REAPER SCANS
Regressing as the Reincarnated Bastard of the Sword Clan
[Translator – Mr.Ghost]
[Proofreader – Harley]
Chapter 105 - The 6th Candidate (5)
“What are you saying? This happened all because of me. It’s only right that I go—!” Evelyn jolted forward in surprise.
However, Julius interrupted her. “Wait a minute.”
“Commander!”
“I’m sure Theo isn’t suggesting this for nothing. It won’t be too late for us to voice our opinions after letting him finish.”
“......”
In the end, Evelyn took a step back. She was clenching her fist so tight that blood vessels were prominently visible on her right forearm.
“Theo, your clever scheming has shifted this from a fight between me and the Elder Dragon to a battle between the White-Armored Dragon Cavalry and the Council. There is no tolerance for defeat while the name and the honor of our unit is on the line,” Julius, who normally wore a gentle smile when speaking to Theo, now looked at him with a fiery gaze. “I will not forgive you if you are saying this out of greed for glory. Explain yourself. They will be sending out councilors. How do you plan on defeating them?”
‘Councilor’ was a title given to swordsmen who had both served the Ragnar Clan for a long time as well as had stellar accomplishments under their belt. They were at the bare minimum on the level of High-Rank swordsmen, if not even Dragon Gate swordsmen.
How was Theo, who had only recently graduated from the Awakening Ceremony, supposed to beat them? Even if he was already the cream of the crop among combat swordsmen, it should be an impossible feat.
“No. Their first candidate won’t be a councilor but one of their disciples,” Theo explained.
“...What do you mean by that?” Julius tilted his head in confusion.
Theo gave a wry smile, “I will force their hand.”
* * *
Reaper Scans
[Translator – Mr.Ghost]
[Proofreader – Harley]
Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics
* * *
“This is quite troublesome.”
“Indeed. To have to be the entertainment for the birthday celebration of a mere fifteen-year-old girl.”
The councilors all expressed their dissatisfaction.
They had wanted to use this opportunity to knock Julius down a peg and elevate the reputation of the Council. However, instead of being in a position to reprimand him, they had been reduced to battling as ‘equals’.
Not only did Daffodil Palace now seem superior, but they now seemed like fools.
However, refusing to participate in the duel was not an option. Wolfgang already lost his right arm, and Julius made a public declaration that he would do the same to the other councilors. If they let this slide, they would be mocked by the entirety of Wintera.
And unfortunately for them, they had lost their number advantage.
‘He completely shifted the dynamic with his silver tongue. He really is the slyest of foxes.’ Wolfgang grit his teeth, remembering what Ed had once told him about Theo.
It was now do or die.
“As I have caused this incident, I shall be the final duelist. I’m certain they will be sending the Demon Dragon as their final duelist as well,” said Wolfgang.
Relief was seen in the faces of the councilors as they nodded in agreement. None of them were confident they could defeat Julius in a one-on-one battle.
“The question now is who will be the first and second duelist... Does anyone have any suggestions?” Wolfgang asked.
“I’m certain they will send in a High-rank or Dragon Gate swordsman.”
“But I don’t see their troops around. It’ll take some time for their reinforcement to arrive.”
“So their only candidate is Evelyn, the one-armed cripple?”
“I will duel her.”
“No, let me.”
“Give me a chance to bring honor to the council and avenge you, Head Councilor.”
The councilors argued over who would participate. This was a chance to garner fame and glory. They could become known as the councilor that crushed the White-Armored Dragon Cavalry.
Wolfgang was about to announce, “The first duelist will be—!”
But he failed to finish his sentence, as someone started walking over from the White-Dragon Armored Cavalry side.
Wolfgang glared, ‘What’s he doing?’
The crowd also began to murmur.
“Isn’t this a duel over the honor of their respective organizations?”
“You’re right. I know that he’s garnered a lot of fame recently, but this is no place for a newly appointed combat swordsman.”
“Maybe he’s being used as a throwaway card.”
“That wouldn’t make sense. He’s being touted as the 6th candidate. No way he’d just tarnish his reputation.”
“Maybe he’s that confident.”
“That’s even more preposterous...!”
It quickly dawned on Wolfgang, ‘We’ve been had...!’
He, the Council, the Daffodil Palace, and the crowd were nothing more than another launchpad for Theo to further flourish his reputation!
Clang!
As a direct affront to everyone’s doubts, Theo slammed his Drake Blade into the ground to create a loud echo.
“I, the ‘Flash Yaksha’ Theo Ragnar, a combat swordsman of the White-Armored Dragon Cavalry and succession heir of Rangar, will stand as the first duelist. Who dares challenge me?”
[Activating 'Skill: Lesser Drake's Fear' to exude a violent dragon killing intent.]
Fwooo—
A mana gust blew out from Theo, blowing across the entire banquet. It was then that the crowd realized that the rumors had understated Theo’s skills. He was indeed worthy of having been presented with a sword marble by Kyle.
“Didn’t he just become a combat swordsman?”
“What is this growth rate...?”
“No wonder the clan head has been paying close attention to him. The rumors didn’t do him justice.”
But what shocked the crowd the most wasn’t his dominating presence.
“He is not only representing the White-Armored Dragon Cavalry, but he even put forth his honor as a succession heir?”
“Is he trying to firmly establish himself as the 6th candidate?”
Everyone’s attention was now locked on Theo.
Wolfgang saw what Theo was trying to pull, but he was a step too late. This was now out of his hands.
“Even if he is a succession heir, facing a combat swordsman would be...”
