I was glad that I conserved as much internal energy as possible during my fight with Magna. If I had used the White Sun Eclipse's second part with the determination to break through his defense, I would have far less internal energy left.
At present, my remaining internal energy was around 90%. No, closer to 85%. That was still a considerable amount, but other issues concerned me more heavily.
First, it was the middle of the night, and there was no sunlight. For someone trained in the First Fire Technique, the absence of sunlight was a disadvantage. Second, my right arm was still bothering me, which meant that I wasn't in peak condition. In other words, my current power was roughly 80% of my best state. Coincidentally, that number closely matched my remaining internal energy.
So what are my advantages? It is that their way of fighting is always one-on-one? If all twenty veteran heroes attacked me simultaneously, I would lose without question. If they came at me one by one, I would have a chance.
"It is my turn. I am B-class—"
"Shut up," I spat. "I'm not interested in the names of B-class heroes, okay? It is a waste of brain capacity."
"You bastard!" The hero gritted his teeth and charged at me.
He looked relatively younger than the others, so I deliberately provoked him. The reaction exceeded my expectations, which caught me slightly off guard.
I won't use the White Sun Eclipse against B-class heroes. That judgment was necessary, since the White Sun Eclipse consumed too much internal energy.
This B-class hero was clearly hot-blooded and wielded a battle axe. He immediately rushed forward and brought the axe down in a heavy strike.
I swung the Seven Sins Sword without dodging.
Did he think I would avoid it? Under normal circumstances, when a sword collided with an axe, the sword's blade would chip or break, so this was a normal reaction. That assumption made sense, especially since my sword barely had any internal energy infused in it.
The B-class hesitated briefly. He then concluded that I had made a mistake and tightened his grip on the axe handle. He swung with enough force to smash my sword and my shoulder blade.
However, the Seven Sins Sword wasn't an ordinary sword. It looked old, but in reality, it was one of the relics the Nameless King once wielded. At present, it could draw only two-sevenths of its true strength. Even so, that reduced power was more than enough to smash any battle axe. Of course, I couldn't rely on hardness alone. The real key lay in wrist control and my internal strength.
The B-class hero stared blankly as he held only half the axe. Meanwhile, I opened my palm and struck upward, driving my wrist bone straight into his jaw. His half-open mouth snapped shut with a loud crack. If he had weak teeth, several would have shattered.
I didn't let my guard down and followed with a sharp elbow strike to his solar plexus.
" Ugh! "
An ordinary person would've collapsed from that blow, but his resilience was impressive. Even while bleeding from the mouth, he grabbed my arm. His grip was powerful. He held on tightly with just one hand, yet my forearm and even my joints creaked under the pressure.
If I stayed still, that grip alone would crush my arm bones. Thus, I had no choice but to relax my brachial muscles.
He was caught off guard.
I then expanded my muscles and pushed back his fingers. The density of my muscles made it possible. To a B-class hero, it definitely felt like gripping a loose towel suddenly tightened in his grip.
He flinched as the skin of his palm tore. I swung the sword again, this time striking with the back of the blade. The choice was deliberate, a final gesture of restraint and respect. The sword fell in a clean, straight line and crashed into the B-class hero's collarbone.
He is tough. One more blow won't hurt. I aimed for his face, intending to crush his nose.
Blood sprayed as the B-class hero fell to the ground.
The surroundings fell quiet.
Naturally, no one was surprised that I defeated a B-class hero. They were probably observing my every movement, analyzing my fighting style.
I didn't particularly care. In martial arts, true breakthroughs came only after hitting a wall.
Lately, my desire to improve my level had grown stronger. If these outstanding heroes came up with a strategy that forced me to use the White Sun Eclipse, I would welcome it. After all, their purpose wasn't to kill me. They desperately wanted to beat me to save face or something, so there was no better sparring partner.
Another hero stepped forward. "It is me this time."
Is he also B-class? Maybe he had heard the previous conversation because the Heroic Battle commenced without any introduction. He likely knew that he didn't stand a chance of winning in a direct confrontation, so he immediately climbed onto a building's roof.
