Kioris glanced at his brother, who had been strongly opposed just moments ago but was now rushing to push him onto the battlefield. A hint of confusion flickered in his mind.
Still, since his goal had been achieved, that was enough for him.
Kioris then fetched his shield and a curved blade shaped like a crescent moon.
This was the best weapon in their tribe, and Kioris had always taken pride in owning it. He had named it "Moonlit Bloodblade."
Kioris had no idea how many enemies and prey had fallen to this blade, their blood soaking it in tribute to the power of their faith.
Because of the Moonlit Bloodblade, Kioris had earned the admiration of many warriors in the tribe.
But that admiration vanished the moment Germain manifested his massive gray sword and coated it with Nen.
Hum—
The sacred glow of moonlight seemed to envelop everyone present. The power of belief caused the moose centaurs to collectively hold their breath. The once-bustling scene fell into an eerie silence.
This is…
Everyone's gaze was fixed on the azure, exquisitely beautiful blade of the sword, feeling the powerful energy radiating from it—a force deeply connected to the moose-centaur tribe.
The old chieftain had seen the Sacred Moonlight Sword before anyone else.
At that time, Scela, along with Germain and the others, had come to talk to him. It was when Germain revealed that greatsword that the old chieftain decided to have the tribe participate in the Moon Ritual and further foster friendship between the human and moose-centaur tribes.
Even so, seeing the Sacred Moonlight Sword once more, the old chieftain couldn't help but be mesmerized by its beauty.
Kioris was also left wide-eyed, staring in awe. Then, he glanced down at the Moonlit Bloodblade in his hand and looked back up at the Sacred Moonlight Sword.
Afterward, his gaze shifted to Scela, who was seated nearby.
He saw his elder brother standing excitedly, pacing back and forth in the muddy arena, unable to contain his eagerness to take a closer look at the sword.
The atmosphere was thick with anticipation.
Ah?
Ah?!
Kioris looked at his Moonlit Bloodblade once again, frowning instinctively. Then, he quietly used his left hand's shield to obscure it from view.
It's nothing. I have to admit, that sword is truly beautiful and wields the symbolic power of the "moon." But still, it's nothing special.
Yes, nothing special at all.
What truly determines who is the most valiant is always the person wielding the weapon.
As long as I can prove that I'm stronger than the opponent, my Moonlit Bloodblade will also surpass that sword as a better weapon.
Yes, that's it.
Kioris successfully convinced himself.
The traditional duel of the Moon Ritual began amidst the crowd's eager anticipation.
However, as expected, most of the audience's attention remained fixed on Germain's Sacred Moonlight Sword.
Despite his unwillingness to admit it, even Kioris's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the sword.
Resolving himself internally, Kioris swore to seize the attention of everyone present during this duel and shift their focus entirely onto him!
In the muddy arena, Kioris scraped his hooves against the ground, accelerating rapidly as he charged toward Germain!
He raised the Moonlit Bloodblade high, channeling his nen to enhance the crescent blade, turning it a deep crimson.
Thud, thud, thud—
In an instant, Kioris had already rushed to Germain's front. His speed was so fast that he believed most people present wouldn't have time to react.
He planned to use the force of his charge and the Moonlit Bloodblade to knock Germain down and break the Sacred Moonlight Sword!
However, Germain was definitely not one of those who couldn't react in time.
The reason he stood still was that he was standing in the mud.
He didn't want to move too much and get covered in muck, so he calmly waited for Kioris to come straight to him.
And indeed, Kioris followed the plan, charging right to his front.
The centaur-like figure was indeed fast, but compared to Neferpitou, he was much slower, not to mention Germain.
So, in Kioris's peripheral vision, a sudden flash of blue light appeared, blinding almost his entire field of vision!
Buzz—
Crash—
Kioris felt a massive shock of force hit his left hand. The giant shield he was holding tightly was split in half, just like that!
The shattered shield flew away!
He barely managed to open his eyes in the holy moonlight and saw the shield breaking. Startled, he instinctively swung the Moonlit Bloodblade forward.
In the end, this duel was called a duel, but it wasn't truly a life-or-death fight, especially since his opponent was the younger brother of Scela.
Germain kept it within reasonable bounds.
With both hands on the Sacred Moonlight Sword, he lightly flicked it and sent the Moonlit Bloodblade flying from Kioris's grip, where it landed with a thud in the nearby mud.
Throughout the entire process, Kioris was entirely passive. The soreness and numbness in his arm made it impossible for him to even hold onto the Moonlit Bloodblade…
The difference in strength was simply too vast.
Kioris charged forward, but as they collided, his shield shattered, his scimitar flew out of his hand, and he helplessly ran past Germain.
After running a few steps, he stopped, standing there somewhat at a loss.
Did I lose?
Is it this easy to lose?
He...
Maybe this man is stronger than Ging. No wonder both my brother and Ging place him at the center, and the old chieftain also holds him in high regard...
Sigh.
Soon, everyone could see the result of the duel and couldn't help but stand up, cheering loudly.
Especially Scela, who was shouting the loudest.
The Moose Centaur tribe, upon seeing Kioris's instant defeat, was initially shocked, but in the next moment, they felt it was expected.
Germain, with the holy moonlight faith power, should win easily. This only proves the strength of their faith!
Many Moose Centaur warriors rushed onto the field, wanting to observe the Sacred Moonlight Sword up close. Only when the old chieftain spoke did they manage to control the situation.
Germain pulled the Moonlit Bloodblade sword from the ground and handed it back to Kioris.
Kioris caught his Moonlit Bloodblade and then looked at the Sacred Moonlight Sword in Germain's hand.
What a beautiful sword.
A man with such pure and beautiful moonlight power... is it not natural for him to defeat me?
A man with such a faith power that resonates so well with our tribe... he could never betray us, right?
Perhaps the old chieftain and Scela were right. Building deep ties with these humans is the future of the tribe.
So, with a bit of relief, Kioris faced Germain and said in human language, "I lost. You won. You're strong."
Though his words were broken, Germain understood what Kioris meant. He had fully surrendered.
As expected, Scela was right. His younger brother wasn't someone who would stubbornly stick to something once he understood.
Being able to adapt is a good thing.
Germain nodded lightly at Kioris.
The climax of this moon festival was this duel.
After that, no one challenged Germain again, because once the Sacred Moonlight Sword appeared, all the Moose Centaur warriors were convinced.
This made Ging quite displeased, because back then, he had to challenge more than a dozen Moose Centaur warriors just to gain respect and recognition.
Germain only swung his sword twice, and just like that, the challenge ended. He even received more cheers than he deserved.
Ging could only sigh helplessly in the end, laughing at the outcome.
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