Chapter 2: Semifinals

The victors of each block stood in a row on the newly replaced stage. Regardless of what they fought for, be it a just cause, personal gain, love, or anything else, they had all more than proved their right to be there. The audience watched with wide eyes, eagerly catching every detail as the curtains opened on the most exciting part of the Beast King Festival.

“THE FINALS ARE HEEEEERE!” Ronove shouted passionately, to which the audience replied, “YEEEAAAHHHHH!” at an equally thunderous volume.

Kelvin smiled wryly. “They’re still that hyped, huh?”

“Why not? They seem happy!” Sera replied cheerfully.

“I knew I’d get to share this stage with you two, Kelvin-chan, Sera-chan.”

“Looks like you took good care of Dahak just now, Prettia.”

“I hope he didn’t cause you too much trouble, Goldiana?”

“Heavens, no. I had fun fighting him, and he seems to have really hit it off with Gros, my junior disciple. I also owed you for treating me after that fight, so no worries!”

“Thanks. Glad to hear it.”

“Good job, Kelvin! I can’t wait to fight Goldiana in her best state!”

Goldiana had indeed been poisoned while fighting Dahak. After the match, however, Kelvin had generously removed all the poison using White Magic.

“Isn’t everyone a bit too relaxed?” Leonhart, who still looked like Shutola, interjected. He turned towards Kelvin. “Especially you, dear brother. You even went and healed someone you might be fighting soon!”

“I owe you big for everything you did to my little sister, Beast King. Now I have to find a way to repay you severalfold.”

“I’m glad to see this isn’t enough to get to you. Personally, I have high hopes for you, Kelvin. I’ll be waiting for you to come at me with all you’ve got. Use everything at your disposal to beat me! Convince my citizens of your strength!”

“My Kelvin will do that without you telling him to!” Sera interrupted. “Don’t underestimate him!”

Leonhart smiled cheerfully. “Mm-hm, I can’t wait!”

“Well, someone seems composed, Leo-chan.”

“And I’m glad to see you doing well too, Prettia-chan. I’d love to chat more with you, but it looks like it’s almost time.”

Everyone turned to look where the Beast King was pointing. A beastkin woman was walking out of one of the contestant entrances, holding a box with a hole on one side. Kelvin recognized the box. It was the same one all the contestants had drawn their lots from to decide the brackets at the start of the tournament.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are going to decide the matchups for the semifinals! Just as we did for the starting brackets, we will be using lots! There are four pieces of paper in the box, labeled one to four. For the semifinals, the pairings will be one versus two and three versus four! Ah, don’t open your papers just yet. We’re going to ask everyone to do that at the same time!”

Just as Kelvin had guessed, they were going to draw lots again. The representatives of Blocks A, B, C, and D—Kelvin, Leonhart, Sera, and Goldiana, respectively—all stepped up in turn. Then, at Ronove’s signal, they opened their pieces of paper and showed them to the beastkin lady, who walked back into the passage.

After a short while, Ronove declared, “We have confirmed the drawings. Ladies and gentlemen, please look at the screen above!”

The magic item floating high above the stage displayed the pairings for the semifinals.

“For the first match, we will be seeing ‘Reflector’ Leonhart Gaun versus ‘Grim Reaper’ Kelvin! And for the second fight, we will be seeing ‘Empress’ Sera versus ‘Peach Ogre’ Goldiana Prettiana! The semifinal brackets have been decided!”

Kelvin got the opportunity to repay his debt right off the bat.

◇ ◇ ◇

It was time for the first match of the semifinals to begin. However, neither Kelvin nor the Beast King was on stage yet.

Ronove grumbled, “It’s almost time, but I don’t see either contestant. Where could they be?”

“Hmm, they might still be busy preparing,” Jereol replied. “During his last fight, father defeated Kelvin’s sister, Rion, in a manner that can hardly be called respectable. From what I’ve heard, Kelvin dotes on his sister, so I’m sure he’s absolutely furious. Chances of him aiming for revenge through this match are high, I’d say.”

Yujil continued, “And I’m sure father knows that, so he’s making his own preparations. He’s hardly the kind of person to take things lying down.”

“Thank you for the explanations, Jereol-sama, Yujil-sama. In other words, the match has actually already begu— Oh?”

Footsteps sounded from one of the contestant entrances. It was Kelvin.

“The first one to appear is Kelvin-sama! Just like before, he is holding a longsw— Wait, what?”

When Kelvin walked onto the stage, several things flew out from the same entrance at high speed. There weren’t just one or two of them—no, there were dozens, possibly even a hundred. They drew a parabola in the air before stabbing into the stage by Kelvin’s side.

“Wh-What’s with those black swords?!”

Indeed, the flying projectiles were swords as black as Kelvin’s own outfit and larger than he was tall, making the one currently in his hand look like a mere twig in comparison. Naturally, they had all been made with the Obsidian Edge spell.

“This isn’t against the rules, right?” Kelvin growled. “Since they’re all products of support magic I cast before the start of the match.”

“I mean...technically, yes.” A drop of sweat rolled down Ronove’s face.

Jereol laughed loudly. “Ha ha ha! You’re right in that it’s not against the rules. However, this is the first time in the tournament’s history that someone’s been so blatant about using that loophole.”

“Ronove-san, my father has also appeared.” Despite still being unable to meet Ronove’s eyes, Yujil had at least gotten comfortable enough to address her directly.

Sure enough, a silhouette was emerging from the opposing contestant’s entrance. Ronove grabbed her sound-projection magic item.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Leonhart-sama has also arrived! This time, who will he look—”

The sunlight falling on the coliseum illuminated the Beast King’s figure.

“I will be in your care, Master.”

“I-It’s a maid! His Majesty looks like a maid this time!”

King Leonhart now looked like Efil in her usual maid uniform. He had reproduced everything about her appearance, including her dignified posture, eyes filled with love and respect for her master, and every last detail of her gestures. And just like last time, he had again showed up entirely empty-handed.

