Chapter 310 - [21st Round] Mollan Paladin
▶ Empathy: As a trainee striving to be a teacher, I shouldn’t show any special preferences to any particular student. However, I think that cadet Kang Han Soo, who frightens even evil spirits, really has the most handsome face. Rest a.s.sured that this opinion of mine will never affect my work.
‘Thank you for the compliment, Trainee Teacher with the most beautiful body and soul! I am undeserving of it!’
I wanted to talk to her a little more, but I needed to deal with the cheeky Sword Princess who took me for a savage.
Ha! Barbaric face?
She should never have dared to say something so atrocious to me, a civilized man from Earth!
This provocation was too obvious, but I decided to pretend that I, the Righteous Hero, was hurt.
“Be honest with yourself, Drug Hero.”
“Shut up.”
“Heeheehee!”
How was I supposed to fight?
If I used the wings of the righteous hero, it would attract too much attention. Additionally, if there were a “Brave” user in the audience, they would be able to recognize me.
I couldn’t use the Perfect Holy Sword either.
It would serve as my main weapon in the future. If I showcased it here for all to see, it would be no different from admitting that I was the Demon Lord.
‘Should I fight with my bare hands?’
It wouldn’t work either.
The Sword Princess had a very powerful sword. If I blocked her attacks with my bare hands, even stupid Fantasy savages would find it odd.
The tournament also specifically indicated that the Sword Princess had to be defeated in a sword fight.
The Sword Princess herself would be cheating with her medium-range attacks, though, but I didn’t complain.
I resolved my predicament.
“Hear me, Sword of the End, ruined by Chaos and reforged on the Stars of Oblivion! I hereby declare that I remember your sacred name and praise you for your blade that cuts the bonds of meaningless friendship and love! Awaken from your slumber and prove that our legendary alliance has existed since time immemorial! Come forth and serve me once more, Holy Sword Nucleon!”
Pop!
From the moment I got the wings of the righteous hero and the Perfect Holy Sword, Nucleon became a useless piece of metal.
Nevertheless, I pulled out the obsolete relic that had been gathering dust in the corner of the Demon Vault.
▶ Problem: I’ve always thought it’s a beautifully designed Holy Sword, which is perfect for you.
… I pulled out the wondrous novelty of our era, stored in the Demon Vault!
Holy Sword Nucleon.
This powerful Holy Sword, used by the Elf Hero, was created specifically to fight Demon Lord Pedonar.
At one point, unable to prove its truest worth in the hands of its pathetic previous owner, it fell into the hands of the MAX-Cla.s.s Righteous Hero, receiving a second wind.
And now it had once again appeared before the world upon being summoned by the MAX-Cla.s.s Sword King Parpar!
There was something I didn’t like about the crowd’s reaction, though.
If the spirits didn’t want me to chase them all away, they should get to work.
“Wow!”
“Wow!”
“Awesome!”
The audience immediately burst into thunderous applause.
Much better.
“Holy Sword?”
“Since I’m going to face the strongest sword of the Northern Continent, conventional weapons will not work.”
“Right.”
“Okay! Enough evaluating each other, it’s time to start the battle.”
“Agreed.”
I decided to seal my level and skills using only the strength of my body, which had evolved in accordance with the teachings of Master Mollan.
I didn’t like pretending to be weak, but this was not a fight to the death.
Hence, I had to be humble.
▶ Delight: Cadet Kang Han Soo, it’s very romantic of you to hold yourself back for her.
‘Of course, Trainee Teacher!’
I already defeated the Sword Princess in the 1st round. However, back then, I made her my companion, not my wife.
I wanted to return to Earth, after all, where my mother’s tennis racket was waiting for me.
I had no time to pretend to play.
However, as my companion, she never admitted defeat and didn’t trust me until the end.
She called me a demon.
I still remembered my first round’s last day quite perfectly.
The Sword Princess, who was always ready for my surprise attack, fell, resisting to the end.
The Mercenary King, Sage, and Elf Queen weren’t even aware of anything.
They never imagined that I would attack them before defeating Demon Lord Pedonar, who was trying to destroy the world.
It was considered impossible to defeat him without companions, after all.
That was why they were confident that I wouldn’t touch them until this moment.
But I broke those prejudices by killing them all.
I was weak against magic, so I first dealt with Sage, breaking through his magic shield.
Then I killed the Elf Queen Sylvia, who had enslaved the spirits with ease, considering she didn’t have time to give the spirits any orders. Without them, her defense was weak.
I targeted the Sword Princess next, then the Mercenary King.
He boasted the highest level of protection, which should’ve allowed him to survive my surprise attack, causing the battle to drag on.
However, the Sword Princess was the only one who dodged my blow.
She didn’t panic and calmly reacted to my sudden barrage.
Just like now.
“You’re fast.”
The Sword Princess was a mid-range fighter. Although she used a sword, she didn’t rush into close combat situations.
She stepped back, keeping a small distance between us.
And I continued to chase her.
To avoid losing to the Sword Princess, one should always stay as close to her as possible.
Fshuh!
However, as I expected, she didn’t allow me to approach her that easily.
Without showing her back, she quickly stepped back, unleashing dozens of attacks in my direction with her sword energy.
I knew that technique well.
“Sword Storm.”
That was the Sword Princess’s favorite tactic.
Since it didn’t require any preparation time and its range was long, it couldn’t boast great strength, but she could still unilaterally inflict damage on her opponent, preventing them from reaching her.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
I tried to close the distance while blocking her bombardment using Nucelon, but she wasn’t easy to catch. Our fight would have turned into an endless pursuit if we weren’t dueling in a confined s.p.a.ce.
“Oh!”
Everything was the same as the 1st round.
The Sword Princess’s eyes widened in surprise upon noticing it too late that she was being squeezed into a corner of the arena.
This was probably the first time it had ever happened to her.
It was time for close combat.
Bam!
Boom!
Our swords collided.
Her hand did not flinch, however, because of her magic sword.
Usually, when one’s stats increased, swordsmen switched to more suitable weapons for their new level, but the Sword Princess’s sword grew with her, letting her keep it from start to finish.
“This makes no difference.”
“Huh?”
The Sword Princess unleashed another Sword Storm at me.
In close combat, the strength of that technique of hers became completely different.
However, I, the MAX-Cla.s.s Righteous Hero, didn’t even flinch against its might. I pierced through her chest.
The events that transpired were the same as before.
The Sword Princess, unable to stop my offensive, would fall to the ground as her blood burst out, ultimately ending our bout.
However…
“Mollan Swordsmanship, 3rd Form: Mollan’s Unity.”
“What?”
Why did such a great name come up at this time?
When she muttered something like a spell, her movements accelerated greatly.
Fighting off my Holy Sword Nucleon, which had pierced her chest, she swung her Magic Sword Eyer diagonally.
This was madness!
Thinking I was up against the same old Sword Princess was too careless of me.
Just as Sword King Alex and Phantom King Shakespeare became extremely powerful when they got married, no rule forbade the Sword Princess from becoming stronger as well.
I lost sight of this.
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Mollan’s Teachings had become widespread on the Northern Continent of Fantasy.
I should’ve paid more attention.
High Priest of Mollan’s Teachings.
Rank 2 Mollan paladin.
Bearer of Mollan Medal of Honor.
The Sword Princess didn’t have those t.i.tles in the first round.
She probably gained them in the 5th curriculum.
All the countries of the Northern Continent had made Mollan’s Teachings their state religion. It should’ve been no surprise that the Sword Princess had a.s.sumed a leading role in it.
‘Oh Great Master Mollan! You always remind me, your humble student, the importance of vigilance!’
He always caught me off guard when I least expected it.
“His greatness knows no bounds.”
But for me, Master Mollan’s first apostle, this was nothing but a trifling matter.
My serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin, neurotransmitters that activated the brain, jumped into action.
My muscles howled in pain, but my adrenaline and endorphins suppressed it.
Of course, there was no need to be so zealous.
However, the Sword Princess’s counterattack exceeded my expectations.
Hence, from here on out, our battle would be fair and would put our pride as followers of Mollan on the line!
The veins in my temples bulged, and the muscles on my limbs became far more robust and rounded.
Moving faster than the charging Sword Princess, I parried her blow then kicked her bare belly with all I had.
BOOM!
Sent flying to the side, the Sword Princess rolled across the arena.
However, she was able to stick her sword into the ground, stopping her from skidding further.
“Kha-kha!
“You ceaselessly amaze me.”
She didn’t approach her situation from a scientific perspective as I did. Rather, she took control over her autonomic nervous system by maximizing the usage of her strong willpower.
Could it be called self-hypnosis?
I saw firsthand how the inhabitants of the Northern Continent evolved, who came to believe in Master Mollan.
This was really impressive!
“Kh! Sir Parpar, you are indeed very powerful and beautiful in your own way. My heart raced every time I watched you suppress your opponents with a deep, bottomless gaze and a murderous smile. However, I have a reason not to accept defeat.”
“Reason?”
She didn’t want to lose so desperately, as if someone had already taken over her heart.
The Sword Princess’s condition had become deplorable after suffering greatly from my blow, though.
▷ Race: Human
▷ Level: 999+
▷ Job: Knight (Devotion → Fort.i.tude ↑)
▷ Skills: Sword Aura ZZ, Fort.i.tude ZZ, Charm Z, Willpower Z, Gifted MAX…
▷ Status: Dislocation, Fracture, Overworked, Excited, Determined…
The Sword Princess was rumored to be level 500, but she was actually a transcendental person who had surpa.s.sed level 999.
That was why the men that challenged her after hearing those rumors had no chance of winning.
Naturally, if her soul were divided among the education courses, she would no longer be as strong.
Regardless, she was nowhere near my league.
The Sword Princess, whose spine broke upon being hit by just one blow from me, could now only stand on her feet thanks to her sword, which she now used as a cane.
Krak— Brrrr—!
The sounds of bones cracking and crunching echoed.
After a short while, she pulled the Magic Sword Eyer from the ground and straightened her back.
“Fracture” and “Dislocation” disappeared from her stats.
She, on her own, healed her herniated disc, countering my signature technique that had never let me down for the past 200 years.
“I apologize, Sir Parpar.”
“Hmm?”
“Our fight should be fair and conducted with swords, but I used the power of Mollan’s Teachings that I had sealed to try to defeat you.
“Is that so?”
I thought Master Mollan’s teachings were an all-encompa.s.sing art…
The Sword Princess raised her weapon above her head.
“From now on, I shall fight you as a Mollan paladin, not as the Sword Princess. I may seem to you like a spoiled lady trying to avoid marriage, but my heart already belongs to another man.
“And your body?”
I was really curious.
The Sword Princess’s face flushed.
“Mollan Fencing, 4th Form: Mollanscalibur!”
WZZZZZZZHHH!
Light enveloped Eyer’s blade and shot high into the sky.
That power went beyond the Sword Princess’s abilities.
Even I wouldn’t like to get hit by it.
I decided to use a trick of mine as well.
“Water Spirit King.”
Pop!
The Water Spirit King, who had been rubbing his cheek against my left armpit all day, immediately slipped between the Sword Princess’s legs.
Holding Magic Sword Eyer above her head with both hands, she couldn’t prevent his invasion.
“Aaaahhhnnn~!”
The outcome was amazing!