I can see the Emperor's stats-Chapter 77
Finals and Stakes
The sound of the start of the final resounded and the knights began to enter the central arena.
"uh? Why did only twenty people show up?”
“I heard there are still matches left in the regular tournament.”
“Then do we have to wait for the finals?”
Hearing the voices of the crowd, the aristocrat in charge of the society put on a puzzled expression.
'The Prime Tournament ended too early for this tournament.'
Originally, the finals of the two tournaments were entered together and played in the order of general-prime. Since the expectations for the Prime Tournament, where the best knights gather, are high, it was only natural that it be played in this order.
However, the problem that occurred this time was that Prime ended too quickly compared to regular tournaments.
The two knights, the Knights of Julius and the Knights of the Golden Lion, overwhelmingly defeated their opponents without much of a fierce battle, so the time it took to reach the finals had to be shortened.
'But I can't make the audience wait... … .'
The person who finally received this embarrassing report was the emperor. But he asks back with an expression that doesn't matter.
“Then why don’t we just make the finals start with prime?”
"your majesty! Hwang Gong Ha, but then the reaction of the audience... … .”
"From my point of view, this tournament seems to have a lot to see even in a regular tournament. What do you think of the Grand Duke?"
In response to the emperor's question, the grand duke also opened his mouth without a change in expression.
“I also think it doesn't matter if that's His Majesty's intention.”
It wasn't a big deal, but there were several intentions in it.
'Didn't I say that Julius would appear in a regular tournament?'
Anyway, the final was actually a match between Julius and the Archduke, and the emperor was more interested in the normal tournament. It is the same for the grand duke.
'It seems that the first prince is confident in his skills, but since I dispatched the shadow, it won't be easy.'
That's how the finals of the Prime Tournament started first.
“I ask for a fair and wonderful game.”
“I have heard of Count Gilbert's reputation. i look forward to."
'It's a fair game... … .'
Haines, the leader, put on a bitter expression inwardly as he politely held the middle-aged knight's hand.
The middle-aged knight is Count Gilbert, the leader of the Golden Lion Knights. Externally, he is treated like an apprentice to the grand duke, and he is one of the strongest in the entire empire.
Like this, the officers who were to be sent to the finals of the Prime Tournament from the Golden Lion Knights were knights who were located at a fairly high rank in the entire empire.
However, Julius, who has to watch this important match, does not show any pecking even when the finals start, as if he would lead the general tournament.
The Archduke's eyebrows twitched slightly.
'Is that how confident I am?'
However, the Grand Duke only maintained an indifferent expression. He was one of the best warriors on the continent. He was, of course, very proud of his own eyes.
'The first prince's knights who participated in this Prime Tournament have excellent skills, but they are too young and lack experience... I'm still a little short of dealing with my henchmen.'
If the level of martial arts was similar, what remained was experience and skill. The Grand Duke thought that his knights could never lose because of this advantage.
The officers of the Golden Lion Knights, whom he taught himself, were veterans who had accumulated numerous practical experiences in the South. No matter how talented you are, it won't be easy to overcome the age gap given by time.
'But there are always exceptions in this world!'
However, Julius, who was still conducting regular tournaments in the arena on the other side, had a different idea. That's what the results will tell you.
“Can you really not go?”
The other knights asked with worried expressions, but Julius had no doubts about winning the Prime Tournament.
“They will do just fine without me. We just have to think about winning here.”
* * *
“Then let the finals begin. The spearheads of each guild, please come out to the arena.”
In a three-on-three match, the spearhead, that is, the first knight, often sent out the best player.
It is not for nothing that there is a saying of “overcoming the spur of the moment,” and it is because there is no need to play the third game if you win 2 wins first.
Above all, the Archduke's intention was to give the impression that he was overwhelmingly trampling on Julius! If you give up even one game, you will want to avoid it because it can give you a feeling that it was regrettable even though you lost.
'Due to the archduke's personality, it's pretty obvious how he'll send players out.'
Eventually, the Archduke sent a knight to the stadium first. Exclamation broke out among the crowd.
“This is Count Gilbert! As expected, the Golden Lion Knights seem to be coming forward in a head-to-head match!”
“You seem to be earnestly trying to win 1 victory right from the start?”
Count Gilbert was a knight at the top of the Empire, except for a few knights of the Royal Knights.
Sending him out from the start was a firm expression of his will to never give up victory to Julius.
Haynes didn't worry too much either. Because the order of participation has already been decided.
Swoop.
A small-sized knight who slowly walks up the arena. The spearhead on the side of Julius was Beatrice.
"hmm? It looks like the female knight will appear on Prince 1’s side?”
“Isn't the opponent the leader of the Golden Lion Knights? He obviously had an impressive performance, but is there a chance he will win?”
A murmur erupts from the audience. She proved her skills in the finals, but she was still a nameless knight. It was a natural reaction, since she was at least in terms of external reputation.
The emperor was also watching the scene with an amused expression. In fact, it was because she had been quite interested in her since the Northern War.