He moved quickly, which wasn't surprising. His outfit reminded me of a ranger like Charon. A drawn-out fight or increased distance would be annoying, so I also climbed onto the rooftop.
Immediately after I landed, an arrow flew toward me, as if it had been waiting.
I leaned my head back to dodge, but the B-class ranger followed up at once, hurling a dagger and then a poisonous dart.
Something felt off as I avoided the dagger. A round ring sat at its pommel, with a thin thread attached.
In that moment of surprise, the thread snapped taut and the dagger's course changed.
I caught it barehanded as it shot toward my eyes. The thick calluses on my fingers spared me from a deep cut, but the dagger was a strange item. Its edge still sliced my skin, drawing blood.
A confident sneer reached my ears. Then I suddenly lost my balance and stumbled.
"This is a special poison collected from the Papal Mountains," the B-class hero boasted. "If you force yourself to move, you might suffer permanent damage to your cochlea."
He sounded convinced that he had nearly won, but he still didn't dare to get closer. My earlier exchanges had made him cautious.
Even so, it didn't matter. He was around two steps closer than before. That was enough. I quickly regained my balance after stumbling, and threw the dagger in my hand.
He dodged without panic. However, at that moment, I controlled the thread in reverse and yanked it back.
Bam!
The danger ended up buried in the B-class hero's shoulder.
It was funny how those who relied on poison or needles never seemed to expect the same tactics turned against them.
No. If it were Charon, he would've somehow responded. Simply put, this fella isn't first-rate.
I snorted and said, "You had better not move, right? It is that poison made from whatever mountains. Your cochlea will suffer damage if you force yourself to move."
He slumped down and pulled out a vial with trembling hands. He opened it and gulped it down.
It seemed to be an antidote, but I didn't need it. I burned the poison coursing through my bloodstream with internal energy and burped. The stench was foul. It was definitely poison.
I was about to head down to continue the Heroic Battle when another thought occurred to me. I grabbed him by the back of the neck.
He seemed unable to speak and could only roll his eyes in panic.
I smiled slightly. "Relax your strength, or your bones will break."
I threw the confused ranger toward the other heroes. One of them was standing there in a stupor and took the full impact, then promptly fainted.
"Ah. Was someone there? Sorry," I said nonchalantly. "He is infected with his own poison, so please take care of him. I think he already took the antidote."
In this way, I strategically reduced my opponents by one. Of course, it wasn't a tactic that could be used continuously. If I kept decreasing their numbers like this, they would lose their patience sooner or later.
I stood in the alley and told the heroes watching me, "Come."
"What?"
"I said, come here." I let out an intentionally irritating laugh before adding provocatively, "What is it? I can't even choose the battlefield now? Let's fight here. Unless you are scared. Is there nobody? Where is the next person? Are all the heroes here cowards?"
A few of them scoffed. Just as there was always one idiot in a group of five, there were twenty people gathered here, so some of them naturally took the bait.
A bearded hero with an irritatingly proud face stepped forward, his lips twisting in a sneer. "Kid, just because you defeated a few B-class heroes doesn't mean that your level—"
I drove my fist into his face before he could finish. Teeth and jawbones shattered with a sharp crack, and he flew backward before slamming into the ground with a loud bang.
"What is going on? Why is there a C-class hero mixed in?" I said with a puzzled expression.
"He is B-class," someone replied in a stunned voice. "However, I think he will be demoted soon."
Just as satisfaction settled in from thinning their numbers, another voice rang out. "I will deal with you next. I am Laura of Moongarden."
Her self-introduction was polite. Her presence and bearing differed from those of the others.
This woman...
"Are you A-class?" I asked.
"I don't want to do this, but this is also part of my duty as a clan member," she claimed. "I will do my best."
Laura regarded me in a way the others had not. From her clothing to her speech, she carried herself like a knight. Moreover, there was a sense of kinship with her that made me feel she had elongated ears under her helmet.
