CHAPTER 325: SHURASAKI FESTIVAL—MAIN TOURNAMENT DRAW②

 

「Next up, the eighth contestant to clear the preliminary round!!」

The contestants were called up one after another and made their way to the drawing table.

④.

⑦.

⑲.

Names filled the enormous tournament bracket projected in midair, one at a time.

And then—a familiar name rang out.

「Next, the eighteenth contestant to qualify!! A warrior who put his overwhelming strength on full display in yesterday’s preliminary round!! ONIGAWARA GANTETSUUU!!」

「WOOOOOOOOOO!!」

An especially loud cheer rose from the stands, and Gantetsu strode toward the drawing table as though answering it.

The mere sight of his massive frame brought yesterday’s battle rushing back.

That absurd strength.

Those strangely refined techniques that seemed so at odds with his size.

And above all—

His promise to settle things in the main tournament.

「…Gantetsu, huh. I wanna fight him again.」

Just as I muttered that, Gantetsu stopped in front of the drawing table.

He looked down at the laid-out tags—

「THIS ONE!!」

He boldly snatched one up and flipped it over.

「Now then!! The number Onigawara Gantetsu has drawn iiiis—!!」

The projected image zoomed in on the tag.

For a heartbeat, silence fell over the arena…

「—HERE IT IS! HERE IT IIIIS!! NUMBER ②!!」

「WOOOOOOOOOO!!」

「Onigawara’s got the second slot in the opening match!?」

「Then that means… he’s up against Doumeki!?」

「You couldn’t ask for a better matchup!!」

The arena erupted.

Two magical cameras swung toward Gantetsu and me simultaneously.

The images projected overhead showed two men with gleaming eyes and grins spreading across their faces.

「UNBELIEVABLE!! Doumeki Aun and Onigawara Gantetsu will clash in the FIRST ROUND!!」

The announcer seized the moment, raising his voice to a roar.

「These two exchanged fierce blows in yesterday’s preliminary round, but their battle ended without a victor!! Now, the time has come to settle the score in the main tournament!!」

「…Oh?」

Returning to the waiting room, Gantetsu looked my way and grinned.

The draw was still underway, but that expression alone made my whole body itch for a fight.

During yesterday’s preliminary round, we’d had to keep an eye on our surroundings.

Gantetsu hadn’t been fighting at full strength either.

But in the main tournament, we could clash head-on without anyone getting in the way.

「Next, the twelfth contestant to qualify!!」

I had started to sink into my thoughts, but the announcer’s voice and the cheers from the stands pulled me back.

「The young heir to one of Bukyo’s foremost iaijutsu schools—the Kazehaya School!! KAZEHAYA SAKUYA!!」

A woman appeared on the enormous screen floating overhead.

Long black hair.

A dignified bearing.

A single katana at her waist.

Even through the image, I could sense an unusual stillness about her.

The way she left not a single opening somehow reminded me of Zen.

The rightful heir to one of Bukyo’s foremost iaijutsu schools.

I’d heard her name countless times since entering Amane-kyo.

—No doubt about it. She’s strong.

「Now then, Kazehaya Sakuya!! Which number will she draw!?」

Sakuya looked over the tags laid out before her.

After a brief moment’s consideration, she picked one up between her fingers and turned it over.

「W-What’s this!? NUMBER ③!?」

Cheers rose.

I looked up at the numbers displayed in midair.

①—Doumeki Aun.

②—Onigawara Gantetsu.

③—Kazehaya Sakuya.

「…I see.」

A smile naturally spread across my face.

Beyond Gantetsu, Kazehaya Sakuya awaited.

Seriously… just how much fun is this Shurasaki Festival going to give me?

「Aun, you look happy.」

「Of course I am. She’s an iaijutsu practitioner Bukyo’s so proud of, you know? How could I not want to see what it’s like?」

「I’m a little jealous…」

「Don’t worry. I’ll beat every last one of them, then fight you with everything I’ve got, Kinu.」

「…Mm. That’s not what I mean… but, fine.」

Huh? Was that the wrong answer?

Hmm… Oh well.

Even as we exchanged those words, the draw continued at a steady pace.

And then—

「Next, the sixteenth contestant to qualify!!」

At that moment, black smoke billowed up in one corner of the arena, and a man emerged from within it.

「Hm?」

Black clothing covered his entire body.

A cloth concealed his face.

A single ninjatō hung at his waist.

「Aaaah!」

I couldn’t help crying out.

