Ken yo, kaku katariki – 37
37 – Lightning Speed
‘…The Combat Technique Tournament, third pair of the general division! It’s time for the fighters to enter!”
The arena was filled with the greatest cheering of that day yet.
Amidst this storm of voices, I stepped foot into the arena.
‘Now, the east corner! Dorto Savan, and his most unusual whip sword! What kind of strange and wonderful techniques will we see today!?’
‘The sword whip is a very difficult weapon to use. It is swift, and with great reach. The important thing is how one will get within range.’
‘This will be his fourth time competing! Quite the veteran! And a well-known B-Rank Hunter as well!’
‘A Hunter who is in his prime. One might count him amongst the most promising candidates.’
Oh, amazing. It was like listening to wrestling commentary.
I had heard them while in the waiting room as well. There were two women’s voices coming from the speakers.
One was an ordinary person…while the other seemed very strong.
‘And his opponent! In his very first appearance, it is Yukito! We know that he was recommended by Count Orlando, but that is all the information we have! Do you know of him, Ms. Emily?’
‘Well…you might say…’
‘Huh? What do you mean?’
‘It is just that I’ve heard some rumors. …But he is much younger than I expected.’
‘Yes! In fact, at eighteen, he is the youngest one this year! One wonders why he is not competing with the students. And he appears to be wielding a sword.’
‘A katana. Not the most common choice. But it’s a major weapon in the east. While similar to a sword, it is lighter and specialized for cutting.’
‘Well, the difference in reach will likely have a great influence on this fight.’
‘Indeed. Going by what we know at the moment, Dorto does seem to have the advantage…’
‘This boy fighter who is shrouded in mystery! Will he be able to show what he is made of!? The battle is about to begin! Please get into position!’
As I listened to them absent-mindedly, I suddenly noticed that my opponent was facing me and glaring.
A large, muscular man with red hair. He was clearly a bit older than me, and had the air of an experienced fighter.
“…Sorry, but I won’t be going easy on you. The tiger uses all of its power, even when hunting a rabbit.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
So he was saying he was a tiger and I was a rabbit?
I could not give much of a reaction to this provocation before the fight. I was not some professional wrestler…
As for his weapon—the whip sword, it looked like a whip that had numerous blades attached to it.
Not like a Galient sword, but a whip with knife blades that hung from it. It looked heavy, but not burdensome to him. He must be able to control it well.
Hmm. An odd weapon. However…
The three second countdown. And then the clang of the gong.
At the same time, with one foot, I shot towards him.
This weapon’s weakness. It went without saying; close range.
In order to avoid hurting yourself, the first half of the whip lacked blades. That kept the weight and center of gravity towards the tip, and left a large opening while swinging.
While you could get some good speed when swinging from above, there would be a delay when bringing it back. The retraction was an important part of wielding a whip, but it was difficult here. No matter how I looked at it, this was not a good weapon to be used against human fighters.
…And once I was in close range, there was little he could do.
“!”
Instead of using his whip, Dorto tried to counter with a kick—but it was too late.
“Sorry, it’s going to hurt.”
With my blade still sheathed, I slammed the hilt into his jaw, and with a roundhouse kick, my foot pierced his stomach.
Without much resistance, he went flying into the air. His bracelet flashed red, showing the damage that was dealt. In other words, it was a KO.
‘Kno-knock-ouuuuutttt!!’
The electric board above my head—I didn’t know if it was actually electric—displayed the results. And the commentator began to shout.
‘At lightning speed! An instant kill! I could not even see what had happened! Ms. Emily, what was that!’
‘That was quite… He rushed forward in an instant, launched him upwards with a hit to the jaw, and then knocked him down with a roundhouse kick. Mr. Yukito did not even unsheath his weapon.’
‘That is amazing!! What a shocking event! Who could have predicted this outcome!? A giant killing! And the crowd is going wild at the sudden appearance of this dark horse!’
‘…Grafios, remember him… Grr…’
The spectators were stunned.
I suddenly sensed someone’s gaze, and turned my head. I found Ms. Iria and the other students watching. And the Count was sitting next to her.
Lord Count. I’ll keep my promise, alright?
Instant kill for them all.
As I looked, the Count met my eyes with a strained smile.
Well seems he will have to bully his way in the tournament HAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the chapter
so nonchalant. hahahaha.
thanks for the chapter.