Academy’s Genius Swordmaster - Chapter 74

[ 74. Dirty Bet ]

#74

“Yes. Bet the essence of fresh blood. Wouldn’t it be worth trying if you have three?”

Silence fell. There was a tension unique to the gambling board. At last Balzac snorted.

“Why should I?”

“Such a fucking mosquito cub.”

“I won’t deny that it’s interesting. But I don’t think you have anything worth exchanging for the essence of blood.”

“well. Is it really so?”

Suddenly, Ronan released La Mancha from his belt and put it on the table with its scabbard. Ophelia’s eyes widened as she watched. An electric sound rang in Ronan’s head.

[Ronan…what are you doing?]

Ronan looked at Ophelia and blinked one eye. It meant putting down your worries because it was okay. Ophelia tilted her head with a puzzled expression. Balzac, with a curious brow furrow, approached the table.

“Hmm. There was one.”

“Even if you have one, your eyes are useful.”

“Can I pull it out?”

“As you like.”

Unexpectedly, Balzac asked permission before touching the weapon. It wasn’t too bad to observe manners between prosecutors.

Sureureung! After escaping from the scabbard, La Mancha revealed its true form. The sword blade pulled out in a straight line was as thin and dark as the eyelids of the night. Balzac, who was examining the sword closely, frowned.

“…It’s a strange thing. If only malice is added, it is not enough to be called a demonic sword.”

“what?”

“Hahaha, it wasn’t serious from before.”

Balzac grabbed the hilt. The red aura that suddenly began to gather from the bottom turned the black blade into crimson.

“What the fuck.”

Ronan’s eyes widened. It was the first time I had ever seen it while wielding La Mancha. Balzac turned around and lightly swung his sword at the wall of the banquet hall.

Whoa! The blood-red sword shot along the gentle sword path. However, it was not a normal crescent moon shape, but a fan-shaped blade reminiscent of spray.

Kwakwawang! A series of explosions rang out and the tombs vibrated. Dozens of flowers made of stone and dust bloomed. Seeing the horribly destroyed stone wall, Ronan cursed.

“How did you treat the plague?”

“It’s ugly. I don’t need this.”

“How did you do it?”

“Are you obligated to tell me that? If I have nothing more to show you, I will return.”

Balzac shook his head and returned La Mancha. I couldn’t send it like this. Ronan grabbed Sheeta from his shoulder and held it out to him.

“Then how about this? A creature that even a thousand-year-old elf does not know the true identity of. It’s smooth and fast, and it’s warm to sleep hugging at night.”

“Did you get it?”

“Ophelia, Ruby that shines in the snowfield. I’ll see you again when I get a chance.”

Sheeta widened her eyes. Balzac turned his back without even replying. He was just about to say goodbye to Ophelia. Ronan, who suddenly leaped onto the table, called Balzac to stand.

“wait. this bastard.”

The two vampires turned their heads at the same time. Ronan was glaring at Balzac with his hands in his pockets. Balzac frowned at the sudden eccentricity.

“…what are you doing?”

“I will bet you.”

“What?”

“You mean you’re going to bet me with stakes. If I lose, I will become your family. Aren’t those conditions sufficient?”

“Ronan…what are you talking about?”

Ophelia, who was worse off, asked in a voice. Ronan didn’t answer. Balzac laughed.

“I don’t waste my blood on making people. Do I gain anything by making you a member of my household?”

“of course. I won’t stop training just because I become a mosquito.”

“What do you mean?”

“If you become a member of my family, I will fight whenever you lose. A sparring opponent that continues to grow stronger beyond the limit of lifespan. Aren’t you going to kill me?”

Balzac’s eyes widened. It was an arrogant yet attractive offer. In the short time he spent fighting, he glimpsed the thrilling potential Ronan had. It was a lumber that could possibly become the second Jarodine. Balzac, who had been touching his chin, suddenly burst into madness.

“Ha ha ha! It’s fun. Even among mortals, there is someone who can come up with an idea like this.”

“That’s not going to happen, but it’s better not to relax just because I lose and become one of your followers. You’re going to rip me by the neck within five years.”

“Okay, I accept the bet. Please keep talking for once.”

“Nothing. All I want is a single blood essence.”

“What about the bet?”

“I already thought of everything. They take turns exchanging attacks one at a time.”

Ronan explained the rules of the bet he had in mind beforehand. They attack each other alternately. Free to defend or evade. However, counterattacking the opponent or failing to stand up for 1 minute after receiving an attack is considered a defeat.

The content was everything. There was no provision that seemed particularly favorable to Ronan. Balzac tilted his head as if he had heard someone talking in his sleep.

“…Do you really think you can really beat me on that condition?”

“of course.”

Ronan groaned. Balzac couldn’t understand him. Ronan must have known that there was a big difference in their skills. However, even if you play a trick, you can’t get enough of it, such a condition? Balzac laughed.

“You think too highly of yourself. What is the guest spirit of those who live a fleeting life?”