“That’s the archer in Kelvin’s party, I believe.”

“Yes, Jereol. Her alias is Bombing Princess, if I remember correctly. I’ve heard that she was one of the very first members of Kelvin-dono’s party. Father is up to his usual tricks again, it seems.”

“Th-This is going to be another intense match!”

As the commentators talked up a storm, Kelvin and Leonhart both assumed their starting positions on stage.

“So, you’re going with Efil’s appearance this time. Are you sure you don’t need a weapon, Your Majesty?”

“Thank you for your concern, Master. But there is no need to stand on ceremony with me,” the Beast King said before closing his eyes and placing a hand on his chest. Without hesitation, as if he believed every word of it, he declared, “After all, I am your slave and your maid.”

“I see. In that case, there’s nothing left for me to say.”

“Understood, Master. Let us have a good match.”

“It...appears to me that both contestants are ready to go. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for waiting! Here goes the first semifinal match! Ready... FIGHT!”

Immediately after the starting signal, the Beast King opened his eyes and slowly walked towards Kelvin.

“Master! As your loyal maid, I—”

A black sword shot straight at Leonhart’s head, generating a sharp whoosh in its wake. He dodged it by a paper-thin margin, but doing so still left a long, red line on his face. The sword buried itself deep in the stage on the other side.

“C’mon, why’d you dodge? I can’t split your head open if you do that.”

The Beast King’s eyes grew sharp for a fraction of a second, but then Efil’s usual gentle expression returned.

“I see. Cutting down a mere slave does not pain you. As expected of my master.”

“Ha ha! That’s the thing—I’m not your master. You’re Leonhart, not Efil. It doesn’t matter how much you look or act like her—you’re still nothing more than an imitator. Not even a perfect one, at that.”

“How wonderful.” The Beast King held both his hands behind his back like a girl adorably waiting for her date to arrive. “This was extremely effective against Rion-sama, but it doesn’t seem to work on you, Master.”

“Rion is sweet and kind, after all.”

“That sweetness and kindness of hers can become a weakness. I’m sure she understands that, at least in her head. However, when her sword touched my neck, the face of her friend and the weight of the responsibility of killing the king of a country must have clashed with her understanding of this being just a tournament, giving her severe tunnel vision and robbing her of the ability to think straight. The pressure of having to think her way out in such a limited time frame compounded her confusion. It was for the best that this did not occur during a real bat—”

The Beast King leaped back to evade the two giant swords that flew at him this time.

“Oh, I’m thankful for that. I really am, so would you accept these as tokens of my gratitude?”

Several more Obsidian Edges floated up from the stage and directed their tips at Leonhart.

“What an impressive sight.”

“Bring them out already. How long do you plan on staying like that?”

The corners of the Beast King’s mouth rose in a smirk as he took his hands from behind his back. They were holding something that looked very out of place in Efil’s dainty hands—giant, completely unadorned bastard swords that equaled Gerard’s sword, Dainsleif, in size. The mismatch between Efil’s figure and the appearance of the two weapons could not have been more stark. Kelvin, however, paid it no mind. Instead, there was now a small smile on his face.

“I knew it. You weren’t bare-handed after all. So much for your ‘Thank you for your concern, Master.’”

“It is clear to me that you want a fight, Master.”

“You figured that out? I’m glad.”

Several Obsidian Edges that had been floating above the stage shot out simultaneously, generating thunderous roars and an explosive cloud of dust. The spectators could not see what was happening on stage, but Kelvin could clearly see the Beast King making his way forward, parrying every blade that approached. He had yet to suffer a single wound and was brandishing his swords, which should have been extremely heavy, like they were mere twigs. Eventually, he leaped up high into the air, bursting from the dust cloud as a maid with a giant sword in each hand.

“My blood is pumping like I’m on a battlefield!”

“Oh, you’re done with acting like Efil?”

“My apologies, Master!”

Kelvin backed up a step to dodge the sword thrown from Leonhart’s right hand. He made sure to also avoid where it landed but did notice something stuck to the weapon.

Is that...a talisman?

A magic circle suddenly spread out from the sword. There was no doubt that it was caused by the talisman, which was likely a product of Toraj, considering it had “封,” the kanji for “seal,” written on it. Kelvin found his feet seemingly glued to the ground, refusing to do what he wanted. However, this was hardly the only thing that confused him. While thinking of a way to get out of his current predicament, another train of thought under Parallel Processing wrestled with a different question.

Is this talisman the accessory that Leonhart brought for the fight? Wait, but he still looks like Efil. Is he cheating? No, it must mean—

“Do you imagine I’ll give you time to think?!”

The Beast King leaped into the air, bringing his remaining sword down from a double-handed overhead stance in an effort to slam Kelvin into the stage.

◇ ◇ ◇

An incredible force smashed into the stage, splitting it in two and causing the two halves to leap into the air. Eventually, the pieces were pulled back down by gravity, landing with a deafening crash and sending a tremor through the ground. Even though the tiny fragments that flew everywhere did end up getting blocked by the barrier surrounding the area, all of the spectators in the front seats could not help but lift an arm to protect their faces. The rest just stared with their jaws on the floor at the ridiculous scale of destruction caused by that single attack.

“Heh heh heh, what a sneaky trick you had up your sleeve!”

“Having insurance is only a matter of course, right? And stop laughing like that. Efil’s laugh is much cuter.”

The cloud of dust settled, revealing the Beast King and Kelvin locking blades in the gap that had opened up between the two halves of the stage—the former’s sword was being held back by two floating Obsidian Edges in an “X” guard. The power that Kelvin could generate with his jet-black blades was linked to how much MP he had, and this was apparently enough to match that of the Beast King’s.

Before this stage was brought in, I’d cast a Contaminated Mud Bind on its surface and then Concealed it. I never thought he’d start the fight by breaking the stage outright. So much for that now. What a pity.

