Chapter 1: Firing Hammer

My party and I watched from our VIP viewing box as Rion cheerily headed down to the stage in response to Ronove’s call. In my case, I had no choice, as I was still completely locked in place thanks to the efforts of Efil and Melfina on either side and Sera behind my back.

I’ve already fully recovered. Even better, I’m in tip-top shape.

“Will Rion-chan be okay?” Shutola asked worriedly.

“Her opponent is the Beast King,” Melfina replied. “At the very least, things will not be easy.”

“I think so too, but what I’m curious about is what form he will take for this fight. He’s chosen people related to his opponent in all his matches so far,” I added, heaving an internal sigh of relief upon realizing that Melfina was going to spare me the White Magic spamming during the match.

That spell is so bright, I wouldn’t have been able to see jack.

Every person who had faced the Beast King in the tournament so far had seemed shaken the moment they had laid eyes on his chosen appearance. There was no way for me to know exactly how his opponents were related to those he looked like, but I could guess. Considering his personality, they were likely all people his opponents had trouble lifting a hand against.

Leonhart Gaun’s shape-shifting ability came from a magic item considered a Gaunian national treasure. We had seen it in action once when we were at the Village of Elves. The fact that its usage was allowed in the tournament meant it could reasonably be called an accessory.

“Who would he transform into for Rion?” Sera thought about it for a moment. “It’d have to be Kelvin, right?”

“What? Why me?”

“What are you all saying? Of course it would be me, her grandfather!”

“Rion-sama has no issue fighting Master or Gerard-san, though. They do just fine in practice.”

“When fighting normally, yes,” I agreed. “But this is Leonhart we’re talking about. He’s definitely going to try to get into Rion’s head.”

Goma told me plenty of stories over dinner the other night. It never hurts to be wary. But if Leonhart traumatizes Rion... Heh heh heh...

“M’lady’s appeared!”

Everyone turned at Dahak’s cry just in time to see Rion walk onto the stage to thundering cheers and applause. Through her prior matches, she had gained quite a lot of fans—and it was a varied group too, ranging from old couples supporting her like Gerard did to wildly enthusiastic zealots and everything in between. In this tournament, where fighting was restricted to physical combat, female participants—a certain king disguising himself as a woman aside—were few and far between. As a result, when a beautiful woman like Sera or a cute girl like Rion got on stage, the support was overwhelming. The same had been true for Bahl’s matches.

I nodded. “Looks like she’s in good shape.”

“Rion-chan’s so amazing,” Shutola murmured with respect in her eyes. “Does she really not get nervous even when so many people are looking at her?”

In her case, she’s got Nerves of Steel. But don’t worry, Shutola; when you grow up, you’ll be just as amazing. I still can’t believe how you became so upright and proper amid several brothers like Tabura.

“The Beast King has also appeared,” Melfina announced.

“So he has,” I replied, glancing over. “So, whose appear— Oh dear...”

“What’s wrong, dearest broth— Oh no.”

Rion really might be in trouble.

◇ ◇ ◇

Rion and Leonhart, the participants of the next match, stepped up to face off against each other and prepare for the match. However, Rion was clearly unsettled. The atmosphere in the venue turned into one of lament.

“Um, you’re Leonhart-sama...right?”

“Yep! I may look like this, but I’m the Beast King, Rion-chan!”

The form the Beast King had adopted was that of a little girl shorter than Rion, with waist-length silky-smooth blonde hair and dazzling green eyes. Indeed, it was none other than Shutola’s current childlike appearance. The simple white dress he was wearing seemed entirely inappropriate for battle, and he held no weapon in his hands. It was such a defenseless look that it was as if he were a young lady from some noble house who had slipped away from her entourage and somehow climbed onto the stage.

“Leonhart-sama...seems to be entirely empty-handed. Um, can we actually begin the match like this?” Ronove asked on behalf of all the audience members thinking the same thing.

“This appearance isn’t against the rules, right?” Leonhart replied offhandedly, clearly indicating that not bringing a weapon had been a conscious choice and not a gaffe. “I don’t mind.”

“Um, are you sure?” Rion asked.

“Of course!” Leonhart answered, turning towards his opponent. “I don’t want to hurt you, Rion-chan!”

“What?”

“It...appears both sides are ready, so I’ll be starting this match! Final match of Block B, ready... FIGHT!”

Despite being interrupted mid-conversation, Rion shifted into a battle stance as soon as Ronove gave her signal. She was indeed shaken but raised her guard properly in spite of it.

Shutola—no, the Beast King—on the other hand simply walked forward with the same innocent smile Shutola always had when approaching Rion to invite her to play.

“What are you—”

“Rion-chan, I don’t want to fight you. But as the Beast King, I can’t just forfeit without making an appearance. So please, cut me down.”

“Wh-What are you saying?!”

“I mean it, Rion-chan.”

Although his steps were small, Leonhart had walked right up to Rion before she knew it. He stopped at the precise distance where he was entirely disadvantaged: within the reach of Rion’s weapon but beyond that of his bare fists. The smile remained on his face as he waited for her to make her move.

“What’s wrong, Rion-chan? My neck is right here. Please, just one quick chop.”

“Ugh...”

Rion hesitated, unable to determine if this was a trap or if Leonhart really had no intention of fighting. Her mind locked up as doubt and questions swirled like a whirlpool within. Most of all, her kindness made her unable to choose to harm her friend, especially when she was entirely defenseless.

“I see. You really are kind, Rion-chan. But in that case...”

“Huh? Wait, what are you doing?!”

The Beast King slowly reached out and grabbed one of the swords in Rion’s grip. Blood dripped onto the stage as the palm of his hand was cut on the razor-sharp edge.

“If you can’t do it, I’ll have to do it for you, Rion-chan.”

“No, don’t! Let go!”

Leonhart was forcibly bringing the blade towards his own throat. Even though he looked like Shutola, he still had all his strength as the Beast King. Rion desperately tried to resist, but her sword inched closer and closer in defiance of her will. The blood slowly drained from her face with each moment.

