With heavy footsteps, Riku Salvatore walked down the passageway leading toward the martial ring where his championship tournament opponent awaited.
Waiting ahead was Zack Power—the prime favorite to win the tournament and someone clearly leagues above Riku. Even so, had it been before that match, Riku would likely have been pumped up, determined to pull off an upset. But now, he couldn't bring himself to feel that way in the slightest.
There was always someone higher. He understood that from the bottom of his soul now.
Kai Heinemann—Riku had no idea what the reason was, but Kai had been hiding his true strength ever since their time in Lamoor.
His instructor, Shiga, insisted that Kai's victory in the preliminary finals was due to the use of a special item, but this wasn't an issue of physical ability or anything like that in the first place. Now that he had calmed down, Riku understood. Between them and Kai stood an insurmountable, towering wall. Compared to Kai, someone like Riku was nothing more than a toddling infant.
And the same went for Zack, the man waiting on the martial ring ahead. He possessed martial prowess beyond any comparison to Riku's.
Amidst the cheers, Riku stepped onto the martial ring. During the preliminary finals, Riku hadn't even fought; he had merely trembled in the corner. No one would offer cheers to someone who had put on such a disgraceful display. In other words, what the spectators desired was simply to see how Zack would win. Nothing more than that single point.
(Figures, I guess.)
This situation was entirely of Riku's own making. After all, he had never faced martial arts seriously until now. He had only ever viewed martial arts as a stepping stone to advance his own status.
He should have just fought and lost in the preliminary finals. If he had done that, he wouldn't have lost his pride as a swordsman, at the very least.
"I'm not a warrior anymore..."
Riku's quiet murmur was swallowed whole by the tsunami of cheers unleashed as the announcer introduced Zack.
In this championship tournament, forfeiting immediately after the start of a match was permitted. Riku had already watched several of Zack's matches, and he seemed to have zero interest in anyone who lacked the will to fight. If one declared surrender right after the match began, an immediate withdrawal would be granted.
Riku had already achieved his goal of advancing to the championship tournament. Putting on any further pathetic display would only drag the name of the Heinemann Sword Style through the mud. Therefore, his instructor, Shiga, had strictly ordered him to forfeit once the match began.
On this point, Shiga was right. Riku defeating Zack was an outcome that wouldn't happen even if the heavens and earth were turned upside down.
Naturally, Riku had intended to do just that.
The referee stepped onto the martial ring.
"Fight!"
The command signaled the start of the match.
Riku tried to raise his right hand to surrender, but it wouldn't budge a single millimeter. All he could do was grip the wooden sword he had betrayed so many times before with his trembling hands.
"Huh. You ain't gonna surrender?"
Zack, who had seemed completely disinterested in Riku, narrowed his left eye and stared intently at him for the first time.
"..."
Without a word, Riku found himself aiming the tip of his wooden sword directly at Zack.
(What am I trying to do?)
He couldn't understand the meaning of his own actions at all. If he couldn't win, forfeiting would save him from further disgrace. Above all, forfeiting was an order from his instructor, Shiga. Shiga was an instructor belonging to the branch house faction, which was currently the most influential. If he disobeyed, Riku would lose his place within the Heinemann style.
And yet, both his trembling hands and feet had assumed a combat stance.
"Come at me. I'll crush ya."
Turning his left palm upward, Zack curled his fingertips in a beckoning gesture.
"Waaaaaaahhhh!"
Screaming from the depths of his throat, Riku threw himself into a fight he had absolute zero chance of winning for the first time in his life.
Zack's rock-hard right fist landed a clean hit directly on Riku's abdomen, sending him bouncing repeatedly across the ground all the way to the edge of the martial ring.
Using the wooden sword as a prop to push himself up, a dull pain shot through his entire body. His left eyelid was swollen shut with internal bleeding, blocking half his field of vision.
"Riku, stop making a fool of yourself! Forfeit already!"