It was true that the Beast King played dirty, but Kelvin’s tactics were hardly aboveboard either.

“Don’t the rules only allow contestants to bring one accessory? How do you have those talismans and still remain transformed?”

“I assure you, I haven’t broken any rules.”

“I knew it. Your transforming schtick isn’t because of some national treasure after all. It’s your Unique Skill, isn’t it?”

“Bingo!”

The swords pushed each other back with a high-pitched metallic screech as the two contestants backed up. The Beast King had somehow already fetched the bastard sword that he had thrown earlier. What’s more, both of the swords in his hands now had talismans stuck to them.

“And how do you explain having two talismans?”

“These aren’t separate items. But I suppose you won’t just take my word for it. They’re both part of an item called Divine Sealing Talisman, which Toraj gifted to Gaun when signing the cease-fire that ended the Great War. In addition to what you just experienced, it can also do this!”

When Leonhart raised one sword high up, the talisman on the blade seemed to blur for a moment before a copy appeared and fluttered to the exposed ground.

“Basically, I can make as many copies of it as there are living beings in my surroundings.”

“As many as—?!” Kelvin shot a look at the stands overflowing with spectators. Just how many people are there in the coliseum right now?!

The talisman on the ground suddenly multiplied in number, bursting into the air like a storm of paper confetti.

“That’s...pretty much the perfect item for a venue like this, huh?”

“Oh, is it? I hadn’t noticed. And just saying, every single talisman is quite powerful. I’m sure you understand, having tasted its effect for yourself just now!”

“Well, thank you for the heads-up!”

Even before he finished speaking, Kelvin unleashed the Obsidian Edges that he had surreptitiously been arranging into formation. Leonhart parried the first wave, then sent the cloud of talismans to engulf the rest. The moment a talisman stuck onto an Obsidian Edge, it crashed to the ground as if its weight had suddenly gone up a hundredfold. Several fell right next to Leonhart, raising an earsplitting cacophony.

“Now your swords feel like lead and won’t move, right? This is the power of the talis—”

“That’s all they do? Nah, I’m sure there’s more to them.”

“What?!”

Kelvin rushed towards the Beast King with all the speed he could muster with Sonic Acceleration, charging into the cloud of talismans head-on. The fluttering pieces of paper drew towards him and the weapon in his hand, but every single piece that came near him promptly burst into a thousand scraps as if it had been put into a blender. As soon as he got within range, Kelvin thrust with his longsword. Leonhart managed to block the attack with his two bastard swords, but he felt his weapons being quickly worn down from the contact.

“Well, would you look at that? Those swords of yours are way too tough for being tournament-issued. You’re also using your talismans to boost their sturdiness, aren’t you?”

“Ha ha! Ha ha ha! You really do have a sharp eye!”

The Obsidian Edges were so tough that they would chip even the most famous sword after exchanging so many blows, but Kelvin had even gone so far as to cast Vortex Edge on all of them. There was no way a common sword could stand up to such abuse. The Beast King might not have lied outright, but Kelvin had also been paying attention to what he wasn’t saying from the start.

“Here’s more.”

A fresh wave of Obsidian Edges that numbered in the dozens plunged down from high above, again all clad in Vortex Edge. Upon crashing into the ground, the whirling gales of wind surrounding the blades tore the cloud of talismans apart, reducing them to mere scraps of paper.

“Don’t you have a bit too much MP, Master?”

“People tell me that...quite often!”

A furious exchange of sword strikes ensued. The wrecked stage had been made even more precarious by the numerous Obsidian Edges emanating razor-sharp winds that dotted its surface. Kelvin sent even more of the same jet-black swords flying at the Beast King from all four directions as he himself weaved in and out of direct combat. The Beast King gathered all of the Divine Sealing Talismans that had escaped the assault of the winds and deftly used them to deal with the barrage of flying blades while brandishing his own weapons. The vigorously shifting ebb and flow of battle continued for several minutes in a display so fascinating that all the onlookers, commentators included, forgot to speak while transfixed by the replay screen.

“Hmph!”

Leonhart leaped into the air and threw one of his swords again. Kelvin retreated much farther than where he predicted it would land so that he wouldn’t fall victim to the effect of the talisman stuck onto it. Then he exhaled to calm his breathing and watched closely as Leonhart landed on top of the hilt of the sword stuck in the ground with the graceful motions of a cat. The hem of his maid uniform fluttered up at the perfect height to reveal the holy area above his thigh-high socks while still protecting what needed to be protected.

“I don’t get it. Why’d you have to resort to such dirty methods when fighting Rion if you’re so strong?”

“Oh, you wish to chat, Master? I’d be happy to oblige. Um, my fight with Rion-sama, was it? Well, all I did was choose the strategy that would guarantee me the highest chance of victory.”

“C’mon, don’t give me that shit when you got booed that badly by your own citizens. This tournament is supposed to be a celebration of warriors for warriors, right? If the king acts in such an underhanded way, wouldn’t that reflect badly on your own country?”

“I see your point, but this is simply how I carry myself as the Beast King. Hmm...to put it in an extreme way, what other people think of me doesn’t affect me in the slightest. It doesn’t matter to me even if my children hate me or my people lose faith in me.”

Kelvin’s incredulous “Huh?!” only evoked a shrug and a look of indifference from the Beast King.

“Thankfully, here in Gaun, the throne is decided by who’s the best in a fight, plain and simple. This works out great for me. It doesn’t matter how I act; as long as I don’t lose in the battle for the throne, I get to keep my crown. Then all that’s left is to take measures against assassinations.”

“And you’re fine with that? As the king of a nation?”

“This is preferable to my people dying for no reason. All they have to do is aim to become stronger and craftier than me. Are you familiar with the era of the Great War on the Eastern Continent? As the countries became exhausted, people deceived each other and malice flooded the land. It was a dark, dark time for the beastkin, gallant and straightforward as they were.”

