Whose world-class drama are they criticizing?

But even the seemingly useless have their own ways of winning.

Helen immediately understood; this meant surrender. At least she had some self-awareness.

So, surrendering and apologizing means stripping naked?

Helen was unaware of these aristocratic etiquette rules.

Helen glanced at Ryan's lower body, but sadly, she had already devoted her life's love to Lu Ming's swordsmanship.

The audience all looked on with anticipation; they were surprised to see a performance by a defeated opponent!

That's an exaggeration!

This trip was worthwhile.

But the next second, that expectation turned into utter astonishment.

Then, the young master of the Lu family dropped the Dragon Gold Sword.

He bent down and picked up a slender, straight olive branch from the dew-covered grass!

Finally, Ryan removed his helmet, revealing his long, golden hair that trailed down to his waist, exposing his delicate face and icy eyes.

The entire room fell silent.

"The Dragon Gold Longsword is too heavy for me."

Ryan held the olive branch, but it was as if he were holding his holy sword, pointing it at Helen Assyria.

"So, we're dealing with you—"

The third young master of the Lu family smiled and said, "This is enough for me."

Chapter 8 The Ultimate Parry

[Parry Protection Lv1: Parry at the absolute limit, capable of defending against the vast majority of physical attacks]

For the fragile Ryan, every move must be defended precisely.

If you can't do that, whether you use the Dragon Gold Longsword to block, the Mithril Sword to block, or even a tree branch to block, your stance will be broken and you'll be defeated in one move.

However, as long as you can perform precise defense, you can block physical attacks regardless of the material of the weapon used, and the weapon will not be damaged. This is the mechanism of 'protection by blocking'.

Since that's the case, why not choose the lightest branch?

This is why Ryan dropped his longsword and chose the tree branch; it was all the best choice he could make to win.

The choices made behind this are something the audience is unaware of.

So at this moment, whether they were wealthy merchants, noble sons, or knights who had spent half their lives in the army, they were all in complete astonishment. They stared wide-eyed in disbelief, wondering if their eyes were playing tricks on them.

Has this young master gone mad?

They took off all their armor and went on the field wearing only such a thin shirt?

A cut from a sword can be fatal.

It should be noted that even his opponent, a dignified second-tier paladin, was wearing a layer of medium armor.

Where did he get the guts?

That would have been bad enough, but Ryan's subsequent actions made everyone feel like they were dreaming.

A knight's duel resulted in the sword being lost?

Instead, he picked up a twig... Are you kidding me?

This incredibly magical scene was something even the most experienced swordsman had never seen before.

Throughout the Lu Ming family's more than 1,000-year history, countless geniuses have emerged, in all sorts of styles, but none of them have ever fought with tree branches.

Either they've gone mad, or the world has gone mad, or Ryan has gone mad.

Yes, Ryan must have gone mad.

This young master must have gone mad long ago. Four days ago, when a mage agreed to duel with a second-tier paladin, he was already out of his mind. He had been immersed in inferiority for a long time, which led to hallucinations and such crazy behavior.

Was this a scheme orchestrated by Archduke Lawrence to gild his youngest son's reputation?

But the nobles, observing the Duke's expression, immediately rejected the idea.

Because His Excellency the Duke is now more panicked than anyone else.

"Who told you to take your helmet off!" Lawrence roared, slamming his fist on the railing. "Put the visor back on! What if you hurt your face? Can you afford to pay for it?"

“…Master,” the butler said cautiously from the side, “I think we should be concerned about the young master’s life first…”

"Can this duel be stopped?"

Ryan's older sister, the silver-haired Aliya Lumin, a sixth-order astrology mage, spoke up to inquire.

“The four sacred bells have been rung, and the priests have performed the blessing ceremony,” said Ryan’s brother, the seventh-tier sword emperor Ambrose Luming. “The ancestors of the Luming family also blessed this ceremony.”

"This competition is protected and supervised by the gods. We cannot stop it, or our family will be cursed."

That kid timed it perfectly... He's really being incredibly reckless.

Grand Duke Lawrence thought to himself that he had been too indulgent with Ryan all along. The boy had been spoiled and thought he could act recklessly even in the most serious situations.

Since that's the case, we must teach him a lesson today.

After a moment's thought, his imposing eyes slowly turned to Ryan Lumin's opponent, Ms. Helen.

Ryan took off his armor, and the Duke panicked more than anyone else, but Lady Helen panicked even more than the Duke.

'My monthly salary is only ten gold coins. Why would I risk my life playing with a young master like you?'

This was the only thought in Helen's mind.

She thought she'd find a tree branch and play house with this idiot young master.

But after meeting the Duke's gaze and seeing him nod silently, the quick-thinking Helen understood his thoughts.

We need to get serious, but not too serious.

We can teach this idiot young master a profound lesson, even make him bleed and get injured, but we cannot take his life.

