Battle Race in the Fantasy World

Battle Race in the Fantasy World – 83

EP.83 It Was There, Now It’s Gone

“Do you really think the Alliance will just accept that? Going straight in and saying, ‘Hand over the responsible parties, kneel and apologize, take measures to ensure this never happens again, and be prepared to die if it does.’”

“That’s unlikely.”

“But really? Should I relay the message exactly like that?”

“We each have our wants, Kyle. The Emperor, and our Jonathan.”

The Emperor desires the Alliance’s devastating defeat, complete subjugation, and no casualties for the Empire.

Jonathan wants to eradicate the practice of grueling training that consumes the body.

Regardless, the Alliance isn’t going to just say, ‘Oh, we’ll comply,’ especially when they’ve been fighting and resisting the Empire for so long.

They are the largest power that has stood against the Empire, with several individuals comparable to the Empire’s top ten.

Even though they have weakened recently, the Alliance is still the Alliance.

Kyle knows all too well that pride within a group can be a much bigger issue than expected.

Unfortunately, they committed an act in their impatience that should never have been done.

And after all that, they achieved nothing, completely botching the situation.

But that doesn’t mean they’ve lost their pride; they won’t just bow their heads without a fight.

“…So, everyone knows that talking won’t work.”

After all, if persuasion by words were possible, his brother or sister wouldn’t have come.

There are only two situations where the people of Jonathan take action on their own.

One is when they can sense an extraordinary overload, and the other is when it’s time to cause a stir.

And in this situation, the reason Leo and Lea came is more aligned with the latter.

To be honest, Kyle himself didn’t expect the dialogue to work.

And he couldn’t help but secretly hope for a significant event to occur.

No matter how much he tried to suppress it, the Jonathan will kept surging forth.

He was beginning to understand why his father called it a curse.

‘It’s not a bad thing. The Alliance deserves to be punished anyway. And if a war ends with just some talking, is that really a war? You have to fight and clash. So, it’s natural to feel restless.’

These thoughts kept echoing in his ears and mind.

Whether it was the devil’s whisper or an angel’s encouragement, he couldn’t tell anymore.

“The Imperial army and the Duke have already been informed.”

“You’ve already discussed it? When?!”

“The Emperor must have known from the moment he sent us here. We handle everything that happens from now on, and the Duke takes care of the results and cleanup. What could be more glorious than securing the Alliance’s total surrender?”

After hearing Leo and Lea’s words, Kyle thought for a moment and then nodded.

Jonathan didn’t care about the Empire’s victory or the Alliance’s surrender.

Jonathan’s sole concern was the complete disposal of something that should never exist in the world.

And the assurance and promise that it would never appear again.

“We won’t force you, youngest.”

“Yes, Kyle. We won’t force you. You don’t have to fight if you don’t want to.”

Leo and Lea spoke in gentle voices, smiling.

Up to that point, they seemed like siblings worried about their younger brother.

They seemed concerned that he might be forced into something unpleasant and suffer emotionally.

“Brother, Sister.”

But those siblings were people of Jonathan.

And Kyle was also a person of Jonathan.

He could tell just by looking. He could see exactly why they were acting this way.

“I can see you’re trying to push me aside so you can fight more.”

“Ahem.”

“Hehe. You caught us?”

Good grief, it was absurd. To say such things with their intentions so obvious.

Why are you making your younger brother feel so left out? Trying to take away my opponents, really.

Grumbling inwardly, Kyle slowly stretched his body.

They had come all the way to the west, exuding as much suspicion as possible.

If the Alliance had any sense, they would notice something was off and deploy their best forces.

It would be even better if they used that damned mana overdrive or whatever it was.

And finally, the person who appeared was, as expected, one of the Alliance’s top forces, one of the Three Heroes.

Especially appealing was the exceptionally clear aura he emitted.

Mathieu, was it? The moment he saw him, he knew. He had to fight this man no matter what.

If he let this opponent go, it would haunt him like missing a week’s worth of training!

‘Oh, please. Brother, Sister. Let the youngest have this one.’

Even as he politely asked if they wanted to go first,

Kyle fervently hoped that Leo and Lea wouldn’t step forward.

This was clearly a true warrior, honed through relentless training.

To quell the Jonathan will raging inside him, he had to fight this man.

“Hmm.”

“Hehe.”

Perhaps sensing Kyle’s inner thoughts,

Leo and Lea showed a bit of regret but nodded in agreement.

‘Phew.’

Breathing a sigh of relief, Kyle quickly stepped forward before they could change their minds.

