Erwin and Brenin, along with the entire audience in gymnasium number 23, were stunned. They had all expected Triton to struggle more against Gygas, given Gygas's abnormal agility. None of them anticipated that Triton would land a hit due to a mistake by Gygas, who slipped awkwardly.
"Did he ... slip?" wondered Brenin in a low voice, who found the dynamics too strange; he watched the ring carefully, and it did not take long to realize that what happened to Gygas, was not the result of a mere mistake.
"That bastard of a Triton..." - exclaimed the young swordsman - "That bastard slipped him with water!"
"With water?" asked Erwin, who also at that moment, was very surprised by what happened;
"Look around Triton"- pointed Brenin with his index finger pointing at his rival -"Do you see that fine layer of water?"
Erwin initially, did not see what Brenin described; but it was only after focusing on the figure of Triton for a few seconds that he realized that, in fact, there was a kind of fine, transparent puddle around the boy.
"W-Woah... Did he manage to throw him off balance with that?"
"Yeah, I’m 100% sure" - answered Brenin, who appreciated the choice made by his rival - "He was very clever: he understood the "idiotic" nature of his opponent, and made that idiot throw himself at him, making him believe that their confrontation would be more physical. That's when he used his skills to hit him...It's a very sneaky and difficult move to see, and the fact that most people didn't understand what happened is a testament to its danger."
Brenin was relieved: relieved that Triton was about to beat Gygas without too much trouble; he was happy, that he had not lost his title to someone who, in his opinion, did not represent the magical knights at all.
He should not have been happy, since his rival had just won, but he much preferred this than seeing Gygas emerge victorious.
"What are you doing just standing there? Are you in pain?" asked Triton in a sarcastic tone, who at that moment, saw his victory as certain.
Gygas, still surprised by what had happened, upon hearing those words regained his concentration, and, aiming his mana toward the wound, managed to tamp down-though partially-the wound, losing less blood than a moment before.
[Can he...do that? Interesting] wondered the King of Swords, surprised that a first-grader could use a technique that even those in the third section could not use.
[I won't be able to move at my best, however...I can still fight!] - Gygas, although he was limited due to the severity of the wound, did not give up, and he hurled himself at Triton; however, the wound in his abdomen, in addition to continuing to prey on blood, was severely restricting his movements, halving his speed and strength.
And that is exactly what Triton wanted, since using those violent jets of water, besides being difficult to accomplish, dispensed a lot of energy; therefore, facing Gyga in those conditions was the right choice for him to make.
The swords of the two opponents crossed, creating a roar that slightly rattled the ring; the two began exchanging blows that gradually became more and more violent, resulting in a chaotic yet elegant dance: Triton, thanks to his years of experience, relied much more on technique and precision, while Gygas's style represented his youth and impetuosity, using his agility to dodge and his brute strength to hurl violent blows at Triton.
But if at first the clash seemed somewhat even, as the seconds ticked by, Gygas's movements became more cumbersome and slower, and Triton's attacks, which at first did not graze him, now became more and more accurate, beginning to smack him around.
[Oh... Things are not looking good...] thought Gygas, who did not seem to be worried, but rather, he was happy. And this confuse Triton so much that he wondered if by chance the boy had some sort of secret weapon.
[No...Otherwise, he would have already used it] Triton gave himself a quick answer, who however, felt that something was wrong, although it was such a small and insignificant hunch that he ignored it altogether. [And anyway... The fight is already over].
"Kid...How do you feel?" suddenly asked the King of Swords to his opponent, who, in those excited moments, was displaced by that question.
"Unf! Unf!…Never been well! I'm having a great time!" Replied Gygas, who, despite his enormous fatigue from the severe wound in his abdomen, was not giving up.
"Oh, I'm glad, but I think the fight is over…" countered Triton, who, leaving Gygas stunned, leapt
backward, pulling himself out of that tight fight.
"...What on earth are you talking about?"
Suddenly, the moment Gygas stopped, the adrenaline dropped, and instead, a strange sense of fatigue rose; he looked around, and his vision slowly became more and more blurry, severely limiting his vision.
He did not understand what was happening, until he realized that he found himself in the middle of a puddle of blood, leaving him completely surprised, since he did not notice it.
[When did I lose all this blood? Is it because of the wounds? No...Something is wrong.] - thought the freshman who, seemingly without energy, fell to one knee, struggling more and more to remain lucid.
"Well, this is the special ability of my water element, Hydro Pull*. Thanks to this technique, if my element comes into contact with another liquid containing water, giving me the ability to manipulate the liquid in question, albeit in a limited way; this ability is not very rare, but you would have known that if you had concentrated in your studies, brat."
