## Chapter 182 – Collusion (24)
After a conversation of sorts with Charlotte, Ryu was able to approach the tournament with a clearer mind.
He felt sorry for his round of 16 and quarterfinal opponents, but they were so easy they made him yawn. He actually felt more threatened by the opponents he met in the preliminaries. It ended so quickly that it was almost embarrassing to call it a tournament, so he thought he could easily win the semifinals as well, and it didn’t take long for him to realize that this was excessive arrogance.
Is this the final hurdle to get to the finals? The resistance was much fiercer than he had expected. He had a tough condition attached to him in order to keep the contract he made with Low, but even taking that into account, she was an overwhelming opponent.
Unlike Ryu, who was in relatively good condition, his opponent was gasping for breath and had minor wounds all over her body, but she still glared at Ryu with eyes that seemed to burn with motivation.
Even a resolution could be felt from the sharp tip of the sword aimed at Ryu.
“I know you’re strong. But I can’t lose here either.”
No sooner had she finished speaking than her figure disappeared with a cloud of dust. Ryu also owed a debt to the power of his original bloodline, but after facing so many strong people, he had long since moved beyond the category of ordinary student.
He could feel it all over his body. He could easily figure out where the next attack would come from.
Whoosh! A blue blade passed before his eyes with the sound of cutting through the wind. It ended with only a slight cut to his hair, but more than anything else, it was the speed. He couldn’t even follow it with his eyes. He could only barely avoid it by using his senses.
A second attack followed.
He barely managed to block the attack aimed precisely at his neck by raising his spear.
In that fleeting moment when they were matching blades and fighting for strength, Ryu clearly saw Low watching him from the audience. He didn’t want to see that gaze turn to disappointment.
Ryu clenched his teeth and swung his spear wide to shake her off, then took a breath and opened his mouth.
“I also have a reason why I can’t lose.”
He was aware of it himself.
What kind of result his fully unleashed power would bring to a mere student. That’s why he was suppressing his power as much as possible and entering the realm of pure swordsmanship. Of course, he had no intention of losing.
When he wielded his spear again, a painful groan escaped from his opponent.
The attacks, which were already difficult to block, gradually accelerated. The trajectory of the spear flying in a line had already turned into a flash of light.
The movement of the arm wielding the weapon, the movement of the feet chasing him, and the spear flying towards his body at the same time were reaching the invisible realm.
He barely defended to twist the trajectory, but he was pushed back like a sword. Where did such power come from in that small frame?
At this rate, he would be pushed back, so the opponent decided to reorganize and create a large gap. It was as flexible as that of a beast.
She had made the best decision in her judgment, but that was her misstep and the moment of her death.
Ryu did not miss the gap that had opened up and raised his spear to take a stance. A stance that was clearly different from before. The hand holding the spear was filled with strength.
He didn’t want to hurt anyone directly, and at the same time, he didn’t want to be hurt.
Perhaps that selfish heart was connected to one method.
Faster than recognition.
Before he could even confirm that his arm was moving, a gray flash of light flew, cutting through the space.
It was already the realm of the Demon King.
The quickly fired spear went beyond her recognition and pierced through her sword and armor in an instant. The impact pushed her back dozens of meters, and she knelt down in place, vomiting blood from her mouth.
“…I lost.”
At the same time as those words, she lost consciousness and could not even hear the announcer’s declaration of the end.
Ryu, gasping for breath, turned his back on the cheers of the people around him and returned to where he had come from.
There were no effective hits, but the course of the match was clearly not something that could be called overwhelming. If the opponent hadn’t prematurely guessed and created a distance at the last moment, Ryu would probably have been the first to run out of stamina.
After simply wiping away his sweat and changing his clothes, he came out of the stadium with a complicated heart, and Acer was already there to greet him with a smiling face. Acer gently stroked his head and began to speak.
“I knew you’d win.”
