------------------
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
------------------
Chapter 187
Unlike Coral’s side, which had unwavering belief in their victory, the atmosphere on the Bata side was oddly tense.
"Will we be okay?"
"Honestly, I’m not confident. But that doesn’t mean we can back down. Individually, our specs are impressive, but it’s true we’re at a disadvantage. We’ll need to be strategic if we want to win..."
While Ospa focused on finding a solution rather than denying the current situation, his friend Gale Travan wore a strange expression.
"This is troublesome. If we just let this one go, Coral will surely use it to expand their influence... What on earth is Lord Leon Cascadia thinking..."
To everyone except Farell and Melissa, Leon was a relatively unfamiliar figure.
They had heard the rumors, sure, but no one really knew what kind of person he was.
And now, out of nowhere, he had seized full control and set the stage for this duel.
From their perspective, they couldn't help but wonder if he was completely sane.
Still, judging by Farell’s unwavering trust in him, it didn’t seem like it was all just smoke and mirrors.
"Lord Farell, are you sure this is okay? Just between us, those two bastards from Coral — sure, they have awful personalities, but they’re seriously skilled. Even if you manage to hold off one of them..."
"Didn’t you just defend the fight earlier, Lord Gale?"
"Th-that’s because they mocked Bata and even insulted the Count. I just got carried away..."
The Travan family wasn’t exactly close with the Cascadias, but they were still nobles of the same kingdom.
To Gale’s question, Farell nodded firmly.
"You can trust Brother Leon."
"The problem is, Leon isn’t the one fighting. From what I’ve heard, Countess Melissa is still only at the entry level of Expert. Even if she’s had some miraculous progress since then, it won’t be enough."
Currently, Melissa’s level was known to be just the beginning stage of Expert.
That was the officially recognized rank by the kingdom, and thus what everyone believed.
Of course, that level wasn't low by any means.
Considering her age, it was actually impressive.
But against such powerful opponents, it was hard not to feel concerned.
What made things worse was that the duel was about to start, and Melissa still hadn’t shown up.
"Damn it. If we’re outmatched in power, the least we could do is come up with a strategy..."
Just as everyone was growing more anxious, Coral’s leading fighter, Gordon Roswell, approached.
"Why are there only four of you? Where’s Countess Melissa Cascadia?"
When no one answered, he sneered.
"You were all talk, and now when it’s time to act, she ran away scared? Whatever. We’re only sending in three anyway."
As he casually said this with a smirk, everyone’s expressions darkened.
It was a clear insult — he was looking down on them.
"She’ll be here soon."
"Sure she will."
The more they exchanged words, the worse the mood on the Bata side became.
Then it happened.
"There she is! Wait, huh?"
Lady Robel, who was scanning the surroundings, shouted — then froze.
It was understandable.
Leon was walking toward them, carrying Melissa slung over his shoulder like a sack of luggage.
"W-what the hell is that..."
Even Gordon Roswell mumbled in disbelief, clearly stunned by the absurdity.
"Good, everyone’s here. Perfect. Hey, get up."
Leon tossed Melissa off his shoulder, and she hit the ground with a heavy thud, groaning in pain as she slowly got up.
Then Leon leaned in and whispered into her ear.
"You know what happens if you lose, right? Win. No matter what."
Around Melissa, it felt like black energy was swirling — like a manifestation of deep, simmering rage.
Everyone stood frozen, watching the bizarre scene unfold, until Leon spoke again.
"If you knock out your opponent or force them out of the arena, they’re eliminated. The last one standing wins. The losers walk away without a word."
Leon then calmly looked to Gordon to confirm the rules.
"Also, no outside interference. If you have any objections, speak now."
"Hah. Don’t you break the rules either."
"That’s fine, then."
Unbothered, Leon nudged Melissa to get up.
"What are you doing? How long is a noble lady going to stay sprawled out like that?"
Startled by his words, Melissa slowly rose to her feet.
Then she lifted her head.
And in that moment, those who saw her couldn’t help but flinch.
Her hollow eyes and expression gave off an eerie, unsettling aura.
"Yeah. This is all because of those bastards..."
She muttered like someone who had been gaslit, and even Gordon winced slightly before returning to his position.
On Coral’s side were Gordon, Karim Selvon, and the boy Cheon Ryeong from the Eastern Continent.
"Um, Countess? At least give us some kind of strategy..."
"Defense."
Melissa replied as she drew the bastard sword from her hip.
Shrrrk…
For some reason, an inexplicable chill ran down their spines, like a dam of suppressed energy had just burst forth.
And not just Farell — everyone else felt it too.
"Countess? What do you mean by—"
"Formation. Defensive."
Among them, Melissa had the best understanding of battlefield strategy.
So they immediately followed her orders without question.
But when she didn’t move to take her assigned position in the formation, the others looked confused.
"Countess?"
Piiiiiing!!!
At last, the signal to begin sounded, and Coral’s Gordon and Karim charged forward.
