F-ranker Sword Saint: My Soulbound Sword is Secretly SSS-tier!-Chapter 281: Soulstriker

"W-What is going on? Could this mean..."

Hostess Nathalie was deeply confused, but scenes like this weren’t too strange to someone working in her field.

If anything, she understood what it meant. It was just that she still waited for the official declaration.

On the stage, Principal Jebroham — Dreadflame — half-turned to look at the referee, nodding, as if giving a go signal.

The referee instantly understood.

"C-Class 55’s Vulkhan advances to the quarterfinals!"

The dumbfounded crowd was jolted awake by the echoing announcement, erupting into thunderous cheers mixed with despairing, angry outbursts.

Lucas Petrov, ranked first in the official forums’ tier list, had been defeated.

A hidden dragon had revealed himself!

The scouts who had decided to watch this specific academy’s Inter-Class Representative Competition were over the moon, as even just bringing back the report of a sudden gem would be grounds for promotion.

A scout’s job was only to look for true talents, after all, and it would be those in acquisitions who were responsible for acquiring them for the faction.

Not only was Cody Han’s combat prowess enough to match those of the average top-rankers, perhaps even surpass them, but his Soulbound Sword’s Innate Ability was among the most-coveted.

Soulstrikers.

That was the term used to call those who can directly attack souls, rendering all extra lives meaningless.

They weren’t fighters. They were killers.

Even a C-ranker who has the ability to strike at souls would be groomed to be a proper assassin for the faction, what more a top-tier A-ranker?

Of course, there were many ways to make extra lives useless, but this one was the most practical and cost-efficient.

Cody didn’t know he had just elevated himself to a prime prospect.

After all, only S, SS, and SSS-tier Soulstrikers would be considered more valuable than him, and those were far rarer than their standard counterparts.

In fact, only six such individuals appeared throughout the century-long history of the Sword Trials.

This was why the scouts and the journalists at the scene were going mad in excitement.

Some even snickered to themselves, inwardly laughing at their arrogant seniors who were making fun of their "bad" choices.

Who’s lacking foresight now?!

Not to mention, there was also Elune Tseradze, who would probably come with Cody Han in a buy-one-get-two package, though, of course, for an appropriate price.

There were also a few less-intense reactions.

Daru, for one, only smiled while applauding, his thrill at his friend’s victory not properly reflecting on his face.

The two of them would once again face each other, and this time, they would have more cards.

Perhaps Cody could overcome him this time?

Skylar, too, had reacted in his own, subtle manner. The playful smile on his face was gone, replaced by apathy.

Only a few, or maybe only he alone, knew what was going on in his tyrannical head.

Meanwhile, on the stage, the two youngsters were dragged back to reality by the roaring crowd — one from the depths of soul-searing agony, the other from the fear of being incinerated out of existence.

Lucas breathed heavily, as if time had just resumed for him. His hands were shaking, and the shaking intensified the moment his eyes met the predatory gaze a sword’s length away.

Cody was still deeply disoriented.

Rarely did he use his Soulbound Sword’s Innate Sword Skill, Final Flame, as the price for using it was too high — damage to his own soul.

In fact, all he could do right now was use its most basic function for a few seconds, as his soul was not strong enough to handle more or explore the extent of his sword’s power...and Cody did not know how to strengthen his soul yet.

This was why he would always lose himself in a burning, murderous trance whenever he used his Innate Sword Skill.

It was so agonizing that even incinerating his enemy’s soul did little to ease the pain.

Only when his eyes focused on the eyes of his enemy did his wits come about.

He grinned through the soul-deep anguish, his expression looking quite psychopathic due to how tormented he currently felt.

Still, Cody was able to speak a few words:

"You got lucky, bastard."

After that, his attention was snatched by the aged voice that suddenly sounded next to him:

"Enough. Return to your seats. This match is over."

Cody met Principal Jebroham’s deep gaze, and only then did he realize that his wrists were still in the old man’s grasp.

The academy leader, confirming that his student had snapped out of his trance, finally let go.

Cody bowed to the principal, then shot one last sneer of disdain towards Lucas before turning to leave.

The hoodlum let out a stifled, strange gasp before snarling in utter denial: "BASTARD!! FIGHT ME AGAIN RIGHT NOW, IF YOU’RE A MAN!!"

Cody half-turned, a mocking grin on his face: "Why don’t you just take your embarrassing loss like a man instead?"

Lucas gritted his teeth and spouted more desperate insults and challenges, but he was ignored.

Cody had already shifted his attention to the running young lady, boldly receiving her teary-eyed yet ecstatic figure in his arms.

This...was another good side-scoop for the reporters on-site.

Daru’s eyes widened.

Inexperienced as he was regarding romantic matters, he at least knew what a couple was.

It was just that he was shocked to find that his two friends had developed their "closeness" to such a degree.

He didn’t know why, but a certain face with a certain expression he somehow remembered vividly fleeted in his mind at that moment, though he was able to snap out of his stupor shortly after as his eyes met Cody’s.

The guy shot a grinning thumbs up his way, seemingly slightly proud, but also slightly embarrassed.

Daru smiled back at him.

With the final match of the Round of 16 concluding, a short, fifteen-minute break with refreshments and snacks—consumables that would restore one’s body and mind more quickly—was announced for the remaining participants.

And of course, more advertisements.