## Chapter 782 – Kingdom Martial Arts Tournament
—Verde, hooray!!!!!!!
Even after the victory announcement, I cheered and praised the Verde God for a long time. This would let all the citizens of the capital know the steadfastness of the Brass Celestial Angel Society.
And my reputation would soar.
Saintess Kadia would be very pleased.
“This brazen bastard.”
After shouting, I looked down at Pileader, who was foaming at the mouth and passed out.
“Bbrrrr.”
I showed restraint, so he wouldn’t be seriously injured. A master like me can hit without causing much pain.
But this ridiculous bastard.
“Dare to challenge me to a dance battle?”
This guy must have tried to show off his skills by performing a sword dance before the fight. If he was lucky enough to please a noble, he might get hired for a good price.
That’s what he was aiming for.
He’s not really a noble, and other than being from a guild, he has no background. To make a name for himself in the capital, he needs to raise his reputation like this.
“That’s your downfall.”
But the Heavenly Demon Kim Kkat would never allow such a thing. It’s fine before the competition starts, but to do that so fearlessly after the match has begun?
Especially in front of me?
Originally, I was going to create a visually exciting battle by mixing overwhelming dance with appropriate performance and a flashy finish.
But what is this?
To draw overwhelming attention, I ended up showing an inhuman dance time, leaving only my underwear and shoes. Now I look like some cool professional wrestler.
This was never my intention.
This guy insulted me, and that’s how it turned out.
—Whoooooosh!!!
—Kyaaaaaaa!!!
—Woooooooah!!!
But… the reaction isn’t bad after all. It’s almost half screams and half cheers. Except for the half who are shocked, everyone seems to generally like it.
—Heavenly Demon B-boying.
It was an otherworldly dance that people in this world had never experienced before. Combined with my reputation as a paladin and inhuman killer muscles, it would be more than just a spectacle; it would be a cultural shock.
I’m getting so much attention.
“Anyway, from now on, be careful who you dance with.”
I immediately said my last words to the unconscious Pileader and tried to go down below the arena, leaving behind thunderous cheers.
—Tap tap tap tap!
But someone was running over from that way.
It was the host wearing a clown hat and makeup.
“Now—!! Then!! Let’s hear the Paladin’s victory speech!!!”
Victory speech?
“Haa… haa… You’ve finally come down! First of all, congratulations on your victory… Paladin Kim Kkat!! What an amazing body, I mean, battle!!! The battle was combined with such shocking dance that my heart is racing so much right now!! Ah, please transport Pileader quickly!”
The host was out of breath, perhaps because it was difficult, and continued to speak incoherently. Soon, the escort team came and started carrying Pileader on a stretcher.
“Anyway, a word on your victory!”
She held out a microphone-like tool to me. It seems to be a magical artifact. It has the effect of amplifying sound.
I grabbed it and shouted.
“I have only one thing to say! As I just shouted, the Verde God is always watching over us!!! Verde God, hooray!!!!!”
“A brave victory speech!!! Thank you for that!!!”
Anyway, with this, the first game was successfully completed. I immediately put on the armor I had taken off and went down below the arena.
“Congratulations on your victory! Now, I will guide you…”
As soon as I went down, a staff member followed me.
Each contestant who advances to the main round gets a staff member.
“Ah, can I get a pair of pants?”
“I’ll bring them to the waiting room!”
And so I headed to the waiting room.
I should put on some clothes, rest for a bit, and then go back.
After all, the players who have advanced to the main round only have to play one game a day if they win. The losers fight again to determine the rankings, but the winners just have to play in the round of 16 tomorrow.
From now on, I’m free to go back or not.
The bracket for tomorrow will be revealed tomorrow after today’s games are over. I don’t know if there will be any stronger guys… Pileader’s skills were decent, but he couldn’t compare to me.
“Ugh.”
Let’s go home quickly.
What’s the point of watching these noobs fight?
* * *
“Again, again, the darkie is acting up again!”
As soon as I returned, Winia shouted as if she had been waiting.
“And why are you tearing your clothes! What kind of paladin is that in the world!”
“Surprisingly, there’s one here.”
“You’re really crazy, really!”
“Hehe, ah. I won, though. Quickly stroke my head.”
“Ugh…”
It seems she was greatly shocked by me dancing in my underwear. Anyway, Winia touched my head.
