Chapter 1:
The Tournament Begins
HOW YOU FEELING, Fran?
“Hm. Perfect.”
It was a few days after we looked at the tournament schedule. Fran was walking down a dim hallway.
Great. What about you, Jet? Feeling all charged up after filling yourself with curry?
“Woof!”
A cheerful bark echoed from the shadows.
Jet had returned to our side this morning. Sibyl and her crew would be easier to watch since they were competing. Besides, the Adventurers’ Guild would pick up the slack since Fran needed Jet with her for the tournament.
Fran nodded with her usual expression. As excited as she was, she wasn’t overcome. She would be as composed as usual so she could perform as expected.
She kept her cool even after we got out of the hallway and heard the roaring of the crowd.
You’re not nervous?
Huh? No.
Last year’s tournament had helped her to get used to the noise. She was so calm that I felt bad for her opponent.
Fran was far too resilient.
On the other side of the arena was her opponent, looking mighty pale at this point.
He scanned the audience restlessly, muttering to himself. The nerves were definitely getting to him.
“C-calm down. J-j-just relax…”
This was Dufaux the Illusion Blade, Fran’s first opponent.
He was still an Illusion Blade, but he had leveled up since last we saw him. His stats and Skills were much better.
However, he was not used to fighting in front of a large crowd. He was visibly shaking from the thousands of eyes watching him.
But seeing Fran seemed to have triggered something inside him.
The face of the young man nervously scanning the seats turned into that of a warrior. His pale countenance remained, however.
“Y-you’re here!” His voice cracked sharply as he spoke. Maybe his paleness was a result of having to fight Fran instead of having to fight in front of a large crowd.
Maybe he remembered how Fran had given him an awful time during their last encounter. Now he had to face her again in his first real match.
No wonder he was afraid.
His fear of Fran seemed to have snapped the stage fright right out of him, but I wasn’t sure if he was better for it.
“It’s been a while! Y-you won’t beat me the way you did last time!”
Fran, just nod for now.
“Hm.”
I didn’t have the heart to see Dufaux’s spirit break further by Fran asking, “Who are you?”
Once the two contestants stood at the ready, a booming voice filled the arena.
“We are gathered here today for another year of Ulmutt’s battle tournament! And our A Seed will be making her appearance in the first match of the day!”
I hadn’t heard the commentator’s voice in a year. His words were as fast as ever, introducing interesting competitors at lightning speed.
“Last year, she caused a huge upset by defeating some tournament favorites and placing third! The youngest ever beastgirl to place returns to Ulmutt this year! No longer a dark horse, but as the top seed! Give it up for adventurer Fran the Black Lightning Princess!”
The crowd erupted with applause after Fran’s introduction. It almost sounded like they were welcoming an idol.
Fran had gotten a lot more popular than I expected.
It had only been a year since Fran last competed, and it looked like a lot of people remembered her feats.
She was also something of a legend among beastmen as an evolved Black Cat. In a sense, she really was an idol.
The crowd was filled with support and expectation.
“I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us this year!”
Fran remained calm since she was used to the crowd, but Dufaux looked visibly dismayed. He was suddenly reminded that he would be fighting in front of thousands of people.
“In the other corner, making his Ulmuttian tournament debut, is D Rank Dufaux! He’s still a young lad, but underestimate him at your own risk! His blade made quick work of his competition in the qualifiers and got him out without a scratch!”
The audience began murmuring among themselves. D Ranks didn’t get out of qualifiers often. He was pretty young, too.
But, highlighting the difference in popularity, only some cheered for Dufaux.
Come on, guys! You’re being rude! Applauding both competitors is basic manners!
But he was up against Fran, after all; she was younger and higher ranked. There wasn’t much Dufaux could do against the rising star of the adventurers.
But Dufaux looked so nervous that he probably wasn’t even aware of this. He was shaking as he struggled to draw his sword. This was his first match. In front of an insanely huge crowd. Against the terrifying Black Lightning Princess.
I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.
Honestly, I wanted to give him a pat on the back for not passing out. His nerves completely flew over Fran’s head, though.
“What’s wrong?”
“I-it’s nothing!”
“Uh-huh.”
Being unacquainted with the word ‘nervous,’ Fran couldn’t understand why his movements were so stiff.
She followed his lead and drew her sword. Dufaux flinched. He was clearly afraid of me.
The memory of me slicing through his arms and legs must still have been fresh in his mind. He’d probably start freaking out if he saw Jet’s face.
As much as I would’ve liked to see that, I felt bad enough for him that I stopped myself from calling Jet out.
Fran and Dufaux stood at opposite sides of the arena; one with calm on her face and the other with fear on his. The mere sight of it was enough to tell you who was going to win.
“FIGHT!”
And so the match commenced.
“Raaah!”
Dufaux charged at the ring of the bell, putting all of his weight into a horizontal strike. As expected, he used his Skills as an Illusion Blade to conceal his sword.
An Illusion Blade had many Skills to confuse his enemies by cloaking his weapons. Though not damaging by themselves, they could help Dufaux land a fatal blow in one strike.
From what I remember, he could change the length of his sword and could make his longsword look like a greatsword, among other things.
Now, Dufaux could turn his sword fully invisible, making it look like he was fighting with his bare hands.
“Uoooh!”
He waved his seemingly empty right hand across. This was where his sword had been just a moment ago. Even if his sword was invisible, the audience could tell that it would strike true.
But Fran didn’t even look like she was trying to avoid it. She merely swayed to the side as if she was avoiding a thrust attack.
Everyone thought that the Black Lightning Princess would take a hit. But Dufaux only groaned in frustration.
“You saw through that…?!”
“Not bad. But I can tell.”
Dufaux’s invisible sword wasn’t in his right hand. He had quietly switched his sword over to his left hand and made a thrusting attack with it.
The sword was perfectly invisible, so he must have put a lot of work into it. There was only the faintest of outlines, not something you could see if it was your first time facing Dufaux.
Unfortunately, Dufaux was up against Fran. She had seen the invisible sword trick before and recognized its movements. She knew that he was going for a stab.
“Impossible—Aargh!”
Fran’s fist slammed into Dufaux’s side, leaving a dent in his gut. He immediately lost his footing and crumpled to the ground.
“You’ve gotten better, but you can’t beat me yet.”
“Dammit…”
“I can read you because you don’t fake with your eyes. Your feet are predictable, too.”
“…”
Fran finally remembered Dufaux after seeing the illusion blade.
But I don’t think he heard her. He’d passed out by this point.
“Utter domination in under five seconds! I hope you didn’t get out of your seat because you would’ve missed the whole match! The Black Lightning Princess is out for blood this year!”
Fran turned her back on the echoing commentary and returned to the northern hallway.
We won.
“Hm!”
It was all over in a second, but Fran was satisfied. Regardless of how the fight went, she was simply happy to win a tournament match.
Let’s eat something nice tonight to celebrate.
“Curry?”
Sure. I’ll make you one with menchi-katsu and a big sunny side up.
“I want pork katsu, too!”
Okay, okay. I’ll give you extra-large servings of everything.
“Whoa.”
“Bark, bark!”
Jet popped out of the shadows between Fran’s legs as she was clapping. The wolf wanted in on the curry action, too.
Fran looked like she would have trouble walking with a wolf between her legs, though.
All right! I’ll get some for you, too; just go back inside!
“Arf.”
As we were making our way out, a man stood in the middle of the hallway. He looked to be in his forties and unathletic. His eyes were hazy with an oily sheen. I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but his looks suggested that he wasn’t all that clean on the inside either.
He was clearly waiting for Fran. This might get messy.
As expected, the man immediately approached Fran when he saw her and started yapping.
“Are you the Black Lightning Princess?”
“Hm.”
“Hmph. You really are just a child—”
Fran nodded but didn’t bother stopping. The man chased her, taken aback that she had just kept walking.
“W-wait!”
“No. I have a match to get to.”
The next match would be between Mordred and Naria. Fran wanted to scout out whatever information she could.
And she wasn’t about to stop for some weirdo who hadn’t even introduced himself.