“Please, stop! I don’t want to win like this!”

“But I don’t have a choice. I really don’t want to fight you, Rion-chan.”

In contrast to the Beast Lord, who looked entirely unfazed despite practically courting death, Rion, who was desperately struggling to pull her sword back, was sweating like a waterfall. Could this actually be called a fight? Who was winning? No one could tell. The only thing that seemed obvious was that Rion’s sword was going to pierce Leonhart’s throat very soon if the situation continued.

“Don’t worry, Rion-chan. Even if I die, you’ll still be the winner.”

“That’s not...the issue...here!”

“Well, you can’t have it all, Rion-chan. The only other thing you can do is...surrender, isn’t it?”

Just as Rion was on the verge of tears, a single ray of hope was delivered to her in a sugary voice. The smile on Leonhart’s face slowly turned into a smirk as he recommended the words that would cause Rion’s downfall, and yet they sounded oh so sweet to her ears. Finally, the sword tip reached his white, unblemished throat, drawing blood.

“I surrender! I surrendeeeer!”

“Oh, you do?”

“Ouch!”

The Beast King suddenly let go of the sword, causing Rion, who had been pulling back with all her strength, to fall back onto her rear end.

“Did you hear that, Ronove? I won! Yay! Announce it, announce it!”

“Huh? Oh, uh, right. Um, Rion-sama has announced her surrender! Therefore, the final match of Block B goes to ‘Reflector’ Leonhart Gaun! But personally, I can’t accept this!”

What followed the declaration of the Beast King’s victory was a storm of not cheers and applause but booing and jeering.

◇ ◇ ◇

The cries of displeasure from the crowds were still going. Considering the things they were shouting at the king of their own country, freedom of speech was clearly not a problem in Gaun. And for his part, the Beast King was acting like a heel on stage.

What is this, professional wrestling?

“I’m so sorry, Kel-nii. I even promised to meet you in the finals...”

“I’m sorry too, dearest brother. I should have foreseen the Beast King using this tactic.”

As soon as Rion returned, she and Shutola came to apologize to me, both looking very down.

Gerard stood up. “Rion, Shutola, wait here. I will go and deliver that monster divine punishment with my own hands—”

I raised an eyebrow. “Do you think you can cut down the Beast King when he looks like Shutola, Gerard?”

“Ugh, that’s...” Gerard looked so furious that he seemed about to assassinate Leonhart right then and there, so I stopped him before he did anything stupid...especially since he would be at even more of a loss than Rion in the same situation.

“All I can say is, I’m sorry about my old man,” Sabato offered awkwardly.

Goma bowed. “Please allow us to apologize on behalf of our father. We are truly sorry for what he did.”

“Nah, it’s nothing for you two to apologize for. The Beast King didn’t break any of the tournament rules—what he did does count as a tactic. He managed to poke Rion exactly where she’s weakest. Rion, the cost of tuition was high, but you took something away from the match, right? You know what you have to work on next, right?”

“Mm...”

If the Beast King had gone on the offensive, Rion would probably have been able to put up a fight in spite of his appearance. This time, he had used nonresistance as a weapon to get to Rion’s heart. There were a number of other approaches Rion could have taken, such as trying to knock him out without hurting him, but she got tunnel vision. As her older brother, I very much wanted her to treasure her kindness, but I did not want it to be something that would handicap her in critical moments.

“Why aren’t you angry about this?” Sera asked indignantly. “The way the Beast King fought was clearly against the intent of the tournament!”

“I am angry.”

“Why not?! Rion is— Wait, you are? You only have this blank look on your face.”

“Oh, I’m angry all right.”

Whether I was angry or not was a different matter altogether. I was grateful to Leonhart for showing Rion what she needed to work on. However, the crime of bullying Rion, my little sister, definitely needed to be paid back one hundredfold. The only thing on my mind at the moment was what I was going to do to him when we met in the finals. If he was going to fight “within the rules,” then I was going to have to respond in kind and go the full mile.

“Heh heh heh, I’ll enchant my swords with both Vortex Edge and Ground Cleave. Since he can be healed anyway, I’ll slice off pieces of flesh while taking an arm...”

“Ahh...okay, yep, let’s leave him alone for now. Efil, come with me.”

“Understood, Sera-san. Master, I wish you all the best.”

Sera and Efil stood back as if to give me space.

“Kel-nii?”

Rion made to approach me, but Sera held her back. “Stop, Rion! Don’t get any closer. If you do, your Absolute Purification will erase his anger.”

“Whaaat? But I don’t want revenge. And I feel bad for Goma-chan!”

“Ah, don’t worry about us, Rion-san. I spend every day trying to think of ways to make my father pay too.”

“No complaints from me either! Our old man is the freaking Beast King. I’m sure he knows his actions come with consequences.”

Sera nodded. “Even I would want to beat him to a pulp if I met him on stage!”

“Well, now you’ve heard everyone’s opinions,” Mel said, pulling Rion’s hand. “What do you say to visiting some food stalls and joining me in eating some good meat? It’s meat! Whenever something bad happens, meat will make you feel better!”

“Meat?! Mel-sama, I’m coming too!” cried Ruka.

“It’s important to maintain a balanced diet, Mel-nee! And now you’re influencing Ruka too!”

Rion was almost forcibly dragged out by Melfina, with Ruka tagging along. I hoped it would serve as a good distraction to get her mind off things.

Just as I was about to dive back into my thoughts using Parallel Processing, Shutola came over to me.

“Dearest brother, may I sit next to you?”

“Hm? Aren’t you going with Rion and Mel? I think it’d make Rion happy if you did.”

“I want to, but I’m also feeling angry at the Beast King for using my appearance to corner Rion-chan and angry with myself for not seeing it coming. So I will continue watching the matches with you. Even though I might not be much help this far into the tournament, I still want to contribute somehow.”

Resolve gleamed in her eyes, almost as if the general of the Black Ops were shining through for a moment. Or perhaps this strong sense of responsibility was something that had been inside her all along. Regardless of what she said, however, I did not fault her in the slightest for what had happened. I looked to Gerard for advice, and he nodded, crossing his arms.

