episode_0027

Eksan was delighted by that expression, but at the same time, he felt regret.

‘Tch. I’m glad you have the will to fight… but why did you have to put in those kinds of conditions? This sucks. Seriously.’

That’s right. As Milicia predicted, one of Opperspelle’s aides whispered in his ear, “As I said, avoid the face and lower abdomen as much as possible.” He even said that he wouldn’t let you stay still if you killed him. He attached all sorts of ridiculous conditions.

Why didn’t you tell me to cut off my hands and feet and fight?

Although he desperately wanted to get angry, Eksan held back because the promised reward was more than enough to feed the village of Suin. Besides, seeing the saintess fall down twice and roll around despite the fact that she was not even hitting the target twice, this seemed quite easy. In fact, it seemed that more strength control would be needed than expected.

In that way, the fight was one-sided. Milishia was only concerned with avoiding Eksan’s quick attack. However, instead of boldly defending against the punch coming straight at her face, she only focused on defending her abdomen.

Eksan also knew that his opponent had figured out that some of his attacks were bluffs. But what did that matter? Eksan had realized it long ago. Even if he knew that, it was unlikely that his opponent would exploit that weakness. Even to an outsider, Eksan had the advantage.

The opponent was only focused on defense and evasion, and his clothes were getting dirtier and torn here and there. In comparison, Eksan was only sweating a little and had no injuries or anything.

It was overly one-sided.

‘Shall we end it now?’

Eksan decided to take a bold step forward.

It was possible because there was virtually no attack from the opponent. In the first place, I was the one who made all the approaches. At first, I thought I could enjoy the duel, but the weight difference was too obvious.

Now was the time to show mercy.

‘That, that!’

Milishia flinched at the sight of Eksan moving his foot forward.

I felt it. The opponent was clearly going to launch a desperate attack at me.

I could be sure. The expression was different. Was this the ominous atmosphere of the Suin warriors?

Milicia felt goosebumps and wanted to retreat at any moment. However, she was able to endure it.

‘My training with Glenn, my experience, I won’t let it be in vain!’

Yes, it is a little different, but I have felt the killing and fighting spirit of the high-level adventurers until I was sick of it. I have also faced the raw killing spirit of the monsters many times.

So, the Militia could not be defeated by this level of murderous intent.

‘Third. The time we should attack is…’

Eksan was getting closer. He wasn’t moving fast. It was a counter-argument to his confidence that he could land a direct hit on Milicia even without moving fast.

Yes, I knew it. Militia moved back a little bit. It was on purpose.

Induces rapid movement from the opponent.

The moment when Eksan moves quickly.

‘When your opponent attacks you properly, that’s the moment.’

Eksan’s fist flew towards his head. Milishia was not surprised. And, she did not dodge. Instead, she moved her body, which had been stepping back, forward.

Huh. Eksan flinched. The contract terms stopped him. Don’t aim for the head or lower abdomen. His arms slipped back on their own.

But it’s not a big deal. The other arm just went straight to the abdomen.

Militia knew it too. It was flying towards his abdomen.

His right arm is defending, but it’s not enough to stop it.

However, the only moment when I could take advantage of my opponent’s attack was now.

“Ugh, ugh!”

Properly, a fist came into my stomach, which I was guarding with my arm.

A pain that was not strange even if I had been struck by steel struck me. My body hesitated on its own. For a moment, my eyes became dizzy.

This is it. It must have been easygoing until now. No, it must have been because he wanted to prolong the duel even a little. For a fighter like that, it would have been a shame to end the duel in an instant.

‘Even if I die, I must persevere!’

Milicia’s body staggered. But along with that, the opponent’s stiff body came into view.

I could feel it. This was carelessness. That indifferent face.

As expected, he has a face of resignation at the half-expected outcome of the match.

Militia has been aiming for that moment so far.

‘Do you think that weaklings like us can attack the psyche or the vital points? Well, it’s possible. However, vital points are usually forbidden. In any duel, attacking the vital points is often considered foul play. That’s why we don’t attack implicitly. The psyche? Well. Try punching the chest of someone who’s trained hard. Even if you hit the psyche with cotton wool, it’ll only tickle. Then the remaining part is… the fourth. The opponent’s…’

Milicia, still hesitating, lifted her foot. No, she jumped on the spot. Even if she tried, her body would only float in the air for a moment. Even if she tried, it wouldn’t even last a second.

However, Eksan, who had not expected that moment at all, let his guard down. Rather, he was confused and tilted his head slightly, which was the cause of the trouble.

Thud, and Milishia’s full-force kick grazed Eksan’s chin. It would be more accurate to say that it grazed rather than hit him.

However, it succeeded in hitting the chin for sure, and Eksan’s jaw shook.

Oh, damn it. Eksan was a little taken aback by the attack. However, it didn’t hurt as much as he thought. But…

“Ugh!”

Concussion. If you hit or shake the jaw, which is one of the vital points of a person, you will cause a shock to the head. If so, there is a high probability that you will start with dizziness and then develop into a chronic concussion. This was the case now.