Fran would’ve been a little bit considerate if the man had been strong. But he was a run-of-the-mill shrimp who couldn’t handle himself in a fight.
I knew because I’d Identified him. He had combat Skills, sure, but his stats were awful.
He had intimidation and negotiation Skills, so he was probably good at threatening and making deals with his opponents. Probably a stereotypical power-abusing noble.
None of that would work on Fran.
“Get back here! I am—”
Fran sped up and left the man in the dust before he could say anything. She ran up the wall to maintain her speed as she turned a corner, scaring several pedestrians before finally making it to the VIP area. I think she was wall running for a good five seconds.
That was uncalled for, Fran.
“Hm?”
Never mind. Wonder who that guy was?
He’d been deliberately waiting for her. Maybe he was some kind of messenger?
“Don’t care. The match is more important.”
Won’t argue with you there.
We couldn’t just pretend that we didn’t see him, but the guy’s timing was just terrible. We might hear him out if someone filed a complaint about Fran. If they still insisted on being a bother, we would whip out the medal we got from the Beastman Nation. Fran and I weren’t opposed to pulling rank to solve our problems!
Looks like the match is about to start.
“Hm. We made it.”
The people in the VIP area murmured when Fran entered the seats. Despite being VIPs, this was their first time seeing her up close.
But no one tried to strike up a conversation with her. They were all well-mannered.
One person even gave up his seat for her.
“You can have my seat. Checking out your next opponent, aren’t you?”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. My daughter’s a fan of yours. She’ll be so jealous when I tell her you got my seat.”
“Thanks.”
The bards really had a lot of influence on the world.
The match started just as Fran was sitting down. Mordred made the first move in the arena below.
He wore his typical blue armor and black cloak. The sunburnt adventurer looked as dandy as ever with his vermillion hair up in a bun. His rugged looks only added to his appeal of being the man all the boys wanted to be.
On the other side was Naria, an archer. The girl looked no different from the last time Fran saw her, but her presence was more pronounced. She must’ve trained really hard.
She was pelting Mordred with arrows while backing away as he closed in on her.
Mordred faced the hail of arrows, each powerful enough to kill a goblin in a single strike.
Naria’s hand was already nocking another arrow into her bowstring, launching them one after another. What’s more, the aura arrows her Bow Arts produced had a slightly different trajectory from her regular arrows.
Her speed and Bow Arts must have been how she got through the qualifying battle royale. She’d always had abilities which allowed her to attack through her allies’ sides and faces. But now, her increase in speed and power really made her artillery something to be reckoned with.
Fran was nodding in satisfaction at seeing her short-term student’s progress.
“Naria’s been working.”
She has.
Naria must’ve continued her hard training even after she crossed over to the Beastman Nation. The fruits of her labor were clearly visible.
But it wasn’t enough to beat Mordred.
“Spear Art: Spiral Guard.”
“What?! You can do that?”
Mordred deflected the hail of arrows by spinning his spear in his hands. Using the move didn’t slow him down one bit, allowing him to continue his charge. The battle was now in Mordred’s optimal range.
Naria knew about Mordred. Both from their crossing to the Beastman Nation and from the fact that he was quite the famous B Rank.
She knew that she didn’t have a chance to defeat him at close range.
But Naria held her ground. She feinted a retreat before leaning in to leap at him.
“Haaa!”
“Oh?!”
Mordred’s spear stopped when Naria suddenly threw away her bow and arrow. He was caught off guard as she stepped into his spear’s dead spot, attacking him from the inside.
And it was a good choice on Naria’s part. Spears were difficult to use at point-blank range. A dagger was in her hand; she’d taken Fran’s teaching to heart.
“Taaah!”
Naria planted her dagger in Mordred’s stomach, all the way to the hilt.
Or so it seemed.
“Steel Magic…”
Mordred used his Steel Magic just as the point of the dagger made contact, melting the blade. The only thing pressing against Mordred now was the handle of Naria’s dagger.
“Not bad.”
“Ugh…”
Mordred, having regained control of his spear, struck the back of Naria’s head with its hilt, knocking her out cold.
Guess we’re fighting Mordred.
“Hm. He’s clever.”
Yeah. I couldn’t tell when he started casting his spell.
He probably had an incantation at the ready for when things got too close. Not only was he well prepared, he was also good at hiding his casting and slowing down the pace of battle.
“Clever” was just the right word to describe him.
“…I have to go.”
Fran? What’s wrong?
Fran got up and started walking.
It was a shame that she didn’t want to keep watching the tournament after getting a seat for herself. But Fran kept on walking…though not toward the exit.
A few minutes later, we reached a room where a girl was sitting, dejected and hanging her head.
Fran approached and said, “That was a good match.”
“Lady Fran, you’re here!”
“Hm.”
We entered Naria’s waiting room.
The waiting room locations weren’t something you could easily learn, but the staff gave Fran directions when she asked. They were so enthusiastic in telling her that I worried for the competitors’ privacy.
But I guess Fran was an exception. Rank, popularity, and status were so influential here that they’d make black into white if she wanted it to be. I couldn’t imagine this happening back on Earth.
Of course, we weren’t about to abuse our power to that extent.
Other familiar faces were gathered in Naria’s room. All were Fran’s former students on the boat. Miguel the greatsword user and Riddick the lancer were both cheering Naria up. Apparently, they’d both been knocked out in their qualifiers.
“This tournament is filled with monsters, honestly…”
“Everyone’s out to prove who the strongest in all the land is, after all. You’ve got famous adventurers and unknowns coming out of the woodwork.”
“That’s what the swordsman who beat me felt like. All I saw was this woman with red hair and next thing I know I’m lying on the ground. How have we never heard of her before?”
Riddick and Miguel both sighed along with Naria. But a woman with red hair?
“Did you catch her name, Miguel?”
“Huh? I dunno…I’m not sure. All I know is that she had red hair and carried a sword. Seemed kind of full of herself. But I don’t think I actually saw her use the sword, though.”
That was probably Sibyl. And now we knew that she might use a sword.
Fran enjoyed fighting tough opponents, but she got even more fired up when she was up against another swordsman. She smiled, looking forward to clashing with Sibyl.
“I’m going back to spectate.”
“Thank you for coming to see us!”
“Hm. What are you guys gonna do now?”
“We’ll meet up with Dufaux and check out the dungeons, I guess… Then we’ll train hard for another year.”
“I see. Good luck.”
“Thank you, Ma’am!”
Naria was down but not out. She knew that her strategy had worked against Mordred, albeit briefly. I thought she’d fought bravely, too. And if her dagger had been enchanted, it might have actually stood a chance against Mordred’s Steel Magic.
If nothing else, she would’ve had more opportunities to fight back. Maybe people would say she was only delaying the inevitable, that she was only fighting to stay in the ring. But I thought it could’ve led to big opportunities for Naria. If she could’ve worked out a finishing move, those few seconds might have been enough to turn the tides of battle.
In simple terms, she’d put up a good fight and didn’t feel like her training was for nothing. She was already smiling by the time she left the room. It was the same smile Fran wore when she wanted to work something out in training.
Good luck out there.
“Hm?”
I was just wishing your students the best. They’ve got potential.
“Hm. Naria’s working hard. She’ll get through next time.”
I concur.
As we were making our way back to our seat, a man approached us. He didn’t look very happy.
“Hey, you!” he shouted loudly with discontent. It was the same fuming fatty Fran had left behind earlier.
Fran’s mood immediately plummeted even though her face didn’t show it. Whatever he had to say couldn’t be good. I could only pray that Fran wouldn’t just punch him in his face.
“How dare you ignore me! The gall! How can a child like you be strong in the first place? The adventurers circulate such worthless rumors!”
“…”
“Hmph. In any case, I bring you glad tidings!”
“Hm?”
“My king wishes to employ you as a knight for our country. This is the first time in our country’s history that a lowly adventurer is granted knighthood!”
So, he was a messenger from another country. This was a weird invitation, though. If he really wanted Fran to be a knight, why be so rude?
Did he not actually want her to be a knight? Why was he was picking a fight?
