BOOM————!!
The entire arena practically exploded.
"Whoaahhhhhh!!"
"That was amazing, Arthur!"
"Arthur-senpai~~~!!"
"Arthur! Arthur! Arthur!!"…
The commentator stood up and shouted excitedly:
"The match is decided!!"
"Contestant Arthur—defeated all his opponents with just a single strike!!!"
"As expected from the strongest Nine-Star Swordsman of our Kingdom of Sobea——!!!"
Kaien Blaze was a little dumbfounded. "Wait… No, that was magic! Isn't that against the rules?"
"Magic? Nah, that's swordsmanship. Magic Swordsmen are still swordsmen. And anyone who reaches high-star rank is a Magic Swordsman. What rock have you been living under to not know that?" A passionate guy nearby kindly explained.
"…"
Kaien was speechless. Well, the guy wasn't wrong—he really was from a world without magic.
Originally, he thought the most they did here was use magic to enhance their physical ability, maybe condense it into slash-type projectiles. He didn't expect that actual magic would be this integrated into swordplay.
"So strong!"
Erza's expression turned serious as she watched Arthur's attack. One strike had taken down that many people. So that's the strongest Nine-Star Swordsman in the Kingdom of Sobea?
If she used her Requip Magic, she might be able to withstand that hit… Without it? She couldn't say for sure.
"Tch! Still showing off like always!"
Clay was a bit annoyed seeing how much more popular Arthur was than him.
"Excellent!"
The King nodded with satisfaction as he looked at the screen.
Clay was someone he'd watched grow up since childhood—a genius swordsman, humble and hardworking, always striving to refine his skills. His power had risen rapidly. If it weren't for the Magic Council defining everything by "mages," Clay would absolutely have a seat among the Ten Wizard Saints.
"Next is Group D, the final group! Contestants, enter the arena!!"
After the defeated swordsmen were carried off for treatment, the commentator announced the final round.
"My turn?"
Kaien stood and walked toward the contestant's entrance.
Just as he stepped into the arena, another wave of cheering erupted.
"Allen! Allen! Allen!!"
Kaien looked back to see a red-haired youth, about the same age as him, enter the stage. The young man had a radiant smile and waved to the audience.
"Whoa! It's Allen!!"
"He's so handsome!!"
"Go Allen! Knock them all out!!"
Many girls in the audience screamed with excitement. Allen wasn't just good-looking—his swordsmanship was exceptional, and more importantly, he was only nineteen. A total heartthrob.
While Clay and Arthur weren't old, they were still over ten years older than Allen. In the eyes of 15-year-old girls, that basically made them ancient relics.
"Tch! Just a brat."
Seeing how well Allen was received by the younger crowd made Clay jealous.
"It's the genius swordsman Allen!"
"He's the youngest Nine-Star Swordsman in the Kingdom of Sobea!!"
"And the only Nine-Star in this group! Can he dominate the battlefield like the other two Nine-Stars? Let's find out!"
Kaien glanced at Allen and casually entered the stage as well.
Once on the field, Kaien noticed something.
These contestants were clearly avoiding fights with higher-ranked opponents, prioritizing elimination of those below them. Now that he had entered, he could feel at least ten gazes locking onto him.
'Looks like they think I'm the soft target,' Kaien smirked slightly.
Well, after he won the prize money, this identity would be dropped anyway.
Might as well give them a tiny bit of shock.
"There's no suspense in this match!"
"Exactly! Allen's a genius Nine-Star swordsman!"
"See? The swordsmen of our Kingdom are the strongest! That girl swordsman was impressive, sure, but she can't match our Nine-Star elites."
"Let's just enjoy watching Allen shine!"
"Totally! Totally!"…
The spectators were already convinced the outcome was set. The gap between an Eight-Star and a Nine-Star was enormous—let alone the gap between genius and average.
"Now beginning Round 1 of Group D—Begin————!!"
CLANG————!!
As the gong rang—
Almost the exact moment it sounded—
"Sun Breathing, Ninth Form: Solar Halo Dragon—Head Dance!!!"
ROOOAAAARRR—————!!
A thunderous dragon's cry echoed across the arena.
In the blink of an eye, a giant flame dragon twisted and surged through the entire lineup of contestants.
"UWAAAHHH!!"
"GAHHHH!!"…
Every contestant—including the genius Nine-Star swordsman Allen—was blasted away by that one strike.
When the dragon vanished, a man with deep crimson hair and a red haori stood where the dragon's head had dissolved. On his back was the contestant number: 0556.
THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP!!
All other contestants crashed to the ground—completely defeated.
"..."
The entire venue fell deathly silent.
In the Contestant Lounge, Erza, Clay, and Arthur all stood up, shocked expressions on their faces, staring at the calm man standing in the middle of the arena.
Clay's eyes were wide in disbelief. "This… this is impossible! No one's swordsmanship should be able to reach that level—no, impossible. Absolutely impossible!"
Arthur's expression turned serious. "And yet, it happened before our eyes. That man… is standing right there."
"So strong! Unbelievably strong!"
Erza couldn't even come up with anything else to say. Her eyes were locked onto the man in the arena, filled with awe. "Shocked" and "stunned" weren't enough to describe it.
Only one word appeared in her mind:
God.
If there truly were a god among swordsmen, then that man was the Sword God.
In the royal palace—
SLAM!!
The King slammed the table and stood up, his eyes wide as he stared at Kaien on the screen.
The King himself was once a veteran Nine-Star Swordsman, hailed as the strongest in the Kingdom of Sobea. As age caught up with him, he gradually stepped back, allowing the younger Arthur to take over that title.
But age also brought insight.
Those who didn't understand swordsmanship might think Kaien and Arthur both simply cleared the field in one strike. But to the eyes of a true master, the difference between them wasn't just a gap—
It was an abyss.