Eksan was staggering and unable to move properly.

Oh. What the. That attack from the saint just now? Did you get hit in the jaw?

At that moment, one of the hooded figures jumped. He put his hand over his mouth, barely able to stop himself from screaming, and jumped desperately, as if shouting in his mind.

However, the saintess who had attacked with all her might could not get up. The pain in her abdomen spread throughout her entire body. Her head screamed. She was shaking, but her body did not move easily.

The Benedict monk was momentarily confused. Should I count this? One side fell, and the other side hesitated in the unexpected counterattack.

However, since I have solemnly stood here as the referee of the duel, I must fulfill my duty before God. The Benedict monk sighed and opened his mouth.

“One, two…”

Get up, you have to. The saintess, who came to her senses at that sound, tried to strengthen her legs. However, due to the backlash from the attack that had been done with all her heart a moment ago, she could not properly apply strength to her entire body. In addition, the fatal point was that her stamina had decreased.

It was only for a moment, but I exhausted all my stamina desperately trying to avoid my opponent’s attacks. Even worse, my whole body was in pain from defending against my opponent’s attacks that weren’t direct hits.

No. If I keep falling like this, I will never… I will…

‘I can’t go on like this. I, I…must keep my promise…’

He muttered those words over and over in his head, screaming at his own body.

Get up, get up. Ah, God who gave me power.

Just for this one moment, a momentary miracle of being able to overcome one’s limitations…

‘ah…?’

Then, a strange vision appeared.

Oh. What is this? A hallucination caused by excessive pain?

It’s, that winged appearance… obviously…

“Damn, where did you get this strength? Oh my head!”

“Five, six… Hey, I’m counting!”

Eksan, who was shaken by the sudden attack, approached the saintess as if his heart was in a state of shock. Seeing that she was unable to get up properly and was trembling on the floor, it was clear that if she attacked her properly now, she would never get up again.

You hit my chin. For a beginner fighter. Your evasion skills seem to be quite well-trained, but your defense and attack power are both subpar. If it weren’t for that stupid contract condition, I wouldn’t have allowed such an attack.

“You have to pay back what you got!”

Still dazed, Eksan grabbed the saintess by the collar. With that, he forcibly stood up Milicia.

As he was grabbed by the collar, terrible screams erupted from the congregation. Someone looked ready to jump out at any moment.

Slowly, he clenched his other arm into a fist, preparing to strike her chin.

At that moment, with an unbelievable speed, the saint moved.

“Oh, oh my! Where did this come from…!”

The saintess ran behind Eksan at incredible speed. She put both arms around Eksan’s neck. She practically pressed down on Eksan with her weight.

The forearm, as it were, strangled Eksan’s neck. It was a perfect strangling technique. And it was a completely different speed than before. Where did this agility come from? Shock erupted from the surroundings.

“What, what is it!”

“Ba, the saintess’s movements just now…”

“In my eyes, I could barely see it!”

“How, that speed?”

It was almost an instinctive action. It was an action that occurred to me as soon as I remembered what Glenn had once said.

‘No matter how strong the opponent is, if you strangle them, they’ll never be able to hold out. Especially if they’re of similar build… no, height, and if you’re lucky enough to grab their back, you can force them to surrender or knock them out by strangling them. Well… if they’re bigger and taller than you, it’s useless. It’s nearly impossible to grab them from behind.’

However, the first condition, the fact that the Suin tribe Eksan was more similar to him than he thought, worked properly. The second condition was met with an absurd speed that was difficult to dismiss as a coincidence.

What on earth is this? Where does this incredible agility come from?

“Ugh, ugh!”

“Surrender…!”

Milishia, who had practically climbed onto the wooden platform and was using all her might to enter, managed to whisper that. Eksan stumbled properly at the unexpected blow.

It’s already been quite some time. It would be wise to just stagger around until now.

Please. Please! Eksan muttered to himself, not knowing whether he knew Milicia’s intentions or not.

‘Damn it. I let my guard down! No, just a moment ago… that ridiculous speed was… ugh…!’

He tried to somehow grab the saint’s arm that was tightening around his arm, and swing his other arm back to strike the saint’s side. However, although the saint was similar in height, her muscles and basic skeleton were smaller than Eksan’s.

It was natural. There were differences in gender and race. Furthermore, there was no way that the saint, who had trained for only 40 days, could keep up with the muscles of Eksan, who had trained incredibly hard as a warrior.

Finally, there was a critical weakness of the Eksan.

‘Damn, my arm… won’t move!’

The other arm couldn’t reach the saintess who was riding on her back. It was because her muscles were too developed. She was considered slim within her race, but she couldn’t reach at all. It can’t be done. If it’s going to be like this, this is the only way.

Eksan decided to fall backwards and slam his opponent to the ground. With as much force as he could muster. If he did it right, Milishia would be badly injured, and his neck, spine, and other parts of his body would become paralyzed.

The strength of Eksan was possible in the hardness of the soil-covered ground like this empty lot.

