Chapter 157: 157 The heart that didn’t understand.

The arena held its breath.

Sunlight poured through the open ceiling of the coliseum, glinting in ancient marbles while the spectators leaned forward from their seats, on edge by the start of the match.

Dust erupted from the area where Kojiro dashed forward. It swirled with the wind, a silent witness to the impending clash.

Kojiro inhaled deeply; his mind stilled as the hands that gripped the hilt tightened.

He arrived near Jin’s range, but the world dulled.

[Mind Sword active]

All colour faded from his sight.

The wolf demi-human caught the sharp sense of danger lingering around his throat by the appearance of a white line that cleaved the space.

It moved slowly, passing straight to his neck.

Kojiro stopped breathing. He could feel it instinctively, the sense of death creeping up on him, ripping his soul apart.

’I’m dead…’, Kojiro muttered under his breath, his voice low filled with intense sorrow.

However, a beat later, the reality that was shoved into his mind began to fracture like glass before shattering into a million shards.

A silver blade gleamed ferociously, touching his left neck.

The cold feeling that transmitted from his skin made his body shudder in fright, and cold sweat drenched his back.

“Let’s start again”.

Jin’s calm voice broke the stillness between them as he pulled his blade back and stepped back.

Kojiro gasped, and heat surged from his inside. With each breath he took, it was like inhaling hot air that scorched his lungs.

His wolf ears twitched, and he straightened his posture. He mustered the strength to squeeze the word out of his throat.

“…You are so fast, Jin”.

“Well, thank you”. Jin replied and looked over at the wolf boy. “Next time, don’t try to jump straight toward the unknown”.

The sudden advice that had been thrown at him caught Kojiro off guard as a smile tugged at his stiff lips.

“Haha, I’m beat”.

Kojiro exhaled sharply; it seemed his decision to leave his homeland to hone his swordsmanship was true after all.

He was raised as the sole successor of a legacy swordsmanship style in the East.

However, upon hitting a certain wall. The boy decides to become a wanderer in search of meaning in his life, both as a successor and as an individual.

However, there were many monstrous talents gathered in the East. Kojiro chose to roam the other continent, learning its ways and discovering new things that could be applied in his homeland.

Then, when the time came, he returned to the east land. Kojiro was ready to visit every Dojo in his homeland in seeking their guidance and as a challenge.

As the two contestants stopped their duel, the crowd exchanged puzzled looks, asking why the match had been stopped even before it started.

“I will be in your care, Jin”. Kojiro lowered his blade and slightly bowed his torso.

“Likewise”.

Jin replied as he raised the blade in his hand, putting himself in a defensive stance.

“Come, let’s have an honorable duel”.

Kojiro exhaled a long breath, washing away the dread in his heart. He could feel the rhythmical pounding in his heart, excited to meet a superior opponent.

“Likewise, let’s have a fair battle”.

The wolf boy stretched his feet diagonally and lunged ahead. Kojiro’s lower centre of gravity, prompting him to sweep his katana like shadows.

Jin’s emerald eyes shone, observing closely the technique.

He shifted his footwork to a lower stance, matching his opponent.

After training with demi-humans for months, Jin gained insight into their technique and subtly incorporated it into his own expertise.

Now, both had a feral and animalistic style.

His opponent’s blade blurred, and a silver flash hurled against Jin. It was unrelenting but didn’t give him much sweat.

’I see now’.

Jin nodded, dodging the attack as he circled to Kojiro’s side, countering with a diagonal slash.

’Kojiro’s swordsmanship was fleeting, like a shadow but also sharp’.

He inhaled deeply, throwing any unnecessary thoughts in his mind. His emerald eyes poised like a reflection in the calm water.

With a bit of effort, Jin dodged, flicking his wrist to deflect his opponent’s blade movements while also guiding him to make the match entertaining for the spectators.

The atmosphere in the arena was still as they watched the beautiful movement of both swordsmanship and their style, which are rarely seen in these continents.

Jin’s sublime technique and his calculative movements drew Kojiro to do his best.

Kojiro’s golden eyes flashed as he muttered under his breath.

[Shadows Severance Style Swordsmanship – Great Serpent(Orochi)]

Jin’s eyes narrowed; he saw the changing demeanour of his opponent.

The wolf boy’s blade bent like an illusion as his footwork slithered like a snake.