“That’s centuries ago, though. What’re you talking about?”

“That...is true. I have spoken too much. Master, we are now both tired, having been unsuccessful in landing a decisive blow on each other. What say you to pushing through and deciding this match in the next exchange?”

The few remaining talismans flew over and attached themselves to the Beast King’s body in various positions.

“Well...all right, sounds good to me.”

Kelvin pulled an Obsidian Edge from the stage with his left hand and lifted it up in readiness with the longsword in his right fist. The glossy surface of the black gauntlet hidden under the sleeve of his similarly black outfit seemed to glint a little for the brief moment it was visible.

“I know you have your own reasons and all, but it’s about time I repay your favor. Using Rion’s power, that is.”

The clanging of swords started up again the moment both contestants disappeared again from the spectators’ eyes. Each slash was sharper and swifter than the last, generating shock waves that tore into the pieces of the ruined stage. Naturally, Kelvin could not remain unhurt, being one of those in the heart of the storm. Wounds started appearing all over his body. Although shallow, they were many. On the other hand, the Beast King did not have a single cut on him. Kelvin’s strikes were landing, but every last one of them merely bounced off, leaving nothing more than harmless sparks.

He’s used his talismans to raise his Endurance level crazy high like he did with his swords. However...

While Kelvin’s head whirled with multiple chains of thought, he started gaining the upper hand in the exchange. At first, it was so slight that even his companions failed to notice it, but that advantage compounded again and again until it became obvious.

SLASH!

Finally, a clean strike connected, and the talisman on Leonhart’s right arm was shredded to nothing by Vortex Edge. As an aftereffect, countless slashes dug into the arm directly, wracking him with pain.

His swordsmanship level...has gone up?

The Sword Mastery skill did its job even when its owner was using multiple swords. Both the Beast King and Kelvin had the skill at Rank S, but the former’s proficiency without the skill was supposed to be higher.

“I confess, I’m surprised by how many loopholes there are in the Beast King Festival’s rules. That goes as much for your talismans as it does this.”

“You’re talking about...that glove of yours?”

The Skill Eater gauntlet currently on Kelvin’s left arm held Rion’s Rank S skill, Dual Wield. Normally, only Heroes who had come to this world through the good offices of Melfina as the Goddess of Reincarnation were allowed to possess the skill. As was evident from its name, this was a skill that activated only when the owner was wielding two swords at the same time. It provided support with power, technique, and all other aspects of fighting—on top of the effects of Sword Mastery. That was why Rion’s class was Sword Saint, as her ability with the sword was so far beyond that of other practitioners it was as if she were a saint to them.

“Ngh!”

Now that they were boosted by Dual Wield, Kelvin’s strikes proved enough to hurt even Leonhart’s left arm, which was still protected by a talisman. The equilibrium of the fight had been broken. The Beast King lowered his head, breathing heavily. But just as it seemed he had reached his limit...

“You’re such a meanie, Kel-nii. Why’re you bullying me?”

“Wha—?!”

Leonhart looked back up, his appearance switching from Efil to Rion in a split second. The timing was perfect, and his performance as a weakened and frightened Rion was perfect. However, Kelvin was not one to be taken by surprise by such a low blow this far into the fight. He knew full well that his opponent was the Beast King, so he would have continued attacking without hesitation...if that opponent hadn’t also been wearing a wedding dress.

“Aha ha! I love you so much, Kel-nii!”

Leonhart’s Unique Skill, Metamorphosis, allowed him to change not only his appearance and the details of his visible Status but also the outfit he was wearing. Thanks to Parallel Processing, Kelvin only faltered for a fraction of a second. However, that was enough of an opening for the Beast King. He let go of his left sword and grabbed the sister-doting brother’s right wrist.

Crackkk!

Sharp pain shot through Kelvin’s body. Although Leonhart was now in Rion’s small form, his actual stats remained his own. He used his overwhelming Strength to crush Kelvin’s bones, but Kelvin still refused to let go of his sword. If he did, Dual Wield would deactivate and he would be unable to push through using Rion’s skill. His will was iron and his soul was aflame.

“Take...this!”

Through remote manipulation, Kelvin picked up one of the Obsidian Edges on the stage and sent it directly through Leonhart’s unprotected right arm. Furthermore, he let go of the Obsidian Edge in his left hand in order to catch it using a reverse grip and stab it directly into Leonhart’s flank. Both blades were clad in Vortex Edge, which ripped apart both talismans and the Beast King’s insides. In fact, his right arm was so thin that this attack ended up severing it completely, sending it flying through the air before it hit the ground and rolled away.

“Aha! Aha ha ha! I just love you so much!”

Even while crushing Kelvin’s wrist and being stabbed in the side, Leonhart brought his face close enough to Kelvin’s to almost kiss him, hugging him close with a viselike grip. Still in Rion’s appearance, he opened his cute lips, bared his canines...then tore out Kelvin’s carotid artery.

“Ughhhh?!”

“Aha! It tastes terrible, just as I expected! But I! Love! You!”

While bathed in a shower of blood, the Beast King used his remaining left arm to continue hugging Kelvin close. Someone who didn’t know better might have thought this was a beautiful hug between siblings, but the truth was that Leonhart was trying to squeeze out every last drop of blood in Kelvin’s body. The white wedding dress that he was wearing was rapidly being dyed crimson.

Am I...out of time? How much longer until I lose consciousness from losing too much blood? And with us being so close, I can’t just send Obsidian Edges at Leonhart. Oh, wait...

“Aha! I think...this is...my victory, right, Kel-nii?”

“You shouldn’t...let down your guard...till the end...”

“Ehe he, you’re...scaring me...”

Countless jet-black swords with Vortex Edge undone floated in the air, surrounding and pointing directly at the embracing two figures.

“You won’t...get off unscathed...either, Kel-nii...”

“Ha ha...don’t worry, I’ve...adjusted it so that...it hits you more...than me... And also...”

