Fairy Tail Space Mage

Upon hearing Kong's answer, Liu Feng, who was sitting in the audience, first opened his mouth in surprise, then suddenly burst into laughter, until he couldn't help but roll on the ground laughing.

The five people next to him quickly distanced themselves from him.

"Hmph! Utter lies! Utter nonsense! I never imagined you would resort to such a colossal lie to avoid a 'sword duel'! Do you have any dignity left as a swordsman?!"

The sect leader, known as "Man and Sword as One," was enraged! He had no shame and seemed determined not to give up until Kong engaged him in a "sword duel"!

(I misspoke, in every sense of the word.)

Chapter 141 The Sword Saints

"Old man... do you really want to die? Just like you said, the weak should shut up and obey the strong! Don't think that just because you have the title of sect leader, you're different from everyone else. In my eyes, apart from those five and a half below the stage, everyone else, including you, is just an insect!"

Sora finally lost his patience and, for the first time in his life, unleashed his killing intent toward humans!

The palpable killing intent made Lisanna tremble, the old man tremble with fear, and the five and a half people in the audience reacted with a mixture of excitement and apprehension.

From the moment the old man stepped onto the stage and casually killed the leading disciple whom Kong had tried so hard to keep alive, Kong had already harbored murderous intent towards him!

The "Smiling Fox" remained completely unaware, recklessly testing the limits of Kong's patience!

"Haha! No matter what, if you're unwilling to accept a 'sword duel,' we'll stop you, even if it costs us our last drop of blood in the 'Man and Sword as One' style! And don't forget, although you're incredibly powerful, the little girl you're trying to save isn't like you. This is my auction house, so poison mist, poison arrows, curses, even explosive magic... I've prepared plenty of methods to deal with the nine major schools! If you don't care about that little girl, or the lives of these swordsmen below, then feel free to refuse me! Hahahaha!"

The sect leader, who had mastered the art of "man and sword as one," was now a far cry from the kind old man he once was. He laughed wildly, his face contorted with rage, causing anyone who saw him to instinctively back away.

The members of the nine major schools below the stage immediately stirred when they heard that the "Man and Sword as One" style had set up a magical trap in the auction hall. Several swordsmen tried to leave, but were blocked at the exit by other "Man and Sword as One" disciples, who were also wielding greatswords!

It seems the old man was right; the people of the nine major schools are indeed "fish in a barrel."

"Magic traps, huh... go ahead and use them. Unfortunately, I'm renowned for defensive magic in my hometown. Lisanna's safety is none of your concern. As for the others... even if you take care of them for me, I won't thank you." Kong remained calm and composed, completely unfazed by the old madman's words.

Protecting Lisanna from the attack of "Demon Star" would indeed be quite difficult.

But these mediocre "trap magic" are utterly insignificant in the face of empty "spheres of emptiness" and "singularities"!

Furthermore, although it wasn't shown, the teleportation magic circle beneath Sora and Lisanna's feet had actually been set up. With just a thought, it could be activated immediately.

Therefore, he was calmer than anyone else present.

His nonchalant and effortless demeanor provoked the "Smiling Fox," whose expression twisted even more distorted. His teeth clenched so tightly they rattled, and his eyes seemed to want to devour Kong whole.

"Sect Master of 'Man and Sword as One,' are you really going to betray the alliance of the 'Ten Great Schools' and do such a thing?!"

With things having developed to this point, the "Ten Sword Saints" could no longer remain uninvolved. The fourth of the "Ten Sword Saints," the female knight who wielded the holy sword "Crosswind"—Sacred Heart—removed her mask and stepped forward first.

"Ah! It's the First Female Sword Saint!"

"Long live!"

"Your Holiness!"

Her beautiful face and immense popularity caused the swordsmen in the audience to gasp in amazement.

"No trap magic can kill me. So, it's time for the Black Iron Heavy Cavalry to hunt down the mad swordsman... I'm really looking forward to it!"

The second of the "Ten Sword Saints," Shi Tie, who wields the holy sword "Overlord," also emerged from the crowd, clad in heavy black full-body armor.

"Second among the 'Ten Sword Saints'!!"

"Black Iron Heavy Cavalry Leader!!"

As the second-ranked expert among the "Ten Sword Saints," a collective gasp arose from the audience as soon as he appeared.

"Shut up! You two from our school's branches, shut up! No one can stop me! After today, I will become the 'Sword God'!! Haha! You think I went to such a remote place to wipe out that little school that has nothing to do with our school? It was all for today! Haha! With that thing, as long as I get that thing... kill this stranger, and then use the blood of the ten major schools as a sacrifice, I can, I can..."

