Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 356 (Part 1):

*Swish!* Helmut’s sword cut through the air as it extended forward.

A light resonance, as if slicing through thin silk. The blade advanced as if splitting the atmosphere, reaching its target faster than sound.

Luke Yeager saw the sword. There was no time for chills to run down his spine. It was a swift yet powerful attack.

He wouldn’t be able to defend against it, and this would surely decide Helmut’s victory.

However, Helmut felt something strange—a sensation as though his line of sight were refracting.

‘He wasn’t just playing around.’

In that instant, Luke Yaeger’s eyes gleamed. Helmut caught sight of his sword.

A movement diving inward, and an astonishing trajectory.

Somehow, Helmut knew by instinct. This was surely…

‘Sharp.’

It was a counterattack. Perhaps the most certain and only moment Luke Yeager had prepared for.

This wasn’t Darien’s swordsmanship.

Helmut had thought Luke Yeager was using Darien’s swordsmanship.

Until now, that had been the case. But not at this moment.

It was as if it struck from outside conscious awareness, unfamiliar and bizarre.

But Luke Yaeger wasn’t Darien, and Helmut wasn’t Darien either. It wasn’t so strange that their swordsmanship would differ.

Luke Yeager’s sword was aimed at Helmut’s abdomen. If it wasn’t a fatal blow, the mages would save him.

Duels were originally fought with one’s life on the line. Luke’s sword showed no hesitation.

Yet the very next moment, Luke Yaeger experienced something similar to what Helmut had just felt.

However, unlike Helmut, he couldn’t react even after seeing it.

A pain, as if his grip was being shattered, surged through him.

*Clang!* Luke Yeager’s sword was knocked away and collided with the ground.

*Clatter.* The sword rolled across the floor far away, trembling before coming to a stop. The surroundings fell into complete silence, as if under a spell of muteness.

Luke Yeager looked down at his hand, then raised his gaze to stare at Helmut.

His dark pupils were still as deep as an abyss. Helmut was looking at his own sword.

The sensation of having perfectly manifested his will through the sword, without a single thought. At that moment, something seemed to stir within Helmut.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve met an opponent who gave me something to gain.’

Looking at Helmut, Luke Yeager felt as if he was facing a perfect circle.

Belatedly, chills crawled up his spine. Even if there was a flaw somewhere, Luke Yeager couldn’t find it in Helmut.

From the beginning, Helmut hadn’t aimed to cut Luke Yeager down. He aimed to make him lose.

Helmut had made it so that Luke Yaeger had no choice but to drop his sword.

Luke Yeager let out a sigh.

‘This is really… unavoidable.’

It was a counterattack born of conviction. Everything had happened in an instant. Helmut had reacted, but Luke Yaeger hadn’t.

That difference was the measure of their skill.

Luke Yaeger acknowledged his defeat.

“I lost.”

Yet, a smile lingered on his lips. Helmut, who had lowered his sword, extended his hand toward him. A brief handshake followed.

“You’ve improved a lot. That counterattack was impressive.”

“Just doing everything by the book doesn’t suit me. If you’re a swordsman, you have to develop what you have.”

Helmut was stepping out of Darien’s shadow, and Luke Yaeger was doing the same.

Their swordsmanship was similar, yet it had changed even more than before. Both Helmut and Luke Yaeger felt it.

“You’re the second strongest human I’ve fought, after Darien.”

“You’re the strongest human I’ve ever fought. What on earth did you eat to get that strong?”

Luke Yaeger, who had rarely lost to anyone in his life, had no equal among those his age. He had even begun to think he might surpass the talent of the Sword Saint.

But in front of Helmut, even a genius like Luke Yaeger paled in comparison.

Helmut tilted his head slightly and spoke.

“Well, humans?”

“Huh?”

“Just as demonic beasts grow stronger by eating other demonic beasts, over there, humans grow stronger by eating other humans. So I had my share…”

Luke Yaeger recoiled in shock, stepping back. Helmut’s expression remained blank as he added,

“It was a joke.”

“……Don’t make jokes like that. When you say it with that face, it sounds real.”

Luke Yaeger eyed Helmut suspiciously, as if he might actually devour him.

As Luke Yaeger walked off the stage, Helmut called out to his back.

“Oh, by the way, it’s tastier than I thought.”

“W-what is?”

Luke Yaeger turned around, and Helmut replied nonchalantly.

“Basor’s cuisine.”

“Aaa…Well, that’s a relief.”

Only then did the tension leave Luke Yaeger’s shoulders. He walked over to the Second Prince.

With a composed expression, the Second Prince spoke:

“Truly shocking. That was the highest-level duel I’ve ever witnessed.”

“I did my best, but he was stronger than me.”

“I know. And I also know that someone being stronger than the commander does not diminish your worth.”

“Yet I am Commander of the Palma Knights. I’m prepared to take responsibility for my defeat.”

However, the Second Prince shook his head.

“Look around. No one cares about that fact.”

Indeed, the audience was overwhelmed into silence. The Palma Knights stood in place, still in shock, unable to speak.

It wasn’t just shocking that their Knight Commander had lost; they couldn’t believe what they had seen.

Finally, one of them spoke up.

“Did you see… that last move?”

“How… how is that even possible?”

No one could answer that.

Otaku_Tensei

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