“Did you say she was the daughter of the Duke Dios of the Holy Kingdom?”
"yes. It was said that it was a knight brought by His Highness the Prince as a friend when he went to study abroad in the past.”
"hmm… … .”
In addition, there were many people in the audience who were curious about the direction of the final. It was mainly about money.
“How could a female knight with such a brittle body beat Count Gilbert? There is nothing to watch this match.”
“Do you know? The Duke of Dios in the holy kingdom is a famous family, right?”
Of course, most of them bet their money on the Golden Lion Knights, so there was no way they would give Beatrice a good evaluation.
“Gun, what do you think?”
“I honestly don’t know.”
Jegal Hwa-yeong puts on a puzzled expression. Because he had never given such an ambiguous answer in this competition.
"So you're saying we're the same?"
“The state of martial arts doesn’t seem to make much of a difference. But if I had to say it, that middle-aged knight would have the advantage conditionally.”
Even after hearing that, Zhuge Hwayeong knew what his intention was with the ambiguous answer.
"But you don't know what's going to happen because His Highness the prince has an eye for it?"
"That's right. And in the unmanned confrontation, the more skilled you are, the more variables there are.”
The Archduke watching from the stands was also somewhat questionable.
'Are you going to have a head-to-head confrontation with Gilbert?'
The Archduke acknowledged Beatrice's skill itself. But winning and winning were separate issues.
'It's amazing to have achieved that much at that age, but Gilbert is one step above both in terms of compatibility and experience.'
For knights who can use the Force, being a woman in general was not a big disadvantage. Basic stamina and muscle strength may be lacking, but instead, the body is light and flexible, so it has its own advantages.
However, when the level is similar and the opponent has a lot of experience, the difference in basic physical condition is also large.
'At first, it might boil a little or fight with the other side prevailing. But in the end, I'm going to get tired of myself and fall out.'
In the eyes of the Archduke, it was thought that the seasoned Count Gilbert would have an advantage if it led to a long-term battle.
“This is Beatrice Dios.”
“I am Gilbert, leader of the Golden Lion Knights. I ask for a good fight.”
Gilbert had received the Archduke's request and was not careless, but likewise he had no doubts about his victory.
'Didn't you say that I should focus on defense first and lose my strength?'
shhh!
As soon as the game started, Beatrice's body instantly disappeared as the Archduke expected. She closed the distance of several meters without even blinking her eyes, and then delivered a vicious stab.
'fast. But not so much that I can't catch it!'
However, Gilbert is also one of the best knights in the Empire. Rather, the result was as expected, so he hurriedly went into a defensive posture.
As befits a leading knight in the empire, his movements were as smooth as flowing water.
Quaang!
From the start, a violent explosion rang out, and the confrontation flowed as expected by the Grand Duke.
Beatrice drives fast by making use of her main weapon, speed.
Count Gilbert who skillfully defends it.
Whenever the two swords collided, a loud shockwave shook the arena.
Jegal Hwayeong frowned and opened her mouth.
"I can't see it properly with my eyesight, but the close match seems similar, but wouldn't the female knight be at a disadvantage if the pace was raised from the beginning like that?"
However, Zhuge Geon, who had been watching closely, finally gave a definite answer.
"I think the prince's side will win."
“… … ?”
She made a surprised expression when suddenly Jegalgeon firmly announced the outcome of the match.
“You mean that female knight hid her skills?”
Wow!
Before he could finish his words, another explosion erupted in the arena. It was Count Gilbert who staggered back.
'Damn it... … .'
Gilbert cursed inwardly as he frantically parried the attack. Originally, the difference in skill between Beatrice and him was not so great that they were pushed this far.
'You're completely caught up in the opponent's pace. How can such a heavy blow come from such a slender arm?'
The strength of Beatrice's attack now was on a completely different level than in previous matches. He was a seasoned Count Gilbert, but his posture collapsed in an instant when he received an unexpected and powerful blow.
Of course, the Grand Duke, whose name is one of the best military commanders on the continent, was not wrong. Obviously, both Gilbert and Beatrice were unmanned people very close to being superhuman, and the difference in their realms was not great.
Seeing how Gilbert managed to block the attack while frantically being pushed back, Jegalgeon shook his head and replied.
“I don't know exactly, but unlike that prince, I don't think my eyesight is wrong this time. It's not an achievement as a military man, but he probably brought out a hidden secret skill.”
According to his evaluation, the reason Beatrice was able to do well this time was the core.
The reason this hasn't been revealed until now is because there was a request from Julius.
“Rize, please refrain from using the core as much as possible until the preliminary round. That will be the key to winning the final.”
The core is one of the player's characteristics. No matter how much he was pushed out of the basic physical condition, if he was amplified by his core, the gap was more than filled.
This was the reason why the archduke's prediction, which was originally supposed to be perfect, went wrong. No matter how great his discernment was, there was no way he could have predicted it unless he could see even his stats like Julius.