“There will be a test, of course! You’ll have to do a task for me first. Accomplish it, and you will be a knight for our glorious country—”
“Save it. I don’t want to be a knight.”
“Wh-what? Did I hear you correctly? I said you have a chance to be a knight, adventurer! You should be groveling at my feet in gratitude!”
“Are you an idiot? I don’t want anything to do with a country that has fools like you in it. I’d rather die.”
“Y-you mangy beast of an adventurer…!”
“Better than a pig dressed up as a noble.”
“Y-y-you little bitch!”
I didn’t know what the man was up to, but he’d only succeeded in making an enemy out of Fran. Fran glared at him menacingly after he somehow disrespected beastmen and adventurers at the same time.
Fran! Stop! You need to hold back!
“E-eeegh!” The man was shaking in terror after facing a moment of Fran’s unadulterated rage. His knees buckled and he fell on his haunches. A mysterious stain began to spread on the floor…
You’ve done it now.
Serves him right.
The man cowered and babbled as he continued to piss himself. And now the fear made him talk more. This dog’s bark was definitely worse than his bite.
“Y-you beast! D-d-do you know who I am?! I am Baron Emmert! A high noble of the Chalus kingdom! A-and you have the gall to glare at me?! B-b-bow down this instant and lick my heels or I’ll kill you!”
Let’s shut him up.
“Hm.”
I put up a soundproof barrier with a wind spell. We didn’t have to worry about him going anywhere with his legs swept from under him.
The problem was that he wasn’t lying. Apparently, he really was a baron of Chalus. We couldn’t kill him, and I wasn’t sure we could just knock him out either. Fran might end up on someone’s hit list.
The baron who’d pissed his pants continued to complain, ignorant of the wind barrier around us, until a figure came running down the hallway. It was a man about thirty years old.
A look of despair came upon his face when he saw Baron Emmert.
“B-Baron Emmert…!”
Crap, was he a friend of his? This might get annoying if he caused a scene here… I readied myself for the worst, but then something unexpected happened.
“O-our deepest apologies, Black Lightning Princess!”
The baron’s associate got on all fours.
Baron Emmert had threatened Fran and then wet himself at a mere dirty look from her…now, his peer was grinding his head against the floor, begging for mercy.
“I am Relien Chart. A count of the kingdom of Chalus!”
Another noble…? What is this Chalus kingdom, anyway?
Chalus is a small kingdom located on the southern coast of Granzell. It produces various ores, but most of it is exported and traded for food.
P.A. to the rescue!
So, it’s a small kingdom with not a lot of firepower?
Yes. Chalus has trouble producing its own food due to the lack of flat lands and its high salt content. Importing food puts a significant strain on its national budget.
You can’t eat rocks, I guess. It must have been looked down on by its food-producing neighbors.
Do you think they’re involved in some kind of conspiracy?
I do not have enough information to determine that.
Figures…
As I was listening to P.A., Count Chart continued his apology.
“I apologize for the incredible rudeness of this idiot! I don’t know what he said to you, but his words do not represent our country’s sentiments! They are all his personal…opinions!”
He’s cutting Emmert off at the knees…
“So, he has nothing to do with your country?”
“H-he isn’t influential enough to even be here, really! We think of him as scum back home.”
“So why is he here?”
“W-well… I-I suppose our new king made an error of judgment. I don’t even need this man as an aide.”
So, he got sent on a mission to recruit Fran despite not usually having an important office in Chalus. Had he bribed the king or something? The count said they had a new king, so maybe Chalus was going through some hard policy changes.
Count Chart knew how foolish Baron Emmert could be. He was more than ready to throw hiscompanion under the bus. It almost felt like Emmert had been brought along precisely because of how awful of a person he was. He made the perfect fall guy.
In fact, Emmert was currently under the status Swollen Desire. It probably made it easier to blame him for everything wrong that happened on this trip. He would shoulder the responsibility in precisely these situations. Though Chart couldn’t take back what Emmert said, he could at least save his own life by putting the blame on him.
But he hadn’t been expecting Emmert to pull a stunt like this.
“He said that the king wanted me to be a knight.”
“Oh! That’s something of a…figure of speech. Perhaps Baron Emmert came on a bit too strong.”
“Hm?”
“It is true that our king has taken an interest in you! It is also true that he is thinking about knighting you! But we have no intention of forcing you to be a knight for us! We had every intention of accepting your refusal!”
That last part was a lie.
But he was telling the truth when he said he wasn’t going to force her to be a knight. The original plan must’ve been to keep negotiating with Fran as long as they were here. And now that plan had gone up in smoke with Baron Emmert jumping the gun.
They didn’t look like they were part of a secret conspiracy. At least, I didn’t think so. They were just a couple of pushy nobles looking for recruits. However…
I thought it was about time we pulled out the heavy artillery.
Fran, it’s time.
Time for what?
The medal you got from the Beastman Nation.
Ooh, of course.
The medal was specifically made for situations like this. It was time we got some use out of it!
Fran took the shining gold medal out of Pocket Dimension and held it up in the air with a victory pose.
I told her what she needed to say.
“Do you see this medal?”
“Th-that’s…!” Count Chart backed away fearfully.
That was exactly the reaction I’d wanted! Good job!
He recognized the Golden Beast Fang for what it was and grew paler than before.
“It seems you do.”
“Y-y-yes!”
His head was completely stuck to the floor now. He seemed to be trying to dig a hole with it.
His overreaction was starting to make me cringe, though. It wasn’t like Fran was Beastman Nation leader or anything.
Then again, Chalus probably didn’t want to antagonize the Beastman Nation in the slightest given their difference in size. And one of Chalus’s nobility had just been incredibly rude to Fran to say the least… No wonder Count Chart was on the floor.
If this wasn’t enough to send the message, nothing was.
“I’m leaving now.”
“Yes! We apologize for getting in your way!”
Count Chart had his forehead still plastered to the floor when Fran left him. Baron Emmert was still complaining when we took off the soundproof barrier, but now he was the Count’s problem to deal with. He’d better, if he was smart!
They won’t be bothering us anymore.
“Hm.”
Still, I think we should report this to the guild. They might be able to handle it in a formal way.
Fran would probably get more invitations like that as she got more famous… Such was the price of fame, and I was not happy about it.
We muddled our way back to the VIP area and made it in time for the next match.
The next match is between Biscott and one of Dimitris’s students. Sibyl also has a match today.
“Looking forward to it.”
Biscott was the big man who had been with Sibyl. He was a fierce warrior in his own right. He was tall, bulky, and muscular. I imagined him to be quite a power fighter.
Biscott entered the arena with a powerful aura. I think he was probably a blood knight, too. He was grinning as he scratched his slicked-back blond hair. His face was like that of a teenager who was up to no good despite being over the age of twenty.
I Identified Biscott from the stands, but it wasn’t working properly. He probably had some disrupting gear on him.
“Big shield.”
Is he a shielder? It feels enchanted.
“Hm. Looks hard.”
Biscott’s was equipped with a large tower shield; big enough to cover even his gigantic body. It looked incredibly thick, too.
He was armed with a hammer. Its handle was two meters long and it had a gigantic metal head hanging at the end.
Block with the shield, finish the opponent off with one good swing of the hammer. It was the standard strategy for a shielder, except his gear was oversized. It didn’t look like a regular human could even lift his equipment. But here was Biscott wielding these heavy arms like they were standard issue. It was a testament to his raw strength.
It was also something that even an elite adventurer couldn’t do without specializing. Such equipment would fare great against monsters, but what about humans? Especially one who was a fast and agile martial artist.
I’m really interested in seeing how he handles this fight.
“Hm.”
I guess Dimitris’s student will be wearing gauntlets…
“He’s strong.”
He has to be if Dimitris allows him to compete.
His name was Zelt. A man with short black hair and a tough-looking face. If I was being honest, he looked like a gorilla.
He was strong, too. He’d have made a good match for Colbert in his sealed state. In fact, Zelt was also sealed.
He was currently undertaking the Dimitris Style initiation exam. Thirty years old, he was about the same level as Colbert and was similarly experienced.