It wasn’t a satisfactory result, but Acer, who had no way of knowing that, was happy that Ryu had won. Then he had to live up to that smile. Ryu bowed his head with the words, “Thank you.” Charlotte, who was next to him, also smiled contentedly and opened her mouth.
“Shouldn’t we eat something delicious to celebrate the win?”
Acer said with a confident expression.
“Yeah, I happened to book a good restaurant. I heard it’s hard to get a reservation, but I was lucky.”
The three people in that place weren’t particularly picky about food. The only reason she, who found most food delicious, could confidently say that she had booked a good restaurant was one thing. Before moving to the restaurant, Acer had an expression on his face that said he wanted to say something to Ryu.
“Oh, and there’s one more guest today.”
“A guest?”
After she finished speaking, the person who appeared from behind Acer was someone Ryu knew well. Jane awkwardly scratched her head and avoided Ryu’s gaze.
“Am I intruding without realizing it?”
It was a welcome face. The situation at the mansion was so dire that they couldn’t even properly greet each other. Ryu couldn’t hide his joy and approached Jane.
“You’re always welcome, Noona.”
It must have been his imagination that Charlotte and Acer’s upper bodies flinched at that sight. Only then did Jane make a relieved expression and stroke Ryu’s head with a gentle touch.
“The restaurant is a place that a guy who used to work under me opened in District 1 after becoming independent.”
“Someone who worked under Noona…?”
District 3 was clearly a mecca for artists, wasn’t it? Ryu was confused when cooking suddenly came up. Jane, who noticed his thoughts, smiled insincerely and said.
“Food is also a kind of art.”
After a brief conversation, the four of them started walking, and before long, they stopped moving at the same time, as if they had seen something unbelievable. Ryu was the only one who welcomed her among the hardened expressions.
“Ah, there’s another strange child next to you….”
Low staggered towards them as if she was shocked and hugged Ryu, who was standing next to Jane, as if she couldn’t let him be taken away. Jane was taken aback by Low’s sudden appearance, who had disappeared immediately after the match.
“Ew?”
Low, who had suddenly taken Ryu’s side, opened her mouth in a slow tone before anyone could say anything.
“It’s a mother’s duty to make sure her child eats properly….”
She was saying she would follow them. Now that Low had decided to do so, there was no way to stop her. Acer sighed deeply and said to do as she pleased. Ryu asked cautiously with a worried voice.
“Is it okay for you to move around like this?”
Wasn’t the current tournament being held for the Demon King? He thought there would be many problems to prepare or deal with. Jane answered that question instead.
“There’s still plenty of time until the finals, so we can move around freely.”
The restaurant they arrived at in the stiff atmosphere had a rather cozy structure. Inside, there were only a few tables and a kitchen so that only a small number of people could enter. The owner, who recognized that Jane had arrived, came out to greet her in person.
“Jane-nim! It’s an honor to have you here.”
Jane waved her hand and replied.
“Enough with the cheesy greetings. I’m just happy to be able to eat your cooking again after a long time.”
“I’ll bring it to you soon.”
After the owner disappeared, Low, who had already taken a seat at the reserved table, opened her mouth while only looking at Ryu.
“You can sit here if you want.”
She patted her lap with a benevolent expression. Jane, who was seeing Low express her affection so openly for the first time, widened her eyes and looked back and forth between Ryu and Low.
“I can feed you, so leave everything to me.”
Acer grabbed Ryu’s wrist and sat him down next to him, then said in a firm voice.
“How can he become a proper adult if you only let him be spoiled like that?”
Low glared at Acer with a scowl. However, she didn’t say anything else about Ryu choosing to sit next to Acer. Charlotte watched the scene quietly and let out a sigh of disbelief.
“Is there a more gruesome scene than this at this moment?”
A student having a meal with three Demon Kings was a very strange sight. The whispering among the guests who were already there could not be heard properly. Even Ryu, who had become accustomed to living with Acer and Low, didn’t know where his favorite food was going today.