Suddenly, a roar rose in the room, since, at that moment, it was clear to them the outcome of the clash, namely, that their favorite had won yet another challenge in fluency.
"Brenin. You were aware of this?!" asked Erwin in a totally elated state, amazed that there were abilities similar to these.
"Well. No" - answered Brenin sincerely, who, for the first time since he had set foot inside the academy, had never been more surprised than at that moment.
Brenin realized that if he really wanted to defeat Triton, he had to get better and better day by day, otherwise he could kiss any dreams of glory goodbye.
In the meantime, Triton observed Gygas; normally, in order to finish the fight, he had to give him the coup de grace, as was the practice, since, someone died inside that magic bubble, he was immediately transported to the infirmary without presenting a scratch.
However, observing Gygas, he no longer had the urge to hit him; in fact, he had harbored a certain esteem for the freshman, and seeing his eyes still full of the will to fight, he only accentuated it, to the point that, surprising even himself, he decided not to give him the "coupe de grace."
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"I think that might be enough, don't you think?" - said Triton, approaching his opponent, who, confused, looked up at the King of Swords, who was looking at him triumphantly.
"You know, you're strong. Much stronger than I could have imagined." - took the floor again Triton praising Gygas - "But you lack experience and technique. That's why you lost today. I don't want to go on with this useless battle, since you're in a bad way-when you get stronger, then-"
"Ha...Hahah!"
Gygas rose to his feet; for a moment, he had been silent, partly because he was really exhausted, and partly because he was happy: happy because he had finally fought someone so strong, with someone who could finally test his skills, and preparing himself for a death - though a virtual one - as a real Knight.
But those words that came out of Triton's mouth literally changed his mood, going abruptly from a state of euphoria and happiness to a state of total rage, covered by his smile that, at that moment, became so disturbing that Triton, for the first time since he had become the "King of Swords," felt a chill go down his spine.
"I expected a lot from you... But you, like everyone else, are also 'type 2'..."
Suddenly, Gygas's mana exploded, releasing an incredible amount of energy and pressure that expanded throughout "the arena," with a bright orange cloud that began to expand throughout the ring, generating gusts of wind; this, left both Triton and Brenin himself stunned, who did not expect that this guy could still have so much, too much energy.
Then, slowly, the gust of wind subsided, and Gygas's body began to emit an amber-colored light, while his sword, to everyone's enormous surprise, was wrapped in a strange layer of shimmering gray.
[What the hell is that... Wait! Is that..Iron?!] - Triton immediately thought, realizing at that moment that the opponent before him was not only a physical monster but also capable of controlling a deviant element.
"Die."
Without wasting any time, Gygas catapulted toward Triton, who this time, was shocked by the speed Gygas had; The King of Swords, attempted to use the same technique as before, but this time, Gygas decided to use a simple, but at the same time difficult and effective countermove; in fact, in addition to increasing his speed, he made sure to put as much force behind each of his steps so that he would destroy the ring with each step and not risk falling again.
"N-No!"
Gygas, like the fiercest of barbarians, hurled a violent slash of unheard-of power, with the air being cut through like butter on contact with Gygas's weapon, almost as if there was no resistance between the sword and the air.
Triton quickly realized what was happening, so he decided to use all his strength and skill to get out of his way. And he succeeded by a small margin. But what happened the next instant only worried Triton: in fact, the blow not only destroyed part of the ring, but literally split the ring in two.
[What...the hell is this force!!!] - Thought with squinting eyes Triton, who at that moment, was scared...Terribly scared.
Still, he could see Gygas's condition, worsening with each passing moment. But that brute force, that explosiveness were so frightening that Triton could not get them out of his mind, being affected by it without really realizing.
In the gymnasium, which in a moment before reigned happiness, now absolute silence reigned, since the figure of Gygas, in addition to displaying absurd strength, had become so disturbing that even a deaf-blind man could suddenly be struck dumb.
Erwin and Brenin were surprised; surprised that the boy could move despite all that blood loss, surprised that someone their age, could release such strong and cruel instincts.
"I'm going to get you..." - Gygas advanced almost like a zombie, as his skin gradually became paler and paler, and his steps were awkward and strange. But everyone, at that moment, before such strength, felt that it was now a matter of time….
And so did Triton, who saw his reign ending....
[No...NO!] - He tried to deny himself, thus deciding to use the all out, using those high intensity water jets that wisely, he had decided not to use so as not to run out of energy.
This time, however, he did not limit himself to just a few beams, but hurled a myriad of jets toward Gygas from every possible angle, intending to prevent him from coming any closer-"Stay- stay away from me!"