“It’s a mosquito that has lived a long time, so it has a long snout. Were you scared?”

“It’s not cool. I’ll accept the bet. If you become one of my followers, I will first use the first hundred years to teach you manners.”

“It’s an excellent choice. Then, shall we write the contract?”

The two wrote the contract in their own blood. A third party, Ophelia, became a witness. She constantly sent telegrams to stop Ronan, but Ronan only blinked in one eye to tell him he was okay.

[…totally crazy.]

The rules and stakes of the bets are listed in order. As the two signed, the parchment crumbled and disappeared. Only letters written in blood remained, floating on the paper.

The letters lined up like chains and penetrated into the hearts of Ronan and Balzac. It was the moment when the blood oath was fulfilled. Suddenly, Ronan instinctively realized that he would die if he did not fulfill his pact.

“It feels like shit.”

“The binding force of the oath… wrapped around my heart.”

Ophelia sighed. I couldn’t turn back now. Fortunately, the feeling of heterogeneity soon disappeared. Ronan and Balzac stood in the middle of the banquet hall. Balzac said in a relaxed voice.

“Don’t give up your lead. You better think it will be the last.”

“Thank you for that.”

Ronan grabbed the hilt. Ophelia served as the referee. Balzac laughed all the while waiting for the signal.

he had no confidence quality yourself. It was rather more difficult to control the power without killing it completely. Ophelia’s mouth fell open in fear.

“…start.”

bang! Ronan spurred the ground and ran. The darkness gathered around Balzac wrapped around Balzac’s limbs and transformed them into armor. His armor, made with dark magic, was as good as mithril in defense.

The gap quickly closed. Ronan tugged at the hilt. Seeing the slash cut through the wind, Balzac shrugged his eyebrows.

‘fast.’

It was a speedy sword that had to be acknowledged. But that was all. An extremely ordinary attack that just swings and cuts. In the previous fight, he avoided it, but if he wanted to defend himself, there was nothing he couldn’t do.

‘It’s disappointing. Still, I thought there would be some spleen.’

Ronan’s screams were already in my ears. Balzac smiled bitterly and took up a defensive posture. Awesome! La Mancha, burrowing into the armor, passed through Balzac’s neck and limbs.

“ah?”

It didn’t take long to realize what had happened. At the same time as the vision rotated dizzily, the pain to the point of losing consciousness came. A hair-raising scream erupted from Balzac’s mouth.

“Heah ah ah!”

The limbs that had nowhere to go soared into the air. Balzac’s head fell to the floor and rolled around. Ronan’s boisterous laughter came from beyond his lowered vision.

“Hahaha! You suffered, Balzac. Don’t take the essence of fresh blood well.”

“How!”

“I have no obligation to tell you that. I’m lying there thinking about which of the three I’m going to spit out.”

Balzac looked at his limbs scattered around him. It was impossible. The armor woven with high-density mana sliced like tofu.

“Ophelia. Count straight to one minute!”

Ronan shouted at Ophelia, who was dumbfounded. Certainly, Balzac’s armor was like very good magic. The chewy texture transmitted along the tip of the knife disproved that fact.

Of course, Ronan, who could cut mana, had no idea. He giggled vulgarly and mocked Balzac, who had become an asshole.

“If possible, ask for a solid and resilient guy. Like a ripe watermelon.”

“Big … do you think it’s going to be like this …!”

Balzac gritted his teeth. Thick veins appeared all over his face. It was around 20 seconds or so. Kwajik! Four limbs grew like explosions on the neatly cut surface of the body. Ronan’s brow wrinkled.

“Fuck.”

Balzac’s body staggered and picked up its own head. The blood vessels that stretched under the cut surface were wriggling as if they were alive.

He put his head back in place without hesitation. The red line that divided his neck healed in an instant. Crunchy! Balzac turned his head around and said while glaring at Ronan.

“Huh…Huhhh that’s interesting…what kind of trick are you playing?”

“I didn’t expect this.”

“Anyway, it’s my turn. Get ready.”

There was no tremor in his voice, which had regained his composure. It was an incredible recovery. Even by vampire standards, amputation of a limb was a serious injury that could take hours or days to regenerate.

“Ronan…”

Ophelia’s complexion was as pale as ice. Ronan reassured her with a gesture and went back to her seat. There was no composure on Balzac’s face as he straightened his posture.

“I will not look down on you any longer. fake jarodine. No Ronan.”

“Damn it, do it fast.”

Balzac looked at Ophelia. She licked her lips and hesitated as she whispered.

“……start.”

For an instant, red and black energy was sucked into Balzac’s feet. As if the mana in the air had been exhausted, it dried up. Darkness shuddered everywhere, and beasts made of shadows appeared. Ronan laughed.

“Are you hitting this once?”

“Even if it gets torn to pieces, don’t worry, I’ll fix it.”

Balzac reached out. Blood trickled through his fingernails, forming a long spear aimed at him.