“What on earth was that movement? This lady doubted her eyes. I thought you would fight while performing a cool sword dance, but why such a dance… I still feel like my heart is racing from the shock.”
Is it because she’s a mage? Risha also seemed dazed and kept stroking my cheeks as if trying to calm her surprised heart. Her eyes were filled with worry.
“Oh dear. Why, Risha? Honestly, wasn’t it okay?”
“It was fun to see your body, but the movements were so bizarre that I was quite shocked. What was the meaning of that act?”
“It’s nothing like that… If you don’t like it, I should refrain from doing it.”
Oh, no.
Risha belonged to the half who were shocked.
“No, why? It was fun and good, right?”
“Sister!”
Karin said that with a smile.
As expected, a fellow warrior.
“Yes! Kkat-nim, you were really cool! Especially when you flew into the sky at the end, I really couldn’t tell if it was real or not!!!”
“Is that supposed to be cool?”
“Probably!”
Liz unnie took Hilde’s words.
“Hehehe, Kkat. It was so much fun, it reminded me of the old arena. It was a bit much, but that’s Kkat, right? Yeah. It was good.”
“Hehehe, right?”
If Claudia likes it, it doesn’t matter.
“But tearing your clothes was a little embarrassing.”
“Oh dear.”
Let’s use the costume explosion show only at the right timing in the future.
“Father. Are you going to fight again tomorrow?”
“Probably for a few days.”
I have to play the games until the final.
* * *
The next day was the round of 16.
After checking in on time, I came to my waiting room and checked the bracket. Today’s opponent is Rachel Curbain of the Curbain Marquisate.
Honestly, anyone is fine.
There’s no need to find out about them, I just have to go and fight and win. That bastard I fought yesterday was nothing special either.
Anyway, as I was killing time, a staff member came with a box.
“This is a letter that came for the Paladin!”
“A letter?”
“Yes! Usually, many letters come to the main round contestants like this! Please read them while you wait!”
He handed over the box and went back outside.
“What kind of letter came.”
There were almost a hundred letters. Why so many? I immediately picked up the one on top and checked it.
After reading it quickly, it was spam mail from nobles who wanted to meet me, people who ran martial arts gyms and wanted me to come, and invitations to banquets and balls.
In other words, contact.
People who want to be friends with me.
If I were a skilled swordsman who came up from the countryside instead of a paladin, I would have carefully examined these and responded to the meetings, but Paladin Kim Kkat doesn’t really need that.
“It’s time for the game!”
“I understand.”
Soon my game started. Am I fighting fifth today? I immediately changed my clothes.
—Paladin! Paladin! Paladin! Paladin!
—Woooooooooooah!
—B, but that’s!!!
As soon as I went out, cheers poured out.
“What on earth is that!!!!”
“He’s wearing a wolf’s skin!!!”
“No wayyyyyyyyyyy!!!”
“I can’t believe ittttttttt!!!!!!!!”
The reaction is immediate.
I just changed, so today I’m just wearing shoes and pants. And I’m just wearing Garos’s skin. I’m not even carrying a scabbard, I’m just holding Bihal.
This is the real wolf swag.
Rather than fighting in armor, this visual `concept` is the most important thing. I’m adding this `wolf skin` to the savage power I showed yesterday. Honestly, fighting while dancing in my underwear yesterday wasn’t very good.
Anyway, if I come wearing Garos’s skin, the audience will be even more enthusiastic.
—Thud thud.
And so I went up to the arena.
“Oh my gooooooood!! What is that outfit!! He’s wearing a wolf’s skin instead of a top!! It seems that the paladin from the Mirkesha nomads is trying to keep the tradition!!!!!”
The host shouted, and the opponent walked up from the other side.
“Corner 1! Rachel Curbain, the second daughter of the Curbain Marquisate!!!!”
It was a woman with long red hair.
She was wearing a luxurious light armor over a uniform-like black outfit. She was wearing a breastplate, shoulder pads, and gauntlets, and the armament was a long rapier that looked like it was carried by professional serial killers.
“Corner 2!!!! Dancing Celestial Dancer, Kim Kkat!!!!”
My title is?
Anyway, she had a quite challenging look. She seemed to be sending fierce hostility towards me.
What?
The host’s explanation continued for a while, and it was time to introduce each other.
“I am Rachel Curbain!!”
