The Indomitable Martial King

But the successor of Gym Unbreakable signified more than just an ordinary Aura User. Usually, within martial schools, even if one had a strong master, it didn’t necessarily mean the disciple would also be strong. No matter how powerful the master was, if the disciple couldn’t properly follow the teachings, it was possible for the martial school’s honor to be tarnished.

However, Gym Unbreakable was different. There was no such thing as a weak disciple of Gym Unbreakable.

‘Well, if they were weak, they’d get beaten to death before they even ventured into the world.’

Observing the reactions around him, Repenhardt smirked bitterly. He had a good idea why the reactions were so intense.

As soon as a successor of Gym Unbreakable revealed themselves to the world, they would inevitably receive the title of Fist King. Unlike the title of Sword Saint, which was given to the strongest swordsman of the era from various schools, the title of Fist King was always monopolized by Gym Unbreakable. (Even though Gym Unbreakable wasn’t a one-man succession, making it possible for two successors to appear simultaneously, it was fortunate or unfortunate that finding a successor was so difficult that having one per era was considered lucky.)

In other words, in the minds of the people, a successor of Gym Unbreakable was synonymous with the promised strongest martial artist, inherently different in presence from an ordinary Aura User.

“Whoa!”

“Fist King! Fist King! Fist King!”

Everyone raised a cheer in unison at the emergence of the new Fist King. It was a moment when the fame of Fist King Repenhardt resonated throughout the world.

Of course, Repenhardt was frowning deeply.

‘I deliberately hid my identity because I thought this would happen. Why do things keep happening lately that I can’t clean up…’

—

The news of Sir Spirius’s death reached the royal capital immediately. The fact alone was shocking, but the news that the one who defeated him was the Fist King who first appeared in the Kingdom of Graim was enough to stir public sentiment.

“The one who defeated Sir Spirius is the new Fist King!”

“Sir Spirius met a death he wouldn’t be ashamed of.”

“In contrast, Sir Tetsvalt… tsk, tsk.”

“To think he died to a mere dwarf.”

“Sir Tetsvalt must not have been as great as his reputation suggested.”

Ironically, Sir Spirius, who died while attempting an assassination, was being regarded as a true knight, while Sir Tetsvalt, who died bravely in battle, was being treated as a fool. This reaction was quite different from when the news of Sir Tetsvalt’s death was first heard.

Sillan, having heard the citizens’ reactions, muttered in a disappointed tone.

“…They must have clearly seen their skills with their own eyes, yet people still underestimate other races,” Sillan murmured.

However, Repenhardt seemed pleased.

“It’s not that they’re underestimating them; they just don’t want to acknowledge them. There’s a difference. Things are going well.”

If a friend’s dog bit someone to death, most people would say, “How could a dog kill a person?” rather than, “How embarrassing, to be killed by a mere dog!” The fact that people were embarrassed by Tetsvalt’s death indicated that their perception of other races was already changing. The refusal to acknowledge them was an unconscious resistance, a sign that they couldn’t help but recognize the other races.

Nearby, Prince Yubel was gazing up at the enormous gate engraved with a lion, murmuring to himself.

“I never thought I’d see this Lion’s Gate again….”

He looked like someone reflecting on the past upon returning home. Prince Yubel’s army had easily crossed the city walls of Krotin and surrounded the outer perimeter of the royal castle. With the city walls already breached, there was little resistance. Most of the citizens had fled or were trembling behind locked doors in their homes.

As Yubel stared at the massive gate leading to the royal castle, the Lion’s Gate, he suddenly turned to Repenhardt.

“Still, I’m a bit perplexed. Given Carsus’s character, I didn’t expect this reaction…”

After breaching the southern wall and waiting three days for a response, Carsus’s forces had shown no signs of surrender. Instead, they had moved their defensive forces to the royal castle, clearly intending to fight to the death. Repenhardt appeared unsurprised.

“It’s probably the resolve of his subordinates. When things were going well, everyone faithfully followed Prince Carsus’s will, but in a situation like this…”

“That seems to be the case. Well then, let’s give the order to attack…”

Yubel turned back, a wry smile on his face. They needed to break down the gate for the siege.

‘Who should I send? With so many Aura Users, anyone could easily bring down that gate.’

As a commander, having six Aura Users at his disposal was a rare and pleasant situation. While Yubel was happily contemplating this, Repenhardt suddenly dismounted and shrugged his shoulders.

“Oh, I’ll just go myself.”

Count Feonin beamed.

“Oh! The Fist King himself? We’ll get to witness your prowess once again.”

Yubel and his noble retainers all looked at Repenhardt with expectant eyes. Sillan, slightly surprised, asked.

“Oh? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t step out in front of people?”

Repenhardt smirked bitterly, removing his upper garment to reveal his impressive muscles. A waiting attendant quickly ran up, took his shirt, and stepped back respectfully.

“Well, it’s all out in the open now, so there’s no point hiding… Besides, when I thought about it, there was no need to, anyway.”

Despite his bitter smile, Repenhardt stripped off his top, showing his well-defined muscles. A servant who had been waiting hurriedly ran over to take his clothes and respectfully stepped back.

‘Hmph, now it’s become a habit to undress before a fight.’

Every time Gerard walked around in just a shirt, even in the dead of winter, showing off his biceps, Repenhardt used to think, ‘I shouldn’t be like that. I should dress properly like a civilized person.’ But now, he was doing the same thing.

‘But this martial school’s teachings require undressing. Sigh.’