Let’s see how this fight goes down.
“Hm.”
“Woof.”
The two contestants bowed to each other in the arena.
“Let’s have a clean fight.”
“Sure! Can’t wait to see what those fists of yours can deal out.”
Zelt was the first to initiate his offense.
“Here I come, Shielder!”
“Hey, you’re pretty quick!”
As expected, Zelt leveraged his superior speed against Biscott. He struck against a blind spot to throw Biscott off balance.
The offense was beautiful to behold.
Sorry for judging you so quickly, Zelt. I thought you were going to be a rough and rowdy power fighter. But your fighting style and even your speech are classy!
“Sei! Haaa!”
“You’re like a cockroach, you’re so persistent!”
“I don’t think I’m as fast as a cockroach.”
“Are cockroaches that fast here?”
The two combatants held a conversation as they moved at high speed. I couldn’t tell if they were trying to throw each other off or if they were just actually having a chat.
But Biscott’s guard wouldn’t crack under Zelt’s continued pressure. He blocked all the attacks and proved to be very fast despite his size. The few stray hits that landed didn’t even faze him.
“Did a mosquito just bite me?”
“You’re tougher than you look!”
“You gotta hit harder than that to knock me down!”
“Way ahead of you!”
Zelt sped up even further. His fast footwork caused his shape to blur in the distance, and his fists were practically impossible for the average person to see.
Zelt’s gauntlets clashed with Biscott’s greatshield, producing a string of shrill metallic clangs. The volume of the ringing showed the intensity of the attack.
Sometimes, a dull clang would sound instead when Biscott’s armor was hit. Zelt was no longer watching and waiting; he was going for the knockout. But it still wasn’t enough.
“Oof! D-didn’t feel nothin’!”
“I’d tell you to stop acting tough, but I don’t think you are. You took all those hits and you’re still standing.”
“Toughness is all I’ve got! This body won’t go down just from a few punches!”
“Your parents must have been monsters!”
“Too bad I’ve never seen their faces!”
Now it was Biscott’s turn. He set his feet to the ground and pushed with his shield. But Zelt easily dodged the shield bash and resumed his offense.
“I’m sorry to hear that!”
“Don’t be! I’ve got friends! Never felt lonely in my life!”
The battle continued as the two’s conversation took a dark turn. Did Biscott grow up in the slums? I guess that wasn’t exactly uncommon in this world…
“Haaa!”
“Come on! You can do better than that!”
Something had changed amidst the metallic ringing we had grown accustomed to. Zelt was attacking less frequently now. Upon closer inspection, red liquid was seeping through the cracks of his gauntlets.
Biscott wasn’t just sitting there and taking his attacks; he was actively counterattacking with his shield, damaging Zelt’s fists. His bashes were potent enough to penetrate his sturdy gauntlets.
Zelt’s expression twisted in vexation. He wasn’t expecting Biscott to counter so perfectly. Biscott couldn’t even see him because of his gigantic shield.
This was not a difference in brute force, but strategy.
Biscott had been provoking Zelt so he would increase the speed of his attacks. The faster he was, the easier it was for him to crush his fists with his shield.
I hadn’t expected Biscott to be such a tactician because of his musclehead looks. Zelt probably felt the same way. He was more frustrated at himself for underestimating his opponent than he was at Biscott for outplaying him.
Zelt’s fists were now badly damaged while Biscott was looking as fresh as when the match started.
The battle was in Biscott’s favor now. The crowd had also started cheering for the dark horse.
“…I’m sorry.”
“What for? You want me to go easy on you or something?”
“No. For underestimating you.”
“Oh…that. Hell, I didn’t come up with this tactic. Someone taught me to use Fist Killer every now and again.”
Zelt smiled wryly as Biscott revealed that he wasn’t the one who thought of the tactic. But his expression soon stiffened as he braced his bloodied fists.
“I-I see. Still, I think you deserve to be proud of yourself for pulling it off.”
“Really? Thanks. So…do you wanna keep fighting or what?”
“Of course. My next match no longer matters now. I’m going to have to give it my all to defeat you.”
Zelt’s aura changed.
His cheerful demeanor shifted into battle mode. His gorilla face grimaced as he exuded his bloodlust. He was serious about giving it his all.
Biscott was also deepening his concentration.
The atmosphere between the two combatants intensified. The audience felt it and slowly went silent.
When they did, Zelt initiated his attack.
The audience probably couldn’t tell what happened…but we could.
Zelt put all of his power into this forward acceleration. The floor of the arena cracked and Zelt appeared right next to Biscott.
Biscott was looking for his opponent when he disappeared. He couldn’t keep up with Zelt’s speed.
“Where did you…?!”
“Haaaa!”
“Gah!”
Zelt maintained his speed and ran Biscott over with a hooking lariat. He hit Biscott’s side, shattering his metal armor.
Biscott flew away as he took an impact strong enough to rupture a hole in the side of his stomach.
“Gaaah! Koff…! That hurt!”
“That wasn’t enough!”
Biscott landed and skidded, somehow managing to stay on his feet. He was coughing up a lot of blood, a clear sign that his insides were heavily damaged. The pain alone should have been enough to incapacitate a man, but Biscott was still standing. His endurance was inhuman.
As a shielder, he was probably used to being on the front lines as a target for his enemies.
“Heh. Broke your arm?”
Zelt chuckled back, “And it would seem that your organs are quite the mess.”
“Dunno. Can’t see ’em.”
Both wore confident smiles, but both were significantly injured.
Zelt’s right gauntlet was shattered, the fist underneath crushed. There were even shards of metal stuck inside. It didn’t look like he could use it to attack anymore.
Meanwhile, the skin under Biscott’s shattered armor was turning a nasty shade of purple. Some of his ribs were definitely broken. The fact that he was coughing blood meant that whatever injury he had wasn’t going to heal quickly.
Neither of them could fight for much longer.
The next interaction would determine the winner.
“Looks like the match is almost over, old man.”
“What? I may look old, but I am only thirty. I’m not that old yet.”
“Ha! Yeah, you are!”
“I don’t think I’m that much older than you.”
“I’m younger than I look.”
The two continued their banter while concentrating their mana. Somehow, they got along quite well.
Fran, and everyone in the audience, waited for the two combatants to strike with bated breath.
“Here goes.”
“Bring it!”
Zelt was on offense. Biscott on defense. Both staked their tournament lives on their preferred fighting style.
“Haaa! Sei! Doraaa!”
“Not bad for a guy with broken fists…! Ugh!”
Red blood burst as Zelt focused his energy.
Zelt’s bones went through his skin as he punched Biscott’s shield with his broken fist, but there was no stopping him. He was putting his all into this one strike.
Biscott’s shield began to buckle with a dull ring. A large dent formed on its surface as Biscott’s face winced. He was feeling the shockwave of Zelt’s fist. He hadn’t been expecting a frontal attack. What’s more, Zelt managed to pull off a feint to render Biscott’s Fist Killer ineffective.
“Deyaaa!”
“Tch!”
Zelt is actually breaking Biscott’s shield!
Cracks started appearing in Biscott’s greatshield before its lower half exploded.
Wow!
Woof!
Zelt’s left arm twisted as his fist turned a purplish red. Little wonder, since he was still punching the hard shield.
But his attack didn’t end there.
“I have you now!”
He thrust out his crumpled right arm with a screwing jab. Charged with mana, he planted his right fist into Biscott’s stomach…
What?!
Something weird’s going on.
Biscott’s shield barely managed to block Zelt’s fist, as if he had read its trajectory. Though halved, the shield was still big enough to be useful. Biscott had excellent reflexes, but what Zelt did next was even crazier.
He had leaned forward so that his upper body was floating, and he still delivered a telephone punch despite his broken posture. Was he so focused on winning that he overcommitted? No, a martial artist as experienced as Zelt wouldn’t make such a rookie-level mistake.
Did Biscott do something? That seemed the most likely explanation, but I couldn’t see what he did. Was it an illusion spell or a telekinetic skill? The possibilities were endless.
“Uraaah!”
“Gaha!”