Kelvin peeled off the talisman on Leonhart’s back.

“You sure...are thorough...”

“It’s...time.”

The jet-black swords fell as one, dealing out the fateful stroke of judgment that decided the outcome of the match.

◇ ◇ ◇

“MEDIIIIICS!” Ronove’s voice reverberated throughout the coliseum. In the center, between the broken pieces of the stage, were Kelvin, who was busy healing himself, and the Beast King, who was pincushioned with Obsidian Edges. The blades had dispelled, leaving the Beast King lying on the ground covered in the red scraps of what used to be a wedding dress.

“Ah?! Ugh...”

“Oh, you’re awake?”

“Huff, huff... Physically, I’m still wounded all over, but mentally...I’m not quite sure how to feel after being healed by you...”

“Well, I only healed you enough to repay the favor of you allowing us to participate in the Beast King Festival. No more than that, so take care of your right arm by yourself.” Kelvin stood up, a sour look on his face.

“Still, you’re a pretty crafty one yourself. I honestly never expected you to have a spell prepared under the sole of your foot.”

“It’s only natural to prepare a countermeasure for getting out of a grapple. The Impact that I’d finished chanting before the match proved useful after all, didn’t it? There were plenty of other ways I could have used it too, with it being where it was. You sure you don’t want to ban all use of magic in these matches next year?”

“I’ll...think about it.”

Just before the cloud of Obsidian Edges had struck, Kelvin had activated the Impact spell prepared beneath the sole of his shoe to slip out of Leonhart’s grip. Consequently, the Beast King had ended up being stabbed by all the swords.

“Well done, seeing through all my schemes. The last time I was this soundly defeated...was last year, by Goldiana. Here, I’ll give you a reward. I’d actually thought this up for Kilto, but oh well.”

The Beast King, who was still in Rion’s appearance, struggled to raise his face, put a bright smile on it, then approached Kelvin.

“Thank you for getting revenge for me, Kel-nii. I-I’ll be waiting for your proposal!”

“Hah! You really don’t get it. Rion didn’t wish for revenge. I was just doing it because I wanted to. Also, Rion’s only fourteen. Wait until next year to do it again!”

There wasn’t a shred of hesitation in Kelvin’s eyes as he replied with a straight face.

◇ ◇ ◇

The two contestants of the next match, Goldiana and Sera, were walking together down the passage leading to the stage.

“Good for Kelvin-chan, right? I’m glad for him.”

“I believed in his victory from the start! But I think Mel and Efil will insist on nursing him and won’t let him go for quite some time.”

Although these two were going to be opponents on stage, they were chatting as friends the way they normally did.

“By the way, did you not get a new pair of knuckle-dusters, Sera-chan?”

“Mm, well...after watching your match with Dahak, I realized that I’ll need to go full throttle from the very start when fighting you. But the equipment issued by the tournament just wouldn’t do. Wait, you’re bare-handed too!”

“My reasoning’s the same as yours. I normally fight bare-handed anyway, and with you being my opponent...”

The two stopped and looked at each other.

“Ha ha!”

“Heh heh!”

They both smiled for a brief moment, then resumed walking. Apparently, something that only they understood had occurred during that short period of time.

“But still, I’m quite surprised.”

“About what?”

“The rules allow for killing, right? I was pretty sure that Kelvin-chan would take the opportunity to kill Leo-chan.”

“Of course he wouldn’t. If he did, who else would he ask to help Rion train to overcome her weakness?”

“Uh, you guys plan on using the king of a country as a training partner?”

“At the very least, Kelvin means to. Also, even though it wouldn’t be considered a crime, it would make Rion sad if she learned Kelvin killed someone on her beha— Ah, we have to split up here.”

The passage split into two directions, leading to the separate entrances they were supposed to approach the stage from.

“All right. Goldiana, the next time we meet, we’ll be enemies! If you dare to go easy on me, I’ll sock you a good one!”

“My oh my, how scary! But I’m a woman living for love too! Losing is not an option!”

Sera and Goldiana softly knocked their fists together, then both struck off down their respective corridors.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Thank you for your work again, stage-changing team!” Ronove called out to show her appreciation to the Gaunian soldiers who were heaving and sweating while swapping out the broken stage for a new one for the nth time that day.

“We’re exchanging them far more frequently than we’ve had to in previous years,” Yujil noted. “Ordering extras proved to be a great idea after all.”

“I completely agree. We still have a few more, so they should be able to last us for the rest of the tournament!”

There was a middle-aged man in the spectator stands who had fainted, foaming at the mouth, but Ronove pretended not to see him. His students were with him, so she figured they’d be enough to tend to him.

“Unfortunately, father’s loss in the fight just now means there are no more Gaunian participants in the tournament. However, it was a match worth watching indeed,” Jereol remarked.

“Speaking on behalf of all normal people, I only barely understood what was going on even when watching the replay footage!”

“That was actually a very respectable fight for our father. He didn’t even pull anything underhanded outside of the fight itself.”

“True. Compared to what he did during the throne succession battle, this is squeaky clean. Is there anyone who can actually match his heinousness and inhum—”

“I’m sorry to cut you two off, but the contestants for the next match have arrived!”

All eyes in the venue turned towards the two entrances, where two silhouettes slowly came into view, stopped, squatted down, then...

“Th-They jumped?!”

Both figures had leaped high into the air and landed on the stage with earsplitting crashes. It was a first even for Caesar to have one of his stages damaged before the match itself.

“What a relief Caesar-shi already fainted! No, more importantly, what is with Sera-sama’s and Goldiana-sama’s appearances?!”

The two contestants had shown up in vivid crimson and dazzling pink, stealing the eyes of everyone present with conspicuous colors on full display.

“So, that’s your trump card? The one you used at the end of your match with Dahak? Now I’m excited!”