“Okay. The next match is Sera’s, and she’s up against Bahl, someone we know almost nothing about. Tell me if you notice something or if anything comes to mind. I’m counting on you, Shutola.”

“Thank you, dearest brother!”

“Well, I’ll be winning anyway, so there’s no need to get too worked up about it,” Sera announced. “All right, it’s about time, so I’m heading off!”

Shutola and I watched her ponytail disappear through the door as she departed for the final match of Block C.

◇ ◇ ◇

Sera and Bahl were already standing on stage. They had bumped into each other in the passage on the way up—Bahl had taken a wrong turn, but Sera was tactful enough not to mention it—and walked out together. Along the way, Sera kept talking to Bahl, but the stranger only replied with offhanded “Mm”s and “I see”s. However, she never ignored Sera outright, so Sera just kept chattering on, which continued even when they reached the stage.

Suddenly, Bahl asked, “Why do you seem so irritated? Can you stop? I’m catching your vibes here. If you don’t feel like fighting, it’ll save us both time if you surrender.”

“Oh, you can tell? But in a way, me being irritated is making me even more eager to fight! Something just happened with my little sister, so I’m raring to go!”

“If you say so. Just make sure you change gears once the fight starts.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice!”

Sera looked a little happy about finally getting a proper reply, even if it was a negative comment. On the other hand, Bahl looked somewhat sullen. Every time she tapped the ground with the tips of her greaves, a soft metallic sound rang out.

“The cheering in the venue has reached the loudest it’s been all day! Of course it has! Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Sera versus Bahl, a card so pleasant to the eyes that even I, a woman, cannot help but stare in fascination!”

“Ugh, I don’t think I can watch this match...”

“Because they’re both women? Yujil, get over it already.”

With both contestants on stage, Ronove started rousing the crowd as she always did.

Bahl clicked her tongue. “They’re still getting my name wrong.”

“What? Your name?”

“Nah, it’s nothing.” Bahl averted her eyes awkwardly.

“Now that the excitement in the air has reached a fever pitch, it’s time to get this show on the road! It looks like both contestants are ready, so here goes! Final match of Block C, ready... FIGHT!”

The barrier surrounding the stage instantly shuddered from an incredible shock wave, then a second, then a third, then even more in quick succession—every time one of Sera’s punches met one of Bahl’s kicks.

“Oh hey, you’re not bad!”

“Is that all you got?”

“As if!”

The blows, blocks, strikes, parries, and shock waves chained into each other in a natural flow. However, each and every attack was so heavy that the stage was already beginning to scream with the strain of it, and the protective barrier remained constantly activated. All Ronove could see were two red streaks colliding again and again in a display far beyond her understanding. At this point, there was only one thing she knew for certain.

“Get a new stage prepared NOW! HURRY!”

A certain middle-aged man in the stands collapsed to his knees, hot tears of dismay streaming down his face. At the same time, more than a few spectators began clapping their hands over their ears in what was ultimately a futile attempt to block out the thunderous roars caused by the unending barrage of shock waves. More impressive than the sound, however, was the speed of what was going on. Even the playback machine created and developed by Kilto could only pick up indistinct blurs. There was nothing to commentate on.

“Yah!”

“Rah!”

Another large crack ran through the stage. In the brief amount of time since the start of the match, an uncountable number of clashes had already taken place. Impressively, although one would have expected Sera’s gauntlets and Bahl’s greaves to shatter on the first blow, they were all somehow still in one piece, despite being worn down very rapidly.

With both being masters of close-quarters combat, the ways in which Sera and Bahl fought bore great similarities but were fundamentally different. Sera, who had the larger build, mainly used her fists and had a very stable and grounded style that focused on speed. In contrast, Bahl made up for her stature by using a style that focused on kicks which gave her significant reach and enabled her to imbue each and every attack with shattering destructiveness. The two red-haired girls were striking in their differences and yet somehow managed to mesh perfectly, bringing about a very delicate equilibrium.

“Ha, ha ha! Not many people can get me this fired up! You really are good!”

“You’re free to go crazy all you want, but can you not drag me into it?”

For the first time since the start of the match, the two combatants’ figures were properly visible. Sera’s right fist and Bahl’s right foot were locked together, vying for supremacy. Sera had a smile from ear to ear, clearly enjoying the white-hot battle, while her opponent maintained her usual cool expression.

Rummmble. Crack. Crackkk!

Even though the two girls were successfully resisting each other, the same could not be said of the stage. As with all the other stages, this one was slowly but surely breaking apart.

“Come on, hang out with me a bit longer. It isn’t often I get to go all out!”

The instant the equilibrium was broken, Sera sent Bahl flying. The latter pressed the tip of her greaves to the ground, raising showers of sparks as she slid to a halt.

“Well then, that should do for the warm-up stretches. Now I’m ready to kick things up a notch!”

“Fine by me. I’m all warmed up too.”

Sera’s chest swelled with anticipation, but then she noticed a change in Bahl’s greaves.

The tips have gotten sharper from the friction! Which reminds me, when we were probing each other just now, her feet were constantly generating sparks. So she was sharpening the tips by rubbing them against the stage this entire time!

“You noticed? There’s a perfect whetstone beneath our feet, so I helped myself. Well then, are you ready for the real fight?”

Bahl stabbed the tip of one greave into the ground, then lifted a cuboid piece of the stage several times larger and heavier than herself. Because she had done this almost instantaneously, the audience first gasped at the crater that suddenly appeared in the stage, then gasped once more at the gigantic mass the girl was holding above her head.

“And there I was, wondering why you seemed to be tracing the ground!”

“Eat this.”

Bahl brought her foot down in Sera’s direction, sending the giant projectile flying faster than the eye could follow.

“Child’s play!”

Sera’s horizontal hand chop deflected the cube and sent it flying towards the barrier. With it gone, her field of vision opened back up, revealing the butchered stage. However, Danger Detection was strongly warning her to stay wary.

“Piercing Purge.”