“It seems we won’t resolve this through words. Let’s move on to the next step. Let’s have a match and then discuss our future with clear minds.”

By now, everyone would have caught on.

While a battle between armies was good, this time they would settle it in the way of the strong.

At Kyle’s words, Mathieu Philibert of the Alliance’s Three Heroes nodded, saying, “Ah, I see.”

In a direct confrontation, nine times out of ten, the Alliance would lose.

Even if they inflicted significant damage on the Empire, the Alliance would ultimately be wiped out.

In that case, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to establish some justification through a duel like this.

“…What if.”

As they headed to a spacious area suitable for fighting,

Mathieu, walking opposite Kyle, slowly began to speak.

“If we duel and you win, I will convey your proposal to the Alliance. Conversely, if I win, will the Empire quietly withdraw?”

In reality, Mathieu’s proposal was something the Empire couldn’t accept.

It was the Alliance that first launched a surprise attack and nullified the justification for restraining the war.

And now they were asking if the Empire would withdraw based on the duel’s outcome.

It was an absurd proposal, even from Mathieu’s own perspective.

“If you wish, I can say that we will.”

But Kyle nodded several times with a smile.

Mathieu blinked in surprise at that response.

Of course, the next part was the most crucial.

“If you can actually win, that is.”

“….”

It was a clear provocation, but Mathieu didn’t get overly angry.

Instead, he seemed to gauge that there was a reason for Kyle’s confidence and raised his own aura.

‘The title of one of the Alliance’s Three Heroes is well-deserved.’

Kyle had wondered if his youthful appearance might cause his opponent to underestimate him.

However, despite the sudden duel challenge, Mathieu showed no signs of underestimating him.

On the contrary, his tense demeanor suggested he had already gauged Kyle’s level.

‘As expected, the real deal is different,’ Kyle muttered inwardly.

For the first time, he felt at ease and took the initiative to strike first.

BOOM!!-

“Gah?!”

Just as Mathieu was about to ask where Kyle’s sword was, his body was sent soaring into the air.

It wasn’t a sneak attack; it was a straightforward punch delivered from the front.

However, the result was anything but ordinary.

Crack!-

Barely regaining his balance, Mathieu stood up, steadying himself.

His body had already been pushed far back, into the Alliance’s territory beyond the border.

“….”

“….”

The Alliance members, who had been wondering what was happening, were left speechless.

What kind of attack had sent Mathieu, the foremost of the Three Heroes, flying like that?

Thoughts of whether he could even survive today’s fight, let alone win, began to flood their minds.

“Grr.”

Mathieu wasn’t oblivious to their thoughts. He had been completely outmaneuvered from the start.

Feigning nonchalance, he steadied himself and charged straight at Kyle.

The idea of criticizing Kyle for not wielding a sword had vanished.

Though it seemed impossible for someone so young, he instinctively recognized it.

Kyle was a warrior on par with himself, someone who could rival the Empire’s top ten.

Worrying about whether such a person had a weapon was sheer madness.

Clang!!-

As Mathieu had anticipated, when his sword clashed with Kyle’s bare hand, there was no blood or torn flesh.

It was just a dull sound, like metal striking metal.

‘He already knows how to envelop his body with mana. At that young age, already!’

Testing the waters or trying to gauge his opponent’s strength would be sheer arrogance.

From the beginning, he had to go all out, using every ounce of his power.

Even then, it wouldn’t be about winning; it would be about barely avoiding defeat.

Shhh!!-

He concentrated all his mana and expelled it outward.

Soon, a translucent aura began to form around the blade, taking the shape of a ‘sword aura.’

“Haa!”

The ultimate martial prowess, sword aura, which could slice through even the heaviest shields and thickest armor with ease.

Even seasoned knights could barely summon something that didn’t even reach the level of a mirage.

To be considered skilled, one had to at least reach the initial stage of manifesting sword aura.

The strongest warriors on the continent could wield this sword aura freely.

Thus, sword aura was a decisive factor in measuring strength.

It meant that nothing in the world could withstand that sharp, blue energy!!

Clang!-

“…?”

For a moment, Mathieu wondered if he had misheard something.

His sword was clearly enveloped in sword aura, so why did it sound like it had struck something solid?

Especially when his opponent wasn’t even holding a sword?

“Tsk.”

At the sound of someone clicking their tongue, Mathieu slowly turned his gaze.

There stood Kyle, looking at his own fist, from which a trickle of red blood flowed.

“That hurts.”

He had taken the sword aura head-on and was speaking as if he had just been cut by paper.

Something faint and unsettling began to rise within Mathieu’s chest.

It was fear.