"The Smiling Fox" has completely gone mad. For a certain purpose, he even intends to sacrifice members of his own school. But strangely, the disciples of the "Man and Sword as One" school showed no reaction whatsoever when they heard their sect leader's words.

Seemingly sensing that further discussion was pointless, Sacred Heart retrieved a magnificent silver two-handed cross sword from the attendant's robes. A whirlwind surged forth, coiling around the sword and making it incredibly sharp!

Iron-Eating also conjured a massive black longsword out of thin air. The black longsword was unadorned, yet its length reached 2 meters! This length alone was enough to astonish anyone!

The remaining three and a half also brought out their respective "holy swords": a flaming sword to be used with a musket; a mechanical sword with serrations that could be transformed at will; a greatsword for mounted combat; and even a small piece of emerald green throwing knife... In an instant, the entire auction hall was filled with magic, and the atmosphere was comparable to that of Kong when he was angry.

"Wait... I've changed my mind. I accept the old man's 'sword duel'!"

To everyone's surprise, Sora suddenly interrupted. And the content of his interruption... well, at least he got everyone's attention.

"Mr. Mage?" Lisanna was also full of questions.

“My name is Kong. You can call me Kong, or you can call me Brother Kong. That’s what Lisanna in this world calls me,” Kong said gently to Lisanna.

"Kong... Brother."

Lisanna tried calling out once, but for some reason, she felt a little shy, and her face turned slightly red.

"Sir, the current situation has become an internal feud among the 'Ten Great Schools.' It has nothing to do with you anymore. If you are willing, as a member of the 'Ten Sword Saints,' I am willing to cover your... departure." Saint Heart couldn't help but advise Kong on the stage.

"It has nothing to do with me? If it has nothing to do with me, why is this old man so insistent on having this 'sword duel' with me?... I'm really curious, what does this old bastard want? And why did he hurt my sister and kill her friends' family?... Most importantly, if this old bastard is accidentally killed by the five and a half of you today, how will my sister personally avenge her enemy?!"

Kong asked Shengxin a question in return. Although his tone was domineering, every sentence made sense, which left Shengxin speechless.

Lisanna, standing beside Kong, was so moved that she almost shed tears again.

“But…your swordsmanship level…” Despite remaining silent, Shengxin couldn’t help but remind Kong.

"Don't worry. Although it was terrible a year ago, it's different now. It's at least much better than those thugs. So, dealing with this old scoundrel shouldn't be a problem."

Kong suddenly seemed very confident, but his acting was terrible and his act wasn't convincing enough. I wonder if he was just making fun of the audience.

“But…” Shengxin wanted to persuade him again.

"Shut up, Sacred Heart! Since it's his own decision, it's none of your business!" Shi Tie sheathed his black longsword and spoke up to stop Sacred Heart.

Chapter 142 The Broken Sword

“That’s right…that’s what makes it more interesting. Look, Xiao Mo, Xiao Di, and Xiao Huo haven’t said a word. You’re the only one who’s nervous for no reason. Oh dear, could it be that, as the only female sword saint on the field, Xin’er, you saw that person so…so…” Liu Feng chimed in.

"Shut up, you 'half'!" Shengxin angrily interrupted the frivolous man beside her.

“What ‘half’! Xin’er, you’ve gone too far! We both use wind magic, how could you…” Liu Feng continued to mutter.

……

"Excellent! It seems the heavens are truly smiling upon me... Well then, let five, no, six 'Sword Saints' serve as arbitrators for our 'sword duel.' Rest assured, I will tell you everything you want to know. Moreover, you don't need to worry about me being killed by someone else, because you will be the one who dies! Finally, don't worry, I will treat your sister like my own granddaughter and take good care of her in the 'Man and Sword as One' style. This time, I will not let her talent go to waste! Hahahaha!"

How crazy does a person have to be to be so optimistic? I have no idea.

However, being a cautious person, he wouldn't underestimate this unusual reaction. Just in case...

“Your name is Sacred Heart, right… Your sword gives me a sense of closeness. During the ‘Sword Duel,’ I entrusted my sister to your care.” Kong activated the teleportation spell beneath his feet, and in the next instant, Lisanna was teleported to Sacred Heart’s side.

Sacred Heart was startled and quickly hugged Lisanna. Having gone three days without food and just now crying, Lisanna didn't even have the strength to sit up properly.

Saint Heart immediately noticed Lisanna's condition, took out a "soldier's ration" from her spatial artifact, and fed it to Lisanna. Lisanna did not suspect the female sword saint whom Yu'er admired, and slowly swallowed the "soldier's ration".

"Don't worry, even if it costs me my life! I will protect her!" Sacred Heart's reaction was a bit exaggerated. Kong nodded.

……

"Sword duels" are indeed troublesome. This is because a "ritual" needs to be performed beforehand, and the "ritual" is, of course, very complicated.

