's chest, he suddenly sensed danger and instinctively paused his charge in a split second, resulting in only a superficial cut. During the recent clash, Riezel abandoned defense and went on the full offensive, slashing at Jill repeatedly, but most of the vital points were still evaded due to his keen intuition.
In the end, Riezel only managed to hit non-vital points such as Jill's cheek, thigh, and side, with the only threat being a near miss of the major artery.
Jill's crimson magical energy was also peculiar, not only making his body stronger as the fight dragged on but also seeming to have a strange effect on manipulating the flow of blood within other people's bodies.
If not for Riezel's Self Redemption, granting complete immunity to physical and mental interference, he might have been affected by this effect. At best, he would feel uncomfortable, and at worst, it could lead to ruptures inside his body, allowing Jill to absorb his blood.
'What's the deal with this guy?'
Riezel, who did not know about the events three years ago, was completely clueless about the existence of Demon Sword Style and Demon Swordsman.
The original Riezel had been farming in the countryside until the age of fifteen when he ran away and, by a stroke of luck, took part in the entrance exam for Spriller Academy, and entered this prestigious school.
At the age of fourteen, which was three years ago, his understanding of the outside world was limited, so he was completely ignorant of Demon Sword Style and Demon Swordsman.
This resulted in Riezel having no clue about Jill's origin, only finding him mysterious and dangerous.
However, this didn't stop Riezel from dealing with Jill as he wasn't one to turn the other cheek. Since Jill wanted to kill him, he wouldn't hesitate to retaliate.
However, just as Riezel was thinking this, the next thing Jill would do was something that would thoroughly enrage him.
*Whoosh—*
Enveloped in crimson magical energy, Jill suddenly turned around and transformed into a human-shaped projectile, dashing toward a certain direction.
Standing in that direction was none other than Yuri.
"My Lady!"
Marilyn snapped into action, her usually calm and expressionless face showing alarm for the first time as she drew her dual swords, prepared to protect Yuri.
"?!!!"
Yuri, who had been watching Jill all along, had her expression changed abruptly when she saw him rushing toward her at incredible speed.
"Let me patch myself up first!" Jill yelled, his sword slicing through the air, aiming for Yuri's throat.
He was in pain now, his whole body ached, and he understood that he wasn't Riezel's opponent.
If things continued like this, he would definitely lose to Riezel.
If he couldn't kill Riezel, he couldn't drink his blood.
He wanted Riezel's blood, the blood of an expert, the blood of the strong.
For this reason, he must find someone to drink their blood, become stronger, and then challenge Riezel again.
With this thought in mind, Jill didn't hesitate much, charging straight at Yuri, who happened to enter his field of vision.
Unfortunately, this turned out to be the biggest mistake Jill Dardis would make in his life.
"Tempest!"
When such a voice echoed through the training field, reaching everyone's ears, a hurricane arrived.
*WHOOSH—!*
As the frenzied wind howled across the entire training field, transforming Riezel into a gust of raging wind, he swiftly darted across half of the training field as the wind swept through.
*Pu-chi!*
Jill's sword descended, leaving behind a splash of crimson blood, splattering into the sky.
However, his slash didn't hit Yuri's throat but landed on a hand that suddenly appeared in front of her.
*BANG!*
At the same time, a kick, accompanied by the raging wind, struck heavily against Jill's chest, sending him flying.
*Cough!*
Jill spewed forth a mouthful of blood before flying backward and crashing into the wall surrounding the audience seats, shattering it.
"Riezel!" Yuri's expression changed instantly as she emitted a startled cry.
Riezel, surrounded by raging wind, suddenly appeared before Yuri, blocking Jill's recent slash with his own hand.
*Drip* *Drip*
Despite the pain from the wound on his hand, with blood dripping from it, Riezel disregarded it and merely raised his gaze, fixating on Jill crawling out from the rubble, his eyes exuding unprecedented rage.
"Blood... BLOOD—!" Jill struggled to rise while yelling wildly.
Upon hearing his yell, Riezel had only one response.
"You want blood that much?"
"No problem..."
"I'll crush you into a BLOODY PULP RIGHT NOW!"
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Struggling to rise from the pile of rubble, Jill's consciousness hadn't fully awakened yet. He only felt the pain coursing through his body, instinctively craving blood.