"Countess?! The match has started!"
"Defense."
She barked the word again as she took a step forward.
It was only then the four of them realized what she meant by “defense.”
Tsssk…
------------------
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
------------------
Melissa’s empty eyes gradually regained their focus.
And then—
BOOOOOM!!!
An explosive surge of aura burst out around her with terrifying density.
Melissa twirled her bastard sword with a swift motion, then lowered her stance slightly.
Then, with speed like a piercing arrow, she charged straight at Gordon.
“Urgh?!”
Startled by Melissa’s unexpected speed, Gordon Roswell hastily raised his sword to block.
But Melissa’s sword crashed down as if that defense meant nothing to her.
BOOOOM!!!
A destructive force burst out with oppressive pressure, creating a shallow crater centered around him as the terrain itself was crushed.
“Guh?!”
Caught off guard by the immense pressure, Gordon staggered.
But he wasn’t talentless.
Of course, he reacted immediately.
However, Melissa smoothly and expertly spun her sword to recover, then tapped at his destabilized leg, breaking his stance.
She launched another attack.
It was truly bold and swift.
CLAAANG!!!
“You bitch?!”
Having to block a sword that came from an unpredictable angle, Gordon's hands stung with pain.
Had he reacted even a little slower, he was sure his arm would’ve been completely broken, and cold sweat ran down his entire body at the thought.
Of course, Coral’s side wasn’t just taking a beating.
In the blink of an eye, Karim Selvon had silently taken position behind Melissa and was charging at her with immense speed.
If she were caught from behind and subdued, she’d be immediately eliminated.
Gordon pressed forward to draw her attention.
But before he could regain his senses, he found himself flying backward, crashing into Karim — without even realizing how Melissa had taken him down.
* * *
Melissa hasn’t had many real combat experiences since learning the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword technique.
Most of her training consisted of being relentlessly beaten by me and Luna.
For an average person, it would’ve been the kind of brutal training that breaks the spirit long ago.
Because repeated defeats tend to erode one’s confidence.
“Wow, she’s so good!”
When Arsha spoke while wrapping a hatchling in a blanket, the little creature chirped in response.
Not that it understood — it was probably just reacting to Arsha, whom it recognized as a parent figure.
Since it was still a hatchling, I had placed a containment barrier around its body to avoid any unnecessary commotion from its draconic aura leaking out.
In the case of the King of the Forbidden Realm, he had his own domain, and Arsha summoned him.
But in this one’s case, Arsha’s presence was essentially its nest.
“There’s payoff in having taught her.”
Both Luna and I held back a bit when training Melissa.
Though, of course, our definition of “holding back” was vastly different from normal standards.
Because she had always taken beatings like that, Melissa herself didn’t quite understand her current level.
That’s why things like this happened.
“We used to hammer that habit into her like pest control. But now she’s learned to turn it around.”
“Yeah. You and I argued a lot over that one. Good job teaching it.”
“So where do you think her current level stands?”
“Honestly, at this point? I think she could take on even a high-tier Expert.”
A high-tier Expert.
A level far above a mid-tier Expert, which Melissa was currently considered to be.
Whether in raw capability, aura quantity, or physical enhancement — high-tier Experts usually held the advantage.
But Melissa had been forged in extreme conditions.
Not to mention, we’d significantly enhanced her body right before this duel, so she was undeniably much stronger now than before.
Currently, Melissa was at mid-tier Expert level.
Coral’s two fools were just barely approaching mid-tier, still at the entry level.
Which meant one simple thing:
Even if both of them attacked Melissa together, they stood no chance against her.
Meanwhile, a young man from the Eastern Continent named Cheon Ryeong stood out as different, drawing his sword with a slightly surprised look and raising his fighting spirit.
He was at least a mid-tier Expert.
Among those gathered here, he was a truly gifted talent.
CLAAANG!!!
Before anyone could finish speaking, Melissa had already kicked Gordon and Karim away, sending them flying, then turned her gaze toward Cheon Ryeong.
People watching the scene were visibly shocked at Melissa’s unexpected prowess.
Seeing her completely dominate the two with ease, the four maintaining the barrier looked on blankly and muttered.
“What… is this?”
“She’s holding off two people by herself…”
This wasn’t a case of trading tight blows.
Melissa was overwhelming the two without even breaking a sweat, and it was evoking a sense of awe.
Naturally, it seemed they were starting to wonder what they themselves should do.
“What can we do?”
“Seems like Countess Melissa asked us to maintain the barrier so we wouldn’t interfere… so I guess we’re useless.”
“That’s not right. We should do something.”
“You gonna jump in there?”
“Hmm…”
Melissa had already subdued Coral’s two and was now facing off against Cheon Ryeong from the Eastern Continent.
Gordon and Karim weren’t causing any further chaos; they just sat there with grim faces, staring resentfully at Melissa.
------------------
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
------------------