His attack deflected, Zelt didn’t have time to avoid Biscott’s shield bash. He was flung away as he ate the counterattack from what was left of the broken shield. Zelt was thrown high in the sky before his beefy body finally landed outside the arena.
And so, the victor was decided.
Biscott had come from behind after Zelt’s utter domination in the first half of the match. They were both strong, but in the end, Biscott’s defense proved to be superior.
The audience erupted with applause.
He’s one tough nut to crack.
“Hm!”
Fran was probably thinking about what it would be like to fight him. She was watching him with a motivated look on her face.
Sibyl’s match was next, but we couldn’t really gather anything out of it. The whole thing was over in five seconds.
At least we know she uses a sword.
“And speed.”
Light armor, no shield. You’re probably right.
We had high expectations for her next match. She would be up against Colbert, after all. No matter who won, we would get some decent scouting out of it.
After that, we made our way to the Adventurers’ Guild to file a report about the Chalusian messengers.
Fran explained the situation to a receptionist since Dias and Elza weren’t around. Then the receptionist said something surprising…
“Chalus again?”
“…Again?”
“Yes. Chalusians have been causing a lot of trouble lately.”
Apparently, they had been harassing the other competitors, too. They were indiscriminately extending invitations to everyone who was famous.
The receptionist let out a tired sigh. “They have been a real bother…”
“Can’t you just keep them out?”
“We can’t. Every country wants powerful adventurers working for them. They’re not really doing anything illegal.”
The guild couldn’t really kick them out of town for mildly inconveniencing competitors. At worst, they were only guilty of being rude and pushy.
“But it’s kind of weird.”
“Weird?”
“Yes. Their demeanor and conditions are so bad that it almost feels like they don’t want anyone to sign on with them.”
Baron Emmert was apparently the rule instead of the exception. The Chalusians would anger adventurers, then get on all fours to beg for mercy and apologize.
It’s hard to stay angry at nobility when they’re groveling. The sheer comedy of it was enough for most people to let them off the hook. At the end of the day, the Chalusians’ negotiations with adventurers were fruitless, only resulting in irritating their prospects.
“They’re so misbehaved for being their country’s representatives. It would be a different story if they were messengers of some local nobility, but they’re government officials. The whole thing is strange.”
“So you don’t think they’re Chalusians?”
Were they trying to besmirch the kingdom of Chalus…? But our lie detector Skill said that they were legitimate.
“…Is it some kind of conspiracy?”
“I don’t know. I don’t even know the purpose of them doing this! But they’re certainly keeping us busy. Security has had to be increased. We can’t have the competitors beating up these nobles…”
They might be dumb jerks, but they were still nobles.
As I sympathized with the receptionist, she looked Fran straight in the eye. “Lady Fran, please just ignore them if they pester you again. I’m begging you here! Please!”
I guessed that she had heard how…intense Fran could be when handling unwanted solicitation. The receptionist looked like she was about to get on all fours, too.
“Okay.”
“Really? I’m trusting you here!”
“Hm.”
“Please stay out of trouble!”
Come on, lady, don’t cry! I would do my best to stop Fran if she got out of hand. I felt genuinely sorry for the girl.
But what was Chalus up to?
Side ???
“Urgh…!”
“Hee hee hee. Is something the matter? You look like you’re about to pop a blood vessel.”
“Al Azif is missing! Do you know where he went?”
“I suppose he’s out for lunch.”
“He’s undead. He doesn’t eat! He just wants to go out and kill people!”
“I know. But you don’t expect me to stop him, do you?”
“Does he not know how serious the situation is?! The Black Bones will be labeled as failures if the current plan is unsuccessful!”
“Calm down.”
“And the place is swarming with high-rank adventurers!”
“He’ll be fine. He’s very good at stealth.”
“Go and get him right now!”
“Fine. But you know how it is. I am carrying out my part of the plan, and I don’t have many pawns I can move.”
“I know. But you’re in a better spot than we are.”
“A member of the Black Bones would be immediately spotted if he sortied, after all.”
“Indeed. I can’t believe that Al Azif! And after I made it clear that he was not to move around!”
“A lot of strong people are in the city right now.”
“That is the problem with that blood knight cannibal!”
“People might get suspicious if these strong people started disappearing one by one.”
“We can’t risk being exposed! In fact, this may very well affect your plans.”
“We have a number of adventurers that can be turned into pawns this time of year. We just need to be careful.”
“All right.”
“But I would much prefer it if you could avoid making a scene.”
“I know. I’m putting a lot of effort into lying low.”
“Are you sure? Your country has a tendency to underestimate adventurers. You’ll pay for it if you keep doing that.”
“Shut up! Just hurry up and look for Al Azif!”
“All right, all right. I heard you the first time. I have a match to get to, so I’ll be taking my leave. Try not to freak out and reveal our hand.”
“Leave before I kill you!”
“Hee hee hee!”
* * *
On the second day of the tournament, the C and D brackets would be having their first matches.
“Hilt’s here.”
“Woof.”
We were watching the fights from the VIP area again. Fran told Jet to sit in front of her so she could hug him from behind. She put her chin on his head while enjoying his fluffiness.
Let’s see what kind of matches we have in store for us today.
“Hm.”
A tall girl with dark green hair pulled into a side ponytail entered the arena. She wore a tube top around her chest with a short-sleeved dress armor on top and shorts on the bottom. She also wore knee-high socks on her legs—equipment clearly made for agility.
The girl looked beautiful and healthy with her exposed midriff…but her blood-caked knuckle dusters told a different story.
Identify only confirmed her strength. She was worthy of being an A Rank and Dimitris’s successor.
Name: Hiltoria
Age: 23
Race: Human
Class: Battle Fist
Level: 61/99
Life: 682, Magic: 582,
Strength: 410, Agility: 589
Skills: Sensitive Sole 4, Intimidate 6, Brute Strength 6, Martial Arts 3, Martial Mastery 3, Danger Sense 5, Advanced Punch Arts 4, Advanced Punch Mastery 6, Punch Arts 10, Punch Mastery 10, Breath Control: Harden 8, Brute Force 10, Instruct 6, Blink 10, Flash Step 3, Abnormal Status Resistance 5, Abnormal Mental Status Resistance 5, Provoke 4, Throw 4, Dimitris Combat Arts 10, Dimitris Combat Mastery 10, Physical Barrier 6, Magic Resistance 6, Mana Sense 5, Mana Thruster 8, Sleep Resistance 5, Orc Killer, Kobold Killer, Gourmet, Split Thinking, Spirit Control
Unique Skill: Spirit Rampage, Food Storage
Class Skill: Manawrap Fist
Titles: Orc Killer, Kobold Killer, Giant Slayer, Dimitris Style Successor, Brutalizer, Destroyer of Monsters, A-Rank Adventurer
Equipment: Piercing Conch Fists, Sky Silkworm Tights, Sky Silkworm Chemise, Water Dragon Bone Boots, Bracelet of Mana Control, Pendant of Recovery
Those were powerful stats, and she had the skills to go along with them. Her maxed-out Dimitris Style meant that she could use the same abilities as the S Rank Dimitris.
She could probably use the ultimate arts, too.
Maybe she didn’t have the same output as the old man, but she was not to be trifled with.
She felt stronger than Colbert; and we had fought him in his unsealed state.
It would be nice if we could see some Dimitris arts today.
“…No way.”
“Woof.”
Chance of Hiltoria using Dimitris Style Combat Arts is at two percent.
Fran, Jet, and even P.A. were skeptical. Honestly, I felt the same way.
Hilt was up against a big man with an axe. The adventurer also had a mean mug to go along with the brutal weapon. I bet people made way for him in town.
But he wasn’t very strong. He was weak, in fact. He was even weaker than the girls in the Crimson Maidens.
The qualifiers were randomized, which meant that someone of questionable ability could actually advance into the tournament if they lucked out and landed in a pool full of weaklings.
That said, he might not have been so lucky after all, considering he would get booted right out in the first match.
And the match went about as predicted. Hilt used a restrained jab which immediately knocked her competition out cold. When the hit connected with axe man’s chin, he crumpled without any other response. We didn’t even see an ounce of Hilt’s true ability.