“Ahem! For the greater good, I shall excuse myself from the first duel. I suggest another councilor to step forward.”
“Ahem! I shall let someone else take the spot.”
“I as well...”
A councilor fighting a mere combat swordsman in a real duel would be cause for ridicule. Every councilor took a step back, glancing over at Wolfgang.
Wolfgang felt ready to explode, but he had to restrain himself. Bursting into a fit of rage here would make him a laughingstock. Instead, he averted his gaze elsewhere. He looked away from the councilors towards a council-affiliated middle-aged swordsman.
It was the servant who had long assisted him.
“Vetta, what is your current rank?”
“...I am a combat swordsman.”
“Good. Then you can be our stand-in.”
“Yes, sir...”
Vetta didn’t like the idea of facing a mere child, but he couldn’t say no against the gazes of the councilors. He was a combat swordsman in rank only. His true skills were those of a high-rank swordsman.
“Do not hold back on using lethal attacks,” Wolfgang told him.
Vetta froze up, “Are you asking me to kill him, sir?”
“Maybe not kill, but you need to at least cut off a limb. Worry not. I shall take care of the aftermath.”
“Yes, sir.” Vetta bowed and walked towards the arena.
‘His killing intent is impressive... They weren’t exaggerating, calling him the 6th candidate,’ Vetta thought.
The dragon killing intent prickled his skin, making him slightly nervous. But at the same time, he wore a faint smile on his face. He was elated at the potential of squashing an individual with the talent to become a major candidate.
Shing—
“I am Vetta Tetras, a Protectorate Swordsman of the Council. My epithet was once the ‘Wild Gust Sword’. I am familiar with the reputation of the Flash Yaksha. I hope to have a good duel.”
After a light greeting...
Ting!
...the two lightly clashed their swords to mark the commencement of the duel.
The first to make a move was Vetta.
Whoosh—
‘I heard he was presented with a sword by the clan head. Let’s start by properly gauging his capabilities—!’ Vetta’s thoughts were quickly interrupted.
Rumble—
Flash!
The Drake Blade became veiled in yellow lightning before unleashing a bright blast of light along with a rumble of loud thunder.
A pillar of yellow energy ascended from the ground into the sky, blasting Vetta.
“Kugh!”
Before he could even react to the light, Vetta was flung away, rolling on the ground.
‘He’s strong!’ Vetta quickly realized. His opponent wasn’t someone he could easily assess.
Vetta and Theo may be of the same rank, but a Ragnar who has awakened to their talents is capable of facing someone even stronger than them.
Crash, crash—!
Theo’s lightning attacks started chasing Vetta. Every time he swung his Drake Blade, Theo unleashed a burst of white steam while calling down lightning.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With every step Theo took, an explosive sound shook the ground, leaving behind scorch marks on the ground.
«Septuple Dragon’s Claw»
Now capable of seven consecutive claws, Theo’s attack was akin to a turbulent storm.
Vetta managed to deflect the onslaught, but with each block, he flinched in pain, feeling like he was being bombarded by a cannon at point blank. Over time, his posture slowly broke, leaving an opening.
Not missing this opportunity, Theo kicked Vetta, flinging him onto the ground once again. But contrary to earlier, he was now bruised and battered, with burn marks all over him. Blood even dripped down his lips from internal bleeding.
“H-how...?” Vetta looked at Theo in disbelief while barely getting back up.
The skills Theo was exhibiting were unlike any combat swordsman. They were far above what the rumors had made him out to be.
This should be impossible unless he had made a recent breakthrough—!
‘Breakthrough!’ Vetta remembered the rumors about Theo not leaving Camellia Palace the last few days after being presented with a sword by Kyle.
Vetta thought Theo was merely resting from the recent missions. But what if he was, in fact, processing the knowledge he was gifted by Kyle?
Of course, such rapid growth seemed impossible even with a breakthrough, but there was no other way to explain this.
“Clan head, what have you done...?!” Wolfgang shouted, getting up from his seat.
His fist trembled while his gaze looked towards the direction of the Graveyard of Broken Swords, as if protesting Kyle’s creation of a monster.
The reaction across the crowd varied.
“Oho,” Julius showed a fascination with how everything was going according to Theo’s plan.
“He may be my friend, but he really is a monster. How am I supposed to catch up to a beast like him?” Remington chuckled as he shook his head.
“What do I do, sis?”
“I don’t know man. Figure it out yourself.”
“Man, he’s become too strong.”
The Lanke siblings spectated intensely, sweat beading on their foreheads.
“Oh, Theo...” Cecilia prayed for the safety of her son.
“Hahahaha!” The Black Dragon cackled.
Meanwhile, Lady Plum Blossom watched with a gentle smile. In her eyes, it was clear as day how well their teachings had been absorbed into Theo’s swordsmanship.
“I finally see why you and Julius are desperately clinging to Theo,” the Black Dragon gave a direct compliment, which was very uncharacteristic of him.
He knew what had stemmed the latest change in Theo. ‘The sword marble... He must have garnered something from the animosity within the sword Big Brother gave him. It shouldn’t be easy to suppress the madness, yet he’s managing to do just that.’
Knowing who the original owner of the sword was, Robert had worried at first. However, it appeared that there was no longer cause for concern.
It was at this moment that Robert became certain that Theo was different from the other regressors. He became confident that Theo would be able to make a different ‘choice’ than the other chosen ones, deserving of being called a ‘true chosen one’.
The Black Dragon thought Theo indeed deserved the position of the 6th candidate as he watched Theo unleash another powerful mana gust.
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