The rays were almost endless, and became even more lentic as many of the jets bounced against the shield around the ring.
Triton, as well as many of them, believed that, with those conditions, he would never be able to scan all those shots. But his was nothing more than a faint hope that was soon dashed to pieces, since, before his astonished and desperate eyes, every blow that was about to hit him was dodged with increasingly unnatural and senseless movements, to the point that it left everyone speechless, as well as Brenin, who categorically refused to believe what was happening, since accepting this, meant accepting the fact that Gygas would become the King of Swords.
[T-That guy…] - thought Erwin, who instead, was surprised for a different reason than the others-
[He's not moving randomly. he's using his instincts!] came to a conclusion Erwin, who finally
understood why, watching Gygas move, he had a strange sense of Deja-vu; sure, Gygas's movements were much more extreme and without a hint of technique, but he too, at certain times,used movements similar to Gygas's. And this, only gave him confirmation that he had not been mistaken in coming here to Veras, with his face slowly becoming more radiant.
Gradually, Triton's blows became slower and of less intensity, until they became sluggish and equivalent to a splash of water, with his breathing becoming labored and his face slowly turning purplish, and with his abdomen taking on the same color in a circular shape, beginning to cause painful twinges that radiated throughout his body; that was a symptom of Mana deviation, and that meant that, to the horror of Triton and the students, that the clash was now finished, with Gygas standing at that moment before the King of Swords, who was looking at him with no hope now.
"unf..unf...You...You will never be a better king than me!" said Triton with difficulty, barely able to stand - "Waht are you waiting for? Kill me, so i can leave this place! But remember, i'm gonna--?"
Gygas watched him for a few seconds: he tore the emblem identifying him as the King of Swords from his chest, and after observing the pin, he gave a sinister smile.
That unsettling gaze made Triton’s antennae stand on end, and he instantly had a bad feeling, and his instinct didn’t fail him; Gygas, with the worst sadistic smile, cleanly severed the arm of the now former King of Swords. A cry of pain and despair echoed through the room, leaving everyone—including Triton—open-mouthed. No one expected that act. Not even Triton, who collapsed to the ground, blood spurting where his limb used to be.
“Arhgh… W-What the hell do you have in your mind? W-Why didn’t you kill me?! L-L-L-Let me go to the i-i-infirmary” - Triton exclaimed, teetering on the edge of delirium.
Gygas hissed in a low voice, almost surprised by the question - “Uh? You’re asking me why? You’re quite the idiot, you know? You should have killed me when you had the chance. Instead, you let your goodness influence you. Knights are ruthless, and you weren’t. So I’ll make you pay, piece by piece. What do you say?”
Approaching Triton, Gygas revealed a large, evil and sadistic expression. Triton immediately understood that Gygas was serious in his intentions. He wouldn’t die, but the pain would be real.
“But don’t worry, you’ll still go to the infirmary, won’t you?” Gygas continued, the smile etched on his face.
Without any mercy or fear, Gygas brutally amputated Triton’s limbs, piece by piece, eliciting sinister screams of agony. The stunned gazes of everyone present, including Erwin and Brenin, were fixed on the scene. A student their age, so merciless.
“H-Hey, we have to do something–!” someone attempted to intervene.
But Gygas responded coldly - “Don’t even think about coming here. If you don’t want to be next, enjoy the show. Otherwise, I’ll kill you for real. Try me.”
The room felt cramped, oppressive. The air thick with terror, the floor soaked in blood. The students’ eyes, once full of curiosity and hope for the fight, now reflected only pure horror. Erwin and Brenin, powerless, witnessed Gygas’s macabre dance—the sharp sword mad eof iron slicing through flesh and bone as if it were butter. Each tear, each scream, echoed in their hearts, etching an indelible memory.
Triton, defenseless, writhed on the floor, his voice reduced to a feeble whimper. The pain was unbearable, but the fear was worse. Gygas wasn’t just an executioner; he was a monster. A demon incarnate, driven by a thirst for vengeance that nothing would quench.
Erwin bit his lip, trying to hold back his rage: he had always believed in justice, in fairness. But now, faced with this brutality, he felt utterly powerless. Brenin, on the other hand, clenched his fists, anger and frustration burning within. They couldn’t remain inert. They had to do something.
And Brenin was determined to take action. Not only did he see Gygas as a monster, but he also refused to let his ideals be trampled by that barbarian—who, in his eyes, had nothing of chivalry. No, he couldn’t accept it, absolutely not. He decided that he would be the one to rein in the new King of Swords.
“…Erwin, go fetch a professor. I’ll handle this.”
END OF CHAPTER 34 – THE KING OF SWORDS