As he raised his body, suddenly, he was locked onto by a terrifyingly intense murderous intent.
The thick and suffocating murderous intent sent shivers down his spine, starting from the soles of his feet and rushing all the way to his crown, abruptly jolting him awake from his trance-like state.
Upon this awakening, Jill immediately saw Riezel, enveloped in raging wind, his robes billowing and fluttering noisily in the gusts of wind. The ferociousness of Riezel's gaze and the constant flurry of lethal attacks he endured till now finally stirred a sense of fear in him.
Despite being influenced by his swordsmanship and becoming addicted to blood, Jill had not completely lost his senses.
Three years ago, when all Demon Swordsmen were besieged by the knights dispatched by various countries, teetering on the brink of life and death, while others seemed to go mad and charge out excitedly to clash with the knights, Jill, subconsciously sensing danger, overcame his desire for blood, and chose to flee in fear.
Because of this, Jill barely survived that massacre, living in the wilderness ever since, adhering to the principle of self-control. He sustained himself on animal blood, battling monsters, gradually satiating his thirst for blood, and slowly getting stronger.
It wasn't until Jill encountered Alderman in the wilderness that he couldn't resist the craving for human blood anymore and decided to indulge. However, he didn't act immediately by killing Alderman on the spot for his blood. Since he had decided to indulge, he naturally wanted to make the most of this opportunity.
Therefore, feigning interest in following Alderman, Jill actually intended to infiltrate the human-inhabited city to hunt humans.
In the week leading up to the War Festival, he often went out at night, seemingly strolling around the city, but in reality, he was secretly hunting humans, reveling in the blood of thugs or thieves lurking in the darkness.
When the War Festival began and the training field was crowded with people, he would unleash his slaughter there, satisfying himself to the fullest, then escape Undine and retreat into the mountains, evading pursuit by the kingdom's knights.
His first targets were obviously the experts who participated in the War Festival.
Like Riezel Brynhart, a Tactical-Class Magician.
Like Yuri Frenzel, a Strategic-Class Magician.
Step by step, by eliminating these experts first, he could eradicate potential threats and strengthen himself with their blood. Following that, he would hunt down the weaker ones, steadily progressing, feasting on their blood, rapidly boosting his own strength, perhaps even ascending to the status of Sword Saint, becoming a Demon Sword Saint.
For this reason, Jill had restrained himself until now.
Unfortunately, luck wasn't on his side.
With his strength, originally speaking, whether facing Yuri, Marilyn, Ain, Ian, or others, he could have found a way to catch them off guard and kill them with a single strike, letting their blood spill on the spot.
However, his opponent happened to be the only one with strength comparable to Level 6, an anomaly excelling in both swordsmanship and magic—Riezel Brynhart.
After being injured by Riezel and instinctively stimulated by his great strength, Jill could no longer suppress his craving for the blood of the strong, descending into a semi-trance-like state of madness.
However, now, faced with Riezel's undisguised murderous and terrifying aura, his rationality instantly returned, and the feeling of fear surged back into his heart.
Unfortunately, it was all too late.
*BANG!*
Just as Jill's heart began to tremble, the ground beneath Riezel erupted, and he suddenly vanished on the spot, disappearing without a trace.
"?!!!"
Jill's heart skipped a beat, but still, relying on his sensitivity to blood, he sensed Riezel's trail.
"Here!"
Without hesitation, Jill swung his sword to the right, letting out a whistling sound of crimson magical energy, disrupting the atmosphere, and aiming at the sudden figure that appeared there.
However, Riezel disregarded this swing entirely, rushing forward at once and lunging straight at Jill.
*DING!*
Jill's forceful swing landed on the whirlwind surrounding Riezel's body, just like before, it was easily flicked aside.
*Pu-chi!*
At this moment, Riezel's slash finally surged from his hand, its speed surprisingly quick, as if it traversed space and time, slicing across Jill's shoulder, causing his flesh to tear and blood to splatter.
'Too fast!' Jill's pupils contracted sharply.
Riezel's slash just now was completely beyond Jill's response, much faster than before. No, it wasn't just his attack speed, even his movement speed had increased significantly.
*Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!*
Accompanied by the sound of tearing, Riezel's figure seemed to truly transform into an invisible and colorless wind, flickering and darting around Jill's body, unleashing slashes that struck various parts of his body, leaving him covered in wounds and bleeding heavily.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH—!!!"
As Jill roared furiously, he continuously swung his sword imbued with crimson magical energy, creating booming sounds and whistling through the air. Pitifully, despite his efforts, he couldn't land a single hit on Riezel's body, who effortlessly dodged with astonishing speed.
Jill's missed slashes only struck nothing, sending streaks of crimson sword light flying, leaving cracks in the ground and walls.
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
The rubble and dust flew up once again, turning the entire training field into chaos, combined with the howling wind, giving a sense of devastation.
It was only then that Jill suddenly noticed the change in Riezel's weapon.
The weapon held in his hand was no longer a bright silver short sword but a somewhat dark silver long sword.
Thin as a cicada's wing, the sword edge was nearly transparent, with a beautiful and noble appearance that did not look at all like a metal product but rather like a crystal so translucent.
Yet, this sword, which seemed more like a work of art than a weapon, exhibited astonishing sharpness and power in Riezel's hands.
*Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!*
With Fool in hand, Riezel pushed Lightweight to its limit, increased by the enhancements of Ariel and Raumure. His speed had reached a level where even Jill, someone comparable to a Level 6 expert, couldn't react at all.
Even before returning to this main world, Riezel's strength had surpassed that of Ais, who was evaluated as capable of challenging opponents at a higher level.
Such was Riezel's prowess that, if he went all out, even someone like Finn, Riveria, and Gareth at the pinnacle of Level 6 would find him a difficult opponent.
Although he had only recently leveled up to Level 5, the accumulation of SSS basic abilities on every level and the acquisition of various combat-type development abilities allowed him to surpass Ais, a top-ranked Level 5, even without using magic.
Now, with the addition of Raumure and Ariel, even facing Jill was no longer challenging for Riezel.
As Riezel's sword light sped forth with astonishing speed, Jill found himself subjected to a relentless attack, his body seeming to burst open, blood and wounds blossoming continuously, leaving him battered and miserable.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH—!!!"
Facing dire situations, Jill finally erupted, his crimson magical energy turning deeper crimson, enhancing his strength further, finally matching Riezel's speed and allowing him to react.
However, Riezel disregarded Jill's counterattacks entirely, allowing Jill's crimson slashes to rain down on his body without blocking or dodging.
With the boosted END from Raumure and the wind protection from Ariel, even Jill's powerful slashes were ultimately deflected one by one, leaving only a few shallow wounds on Riezel's body that oozed a little blood, doing little else.
On the other hand, Riezel's slashes became faster and fiercer, not only splitting Jill's skin but nearly stripping his flesh from head to toe, leaving several deep wounds on his shoulders and thighs where bone could even be seen.
Despite this, Riezel showed no signs of relenting, seemingly intent on crushing Jill into a bloody pulp, his speed and ferocity undiminished, slashing relentlessly, again and again!
His merciless executioner-like performance caused many in the audience to show expressions of horror, with some even closing their eyes in fear.
Finally, Jill broke down.
"GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"
*BOOOM!*
Jill roared and swung his sword toward the ground, shattering it and creating a violent shockwave and billowing dust.
In response to this furious attack, Riezel seemed rather indifferent.
As the dust settled, Riezel calmly lifted his hand as a fluctuation of crimson vortex appeared above it.
Riezel's trump card, hidden until now, finally made its debut.
With a thunderous force akin to a storm, the crimson vortex tore through the earth and sky, closing in on Jill as he attempted to flee.
Unfortunately, before Jill could react, it was too late.
*Bzzzttt—!*
The crimson vortex struck Jill, engulfing his body completely.
"NO, NO, NOOOOOO—!!!"
Jill let out a despairing cry before his body disintegrated within the crimson vortex, like a dungeon monster deprived of its core, turning to ashes and vanishing without a trace.
A cruel and brutal battle finally ended.
Riezel dispelled the wind and emerald green membrane around his body.
"It seems you didn't even deserve to become a bloody pulp..." Riezel muttered, watching with cold eyes the spot where Jill's body vanished to nothingness.
With this outcome, the War Festival finally came to a close, with Riezel as the ultimate victor.
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