Axe man really should’ve tried harder!
W-well, she’ll be up against proper opponents next time. We just have to be patient.
“Hm…”
We kept on watching the tournament. Another of our acquaintances was up.
“Radule.”
For once, Fran remembered a name! Radule was an old mage living in Ulmutt; Fran had had tea with him once. He was a C Rank, but he was once in a party with Aurel and was as good as a B Rank.
We hadn’t gotten to see him in action last year because he got knocked out by Cruise—an unexpected result. The younger adventurer’s speed likely didn’t allow him to use any of his big attacks.
The former court mage might have powerful magicks, but he was showing his age.
I wondered how he would do this year.
I watched his match with some concern, but Old Radule turned out to be very strong. The old mage could use land, storm, and ocean spells, but his methods were strange.
Instead of opting for powerful spells, he used a combination of simple incantations.
He would knock his opponents off balance with a land spell, draw their attention with a flashy ocean spell, and finally attack them with an invisible storm spell.
His shielder opponent was helpless under the assault of Radule’s Instant Cast spells.
He had a tough time fighting Cruise because of his speed. But he’s dominating this slow opponent.
“He’s good.”
“Woof, woof!”
Fran’s eyes shone with admiration. While not the flashiest of matches, it showcased Radule’s skill and experience. He was like a magic version of Mordred.
D Bracket finally came. A lot of our acquaintances were in this bracket. First up was Elza. Despite his muscular body, 190-centimeter height, and red afro, his femme makeup and facial features gave him an androgynous look. The sheer force of his presence and his gigantic mace made him look like a figure out of a child’s nightmare.
He was strong, too. He took his opponent’s hits with a smile, then won in just a few strikes. Unlike Biscott, who specialized in defense, Elza just brute forced his way through with his superior strength—a dangerous style in its own right.
After Elza was the battle dancer Charlotte. She danced around the arena, striking the opponent with her metal hoops. A tricky sort of fighting style, she dominated with her movement and ended the round by catching her opponent’s spear with her metal hoops and knocking him out.
They were both strong, but the next combatant stole the show. It was time for mantis man Knighthart to shine.
Despite being barehanded, he managed to slice through his opponent’s steel sword. The crowd gasped with pain when the side of his palm struck the blade, but they erupted with awe when it emerged unscathed.
Name: Knighthart
Age: 57
Race: Mantis Halfling
Class: Dual Striker
Level: 66/99
Life: 897, Magic: 214, Strength: 588, Agility: 612
Skills: Strange Food 3, Sensitive Sole 4, Assassinate 4, Stealth 4, Singing 3, Observation 4, Danger Sense 8, Bow Arts 4, Bow Mastery 6, Reveal Weakness 4, Royal Etiquette 2, Calculate 5,
Presence Sense 6, Conceal Presence 5, Sword Arts 5, Sword Mastery 5, Advanced Punch Arts 3, Advanced Punch Mastery 3, Martial Arts 10, Martial Mastery 10, Breath Control: Harden 4, Negotiate 10, Brute Force 3, Overseer 7, Instruct 4, Blink 10, Flash Step 8, Hush 6, Abnormal Status Resistance 7, Mental Status Resistance 3, Dual Blade Mastery 10, Farsight 4, Exhaustion Regeneration 6, Magic Resistance 2, Mana Sense 3, Darkvision, Enhanced Kick, Kick Up, Spirit Control, Pain Immunity, Fortitude, Agility Up (Medium)
Unique Skill: Skanda
Class Skill: Sickle Blade Mastery, Dual Strike, Insect Form
Titles: Giant Slayer, King of the Battlefield, Thousand Slayer, Dual Swordsman, Defeat Survivor, Hundred Slayer, Insect Bond
Equipment: Silver Dragon Dual Blades, Silver Dragon Scale Gloves, Cerberus Clothes, Orihalcon Light Armor, Cerberus Combat Boots, Bracelet of Spirit Control, Anklet of Super Life Recovery
He turned out to be pretty strong when I Identified him. He was a lot older than he looked, too. His handsome voice made it sound like he was in his twenties, but he was a veteran of many battlefields.
With some unfamiliar Skills at his disposal, I couldn’t wait to see him in action.
Phelms could probably get Knighthart to go all out. The former A Rank had fought us for third place in last year’s tournament, after all.
Phelms’s tricky strategy was difficult to deal with. He bound his opponent, restricting his movement to take the win. The only thing the audience saw was Phelms’s victim suddenly standing still.
We’d used brute force and big moves to clutch our victory against him, but I wasn’t sure if it would work again. Granted that Fran, Jet, and I were much stronger now, so we would probably have the upper hand in a tournament setting.
But if we ran into him in a forest and he was out to kill us? I didn’t know. Phelms’s invisible strings were a dangerous threat.
Doesn’t look like we can win easily this year…
“Hm! Just the way I like it.”
“Woof!”
Fran and Jet looked happy, the intense matches stirring their competitive blood.
First, we’ll have to beat Mordred!
“Yeah.”
“Woof.”
The next day, Fran took the stage with a determined expression on her face.
“Today marks the second round of matches for the Ulmutt battle tournament! And we’re about to kick off with a red-hot card! First up is B-Rank Mordred! A veteran adventurer with his trusty spear and Steel Magic!”
Mordred waved his hand to the cheering crowd.
But his eyes were locked on Fran.
She looked back at him, burning with fighting spirit. The air was already electric, and the match hadn’t even begun yet.
I’ll start, Teacher.
I know. I won’t interfere until you ask me to or you’re about to lose. That goes the same for you, Jet.
Woof!
The tournament was an occasion for Fran to test her strength. Like last year, I would only help her if things got bleak.
“On the other side of the arena we have the thirteen-year-old who won her first match in a few short seconds! Keep a close eye on her because she’s too fast for the human eye to keep up with! The Black Lightning Princess herself! Fraaaaan!”
Fran and Mordred smiled confidently at each other from their corners of the arena.
“Been a while.”
“Yeah. Not much time has passed, but you seem to be a lot stronger.”
“You too.”
Like Fran said, Mordred was much stronger than before. Though he hadn’t acquired new abilities, he had leveled up overall.
Name: Mordred
Age: 43
Race: Human
Class: Trick Mage Lancer
Level: 47/99
Life: 423, Magic: 418, Strength: 217, Agility: 237
Skills: Conceal 5, Speedcast 5, Stealth 3, Evasion 3, Flame Magic 2, Martial Mastery 2, Danger Sense 4, Fear Resistance 4, Gathering 3, Overseer 4, Shooting 4, Blink 7, Swim 2, Petrify Resistance 2, Spear Art 10, Spear Mastery 10, Advanced Spear Art 3, Advanced Spear Mastery 4, Elemental Blade 5, Heat Resistant 6, Chase 2, Earth Magic 8, Throw 3, Poison Resistance 5, Fire Magic 10, Mana Sense 5, Paralyze Resistance 1, Steel Magic 6, Set Trap 5, Spirit Manipulation, Sahagin Killer, Eagle Eye, Sense of Direction, Split Thinking, Mana Manipulation
Class Skill: Trickery
Titles: Sahagin Killer, Near Death
Survivor, Giant Killer, Fire Mage, Surpasser of Human Limits
Equipment: Adamantite Alloy Spear,
Mithril Alloy Light Armor, Enchanted Steel Gauntlets, Aquatic Dragon Leather Cloak, Cannonball Turtle Boots, Bracelet of Abnormal Status
Resistance, Ring of Magic Staff, Boundary Stone
Mordred had Skills we had never seen before. His Class Skill, Trickery, seemed pretty strong.
“Can’t let the youngsters get a leg up on me. I took a break to go around the haunts.”
“Yeah? Which ones?”
Fran’s eyes immediately shone when Mordred said the word haunt.
He gave a wry smile, amused at her behavior before their match.
“I’ll tell you if you can beat me.”
“Hm! You’re on!”
Fran nodded and used Awaken. Mordred wasn’t someone she could beat in her normal form.