It was the guy who’d interrupted my fight with Gantetsu yesterday.

「From the shinobi clan!! KIRIGAKURE SASUKEEE!!」

The crowd erupted, but Sasuke barely reacted.

He simply walked quietly to the drawing table and selected a tag in one fluid motion.

「—NUMBER ⑥!! Kirigakure’s opponent will be… KINUUU!!」

「OOOOOOOOH!!?」

As a murmur swept through the crowd, Sasuke handed his tag to an attendant and used some sort of skill—

By the next instant, he had vanished.

「…He disappeared.」

Kinu’s brows drew together slightly.

「He might be hard to fight…」

「Apparently, ninja make their living scouting and assassinating people, kind of like Nelfie.」

I folded my arms.

「When you think of it that way, there’s no telling what he’ll pull.」

「Mmph…」

Kinu puffed out her cheeks.

But her eyes were smiling.

What kind of fight is this going to be…?

A shinobi who concealed himself and attacked from blind spots.

Against him, Kinu, who specialized in powerful magic with a wide area of effect.

How is Sasuke going to get past Kinu’s magic?

Will he break through head-on?

Or will he stay hidden the whole time and wait for an opening?

It was a matchup that gave me plenty to be curious about, too.

The draw continued as I considered the possibilities.

And then—

「Next, the twenty-fifth contestant to qualify!!」

The announcer drew a deep breath.

「The young prodigy who is the pride of the Suigetsu family!! The magic swordsman who commands a divine beast—SUIGETSU ZEN!!」

An even louder cheer rose from the stands.

Amid that roar, Zen slowly walked toward the drawing table.

「Now then!! Which number will Zen draw!?」

Zen looked over the tags.

He hesitated for a moment—

Then picked one up.

And turned it over.

「Zen has drawn—NUMBER ⑫!!」

My eyes immediately shot toward the ⑫ floating overhead.

I was ①.

Zen was ⑫.

We were both in Block A, but on opposite sides.

Which meant—

「…Zen.」

The semifinals.

That’s where we can fight.

Just as I murmured his name, Zen returned to the waiting room and looked my way.

His expression was as tranquil as a windless sea.

His eyes, however, told a different story.

They burned with fighting spirit.

There was no need for words.

Make it through.

His gaze said it all.

You’d better not lose either.

I smiled back.

Even as we shared that silent exchange, the draw continued.

—And finally.

「ALL RIGHT!! The final number has been decided!!」

The announcer’s voice echoed throughout Tenka Touden.

Every eye in the arena turned upward at once.

The enormous tournament bracket.

All thirty-two names were now in place.

First, I checked Block A, where my own name was listed.

①—Doumeki Aun.

②—Onigawara Gantetsu.

③—Kazehaya Sakuya.

⑤—Kinu.

⑥—Kirigakure Sasuke.

⑫—Suigetsu Zen.

After checking those names, I let out a single breath.

「…I see.」

My gaze shifted to the other side.

Block B.

㉖—Genma.

「…Haha.」

A laugh escaped me.

Many of the favorites to win had ended up clustered in Block A.

Meanwhile, that wandering swordsman was in Block B.

In other words, to fight Genma, I would have to make it all the way through the fierce competition in Block A.

Gantetsu.

Sakuya.

Kinu.

And—Zen.

By any normal standard, it was a pretty brutal draw.

But for me, it couldn’t have worked out better.

All these big names, packed into the same block.

Then… I just have to beat them all.

The people I’d wanted to fight at this year’s Shurasaki Festival.

As long as I kept winning, I could face almost all of them—in this tournament alone.

「This is the best.」

「And with that!! The matchups for all thirty-two contestants in the Shurasaki Festival main tournament have been DECIDED!!」

The announcer’s voice rang out.

「The much-anticipated opening match begins tomorrow morning at NINE O’CLOCK!!」

「WOOOOOOOOOO!!」

「Doumeki and Gantetsu, right from the first match!!」

「I’m not getting any sleep tonight!!」

「Hey, hey, hey! Kirigakure and Kinu are fighting on the first day too!?」

「Tomorrow’s gonna be insane!!」

The loudest cheers of the day engulfed Tenka Touden.

The Shurasaki Festival’s main tournament was finally about to begin.

First came round one. My opponent—Onigawara Gantetsu.

「…Now that’s a worthy opponent.」

Heat welled up from deep within my chest.

Time to pick up where we left off yesterday.

This time, I’m taking you down head-on.