Bahl sent a front kick in Sera’s direction with her toes outstretched. The other girl instinctively stepped to the side in evasion of something that quickly closed the distance. Immediately afterwards, she felt a sharp pain in her cheek and blood oozing out from a long cut.

That was pretty fast. Looks like she’s capable of sending a flying attack like Gerard’s Agito using her feet. What a neat trick. In her case, it’s not a slicing attack but a penetrative one like a spear thrust.

Sera wiped off the blood with the back of her hand. She had correctly guessed the nature of the attack based on the pain she felt. However, things were far from over just because she had dodged it once. A second, third, and then even more spear-like attacks rushed at her in quick succession. It was nigh impossible to read their trajectories, as they were invisible, but she managed to ride out the barrage thanks to intuition alone, suffering only minor scratches.

“Tch.”

Naturally, Bahl was less than pleased with the result. After realizing how sharp Sera’s intuition was, she stabbed a foot into another huge fragment of the stage nearby and lifted it up, pointing it in Sera’s direction. Then she leaped off the other foot, whirling furiously while flying through the air. The more she spun, the more violent, powerful, and terrifying the stone cube became, turning into a gigantic firing hammer.

BA-BOOOOOOOM!

All of a sudden, the enormous makeshift hammer shattered. Sera had thrown a punch directly into the attack, absolutely pulverizing what was supposed to be a hard mass. All that was left was Bahl driving an attack downward from the sky and Sera looking upwards to intercept it.

“That sure hurt!”

“You say it like...you’re not hurting me too!”

The pair’s attacks landed even before they finished speaking. Sera’s powerful fist drove deeply into Bahl’s left thigh as her opponent’s viciously sharp greave pierced her left shoulder. Neither of them let out a scream, either because they were putting on a tough front or simply did not want to admit weakness.

Whoosh.

Sera threw a follow-up attack, but Bahl kicked off her and dodged it in midair, throwing two Piercing Purges to cover her retreat. When she landed, however, a frown flashed across her face and she shot a look at her left thigh, finding it dyed with blood—blood that wasn’t her own.

“I have to say, pretty well done managing all that in midair even with your left leg trapped. Who are you, Rion? Or what, do you have wings?”

The blood was Sera’s, of course. And in a lucky coincidence, one of the attacks that Bahl had failed to control properly had landed directly on her abdomen. The blood staining her black outfit was proof of that. However, in the grand scheme of things, this was not a particularly significant development. Sera seemed entirely fine, and it wasn’t hard to see why, considering the wound she had suffered to her cheek at the start of the match had already healed without a trace. Even when she received a fatal attack, she could easily use her Unique Skill, Bloodbending, to instantly seal the wound, after which it would naturally heal thanks to Auto Heal, a skill she owned at Rank S.

“Ah, the rumored Blood Dominion. You’re not worthy of this power. So, what, do you think you’ve got this fight in the bag already?”

“As if. You still have something up your sleeve, don’t you?”

“You really are sharp. Pisses me off. All right, I’ll show you a little—”

Just as Bahl was starting to show a bit of enthusiasm, she suddenly fell silent. Sera tilted her head quizzically.

“Ugh, could his timing be any worse? Does he actually remember who’s more senior here?”

“What was that?”

“I surrender.”

“Huh?!”

“I said, I surrender.”

The cheering in the venue died down like a switch had been turned off.

“Um, Bahl-sama? Did I mishear? Did you just say you surrender?” Ronove asked hesitantly.

“How many times do I have to repeat myself? Announce it already.”

Sera flared up. “What do you think you’re doing?! Our match isn’t over yet! I can’t accept this!”

“Don’t worry, we’ll meet again soon,” Bahl replied. “And neither you nor I can actually get serious about fighting within this tournament’s rules, right? That’s no fun.”

“Meet...again? What do you mea—”

CRAAASH.

With seemingly perfect timing, Sera’s and Bahl’s equipment crumbled and fell with a loud, metallic crash, interrupting her protest. Both had reached the limits of their durability.

“It won’t be long, I promise you. Take the little time you have left to polish your skills, Sera Baal.”

The red-haired girl walked off the stage with Sera’s blood still on her leg.

◇ ◇ ◇

“And that’s what she said before she left. What was that?!”

Sera sighed, her head propped on one hand, and took a large swig of the drink Efil had made for her. She had been grumbling for some time about the way her opponent had thrown in the towel. She seemed to have finally gotten her frustration out, but that wasn’t the part I took issue with. The biggest problem was the fact that Bahl knew Sera’s family name. And since we’re on the topic, I might as well say this: I can bet you her name isn’t Bahl, but Baal.

“I mean, Sera...she’s clearly related to you somehow. She’s probably your little sister or something. I mean, this is my first time learning that your family name is Baal.”

I do remember her suggesting it during the conference to decide on which family name I would adopt. Why didn’t she just mention this back then?

“I didn’t think it would be important. And, you know, my family name is going to be C-Celsius soon enough, right?”

The way she suddenly blushed and averted her eyes is way too cute! Don’t worry, I’m doing my best to make it a reality! Seriously!

“Ahem. Anyway, why do you think she’s my little sister? I’m an only child.”

“Why doesn’t it seem obvious to you? She shares your fiery red hair, sharp eyes, proficiency with close-quarters combat, and... Honestly, there are way too many points of commonality to list. If I didn’t know anything and someone told me you two were siblings, I would totally take it at face value.”

Of course, the one point of difference is their chests. Oh right, the hair accessory that Bahl was wearing was most likely a Clip of Camouflage. Gah, I should have properly checked it out with Analyze Eye when I had the chance.

“You mentioned before that Demon Lord Gustav hid you away and raised you in secret, right? It wouldn’t be all that weird for you to have a little sister who was similarly hidden away. And I guess no one ever got around to telling you about her existence before the Hero arrived.”

I can totally see Gustav doing that, considering how much of a doting parent he is.

“I share Master’s opinion,” Efil said as she refilled Sera’s now-empty cup. “Bahl-san looks extremely similar to you, Sera-san.”

“Does she? Mm...I can’t really tell, myself.”

“I too agree with my king. And this Bahl has great talent as a grandchild! I can feel it!”

How does someone have talent as a grandchild? I know she looks similar in age to Rion, but Sera herself had been alive hundreds of years ago before she was locked away. Even if Bahl is a mere acquaintance of hers and not her little sister, the amount of time that’s passed would make her an old grandma. In the first place, it’d be strange for her to even still be alive. Does she have a way of stopping the clock on her body? Of course, there’s always the possibility that she was frozen in time just like Sera was and then freed somehow.

“Sera, what happens to the average demon after a hundred or two hundred years? What’s the average life span?”

“Well, according to your Analyze Eye, Viktor was 670 years old, so you can draw your own conclusions from that. Also, we’re all collectively called demons, but there are many different races. Those with a humanoid form like me and my father stop growing at a certain age and then keep their appearances for the rest of their lives. I suppose we’re rather similar to elves in that regard. The point at which we stop growing differs from person to person, though. By the way, I’ve already stopped, so I’ll always look the way I do now!”

Hm? Didn’t she mention before that her chest is still growing? Is that considered a separate thing? Ahem... So, there’s a chance Bahl is actually a demon who was never bound but just stopped growing after reaching her current appearance.

“Oh no... I feel so bad for Bahl-chan...” Rion murmured.

“Why?”

Ah, Rion’s thinking the same thing I am, but Sera looks completely mystified. I can feel Rion resonating with Bahl’s plight, but don’t worry—your big brother doesn’t discriminate based on chest size! And also, with what’s happening to Sera, I believe there’s still a sliver of a chance for a miracle to occur.

A question suddenly occurred to me, so I turned to Melfina. Due to the nature of the question, however, I shifted to telepathy.

Melfina, as the Goddess, would you happen to know anything? That you can tell us, I mean.

::Hmm...as I said before, Demon Lord Gustav was before my time. Elearis was the Goddess of Reincarnation back then. All I know is from the records that were passed down, and they don’t say much.::

Aww, I was hoping there would be something.

::What I can tell you is that throughout the entirety of my term, I’ve never heard of this Bahl girl. Normally, someone as strong as her would become world-famous even if they didn’t want to be.::

An overwhelmingly powerful person who technically doesn’t exist in recent history. It’s almost as if she just recently appeared in this wor— Hold on, Melfina. This isn’t what I think it is, right?

::What a coincidence, honey. I was thinking the very same thing.::

Ooookay. Well, it wouldn’t hurt to keep our guard up against Bahl. The parting line that Sera mentioned still bothers me too.

“Sera-nee, what is Bahl-chan like? Do you think I can be friends with her?”

“Oh, she’s a really nice girl! She seemed cold but still listened attentively when I talked. And most importantly, she’s really strong!”

“I knew it! As expected of someone with such talent as a grandchild!”

Mm, okay, I’ve got to start by letting my companions know so we can prepare ourselves.

“By the way, honey, Dahak’s match is next, but I don’t see him around. Has he already left?”

“Hm? Yep, he did. He was so excited it looked like he was literally on fire.”

◇ ◇ ◇

While Kelvin and Melfina were exchanging opinions, Dahak was busy wandering around the arena grounds with a certain goal in mind. That goal eventually led him to peek through the crack in the door of a certain room in the infirmary.

“Here, hon, eat up!”

“Oh no, sister dear, the apples you peel are simply too delicious! They’ll make me fat!”

“Oh, you sure know what to say to make me happy. I may not be quite as deft with a knife as Efil-chan, but I’m still quite good, am I not? Being able to bring out the best in an ingredient is a sign of a good woman.”

Goldiana was in the middle of peeling an apple and feeding it to Grostina slice by slice. Strange enough, it almost seemed as if Grostina’s skin was turning smoother and glossier with each piece. A storm of rafflesias bloomed inside the room, generating a scene so stimulating that it would undoubtedly be banned from broadcast.

“Th-That baldy! How dare he! There are even roses in the background!”

Dahak’s brain, however, was converting the scene before him into one of a beautiful man and woman flirting with each other and the grotesque flowers in the background into vivid red roses.

“The only other man who’s possibly a good enough match for Prettia-chan is the old man, and yet this clown shows up out of nowhere! Shit! Brother, you didn’t give him enough of a beating!”

Although Kelvin had not been fighting Grostina with such ulterior motives in mind, Dahak, who held overwhelming respect for his “brother,” was mentally bending things to his own perception. He simply could not forgive Grostina, who was now monopolizing Goldiana’s care and attention before even Gerard, whom he saw as his greatest rival.

“I’ve really gotta show Prettia-chan that I’m a man who can get things done in the next match! I don’t have the leeway to be picky with my methods. Luckily, brother gave me permission to play my ultimate card. I’m sorry, old man, but Prettia-chan’s heart will be mine!”

From his position behind the door, Dahak clenched his fists with resolve. If his love bore fruit, his “rival” would actually throw both hands up in celebration, but things rarely worked out that well.

Looks like Dahak-chan’s all fired up. But hon, I’m not an easy woman, mkay?

Upon sensing Dahak’s presence, Goldiana smiled confidently. Clearly, Gerard and Dahak’s path was going to be one filled with briars.

“The stage has! Been! Replaced! It’s time for the final match of Block D! Goldiana-sama and Dahak-sama, please make your way to the stage! And if possible, please don’t break this one!”

◇ ◇ ◇

“This is the very last block of the quarterfinals!” Ronove announced in an excited voice. “Will it be Goldiana-sama who makes it to the semifinals, or Dahak-sama, the hooligan wielding a large hammer?!”

“Who the fuck you calling a hooligan, huh?!” Dahak roared in response, demonstrating the answer to his own question. Kelvin and his companions shook their heads at the dragon’s display of his characteristic short temper.

“Well then, Dahak-chan. Have you worked out all your strategies yet? I’m sorry to say this, but you don’t stand a chance coming at me head-on. You’d have to be at least on par with Gerard-sama the way he is right now to do something like that.”