I sheathed the Seven Sins Sword and assumed the stance of the White Sun Eclipse, gauging the distance between us.
"Then come," I said.
***
The first three men to appear before Luan were all A-class. Each was a leader in his own right, heading Frostel, Man Eater, and Spiders respectively. Acting together, they had taken the initiative to unify the views of more than twenty clans and rally these heroes under a single banner. Pressuring Luan through the Heroic Battle had also been their idea.
Ideally, the matter could have been resolved through conversation, but given Luan's personality, they believed a fight was unavoidable. They had come fully prepared for that outcome. Therefore, the scene unfolding before them right now was surprising in an entirely different way.
Tatula, the leader of Spiders, muttered, "He is fighting well."
Neither Zach nor Eggwin, the leader of Man Eater, said anything, but both agreed.
They weren't only referring to his current fight with Laura. Earlier, he had displayed overwhelming skills in consecutive battles against B-class heroes, yet he had revealed very little of his true strength in the process.
"He seems to have extensive combat experience. It would be difficult to think and react like that without facing various enemies and battlefields," Eggwin remarked.
"It almost feels unnatural compared to his peers," Tatula noted. "That composure reflects real experience. At his age, his swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat have surpassed the first-rate level."
"By the way, it seems he still has many hidden moves." Zach added, "in addition, he is holding up pretty well, despite this narrow alleyway being the perfect battlefield for Dame Laura."
Golden Fairy Luan relied primarily on hand-to-hand combat. Drawing Laura into such a confined space was a clear mistake. If she had used a large blunt weapon or a greatsword, like that hero welding the battle axe, the narrow alley would have worked against her.
Laura was different. She had a slender build, quick movements, and a weapon that specialized in stabbing, the saber. Therefore, the present heroes expected Laura's overwhelming victory. Yet, surprisingly, the battle turned into a close fight.
That alone wasn't the most concerning development.
"Dame Laura's expression looks off. She probably dislikes this kind of pressure, being surrounded by multiple enemies. We all know how stubborn she can be," Tatula said.
"Yes," Eggwin replied. "However, that isn't a serious issue. Golden Fairy Luan is already quite tired. Securing a win shouldn't be difficult."
As Eggwin predicted, the battle turned in Laura's favor as time passed. True to her Heavy Rain nickname, she wielded the saber freely and stabbed at will. Small wounds soon appeared across Luan's body.
Tatula had fought Laura before and knew that one of her most troublesome strengths lay in her control of distance. Her saber measured roughly one meter and twenty centimeters, far longer than an ordinary saber, giving her a decisive reach advantage. As a fairy, her limbs were also more elongated than those of humans. When she extended her arms, her opponents felt as if they were facing someone who wielded a spear.
Eggwin continued, "This is the real skill of an A-class hero in combat. Heavy Sword Heero is definitely a strong opponent, but Golden Fairy Luan needs to know his limits. For his own sake."
Zach merely hummed.
"By the way, Zach, you are awfully quiet," Tatula said nervously.
Zach replied calmly, "Don't you understand it as well? He is the Iron-Blooded Lord's offspring. The Iron-Blooded Lord protects his bloodline, but that is all. He definitely isn't the type to involve himself in a dispute like this."
"That is true, but..." Tatula began.
Zach sighed when he saw their lingering anxiety. "Have you already forgotten? He didn't bat an eye when Heero Badniker and Nero Badniker suffered through similar injustices. There is no reason for him to suddenly favor his youngest."
The other two nodded.
Zach went on, "Corrupted is a clan that must disappear this year. How long do I have to watch that disgusting alien clan flourish in the Hero Society—"
At that moment, a deafening sound cut him off mid-sentence.
The trio's attention snapped back to the alley.
Luan's fists were dripping with blood, and Laura's saber lay shattered.
"It was a good sword. I hit it twenty times before it finally broke." Luan clenched and unclenched his bleeding hand before saying, "Did you say your name was Laura? If you think you can keep fighting with your fists, come at me. Otherwise, take a break."