Masked Knight Chapter 23: I Did Not Lose!

Chapter 23: I Did Not Lose!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translations Editor: EndlessFantasy Translations
Rody's mind was still pondering that idea when Randt attacked him again before he could catch his breath. He turned his body but at the same time the broadsword had already started to slash down at him. Rody hurriedly dodged. His footwork was already in disorder. Although he managed to sidestep that slash, the sharp wind that came from the sword managed to slice a piece of his clothing!
Before Rody could even cry out in alarm, Nicole who was watching from the side gasped in fear!
It was just the strong wind from the sword but it managed to cut Rody’s clothes?
Nicole started to worry. It would not be good for Rody to be injured.
Randt had seen Rody's fighting style and understood that his opponent did not want to fight recklessly against himself, but instead was trying to be crafty. The combat experienced Randt was not anxious and slowly forced his opponent to retreat. Although it seemed stupid, this steady way of fighting was very effective.
After a few rounds, Rody suddenly found himself forced into a corner. He no longer had any space to his sides for him to dodge.
Randt shouted loudly, “Young Master Seth! Stop dodging!”
‘Whoop!’ He swung his sword straight down as he shouted.
When Rody was at the academy, he was among the more outstanding students. He was also never this angry when sparring with his classmates. He had suppressed his anger as he dodged. However, now that he was no longer able to dodge, he began to lose his patience. He shouted out, “Who is dodging?”
Rody held his sword, gritted his teeth and blocked only to hear the sound of metal breaking. A fragment of his blade flew into the sky and stabbed the ground when it landed.
Rody's face was flushed as if he was drunk and his hair was a mess. He looked at his broken sword.
Randt stopped attacking. He took a few steps back and lightly said, “Young Master Seth, you lose.”
The surrounding warriors all sighed in relief. Fortunately, the large dim-witted man had not done anything outrageous. Although breaking Young Master Seth’s sword would also put the master in a bad light, it was not as bad as chasing him around the training ground.
Carter sighed in relief, calming down. When he sent Randt out earlier he had been quite anxious. He was afraid that Randt would cause a great deal of trouble. The duel ending in such a manner was indeed a fortunate event.
Randt looked at Rody and lightly said, “Young Master Seth, your sword skill is still too weak.”
Finishing his sentence, Randt shook his head and walked back.
Rody’s face was red and he turned around to look at Miss Nicole’s expression. He was most concerned about Miss Nicole’s reaction. As a man, he was anxious about losing face in front of the girl he secretly crushed on.
Nicole’s facial expression did not give away any of her thoughts, but her eyes showed a hint of disappointment.
Seeing Miss Nicole’s disappointed look, Rody suddenly felt really upset.
“Wait!” Rody suddenly shouted out.
“N?” Randt turned around to look at him.
Rody‘s face was no longer red. It looked somewhat pale with an icy-cold expression.
“I have not lost!” Rody suddenly spat out these few words.
“What?” Randt frowned.
“I have not lost!” Rody gritted his teeth and repeated.
“Young Master Seth…,” Carter did not know what to say. He did not expect Young Master to suddenly throw a tantrum at this moment.
“You have already lost!” Randt coldly said. He did not like Young Master. He was a middle-ranked officer when he was in the army. However, he was sent to the Tulip Family to work as a guard due to his outstanding performance. In the eyes of others, it was a big glory to work for the God of War’s family. Due to the special status of the Tulip Family, only the elite in the army were selected as guards! To be selected meant that your strength was recognized by the military! On top of that, that person would be promoted when they returned to the army after a few years of service as the Tulip Family’s guards! However, Randt did not like it as much as others because he believed that soldiers should contribute to the glory of a battlefield instead of being watchdogs for some nobles!
That was why Randt came to the Tulip Family’s house with a heart full of resentment. He vented his resentment on self-improvement and made a breakthrough. He entered as a Grade 3 swordsman but he soon reached Grade 4 due to his efforts. It was an unexpected gain for Randt since he arrived at the Tulip Family’s house.
However, this did not mean that Randt liked to be a guard. The Young Master of the Tulip Family was a useless bum. Randt could not even care to glance at him. He found it extremely hard to accept leaving the barracks and the battlefield to guard this good-for-nothing bum.
Even though this bum had performed better this time and was not chased around the field, it was not enough to change Randt’s unfavorable opinion of him. Presently, this guy had clearly lost but insisted that he did not lose. This shameless behavior made Randt look down on him even more.
Rody looked at Randt with disdain and said, “A warrior will never give up as long as there is still a sword in his hands! My hand is still holding the sword and I have not yet given up! How can you say that I have lost?”
Rody spoke with determination. His eyes stared straight at Randt without looking away.
Randt felt moved. Since when did this person become so strong-willed? The last time we fought, he just ran away screaming without a single shred of dignity. How did he suddenly become so brave today?
“In that case, what do you want?” Randt frowned. Although he was still resentful, he did not show it. After all, the other party was still his Young Master. On top of that, his words were not unreasonable.
“Continue! Until you knock me down or disarm me!” Rody held his head high as he looked at Randt unyieldingly.
Nicole, standing at the sidelines, suddenly had a strange feeling. Perhaps the difference between this guy and my little brother is courage.
“Fine!” Randt’s eyebrows did not move. He said in a low voice, “I agree! Let us continue!”