The reason Gym Unbreakable’s successors fought wearing only pants wasn’t just to show off their muscles. Well, it was partly to show off, but the main reason was to save their clothes.

In Gym Unbreakable’s style of defense, there was no dodging. Almost everything was taken head-on with the body. This meant that clothes would inevitably get torn during fights. Even though the past Fist Kings earned good money, they couldn’t afford to waste clothes every time they fought, so it became a tradition to strip down for battles.

‘Come to think of it, there was a rational reason why Teslon always fought shirtless.’

As Repenhardt stepped forward, a cheer erupted from behind him.

“Oh! It’s the Fist King!”

Unlike the typical knights who wrapped their bodies in thick armor, Repenhardt’s current appearance stimulated a primal instinct in the men. War, after all, was an act of proving who among the males was more macho. The soldiers on the battlefield were ecstatic as they watched Repenhardt, his muscles on full display, walk toward the gate.

☆ ☆ ☆

A golden giant slowly walked down the paved road. The soldiers guarding the outer perimeter of the royal castle shivered and cried out in fear.

“It’s the Fist King!”

Just as Repenhardt had feared, his reputation had spread quickly among Carsus’s forces within days. With his steel-like muscles and golden aura, his very presence was like a name tag, making him easy to recognize. Thick dread spread among the soldiers in an instant.

“Do not fear! No matter how strong he is, he is still just a man!”

The commanders tried hard to reassure their troops. But it was clear the soldiers weren’t convinced. How could that be just a man?

Before the morale dropped further, the commander gave the order.

“Archers! Fire all at once!”

A barrage of arrows was released toward Repenhardt.

A rain of arrows shot toward Repenhardt. Countless steel tips pelted his entire body. Repenhardt blinked.

‘Not even ticklish.’

There was no need to dodge. So, he just kept walking.

The soldiers on the wall, trembling with fear, prepared their next attack.

“Fire the catapults!”

Stones the size of a child’s head were hurled simultaneously. The stones crashed to the ground with a thunderous noise. The well-paved road cracked and shattered in an instant. However, at the center of the destruction, Repenhardt remained, nonchalantly deflecting the stones. He didn’t even stop walking.

‘This tickles a bit.’

Again, there was no need to dodge. So, he just kept walking.

“Grr! Light the pitch and launch it!”

A multitude of fiery projectiles flew through the air. Repenhardt smiled. He was glad he had taken off his clothes. Brushing off the flames clinging to his body, he continued to walk.

As he drew closer, the commander shouted in despair.

“Pour the boiling oil!”

Scalding streams of water, hot enough to cook a pig, were poured over Repenhardt’s head. Grateful for the help in extinguishing the flames on his pants, Repenhardt took a shower, even washing his hair.

“Oh, that’s warm.”

The commander felt a deep sense of despair.

“What is that thing?!”

They launched attack after attack from the walls. All sorts of siege weapons meant for castle attacks were aimed frantically at one person. Yet, Repenhardt just kept walking.

“Ugh!”

“That monster!”

If he wanted, he could have reached them in a single step, but Repenhardt deliberately walked slowly, pressuring the soldiers on the wall. No one could help but feel terror at the sight of a man untouched by any attack.

Arriving beneath the gate, Repenhardt raised his fist and shouted.

“If you value your lives, clear away from the gate!”

The expected reaction came.

“Ahhhh!”

“Save me!”

Terrified soldiers began to flee en masse. Military training meant nothing in the face of absolute fear. The area around the gate cleared in an instant. Not only the soldiers, but even the commanders and knights all ran away.

Another cheer erupted from Prince Yubel’s army.

“Whoa!”

“Truly an indomitable body!”

“Unbreakable!”

“As expected of the Fist King!”

Everyone was in awe of Repenhardt’s prowess, fervently cheering him on. Hearing the enthusiastic cheers behind him, Repenhardt clicked his tongue.

‘Tch, the reactions are so different, even though it’s no different from what I did in my past life.’

* * *

After the battle with Spirius, Repenhardt spent three days deeply troubled about his exposed identity.

‘This is bad. What if things turn out like they did in my past life?’

The fame of Demon King Repenhardt had been so overwhelming that people only saw him, not the other races behind him. So, in this life, he had resolved to stay out of the spotlight and avoid making a name for himself. However, the rumors about Repenhardt were already spreading like wildfire.

“They say the mysterious sage who brought along orcs, dwarves, and elves is actually the Fist King!”

“Of course! Only someone like the Fist King could accomplish such amazing feats!”

“Then, does that mean all those Aura Users were taught by the Fist King?”

As expected, people were mistakenly attributing the prowess of the other races to Repenhardt. He had been racking his brain on how to resolve this situation.

But then… things started to take an unexpected turn.

“Ho, then those orcs must be amazing warriors, chosen by the Fist King!”

“It seems the Fist King enlightened them and made them civilized.”

“Could it be that these are entirely different from the slave races we know…?”

“The dwarves must be fortunate to receive the Fist King’s teachings.”

The rumors were diverging from what Repenhardt had imagined. People were starting to speculate that these other races might be exceptional beings chosen by the Fist King. While this would be an incredibly unfair rumor for the Aura Users like Kalken and Kadamyte, who had trained hard on their own, it wasn’t necessarily a bad reaction overall.

Repenhardt couldn’t help but feel bewildered.

“What is with these reactions?”

When he led the other races as the Demon King, he was vilified as a tyrant corrupting slave races with his demonic influence.

Yet, as the Fist King, leading them made people speculate that even slave races might be intelligent and capable individuals.

It was utterly incomprehensible.