The Grand Duke's Son Is A Heretic

Chapter 15 - 15: 15:I Bet My Qualification

Kael stood in the middle of the training field, gripping his sword tightly. The air around him was heavy, charged with tension as if a storm was about to break. His swings, though seemingly wild and reckless, gradually formed a rhythm which was an unpredictable flow that confused the knights watching.

At first, they mocked him. "Holy hell, what was that?" one snickered. "Even my little sister swings a broom better!" another laughed. But as they watched more closely, their amusement faded, replaced by unease.

Kael, instead of getting flustered smiled.

An unsettling grin that stretched too wide, his eyes gleaming with something unreadable.

He scanned the crowd like a predator

Kael's lips curled into a slow, sinister smile. "Tell me, Baret, for a knight, which is greater—his values or his life?"

"Values and pride!" Baret answered instantly, with an unwavering voice.

Kael tilted his head, his gray hair shifting slightly as he scrutinized Baret while his smile widened. "Then why don't I see any pride in your eyes?"

Baret's brows furrowed. His instincts screamed at him, warning him of the danger in Kael's words. But he couldn't stop himself from asking, "What do you mean?"

Kael chuckled,"I mean exactly what I say. I don't see any integrity."

He leaned in slightly, his eyes sharp with amusement. "You're nothing but a well-fed dog. And even a dog should have some pride. So why are you barking and hiding their mistakes?"

"Enough!" Baret snapped, his voice firmer, but Kael's gaze never wavered.

"Vice Captain, just let us fight!" one knight shouted.

"Yes, Vice Captain!" another joined in, their anger bubbling over.

"Let me fight..I am gonna beat the shit out of him."

"Really!" Kael's voice cut through their shouts like a blade, making them flinch.

His expression twisted as he screamed, "Just come at me instead of barking."

Baret frowned, parting his lips to speak. "N—"

Kael's voice lashed out like a whip, sharp and merciless. "Fu*ker… did you hear what I just said?" His eyes glowed with something twisted, something terrifying.

His voice dropped to a slow, deliberate whisper, but it carried enough venom to freeze the air. "If you keep rebutting me, I swear in the name of the Goddess… once I gain strength and become heir, I'll strip your family naked and hang them on the walls along with every son of bitch out there."

"FUCKKK!"

One knight snapped, unable to bear it any longer. With a furious roar, he lunged at Kael, raising his aiming to pummel him into the dirt but as he drew closer.

SLASH!

A sickening sound, like a thunderclap, echoed. Everyone's breath caught in their throats.

Then a faint thud sound echoed following which blood splattered dyeing Kael.

The knight who ran towards Kael pauses and then asked in surprise,"What happened?"

The knight was an F-ranked awakened, stronger and faster than Kael, so they had expected Kael to be beaten bloody. But what happened next shattered every assumption.

Kael moved like lightning. His blade flashed with an inverted horizontal slash. Blood sprayed into the air in a gruesome arc.

A severed hand flew through the sky. It tumbled, spinning wildly before slamming straight into Baret's face with a wet thud. Then it bounced off, landing limply on the ground.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The knight's scream tore through the training field, his voice shrill with agony. He fell to his knees, clutching the gushing stump where his hand had once been. His body trembled violently, his face contorted in sheer horror.

Baret's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. For the first time, the realization hit him like a hammer kael wasn't joking.

Kael flicked his sword to rid it of blood, his eyes gleaming with dark amusement. Then he pointed it forward again. His voice was a whisper, yet it carried the weight of a death sentence.

"I repeat—come at me and prove your worth by keeping your lives on the line, because I will be doing the same."

Then, without warning, he stepped forward. His hand shot out, grabbing the trembling knight who had just backed away and was screaming in pain holding his missing arms.

[Devour]

A shuddering gasp escaped the knight's lips as his body convulsed. A surge of power rushed into Kael, due for which strength rose by 0.2, and his agility by 0.1. He exhaled, feeling the energy settle into his muscles, his grin widening with twisted delight.

"I bet my qualification as an heir.If anyone below E rank can defeat me then I would voluntarily step out of the race."

The words exploded like a crackle of thunder.