“I’m taking this match.”
“You look pumped.”
Mordred readied his spear after sensing the mana exuding from Fran. The tension heightened as both fighters clashed with their will to fight.
“Both are B Ranks! Will youth and exuberance defeat age and experience?! You don’t wanna miss this match!”
The round started quietly. Fran used her quick footwork to navigate around the arena while readying me. Mordred could be seen preparing to defend.
Having found an opening, she was ready to start her offense—but she hesitated since the opening wasn’t big enough. Sensing her hesitation, Mordred initiated instead.
“I’ll make the first move if you won’t.” Mordred leaped forward, killing Fran’s momentum before it could begin.
“Tsh!”
He swung his spear to the side, expertly using a slight feint with his eyes. It was a sharp attack, but Fran was expecting it. She used me to block the swipe and followed the momentum to get behind him.
Or that was the plan, at least.
“Huh?”
Whoa!
Mordred’s spear suddenly bent. Adamantite alloy wasn’t something that could be scratched, let alone warp. But now his spear was bending like rubber.
It’s steel magic!
“Urk!”
I didn’t see Mordred incanting a spell, but he had activated it at some point.
The spear curved around me, its point striking toward Fran’s head. She ducked, but Mordred was already following up.
“Hmph!”
“Urgh!”
Having retained some of its solidity, his spear twisted around me like a rope, pulling me toward him. Though the tug wasn’t brutally forceful, it was calculated to break Fran’s balance.
Meanwhile, Mordred’s armor had turned into a porcupine.
If Fran hung on to me, she would get skewered. Let go, and her attack power would falter. Both outcomes were in Mordred’s favor.
This was what he was aiming for. He’d pretended to get a feel for Fran’s approach while he was preparing a steel spell.
Clever.
Fran completely fell for it, but she was ready to adapt. “Haaaa!”
“Hurk?!”
Fran used her free left hand to punch Mordred even if it meant going through his spikes. He wasn’t expecting a fist to the face, especially from such a disadvantaged position.
Blood gushed from Fran’s fist as the spikes left behind wounds, but she didn’t flinch and reared up for another punch. Mordred groaned as he retreated a few meters away. He knew he would be in a world of hurt if he took the hit.
He was still holding his spear, but his balance had been thrown off. Free to begin her offense, Fran charged.
She swiped the air with her bloodied left hand, splashing blood across Mordred’s face, blinding him.
He quickly used his cape to wipe it off and retreated again. Fran also slowed down. She hadn’t expected Mordred to handle her blood so readily.
They were now close to their original positions when the match started.
“That was reckless.”
“Really? You were ready for it.”
“I’ve run into some who weaponize their blood.”
Fran’s on-the-fly adjustment turned out to not be so outlandish, after all.
“But fighting you head on really puts me at a disadvantage. Looks like I’ll have to go all out to have a chance at winning,” she said.
“Not so fast!”
Mordred took something out of his waist pouch. A potion…and it looked familiar. This was the trump card he’d used during our last quest together. A potion to enhance steel magic.
I didn’t know the details behind the rule, but recovery items were prohibited in the tournament while magic potions were allowed.
For example, enhancement and poison potions could be used. Probably because there were enough people who relied on them to make them a legitimate strategy.
This wasn’t a tournament to determine who was the strongest and cleanest fighter in a restricted sparring match, but one to determine the strongest in an all-out brawl.
Fran cast a spell to prevent Mordred from using the potion, but he defended just in time. The Boundary Stone. A disposable item which let you put up a barrier on the fly—no surprise that he was carrying one.
Mordred was now free to finish his enhancement potion. The effects were so pronounced that things looked like they were about to get messy.
Fran had been hanging in there so far, but it was clear that Mordred had the advantage. She knew she was in the palm of his hand.
“I just came up with this move. It’s my best yet.” Mordred took his pouch from his waist and turned it upside down. Ten metal balls the size of softballs fell to the floor with a clack.
They were made of mana-enchanted alloy, allowing them to be controlled by magic.
Mordred readied his spear as the spheres rolled on the ground.
“Trickery.”
He uttered his Class Skill. A reddish-black light emanated from his body—mana of the steel element.
Was he using Elemental Blade on his whole body? Was there something else at work I wasn’t seeing?
“Vulcanus Order!”
He activated his spell, catching Fran off guard. I had seen this before. This was the spell he’d used to control a giant anchor to bind the kraken and the seadragon. The high-level steel spell allowed him to control all metal objects in a certain radius.
Last time, he’d needed a lot of time to cast it. Now, he mentioned only its name. He didn’t have Instant Cast or No Cast when I Identified him before the match.
Was this an effect of Trickery? That was the only thing I could think of.
We watched as the metal spheres started dancing wildly. They were fast, but probably nowhere near their top speed. Even so, getting hit by them in this state would be enough to break bone.
Metal spheres dancing to the tune of Vulcanus Order. This was Mordred’s new trump card.
“Haaaa!”
“I’m ready for your thunder magic!”
Fran cast a thunder spell before he could attack.
Five of the spheres spread in front of Mordred like a shield, dissipating the electricity.
The mana surrounding each sphere was acting like a barrier.
“Crush!”
“Not happening.”
And so the tables turned again.
Mordred moved his hand lightly, launching the spheres toward Fran. They all moved differently. Some in a straight line, some in a curve…but they were all tracking her.
Fran swiped at the metal spheres, but Mordred was expecting that. The spheres deformed when I made contact, their texture turning to something like gelatin.
It was like Mordred’s spear from earlier. They attached themselves to my blade and stuck. The extra weight didn’t bother Fran, but she couldn’t cut through them.
But that wasn’t the only thing the spheres did.
“Huh?”
Fran was startled when I suddenly started moving on my own.
That wasn’t me!
No. Mordred’s metal spheres were pulling me along.
My blade hit more of the metal spheres, adding to the weight.
And I felt something strange, too. It was like I was being forced to use Transmogrify. Mordred was probably trying to use his steel magic on me through his spheres.
Though he failed to control me directly, it was distracting enough to break Fran’s focus.
We should be more careful against steel mages next time.
Fran continued to dodge attacks even though she couldn’t use me the way she wanted, but she was running out of space.
She would be yanked in the other direction as she was running and get grazed by the spheres. Though she’d been getting away with some light scratches, she knew that she would be in danger if this kept up.
I’ll just have to beat him first!
Fran lowered her body and leaned forward. She started charging toward Mordred, but the metal spheres continued cutting her off. She put up a barrier as a last line of defense.
Just as she thought she was out of the spheres’ area of attack, it happened.
“Aargh!”
Fran!
She lost her balance and looked like she was about to fall. Her right leg had been swallowed up by the ground as if it were sinking. She put her hand out and turned her body to stop herself from falling, but her right foot was a mess. It was badly burned; parts of her skin were a crisp.
Mordred had set up lava pitfalls around the arena to trip her up.
The damage wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been thanks to Fran covering herself with mana. If a weaker monster or human had gotten its foot stuck in the trap, it would’ve been burnt to nothing.
She quickly healed herself, but Mordred was making his next move.
“Magma Field!”
Mordred thrust his hands into the arena and channeled his mana into it. The ground turned red hot with Mordred at its center.
The temperature climbed so quickly that Fran barely had time to escape into the air.
The heat circle expanded until it covered the entire arena. The stone carvings around the arena were melted and the inside of the barrier turned into a sea of lava. The white smoke arising from the magma was hot enough to leave second-degree burns.
Against that hellish landscape, Mordred stood coolly on top of the lava.
“Lightning Bolt!”
“Defend!”
“Hm.”
The metal spheres blocked Fran’s lightning spell. As powerful as they were on offense, they were no slouches on defense.
The spheres revolved around Mordred. Destroying them would take a lot of firepower.
Mordred looked at Fran. Was he going to chase her to the air and cut off her mobility? That wouldn’t be too much of a problem.
“Flashing Thunderclap!”
Fran used her own trump card.
As long as she had Air Hop and Flashing Thunderclap, she could fight in the air as well as she could on the ground. If anything, she was faster because of the lack of obstacles.