The precise application of force during this period determined the length of her official career.

With this thought in mind, Helen's spirit reached an unprecedented level.

She confronted Ryan Lumin, wanting to show him that the spirit of chivalry cannot be insulted and that swordsmen's duels are never a game.

A long, long silence fell over the entire room.

Only the noble girls were excited. Young Master Ryan was indeed handsome. Just thinking about how he would cry after the duel made them feel sorry for him.

A cold wind swept across the plains, and the fifth bell rang. The Holy Bell of Emptiness echoed in the sky, sounding the horn of the duel. Helen moved instantly, lowering her body slightly and taking a deep breath.

Since childhood, she has studied the most orthodox Lu Ming sword technique, and now she has reached a level of consummate skill.

Lu Ming's swordsmanship is the ultimate speed sword technique, a sword that chases the light, emphasizing defeating the enemy with speed.

Her movements were as fast as light. The Dragon Gold Sword flashed through the air, leaving a white mark, and in an instant, it transformed into a white light, smoothly slicing towards Ryan's right arm. Her first move was the fourth move of Lu Ming's sword technique, "Light Sweep".

However, Helen did not use the blade side, but instead used the smooth, mirror-like surface of the sword.

In just a moment, the sword was already pressing down in front of Ryan, but the latter neither dodged nor flinched, he was definitely terrified.

Helen thought to herself.

The power of this sword strike was controlled with exquisite precision.

According to his plan, Ryan, who hadn't even reacted yet, would be sent flying by the blade. Like a kite with a broken string, he would inevitably break a few bones, but ultimately he wouldn't be seriously injured.

And I will win the competition, complete the Duke's mission, and reach the pinnacle of my life.

That's what she thought, and that's what the onlookers thought too. The timid girl had already covered her eyes, afraid to see the bloody scene.

But reality is not like that.

"Ding."

That was a crisp sound.

The flowing sword light, tracing a smooth arc, was abruptly stopped.

The Dragon Gold Sword stopped beside Ryan, just a finger's width away from touching his skin—so close, yet so far.

The smooth mirror surface reflected the boy's profile.

Even with the cold light before him, he neither flinched nor dodged. His golden hair tangled with the sunlight, and his eyes were clearer than the sword light.

Helen looked down, and everyone stared intently at her...

A line of dark green light appeared, which Ryan touched onto the smooth mirror surface, stopping the flowing light.

Straight as a sword, wrapped in dark green bark, dotted with a few scattered leaves.

It's that branch, the olive branch.

Everyone saw it as a toy for playing house.

The branch struck precisely at the most critical point, as if it had pierced a person's vital spot.

[The protection of parrying]

The force of Lu Ming's sword technique was deflected with ease, deviating from its original trajectory, grazing past Ryan, and landing in empty space.

Was it a coincidence? Was it luck?

Or is it just an act?

But even fragile tree branches can't withstand the dragon's gold, which can cut through gold like mud...

The audience attributed it to luck, or perhaps to Archduke Lawrence using his power to manipulate the outcome of the match.

But the church priests had arrived, and the blessing ceremony had been completed; this was a competition overseen by the gods.

With so many vassals watching, would the Lu Ming family, who have always valued honor, really do it?

The only ones who could be clearly seen in the entire arena were Sword King Ambow and Sword Saint Grand Duke Lawrence.

"The moment Helen made her move, Ryan moved."

"This isn't luck, it's more like a prediction," Ambow said.

"He knew in advance that Helen would use 'Light Slash' to cut off her right arm and precisely guided her strength... Father, have Helen and Ryan fought before? Do you know Helen's habits?"

"No, this is their first time meeting."

Lawrence frowned as well. To predict something at first glance—is that something an ordinary person could do?

"Use a tree branch to block the dragon-gold longsword, while ensuring the branch remains intact." Amber frowned. "An experienced paladin could do that, but how long has Ryan been practicing swordsmanship?"

It can only be considered a miracle.

Or rather, a blessing from the gods.

Under everyone's skeptical gaze, Ryan's smile grew even brighter.

This is Ryan's second trump card.

This was not the first time he had met Helen Assyria.

On the contrary, they were old friends who hadn't seen each other for a long time.

In the original game, Helen was banished to the Land of No Light, and she is the first elite monster the player encounters.

In layman's terms, he's the samurai general from Sekiro, the tree guardian from Elden Ring, and the big-headed doll from Black Monkey!

I've memorized every single move and stance; in gaming jargon, this is called 'memorizing the moves'.

Helen's starting move is usually a slanted slash or a straight thrust, catching the enemy off guard. If she lowers her body and exhales, she will definitely make a slanted slash!

"Ms. Helen."

Ryan, holding an olive branch, said kindly, "Come."

Hesitation leads to defeat.

Monopolizing sword techniques is nothing special.

Chapter 9 Hehe, I must keep winning!