Over his instructor's raspy voice barking repeatedly from the spectator seats, other voices joined in.
"Come on, he's so weak, and he still wants to go?"
"Even I could probably beat a guy like that."
"Seriously, just like his master says, it's annoying, so just hurry up and lose!"
Echoes of mocking agreement from all over the stands vibrated against his eardrums.
He didn't think they were wrong. This wasn't even a fight. It was a brawl between an adult and a child. It didn't even qualify as a match. If the Riku from not too long ago had watched this, he probably would have shared the exact same thoughts.
"Riku, do you intend to bring disgrace upon the Heinemann name?!"
"Shut up! Be quiet! This is my fight. I'm the one who decides when it's over!"
What came out of his mouth were words of defiance against his master that would have been unimaginable before.
With this, Riku was sure he had lost every bit of standing he had built up until now. Yet, he didn't feel an ounce of regret, and his heart felt astonishingly clear.
A fearless grin spread across Zack's face.
"You're weak, but you've got some spirit. At least you're the best out of everyone I've fought in this tournament so far. So, I'll treat you like a warrior."
Zack's figure vanished from sight. The next moment, an impact tore through Riku's solar plexus. At the same time, his face slammed hard against the solid floor of the martial ring.
He couldn't move a single finger anymore. Amidst that haze...
"Watch my fight with Kai Heinemann. What you're searching for is right there."
Riku thought he heard Zack say those words.
◇◆◇◆◇◆
When Riku regained consciousness in the infirmary, sure enough, Instructor Shiga and the rest of the Heinemann faction were nowhere to be found in Luzahal.
His parents and siblings were back in Lamoor. In particular, Riku was their pride—a prized son and older brother. The shameful display Riku had put on at this tournament would spread all throughout Lamoor. His heart ached at the thought of how small and ashamed he would make his family feel, but even so, he had no regrets about the choice he had made.
When he stepped out into the town to look for a carriage bound for Lamoor, the memory returned to him.
—Watch my fight with Kai Heinemann. What you're searching for is right there.
He remembered Zack's words. What Riku was searching for now. For Riku, who had lost sight of the path he should take, it was nothing short of a ray of light.
That was why he decided to stay in Luzahal until the tournament concluded.
Likely due to the Gift Kai possessed—"The Most Incompetent in the World"—the tournament management seemed to have no intention of even letting Kai fight properly.
An incompetent apostate. With just those words, everyone naturally accepted the claim that Kai had cheated. They firmly believed that Kai couldn't possibly possess the strength to fight his way through. Even the very people who had watched his fight firsthand believed it.
Back in their hometown of Lamoor, that was only the natural way of thinking. He had no intention of blaming the spectators. After all, the Riku of a short while ago would have looked at him through the exact same clouded eyes.
And so, as Riku watched the situation unfold with excruciating discomfort, a white-haired elderly man appeared and brought everything under control. Anyone who aspired to the martial path knew that man. It was Master Aaron, the head of the Cayen style swordsmanship, an old friend and rival of the Grand Master.
Then, with Master Aaron officiating, the match between Kai and Zack began.
Not a single soul uttered a word. Every single spectator who had been hurling insults just moments before stared in stunned silence at the absurd, extraordinary battle unfolding before them.
Every single punch and kick thrown by Zack—an absolute titan in Riku's eyes—struck empty air. Riku had, after all, walked the path of the sword since childhood. What Kai was displaying right now was nothing as shallow as mere physical prowess or talent. It was the ultimate destination of pure martial skill.
"Huh...?"
Before he knew it, his vision had blurred. Realizing it was tears, he wiped them away with his sleeve, straining his eyes to intently watch the supreme display of martial mastery between the absolute powerhouse, Kai, and Zack, who dared to challenge him.
◇◆◇◆◇◆
—Fortress City of Lamoor, Heinemann Sword Style Dojo
The skin on both palms gripping the handle of the wooden sword had peeled, and the constant pain clamored for attention, yet Riku continued to swing the wooden sword alone. The sun had set long ago. In the past, this would have been the hour Riku headed out with his peers to have fun in the city's lively quarters.
