I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 193: The Great Battle of the Dragons (2)

Inside the waiting room for the participants of the Great Battle of the Dragons.

Gunther, clad in silver armor, stood with his sword planted in the ground, looking every bit like a young hero.

But could even someone who seemed so brave not help but feel tense?

A long sigh escaped Gunther’s lips.

“Huuu—.”

As his breath lingered in the air, a small mutter followed.

“…This is annoying.”

Gunther’s brow furrowed slightly.

‘Tsk, for my heart to waver like this before such a crucial moment…’

His first opponent was already in his third year.

And yet, rather than feeling tense about the impending battle with such a formidable foe, Gunther felt irritation.

While reflecting on his attitude, he wondered why he felt so annoyed.

‘Why?’

He carefully recalled what might have caused his irritation.

Was it seeing Poppy hiding behind a shield throughout yesterday’s match, yawning incessantly as if not even mildly entertained?

Or was it because Arin ate all of her snacks this morning and then snatched his share as well?

Or maybe it was because Yuri, without any reason, cursed at him again, calling him a “Gunther-like bastard”?

Or could it be that Theresia, his senior, gave him that scornful look and said, “Why is someone who used to be fine becoming more and more of a scoundrel?”

‘…There have been too many annoying moments to pinpoint just one.’

As Gunther pondered deeply with a serious expression, a voice called out.

“Gunther Irons, enter.”

Gunther put on his helmet and stepped up the stairs leading out of the waiting room.

Clank, clank.

The sound of his full armor rubbing together echoed oddly as he passed through the short corridor and emerged into the light.

What greeted him was a starkly quiet arena.

Humm—

It was the first match of the Great Battle of the Dragons.

Given that, it was no exaggeration to say most of the cadets were in attendance, resulting in a large crowd.

Yet, there wasn’t even a single cheer or word of encouragement from the audience.

Everyone merely looked down at the arena with piercing eyes.

Gunther’s face hardened slightly at the silence.

‘…So this isn’t just a festival.’

The Great Battle of the Dragons wasn’t simply an event where people watched and enjoyed others fighting.

The senior cadets showcased their achievements by crushing the lower ranks.

Meanwhile, the lower ranks publicly threatened the seniors, demonstrating that they could catch up at any time.

Moreover, Dragon’s Cradle had laid out the platform for them to do so freely.

Knowing that, neither the participants nor the spectators could enjoy the Great Battle of the Dragons with laughter and chatter.

As Gunther was assessing the atmosphere in the center of the arena.

Step, step—

Just as he had done, someone emerged from one side of the arena.

180 cm tall.

Dark bronze skin with tightly curled short white hair.

A boy with a notably sharp appearance.

Gunther glared at him with piercing eyes.

‘His name was Heiss Blom, wasn’t it?’

For the 50th class, the lowest on Dragon’s Cradle’s food chain, every match and every opponent was daunting, but this one was especially formidable.

Ranked fourth among the 48th class, which was hailed as the best in the past 15 years.

He was also one of the skilled members of Gunther Ryder’s personal guard.

Clang—

Heiss walked to the center of the arena, scanning Gunther up and down.

“You’re one of the brats who hang around with Yuri Holland.”

At Heiss’s remark, Gunther let out a faint sigh.

‘Haa…’

It had been months since Gunther, having lost his memory, had stumbled into the den of the beasts and, swayed by the promise of private lessons from the Indomitable Sword, had stayed put.

Many things had changed during that time, but the biggest change Gunther had felt, painfully so, was how people perceived him.

Yuri and his friends, grouped together.

Or referred to as Yuri and the Four, or similar.

At some point, everyone around started associating Gunther as part of “Yuri’s group.”

Gunther couldn’t help but feel somewhat wronged.

‘Me, lumped in with them?’

Someone as rational and normal as he was being treated as if he were of the same ilk as those people.

Really, what an absurd thought.

Already in a foul mood from his inexplicable annoyance, Gunther lowered his visor to hide his worsening expression.

Then he raised his sword in salute.

