It meant that even if he activated his Alchemy Circuit Enhancement, his attacks might not have the same heavy, ferocious power as the man’s saber!

The Little Nun said in delighted surprise, "That’s Mr. L! The Demon Hunter who saved Mundra!"

"That’s because Ludwig wasn’t there!"

A boy of about her age retorted from beside her.

He was Ludwig’s nephew and, having aspired to become a Demon Hunter since childhood, served as one of Ludwig’s followers.

The Little Nun looked at the boy seriously, paying no mind as his face flushed red under her gaze.

"You’re just a kid, too."

Olivia muttered, turning her head back to watch the duel unfold.

The boy was flustered, but just as he was about to argue his point, he saw the serene, delicate face beneath the nun’s coif, and her blonde hair that seemed almost white in the light. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Gorman remarked to the old Priest, "This L is one skilled Demon Hunter."

After speaking, he narrowed his eyes and looked back into the arena. ’Now, let’s see what Ludwig...’

After blocking a wave of attacks, Ludwig suddenly retreated. He plunged his sword into the ground with a reverse grip and flicked it upward!

He, too, kicked up a cloud of dust!!!

Both their figures were instantly obscured by the dust!

Although the audience couldn’t see what was happening within the dust cloud, the sparks from their clashes and the shriek of scraping metal told them just how ferocious the battle was.

It was like a cleverly staged play.

The curtain falls, and the two armies clash backstage. The audience can only judge the intensity of the battle by the sounds of war, and by the time the curtain rises again, the victor has already been decided.

The battle between the two Demon Hunters was almost like a clash between two armies.

Gorman almost clapped involuntarily. Just watching how Baron utilized the terrain was enough to tell his tactical expertise was by no means low, but Ludwig’s response was no less astute!

This was an evenly matched contest!

A clash of killing intent, dignity, honor, ferocity, and skill!!

Baron, who had experienced death hundreds of times, versus Ludwig, who had hovered on the brink of death many times—a fated clash between two lone wolves!!!

As saber and sword crossed, the auras of power surrounding them grew ever brighter. Ludwig saw how ruthless Baron’s saber techniques were; he had never before witnessed a style that so willingly traded injury for injury.

Baron, too, could see the Blue Sword Hunter’s exquisite skill. Every tremor of the blade traced a graceful arc that was nevertheless brimming with killing intent.

He had never seen such perfect swordsmanship. Every strike was precise, every movement perfectly fluid. It was like a gentle breeze from a distance—so quiet, so serene, yet carrying the breath of death.

In his previous fights, he had only known how to dodge by instinct, then put a couple of bullets into any enemy who didn’t cooperate.

But after last night’s special training with the Shepherdess, though his technique was still crude, it now possessed a certain rough-hewn finesse. His ability to appreciate skill had skyrocketed with each death, and he could now discern good swordsmanship from bad.

"Yes! This is how it should be!"

he said. With a swing of his saber, he knocked the sword aside. At that exact moment, the wind blew away the dust shrouding his body. To the onlookers, it looked as if he had sliced the dust cloud in two!

The many spectators who had rushed over upon hearing the news gasped in unison. In that instant, countless young women’s hearts fluttered, and countless young men’s spirits surged with ambition.

"This is how it should be!" he repeated.

Sunlight scattered through the swirling dust, blanketing his form. Baron took a great stride, twisting his body to evade a thrust from Ludwig. He then kicked the blade of the Blue Sword aside, gripped his saber with both hands, raised it high, and brought it cleaving down!

It was a strike of immense power! A frontal assault, its killing intent and its vulnerability laid bare for all to see!

Ludwig had neither the time nor the strength to sidestep this wind-swift strike. He had only two choices.

He could raise his sword to block, but his stance was already compromised, preventing him from mustering much force. His sword would likely be torn from his grasp by the blow, and without it, he would surely lose.

Or, he could retreat to gather power... and counter with a strike of his own! ’But this is just a duel,’ he thought. ’Is it really right to do that?’

A ruthless glint flashed in Ludwig’s eyes. ’I’m the one who proposed this duel. To hell with what’s right or wrong—all that matters is the cut!’

At that very moment, he took a step back, dipped his shoulder, and with a low cry, swung his sword!

The wind whipped into a frenzy, seeming to pull the sunlight down into every corner of the arena. The cheers of the crowd were drowned out by its howl and the swirling dust.

The crowd huddled together, squinting through the gale to watch the sunlit duel, terrified of missing a single detail.