While completely different in size, Goldiana’s weapon of choice was exactly the same as Sera’s: knuckle-dusters. She was wearing a full-body pink skintight suit that would normally have left Dahak staring in a daze, but the black dragon was different now. He was looking directly at his opponent, his mind completely in battle mode. He seemed a different person from the one who had yelled at Ronove moments before.

“I know that. I hate to admit it, but I’m nowhere near as beautiful as you or the old man. But a man’s worth isn’t only in his looks! I’ll use everything at my disposal to win this fight, Prettia-chan!”

Dahak hoisted his large hammer onto his shoulder and thrust his left hand out. Goldiana nodded in satisfaction at his reply and assumed a battle-ready stance as well. The way she held both hands up higher than her shoulders made her already-large build look even larger and more threatening.

Damn, I feel like I’m standing in front of sister Sera when she’s in a rage.

Unlike all the other matches so far, Goldiana was no longer smiling with composure. She looked straight at Dahak, giving him her undivided attention. Dahak’s passion had at least been enough to make her take this battle seriously.

“Final match of Block D... Ready... FIGHT!”

The instant the starting signal was given, Dahak leaped backwards as fast as he could and yelled, “GO FOR IT! ALL OF YOU!”

“Oh my!”

Ocher-colored plants burst out from the lawn in all directions around the stage, instantly interweaving and becoming one. What the audience and commentators saw was a dome made of plants abruptly appearing in a cloud of dust to conceal the stage from sight.

“A mysterious covering has appeared! Now we can’t see the match?!” Ronove cried on behalf of the spectators. Indeed, the plant dome blocked even sunlight, making it impossible for anyone on the outside to see in. Now there was no way to tell what was actually happening on stage.

I see... Dahak-chan started by cutting off my sense of sight.

With the sun blocked, both Goldiana and Dahak were in a world of absolute darkness. She could not even see her own hands, much less her opponent. But Dahak, who had the eyes of a dragon, could see just fine in the dark.

BA-BOOOOM!

Dahak swung his large hammer horizontally at Goldiana’s side.

“What?!”

The unexpected angle and darkness should have made the destructive blow a complete surprise, but moments before landing, the weapon had been stopped, both ends of its head crushed. Goldiana had brought her elbow down and knee up in what was known as an elbow-knee pincer to thoroughly destroy Dahak’s weapon.

“It’s true that I can’t see, hon, but I don’t only rely on my eyes to perceive what’s going on around me. I don’t even need to use Sixth Sense to pick up on a surprise attack like that.”

A scream of metal filled the air as the hammer’s head was crushed flat. Instantly understanding that it would be impossible to retrieve his weapon, Dahak opted to let go and retreat. The fight just started and I’ve already lost my weapon. But that’s okay; I knew this would happen.

Crush!

Soon enough, Goldiana had finished flattening the large hammer. Although she could see nothing, her fighting prowess remained the same as before. She started walking slowly, using every part of her body to take in all available information about her surroundings. This strange odor and the way the air is moving... Dahak-chan must be unleashing a gas of some sort.

The moment she took her first step, she felt the air inside the dome moving—there were four currents flowing towards her from different directions, bringing with them a foul fragrance that burned her nose. Her long years of experience helped her determine it to be poison, so she held her breath. That was indeed the right call, as Dahak had caused four huge carnivorous plants to sprout from the stage. The red flower buds, which were lined with razor-sharp teeth, stretched towards Goldiana while spewing deadly poison.

Dahak himself was impervious to the toxins, as he was growing plants within his own body that were releasing a neutralizing agent. It pisses me off to rely on the same thing as that baldy, but I’ve decided to do everything I can! It looks like Prettia-chan started holding her breath, but I doubt she can keep that up for too long!

Goldiana closed her eyes and focused on sensing her surroundings. Gosh, how long has it been since I trained how to fight without breathing? This sure brings me back. Hmm, given how long it’s been since I last did this, I think I’ll only be able to last thirty minutes or so. Well, come on. I’m waiting!

The bud of one of the plants abruptly whipped around and rushed towards her, with the others following suit in quick succession. But just before the first one made contact, a loud crack rang out as Goldiana flicked a finger. Squishing noises sounded out in the darkness—not a metallic sound like when the hammer was crushed, but a raw sound that brought to mind something living.

Dahak’s eyes took in the sight of the Rank A plants generated by his Unique Skill, Gemmation, being torn to pieces. Just before one of them reached Goldiana, she grabbed it by its open mouth, held it down, crushed it, then continued raining blows down on it until it was reduced to scraps.

She’s not moving based on intuition like sister Sera does. No, her actions are sure and precise. Does she actually have Night Vision?!

In the midst of everything, Goldiana was still making her way towards Dahak’s position. He wanted a drawn-out battle, so he continued retreating and raising carnivorous plants from the ground.

Unfortunately, doing so led to an opening.

“Ugh!”

It was a mistake to assume that Goldiana did not possess any long-distance attacks. In the middle of fighting the plants, she shot a lump of air from her fingertip, a move she called Bee Stylet, that opened a hole in the dragon’s abdomen. Unlike when she had fought Goma, Goldiana did not hold back this time. The attack was focused on a single point instead of spread out over a large area, taking on its true form as an extremely fast attack designed for penetration.

Oh? He’s more tenacious than I expected.

Without missing a beat, Dahak had grown a restorative plant with elastic properties and wrapped it around his torso to stop the bleeding. While doing this, he kept up the assault, indicating how badly he was pushing his mental capacity. However, he had no time to feel sorry for himself. With every moment that passed, Goldiana drew closer. The black dragon gritted his teeth at the pain in his stomach while guiding his opponent into the next trap he had prepared.

Oh my, my feet!

Just as he had done while fighting Akgas, Dahak had planted vines on the floor to cling to Goldiana’s feet. Of course, no matter how tough the vines were, they would not be able to stop her for even a moment. However, that was fine with him. All he needed was to redirect her attention for a split second.

Flash!

