Tenkomori: The Homecoming Club Conquers Another World
Chapter 129

Chapter 129.1. The Third Year at the Academy - Martial Arts Tournament Finals (1)

Seated in the audience, I watched Felix and Talvitt enter the arena.

Seeing Felix's demeanor, I let out a sigh of relief.

Lambert's injury didn't seem too serious.

If it were critical, Felix wouldn't be able to hide his emotions. He might even forfeit.

Amid the cheers, a grumbling voice reached my ears.

Looking over, I saw Ted and Gemma standing side by side with their arms crossed.

"Talvitt and Felix, huh…"

"Who do you think will win?"

They tilted their heads in unison and started to hum in thought.

Beside them, Elphimia glanced over and spoke.

"So, what's your take?"

"No idea. They're evenly matched. Talvitt has the edge in strength and physique, but Felix is superior overall. It wouldn't be surprising no matter who wins."

"Well, then, let's see how they measure up."

With a somewhat lofty air, Elphimia gazed down at the arena.

The carefree attitude of someone uninvolved—envy-worthy.

The referee's introductions concluded, and the semi-finals began.

Talvitt seized the initiative.

He closed the distance with a charge, bringing down his greatsword with a roar of effort.

Though Felix deflected it with his shield, the unexpected force caused him to falter slightly.

Talvitt pressed the attack.

His greatsword whirled as though weightless.

Felix quickly adjusted his estimation of Talvitt's skill and began deflecting the strikes.

Even if Talvitt's attacks were powerful, their raw strength wasn't vastly different from an orc's.

Having honed his skills as Lambert's shield, Felix could handle it.

Skillfully wielding his shield, he avoided harder-to-block strikes by stepping back.

Perhaps due to his relentless offense, Talvitt's movements became increasingly sloppy.

Felix didn't miss the opening, counterattacking—and was sent flying.

"Man, Talvitt sure plays rough," Ted muttered casually, and Gemma chuckled.

Felix wasn't the only one on the ground—Talvitt had fallen too.

Although Felix had deflected the overhead slash, Talvitt had followed up with a reckless body slam from his unsteady position.

No, it wasn't even proper enough to be called a body slam.

It was more like he'd treated his own body as a blunt weapon and slammed it into Felix.

In the past, during a mock battle with Talvitt, his focus on using the greatsword had limited his versatility.

Perhaps his time with Ted and the others had made him reevaluate his arsenal.

Felix tried to recover, but Talvitt's unorthodox movements forced him onto the defensive.

One moment it was a downward slash, the next a knee strike, followed by a sideways sweep paired with a headbutt.

There was no logical weight shift—no monster would even attack like this.

And yet, despite the sloppiness, Talvitt consistently thwarted counterattack opportunities.

If Felix attempted a reckless counter, a mutual blow was guaranteed.

In such a case, the stronger and more proactive Talvitt would have the advantage.

Naturally, Felix saw through this.

Even if he wanted to attack, he couldn't.

As Felix began adapting to Talvitt's erratic movements, his defense grew more solid.

But mere defense wouldn't lead to victory.

If time ran out, Talvitt, the one pressuring throughout, would win.

Just as I thought that, Felix made his move.

The upward slash from below was blocked by the shield, but the greatsword moved fluidly through the air.

Was that—[Featherlight Guard]?

The blocked strike, undiminished in power, swung through, pulling Talvitt off balance with his own strength.

And into the opening at his torso, Felix unleashed a flowing [Power Strike].

Yet once again, Felix was the one slammed to the ground.

"Damn, that guy's reckless," Talvitt muttered, picking up his greatsword while rubbing his torso.

Expecting anyone to predict that would be unreasonable.

Felix had created an opening for his [Power Strike] using [Featherlight Guard].

If Talvitt countered, it would either be a kick or a body slam.

Either way, [Power Strike] would have the upper hand in force.

But Talvitt easily discarded his greatsword.

What met Felix instead was the martial art skill [Palm Strike].

The unorthodox greatsword attacks—

They'd been setting the stage from the start.

Pulling off [Featherlight Guard] against an equal opponent was truly impressive.

If only [Palm Strike] hadn't landed on his head.

Taking that kind of counter cleanly would spell defeat, even with consciousness intact.

Felix tried to rise but found his body wouldn't cooperate.

Silently looking down at him, Talvitt pointed his greatsword.

"That's it! The winner: Talvitt Sabrois!"

The referee's announcement brought the crowd to life.

Raising both arms in triumph, Talvitt soaked in the thunderous applause.

As expected of the councilman's grandson—he seemed surprisingly popular.

Supported by the medics, Felix exited the arena.

Watching the stark contrast between the two, I reflected.

Talvitt had grown significantly over the past six months.

Even so, I couldn't think Felix had been lacking.

He had grown too. Learning [Featherlight Guard] isn't something ordinary effort can achieve.

Could he have been rushing toward victory?

Suddenly, Felix and Lambert's earlier interaction came to mind.

If Talvitt were defeated, his next opponent would be me.

Was he trying to repay a debt to his lord?

That fixation on victory might have led to his impatience.

If so, the matchup was unfavorable.

Talvitt was an equal.

Even Felix couldn't win if he lost his composure.

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