Chapter 168 – Cairo’s First Sword (3)

Richard Nicholas, the 1st ranker in Cairo. People acknowledged this man as the best sword in Cairo but they also said that they would not live life the way he did.

“What pleasures does the Count live by? Even though he has been the best for a long time, instead of enjoying wealth and honor, he goes back to relive his training days each day. What a boring person. If I had the skills like his, I would live a comfortable life by siding with Marquis Benedict.”

But there was a time when Count Nicholas also thought of such things.

And his schedule felt boring. According to his servant, he lived at the training grounds most of the day except for the time he meditated in the mornings.

From the basic movements to advance sword skills, Count Nicholas would be drenched in sweat as he kept repeating the process and sparring with his subordinates. That was his schedule from morning to evening.

And when he skipped his external duties as a Royal Knight, he would focus on his sword technique.

And he was now over sixty years old.

Even though he was the best swordsman in his youth, considering the social status he held, no one understood why he still lived on the training grounds.

But he still continued to live the same way. No matter what people said about him, the sword never left his hands.

The reason?

Because he liked it?

Because he was crazy for swords?

No.

At the end of the day, Count Nicholas forcibly closed his eyes from the aura rising from within him.

‘I don’t want to live this fiercely either.’

In his sixty years of life, he lived his entire life for the royal family. Count Nicholas, who was flogged for being lazy in sword training when he was young, was now a pillar of support for the royal family.

He knew it too. What would happen the moment he became a little weak? And the fact that the Cairo royal family was bound to collapse like a sand castle due to the evil people aiming for the throne.

That couldn’t happen. The royal family was everything Nicholas had. His blind feelings for the family, which had been imprinted in his head, turned Count Nicholas into someone who treasured the family, even if people thought it was boring. And so he held his resolve.

And when he heard the rumors that Roman Dmitry had defeated Butler, the Count went to the training grounds and continued to train against an imaginary opponent all day long.

Daniel Cairo and the former King’s smiles and kind words gave the Count a reason to live. The existence that people called great believed and followed the value of mere humans.

One day, his son who lived a normal life unlike him asked,

“Father, why do you do that?”

His father was exhausted each day. Contrary to his fame and name, his father would always return home with a shabby appearance.

At the words of his son, who gave up the sword because he didn’t want to be like him, Count Nicholas showed a heartfelt smile.

“Son, I am the First Sword of Cairo. People call Cairo a small nation and look down on us, but in the small nation called Cairo, I am an existence that no one can approach. That is the purpose of my life.”

And today, people didn’t know the fact that in order to face Roman Dmitry, who was a young challenger, the Count had been preparing for a year before the Ranking Matches were even announced.

Cairo’s First Sword, Richard Nicholas, was completely different from the others that Roman had stepped on.

Rumble.

The ground shook.

In the middle of a violently raging sandstorm, Count Nicholas pushed Roman.

Kang!

Kakakang!

His face changed. In the beginning, Roman led the attack, but this time, the Count was the one leading.

‘Roman Dmitry doesn’t run.’

Last year, Count Nicholas studied the data about Roman. The testimonies of when Roman faced Homer, the battles on the Southern Front, and when he defeated Butler—he kept all the facts that were informative in his head.

People would ask why the person considered the best in the nation was wary of a young man in his mid-20s, but the Count was the type that did his best in everything he did. The opponent was brilliant and talented, and if he couldn’t overcome him with talent, then he had to press him down with experience.

Kwang!

There was a huge roar.

With the goal of not letting his opponent run away, he deliberately raised his aura.

Since the aura that distorted the atmosphere couldn’t be stopped just by dodging, Roman raised his sword to block it.

Kang!

Kakang!

And that was when it started.

Roman Dmitry attacked with the best moves he could think of. Instead of judging with his eyes, he began to continuously attack under the assumption that the opponent would block all his attacks.

Right, left, left, and overhead.

Continuing to change the pattern of his attacks, Roman Dmitry blocked all the chances to prevent the Count from coming up with a new move.

One breath.

The price to pay was high.

Cairo’s First Sword attacked by taking the initiative in one flow.

“Wow.”

“… this is the best sword in Cairo.”

The people who were looking from afar were shocked at this. Even though they couldn’t properly see the fight because of the sandstorm, Count Nicholas displayed a tremendous presence. They were certain that Count Nicholas was an existence different from the others.

Oscar, who was ranked second, wasn’t even in the continental rankings, but Count Nicholas ranked 80th. And that was five years ago. Even after that, this man never neglected his training, and the people said that if he challenged others, his rank would rise.

He was at the age of sixty and he was starting to get old. However, he clearly demonstrated how he was able to support the power system in Cairo.

Kwang!

Rumble!

Aura exploded.

Count Nicholas made his way through the storm. To protect the honor of the royal family and to prove that he was strong, he never delayed his attacks since he knew that he could die from a single mistake.