His body was already well past its limit. Yet the reason he kept swinging his wooden sword was because he had witnessed that match.
(Someday, I'll...)
That fight between Zack and Kai was something truly special for anyone aspiring to the martial arts.
Zack was a first-rate martial artist in technique, physical prowess, and spirit alike. But Kai went far beyond that. No, even describing it as "beyond" might not be accurate. That was already stepping beyond the realm of humanity. Therefore, the goal Riku aimed for wasn't Kai. It was Zack, who had challenged that godlike power.
He didn't know when it would be. But someday, without fail, Riku would challenge that War God just like Zack had. With nothing but his own two arms, he would recreate that supreme martial display!
That was Riku's lifelong goal and his resolve. That was why he continued swinging his wooden sword like this.
"Thou art working quite diligently."
He must have been so focused that he hadn't even noticed someone was in the dojo.
Having defied Instructor Shiga and exposed his own disgrace, Riku had, as expected, been given the cold shoulder by everyone he had previously considered his peers. Therefore, being spoken to in this dojo was practically unheard of.
If there was anyone who might...
"Grand Master!"
Flustered, Riku straightened his posture and bowed. Though Grand Master Elm was currently in a weakened political standing, he was still a figure of yearning and respect among young swordsmen like Riku.
"At ease, at ease. Continue."
The Grand Master chuckled heartily with apparent delight, then sat cross-legged on the floor.
The Grand Master didn't seem to intend to make conversation. He was likely just watching his disciple's training.
Composing himself, Riku resumed swinging his wooden sword.
Eventually, his arms could no longer lift, and he collapsed onto his back against the floor. Lately, his daily routine consisted of swinging his wooden sword until his body refused to move before heading home.
"What happened?"
The Grand Master asked with a grave look on his face.
This man was that War God's grandfather. In the first place, did this man know about Kai Heinemann's godlike strength?
No, the Grand Master was still human. And Kai Heinemann was a War God. If Kai had truly intended to hide it, it would be impossible even for this man to see through it. Especially since Kai was his own grandson.
Furthermore, regarding Kai's advancement to the championship tournament, Shiga and the rest of the Heinemann branch house faction had imposed a strict gag order, so it likely hadn't reached this man's ears.
Since he had kept it hidden all this time, Kai probably didn't want his grandfather to know about that power. In that case, there was no way Riku could speak of it.
Therefore...
"I saw the pinnacle of martial arts."
He decided to be honest while deflecting the specifics.
"The pinnacle of martial arts, thou sayest...? Is that someone on Roman's level, or perhaps on the level of the dojo's assistant instructors?"
At the Grand Master's almost laughable question, Riku shook his head from side to side.
"Not an imitation like that. A genuine War God."
He delivered his answer.
"A War God? Is that fellow stronger than I?"
"Yes."
Faced with Riku's unwavering assertion, the Grand Master did not get angry.
"Dost thou swing thy sword now to defeat that fellow?"
"No. With my talent, I could never defeat that person."
"Hmm. Then why?"
"To challenge him. And to carve my martial prowess into that person's memory!"
At Riku's words, burning with a passion that surprised even himself, the Grand Master nodded several times with deep intrigue.
"A War God... A War God, is it...?"
"Swordsman Riku. Come to the dojo in the early morning. From now on, I shall train thee myself."
He made an offer that Riku would give anything to accept.
"Y-Yes, sir! Gladly!"
Staggering to his feet, Riku bowed his head deeply.
Even after the Grand Master departed, Riku trembled with joy for a long while. Instruction from the Grand Master was something reserved only for those of instructor rank. Going by the way he spoke, he would be training him continuously.
"With this, I can become stronger!"
Dreaming of his future battle with that person, Riku began swinging his wooden sword once more.