noveltune Chapter 26 The Veteran's Absolute Strength
Chapter 26 The Veteran's Absolute Strength
Olsen staggered and regained his footing.
Completely unaware of the excruciating pain in his arm, he looked down and saw that bright red blood had already soaked through his entire linen sleeve!
Outside the stadium, the villagers of Gangde exclaimed in unison, then fell silent.
All the sounds seemed to be stuck in their throats, and terror instantly spread across everyone's faces.
Meanwhile, the villagers of Duanpo Village were stunned for a moment, and then burst into cheers like a tsunami!
"Well done, old leader!"
"That's it!"
"Give this arrogant brat a good beating!"
"..."
On the field, Olsen stared intently at Rolf across from him, warm liquid streaming down his arm and dripping onto the ground...
He was breathing heavily, and his hand holding the battle axe was trembling slightly uncontrollably.
Rolf, standing in front of him, was also panting!
His chest heaved violently, and his graying temples were soaked with sweat and stuck to his forehead. He was clearly also exhausted!
Even so, Rolf remained firmly in his fighting stance, feet apart, hands gripping his sword horizontally in front of him, like a nail driven into the ground, not retreating an inch.
A chill ran through Olsen's heart.
He realized that he had chosen the wrong playing style from the very beginning!
I am physically stronger than this old guy, but my fighting skills are far inferior.
When facing Rolf, the simplest and most steady approach is the strongest tactic!
His biggest mistake was abandoning his shield and launching a relentless attack!
If he had a shield, he could have defended calmly, slowly wearing down the old man's stamina and outlasting him. Why would he have ended up in such a passive situation now?
Thoughts flash by in an instant. Suppressing unrealistic fantasies, Olsen will realize his mistake, but he will never regret the decision he made.
With his arm severely injured, he knew all too well that if Rolf just dragged things out and wore him down until he lost too much blood and was completely exhausted, he would be at Rolf's mercy.
Even though Olsen realized that Rolf was also exhausted and did not press his advantage, the old man's fighting skills still overwhelmed him!
"If we keep dragging this out, we'll just be worn down to death by that old man!"
A ruthless glint flashed in Olsen's eyes. He knew he had to take advantage of his remaining strength to confront this old man head-on. Only by going all in would he have a chance of victory!
"We can't wait any longer, we have to take the plunge!"
The tearing pain in his arm intensified with each wave, but he seemed oblivious to it. His ruthless thoughts grew stronger in his heart, and he forcefully suppressed the uncontrollable trembling of his arm.
Just then, Rolf spoke up.
The voice, tinged with a slight pause due to panting, held no trace of arrogance:
"Ossen...stop it, both of you. The two villages have been fighting for so many years, and a lot of people have died."
"As long as you agree not to further encroach on the land of my Duanpo Village, the fishing area of the lake bay, we can allow you to enter and fish together!"
As soon as Old Yar said this, the villagers from both villages fell silent.
Many villagers in Duanpo Village looked at each other in bewilderment, but no one voiced any objection.
The cavalry commander, acting as the arbiter, frowned, then relaxed, giving a nonchalant smirk before crossing his arms over his chest.
The villagers of Gangde stood there stunned, and many began to whisper among themselves...
Olsen seemed not to hear Rolf's words.
A mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips, as if he didn't believe it at all. He let out a roar and charged at Rolf with his massive body once again.
With his hands gripping the battle axe tightly, Orson swung it down hard at Rolf's chest!
He wielded the axe with all his strength, with a ruthless and desperate ferocity.
On the sidelines, the cavalry commander frowned upon seeing this, but remained silent and did not intervene...
Old Yar was equally exhausted; the continuous blocking, dodging, and head-on counterattacks had already drained most of his strength.
Faced with this powerful blow, old Yar was powerless to retaliate. He barely managed to dodge the axe blade by turning to the side. Before he could regain his footing, Olsen had already pulled back his battle axe and launched another fierce slash!
Olsen's moves were ruthless, as if he were fighting to the death, displaying only a frenzied and fierce courage. Old Yar was unable to defend himself for a while and was exhausted from dealing with him!
On the Duanpo Village side, seeing their Yar repeatedly in grave danger, the villagers' expressions instantly changed, and angry shouts and curses rose and fell:
"Osson, what do you want to do?"
"Shameless scum, even the Lord of Storms wouldn't want to take you in!"
"Old Yar, watch out... Why isn't anyone doing anything about it!"
Hearing the shouts coming from Duanpo Village, the cavalry commander frowned but did not call for a halt.
As someone whose strength far surpasses that of everyone present, he has a clearer understanding of the situation on the field than anyone else.
Although Olsen's attacks were fierce, he did not target the neck. Rolf seemed to be in grave danger, but in reality, it was Olsen who had lost his composure.
In the arena, Olsen, his eyes red, swung his axe more than ten times in a row, each time dodged by Rolf.
The wound on his arm was torn open due to the strenuous activity, and blood flowed down his arm onto the handle of the axe, making it feel somewhat stiff to hold.
