A brave man may not live, but he cannot die

Chapter 169 Guaranteed Admission to the Next Cycle (Part 1)

The night's atmosphere was completely transformed into chaos and fleeing.

The magnificent airport was divided by darkness and fire. Although the bombardment of the Eye of Grindelwald did not destroy the main building, it caused a large number of gas pipes to break and ignite. The collapsed high walls blocked the way, and the bewildered people ran and shouted in the ruins like ants being cooked in oil.

For some unknown reason, after the appearance of the giant Lin, everything driven by arcane magic malfunctioned, preventing the government from using loudspeakers to maintain order. Airships docked high in the sky crashed one after another. The crew members in the cockpits tried to raise the sails, but turning the steering wheels was futile. The arcane matrices controlling the airships were unresponsive, until they crashed inside and outside the airport, causing a new round of chaos.
As Ike fell from the middle of the tower, his body twisted strangely, changing direction high in the air. His left hand dug into the outer wall of the tower like a shovel. The bricks and stones, which were designed to withstand artillery fire, were cut through by his flesh and blood like tofu. His left hand dragged his body and slowed down the fall by relying on the outer wall, finally allowing him to land steadily.

Ike finally opened his eyes, which had been tightly closed, and looked around blankly, only to find that he was back on the ground.

"what happened?"

"I'm frozen in place? I didn't feel anything. Merlin? You mean the Second Hero's magic?"

"."

A look of surprise flashed across his dust-covered, grimy face, then he smiled wryly and said, "You mean I lost?"

"Tsk."

"I was careless. If you hadn't told me to test him slowly, none of this would have happened. Well, a loss is a loss. So what? Why did you run? His immobilization skill can't last long, right? I..."

He paused, and Ike's eyes narrowed slightly, suddenly turning murderous.

He landed at the back of the stage, where many of the bands and dancers who were about to perform had already fled in panic. His gaze fell on a pile of props that had collapsed due to the explosion. In this inconspicuous dark corner, an exceptionally ugly little creature was also looking at him.

".dog?"

"--brush!!!"

The sound of the sword cutting through the air rang out almost simultaneously. The speed was faster than Quinn's. Ike only had time to desperately turn his body to the side before the tip of the rapier grazed his ear. Blood spurted out as he managed to pull out his kunai. He then exchanged two dazzling blows with the attacker, hastily retreating after setting up a smoke screen. The attacker did not immediately pursue him.

It was merely a soft rapier that could be concealed in one's belt, a weapon favored by nobles in duels—thin and flexible, it was elegant to wield, and even if one lost, it was unlikely to cost one their life. But Ike's slightly trembling hand indicated one thing: the sword was as hard as a greatsword, and he was experiencing the same feeling of being suppressed in strength as Quinn had before.

Fortunately, the opponent wasn't very fast, otherwise the sword tip wouldn't have just cut off half an ear, but would have severed the head entirely.
As a ninja, Ike's vision was naturally unobstructed in the smoke.

He recognized who it was.

"I've seen a whole host of strange things today." Ike asked coldly, "The Academy actually supports a councilor who's hiding his superhuman identity, and who's also a mid-level member who could easily go out of control?"

Compared to Ike's white suit, which was almost shredded into strips, Elon's all-black attire stood out starkly. The young senator stood in the white mist, his gaze seemingly unobstructed, calmly watching the mob boss who was supposed to be arrested that night.

“Ike Carpenter, first time meeting you.”

"Ha, really the first time?" Ike gave a forced smile. "Respected Congressman Elon, you usually ignore me, so why are you coming to me today?"

Elon held the sword upright in front of him with both hands, like using a walking stick.

"That thing in the sky, was it created by the Golden Wind?"

".?"

Ike almost laughed out of anger.

"Wow, this is really awesome, could I have done this?"

"From the moment the explosion began, you were the only one who managed to get down from Grindelwald's Eye."

"It wasn't me."

"Who?"

“Quinn. A teacher of Grindelwald. Quinn and that Ancua commissioner you know.”

"."

After a moment of silence, Elon drew his sword.

Golden waves of energy surged along the slender blade of the rapier, swirling away the white mist.

“I’ve always heard that the leader of the Golden Wind is a very capable and intelligent man,” Elon shook his head. “Laughable—” The moment he finished speaking, a sword shadow thrust straight at Elon. The starting stance was perfectly steady and standard, lacking the flashy agility of Quinn’s katana, yet it made Ike dare not be careless. That golden sword energy was a manifestation of 'Knights Don’t Die Barehanded,' a skill gained at [Knight] Sequence Eight that changes upon advancement. At Sequence Seven, when the concept of "sword and shield" is granted, items can be enhanced to a level beyond the ordinary, and at Sequence Six…
That is, the release of Qi.

That visible "qi" is not the white smoke that obscures vision, but the manifestation of a concept bestowed by the extraordinary. Every wisp can be regarded as a sharp blade, which will injure you if you touch it and kill you if you get caught in it!
The sound of explosions came from backstage, and a large number of hidden weapons and explosives poured out like raindrops. In just a few seconds, the high wall built of golden energy withstood countless fierce and rapid bombardments, but Elon, who was advancing step by step, only had his clothes slightly dirty. After reaching Sequence Six, the [Knight] no longer needed to carry a shield. These ninja tools that relied on sheer numbers could not get close to him at all.