Jade-green light exploded within the darkness of the dome as Dahak unleashed a breath attack. A searing stream shot out from his mouth and landed directly on Goldiana, melting the stage along the length of its path. Even the carnivorous plants withdrew in order to avoid becoming collateral damage.

Oh, I like this! A straightforward attack with no thought of defense! Oh, this really does pull at my heartstrings!

Goldiana’s brain registered the pain from her burned hands as her knuckle-dusters fell away, having been reduced to useless lumps of melted metal when she’d used them to block the incoming attack. This was the first time she had ever gotten hurt in the Gaunian tournament. The dragon breath, which had lasted more than ten seconds, had definitely left its mark. When it died down, darkness immediately returned to the inside of the dome and the carnivorous plants resumed their onslaught.

It’s...about time, I would say. Dahak-chan’s being very obvious in dragging this out, so I’ve got to break out of this situation.

A pink aura gathered around Goldiana’s right hand.

“Wh—?!”

Dahak suddenly trembled with a spike of pure terror. The inside of the dome was now painted pink by the light emanating from Goldiana’s fist. The plants continued attacking without regard, but a single swing from his opponent was all it took to obliterate them.

She suddenly got even more beautiful!

Dahak had listened to Kelvin’s account of Grostina, Goldiana’s junior disciple, displaying special powers using an aura-based ability. In Grostina’s case, the aura increased the defensiveness of the parts it enveloped, granted adhesiveness, and became capable of storing and expressing poison. All clues pointed to this aura being a technique from Goldia, the martial arts practiced by the pair. Goldiana definitely knew how to use it as well—in fact, Kelvin had even seen her use it in person before—so Dahak had been expecting it. However, it turned out to be much more powerful than he had thought. And now, Goldiana’s left leg was lighting up with a clump of energy that was shining light pink.

It’s coming!

His mind became filled with his own voice. Should he retaliate with more carnivorous plants? Should he—no, could he manage to keep running about until Goldiana was tapped out? Should he charge straight in from the front? An almost overwhelming number of options flashed through his mind, but he dismissed them all right off the bat. As someone who had been born capable of perceiving strength as beauty, he could tell instinctively that none of the ideas he was coming up with would work. That left only one thing he could do.

Goldiana kicked off the ground and disappeared, leaving a new crater on the stage. No, she did not disappear—she was already right in front of him, distance meaning nothing to her brawny legs. Her rising fist was the ultimate attack, capable of reducing any target to mere splatters with a tiny scratch. During the briefest of moments, Goldiana’s and Dahak’s eyes met, with the former’s eyes seeming to ask, “Is this all your passion amounts to?”

◇ ◇ ◇

At the same time, it was all quiet outside the dome. There was no change on stage, which meant there was nothing to get excited about. The spectators and commentators had nothing to do but stare at the plant canopy. Despite all the action going on inside, those on the outside were truly at a loss for topics to talk about.

“I, uh, still don’t see any change,” Ronove said in a troubled tone.

“Well, the dome is covering everything,” Yujil replied. “It’s literally as large as it can be without touching the barrier surrounding the stage.”

“In all likelihood, this is Dahak’s power. With the dome isolating even sound, we have no choice but to continue to wait and see,” Jereol said matter-of-factly.

“So you say, Jereol-sama, but this is supposed to be the final match of the block!” Ronove wailed. “If it stays like this, the audien— Huh?”

Large cracks suddenly appeared on the surface of the dome, cutting Ronove short. Everyone’s eyes were glued to the stage where there was finally movement for the first time since the start of the match.

“Ladies and gentlemen, are you seeing this?! The dome has been cracked!” Ronove shouted, instantly returning to her role as commentator. The speed at which she recovered illustrated clearly why she was so highly sought after in her industry.

“No, that’s not all—”

“It’s breaking apart!”

Immediately after Jereol’s shout, the dome began to collapse. The structure that had shown no sign of budging earlier had suddenly started caving in along the lines of the cracks. The collapsing dome parts were not simply hitting the ground, though.

“Th-Th-That’s a dragon! Where’s Dahak-sama?!”

The pitch-black dragon that had been revealed by the collapsing dome was actually taking in the falling fragments and using them to form an armored layer over its black scales. Standing across from the dragon was Goldiana, who had one arm and one leg clad in a blinding whirlwind of light pink.

“My oh my! I confess, I did not expect you to withstand a serious attack from me when I’m in this form.”

“I could say the same of you, Prettia-chan. I had to break the dome to use it to protect myself on the spot. This is the toughest plant material I know of, but you still managed to shave it down. Just how much of an angel are you?”

Of course, the enormous dragon was Dahak in his original form. There was a large hole in the yellow ocher armor on his abdomen, and although the wound was not too deep, blood was definitely flowing out. As the remainder of the dome fell apart, the pieces all flew towards this hole, repairing the armor by sealing it back up.

“Mmmm! Fresh air! Finally.”

The poison that had been closed in by the dome now dissipated, becoming purified on contact with the barrier around the stage. By turning into a dragon, Dahak had barely managed to withstand Goldiana’s attack, but doing so had cost him his efforts to restrict Goldiana’s vision and drag the match out. However, becoming a dragon was his trump card, and there were options available to him only when he was in this form.

“Oh my, did those get even more brutal than before?”

Two carnivorous plants had sprouted from the area behind Dahak’s wings on his back. Unlike the ones Goldiana had previously destroyed, rather than buds, these were in full bloom, with hundreds of teeth lining the inside of the flowers.

“My Black Soil Scales are the ultimate seedbed for plants. You’re gonna be in a world of hurt if you think these are the same as the ones I grew using the barren dirt under the stage! Here goes!”

The plants rushed forward as if shot by a gun, displaying a speed and ferocity that far exceeded that of the ones previously mass-produced from the stage. Even the poison they emitted while rushing at Goldiana was significantly more lethal than before.