The guy shouted, pointing his rapier with a shrill voice.
“But!!”
“Hmm?”
“Not only yesterday’s battle, but you came without armor!!! Are you daring to ignore me, Rachel Curbain!! You said you were a paladin, but why don’t you know respect for your opponent!! Does that mean you don’t even need armor to face me!!”
I wondered what it was, but she was complaining that I didn’t come wearing armor.
“You are now ignoring the pride of a warrior!!! Why are you mocking me!!”
In fact, depending on who sees it, they may feel that way.
She’s trying her best, but the opponent is putting self-imposed equipment restrictions and taking penalties on their own.
A proud warrior might feel insulted.
“No!! This is never an insult!!!”
But I.
“What!!!”
I’m strong even without armor.
“My body, honed by faith, is stronger than anything else!!! Why do you think I’m insulting you, you narrow-minded fellow!! The body is armor, and the muscles are armor! Don’t be obsessed with trivial things!!!”
—Gah!!!!!!!!!
I scolded her greatly, pointing my finger at her. Not wearing armor doesn’t mean I’m not giving it my all!!
“Narrow-minded!”
“Armor is useless to me, who is protected by the Verde God!! I didn’t ignore you, but if you think you’ve been ignored, prove your strength by attacking with all your might!!!”
“Okay! I was going to do that anyway, you lewd paladin!!”
What, lewd?
“Dare to denigrate my body as lewd!!!”
“It’s not denigration, it’s the truth!! That lewd dance yesterday…! What paladin in this world takes off their clothes and dances like that in a sacred competition!! The paladin insulted the competition!!”
“Who dares to call my dance a mockery!!!!!”
—Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!!!!!!!!!!
Enraged, I immediately screamed!
Dare!!!
Dare to dismiss the Heavenly Demon Dance Time as lewd and a mockery!
This is an act that I can never tolerate!
“Kuh…! Indeed, a great shout! Then I will defeat you with all my might! Just because you don’t wear armor doesn’t mean I’ll hold back!!! Be prepared!”
“That’s what I want!!”
—The game begins!!!!!!
With the sound of a loud gong, the game began.
—Tsupat!
At that moment, Rachel pointed her rapier and shot towards me.
—Tsuzuuzuzut!!
No, the expression “shot” is not correct.
She was sliding across the floor of the arena as if she was wearing inline skates with an engine. She was trying to intercept me by bending her direction in an S-shape, and it was like a snake’s movement.
—The Curbain Marquisate!
This is the family’s secret killing martial art! As expected, the nobles train inhumanly from a young age and hone their skills!
To use such swordsmanship!
“Take this!!!”
—Shishishishishik!!
As she approached me, she stabbed the rapier continuously at a crazy speed, forming a kind of barrage to attack. An inhuman skill in which a point-stabbing attack turns into a surface!
—Paat!
But I’m not going to let that happen!
I immediately kicked the ground and retreated.
The momentum is unusual, is this what it means to do as much as you can!
“Haha! You’ve been caught!”
Was she aiming for me to retreat? At that moment, her body approached me as if it was being shot, and the tip of the rapier was aimed at my heart.
“But, I figured it out.”
“What!”
—Paat!
I immediately grabbed the blade of the rapier with my fist, creating a fist aura.
—Kkwak!
“T, this can’t be! My rapier!”
She pulled the rapier, but she couldn’t beat my grip strength. The guy’s downfall was that he couldn’t use sword aura. That’s why he couldn’t break through my fist aura.
—An art performed with enhanced dynamic visual acuity and sophisticated fist aura.
I just had to watch the movement of the arm and follow the blade.
—Hoo-ook!
“Aah!”
And so, after pulling the blade and bringing her body towards me, I released the blade and grabbed her wrist and forearm and blew her away.
—Whoosh!
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak!!”
A scream that fades away.
“The sin of insulting my dance! It doesn’t end thereeeeeeeeeeet!!!!”
And so, I chased her movements as she flew away, performing continuous crazy somersaults, and kicked her in time with her fall.
—Peo-uk!
“Keuhak!”
With the kick as the end, she flies into the audience seats.
“T, out of bounds! It’s out of bounds!!!!”
See?
At this level, I don’t need armor or a sword.
I’ll chew it up and eat it all the way to the final.
“Miyo-ooooooooooooooooooooong!!!!!!!!”
