Chapter 358: Chapter 356 – A Showdown Between Two Great Men

A Showdown Between Two Great Men

Wielding a huge sword and a long spear, none of them wore armor, only normal clothes, indicating just how confident they were.

「The match between the King of Einbeast Gerhard Vatex Anchor and Dream Maker’s Commander-in-Chief Sir Grucel will now begin. Both parties ready!」

Quinbland’s vice commander was tasked with being the referee. He grumbled at first, but a leader had to be the witness of such a bout.

Gerhardt exuded so much thirst for blood around him. Grucel wore a blank look, and he was quiet like the calm before a storm.

Chairs lined the stands in no time at all, and sitting in the front-row seats were Claude, Roy, and Ivan. Luka, who was seated beside Claude, looked just a little exasperated.

I know how you feel, Hikaru thought. It’s crazy how they all get fired up.

「You’re the one who instigated all this.」Lavia said.

The cheers eventually died down. The two fighters stood at a distance, facing each other. A silence descended, and in the distance, the sound of birds chirping could be heard.

「Fight!」

A split-second later, both fighters charged forward at full speed with a loud boom. The crowd roared.

Gerhardt swung the hunk of iron as if he were wielding a piece of wood, and Grucel stopped the blow head-on.

The people of Einbeast probably thought that the Beastman King had won. It was understandable, for Gerhardt possessed extraordinary strength. Even though Grucel was also gifted with a good physique, he looked smaller compared to his opponent.

Sparks flew as steel and steel grated against each other, the shockwave ruffling the spectators’ forelocks. But Grucel’s feet stayed fixed firmly on the ground.

Gerhardt guffawed.「That’s what I’m talking about!」

『Damn. He’s strong.』

Feeling he would lose in a pure contest of strength, Grucel pulled his spear back. Then sword and spear clashed, sending sparks in the air.

「Wh-Who is that guy?」

「Wow. He’s still standing against the Beastman King.」

『Lord Grucel is really strong.』

『That beast dude’s parrying Lord Grucel’s thrusts so easily.』

The crowd was dumbfounded for a moment, and then exploded into cheers. The spectators’ roar seemed to fuel the fight, the weapons’ clashing growing fiercer.

This is turning out to be a closer fight than I expected.

Hikaru didn’t expect the match to be over in an instant. He had checked both fighters’ Soul Boards, after all.

Grucel had a balanced—though still at a superhuman level—fighting style: Strength 12, Long Spear 6, Heaven Spear 1, and Power Burst 3.

Gerhardt, on the other hand, relied solely on pure physical strength: Strength 22 and Great Sword 5. Both of them had four points on Instinct; they wouldn’t lose in an instant.

Incidentally, Lawrence the Master Swordsman had Strength 16, Great Sword 6, Heaven Sword 1, and Instinct 6, a fighting style that seemed to be a cross between Grucel’s and Gerhardt’s.

I definitely don’t want to fight any of them head-on.

Sitting cross-legged, Hikaru watched while resting his chin in his hand, elbow on his knee.

Compared to the rest of the Dream Maker residents, Grucel’s stats were a cut above the rest. The difference between Dream Maker and other countries was that there were quite a number of people just a little less strong than Grucel. This was all thanks to their experience in fighting strong monsters in this continent.

The mock battle between Gerhardt and Grucel lasted for an hour. In the end, Grucel’s spear snapped and the match was declared over.

「You should’ve used a real spear. Not some stupid toy.」

Dripping with sweat, Gerhardt was not happy. Even though the spear was used only for practice matches, it was still made of steel. The weapon snapping showed just how strong Gerhardt was.

Grucel gave a strained laugh.「It was a good fight.」He offered his hand to Gerhardt.

Gerhardt shook it in response. Their arms and backs were reddish-black. Midway through the fight, they removed their shirts as it was getting too hot. Their overused muscles must’ve suffered internal bleeding.

「Let’s do this again some time.」Gerhardt said.

「You really do like fighting.」

「Fighting makes me feel alive! Hahahaha!」

Cheers and applause erupted from the crowd as they watched the fighters shake hands.

「I knew Lord Gerhardt would win!」

『Lord Grucel didn’t actually lose, right?!』

「I thought the dudes from Dream Maker were strong. Their commander is even stronger...」

『Beastmen are so strong. I can feel my hands trembling...』

Many were inspired by the match, eager to brandish their swords.

「Your Majesty!」Claude shouted, holding up his hand, his nose wide open.「Please let us fight next!」

Luka covered his face and hung her head low. It seemed that Claude’s habit of testing his skills was not going to go away any time soon.

「Go for it! You don’t mind, right, Grucel?」Gerhardt said, placing his arm around Grucel’s shoulder.「Get your strong men out here.」

「Oh, yeah, no problem.」Grucel replied, surprised by the man’s gesture.

Men from Dream Maker who believed themselves to be strong stepped forward, dragging Gin by his collar as well.

Afterwards, soldiers had mock battles until nightfall, and when the few remaining drinks were served, they drank until late into the night, regardless of where they were from.

The next morning, with the special event now over, the soldiers were back to their usual routine—expedition-related hard work.

The repair of Dream Maker’s outer walls progressed much faster with the addition of more men. Coordination between the various countries had improved after yesterday’s mock battles.

『So this is what you were after, Silver Face.』Grucel said.『It was necessary for the men to fight for the ill feelings in their hearts to go away. Even though it was only for a short amount of time, our soldiers fought each other. Some of them must’ve harbored feelings of resentment. To loosen them up, you pit me and Sir Gerhardt together, the strongest men from both sides. And the soldiers regained their respect for each other’s country.』

『I don’t know what you’re talking about.』Hikaru’s mouth curved into a smile.

Hikaru turned his back and started walking. I expected Grucel to win, he thought. The plan was to let him do all the fighting so I won’t have to. Then again, it’s Grucel. He probably thought about what’s best for the alliance.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The results turned out to be much better than he expected.

『Now, onto our next agenda. We’re launching a full-scale conquest of the forest.』

『Finally, it’s our turn. Right, Boss?』

Hikaru came to Zahadu’s farm, where the members of the Flower Masked Goddess’ Bodyguards gathered.

『Um, can you drop the “Boss” thing?』

『We will call the boss Boss.』

Their leader, Galixon, gave a smirk, and the rest of the members nodded. Hikaru expected to be called “God” since they called Paula a goddess. Instead, they called him Boss. Lavia was called the Great Mage.

What is this difference in treatment? Hikaru couldn’t really say anything, since he did feel respect from the men.

『Well, whatever. Star Face, Flower Face, let’s discuss our next course of action.』

『Okay. But what about the allied army?』

『We’re working separately.』Hikaru said casually.『We’re gonna be fast, and head to the northern tip of the continent.』