Lord of Caldera - Chapter 274

Chapter 274: Chapter 274

Sylas and Karon stepped into the space, facing each other.

“Shall we use wooden swords or real blades?” Karon asked first, his tone steady.

The nobles gasped at his audacity.

“Has he lost his mind? Real blades? Even for a Royal Guard, how could he handle the fallout if Sylas were injured?”

“He must be furious over the trainee incident, but this is going too far.”

Sylas smirked at the murmurs around them. At first glance, it seemed like Karon had let his anger get the better of him. But in truth, he was maneuvering to corner Sylas.

“He’s making it seem like Sylas has a choice, but there’s no way he can choose real blades.”

Sylas was a celebrated hero with vast influence, while Karon was a symbol of the imperial family’s might. Neither could afford to seriously injure the other. Choosing wooden swords was the only reasonable option.

“But picking wooden swords would make him look timid.”

No matter the circumstances, it would appear as though Sylas had taken a step back. Starting the match on the defensive was clearly Karon’s intent.

“Wooden swords will do,” Sylas said.

“As you wish,” Karon replied.

“I wouldn’t want to risk injuring you due to a lack of restraint,” Sylas added nonchalantly.

Karon’s eye twitched at the comment. Sylas’s tone wasn’t merely provocative; it was laced with absolute confidence. There was no doubt that he meant every word.

“Let’s see how far that confidence takes you.”

Grinding his teeth, Karon grabbed a wooden sword. The two men distanced themselves before assuming their stances, locking eyes.

“May this duel be a contest worthy of the goddess’s blessing!” the Emperor declared, sounding almost giddy.

The duel began.

Sylas tilted his head slightly.

“I’ll let you have the first move, knight who couldn’t slay a dragon.”

“…!”

Sylas’s words twisted Karon’s earlier statement back at him, provoking a vein to bulge in the knight’s forehead.

“How far does his mockery of the Royal Guard go? Does he find it entertaining?”

Seething, Karon stomped forward, preparing to charge at Sylas.

Whoosh!

“Haah!?”

A shiver ran down his spine, freezing him mid-step. It was as though his instincts as prey were screaming against approaching a predator.

“What is this feeling?!”

Gritting his teeth, Karon forced himself to look at Sylas. For a moment, a hazy form shimmered around the Dragonslayer.

“…A dragon!?”

The word escaped his lips before he could stop himself. A colossal dragon coiled around Sylas, its phantom form almost tangible. Karon blinked, and the vision was gone.

“An illusion?”

“Why are you just standing there?” Sylas asked, his voice cutting through the haze.

Karon flinched. Right, it was just an illusion. How absurd to be distracted by such a trick in the middle of a duel.

“If you keep dawdling, the sun will set before we finish. Are you planning to attack or not?”

“…My apologies for the delay. Let us settle this now!”

Karon gripped his wooden sword tightly. He would strike with his best technique, putting everything he had into this single blow.

But even as he tried to move forward, his body refused to obey.

“Why can’t I move?”

It wasn’t fear—it was instinct, a primal reaction trying to stop him. Charging ahead felt like running toward certain death. His heart pounded, screaming at him to retreat.

Sylas smirked at the sight of Karon’s hesitation, amusement gleaming in his eyes.

Chapter 143: Part 2 (Romanticized Names)

“Is this the might of the Royal Guard?”

“…!”

Sylas’s sharp words snapped Karon out of his daze.

“Damn it!”

With a growl, Karon bit his lip hard enough to taste blood. He cast aside his instincts, which screamed at him to retreat. The thought of tarnishing the Royal Guard’s honor for the sake of survival had never crossed his mind.

“AAAAAAHHH!”

With a roar that echoed like a battle cry, Karon charged forward. Suppressing his primal fear, his body unconsciously found the most optimal path for an attack.

Just as his wooden sword was about to strike Sylas—

BOOM!

“Urgh!”

A thunderous shockwave shook the banquet hall as Karon was flung into the air, crashing onto the floor with a sickening thud. His entire body throbbed with pain, as though it had been crushed by an unstoppable force.

For the first time, Karon truly understood.

“Was he a dragon in human form?”

What he had seen earlier was no illusion—it was the essence of his opponent.

Thunk.

“….”

“….”

The nobles collectively held their breath as Karon rolled across the floor. None of them could find the words to describe what had just occurred.

“What in the world just happened?”

“I saw the Royal Guard charging, and then…”

That was as far as anyone’s eyes could follow. A deafening explosion had filled the air, and the next thing they knew, Karon was sprawled on the ground like a discarded rag doll.

“Was that… the sound of a wooden sword?”

“This is insane! What is he, a ballista?”

Wide-eyed, the nobles turned their attention to Karon, unsure if he was even alive. To their relief, Karon stirred, pushing himself up on trembling limbs.

But standing was all he could manage. His appearance was haggard, his once-proud figure now resembling a soldier on the brink of death in the middle of a battlefield.

“Cough, cough!”

Even as he hacked violently, Karon’s eyes burned with defiance as they fixed on Sylas. Despite the overwhelming disparity in strength, his resolve had not wavered.

“Do you still wish to continue?” Sylas asked, his tone calm.

“The Royal Guard… fights as long as our hearts beat… cough!”

Karon’s words were cut off by another fit of coughing, but Sylas didn’t need him to finish. The message was clear: the Royal Guard never turns its back as long as it draws breath.

Watching Karon’s unyielding stance, Sylas murmured,

“This is the Royal Guard.”

The words were the same as before, but this time they carried a wholly different sentiment.

Karon’s eyes flickered in confusion as Sylas’s voice softened.

“Well done, noble knight. You have my respect.”

“….”

Karon stared at Sylas, his expression blank. Yet somewhere deep in his heart, a strange warmth began to stir—a sense of fulfillment he couldn’t quite place.