For a moment, the only sounds in the entire arena were the howling wind, the RUSTLING of branches, and the imagined shriek of a fatal blow that rang in everyone’s ears in the instant before saber and sword finally met.

The Little Nun couldn’t help but close her eyes and pray.

In a flash, a piercing shriek rang out. The sword struck the stranger’s right shoulder, and blood spurted out like a fountain. The edge of the saber, however, was still some distance from Ludwig’s neck.

The saber was an inch shorter than the sword, but the length of a blade doesn’t determine who lives and who dies in a fight.

It seemed the victor was decided... No, it was far from over!

Just as Ludwig thought victory was his, the man ignored the wound in his right shoulder and surged forward! He swung the saber! Blood from the torn wound splattered across Ludwig’s face!

The edge of the saber loomed larger and larger in Ludwig’s azure eyes!

"No!" Ludwig cried out instinctively.

The last of the dust scattered on the wind. In the silent stables, the Blue Sword Hunter, Ludwig, sat slumped against a support pillar, the blade of a saber resting on his left shoulder.

Ludwig’s chest heaved. He couldn’t help but roar, "This is just a duel! Are you insane?!"

The owner of the Long Saber stood silently before him, blood streaming from the right shoulder pierced by the Blue Sword.

Only after Ludwig remained silent for a long while before finally saying, "I lose," with a bitter smile did Baron withdraw his saber. He pulled the Blue Sword from his own right shoulder, flicked the blood from it, and returned it to its owner.

The entire audience by the fence was stunned!

The sudden conclusion left them forgetting to cheer, to scream, to applaud. For a moment, they even forgot the results of their own bets—who had won and who had lost!

A moment later, when Mayor Gorman began to applaud, they reacted as if they had just been pulled from underwater, and a scattered applause began.

Soon, the applause became thunderous!!!

What a mad and brilliant blow! A saber strike delivered with the will to die could only be countered by a sword strike with that same resolve!

But Ludwig hadn’t dared to make that gamble! In the instant he was about to swing his sword to block, he had seen the reflection of his opponent’s eyes on the blade.

Ludwig vaguely recalled having seen eyes like that somewhere before, but the frantic pace of the fight had only allowed him time to consider his options against that one saber strike.

Now, faced with his defeat, he suddenly remembered exactly where he had seen such eyes.

He had seen them as a child, riding in a carriage through a forest, when he saw a fierce tiger besieged by a pack of wolves... an indifference so chilling it was terrifying, an gaze that had abandoned everything, that held Madness within its calm.

The eyes of a tiger!

In that fleeting moment of eye contact, he felt as if he had returned to the very instant that had defined his life!

He sat in the carriage, lifting the curtain to look out. The tiger, covered in wounds, stood atop the corpses of the wolves and met his gaze.

A tiger’s roar cut through the drone of cicadas. He trembled, his mind going completely blank.

He came down with a fever after returning home. When he awoke, all he could remember was that pair of majestic, intimidating tiger eyes.

He told his father, "I want to become a tiger."

His father patted his head and said, "Then why don’t you first try to become the bravest wolf in the pack?"

And so, Ludwig followed in his father’s footsteps and became a Demon Hunter.

He shouted at the man’s retreating back, "I lost! As compensation for your wound, my Hunter Badge is yours!"

He threw something to Baron. Catching it, Baron saw it was a silver medallion depicting a saber and sword crossed to form a Cross.

Before Ludwig could say anything, the Glimpse of the Mysterious Crystal revealed the item’s origin.

[Hunter Badge: A C Level Taboo Object. A medallion imbued with the dying obsession of an old Hunter and mysterious power. Senses Demons and Demon Beasts through vibrations.]

Ludwig said, "Next time. When I win next time, I’ll take it back."

Baron simply waved a hand, saying nothing. Then, in full view of everyone, he drew the saber across his own throat...

Olivia let out a choked cry. The astonished spectators covered their faces and screamed.

After the saber drew a line of blood across his neck, the Demon Hunter’s body went rigid.

Then he wiped the blood from his neck and, as if nothing had happened, returned the saber to its attendant. "I’ve tested the blade," he said. "It’s quite sharp."

"He’s a complete madman,"

Ludwig muttered to himself as he rose to his feet.

’Shit, I got so caught up in the fight I forgot this wasn’t the dream world. Muscle memory almost made me off myself.’

Baron felt a pang of lingering fear, but he simply looked toward the old Priest. "Priest, did you place that bet for me?"

The old Priest gave a slight smile and held out a heavy bag of Copper Coins. Baron thought his smile was a truly beautiful sight.