NOVEL NEXT Chapter 498 The Phantom Fencer
498 The Phantom Fencer
On the third day of the preliminary for the Imperial Battle Tournament, Erik was scheduled to have two matches for the day. One in the morning and the other in the afternoon. After having his breakfast, he then headed straight to the camp to get himself prepared. Yesterday, Erik had an intense fight with Tina, and the match ended with his win. Their fight inflicted severe damages on her. Erik was feeling responsible for it, so he had been monitoring her condition from a distance and was ready to provide her treatment if necessary. It would leave a bad aftertaste on his tongue if she did not make it alive. Leaving her aside, Erik was currently strolling around the camp, and he was kind of delighted to see his name in some of the small-time betting boots. More and more people must have recognized his strength after his fight yesterday. He also noticed that a few people had been interacting with him and praised his performance. His popularity would increase if he kept winning and provided entertainment to the audience. There were now around five hundred warriors left in the preliminary so far, and they had proven themselves to be powerful and strong twice. More powerful warriors would filter out as time went by. By the way, Erik had also been keeping an eye on Gauss Groniz, Raphael's friend, who did not make it this far. He won his first fight with dominance but was defeated in his fight yesterday. Anyway, the match he would be partaking in this morning was a duel with a fellow swordsman. His opponent was only approximately Level 200, and Erik immediately predicted the outcome of their battle. When their fight started around ten o'clock in the morning, the match between Erik and his opponent began. Erik wanted to be known for his unique style. As the kind of fighter Azrael wanted to portray to Erik, which was actually based on a popular fictional character on Earth, he had been fighting his opponent with such grace and elegance. In addition, he had been spamming his Afterimage to deceive and purposefully humiliated his opponent, as well as using it to sneakily poke his opponent from his blind spot as if Erik were some sort of apparition. As a result, the audience was entertained, and they eventually started cheering on him. With his mysteriousness as his charm and his gracious fighting style, Erik was later dubbed "Phantom Fencer." His new moniker was officially added to his name in the list, and he would be addressed as 'Erik the Phantom Fencer' in his next fights. Erik liked how things were going on around him, but he did not forget his intention of joining the tournament. Since Erik was one of those kinds of people Raphael was secretly urging to become, Erik, or rather, Azrael, was free to make name in the arena before the final show. His next match would be in the afternoon, so Erik went in the city to grab some lunch. ◆◇◆◇◆◇
In the afternoon, around two o'clock, the time for Erik to fight had come. He stepped on the platform and stood before his opponent. This time, based on his gears, Erik was going to fight a pugilist, one who fought with fists—a brawler. His opponent was a tall and muscular bald man with bulging arms. He was about Level 300 and currently an active A-ranked adventurer in the empire. Apparently, he was a member of a well-known S-ranked party. He was equipped with leather armor and a pair of steel gauntlets with spikey knuckles around his arms. From Erik's eyes, he looked like your average ruffian who loved big bikes, and he could guess that he bears the same stereotypical personality as well. "Hey, I heard that you are kind of strong, but you did not seem to look like one." With a rough voice, the bald man scoffed at Erik as he scanned his appearance from toe to head. "Whether it was true or not, I will make sure to beat your ugly face behind that mask."
"Make sure to make that a reality, mister, as I am going to sweep you on the floor. I would be disappointed if you fail to entertain me." "Ha! You got some confidence in you, aren't you? Just because you win some games, you can boost it all to my face. I'll teach you some lessons, kid."
Ready, fighters?!" The referee shouted, "The match between Kuffnam the Red Fist and Erik the Phantom Fencer has begun!"
As soon as the referee started the match, Kuffnam charged himself toward Erik with such speed in contrast to his build. He was like an unstoppable cannonball. With his fist thrusting straight to Erik, the Phantom Fencer quickly performed Dash to dodge the attack. When the brawler turned around after making a stop, Erik was already coming at him. Erik thrust his rapier forward, but Kuffnam used his fist to block the incoming stab attack. Clink!
After a sharp sound, both of them stepped back for some space before they clashed in the middle of the circle, colliding their weapons anew. Erik tried to slash his blade once he saw an opening, but it was Kuffnam's plan, and his rapier was caught by his gauntlet. "Hmph. The words about you seemed not to be exaggerated. You got the speed and strength. Your name is Erik, yes? But don't celebrate yet as I am just starting."
"I am not being serious yet as well."
Immediately after saying that, Erik landed a powerful front kick on Kuffnam's chest, which made him loosen his grip on the blade and eventually let it go. Kuffnam was knocked back by his kick and rolled over. Once he got up, he tilted his neck on both sides once, generating popping sounds, before he fisted his palm and cracked his knuckles. "Alright, this is getting excited. Entertain me more, Phantom Fencer!"
Erik pointed his blade and responded, "I'll say the same for you, Red Fist. Let's see if you can make your nickname into a reality during this match."
Afterwards, the fight continued.