NOVEL NEXT Chapter 223
Chapter 223: Light
Capital Knight Clotte advanced towards the arena. He stopped right next to Louis and smiled warmly.
“It seems things have gone your way in the end.”
He slowly raised his long second hand.
“How about now? Are you satisfied, youngster?”
“As I mentioned before, not yet. It’s an honor to compete against a Capital Knight, but my goal is victory.”
“Victory…”
Clotte repeated the word, even though it didn’t resonate with him.
Contrary to the provocative figure inviting him to the arena, Louis now looked extremely serious.
Clotte blinked quietly.
“Are you saying that because you’re confident you can win?”
“I am confident… but there’s already something I’m satisfied with.”
“Is there something you care about other than winning or losing?”
“Yes.”
Louis nodded with a confident look.
“Winning is obviously a goal, but it seems like no one expects to win against a Capital Knight. I now have that expectation.”
Clotte, who had been listening, also nodded quietly.
“I thought you were just a kid with no deep thoughts.”
Since he looked young, Clotte hadn’t expected him to have such profound goals, but Louis was living with unexpectedly grand ambitions.
“Let me ask you one thing, kid.”
“Ask anything.”
“Is that idea yours alone?”
“No.”
Louis turned his head halfway and looked back. Among the representatives of the Magic Department eagerly watching the arena, his eyes fixed on Flan.
“It’s thanks to that guy, Flan, that I have this mindset.”
“Flan, Flan, Flan… I hear that name everywhere.”
Clotte nodded as if he understood.
“My curiosity about Flan has grown. Alright, fine. I’ll deal with you quickly and then cross swords with him.”
“I’m not sure about ‘quickly.’”
Louis snapped his fingers lightly. Before anyone noticed, the mana surrounding him began to shine brilliantly.
“I’m really going to give it my all.”
“You’d better.”
In the next moment, their duel began.
◈
Boom─!
A thunderous sound that seemed to crush the arena echoed.
Even if the same sword was wielded, the result varied greatly depending on who held it. Since Clotte, its true owner, was now holding the second hand, its power was naturally immense.
Boom─!
When the sword struck vertically, a giant circular crater formed on the ground. However, no fragments scattered and flew everywhere.
This was because time had stopped at the point of impact.
Therefore, Louis chose to evade rather than block the attack, and there was a moment when their eyes met as they both floated in the air.
‘Time stops?’
‘He dodged.’
As they both confronted each other’s unexpected strength, they simultaneously realized the other’s unexpected capabilities.
A bead of sweat rolled down Louis’s forehead.
‘Strong.’
It was a brief but intensely vivid impression. The power of a Capital Knight couldn’t be easily compared to any opponent Louis had faced before.
When facing the guard knight, Brian, Louis had felt that his swordsmanship was very straight and refined, but even that was incomparable to Clotte’s sword.
Boom─!
Boom─!
With each moment that time around them stopped one by one, Louis could deeply feel the immense weight attached to the title of Capital Knight.
It felt like facing a disaster that he absolutely must not get caught up in.
Challenges and trials could be set as goals to overcome by confronting them. However, this was literally a ‘calamity.’ In every sense of the word.
‘Capital Knight…’
Why were Capital Knights mentioned as candidates for heroes?
Why did they think it was not worth considering anyone other than a Capital Knight? Why were invitations only sent to them…? All these thoughts instantly made sense in his mind.
There was no sense of understanding who the opponent was or adjusting to them. It was a sword wielded freely because it could simply destroy anyone regardless of who they were.
‘His strength is absurdly immense, and he knows it better than anyone.’
It felt like witnessing a realm he had never encountered before. Louis felt goosebumps every second he exhaled.
He had faced various opponents so far. He had competed with fellow students and had set foot in dangerous regions like Verkel to slay demonic beasts without hesitation.
And now.
Before his eyes.
There was a swordsmanship that could possibly become part of a legend.
Stopping time where it touched, and when that time flowed again, everything would certainly be cut in half. It was like an irrefutable truth.
‘But.’
There also existed a power that could overcome calamity.
‘Miracle.’
“Haah!”
Louis shouted a battle cry and jumped high into the air. He shot over ten beams at Clotte in one go.
Whoosh─!
Clotte made a large slash through the air. Then, the beams approaching him all stopped mid-air simultaneously.
“Ha…”
The Capital Knight chuckled.
However, it was not a laugh of ridicule aimed at Louis. The knight was surprised by Louis showing more skill than he had anticipated.
‘What kind of magician…’
Louis displayed a completely different aspect from the image of a magician etched in Clotte’s mind.
Of course, he had seen Brian being flung out of the arena and losing with his own eyes. But in the process of accepting it, he had strongly assumed that Brian must have been careless.
However, watching Louis’s movements, Clotte could feel it.
‘Even if the match had dragged on, Brian would have lost.’
He thought that even if Brian had experienced several defeats and requested a rematch with all his might, it would have ended in Louis’s victory.
Swift.
And he left no trace in his movements.
‘This is, magic.’
The power was distinctly different from his innate ability. It was the driving force that allowed a mere human to use mana to create miracles.
Despite aiming for the goal of becoming a hero, how could Clotte not possess a competitive spirit? Seeing Louis exerting himself to the fullest ignited a similar fire within him.
“Kid, want to try this too?”
Clotte’s sword began to move even faster.
As more spaces stopped and those yet to do so began to increase in number—one, two, three…—it created a dizzying illusion as if the entire world had changed.
Clotte was already manipulating space and time, forcing Louis into the trap of his choice.
“No way… An innate ability to manipulate time.”
Becky muttered in disbelief. She turned to Maiev beside her.
“There are spells to manipulate space, but aren’t there no spells to manipulate time?”
“Exactly. While there are some time-related aspects in dark magic… there’s none in regular magic. It hasn’t even been researched.”
“That’s just… ridiculous power… That’s… Flan! What do we do? Aren’t we going to lose like this?”
Despite Becky’s frantic reaction, Flan didn’t show any particular response. He just stared at the arena.
Excluding Flan, the emotions of the magicians watching the arena grew complicated. To reach the position of a hero, they had to surpass a Capital Knight who wielded such a sword effortlessly.
They had to change what had been accepted as the highest for a long time in this world.
Whoosh─!
Once again, Clotte swung his sword. Louis, with part of his robe caught and held by the stopped time, staggered and was deeply slashed on his left shoulder.
“Flan…!”
“Flan!”
People around started calling out to Flan more frequently. They judged that it would be better for him to intervene and be disqualified than to let Louis die.
“He is indeed strong.”
Flan muttered.
“He has grown stronger. And he is strong. He will become even stronger in the future.”
Hearing Flan’s words, the representatives’ faces grew even paler. Becky looked between Flan and the arena.
“Then, even now…”
“Not Clotte.”
Flan continued calmly.
“I’m talking about Louis.”
“What?”
With his confusing words, question marks appeared on the faces of the representatives. Then, they felt it—the pure energy surging from the arena.
At the same time,
Louis’s eyes and hair began to emit a golden glow.