429 Chapter 429: Knights of the Round (1/2)
\”…you've got to be kidding me…\”
We were currently down 3-1, with Craig, Theodore and Sheila all eliminated. Only Bu Fan was able to win his match, and just barely too. He was resting on a bench in the technical area, huffing. Just to pull a victory against the guy known as Lancelot, he had busted out all of spells that belonged to his dual innate elements.
And even then, he had only just scraped a victory, and at a great cost too. He was too exhausted to continue onto the next match.
By the way, that very same Lancelot was the person who also knocked out Craig, Theodore and Sheila. The guy was on his way to an all-kill like me, but fortunately Bu Fan stopped him dead in his tracks. I also suspected that Bu Fan won because Lancelot had exhausted quite a bit of his mana when dealing with the other three.
\”Richard, can I count on you for the last match?\”
Harrison was gnawing on his lip. I knew he wanted to participte himself, but he was aware that it was a risky gamble. If he ended up eliminated from the individual matches, there wouldn't be anyone to lead the team match. Technically, I could, but…like I said, I wasn't much of a leader. I wasn't someone you could rely on to lead a team match.
I was more of a solo player…a lone wolf, of sorts. I could work in a team if I had to, of course, but leading a team was another matter altogether. I just didn't have the tactical acumen or strategic brilliance that Harrison possessed.
Pushing my glasses up my nose, I took a deep breath and nodded.
\”Leave it to me.\”
Exhaling, I then strode up the stage. At the other end of the ring, I could see the Pendragon team discussing fervently. After all, they had only lost one member so far, and had nine to choose from, unlike us.
However, the moment he saw me climb up the stage, Charles Lacroix smiled and held up his hand. He made the decision immediately and walked up the ring himself. None of his teammates protested or argued, and they just watched him enter without any comment.
I see. They must have discussed this beforehand. Charles must have told his teammates that he would be my opponent. And they quite clearly respected his decision, even if several of them didn't agree with it. Gawain, for one, seemed itching to jump into stage as well. Fortunately, he was able to restrain himself.
\”Richard. We meet again.\” Charles greeted me with a friendly grin. \”It's been a while. How have you been?\”
\”All right. What about you?\”
\”Good. Quite a few things happened since we last met…was it at Spiritual Road? No…it was at Troy City, wasn't it? But yeah, all in all, things have been progressing smoothly for the most part. Well, mostly.\”
He then clapped his gauntlets together in anticipation and beamed.
\”You know, I've always wanted to spar with for a while now. I'm so glad I finally got the chance.\”
\”Eh? Me?\” I was astounded by his admission. \”But I'm…\”
Not nobody. I trailed off, realizing what I was about to say. I couldn't exactly claim that I was a nobody, or I would be offending everybody I had defeated along my path to the semifinals. So instead I opted for something less…stupid.
\”…I'm not someone you're very familiar with.\” That sounded lame, but at least it was better than nothing.
\”Perhaps not, but we've fought together…twice, in fact. And your performance two days ago was very impressive.\” Bloody hell, Charles was gushing like a fanboy now, reminiscent of Harvey, except that he was a handsome blond with blue eyes and clad entirely in armor. \”The only person to score an all-kill in this tournament…against Saint Teresa Academy, no less. I did hear that you achieved the same against Crowley's Grand Arcane Academy in a friendly match. Not bad…not bad at all!\”
\”You overestimate me,\” I said humbly.
\”Nah. You are too modest.\”
While we were exchanging pleasantries below, the commentator wrapped up his introductions and gave the signal.
\”Match start! Will Richard Huang pull off a miracle again? Will Jing Tian Academy be able to claw their way back to the fight? Will this be the beginning of a comeback? Or will Pendragon Academy establish their superiority? Will the King of Knights, Charles Lacroix, defend his title and maintain his unbeaten streak?\”
Charles reached out and gestured with a hand. \”After you.\”
\”No, after you.\”
Everyone was starting to get irritated by what they deemed to be our excessive politeness. Both Charles and I ignored them, and continued beckoning to each other with our bare hands. Or in Charles's case, a gauntleted hand.
\”Oi! Hurry up and fight already!\”
\”Stop this Chinese gentleman bullshit! You think this is a kungfu film, is it?\”
Evidently none of them saw my attempt to imitate Ip Man and unleash my Wing Chun on my enemies. Hell, I had an entire chapter where I fought against ten black belts…
\”You…\”
\”No, you…\”
\”No, you…\”
\”OI! STOP THAT! JUST FIGHT ALREADY!\”
\”DON'T WASTE OUR TIME!\”
\”BLOODY HELL! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO!?\”