There are five long spears in all that circle above Ronan’s head. It was a giant bottle that was well over 3 meters long.

right! Balzac snapped his fingers. As the beasts rushed furiously, bloody spears poured down. Ronan tugged at the hilt.

“Okay… let’s go until we go.”

Ronan lowered his stance and fired a horizontal slash. The two heads of the shadow wolves soared into the air. After taking out three more, Ronan rolled to the side. Quaang! The paws of the Shadow Bear rushing in from behind hit the spot where he was.

After slicing the bear, he raised his head to see a red long spear right in front of him. Seeing the spear pierce through the wild beasts, Ronan cursed.

“Shit.”

Awesome! Ronan spun briefly and slashed the bloody spear. Beasts immediately jumped up and surrounded Ronan. He swung his arms wide and fired his sword. The shapes of the dismembered beasts collapsed, leaving gaps.

But there was no time to catch my breath. Two long spears circling the air flew in, filling in the gaps. If you look and judge, it’s too late. Following his instincts, La Mancha stretched out and cut the long spear vertically.

‘Similar to that time.’

Suddenly, Ronan remembered the battle with Ahayute. The spear of light fired by the bald head blew away a battalion in one blow. The monsters that rose from the spot where the feathers fell single-handedly attacked the Knights.

Ronan was able to reach Ahayute only after cutting them all down. Trampling on the corpses of comrades sacrificed to clear the road.

Compared to that time, it was like child’s play. However, his unripe body was holding onto his ankles.

squeak. Ronan shredded the shadow lion that had scratched his thigh. It was a fairly deep wound, but I felt no pain. Sensing his spirit growing sharper, Ronan swung his sword as if dancing. Balzac, who was watching, let out a heartfelt admiration.

“Awesome.”

I could see why they suggested that type of bet. It was a much better swordsman than he thought. A good hundred beasts were being sliced at an unbelievable speed.

“But… I’m still immature.”

Balzac shook his head. His ‘blow’ was still in progress. It was a judgment aimed at the blind spot of the simple rule of exchanging attacks alternately.

As he signaled, all the remaining beasts charged Ronan. Then his figure disappeared among the beasts. Realizing what was about to happen, Ophelia screamed.

“don’t do it!”

Balzac clicked his fingers, ignoring Ophelia. A thick shield blocked the path between him and Ophelia.

– Aaaah!

-That’s it!

Suddenly, the beasts’ bodies began to inflate like balloons. The remaining spears pierced the beasts at the same time. Aaaaaang! A massive explosion of blood and shadow engulfed the banquet hall. A sigh escaped from Ophelia’s frozen mouth.

“Ah…ah…”

“My attack ends with this.”

It was not an explosion that could have survived. The shield is gone. The scenery of the banquet hall, which was not destroyed and widened, caught my eye. A thick cloud of dust was blocking the view. How many seconds have passed? A sudden cough echoed through the smoke screen.

“Cool.”

“……!”

The eyes of the two vampires widened. Unsteady footsteps were approaching. Balzac laughed at Ronan’s appearance soon after.

“You can’t stand this.”

“Gagging heck…Really…I almost drowned you bastard…”

Ronan’s face was like a rag that had been dipped in blood once and pulled out. Blood was dripping from the wounds all over his body.

However, there were no fatal injuries such as being cut or cut off anywhere. It was possible because I had a similar experience twice.

Once with Ahayute, and the other time with Schlieffen’s storm sword, which he had been stabbed with a straight sword not too long ago. When Sheeta flew in and used healing magic, most of the wounds disappeared without a trace.

“Knack!”

“Thank you, Sita. Whoa, I think I’ll live a little longer.”

“What… recovering with the help of others…!”

“The contract didn’t say no.”

Balzac twitched his lips. It was an obvious misjudgment to think that Ronan was immature. He also dug into the blind spot of the contract. And even more cunningly than Balzac. Ronan, who relaxed as if stretching, raised one corner of his mouth.

“Then… it’s my turn.”

Ronan grabbed La Mancha. The frozen Ophelia managed to send a signal. Balzac shouted in an angry voice.

“Do you think you’ll get beaten twice!”

At that moment, Ronan’s figure disappeared from sight. La Mancha’s blood-drinking slash was flying much faster and sharper than before.

On the other hand, Balzac’s body became heavier. It was because of the exhaustion of blood in regeneration and energy. He attempted to absorb the remaining blood and mana around him.

“hmm…?”

But something was strange. Obviously, the shadow beasts and long spears exploded, and I didn’t feel the blood and mana that should have been scattered.

At that time, Balzac’s gaze turned to the mysterious creature behind Ronan. Sheeta’s body with its wings wide open was sucking all nearby blood and mana. Sheeta met eyes and tilted her head.

“Did you get it?”

“This dirty…!”

It was a rigged match in the first place. The moment he realized that, Ronan’s slashes poured out.

La Mancha, who tore his armor again, drew dozens of red lines over his defenseless body. Ronan’s voice echoed through the rapidly blurring vision.

“I’m sorry. He’s a guy who didn’t learn.”

Balzac’s consciousness was cut off.