Chapter 72: A Demon Learns to Kill (1)

Time usually passed quickly.

Yet sometimes, when one awaited a particular moment…

it slowed to a crawl.

Fortunately, the wait did not last long this time.

— The Day of the Duel —

It was an ordinary day in Ashvarn, no different from any other.

Members of the Heart clan woke up that morning and went about their daily affairs, while the hunters either headed out to hunt or remained behind to train.

Everything appeared normal.

Everything—except for the duel that had recently been announced.

A Maria’s reckoning Duel.

The first one in years.

When the news spread, many were surprised.

It had been a long time since the Hearts had been forced to resort to this ancient tradition.

In the past, Maria’s Appraisal was only held under very serious circumstances—when a conflict arose that could not be resolved except through combat, or when disputes over authority emerged among the senior hunters.

Sometimes it was invoked when disagreements threatened the stability of the entire clan.

But this time…

the matter was far simpler.

Ethan Heart vs James Heart.

A duel to determine which of them had the greater right to remain within the Third Hunting Squad.

The victor would remain a hunter.

The loser would either die during the duel—

or, if he survived, lose his status entirely and be reduced to an ordinary citizen.

One was an Advanced Knight.

The other had only recently become a Skilled Knight.

At first glance, the duel did not stir much excitement among those who heard the details.

Neither participant was particularly powerful.

They were barely noteworthy.

Especially Ethan, who had not even reached the advanced rank.

A skilled Knight represented the highest level most ordinary humans could ever reach. Many never surpassed that threshold.

The Advanced Knight rank was the gateway to surpassing human limits.

And its beginning lay with Aura Armor.

A remarkable power that wrapped the body in a protective shell of mana, granting a significant boost to both strength and speed.

That fact alone made many believe that Ethan’s defeat was inevitable.

The duel seemed trivial.

Predictable.

As a result, only a small number of spectators bothered to attend.

One of the many training arenas within the Hunters’ Haven was selected as the battleground.

It was a fitting choice.

There was no need to use the Grand Arena for such a modest confrontation.

The names involved simply weren’t significant enough to warrant it.

The arena was simple.

The seating limited.

The atmosphere entirely ordinary.

The audience barely exceeded fifty people, most of them hunters.

Special seats had been arranged for the elders, who had all come to witness the outcome.

Despite the small crowd, several prominent figures had arrived.

Among them were Asterion and Kevin, along with several other notable individuals.

But it could be said that Asterion and Kevin were the most prominent among them.

In a way…

the two duelists represented them on the battlefield.

James Heart represented Kevin, who had personally chosen him.

And Ethan represented Asterion, who had shown him considerable support.

The moment they arrived, Kevin cast a glance toward the Uncrowned Emperor.

Asterion sat comfortably in his seat, completely at ease as he awaited the start of the duel.

Looking at him, Kevin Heart found him difficult to understand.

“You seem quite relaxed,” Kevin said as he took a seat beside him. “Isn’t that young man your favorite?”

Asterion nodded with a faint smile.

“He is. Despite his weakness, he neither hesitates nor bows to anyone.”

“Young men like him are rare these days.”

Kevin narrowed his eyes slightly at that.

“You seem to value him greatly… yet you don’t appear concerned in the slightest about the possibility of his death today.”

“And that possibility is quite high.”

Asterion merely shrugged in response.

“Whether he wins or loses… lives or dies… it all depends on him.”

“Today, I’m nothing more than a spectator.”

“Either he will impress me even more than he already has… or he’ll simply become another fleeting story that entertained me for a while.”

Kevin found Asterion’s indifference toward the boy—who was supposed to be his student—rather strange.

But one thing he could say with certainty:

Asterion wasn’t lying.

If Ethan were to die today…

the Uncrowned Emperor would not be moved in the slightest.

He would treat it like the death of any other hunter.

“As I thought,” Kevin muttered.

“I’ll never understand you.”

He turned his attention back to the arena.

Asterion, meanwhile, watched the same place with a faint smile.

“You don’t need to understand me.”

“If humans were truly capable of understanding one another without limits… the world would never have ended up the way it is now.”

As he finished speaking, James and Ethan stepped into the arena.

Asterion stared at Ethan thoughtfully.

“I wonder… what the world looks like from his perspective.”

“What exactly does he see?”

“And what is the secret behind him?”

Asterion was curious.

Curious in a way he had never been before.

A young man with no memories.

Cursed and blessed at the same time.

A boy who knew things he should never know.

There was nothing more fascinating to Asterion than that.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

“I have a feeling…”

“Today is going to be interesting.”

…

…

…

Face to face, Ethan and James stood before one another.

Though both were knights, the difference between them was enormous.

“You… are you mocking me or something?” James asked with a deep frown.

Ethan, however, only looked confused.

“Mocking you? How exactly?”

At that moment, James pointed at what Ethan was wearing.

James had arrived fully armored.

He wore a black knight’s armor trimmed with gold, engraved with the blazing crest of the Heart clan. Even his head was protected beneath a thick, sturdy helmet.

For the duel, he had chosen a greatsword—long, heavy, and forged from an exceptionally durable metal.

His favorite weapon.

He looked like a seasoned knight marching into war.

But Ethan?

Ethan’s appearance puzzled everyone present.

He wore the typical attire of hunters—

a long coat, tall boots, and black gloves.

Only one glove.

The other arm was exposed, revealing the mechanical limb he had decided not to hide today.

His mouth and breath were concealed behind a black scarf.

These were not clothes meant for a knight’s battle.

They were garments suited for hunting and stealth.

Ethan looked as though he had dressed for some casual occasion…

not a duel to the death.

But his clothing wasn’t the real issue.

Nor was it the reason for James’s confusion.

The real problem…

was that Ethan carried no weapon at all.

Literally.

He had arrived completely unarmed.

Ethan finally realized what James meant.

A little late.

“Ah! Don’t worry about me,” he said with a relaxed smile. “I’m perfectly ready.”

James’s expression darkened.

“Don’t regret it later when you lose.”

He drew his greatsword with a heavy metallic sound.

“Make no mistake—this duel won’t end without blood.”

“Today… you’ll lose at least one limb.”

James’s threat hung in the air.

Ethan chuckled lightly, pointing toward his Legion arm.

“But I already lost one.”

“I’d rather not lose another… or I might end up becoming a fully mechanical man.”

Despite the suffocating tension in the arena…

Ethan remained astonishingly calm.

That calmness unsettled James.

Their brief exchange ended when one of the elders stepped between them.

An old mage.

At the very least, a Saint-ranked one.

He glanced first at James, then at Ethan—his gaze lingering on the latter.

Hesitating for a moment, he finally raised his voice.

“Today we begin the 341st recorded duel of Maria’s reckoning.”

His voice echoed across the arena, amplified by magic.

“The duelists are the hunters James Heart and Ethan Heart.”

“The rules are simple.”

“The duel ends when one of you surrenders…”

“…or dies.”

There were only two possible outcomes.

One of them surrendered and lost—

or they fought until death claimed one of them.

Considering the hostility between them, and James’s deep hatred for Ethan…

the latter outcome seemed far more likely.

“The duel will begin the moment I leave the arena.”

“Do either of you have questions?”

“No.”

Both answered at the same time.

The old mage gave a long, solemn nod.

Then his body vanished from the arena in a flash of magic.

That…

was the signal.

WHOOOM!

The instant the duel began, a powerful surge echoed across the field.

James Heart had activated his Aura Armor.

A brilliant white light enveloped his body, granting him immense strength and speed.

He lifted his massive sword effortlessly with one hand and pointed it directly at Ethan.

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