Clank—

“I am Gunther, eldest son of the Irons family, requesting instruction from my senior.”

Despite his irritation, his voice remained polite and respectful.

Heiss scoffed in response.

“Pointless and foolish.”

“……”

“Let me tell you something as your senior. Do you know why the Great Battle of the Dragons has no referees?”

“…I do not.”

“There’s only one rule in the Great Battle of the Dragons: ‘Only the winner advances to the next match.’ The method of victory doesn’t matter; Dragon’s Cradle doesn’t care, even if one side dies during the match.”

“……”

“Also, the match begins the moment a cadet sets foot in the arena. That’s why there’s no need to place a referee.”

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

“Can’t you understand even after I’ve explained it? You should have ambushed me the moment I stepped into the arena. That was your last chance to defeat me… but you missed that chance, all because you insisted on observing pointless manners.”

A mocking smile crept onto Heiss’s face, and Gunther’s expression turned icy beneath his visor.

“Thank you for the advice, but…”

Gunther’s tone lost its courtesy.

“You’re irritating.”

“…Irritating?”

“Your certainty that I won’t be able to defeat you, that’s what irritates me.”

“Oh, really…”

Not addressing him as a senior.

Not even referring to him as ‘you.’

The term “that side” made Heiss’s face turn menacing.

“Seems like the 50th class generally lacks respect for their seniors.”

Heiss pulled out two daggers from his waist.

Shing—

Seeing the daggers in Heiss’s hands turn a crimson hue, Gunther’s eyes flashed with recognition.

‘Enchanted Blades.’

As one of the top-ranked members of the 48th class, Heiss was a certified Level 2.

And not just any Level 2, but a highly proficient one.

“I’ll show you exactly how you should treat a senior.”

With that, Heiss began to walk forward slowly.

Then, all of a sudden, his movements grew larger.

Dash!

In an instant, Heiss vanished and reappeared directly in front of Gunther, thrusting his dagger forward.

And the sight of this left the eyes of the 50th class wide with surprise.

‘What?!’

‘So, so fast!’

Heiss’s movements were swift, fluid, and filled with springiness.

Like a black panther.

‘I missed his movement for a moment!’

Heiss’s speed was considered the best in the 48th class, aside from Gunther.

So it was no wonder that many spectators, including those from the 49th class, lost track of his movements.

But Gunther was different.

“……”

His eyes beneath the visor tracked Heiss’s movements precisely.

And it wasn’t just his eyes following.

Clang!

Gunther’s sword calmly intercepted Heiss’s dagger.

“……?!”

Heiss hadn’t expected his speed to be countered and was slightly taken aback.

But had he been truly stopped by such a small shock, he wouldn’t have been ranked fourth in the 48th class.

Heiss quickly switched his dagger to a reverse grip.

Click—

Scrape—

He slid his dagger along Gunther’s sword, swinging the opposite dagger.

Slic—

The dagger, imbued with enchanted power, swept across Gunther’s torso with a chilling sound.

Heiss, who was about to launch another attack, evaded a strike aimed at his face by leaping backward.

He frowned slightly at Gunther, who stood calmly.

Gunther’s upper armor bore the trace of Heiss’s blade.

But that was all.

“Only a scratch…?”

Normally, the enchanted blade should have pierced Gunther’s armor and cut into his flesh.

Yet, while it was scratched, the armor remained unbreached.

This suggested two possibilities.

Either Gunther’s full-body armor was of extraordinary quality.

Or it was infused with some special power capable of withstanding the enchanted blade.

For Gunther, it was undoubtedly the latter.

And what that special power was could easily be discerned.

“…The energy of steel.”

Heiss glanced at Gunther’s sword, which glimmered with a bright sheen.

It was unmistakably the sign of Steel Sword technique.

‘Not bad.’

Being certified at Level 1 in his first year was already impressive.

But what surprised Heiss even more was that Gunther applied the Steel Sword technique to his armor as well.

In response to his attack, Gunther had momentarily encased his armor with the energy of steel.

This was not something that could be done without considerable skill.

Realizing that Gunther was far stronger than he had initially assumed, Heiss discarded his underestimation.

Swish—

Determined to use his full strength from now on, Heiss’s upper body leaned increasingly forward.

Eventually, Heiss was practically crouching like a four-legged beast.

“Grrr—”

A flicker of killing intent, accompanied by a low growl.

A cruel smile suggesting he might bite Gunther’s throat at any moment.

Humm—

An intimidating aura radiated from Heiss.

Dash!

Like a predator targeting its prey, he lunged at Gunther.

Swish—

Moving as if skimming the ground, Heiss’s speed had nearly doubled from before.

Heiss’s movements resembled that of a beast possessed by the spirit of a leopard.

Clang!

Appearing beside Gunther in an instant, he swung both of his daggers swiftly.

The Secret Blade Technique of the Blom Family.

Severing the Lifeline.

Swish, swish, swish—

Heiss’s daggers, like a beast’s sharp fangs, targeted Gunther.

Stabbing, slicing, and tearing—the dagger movements resembled a beast gripping its prey and violently shaking its head.

In response, Gunther drew upon his family’s ultimate technique.

The Secret Blade Technique of the Irons Family.

Wings of the Thunder King.

Massive griffon wings wrapped around Gunther.

However, the sharp fangs of the leopard pierced through the wings.

And with each strike, lines etched themselves onto Gunther’s full-body armor.

“Ah…”

“It’s over.”

Soft sighs escaped from the spectators.

If Gunther continued to endure such relentless attacks, he might hold on now, but eventually, he would reach his limit.

The audience believed the match was effectively over.

However—

“……”

Gunther’s gaze was still sharp and unyielding.

At the same time as the first round match of Group 1 of the Top 24 was underway.

In a forest clearing not far from the third-year residence area.

For the third years, this place was strictly off-limits.

The reason was simple.

It was the training ground of Gunther Ryder.

And even as most of the cadets gathered in the circular arena for the Great Battle of the Dragons, Gunther remained absorbed in his personal training.

Humm—

A silver sword danced through the air, and Gunther’s well-trained body moved swiftly.

Thrusts, dodges, and slashes—Gunther’s movements were relentless, hinting that this wasn’t ordinary training.

It was as if he were fighting an invisible opponent, fiercely.

And as evidence, Gunther’s eyes were fixed on a phantom before him.

Swish—

Before Gunther, a shadow moved quickly.

It was none other than the memory of Yuri who had defeated him months ago.

Gunther was recreating his past experience, conjuring an imaginary Yuri Holland to continue the fight.

Swoosh—

The phantom Yuri’s blade grazed Gunther’s cheek.

A red mark appeared on Gunther’s cheek as if he had truly been cut.

Undeterred by the wound, Gunther swung his sword, but the phantom Yuri evaded effortlessly.

Tack—

Standing some distance away, Yuri faced Gunther with his sword drawn.

‘Yuri Holland…’

Gunther glared at the laid-back stance of Yuri, swinging his sword.

A black aura shot from the blade, taking the form of a crescent moon that flew toward Yuri.

Swoosh—

A flying sword so fast that others would struggle even to react.

But the phantom Yuri evaded it effortlessly.

Then, immediately afterward—

Crackle—

A strong golden glow flickered from the sword in the phantom Yuri’s hand.

Gunther’s expression hardened.

‘…Here it comes.’

That was it.

The golden light that had handed him his first defeat.

A force far beyond the level of ordinary demon swords… a brutal power that had haunted him repeatedly like this, bringing back nightmarish memories.

It was closing in once again.

Facing it, Gunther gripped his sword tightly.

Crack—

His jaw muscles tensed as he clenched his teeth.

Staring fiercely at the encroaching golden light, Gunther shouted.

“Yuriiii Hollaaand!”

And at that moment—

Ssss—

The darkness that had enveloped Gunther’s sword swelled unusually large.

Boom—!

A deafening explosion ripped through the sky above the forest, as if tearing the eardrums.