Damn it. It’s against the terms of the contract. But if I lose, I won’t be able to do anything, so please don’t get hurt too badly, Lady Saint!

However, Milishia sensed the gap in Eksan’s hesitation in deciding whether or not to fall back, and exerted more force into his arms.

In fact, it was the last of her strength. She screamed in her mind, putting all her strength into her arms.

Please, please, please!

Please, let it end like this!

At that desperate cry in my heart, the illusion from just a moment ago suddenly reappeared before my eyes.

Ah, this is…you are…

Militia realized the identity of the illusion. And…

“Ugh….”

And then, with a sudden noise, the Eksan came crashing down. With a thud, the body fell to the ground. On top of it, Milicia Airgrants was riding around its neck.

In a moment, silence came. Everyone was shocked, their faces turning pale. Only the sound of Milicia’s breathing filled the empty space.

Operschuppel froze, his mouth wide open.

Even Betrog, who had been confident of victory, kept his mouth shut and his face pale, his gaze fixed on the empty lot.

And then someone wearing a hood shouted at Benedict, who was frozen by the unbelievable sight.

“Simpaaa …

With a voice so loud that it shook the empty lot.

“Ah, oh, oh. This time it’s Eksan! One, two…”

The Benedict monk barely regained his composure from the tremendous scream and began to count. The one who touched the ground was Eksan, and the one riding on top of him was Milicia. In theory, Milicia is not considered to have been lying on the ground because she is riding on top of Eksan and not on the ground.

In a trembling voice, the numbers went up one by one. Three, four. At that shout, the congregation surrounding the empty lot suddenly began to speak together. Five. Six. The two people who had collapsed did not move at all. Seven, eight. It looked as if Operspelle would run out at any moment.

But then someone suddenly grabbed his arm.

His father, Betrog. Betrog’s expression was hard, but it was clear that he was suppressing the anger that was enough to make his veins burst out. Opperspelle blushed even more at that expression.

“Nine…!”

“Heat…”

The number rang out directly from the mouth of the saint, no, Militia Airgrants.

And the Benedictine monk said, raising both arms in the air.

“Duel, End. Winner, Militia, Air Grants!”

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“Wow!!”

“Oh my, what the hell is going on now!”

“What the heck is this duel! That wild warrior, fell in an instant?”

“I can’t believe it, how can he move like that!”

“Opershpel, what should I do about this…”

The empty space where people were originally supposed to recite hymns and recite doctrines and be pious has become a crucible of madness.

Among the people of the Bronx host camp, who were showing off their composure and pride in their obvious victory, there were many who were shocked, screamed, and made remarks denying reality.

In contrast, most of the parishioners who had been holding on to a sliver of hope were all happy and proud. Someone even prayed for this miracle. The bishop sighed in relief and could not hide his joy.

And, among the congregation, several people wearing hoods hugged each other and shared their joy. They were the seven most different people in this group.

Among them, only one, the smallest of the hooded ones, was kneeling on the floor.

“I did it, I did it… Milicia…!”

In a very small voice, words filled with worry, regret, and joy were spoken.

Glenn witnessed an incredible miracle. Who would have thought? Who would have thought that he would really win.

When the enemy, the Suin warrior, appeared, Glenn was giving up. He had a strong urge to just rush at the count, strike him once, and escape from here with Milicia, regardless of the outcome of the duel.

It was an absurd impulse to ignore the sacred duel, but the one word that resonated in Glenn’s heart was increasing the justification for such an impulsive act.

‘I don’t want to hand over the Militia I saw to that guy.’

I didn’t want to lose the saintly appearances that I had shown while I was with her. I didn’t want to hand them over. I didn’t want to let that expression collapse. To those vile and evil men, of all people. To those ridiculously vile men. I didn’t want to throw away the saint’s fate.

Glenn, who had been watching the duel with such despair, noticed something odd in the behavior of the Suin warrior as soon as it began. And he tried his best to suppress the urge to offer advice to the saintess.

No matter what the hooded men next to him were saying, he barely managed to suppress his own urge to shout by covering his own mouth.

And when the saint blocked it with her arm and it hit him right in the stomach, he felt a terrible feeling come over him and he almost ran out into the open space.

However, he hesitated at the absurd saint’s full-force attack, and later, when the saint used absurd agility to get behind Eksan, he clenched his fists on his own.

By shouting out loud for the count, I managed to indirectly help her win.

‘I wish it could just end like this.’

Even though he knew it was a ridiculous wish, Glenn looked at the Bronkhorst camp and hoped earnestly.

However, his hopes were shattered in an instant. At first glance, the Bronkhorst camp looked full of life.

Those wearing the emblem of the Royal Knights were openly preparing their weapons. The terribly sinister Opershpel was whispering something to his father Betrog. Betrog, with a cold expression and a fierce look, was quietly talking to his son.

Glenn didn’t have to think hard about what it was. He knew it right away.

Opershpel shouted loudly.

“This duel is invalid!”