Chapter 1174 Checkmate
The third day of the tournament started and the final eight participants appeared in the venue, decked with their armor.
All of them were hopeful that they would become the champion and serve the king, except for one particular knight, who stood straight with his arms crossed over his chest.
Merlin and Morgaine stared at the Dark Knight with serious faces, while Modred looked at him with a flushed look on his face.
“Mother, I told you that the dark Knight is strong!” Modred said exactly. “He will definitely be the champion of this tournament.”
“Indeed. He is strong,” Morgaine replied.
The enchantress no longer said anything and simply waited for the final matches to start.
William was paired off with the knight that was called the Knight of the Sparrow. The young knight served as an apprentice knight for Sir Geraint, and was personally being taught by him.
As the two faced off with each other,
The young knight raised his visor and looked at his opponent with admiration and respect.
“I am Myles Aldis, the Knight of the Sparrow, it is an honor to do battle with you,” Myles stated. “May I know your exalted name?”
The Dark Knight briefly nodded his head before his charming voice reached everyone’s ears.
“I am the Dark Knight,” William replied. “Bruce Dwayne.”
Myles nodded as he lowered his visor.
“May the best knight win.”
“Likewise.”
After the referee deemed that both fighters were ready, he raised his hand and declared the start of the battle.
Immediately, Myles charged at his opponent and unleashed a sword thrust that was as swift as a sparrow, and as deadly as the talons of a hawk.
The Dark Knight, casually deflected the sword thrust to the side, and counterattacked with a sword thrust of his own. However, Myles had already anticipated this move so he hurriedly used the crossguard of his sword to deflect the sword thrust that was aimed at his chest.
Succeeding in his attempt, Myles took a step forward in order to forcefully push his opponent away, and pin him down to the ground.
His plan was perfect and he had also practiced this move so many times in the past, that he was confident that he would be able to neutralize his opponent in three moves.
However, just as he was about to carry out his plan, the Dark Knight’s knee rose and collided with the side of his waist, breaking Myles’ momentum.
Due to his armor, the kick didn’t hurt that much, but it was still enough to break Myles’ concentration, allowing his opponent to counter-attack.
The Dark knight twisted his body to the side and used his arm to ram Myles’ chest which sent him skidding backwards.
The blow was strong enough, and Myles felt as if he had been kicked by a horse. He found it hard to breathe as if all the air in his lungs were expelled by his opponent’s blow.
The young knight desperately tried to raise his guard, and recover his bearings, but his opponent didn’t give him that opportunity.
Two strong hands grabbed his shoulders and held him in place. The next thing Myles knew, the opponent’s helmet was closing in on his face.
A moment later, a resounding clanging sound spread in the surroundings as the Dark Knight headbutted his opponent, which sent the latter taking a step back before falling under one knee.
“You did well, but you faced the wrong opponent,” the Dark Knight said as he took the sword that he had stabbed on the ground beside him and placed the blade on Myle’s neck.
“Checkmate.”
Myles could only smile bitterly behind the visor of his helmet as he raised both hands in surrender. The crowd cheered for the victor and for showing them an amazing battle that was quite different from the one they were expecting.
In the end, the Dark Knight extended his hand to help Myles stand up as a sign of sportsmanship, which earned him applause and well wishes from the spectators.
Even Sir Geraint, stood up from his seat and clapped both of his hands together to applaud the two knights that had just finished their duel.
“The winner, the Dark Knight, Bruce Dwayne!” the referee shouted.
Since William had already declared his alias, the referee decided that it was safe to call him by his name.
The people chatted as they asked each other if they knew anyone by that name. Only three people, namely the King, Merlin, and Morgaine, knew of William’s true identity, but they kept their silence and only watched from the stands.
The other three matches also proceeded as normal, and finally the last four semi-finalists were declared.
Since all the semi-finalists didn’t receive any serious injuries, the Knights decided to hold the semi-final on that same day, leaving the championship match the next day.
The four knights agreed to the change in schedule, and once again faced each other.
This time, William was faced with another Knight Apprentice. However, just like before, he performed well during the battle, and even gave the knight enough “Airtime”, so he wouldn’t lose too badly in front of the people.
William even went out of his way to show that he was being pushed back, and only managed to reverse the situation due to a lucky opportunity that was presented to him.
Morgaine, who was watching from the stands, rubbed her face with both hands because she felt embarrassed by William’s acting, that could get him nominated for the Oscars.
Modred, who was seated beside her cheered loudly as he supported his new idol, who just happened to be his Big Brother who had died in battle a few years ago.
The enchanting fairy felt conflicted about this turn of events, but she couldn’t do anything about it except smile and clap her hands like everyone around her.
In the end, the last two fighters were announced for the Championship Battle that would be held the next day.
The Dark Knight, Bruce Dwayne.
And Izaak Bricot, the Relentless Knight.
They were the two champions that would fight for the chance to become the next Knight of the Round Table, and become one of the honored warriors of the realm.
From under his visor, William looked at the strongest knight of the Round Table, Lancelot, who was also looking at him like a hawk.
A sneer appeared on the Half-Elf’s face as he gazed at the person that teased him for being a loser when he was still in Camelot.
The Strongest Knight of the Realm, Lancelot, who was known for his skill with the sword and the untold number of ladies he wooed.
He was someone that the old William aspired to be, and yet, that same person kicked him when he was down. The Knight even mocked him as he was being taken away by the King’s servants when the decree of his exile had been passed down.
If there was someone that William hated aside from his father, it was none other than Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart.
The person that secretly had a crush on Queen Guinevere, and was hoping to make her his woman.
William found out about this, and even told his father his discovery, but instead of praise, the only thing he got was exile, and Lancelot’s ridicule filled words as he was dragged away.
Now that his target was in front of him, William endured the itch that was spreading across the palm of his hand.
He couldn’t wait for the next day to come, so that he could have his revenge on the “Righteous Knight” who turned his happy and peaceful life upside down.