Sera had taken Clip of Camouflage off, letting her normally tied-up hair flow freely down her back, and was already clad in full-body Blood Scrimmage. Her hands had been transformed into vicious-looking claws that would not fit into any conventional weapons made for bare knuckles. Her demon wings, tail, and horns were visible in bloodred coloring, and she was emanating a baleful aura, but the spectators assumed these were all effects from a spell. Lastly, several small bloodred spheres were floating along behind her.

“You’re just as sexy as I am, Sera-chan. I love your look!”

On the other side of the stage stood Goldiana, who was enveloped in Rose Ishtar from head to toe. The fighting spirit emanating from her bursting muscles was visible as an entrancing aura the color of peaches that made her large build look even bigger. This aura was particularly thick around her fists and eyes, with the traces coming from the eyes floating upwards to make it seem like she had two rigid horns protruding from her head. The reason for her alias as “Peach Ogre” was now on full display.

“I feel like I’m looking at a demon and an ogre facing off against each other,” Jereol murmured.

“How, what, uh, huh?!” Ronove was so flustered that she struggled to form a complete sentence. “Are they doing all that with spells?”

“At the very least, I know that Goldiana-dono is not. What you are seeing is an extension of normal martial arts, likely the same school of technique employed by Grostina-dono. Sera-dono’s does appear to be made with magic, but it seems extremely lifelike. Honestly, I cannot say for sure.”

“I-I see... Huh? Why are both of them looking our way?” Ronove noticed that both contestants were staring at the commentator’s box.

“Hey, are you going to announce the start of the match soon? I really want to get started!”

“Same here. Maintaining this look isn’t exactly good for my skin, so I’d like to start as soon as possible!”

“Oh, right. I’m sorry! Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the second semifinal match! Ready... FIGHT!”

“YAH!”

“RAH!”

Right off the bat, each contestant threw a punch at the other’s right cheek. Sera found her punch blocked by Goldiana’s aura, unable to push through no matter how much she strained, while Goldiana found her punch dodged outright.

So tough! Sera thought. I can’t get my blood on her this way!

So fast! Goldiana thought. It’s going to be difficult even landing attacks on her!

A second round of punches was promptly unleashed, followed by a third, a fourth—in the blink of an eye, the two contestants were embroiled in a full-blown exchange. The scene of the Sera-Bahl fight was reproduced, with shock waves slamming into their surroundings again and again, shaking the entire venue and filling the air with an unending chain of explosions.

BANG!

Two kicks crossed each other, splitting the air. A grimace flashed across Sera’s face as a crack appeared in Blood Scrimmage on her foot.

“Ugh!”

Sera’s blood had to actually make contact with someone’s bare skin in order to take effect, and Rose Ishtar was proving to be very good at preventing that. In power, too, Sera was inferior to Goldiana, which gave her very little hope of winning in a frontal assault. She was the one who would take more damage in direct exchanges of attacks like the kick just now. However, she of course had other cards up her sleeve.

“Blood Ball!”

In response to Sera’s call, one of the spheres floating next to her took on the form of a huge spear, seemingly ignoring the law of conservation of mass. The spear then shot towards Goldiana and drilled into her aura.

It’s...actually coming through?!

Each Blood Ball was basically a compressed sphere of Sera’s blood that she could freely control through Bloodbending. Thanks to her higher Agility, she managed to land the attack in the split second the two of them were held in place through the leg lock. Through focusing all of its force into one tiny point, the blood spear had managed to penetrate Goldiana’s pink aura, boring through to reach her bare skin.

“Hmph!”

Right before the spear made contact, however, it suddenly exploded.

“What...is that?”

The way in which the tightly solidified blood spear had been reduced to a mere puddle had been so unbelievable that even Sera, who had promptly backed off after the kick, inadvertently gave voice to the bewilderment she felt.

“This is the ability of Rose Ishtar. It enables me to freely control all this looooove that’s overflowing from my body. Just like...this!”

Goldiana gathered her pink aura to her chest, creating a stout and sturdy shield—no, stout and sturdy muscles. The pink energy squeezed together to form something beyond a bodybuilder’s body to reach a state that could only be described as “an aggregation of muscles.” It was these glistening, all-enveloping pecs of love that had crushed the spear and repelled the blood.

“Okay, even I think this looks kinda gross,” Ronove blurted out. The muscles made from the pink aura seemed so strangely realistic that most spectators had also inadvertently turned away.

“That said, I might have been in trouble if not for Sixth Sense. I almost let your blood touch me.”

“Oh! You remember how my power works!”

“Of course I do! A good woman remembers everyone else first by their good...points!”

Even though she was quite a distance away, Goldiana swung her arm in a hook punch.

That attack...will reach me!

The moment Goldiana threw her punch, her aura rushed to gather around her right fist, forming a giant hand that shot forward as if it were rubber. It looked like her arm was extending, but Sera’s intuition helped her understand what was really going on.

KA-BOOOOOOOM!

This attack was likely the most simplistic and yet the most destructive that had been seen so far.

That was close! Is her Strength higher than even Zel’s?!

Sera hovered in the air, flapping her wings. The entire ground within the barrier, including where she had been standing mere moments ago, had been pulverized. The stage had been reduced to rubble, and there was a crater in the ground itself. Sera noticed Peach Ogre staring directly at her.

“Queen Bee Stylet!”

Goldiana stabbed in Sera’s direction multiple times with all her fingers from an open palm. Every single one of her invisible air bullets packed enough destructive force to not only open a hole in Sera’s body but blow off a body part, Blood Scrimmage and all, from a mere brush. The demon weaved through them while sending instructions to the remains of what used to be her blood spear.

“Collapse.”

The blood sneakily seeped into the stage fragment that Goldiana was standing on. At Sera’s command, the stage turned into sand and gave way.

“Oh my! That sure was dangerous.”

However, Goldiana leaped up with a soft whoosh that seemed at odds with her build, retreating to a safe distance in the nick of time.

About that “sixth sense” she mentioned, it seems to be less of a detection skill and more like precognition. But...