Finding a chance, Kojiro swung his sword sideways, aiming at Jin’s neck.

Jin tilted his head back, dodging it effortlessly. But when the blade passed him, he could feel the hair in his body jolted awake.

An illusion of a serpent, slithering past him only to strike back in surprise, grazed Jin’s left cheek as he barely dodged the attack.

The boy jumped back to gain a distance, feeling warm liquid flowed down his cheek and down to his jawline.

It accumulated in his chin until it dropped to the ground.

“Nice, you got me one”. Jin chuckled, and then he wiped the blood on his cheek.

“Thank you, I…!?”.

Kojiro held his breath, feeling a warm sensation crawled in his left hand. He raised his hand and saw an open wound on his shoulders.

Not a graze but a deep one as it spilt blood, smearing his hand.

“It seemed you got me better”. Kojiro raised his left hand.

The moment spectators saw the scene, a cheer erupted from the place, shaking the entire building in a euphoric experience.

At first, they held a slight doubt and worry in seeing that all the participants on the Promethys side were first-year students.

However, after their match with Jin, their lingering doubt was shattered by the brilliant performance the boy displayed.

Not only proficient in the sword, but Jin was orchestrating the whole thing like a God who watched them from above.

“Woah, what a surprise, both contestants showed their abilities well. But this match was far from over until one of them was defeated or yielded, so the tournament has just begun!”.

Selene’s energetic voice soared, raising the excitement in the building.

“Let’s give the contestants our heartfelt support”.

As soon as those words left her mouth, Jin and Kojiro simultaneously exhaled and vanished from their places.

They clashed head-on, revealing their depth of mastery of the sword. Their performance fully hooked everyone who watched in the arena.

*****

As the crowd continued to pour their cheers into the arena. In the VIP place above, the air in the room was heavy with palpable tension.

“Woah, Mother, is Jin that strong?”. Jack’s green eyes couldn’t leave the ring.

His little brother Jin began his sharp counter, aggressively pushing his opponent back after the passive stance he showed earlier.

Even though Jack knew little about swordsmanship, he could tell at a glance that Jin’s mastery of it was superb.

From the side, a giggle caught his attention, drawing his gaze to the mother’s amusing expression.

“Well, to tell you the truth…”. Marina paused for a moment. She then dropped a bombshell. “Jin was far stronger than your father”.

Jack was agape, unable to move his frozen lips.

“Hmph, that’s a lie. There’s no way father would lose to Jin”.

A sharp remark soured the air within the family as Jack and Marina turned to the other man—Victor, who took a seat behind them, alone.

The man’s expression was flat but deep in his heart was a boiling magma that could easily erupt with just a slight touch.

’He was lucky to encounter someone weak as his opponent’. Victor scoffed, and dark emotion began to flood his heart.

“Victor, what are you talking about?”. Marina’s green eyes flashed. “So you said, I have been lying to you, lying to my own children?”.

Mana started to pulsate around the room. A stifling pressure hit the two like a flame, scorching their consciousness into ash.

Jack gritted his teeth but managed to control the mana in his body as he formed a thin layer on his skin.

“…Mother, calm yourself, we are in front of the other guests”.

When the warning of his eldest son reached her ears, it travelled fast until deep to her chest, soothing her raging heart.

Marina exhaled sharply. Her body started to tremble furiously as she noticed the mistake she had made.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to do that”.

She lowered her gaze while biting her lips. Her sharp nails dug into her fair skin, leaving a trail of red blood trickling down the seat.

“…I’m sorry”. Marina stifled her sobs, but the tears that swelled in her eyes gave out her emotion.

Jack alternated his gaze with other guests, nodding his head furiously and apologizing for the uncomfortable disturbance they had caused.

His blue eyes glanced at Victor’s seat, but his eyes widened in shock, seeing his little brother’s face, no response as if the earlier event had not happened.

However, as someone who knew Victor longer, Jack noticed a bit of contempt in his little brother’s words.

He was unsure where it came from or what caused it.

’Victor, what happened the time I didn’t see you’. Jack exhaled softly. ’You usedn’t to be like this’.

The cheer from the crowds brought back Jack’s mind to the surface as he watched Jin clinch a victory over his opponent.

Jack couldn’t muster the courage to speak, so he offered his youngest brother his support with claps.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep