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Chapter 96 – The Envoy of the Lutein Kingdom (2)

Maximus spoke with emotion.

“That barbarian helped the princess and came here. I understand. He is indeed the princess’s benefactor. And if, as the Tower Master says, the Lutein Kingdom is under some kind of threat, he has helped us prepare. Yes, I was annoyed when I was treated like some errand boy, but I understood.”

His face was filled with irritation.

There was a feeling that he could not tolerate the existence of Ketal.

“But now I can’t understand it at all. Who exactly is that barbarian to be involved in such significant matters?”

“But Maximus.”

“Yes, I know. The Tower Master wants it that way. But even so, I cannot accept it.”

Maximus was irritated.

“Who exactly is that barbarian to make us care so much?”

[Hmm.]

The Tower Master nodded.

[Oh, right. You weren’t there at that time.]

When King Denian talked about the Tower Master and Ketal, Maximus wasn’t present.

From Maximus’s perspective, who didn’t know the situation, it was understandable that he couldn’t comprehend Ketal’s presence.

But.

[So you couldn’t accept it. What’s the problem with that?]

The Tower Master asked in a genuinely perplexed tone.

To the Tower Master, Maximus was neither an entangled nor distorted existence.

He held no meaning or value.

Maximus’s face twisted at the clear attitude of indifference.

“Please don’t be like that.”

In the heated atmosphere, Barbosa intervened with an ambiguous expression.

To the Tower Master, Maximus was just an irrelevant stranger.

To a hero class like him, the power of a sword master didn’t hold much value.

But it was different for Barbosa.

Maximus was a Sword Master.

A superhuman and the strongest warrior of the Denian Kingdom.

‘This is troublesome.’

Barbosa understood why Maximus was so angry.

The reason Maximus remained the sword of Denian Kingdom was partly due to a lingering patriotism, but the true reason was different.

Maximus was the strongest in the Denian Kingdom.

He was always at the center of attention, and everything revolved around him.

The country took care of all troublesome matters, so he didn’t have to worry about anything.

To Maximus, the Denian Kingdom was just a place where he could be respected and build his honor without hassle.

But now, they only paid attention to the barbarian and didn’t care at all about him, a Sword Master.

That must have made Maximus feel great humiliation and disgrace.

The reason Maximus was raising his voice was probably because of that.

‘I don’t know who the king is anymore.’

Even though he moved as his retainer, he wasn’t in a position to give commands recklessly. Sighing inwardly, Barbosa asked,

“Then what do you want, Maximus?”

“…A duel.”

Maximus twisted his lips.

“I want a duel with that barbarian.”

“Hoho.”

Ketal laughed.

Barbosa frowned.

“Maximus.”

“I want to see for myself how strong that barbarian is. If he proves his strength to me, I won’t interfere any further.”

Maximus spoke firmly.

“And there would be no reason for the Tower Master to intervene either. Checking one’s strength is a natural thing.”

[If it’s as you say, I have no intention of intervening either.]

The Tower Master smiled.

[The important thing is the other party’s intention.]

“Are you planning to run away, barbarian?”

“No way.”

Ketal smiled brightly.

The sheer joy in his smile made Maximus hesitate for a moment.

“I accept.”

* * *

They moved to the training ground.

Elene looked at Ketal with a worried expression.

“K-Ketal, are you alright?”

“I don’t think there’s a problem.”

“I know you’re strong, but….”

Ketal wasn’t weak.

He had subdued countless knights and defeated Adamanth.

But the superhuman he had defeated was a magician.

He was a barbarian, a fighter who moved with his body.

He could have an advantage over a magician due to their different combat styles.

But this time, his opponent was a Sword Master.

There was no way he could have an advantage over such an opponent.

Moreover, the level of this adversary was clearly higher than Adamanth’s.

An interest grew on Ketal’s face.

“I’m curious. How would he compare to Cain?”

“Are you talking about the Sword Master of the Gehentra Kingdom? He is also a Sword Master, so he’s strong, but… I know he hasn’t reached that level for long.”

Not all superhumans possessed the same level of power.

Since they dealt with strength that easily surpassed the limits of ordinary people, they had to hone their abilities for a long time after reaching that level.

There was a huge difference in power between someone who had just reached the rank of superhuman and someone who had been there for several years.

Both Cain and Adamanth had only recently reached that level.

But Maximus was different.

“Maximus has been a Sword Master for ten years.”

Having reached that level long ago, he would have perfectly mastered the power of a superhuman.

Ketal murmured with curiosity.

“It’s fascinating. Cain seems much older.”

“Talent isn’t fair to everyone.”

Maximus was strong.

His strength was recognized as true superhuman.

Ketal smiled.

“I see.”

“If it gets even a little dangerous, surrender immediately. The Tower Master is watching, so there shouldn’t be any major danger, but… just in case.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Ketal walked to the center of the training ground.

On the opposite side, Barbosa was saying something similar.

“Maximus, do not injure him.”

Barbosa didn’t think Ketal was that strong either.