The moment she gave her order to the Blood Ball, Sera had also begun rushing towards Goldiana with Flight at full output. It did not matter that Goldiana could predict attacks if she could not evade them. The flying kick Sera unleashed carried all the acceleration she had generated with her superior Agility stat and caught Goldiana right in the throat, sending her large form crashing into a mountain of rubble. The feel of the blow informed Sera that, although she had given it her all, it had still proved insufficient for penetrating Rose Ishtar.

“Then again, if she could go down from something of this degree, I wouldn’t be having so much trouble.”

“I know, right?”

Sera easily slipped out of the way as a giant hand emerged from the dust cloud and smashed downwards, creating a huge hand-shaped indentation in the ground. The stage-changing team who had to fix this afterwards were so disheartened that their faces had turned haggard.

“Mm? That’s strange... I’ve been feeling kinda out of sorts this fight...” Goldiana muttered.

“Were you unable to sleep properly last night because you were too excited? Ha ha ha, you’re like a child!”

Sera herself had actually been unable to sleep the previous night, and Kelvin had had to forcibly put her to sleep with magic.

The debuff spells that I cast on her arms and legs before the match should have taken effect, but...

When the two had bumped fists right before splitting up to head onto the stage, Sera had cast two Rank C Black Magic spells—Sword Break, which lowered Strength; and Armor Corrosion, which lowered Endurance—on Goldiana, twice each. Sera was absolutely speechless in the face of the destructive and defensive capabilities that her friend was displaying in spite of what she had done.

This is what she can do with four active debuffs? Looks like I really have to pull out all the stops.

Sera lifted a finger, causing the Blood Ball that had been hidden within a pile of sand to start chasing Goldiana, reducing everything it touched to more sand. Naturally, Goldiana ran away from it, but she could not figure out what Sera’s intention was. The truth was that the demon was merely trying to buy time. She used that time to make further preparations.

“Oh? Is that the item you brought to the fight, Sera-chan?”

“Yep, it’s a special order made by Mel! Just the thing for picnics!”

Even from far away, Goldiana’s eyes could make out Sera plucking a cylindrical water bottle from her cleavage. Just as Sera had said, it was the perfect size for a child like Ruka or Shutola to bring along to a picnic.

“Is it...filled with a strange liquid like Grostina’s perfume bottles?”

“Nope. This is just plain old water. There’s just a lot of it.”

Right after answering, Sera threw the bottle at the ground. She hadn’t been entirely forthcoming—the water inside the bottle actually contained a little bit of her blood. Before the match, she had told the blood, “Don’t let the bottle break,” as the bottle was only as strong as a normal bottle. Now, however, she overwrote the order. Break the bottle right now.

“When everything’s said and done, I think Mel and I really have the best compatibility in fights. With the stuff she makes, I can do...this.”

The instant the bottle hit the ground, it cracked open and water burst out. In the blink of an eye, the entire ground within the barrier was flooded with water. To finish off, Sera dropped one Blood Ball into the water, like adding a cube of sugar into a cup of coffee. The previously clear liquid immediately took on a slightly reddish tinge.

“I see, I see. But Sera-chan, this isn’t enough to get through Rose Ishtar and touch me directly.”

“If this were all it did, then yes, you’d be right. But I can now control all this water!”

“Hm?”

The red water at Goldiana’s feet receded as the massive amount of liquid rushed towards the source of its power: Sera. It climbed up her legs and took on a certain form.

“Oh...oh my. I do think your powers give you a little too much freedom, hon.”

Now Sera had a giant tail of water attached to the demon tail that had become visible due to Blood Scrimmage. She flicked it back and forth a few times as if testing how it felt. It was so long that there was no way she would be able to use it properly if she wasn’t flying, and there were blades made from blood embedded along its length. Conceptually, it was similar to the whip that Grostina had used during her match, but the scale was on an entirely different level.

“You’re hardly one to talk, Goldiana. And since this is a rare chance to have a full-on battle with a close friend, I’ve got to put in the effort!”

The water tail rushed out in a horizontal attack, mowing down everything in its path. It swallowed every last piece of rubble in its way, clearing away the shattered remains of the stage. Everything that entered the tail came under Blood Dominion’s control, eagerly awaiting its new master’s order to attack. The surprise of seeing the grounds so perfectly clean ended up being a nice surprise for the stage-changing team, bringing a smile to all their faces. Their opinion of Sera shot through the roof even without it being intentional on her part. In the end, it was just another instance of her ridiculously high Luck stat at work.

The cost of this was incredibly steep, however, as it ended up making her tail even more dreadful and formidable.

“How does Bloody Reaper’s Tail sound? I just came up with the idea for this move on the spot, but it turned out really well! Go me!”

While Sera was praising herself, Goldiana landed after having leaped up to evade the tail attack.

“So, you’re going off the cuff? I really do admire that daringness of yours, Sera-chan.”

“Well, duh! After all, I get to practice on your special— Wait, what are you making me say?!”

Sera’s face changed from a self-assured smirk to being red like a beet in a split second, her Bloody Reaper’s Tail flailing up, down, and every which way with loud bangs. It was not clear whether the tail was truly connected to her emotions, but there was no doubting that she was extremely flustered.

Oh my, she’s just so intensely cute! Goldiana was considerate enough to keep that scream inside her heart, though. Soon, the tail stopped thrashing about, and Sera, having regained her composure, cleared her throat.

“I-In any case, our fight so far has given me a good idea for how to get through to you. Are you ready, Goldiana?”

“Come on and try it on me! A good woman makes her point with actions, not words.”

“You don’t need to tell me twice!”

The blades of blood in the tail gathered at the tip, then the whole thing charged straight at Goldiana.

What a large-scale way to hide her embarrassment!

