F-ranker Sword Saint: My Soulbound Sword is Secretly SSS-tier!-Chapter 300: Closing Ceremony

Nathalie was dumbfounded, too.

However, it had always been she who snapped out of her stupor first, and this time was no exception.

"S-S-Skylar Ashwind has left the arena!! Does this mean..."

As if confirming her subsequent thoughts, the referee raised his arms, declaring stutteringly: "O-Ourion has forfeited the match by leaving the boundaries of the main arena grounds! Oma– O-Onimaru Kunitsuna wins!"

Following the referee’s words, a brief silence, then the crowd erupted into a storm of mad cheers, whistles, and crazed applause, the excitement further fanned by the gorgeous hostess’ passionate voice:

"Won!! Class 70’s representative, Omaru, who turned out to be the mysterious Onimaru Kunitsuna, has won the Inter-Class Representative Competition!! After a series of ups and downs and several trumped trump cards, the true Sword Prince of Noravia’s Southern Bladeborn Academy has been crowned!! Daru Finnley claims victory over the renowned Skylar Ashwind!!"

Of course, she heard the threat and shuddered at it, too, but as a hostess, Nathalie’s job was to keep the energy high, not kill it.

She could not allow the remnants of the defeated tyrant to ruin the atmosphere.

As for how Daru would deal with the consequences of winning, it was all up to him.

After all, the crowd, the bettors among them, the betting stations, the scouts, and especially the journalists had their hands full and were in a state of utter frenzy and chaos.

Some wept openly at their ruined fortunes; others roared their lungs out in utter excitement — free of the burdens of a betting ticket, while a few busybodies scrambled to scribble.

Somewhere in the backoffices, a manager slumped listlessly on his chair, despair and madness consuming him.

In the VIP seats, a young couple hugged each other in celebration, while a slightly older, cherry blossom-haired young man raised his betting ticket in absolute ecstasy.

Wanting to mirror him but couldn’t was another young man in the crowd, going insane merely from the sheer difficulty of holding everything in.

No one could know he would be swimming in Swordcoins or Neo-dollars — his choice — from now on.

Principal Jebroham, too, knew he wouldn’t have been so calm had he not been informed beforehand...had his former secretary not blundered.

That moment was the actual climax of this tournament for him.

He did not expect another sudden call from Hailey Krauss, informing him that foolish Helen had overwritten the changes she had made.

He was asked to investigate the instructor who submitted the petition, too.

If Talon didn’t receive a bribe from the Pemberton Family, then he was good, but if he did...

The old principal did not have the luxury to continue his train of thought, though, as he still had a job to do.

The Inter-Class Representative Competition might be over. However, the day was not, and there was still the recruitment portion of the event after the closing ceremony.

Jebroham stood up and got to work on getting the formalities out of the way.

The event staff was right behind him, Nathalie included.

"Everyone, first and foremost, allow me to..."

While the old principal spoke his empty pleasantries, a mystical podium from another sponsor was being set up, and by the time Jebroham was finished, the stage was set, too.

The top eight were summoned.

Cody and those who were eliminated in the quarterfinals were the ones called first, guided to their appropriate spots in the winners’ podium, and then they were given their rewards alongside official badges of their placing.

This would’ve been their proof of excellence for when they pitched themselves to the big guilds after graduation...which was quite the useless formality.

The big guilds would be crazy not to offer these people contracts immediately.

Not a single one of them would care about the badge.

After them, the semi-finalists, Alopecion and Taiya. Both had scowls on their faces, glaring hard at Daru.

Johann, however, seemed to have had a change of heart.

There was no longer any animosity in his heart, and his gaze was that of a determined rival instead of hostile.

Perhaps the fact that Onimaru Kunitsuna was an S-tier Soulbound Sword and not SSS lit a fire within him.

If Daru could stand toe-to-toe with the likes of the Four Starblades with an S-tier sword, why couldn’t he?

Johann also found no shame in losing to and being outsmarted by Onimaru Kunitsuna, noting that he should just do better next time.

Young hearts are truly quite fickle.

After the two S-rankers, the Sky Prince was called next, but obviously, Skylar was not here.

Then, finally, it was Daru’s turn.

His name was accompanied by rumbling cheers, most of which were borne from endless curiosity later converted into fanaticism.

Onimaru Kunitsuna has been and will continue to be a legendary name from this point on.

However, there was also a bit of disappointment, as the tier of his sword turned out to be a bit underwhelming.

Perhaps his name would fade into the winds later in his career.

But for now, Daru Finnley was a star, and the scouts’ clumsy scramble, revising their letters frantically, was solid proof of this.

He was about to be swamped by offers.

This, however, was part of the plan, and in fact, he received a whisper from Caleb just now. There was a change of plans, and it was quite a curious one that he could not understand.

Daru understood that he was currently a small player in a big game, so for now, he must follow orders.

Only once he’s strong enough to hold the skies up for humanity could he personally contribute to the big decisions

...or turn the human race upside down, if that was what needed to be done.

The key was choosing the right faction to serve, and Daru was quite satisfied with the goals and ambitions of the government, though he would certainly put that to the test once he was capable enough.

Either way, he would eventually learn who the good and the bad guys were. There was no use in overthinking.

Soon, Principal Jebroham Jackson was before him, gazing intensely before shaking his hand, congratulating him, and handing him a medal and the promised reward pack, though Daru didn’t know what was in it, given that he barely made it on time to the competition.

"Everyone, please give another round of applause for the Sword Prince of Southern Noravia, Onimaru Kunitsuna!!"

With a final eruption of thunderous cheers and applause, the Inter-Class Representative Competition came to an end.

It was time for the big dogs and their juicy offers.

*** End of Volume 1: The Fallen Sword Prince ***