Panting heavily, his increasingly blurred vision fell on Rolf's equally panting face, which was covered in fatigue and sweat. A surge of resentment welled up in his heart, and Olsen gritted his teeth, dragging his increasingly heavy body forward once again.
This time, however, his movements visibly slowed down. His physical limits and the dizziness caused by blood loss made his slashes full of holes.
Rolf had been waiting for this moment!
With his ingrained fighting instincts, he dodged the slash and, with his last ounce of strength, plunged the sword into the crevice of Olsen's arm once more.
At that moment, everyone in both Gangde Village and Duanpo Village held their breath.
In the crowd of Gangde Village, two women who had been following behind Olsen earlier covered their mouths, their faces filled with fear and worry, one of them even with tears welling up in her eyes...
Old Jalrolf has completely taken control of the rhythm of the fight!
"Olsen, just admit defeat."
"If we keep fighting, we'll die!"
Faced with Olsen's reckless swing, Rolf was forced to stop admonishing him. He simply dodged to the side and, taking advantage of Olsen's staggering forward moment, delivered a precise kick to the back of his knee.
Olsen staggered forward a few steps, but could no longer hold on and fell heavily into the mud.
Covered in mud mixed with blood, Olsen let out a low, beast-like growl.
He tried desperately to stand up again, but after struggling for a long time, he fell heavily back into the mud several times.
Just then, the cavalry commander stepped into the arena.
"The first match is over."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority and clearly resonated throughout the entire venue.
"Rolfjar has given Olsenjar several chances, but he can't get back up. There's no point in continuing the competition."
"I declare Rolf the winner!"
The moment the words fell, Duanpo Village erupted in chaos, filled with roars, shouts, and cheers.
In the mud, Olsen mustered his last bit of strength to stand up. Upon hearing the verdict, he couldn't utter a single word of objection. He seemed to have lost his soul, utterly dejected.
He let out a suppressed roar of resentment from his throat. He couldn't accept the fact that he had lost, and he couldn't face the villagers behind him who had always had expectations for him!
The villagers of Gangde all bowed their heads, falling into a deathly silence.
No one spoke; every face was etched with heaviness and despair.
Losing the first match means that the remaining two players must defeat both Old Yar and their respective opponents in the upcoming matches!
The cavalry commander glanced at the crowd in Gonde village, then spoke again, his voice carrying an undeniable authority:
"Gentlemen of Gangde Village, do you have any objections to my ruling?"
Among the crowd, the two women were the first to react.
With tears in their eyes, they rushed out of the crowd, ran into the field, and, ignoring Olsen's feeble struggles and screams, supported him on either side and carried him off the field...
Their actions were tantamount to Gondo Village personally acknowledging the outcome of the duel.
The cheers from Duanpo Village grew even louder at this moment!
"We won! We won the first game!"
"The old leader is invincible!!"
"..."
Rogge stood at the back of the crowd, watching the old Jarl, with his gray hair and exhausted expression, win the game, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Old Jarl had once sponsored Rogge and his two companions; without the old chief's help, their blacksmith shop might not have been able to open to this day.
Old Jarl was happy for his opponent's victory.
Rogge subconsciously activated his "Eye of Insight" to take a look, and after seeing the description, the smile on his face instantly froze:
【Tiegan Rolf】
[Level: 40]
……
[Note: Due to weakened Qi and Blood, all three attributes decrease by 25%!]
[Note: Sustained high-intensity physical exertion, if continued, will lead to heart failure and a very high probability of sudden death!]
……
While the villagers of Duanpo were busy cheering, the two remaining contestants from Gangde Village, a man and a woman, had already arrived at the center of the field.
The man walked to the side of the cavalry commander, bowed slightly, and said:
"Commander, according to the rules, can we begin the next round immediately...?"
The cavalry commander made no comment, not even glancing at the man.
Only when the cheers from the village of Duanpo outside the stadium gradually subsided did he turn to face old Jalrolf, his tone carrying a rare friendliness and respect:
"Rolf Jal!"
You won the first match and gained the option to continue winning!
You can choose to leave the field, or you can choose to stay and face the next opponent!
The strong are always respected.
An elderly man nearing sixty years old, through sheer skill, managed to defeat Gondo Village Yar, who was in his prime.
This perseverance and strength were enough to earn the respect of this cavalry commander who had seen countless life and death.
All eyes were on old Jair.
At this moment, old Yar's legs were trembling slightly, and his front was already soaked with sweat. His gray hair was stuck to his cheeks with sweat. Although he was not panting as rapidly as before, it was obvious to anyone with eyes that his strength had not yet recovered.
In response to the cavalry commander's questioning,
Old Yar slowly scanned his villagers.
Giss, the tallest and most conspicuous, looked completely at a loss.
His young, broad face was filled with undisguised concern.
Looking at the other villagers, one could see their concerned gazes and hear their frequent calls for him to take a break.
Old Yar pursed his dry lips and gripped his sword tightly again.
Looking up to meet the cavalry commander's gaze, old Yar spoke firmly and without hesitation:
"I choose to continue fighting!"
……