Chapter 12: The Tournament Part 1- The Weakest Fighter Vs The Strongest Swordsman

Only once a year near at the end of the semester of third year students the Bandor International Magic Academy would hold a tournament to showcase the respective strength of the students and everything that they have learnt throughout the years. The class of E-D and C-B had already fought and ended their fights showcasing their growth in their fights but now it was the slot for the class A-F one sided battle line something everyone knew was going to be something so interestingly boring that they just wanted to see the Hero’s swordplay and magic casting. But that was the thing they didn’t show up for some time now, it could be said that they had ran away because they were too afraid of losing that was what everyone initially thought.

“That girl chickened out huh?Well she was wise to not challenge us fuhahahahahaha-?!”

Suddenly out of nowhere the air began to change as light enveloped the arena as Heinz stopped laughing with smoke soon covering the entire stage. Then the wind blew revealing ten figures covered in black skin close armor with the faces of the missing students who now appeared immensely different from when they were last sighted at the academy, the armor in itself was very attractive looking to the girls wearing it and cool to the boys.

“Oi sensei when you said you’ll not make us late you meant it right?”

“Yeah I did but I kinda messed up on the timing at least the reveal is worth it however. Besides the hero always arrives at the last moment”

“That is true”

“Hou, what is this I see?”

Even the headmaster was baffled to see this as they appeared somewhat different from before.

“This is class F checking in, prepare yourselves the first match is about to begin”

The other class F members left the ground and headed to their seats watching the magic screen pick out names. 

KLAUS BRAGENHART VS. BOLT BRAGENHART

It was a sibling battle, the two seemed like total opposites to each other. Klaus was more mature and calm as well as modestly humble as compared to Bolt who was very prideful and vulgarly rude to everyone he met, they stood face to face. The younger brother Klaus who was shorter than his older brother Bolt was just as tall as he is, his short blond hair had grown and was tied into a ponytail shining brightly in the sunshine as his clear blue eyes held a strength that Bolt never saw in his entirely lifetime coming from Klaus. There was something different about Klaus even he could tell this, but that wouldn’t change what was going to happen.

“You will definitely lose Klaus. As usual right after that attack and fall to my blade. No need to make things complicated I will win as always”

Of course there were many preliminary mock tournaments to this and this was always the case between these two when they were set up against each other. However even that was being odd in Bolt’s eyes, usually Klaus would prostrate himself and admit his defeat way before he did anything with the referee having to convince him to fight Bolt but he didn’t see such.

“I am sorry to that today you will lose two things big brother no allow me to make that three.”

Klaus pulled out three fingers making Bolt confused as to what he was saying.

“The first is your pride and confidence, the second is your place at home as a genius I am pretty sure this is being shown to our homeland as well, and the third is your right to the throne”

“Haaaaah?!What type of bullshit are you saying now?!I am the one who will beat you to a pulp I will make it that you never existed!!HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

“sigh Showing truly is better than telling.”

“Ready, FIGHT!!”

Klaus gave himself some distance as he watched his older brother pull out his holy sword and rush towards him, he breathes out as he pushes his hands forward, the energy within his body is howling to be released. As the strongest attack his brother can muster befalls he opens his eyes and quickly grasps his palm into a fist that crashes into his older brother’s face. The impact is such that Bolt is sent flying in an instant crashing into the nearby wall, he stands up again and stares at Klaus who is now wrapped up in golden energy the black armour on his body manifests as a royal coat with a dragon on its back and the formal battle wear of a battle sage with its sleeves rolled up Klaus beckons him to come again to him. Bolt is angered by this and rushes to him anyway. Just when he is about to stab the image of Klaus vanishes as he leaves behind an afterimage.

“Look behind you”

Bolt does this and sees the boot of a kick go straight into his face as he rolls up in the dust once more. Before he hits the ground he is punched into the air with only a brief moment of air time he laid back to the surface of the ground once more, Bolt with a beet red face looks at  his brother. Klaus abnormally walks on the wall as if it were normal and begins to laugh as he approaches Bolt with his hands in his pockets.

“Brother did you know that the first emperor was not a knight but a Dragonborn fighter and that after 2000 years of dead nobility and bloodline that Dragon had been reborn”

The smile on Klaus’ face was the pure epitome of pride and confidence in his strength as the strength he displayed on his own brother was overwhelming. It was not only making him look intensely weak but it was humiliating him as he was the one who stood at the top all this time and now the roles had suddenly shifted what sort of training had Klaus undergone to get to this stage, blood reaches his head Bolt roars out in anger.