Carter frowned from the sidelines. He was upset with Randt's recklessness. If this reckless guy injured the Young Master, Carter would also have to bear a huge portion of blame!
“Are you ready? I am coming again! Young Master! I will not hold back! You better be careful! Your power is too weak!” Randt said lightly.
“Power?” Rody sneered and his voice was full of pride. “Randt, although you have great strength but,” his voice became louder, “do you even know what power is? You do not understand what real power is!”
This remark made everyone present shocked.
Randt does not know what power is?
Is this some kind of joke? Randt was the strongest one among all of them! If they were to just compare strength, Randt was even stronger than Instructor Carter.
Besides, Young Master Seth just suffered a crushing defeat against Randt’s strength. What right did he have to say that Randt ‘does not understand power’?
“Hahaha!” Randt burst out laughing. He stared at Rody and said, “Young Master Seth, are you saying I do not know what power is?”
That remark was no longer courteous and his tone was no longer that of a subordinate speaking to his master.
“Yes!” Rody’s face was bright and stern. “You do not understand! You are just bigger and more muscular! That is brute force, not real power!”
Randt did not speak and merely looked at the playboy. He seemed to say: Come and try if you have the ability.
Rody’s face was expressionless. He gritted his teeth and took a deep breath while raising his half-broken sword.
The people in the training ground were all dumbfounded.
They saw Rody’s gaze narrow with his hands pointing the half-broken sword towards the sky. His legs were slightly apart.
Rody was not only a stubborn person. He also did not like to admit defeat. As he was agitated and weaker, he decided to use the strange technique shown by Master Autumn which he had practiced that night.
Rody’s posture seemed a little unsteady and his arms were still in pain. Randt’s previous thunder-like attack was no trivial matter. Not only was his sword broken but even his hands felt like it was about to tear.
Everyone felt surprised that Rody’s eyes seemed to have an unusual radiance.
They noticed that there was something strange about the playboy in front of them.
The surrounding air movement started to become strange, and the scene became even more shocking!
Rody’s broken sword suddenly became the center of the entire space! Everything within the space seemed to merge into a distorted illusion. The surrounding air gradually moved faster as if it was being sucked in!
Randt’s gaze gradually narrowed as he slowly stepped back.
Suddenly, Rody’s eyes opened wide. His eyes glowed as if he was possessed by an evil spirit. He suddenly shouted, “Go!”
The broken sword in his hands suddenly struck out with unparalleled momentum. The light of the blade was too fast for Randt to figure out which direction it struck from.
“What is this?!” Randt roared in his mind.
The dazzling light on Rody’s broken sword seemed to shoot out in the shape of a crescent. The light blade seemed to cause the air to flow around it. With the blink of an eye, Randt found the light blade already striking out at him.
Randt opened his eyes wide and shouted loudly, “Kill!”
After that, there was a large explosion!
In a split second, energy seemed to radiate all around them. When that kind of fierce energy is blown into a person’s face, it would cause them extreme pain as if they were being slashed. The strong wind also blinded everyone. Noticing the perilous situation in time, Carter quickly moved in front of Miss Nicole to shield her from the blast.
After the explosion, the spectators looked at the middle of the training ground and was shocked!
Randt was holding the broadsword vertically at his chest in a defensive posture. However, in front of him was a circular-shaped translucent shield of air. It stubbornly withstood the slash of Rody’s light blade.
The light blade then seemed to cut through the shield of air and made it disintegrate. The light blade also seemed to flash. The amount of power involved made Randt’s whole body stagger back by two steps.
The ‘chi' sound that followed did not stop. Some of the light also seemed to spread to the walls. Randt's entire body which includes his torso and legs were badly hurt as if they were cut by an invisible force. It was only thanks to his creation of the wall of air that he managed to withstand most of the power from the slash of the light blade.
The light gradually dispersed and the shield of air also seemed like it could no longer hold out. Randt was sweating and panting heavily. His broadsword was placed on the ground and he was completely exhausted.
At that moment, Randt was in an extremely awkward position. His neat uniform had been torn to pieces and he was almost naked. His body seemed to exude blood because he was full of injuries.
He seemed like he was about to collapse and was leaning on the broadsword to support himself. He also looked in amazement at Rody who was quite close to him.
Rody’s appearance looked even worse. His eyes were closed and his complexion was pale. His whole body ached and he felt hollow. Although his mind seemed to roar, it was also empty.
On the other hand, Instructor Carter was a little dumbfounded.
Half Moon Slash!
Young Master Seth actually used the Half Moon Slash!
That is the master of swordsmanship's, Master Autumn’s, Half Moon Slash!
Then there was also Randt. That crazy fellow was actually holding back as well! He actually already comprehended how to use fighting energy but did not expose his true strength up till now! This big guy would have continued to hide his strength if it was not because Young Master Seth used Master Autumn’s unique skill, the Half Moon Slash.
My God!
That bungling oaf of a Young Master could actually use the Half Moon Slash!
And that large blockhead could actually use the fighting energy that could only be comprehended by Grade 5 swordsmen! That is only used by senior ranking swordsmen!
Rody looked at Nicole who was covering her mouth with both hands trying not to scream. His face displayed a proud smile as he whispered slowly, “I… did not lose!”
Suddenly there was a large sound as Rody’s half-broken sword fell to the ground. Following that, Rody closed his eyes and collapsed onto the floor soon after.
“Ah!” Nicole gave a brief scream and quickly ran towards Rody…