What Dahak had grown from his own body was called Seed of Calamity. It was a very particular plant that only grew in absolute darkness in Abyssland, the place where demons lived. Once it sprouted, it would tear into anything and anyone its master considered an enemy. It was said that a fully mature plant could devour even an archdemon, and there were entire countries in Abyssland that had been destroyed by the species. Cultivating it was extremely difficult, with many who attempted to do so being eaten by the very flowers they were growing. However, Dahak’s Black Soil Scales enabled him to skip through all that and instantaneously produce not just one, but two of them in their fully mature form.

Looks like I should probably go back to holding my breath. The barrier isn’t capable of purifying all the poison these new flowers are producing.

Thanks to the barrier surrounding the stage, there was no worry of the poison reaching the spectators on the other side. However, when there was more poison than could be purified, the overflow would remain within the barrier. In other words, the poisonous environment from the dome was being reproduced, with the one difference being that everything was now fully visible.

Goldiana’s situation was dire. The plants kept up a relentless onslaught, drawing blood wherever the teeth made contact with any part of her body not protected by the aura while Dahak shot breath attacks from the back whenever there was the slightest opening. The destruction caused by those breaths was on a whole other level from what his human form produced. When they hit the stage, it melted; when they fell on the surrounding lawn, the grass was reduced to ash. Even Goldiana would not get away unharmed if any of the attacks scored a clean hit.

“My, I can’t remember how long it’s been since I’ve had such passionate love directed at me! Dahak-chan, you’ve earned this—burn the sight of my Rose Ishtar into your mind!” Goldiana slowly declared and laughed, despite being in a situation where she hardly had time to breathe.

In Dahak’s eyes, it was the smile of a goddess. In everyone else’s eyes, however...

“Ah, that’s Peach Ogre indeed,” Jereol muttered to himself. “I didn’t expect to see that form before the next round.”

The fight ended right afterwards, determining the last person who would be moving on to the semifinals.

◇ ◇ ◇

The infirmary in the Gaun Mixed Fighting Arena was once again fulfilling its role as a place of recuperation for contestants who had gotten hurt in a match.

“Archangel?!”

“Oh my, why do you all wake up shouting something? Is this déjà vu?”

“P-Prettia-chan?! Where is...”

When Dahak woke up with an agitated shout, he found a large man—no, woman peeling an apple at his bedside. It was none other than Goldiana Prettiana, the very person he had just been fighting.

“Before anything else, here, eat this for some nourishment,” Goldiana said. “You should be able to get this down at least, right?”

“Er... Huh?!”

When Goldiana handed him a bunny-shaped slice of apple, Dahak’s brain froze in confusion. Why was he in a place like this? What happened to the match? Why was Goldiana’s handmade food (if it could be called that), which he had dreamed about for so long, now in his hand? Why did she always look so beautiful? In short, there were so many thoughts bouncing around his head that it had become overloaded.

“Calm down, Dahak-chan. I’ll explain everything. First, this is the arena’s infirmary. It’s a bit awkward for me to say, but hon, you lost and fell unconscious.”

“I...lost, huh? Dammit! I thought I had a chan— Whoa, this is delicious!”

Taking a bite of the crispy apple slice, Dahak raised his voice in surprise. The only other time he had been this shocked by food was while eating vegetables prepared by Efil.

“Did that perk you up? I see you in a new light now, Dahak-chan! I honestly had no intention of using Rose Ishtar at the start. But I felt your feelings so keenly that I just had to respond to them.”

“Th-That means—”

“Still, I’m not a woman who’d sell herself short. It’s not yet enough to make me turn your way. When you become strong enough to beat Gerard-sama, then I’ll give you another chance.”

Goldiana seemed to be in a good mood as her large hands continued peeling the apple.

“Me? Beat the old man? Th-That isn’t gonna be easy...”

“Can you expect any less?” came another voice. “It’s my dear sister you’re pursuing. It only makes sense to settle things with your rival first.”

“Wha— You were here the whole time, baldy bastard?!”

“Who’re you calling a bastard?!”

Dahak whirled around and found Grostina—who apparently had no issue with being called “baldy”—lying in the bed next to his own.

“I forced myself to go upstairs to watch your fight in spite of my injuries. I didn’t expect it from your appearance, but you have a pretty crafty fighting style. I feel like we might get along!”

“I have no intention of getting along with a love rival! Prettia-chan, why do you keep leading this bastard on when you’re supposedly pursuing Old Man Gerard?!”

“Hmm? Me, your love rival? I think you’re misunderstanding something here. I’m dear sister’s younger sister. Our relationship is not what you think.”

“Uh...what?”

“Oh my, and here I was wondering why you seemed so hostile towards Grostina. The two of us studied martial arts under the same master. In other words, we’re sisters in discipleship. Ronove-chan mentioned it in her introduction. Weren’t you listening?”

“I, uh, didn’t want to hear it, so I closed my ears. I’m such an idiot!” Dahak clutched his head, then started. He turned towards Grostina, lifted his legs off his bed, stomped the ground like a sumo wrestler, lowered his waist, and bowed deeply. “I’m very sorry! I totally misunderstood! You’re too handsome of a man, so I ended up being jealous of you!”

It was a heartfelt apology. However, the gesture itself held the mannerisms of the yakuza.

“What a straightforward man he is!” Grostina exclaimed. “Dear sister, now I’m jealous.”

Goldiana giggled. “So, what will you do, Grostina?”

Dahak’s head was still lowered.

“Raise your head, Dahak-chan,” Grostina said.

“Does that mean...you’ll forgive me? Wait, why’re you laughing?”

“Ha ha ha! Because the misunderstanding was cleared up. We’re besties now, aren’t we?”

“By which you mean...comrades? I can get behind that!”

The two exchanged a firm handshake. The moment the misunderstanding was gone, a solid friendship blossomed between them. They could understand each other without using too many words.

“Come to think of it, Dahak-chan, you’re quite handsome too, in a wild way. If you ever lose interest in dear sister, feel free to chase after me instead!”

“Huh? You high or something? Just saying, you might be a handsome hunk, but I don’t swing that way. Prettia-chan is the only one for me!”

“Gosh, you sure aren’t one to mince words!”

Correction: the two still had things to work out with each other.