Goldiana’s backfist smashed against the approaching tail tip, scattering more than half of the red liquid everywhere. Even so, the Bloody Reaper’s Tail did not stop. The Blood Ball that it had surreptitiously incorporated while making a sweep of the ground earlier created more blades at the cross section where the rest of the tail had been blown off. Then the tail was back in business and on the attack once more.

Hmm, grappling with that would be a bad idea. I may be sturdy, but it’s dangerous to remain in close proximity with this Bloody Reaper’s Tail. After all, it is liquid without a defined form. Even though I’ve been doing a good job protecting myself from Blood Dominion so far, if I get caught by the water, I would only be able to muster half my usual strength. Don’t think I didn’t notice the bit I blasted away secretly creeping back to rejoin the tail! In other words...rather than attacking the tail, I should go for Sera-chan directly!

Just as Goldiana looked towards the base of the tail, where Sera should have been, she found her field of vision entirely filled by an approaching wall of water. What’s more...

Fwoom!

Multiple pieces of the stage—which was made of very hard material—that had been on standby inside the tail all this time now shot out like cannonballs in quick succession. On a whim, Sera had thought of doing her own version of Bahl’s cube-throwing move and actually succeeded in her attempt.

Goldiana kept on firing Queen Bee Stylets to shoot down the cannon bombardment, but the restored tail was getting closer by the moment.

“Pink Doki Doki Smash!”

Goldiana gathered her entire aura to her right arm and threw the ultimate attack that had previously pulverized the stage. It collided with the tip of the water tail and sent a destructive force down its length that caused it to collapse with sheets of spray that seemed to claw at the sky.

“Hah! I got you...to concentrate all your power!”

“Wha—?!”

Sera, who was supposed to be at the other end of the tail, was now standing on the exact opposite side—right behind Goldiana’s back.

So the reason Sera-chan made the water look like a tail is to make me think she’d be on the other end! It was a bluff!

Goldiana had hit the nail on the head. Sera had figured out that the best way to deal with Sixth Sense was to overwhelm Goldiana with information. To that end, after detaching herself from the tail, she had used it to launch a bombardment and made it go on a rampage in order to draw Goldiana’s attention, just waiting for the moment all of Rose Ishtar was gathered for one big attack.

Sera had then rushed over as fast as she could behind the tail, using it as cover. This explained why, at that very moment, razor-sharp claws were digging into Goldiana’s back where the aura was thin.

“Hng!”

“Your aura might be very resistant to blunt damage, but it’s not all that effective against sharp attacks, is it? And I just happen to have really sharp claws in Blood Scrimmage form!”

The ends of Sera’s claws dug deeper and deeper into Goldiana’s aura until they finally punctured her bare skin. In other words, the conditions for activating Blood Dominion had been met.

“Dispel that aura!”

Immediately, Rose Ishtar disappeared completely. Sera had successfully stripped Goldiana of her protective aura. However, there was no time to celebrate yet. Sera needed to use more blood in order to give a larger quantity of and more complicated orders through Blood Dominion, and she had determined that blocking the aura was the most she could do with a mere touch. So she did not try to order Goldiana to stop moving.

“Ha ha, it makes me happy that you’ve been looking so closely at me! But...”

The muscles around the area Sera’s claws were digging into suddenly bulged up.

Huh?! I’m stuck!

No matter how hard Sera pushed or pulled, her claws did not budge. She could no longer move them. Goldiana’s fully clenched back muscles had completely locked her blades in place.

Sera could only give one command with the amount of contact she currently had. If she changed her order to “Don’t move,” then Goldiana’s pink aura would return to smack her away. She was stuck between two hard places—both in a physical and strategic sense.

“I’ve caught you now, Sera-chan!”

“Gah!”

Blood spurted out of Sera’s mouth as Goldiana’s right elbow slammed into her abdomen. The attack was so devastating that it even shattered Blood Scrimmage.

“You did, and now...you’ve got my blood on you.”

“I...didn’t really have a choice, did I?”

The elbow that had just slammed into Sera had fallen under her control. Goldiana felt herself losing all feeling in her right arm from the elbow down at the exact same moment she used her left hand to parry Sera’s thrust. Or rather, she did not parry it so much as destroy it. Sera had swung her one free claw at Goldiana’s head, but Goldiana had instantly grabbed the claw and crushed it. This caused her to lose control and feeling in her left hand, so she used that elbow to unleash another elbow jab. With every attack she made, she lost control of additional parts of her body.

“Huff...huff...”

The impact from the second elbow jab had snapped the claw lodged in Goldiana’s back. The tips were still stuck inside, so the effect from their contact remained. Sera had taken a huge amount of damage, but the silver lining was that she was now free.

“You seem like a candle flickering in the wind, Sera-chan. But I suppose this is nothing for you and your regenerative powers, right?”

“What hurts, ugh...still hurts.”

Rose Ishtar was blocked, and both of Goldiana’s arms were beyond her control. On the other hand, Blood Scrimmage had been shattered in multiple places and was on the verge of crumbling entirely. It was clear which of the two was more hurt. And yet, the match was practically over.

“Goldi...ana...when you...drink coffee...how many sugars...do you...put in?”

“Well...three sounds good. I like it black too, but I’m in the mood for three. When I see a dream slipping through my fingers...when I feel heartbroken...I end up wanting to drink something sweet.”

“I see...”

The water from the collapsed Bloody Reaper’s Tail washed over the two figures, once again flooding the entirety of the grounds within the barrier. Sera dropped a third Blood Ball—the last one—into the water and activated her skill. Now that she had lost the protection from her aura, Goldiana had lost control of her legs to the water, which had grown even thicker with blood than before.

As the water slowly crawled up her body, she watched Sera, who was all beaten up and still had blood dribbling down her lips, pulling a fist back. In spite of how she looked, however, Sera’s victory was imminent. All she had to do was touch Goldiana’s forehead with her own blood or simply wait for the crawling water to do the work.

“I want to at least end this with my own words,” Goldiana said. With tears streaming down her face, she declared, “I’ve lost.”