"I'll ask once more, who else wishes to challenge the Kimboku warrior?" Quincy spoke up again. He truly wished for a skilled martial artist to come forward voluntarily, defeat Marco, and bring honor to the country. Otherwise, he would have to step in himself. "What's the matter? Is no one brave enough to challenge our master?" The butler sneered and continued his provocation, "It looks like the rumors are true. You Dragonmarshians are just weak and cowardly eastern scoundrels!"His statement stirred an uproar among the crowd."You fucking asshole! What did you just say? I'll fucking kill you!""You son of bitch! Don't you mess with us!""How dare you insult us! I swear to god, I'll kill all of you!" The martial artists roared in fury, clenching their teeth with simmering resentment. Several impulsive young men even made a move to charge forward, but Quincy stopped them. Even in the rare case that they were able to defeat Marco, turning the duel into a brawl would undo
"Hey! Who the hell are you? Can you not mess around here? Get out of here!" "That's right! You don't belong to a guild and yet you dare take on the challenge? What gave you the courage to do so?" "And I thought it was someone exceptionally formidable, but turns out he's just a nobody!" Dustin's declaration not only frustrated Quincy, it also invited the crowd's insults. They might have shown him respect if he were from a prestigious guild. However, Dustin was merely a wanderer without a name for himself. A nobody like him had no right to issue a challenge.Since this was the final battle and concerned the honor of the country, their defeat would be a disgrace to all martial artists in the nation. They would never place their hopes on an unknown martial artist. "Young man, this battle is not a game. If you're not fully confident, just give it up." Quincy shook his head, appearing somewhat disappointed. While having courage was admirable, it had to be accompanied by skill.
Quincy's eyes widened in astonishment. It was shocking that he wasn't able to react in time to Dustin's silver needle with his skills. If used against Marco, Dustin might just have a chance of winning. Not to mention, Quincy had sensed the faint aura of a grandmaster through the silver needle that flew by. He wondered if the unknown young man before him could actually be a martial arts grandmaster."Elder Douglas, I think I qualify for a duel now, don't you think?" Dustin asked. After a moment's hesitation, Quincy eventually nodded. "Alright, since you're this confident, I'll give you a chance. I hope you won't disappoint us."If Dustin was a grandmaster, coupled with his amazing hidden weapon techniques, there was a good chance that he might just emerge victorious. "Elder Douglas, is this a joke? You're really going to allow him to duel?""Elder Douglas, that kid is just a lone wanderer! How is he worthy of representing Dragonmarsh in a duel?" "It's such an embarrassme
"I'm dying to see just how badly he loses!" Ruby was indignant. She didn't believe that an attention seeker would manage to turn the tide when even a talented prodigy like Vincent was defeated. She was confident that the precious sword on the Renowned Treasure List was as good as hers. "Who are you? Identify yourself!" the butler demanded as Dustin approached. He had expected Quincy to take matters into his own hands, not the sudden appearance of a young man. With an unknown figure stepping forward, even if Marco emerged victorious, it wouldn't enhance his reputation. "My name is Dustin Rhys. I'm here to witness the prowess of a Kimboku warrior for myself," Dustin declared calmly."You're no match for our master. Get Quincy to duel our master," the butler replied haughtily. To Marco and his butler, the nobodies from Dragonmarsh were simply not worth the effort. Fighting them would only be a waste of time.It was only by defeating prominent figures like Quincy that woul
"What the hell? The brat may be despicable, but Dustin shouldn't underestimate him either! What the hell is he thinking?""He might not even win with a weapon. Fighting without a weapon is just foolish!"The crowd exchanged remarks among themselves. No one expected Dustin to utter such arrogant words even after two consecutive defeats. "Is this bastard crazy? Fighting with bare hands against Marco is just like suicide!" Miles was both surprised and puzzled."Hmph! He must be trying to find an excuse when he loses. This is his way of escaping the situation. He knows he can't defeat the brat and will use his lack of a weapon as an excuse for losing. "I've seen through his petty tricks!" Ruby spoke as if she had figured out Dustin's clever plan. "Is that so?" Realization hit Miles. It was a cunning move from Dustin. Despite knowing he would be defeated, he still insisted on basking in the limelight. His shameless tricks seemed to know no bounds."Dragonmarshian, if you don't
Marco stomped forcefully on the ground, causing multiple cracks to form. He then propelled himself forward like a released arrow, charging at Dustin with a vindictive glare.In the first two battles, Marco refrained from making the first attack, allowing his opponents to showcase their skills. However, Dustin's words ignited his fury, leading him to desire a swift and brutal end to the duel as a warning to all martial artists in Dragonmarsh. Midway, Marco suddenly drew his sword and executed a horizontal slash. The next thing they knew, Marco's Demon sword emanated a brilliant crimson glow. An eerie blood-red sword light whistled through the air, slashing toward Dustin at the speed of light.Along its path, the very air seemed to distort, and the ground was left with a deep, scorched gash as if it had been seared by flames."What remarkable speed!" Quincy's eyes narrowed in astonishment. While Marco's maneuver appeared ordinary, in reality, it was exceptionally swift and bru
Dalen smirked at Ruby.Ruby snorted, "Hmph! What's so impressive about that? That brat was just testing the waters. He didn't even unleash his full strength. Even a pig could defend against it!"Dalen merely smiled in response. However, Miles, who was beside them, had a strange look on his face. Even though he knew she was referring to Dustin, her words felt particularly cutting. After all, he had been defeated by a single strike. Didn't that imply he was less capable than a pig? It was a stinging remark."Dragonmarshian, you're stronger than I thought. However, it's a pity that today, you are still going to suffer defeat!" Marco was momentarily stunned before quickly composing himself with seriousness. Despite unleashing 70% of his power in that last strike, Dustin had effortlessly defended against it. This proved that Dustin was a formidable opponent, even more so than Vincent from the earlier rounds. Vincent only had exceptional spear techniques and failed to put any pres
"I didn't expect Marco to be the successor to Jump Force. Dalen, it looks like your friend is in danger!" Crystal's gaze hardened, and she grew particularly solemn. Luca had a widely renowned reputation, even in Dragonmarsh. If Marco had direct knowledge of the skill, he was basically already in part a Sword Sage. It was obvious that he had visited Dragonmarsh and called for a public duel to make a name for himself. "No wonder he's so formidable. It turns out that he's a disciple of the strongest Sword Sage in Kimboku. It was reasonable that I lost." Miles straightened his chest, appearing proud. If he had lost to an unknown person, it would have significantly impacted the Sword Union's reputation. However, it would be a different story if he lost to Luca's direct disciple.Luca's prowess was equivalent to Dragonmarsh's top ultimate grandmaster, and his influence was comparable to the Sword Union's leader, Cyrus Hadley. Since Cyrus's direct disciple was Glenn Hadley, Marco's