“DON’T SCREW WITH ME!!!!I AM THE EMPEROR’S FIRST SON AND THE HOLDER OF THE DRAGON’S BLOOD TOO!!!YOU ARE JUST THE SON OF A WHORE FATHER TOOK FOR HIS SECOND WIFE I AM RIGHT I KNOW I AM!!!!!”

“Yes you are but there is a thing known as atavism, that blood is not in you”

Bolt released his born skill Dragonewt’s Pride and ran towards Klaus who decided to run too. As the two collide the sound of a chicken being strangled is heard meanwhile a dragon’s roar is heard loudly. Bolt is thrown off by Klaus who skims the surface of the ground with his speed kicking into the ground, Bolt coughs out blood as this action is done before being lifted up and thrown in the air with another kick hitting his pretty face and crashing him into the wall once more. The arena is silent as they watch this, Klaus begins to walk away from the scene.

“STOP!!!!ARE YOU CHICKENING OUT AFTER COMING ALL THIS WAY KLAUS!!! I SURVIVED ALL YOUR  ATTACKS ISN’T THIS TRUE POWER!!!!!!!”

Bolt was still standing even though his sword and armor when broken, he thought that if he could beat his brother at this he would be higher than him. When Klaus stopped walking he felt like he won but then when he turned his head he found out he was very wrong.

“True power?Human do you even know what that word means?I was playing around since this was a tournament and all but now I am going to be a tad serious. Don’t worry the healers will mend your broken body”

Klaus’ eyes were not even human anymore they were like that of a true dragon the aura that he displayed earlier on in the fight reappeared but this time the colour of blood. Out of nowhere Klaus had appeared in front of him with a fist punching his face once more and landing him into yet another wall but before he hits it he is caught by his younger brother’s hand which seemed merciful for a moment but this was like a dream as it coiled into a fist that hit his face once more, this ends up transforming into a flurry of punches and kicks all ending into a super heated silver dragon punch. He is sent flying to the middle of the arena, Bolt knew that this was no time to resting around and stood up setting up the strongest shield in the empire to protect himself but this was useless as a single kick shattered it. The shield was made out of orichalcum the hardest metal to exist and smashed even that in, fear was beginning to seep into Bolt’s heart as that fist was going to destroy him. He felt like death was in that fist, instant and painless death as nothing would be left behind when it reaches his body, before him was an immensely large dragon fit to be called Dragon Emperor with its gaping maw open about to devour him into an abyss of darkness . Even as it was approaching him his bowels which hadn’t yielded that much since he was a baby began to wet his body, tears and mucus began to leak out from his face as he made the ugliest face one can make in despair. Screaming as it reached his face, falling to the ground unconsciousness. To the viewer Klaus did nothing but put his fist in front of his face he pulls back and puts his hands his jacket’s pocket and walks away.

“The winner is K-“

“Correction from now on my name is Ryujin Von Bragenhart”

“The winner is Ryujin Von Bragenhart”

Klaus, no Ryujin felt that the soul of the dragon inside of him laugh as he put one finger in the air as clear representation and declaration he was no.1 in the world now. The crowd in true awe of this strength begins to roar in pure ecstasy as Ryujin was truly looking awesome and cool as of that moment and walked off the stage with a pride that could be said to make one want to if one was to use such a word, simp for him. 

“How was it Delphyne-dono”

“Magnificent”

“Faltras-dono?”

“……..ugh”

“Huh?”

The emperor was shedding tears not of sadness his eldest son was trash but his second one was the reincarnation of that dragon god that founded their empire and smiled as his legacy was going to be one of legends. He had been aware of what had been going on to him and wanted to stop but he was sure that the potential within him wouldn’t appear this much if had stopped any of the torment he met as a child, he was a bad parent that much he knew and nothing would change his son’s outlook on him.

“Father I have come”

“Klaus I have done you wrong all your life, I am truly sorry.”

The emperor bowed his head to his son who stopped him from doing so.

“No raise your head father. I know there was nothing you could do. Throughout history the second born of the emperor regardless whether he is of his wife or not is not recognized by the kingdom and those of nobility, I understand you wanted to act but was unable to.”

“Klaus….”

“I just ask you to not treat Bolt as if he were inferior to me just because he is weaker than me, he is also a prince despite he’s also my older brother. “

“You truly are humble despite being a prideful dragon”

“No I am not.”

The pair laughed as the next match was beginning right before their eyes. The headmaster seemed to smile as he watched this not go down a bad route.

“I have decided that Ryujin will be my true heir, the blood of our founder and god is more in him than me and my first son”

“Hou it seemed Sae-kun was able to awaken even the deepest of potentials, that is why I chose her”

“Truly a blessing to us indeed”

“But certainly not to us we were in literal hell”

The emperor and headmaster laughed as Ryujin said this with a wry smile.