Fortunately, everyone present was very anxious. The ceremony was eventually simplified and completed. Of course, the main reason was that "Liu Feng," the master of ceremonies, didn't like either of the two people in front of him and was also a lazy person, so he just took a shortcut.

During the ceremony, both sides will display their weapons.

The leader of the "Man and Sword as One" school, "Smiling Fox," naturally wields a renowned sword. It is said to be forged from the horn of an ancient demon, making it arguably the most durable sword in the world!

This sword is a one-handed longsword. Having reached a certain level of mastery, "Smiling Fox" can utilize the profound principles of "Man and Sword as One" without needing a heavy sword.

As for Kong's weapon, it was naturally the cute little katana that Ya'er had given him (usually for women). The hilt was also engraved with the shameful words "Second Guardian of Hot Spring Town".

The swordsmen had excellent eyesight, so when they saw the words engraved on the hilt of their swords, they couldn't help but cover their mouths to avoid laughing out loud.

However, the sword saint whom "Liu Feng" called "Xiao Di" let out a soft "Eh".

Xiao Di isn't actually called Xiao Di; his name is "Mo Di," and he's the chief disciple of the "Hundred Swords Style." He's also one of the "Ten Sword Saints," ranked fifth.

As a disciple of the "Hundred Swords Style," he naturally recognized all the hundred swords in the world. He also knew that the sword in his empty hand was not among the "Hundred Swords." However, its unique craftsmanship, similar to that of the "Soul Sword Style," was something else entirely…

"Then, sir swordsman from out of town, I shall make the first move!"

Despite being a madman and having extremely distorted regulations, "Smiling Fox" was still an excellent swordsman. Therefore, in the sacred "sword duel," he did not tarnish the swordsman profession.

On the dueling field, he was surprisingly calm, serious, and respectful of his opponent. In this respect, he was at least much better than those guys off the field who mocked Kongshodachi.

"Please go ahead..."

Kong remained as nonchalant as ever. He seemed completely oblivious to the worried looks from Lisanna and Sacred Heart in the audience.

The remaining four and a half pairs of sword saints also had solemn expressions, watching the duel between the two closely.

Although they are called sword saints, it doesn't mean that their swordsmanship is superior to that of "grandmasters." In fact, some are far inferior.

Therefore, at least one of them is a true "master of swordsmanship," making this duel well worth watching!

"Man and sword become one! The sword is as long as the man! The ultimate truth: man and sword become one!"

The concept of "man and sword as one" has no fancy moves; all understanding of the sword is contained in that initial strike. This is why "The Smiling Fox" naturally attacked first, and Kong had absolutely no reason to object.

The ultimate meaning of "Man and Sword as One" is precisely "Man and Sword as One," a complete "Man and Sword as One"!

Kong, and everyone present, could clearly see that, enveloped in a dazzling halo, the entire body of "Smiling Fox" merged into the sword in his hand. Then, the sword emitted a terrifying radiance and shot straight towards Kong without hesitation!

"cut!"

Sora assumed the basic stance for using his kodachi to meet the attack, gripped the kodachi with both hands, and swung it in a very cool manner, pointing straight ahead.

He looked as if he had forgotten the longsword flying towards him and was practicing swinging a short sword.

But the moment the slash ended, Sora's figure vanished, reappearing where "Smiling Fox" had been! And "Smiling Fox" appeared where Sora had been!

This is only natural. "Position swapping"—such scenes often occur in situations where a swordsman decides the outcome with a single blow.

But the inconsistency lies in the fact that while everything seems normal on Kong's side, no one saw any preparation or trace of Kong moving. How exactly did he get there?

Everyone looked to the sword saints for an explanation. In the end, only Shi Tie, ranked second, said, "Too fast," which made many swordsmen understand.

So, what follows is the result of this initial strike, which may also be the final strike.

He wasn't injured... he only hit the afterimage of the void. At first, "Smiling Fox" was a little scared, but after finding that he was not injured at all, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He turned around, smiled at the empty space opposite him, and said:

"As expected, your previous words were completely unreliable! To be able to remain unharmed under the attack of a Grandmaster-level swordsman like myself, it seems you are indeed a 'Grandmaster of Swordsmanship'! However, even if we are evenly matched in swordsmanship, in another factor of 'sword duel'—the quality of the swords—you are far inferior! As long as I possess the most robust sword among these 'hundred swords,' I am destined to be invincible!"

The Smiling Fox completely ignored the fact that his attack had severely depleted his magic power. He was desperately trying to find an advantage for himself. But only at the very end did he notice that the atmosphere in the hall was off! Everyone was staring at him with wide eyes, astonished!

No, I wasn't looking at him, but at what was in his hand...