22 - Battle Royale

Battle Royale

The sun was in its final act of the day, casting golden and reddish rays that bathed the makeshift battlefield in an ethereal light. Carter, the imposing captain of the Duke's personal guard, raised his gleaming sword, capturing the last remnants of the setting sun on its blade. With a voice that reverberated through the tension-filled air, he proclaimed, "Let the Battle Royale begin! Remember, only one can claim victory!"

Jon and Gwen exchanged glances and positioned themselves away from Carter, near a rocky elevation that offered a clear view of the field. 'Best to avoid direct confrontation with him,' Jon thought.

"Ready... Fight!" Carter shouted, and the field erupted into action.

Jon and Gwen unsheathed their bows, aiming precisely at Carter. Arrows were loosed. Simultaneously, Carter charged forward with the force of a gale, his sword shimmering in the sunlight.

"Damn, he's coming our way!" One of the youths yelled in terror, believing that sticking together would improve their odds. "Slow him down with arrows and pair up!" Another youth, more composed, outlined a strategy to avoid collective defeat while distancing himself from Carter, firing a volley of arrows that, unfortunately for the boys, were easily deflected.

"I knew my son could do it! He's always been a warrior!" a woman exclaimed, her face lit up with a proud smile, after seeing her son lead his peers in attempting to overcome the challenge.

Whispers of awe and anticipation filled the atmosphere. Jon and Gwen's strategy of dodging direct confrontation and employing their archery skills was working, and the crowd was enthralled.

"These two actually stand a chance," commented an older man, gesturing for his wife to agree. Jon and Gwen had become well-known figures in Riverwood, especially since the incident where Ren was killed trying to harm them.

However, a subtle shift in the dynamics of the battle became apparent. Carter, who until then had divided his attention equally among the remaining competitors, began to focus almost exclusively on Jon. Each thrust, each agile move, seemed meticulously calculated to drive the young man of mixed heritage out of the combat scenario.

'He's targeting me,' Jon realized, feeling almost physically the pressure of Carter's blade after dodging an attack and maintaining a considerable distance.

Jon might have only been nine years old in his current life, but he carried with him nearly three decades of experience from a previous existence before finding himself trapped or reincarnated in Aeloria. He had suspected something like this would happen ever since Roderic put him on his enemies list. 'So this is how you want to play,' Jon pondered, as he intentionally distanced himself from Gwen and maneuvered among the four remaining competitors in this battle royale.

"Hey, Jon, what are you up to?" asked one of the young men, visibly puzzled as he saw Jon sprinting toward him. However, before he could get an answer, he was struck down by Carter and knocked out of the competition. 'This is going to be trickier than I thought,' Carter mused, realizing that Jon had figured out he was the primary target and was using others as human shields.

Perhaps Jon believed that by acting this way, he would force Carter to switch tactics, thereby avoiding the perception that he was deliberately targeting the half-elf. Unfortunately for him, Roderic had briefed Carter that his sole mission was to stop Jon; everything else was a problem for him and his family to sort out. After all, who in this quaint village would dare challenge the Duke of Valdoria?

In his relentless pursuit of Jon, Carter quickly dispatched all the other competitors, leaving only Jon and Gwen standing on the battlefield.

As he exchanged sword blows with Jon, indifferent to the murmurs and even shouts of disapproval from the crowd, Carter cracked a smile and whispered so that only Jon could hear, "Kid, I don't know why, but the young master has ordered your elimination. Sorry about that."

Jon remained silent. The pressure of facing such a formidable opponent transported him back to the moment in the goblin dungeon, where Ren had humiliated him as if he were a mere insect. 'Should I just give up?' Jon wondered. After all, even if he lost, he would still come in second and secure one of the slots.

"JON, WATCH OUT!" Just as Jon was about to give in to the idea of quitting, Gwen lunged forward, firing arrows at Carter. 'Damn, I shouldn't, but just this once I'll act my age—nine years old,' thought Jon, and then allocated the 15 status points he had saved up.

[STATS]

Strength: 40+20

Agility: 40+20

Although he wasn't wielding his SS-ranked sword, merely having it in his inventory already granted him additional attributes. At that moment, he felt grateful for not leaving the weapon at home.

The air was thick with tension, almost palpable, as Carter skillfully dodged the arrows shot by Gwen. With a fluid motion, he lunged at Jon, his blade shimmering menacingly. Even the less discerning among the crowd sensed Carter's blatant bias. A murmur of discontent swept through the audience.

"YOU BASTARD, WHY ARE YOU ONLY TARGETING JON!" The desperate cry came from Helena and Eric, Jon's parents, breaking the heavy silence that had fallen over the battlefield. Their voices echoed, punctuating the dense air with a note of indignation and fear.

Carter's sword descended in a lethal arc, aiming for Jon. It seemed as if fate had sealed its verdict. However, in the last possible moment, something extraordinary happened.

Jon, propelled by supernatural agility, parried Carter's attack. He eased the force of the blow, bending backward at an almost unbelievable speed. His body seemed to defy the laws of physics, contorting in a way that made the audience hold their breath. Then, seizing the momentum, Jon executed a 360-degree spin in the air.

With a burst of pent-up energy, his foot found its mark: Carter's chin. The impact was so powerful that the Duke's head of personal security was sent flying backward, like a leaf in the wind.

The battlefield fell silent for a moment, as if time had stopped. Then, a roar erupted from the crowd, a mix of disbelief and elation. Against all odds, Jon had prevailed…