'Your Highness, you really have no face.'
Gilbert, who had been pushed back all along, closed his eyes tightly. An unavoidable blow hits his chest.
Perong!
“Cuck!”
Gilbert's armor crumbles like candy and vomits blood. He tumbled helplessly across the arena floor.
“… … .”
The hall fell into silence for an instant. There is no way that ordinary spectators will be able to analyze the fights of high-level knights. From their point of view, it was just that Gilbert was being pushed around like crazy and was broken properly.
As soon as the silence was broken, the crowd turned into an uproar and riot.
“Wow! The best!"
“Long live the First Prince!!”
“Damn it… This time, I was really excited and invested safely in the Golden Lion Knights!”
Ignoring the commotion, Jegal Hwayeong was deep in thought.
"miss?"
"Nothing. Anyway, I am glad that this investment will be successful.”
This time, she believed in Julius and put half of the annual operating expenses of the Blue Dragon Merchant Capital Branch into a bet. It is a huge amount that cannot be ignored even from her point of view.
Even so, he didn't look very happy, so Jegalgeon asked with a puzzled expression.
“Didn’t you just throw it all away?”
And her small murmurs were drowned out by the turmoil.
“Then let’s start the second game.”
In the second match, Julius sent out a knight first.
'Didn't His Highness tell me to end it here?'
The participating article was Haynes.
The opponent was Lord Hendricks, vice-captain of the Golden Lion Knights, and he was also a fairly well-known knight in the Archduke's side, but in Julius' opinion, Heinz was about half as high.
Haines was also a person who was not unusual in the first place and trained steadily while receiving the teachings of the superhuman Marquis Carlos. On top of that, the Northern War gave him enough practical experience to melt that realization.
'I don't know if it's Count Gilbert, but there's no way I can beat him to the level of the vice-captain!'
Since Count Gilbert, who was initially considered to be a surefire card for the Archduke, was defeated, the situation had already tilted.
The reason why the blue dragon team was sure of the success of the investment was because they were convinced that if they passed the first game, there was a 100% chance that Julius would win.
Fu-wook!
“Keugh!”
"stop! The winner is Lord Haines!”
Hendricks did his best, but he was deeply injured in a counterattack without being able to break through Haynes' impregnable defense, and he had no choice but to admit defeat.
It wasn't a thrilling victory like in Beatrice's case, but he also defeated a knight with a much higher external reputation than himself.
“The winner of the Prime Tournament is the Knights of His Highness, the First Prince.”
With the announcer's declaration, the hall was bound to stir again. Originally, regular tournaments are less well-known and of a lower level than prime tournaments.
However, due to this result, the final of the general tournament has turned into an important match that determines the overall victory.
"Isn't this really the first prince's side winning the overall championship?"
“Oh no way… The results of the regular tournaments were overwhelming for the Golden Lion Knights.”
“Isn’t it something you don’t know about?”
* * *
"haha… Is this really an unexpected result? It's good that I'm from the knights of Julius, but the Archduke was out of luck this time.”
Although he speaks so consolingly, the emperor seems to be forcibly holding back what he wants to laugh at.
"It's a disappointing result for me, but it's worth seeing the young knights play an active role."
To be honest, the Archduke replied that he was so upset that he couldn't keep his expression this time, but he managed to hold it in. The Prime Tournament was the most prestigious event in the Imperial Martial Arts Association.
Just having this stolen has already damaged his reputation.
'But I can't give you only the overall championship.'
He winked at Dmitri and the shadows from a distance as they came out for the general tournament.
'I'm going to be careful this time. If you cherish Dmitri until the end, the prince will be able to handle it no matter what.'
In fact, the most outstanding knight under his command was not Count Gilbert, but Dmitry. Of course, the cadres of the shadows who were put in together were also knights of at least master level.
'No matter what kind of magic the 1st prince uses, there will be no help this time.'
Meanwhile, Julius was talking to Keynes before the finals of the general tournament started.
“I am only telling you this… … .”
Keynes, who had been listening from the beginning with a confused expression, couldn't help but jump as soon as he heard Julius' words.
“Do I have to stick with a master-level knight?”
“So it happened. It wasn't originally planned to be like this, but it looks like the Grand Duke was using a trick... … .”
"that… … .”
"But it's not very odd!"
At Julius' words, Keynes widened his eyes. It is true that he has grown rapidly in recent years, but it is still a long way from reaching the master level.
“First of all, since the opponent also has eyes to see, wouldn’t they openly demonstrate their full strength as a master class?”
“That’s right… … .”
But Keynes doesn't seem very confident. Of course, the big criterion for distinguishing general knights from master class was the type of force. But, of course, such skills are limited in regular tournaments.
If the opponent didn't openly use force control, which only masters can do, he should be able to withstand it given his skills, but winning was another matter.
Julius smirked here.
"So, there's something you can do with me for a while."
Creepy.
For a moment, Keynes felt a familiar chill. He had a premonition that something very unfortunate was about to happen to him.
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