Fran circled the air over the arena, anticipating Mordred’s next move. From this position, she would be able to charge at lightning speed to attack him as soon as she saw an opening.
But Mordred foresaw her plan.
“I know you’re way too fast for me to catch.”
“Hm?”
“Which is why I’m going to hit you first!”
Knowing that he didn’t have a chance against Fran at full speed, Mordred decided to face her head on. He didn’t use Magma Field to force Fran to the air. He used it as preparation for another attack.
“Volcanic…”
Mordred raised his lazy arms and spun his wrists. For the tokusatsu fans out there, it kind of looked like the Shin Godzilla pose.
The magma surrounding him bubbled as if anticipating his command.
“Geyser!”
Mordred’s spell launched the lava covering the arena. A violent wave of lava rushed toward us; a red-hot wall from which there was no escape.
Fran would be engulfed by the lava at this rate.
Fran?
I can still do this!
I could’ve just teleported us away, but Fran wanted to solve this problem on her own.
“Urgh… Yaaah!”
What she did was simple. She set up a powerful barrier, making sure to reinforce the front of it, and charged full speed into the lava.
The faster she was, the less time she was in contact with the lava.
It wasn’t really a problem for Fran with how strong she was.
…At least, it wouldn’t have been if Mordred wasn’t actively obstructing her.
“Urk!”
The metal spheres!
They hit hard enough that it knocked her off course.
Mordred had predicted her trajectory and sent his spheres after her. Being of the same magic type, it was difficult to sense the spheres within the lava. The lava even made physically seeing them difficult.
If Fran tarried in the lava, her barrier would be toast in a few seconds. If she continued her charge, the metal spheres would get her.
Either way, she was at a disadvantage.
Mordred had complete control of the field. This was how a veteran fought.
What would she do now? If she wanted to, I could teleport us out of here or Dimension Shift us through.
Fran tried using Pocket Dimension, but it didn’t go well. She couldn’t store the lava because Mordred had ownership of it.
As I nervously watched on, Fran took another step forward. But just as before, Mordred’s spheres came at her on a straight collision course. Was she just going to take the hit?
Fran dove headfirst into the sea of lava again. But as soon as she did, the metal spheres started attacking. It happened so quickly and so quietly that I didn’t notice them until they made contact with her barrier.
Still, Fran used her barrier to deflect the attack.
She did this by changing the shape of her force shield. She did it so suddenly that I thought she’d gotten lucky. There shouldn’t have been time for her to do that…but Fran continued to deflect every incoming attack.
She perfectly adjusted her barrier so the spheres would either whizz harmlessly by her or glance off.
She was clearly seeing the metal spheres’ movement.
But how?
I gave it a go for myself, but the presence of the lava was too much of an obstacle.
Mordred was also very good at masking his mana and its flow. He probably had a lot of practice from hunting down mana-sensitive monsters.
It felt like there was already a spell activating under your feet by the time you felt an incantation coming. I certainly couldn’t keep up with anticipating all of Mordred’s attacks.
As much as I wanted to ask her how she was doing it, I couldn’t risk breaking her concentration. It would have to wait until later.
Finally, Fran broke through the wall of lava. The air surrounding Mordred was clear of molten rock.
“Haaa!”
Fran immediately struck Mordred down. He responded with an art of his own.
“Uooh! Rising Impulse!” He thrust his spear upwards releasing an anti-air shockwave attack.
He was planning to use this move to halt Fran’s momentum so he could defend himself with his spheres, but Fran kicked the air with Air Hop, bringing her sword down on his head with unstoppable force. She blocked the shockwave with a smartly applied barrier and twisted her body out of the spear’s way. The spearhead nicked her left flank, but it wasn’t fatal.
She swung me through the metal spheres shielding Mordred.
He immediately reacted and attached five of his spheres to me. I must have looked like a weird metal club instead of a sword.
My blade was completely covered. Mordred should’ve felt like he had total control of Fran’s offense because of it. But he didn’t look pleased.
Fran had attacked the metal spheres with me on purpose.
Not once did she attempt to weave her way through them. I was now being pulled downwards, and Fran could barely stand up straight because of the interference.
Not knowing what Fran was up to, Mordred launched another attack.
“Quick Pierce!”
A swift stab came at Fran’s head. But Fran had been waiting for this moment.
“Taaaah!” Fran thrust me out into Mordred. But my blade was clear of his metal spheres.
“A trap?!”
Fran had used Pocket Dimension.
She stored me for a moment and immediately took me out again. Because the metal spheres belonged to Mordred, they fell off when I entered her inventory.
Mordred had no time to defend himself with his spheres, spear, or armor.
“Raaah!”
“Urf… Gah!”
As Mordred’s attack grazed Fran’s left cheek, her sword went through his side. She ran her lightning through it, burning him from the inside. Smoke came out of Mordred’s body as he fell to the floor.
He was unconscious. Fran had won.
However…
Fran! Use Pocket Dimension again!
“Hm!”
With Mordred out cold, the lava was now coming in to engulf him.
Fortunately, with it no longer being under his ownership, we were able to store the lava in our Pocket Dimension.
“I was afraid we were going to have a fiery flood on our hands, but the lava has completely disappeared from the arena! I couldn’t see what was going on in there…but it looks like we have a winner! Our earth mages and healers have their work cut out for them after this match!”
As the commentator shouted from his booth, I saw several people rushing the arena.
Earth mages to fix the arena and healers to heal the injured.
Fran refused their assistance. She wanted to hurry back to her seat so she could continue watching the tournament. Besides, she had me to heal her up.
She did her best to get to her seat before the next match started, but she was slower. Her mana and stamina had been exhausted on top of her using Flashing Thunderclap. She had taken a significant amount of damage and lost a lot of blood. Even if she looked okay, she wasn’t.
I wanted her to go back to the hotel to sleep, but we needed information about our next opponent. She could get a full day’s rest tomorrow. Now, she would have to contain her excitement as she watched the tournament.
As Fran quietly made her way, I asked her something that had been bothering me during the Mordred fight.
Can I ask you something?
“What?”
How did you sense Mordred’s metal spheres inside the lava? That must’ve been difficult to do given how he masked their mana.
“They felt…crackly.”
Crackly?
“Hm.”
That didn’t really explain anything… Was it her animal instincts, or was there something else?
Care to elaborate further?
“Hm. There was a little bit of crackle left from when I hit the spheres with my spell.”
I see.
She must have been talking about her lightning spell.
Apparently, traces of her spell remained on the spheres after she hit them with lightning. Something like static electricity.
Fran used her enhanced senses during Flashing Thunderclap to sense the faint traces of lightning mana. The Black Sky Tigers’ high affinity for thunder magic must also have had something to do with it.
Maybe I could do it too, if I tried hard enough.
But hey! You managed to win even without me!
“Hm.”
Last year, she’d needed me to use Physical Immunity to help in the battle against B-Rank Colbert.
Now, she’d taken a win by herself. Fran had truly grown.
…But she didn’t look satisfied with herself.
You’re not happy about it?
“Hm…I got lucky toward the end.”
You were up against a veteran. He’s used to controlling the pace of battle.
“I know. I’m still mad. I was too full of myself. I’ll do better next time.”
Although she was able to outwit him in the end, Mordred had had absolute control of the match. He wasn’t just clever—he’d used Fran’s love of battle to his advantage.
In a way, every move up to Volcanic Geyser was part of Mordred’s plan. He had probably run a few simulations, preparing different responses depending on Fran’s actions.
Despite winning, she wasn’t satisfied with her victory.
“He was good.”
Yeah.
Flashing Thunderclap, Sword God Form, Dimension Magic, Sword King Arts. The match could’ve been over in a few seconds if she had used all her powers. But that would’ve been brute forcing it. It had no guarantee of working against a veteran with the same level of strength as her. No matter what, the next match wouldn’t be easy.
And I knew just the opponent I was thinking of.
Dias is going to be worse.
“Hm.”
We still didn’t have a way of dealing with him, but fighting Mordred was an important experience. We needed to learn as much as we could from this victory.
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