Just like that, Count Nicholas was roaring. And the more his presence burned, the more Roman Dmitry also began to burn.

Count Nicholas was strong. Living as Roman Dmitry, he had met a lot of people, but he was sure that none of them were as strong as the Count.

‘He is one level higher than Butler.’

The fight was intense, and it made his blood boil. Ever since he stayed silent for the past year, Roman has waited for a moment like this.

Kaaanng!

Kakakang!

He swung his sword. To meet his opponent’s intention and respond to him, he fought him head-on. Without backing down at all, Roman Dmitry countered the opponent’s attack head-on.

Rumble.

There was a great rumble.

The head-to-head fight drained their minds, but both of them didn’t back down. The First Sword of Cairo? No, the stronger the opponent, the better. Roman Dmitry just wanted to crush his opponent with force.

‘Count Nicholas is strong. But in the end, he is only strong by the standards of Cairo. There are dozens of beings on the continent that are stronger than him, and I cannot even predict how many of them haven’t revealed their identities to the world. For the future, I need to overwhelm Count Nicholas.’

He acknowledged his opponent. If he had been on the same level as Oscar, Roman Dmitry would have ended the fight without prolonging it for another second.

Flash.

Nicholas moved to attack. His sword, which was covered in aura, fell like stars from the sky.

Roman stepped forward. Following his opponent’s intention, he also raised his aura to counter it.

Kwang!

Rumble!

There was a series of clashes as the two continuously collided. As if the fight would end with a single hit, they didn’t want to back out.

Kwang!

Just one hit, but Count Nicholas’s expression changed. It was subtle, but he could feel his body bounce a little at the repulsive force.

Kwang!

It was the same this time too. He raised his strength more than before, but he was only pushed back further.

Kwang!

Kwakwang!

Every time they clashed, Count Nicholas was being pushed back little by little. He obviously had the upper hand at the start, but the more he faced his opponent, the more he saw a new reality.

As if his body was wet from rain, the results piled up once again. The fact that he was being pushed back further made him belatedly realize something was wrong.

‘I am being pushed back by strength.’

It was at that moment that the people who were watching began to realize that the flow of the fight was going in a strange direction.

People had a particular image in their minds prior to this fight. If Roman Dmitry caused an uproar here, they thought it wouldn’t be from an overwhelming fight.

“Roman Dmitry is just in his mid-20s. No matter how great a swordsman he is, he cannot compete with the aura of Count Nicholas, who has trained for sixty years. Because Count Nicholas is superior in every way, Roman Dmitry must devise a variable that will allow him to win.”

That was what everyone thought, but the results in front of their eyes were different.

Kwang!

Count Nicholas was being pushed back. At first, he was only pushed back so little that it wasn’t noticeable, but now it was one step after another.

Kwang!

This time, he was pushed back behind the line.

Count Nicholas gritted his teeth. The more he blocked Roman Dmitry’s sword, the more disgusted he was feeling.

‘This makes no sense.’

He was shocked. He was not different from the others. He prepared for a year to face Roman Dmitry, but he never thought that he would be crushed like this. It was not arrogance but confidence in himself.

Because of his experience for sixty years, he was sure that the aura of a swordsman in his mid-20s wouldn’t be much.

His common sense crumbled. The opponent was a monster. People called the Count a genius, but even in the realm of geniuses, Roman appeared to be stronger.

Kwang!

Rumble!

He was now pushed all the way back.

“Cough.”

In an instant, he coughed up blood. The shock of the constant attacks made thick blood drip down his mouth as if his organs were messed up.

The eye-catching red drops of blood continued to drip down, and the Count sighed.

Being the supporting power of the Cairo royal family, he tried so hard to not make it collapse, and he was wary of the nobles’ faction but not of the young blood.

What if.…

….he lost?

Roman Dmitry was claiming to be neutral, but he would never help the King. According to what he knew about him, this man was a practical person.

Unlike him, who had devoted his life to being loyal one-sidedly, Roman would never do that to the royal family.

‘I can’t lose.’

He gritted his teeth and gulped. He suppressed the disgusting smell of blood, and he looked at his opponent.

It was funny how Roman Dmitry was giving him time, as if telling him to calm down and fight him again with all his might. Seeing the guy who was just a challenger act like the champion, the Count raised his aura.

‘Fine, I am not grateful at this consideration.’

Rumble!

He held his sword one last time. If even this attack failed, then there was no way to defeat Roman Dmitry.

Tak.

Rumble!

He kicked the ground.

This time, Roman Dmitry confronted him head-on.

Aura explosion.

It was Count Nicholas’s secret. When he manifested the power that made him the 80th ranker, the aura surrounding his sword burned like a volcano.

‘This is the end.’

It was then that the Count clearly saw it. Even facing an aura that burned like it would devour the world, and even if one understood what it meant, Roman Dmitry didn’t dodge the attack.

Kwang!

Kwakwang!