Volume 5 Chapter 38 (1/2)

Editor:

A sword slash approached Ryouma's head with fast speed.

He barely able to dodge it causing his cheek to bleed badly.

Looking at the blood dripping down from his chin one could see that it was quite a deep wound.

“I manage to avoid it but… He was better than rumor said… If I didn't have Kikoku's power, I would be dead by now. I must thank Genou for this…”

Ryouma breathing heavily while looking at Earl Salzberg who fell down on the floor.

The two people who aimed at one-shot victory ended with Mikos.h.i.+ba Ryouma's victory.

However, Ryouma just barely won.

Using the power of his sword, he somehow manages to forcibly open the sixth chakra Ajna, for five minutes, but the recoil was very big.

In regard to skill, Earl Salzberg had some truly extraordinary skills.

His breathing, fluency of his movement, and the mind that seek for a chance.

His refined swordsmans.h.i.+p had reached an area that was even if he created his own school based on his swordsmans.h.i.+p, it would be normal.

Ryouma didn't know how did the people of this world knew about Iai stance, but Earl Salzberg stance was indeed comparable to that of his grandfather, Mikos.h.i.+ba Koichiro.

Ryouma and Earl Salzberg. Without a doubt, these two men were equal in term of skill and mind.

What separates these two equal men was…

(The difference in mental att.i.tude huh…)

For Ryouma, this battle was a fight for survival.

If he only stands and watches, he would definitely be crushed by Lupis.

In order to avoid that, it was absolutely necessary to have control over the northern Rozeria Kingdom.

To say it clearly, he did this battle with his back on the wall.

Not to mention, Ryouma also had the life and future of his subordinates on his shoulders.

The heavy pressure was very unbearable even for the bold Ryouma.

On the other hand, how about Earl Salzberg?

Although the result might be different if it was the previous Earl, the current Earl was a silly n.o.ble who turns his back on the world, drowned himself in wealth, and enjoyment.

The sword who betted his life and future versus the sword of a man who drowned in luxury.

It can be said those two difference was what decide the fate of both men.

In the first place, the difference of those two difference, only as thick as a paper.

One can say that only G.o.d knows who will win if they both fight once again.

(Well, it's not like there's a second chance though…)

Ryouma smiled at his own ridiculous thought.

It was self-mockery for the thought like he was an athlete.

Separately, he had no intention of looking down on athlete particularly.

However, there was a difference between compet.i.tion duel and duel to the death.

The difference was, when we were in a compet.i.tion duel, there was always the next duel.

The compet.i.tion duel was sometimes only a rehearsal for the public performance that may come some day.

And since it was a rehearsal, you may lose how many times you liked. –

Certainly, some duel performed in a compet.i.tive tournament might decide the fighter future, and it had seriousness and pa.s.sion.

However, in a compet.i.tion duel, there was always the next time.

Even if the tournament ended, there will be always the next tournament.

Some player might say they bet their own life in those tournaments, but in the end, no player actually dies.

In a sense, they expressing life and death in a tournament by doing retirement.

But, a duel to the death was very different.

It was extremely rare for the pair to be equal in ability, there were some cases where the fighters were matching but, such case was rare.

It can be said that death was set on one of them when the battle starts.

There was no room for debating the possibility of a different outcome.

Because only dead body remained in front of the winner.