Ike dodged and weaved, constantly deploying smoke grenades, but Elon somehow managed to find his position and follow him closely. The two figures chased each other through the smoke, occasionally clashing and then separating again. It looked as if Ike was being chased by Elon. The sound of exploding bullets drove the crowd away, and for a moment, the battlefield between the two superhumans seemed even more frightening than the previous artillery barrage.

Ike gritted his teeth. His speed was superior to Elon's, which allowed him to seize the initiative in the attack most of the time. The sharpness of the kunai reflected the golden light on the rapier. The two clashed, and after a crisp sound, the kunai was easily shattered by the swing. He could only retreat in a sorry state again. Elon's follow-up slash did not hit him, but he was not anxious.

There is nothing else to it but strength.

The strengths of each destiny in the combat class become more and more obvious and distinct as you go higher. Elon's nonchalant expression is not without reason. The Knight, the most resilient destiny in the combat class, fully demonstrates what it means to be as immovable as a mountain.

Knights and warriors are universally acknowledged as having monstrous stats; in a head-on confrontation, they are virtually fearless against any opponent of the same rank. For a ninja to defeat them, he must make prior arrangements, relying on a large number of ninja tools to create overwhelming pressure. However, Ike had already used up his life-saving substitution technique, and the continuous use of shadow clones had left him exhausted. Ike could only retreat after each attack, unwilling to engage Elon in a direct confrontation.

He couldn't be bothered to argue with this mentally challenged senator any longer; he had to get out.

The best solution at present is to voluntarily turn yourself in to the college and explain what happened.

Seeing that Ike was not willing to continue fighting and was about to retreat from backstage to the audience, Elon suddenly accelerated, and his rapier attacks became extremely aggressive, completely blocking Ike's escape route and slashing wildly.

Thrusts, slashes, parries, cuts, and twists... Ike was astonished to find that this young councilman, roughly his own age, was using a swordsmanship incongruous with his status. Swordsmanship requires learning; extraordinary abilities don't automatically improve skill. Generally, swordsmanship falls into several common styles. Quinn's free-flowing style is the most difficult to deal with. Elon clearly lacked that much inexplicable experience, but his swordsmanship wasn't like that of nobles or the wealthy, rigidly imitating masters; instead, it possessed a sense of battle formation.
Ike is very familiar with this sword technique.

When he was very young, still begging for food on the battlefield of the Western Continent, those arrogant imperial people used this kind of swordsmanship, which could hardly be called swordsmanship, but it was wide and fierce, and every swing of the sword was only for killing the enemy.
but
You're not quite up to par with those real soldiers.

Ike was sent flying by a powerful sword strike, his kunai, which he used to block, breaking in two. Elon breathed a sigh of relief; the outcome was decided.

He was about to sheathe his sword when he noticed that the tip wasn't bleeding. With a deafening crash, Elon's body smashed through a stage wall covered with a wooden curtain. Flames from the outside fire spilled in, and the broken gas pipes spewed flames, blocking his path.

Elon frowned. How could it not have hit? That guy knew how far his sword could reach, so he could prepare in advance to pretend to be injured and actually jump away.

Gazing at the chaotic crowd behind the firelight, Elon abandoned his plan to give chase. The academy would arrive soon, and Ike wouldn't be able to escape the city. Knights need vehicles for long journeys; otherwise, it would be difficult to catch up with a ninja who could burrow underground using only speed.

"Woof—" A short, cautious bark rang out from the side.

“No need to chase him.” Elon sheathed his sword back in his belt, the golden light fading, as if it had returned to being just an ornament on his belt. “Perhaps I should take Mr. Garen’s advice and practice my swordsmanship. My combat experience is far too lacking; if we really fought to the bitter end, I might not be able to beat him.”

"Woof, woof woof?"

"You mean his injuries?" Elon looked up, gazing at the tower and the giant floating nearby, and muttered, "It must have been inflicted by the Academy. They should have gotten to the situation by now. Tsk, these lunatics, failing to restore their kingdom, they're taking revenge on society? News of the arrest shouldn't have leaked out, what happened?"

Upon seeing Ike, Elon immediately pinned the blame for tonight's attack on the Jengen government-in-exile.

Otherwise, he really couldn't understand who would have the motivation to do such a thing.

"Woof, woof woof woof woof!!!!"

The urgent barking of the dogs drew his attention. Elon's gaze sharpened, and he finally lost his composure. Hundreds of meters above, the light of Grindelwald's Eye shone brightly once more!

"Damn it, what are the academy people doing?!" Elon couldn't help but curse. As a member of the Branson family, he was all too familiar with the launch port; this light was nothing like the light used when launching airships. "One more shot will destroy the tower... Wait—"

Elon's eyes narrowed little by little.

As mana coalesced, almost tearing space apart, it began to condense.

Grindelwald's floating "big eye" is slowly descending.

It was no longer aimed at the giant girl floating in mid-air.

Instead, it was aimed directly at.
A crowd of people running around inside the airport!

"Hakimi—go save them!!"

Elon roared, "Mom and Chaldale are still here—"

(End of this chapter)