Having known he defeated Adamanth, he wouldn’t consider him weak, but he thought there would be limits to his power since he fundamentally lacked mystical abilities.

He judged that Ketal wouldn’t be able to reach Maximus, a true superhuman who was not at the bottom rank.

He believed that the Tower Master’s interest in Ketal was due to his unique strangeness, not his strength.

“You don’t need to worry. I’ll control my strength so as not to injure him. But since it’s a sparring match, there could be mistakes.”

Maximus looked at the Tower Master.

“In that case, I’ll leave it to you, Tower Master.”

The Tower Master chuckled.

[Alright. Give it a try.]

“…”

Maximus’s face twisted with displeasure at that laugh.

Ketal and Maximus stood on the sparring ground.

Maximus drew his sword.

“No need to use a practice sword, right?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Ketal answered lightly.

His face was filled with strong anticipation.

‘The ones I’ve faced so far were the weakest among the Four Heavenly Kings.’

Sword Master Cain.

Magician Adamanth.

The two superhumans he first encountered.

Their power was truly miraculous.

Their abilities to manipulate tangible illusions and control nature had deeply impressed Ketal.

But even they were the weakest among the superhumans.

So how strong would a true superhuman like Maximus be?

How special would his abilities be to impress Ketal?

His heart pounded like it did when he read comic books as a child.

Barbosa looked at the Tower Master.

[The barrier is up. You can start.]

Barbosa nodded.

“Then let’s begin. I hope it ends without injuries.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Maximus gathered his mystical energy.

There was no need for further conversation.

What he wanted to show was overwhelming power.

The mystical energy circulated through his body.

Every Sword Master had their unique swordsmanship.

And Maximus’s swordsmanship was very simple.

He minimized the manifestation of aura and circulated it entirely through his body.

He accelerated and accelerated, pushing his speed to the limit.

Extreme acceleration.

That was Maximus’s swordsmanship.

BOOM!

The ground split.

Neither Elene nor Barbosa could even see the afterimage.

They were watching without blinking, yet Maximus had already reached Ketal.

It was a speed akin to teleportation.

Elene was astonished.

“Ketal!”

Maximus grinned.

Ketal didn’t show any reaction, as if he hadn’t seen it.

He reached out, intending to grab Ketal’s neck and slam him into the ground.

Ketal was impressed.

‘He’s definitely faster than Cain.’

Ketal grabbed Maximus’s forearm.

“…Huh?”

Maximus was momentarily confused.

He grabbed my arm?

How?

Ketal twisted his hand.

Maximus’s body was forcibly turned over.

“Ugh!”

Maximus instinctively tried to resist, but it was impossible.

He couldn’t resist, as if he were held by a giant.

“This, this!”

Maximus instinctively swung his knee.

It was also swift.

At a speed that would be difficult to counter for those at the lower rank of Sword Masters.

His knee struck Ketal’s temple directly.

BOOM!

With a thunderous sound, dust exploded in all directions, clouding their vision.

“Ma, Maximus!”

Barbosa was horrified.

That idiot struck with full force!

There was no way anyone could be fine after taking such an attack.

The dust slowly settled.

And then they couldn’t believe their eyes.

Maximus’s knee was still pressed against Ketal’s head.

Ketal, still holding onto Maximus’s arm, hadn’t moved.

“…Huh?”

Maximus couldn’t comprehend the situation.

He had unwittingly failed to control his strength.

The force should have crushed even a rock.

A human’s head should have been pulverized.

But Ketal’s stance was unwavering.

‘…What in the world?’

That was Maximus’s last thought.

Ketal reached out and grabbed Maximus by the back of the neck.

Maximus fell like a puppet with its strings cut.

‘He’s faster than Cain, but…’

That’s it?

Ketal tilted his head in confusion.

For someone who was supposed to be a true superhuman, it was nothing impressive.

After a moment of thought, he nodded.

‘Did he hold back?’

Well, it was just a sparring match, so there was no reason to go all out.

Ketal felt a bit disappointed.

He had hoped to see the true power of a superhuman, only to miss the chance.

‘There’ll be another opportunity.’

Ketal thought to himself.

Everyone who had been watching the duel was in shock.

Barbosa stared blankly at the fallen Maximus.

Elene was also dumbfounded.

The Tower Master let out a dry laugh.

[Handled like a child.]

* * *

The duel was over.

Maximus, after regaining consciousness, said nothing.

The Tower Master asked Ketal.

[What did you think?]

“He’s fast, but it was disappointing. There was no need to hold back.”

At those words, the Tower Master laughed.

[Do you think he held back?]

“Well, he didn’t show any Sword Master techniques, did he?”

He was simply fast.

Ketal could only think Maximus had been holding back.

The Tower Master didn’t bother to correct him.

‘Maximus’s level is quite simple.’

Honestly, the Tower Master was a little surprised too.

Ketal had easily subdued his opponent.

He had known Ketal would win against Maximus, but he hadn’t expected it to be this effortless.

‘This barbarian.’

How strong is he really?

The Tower Master’s eyes gleamed with interest.