kscans

Chapter 122 - Two Matches

While Molzi and I were locked in combat, Tina was dealing with Loose and Dord.

The clash of sword and staff. In terms of strength, Loose seemed to have a slight edge, gradually pushing Tina back. Sensing this, Tina took a breath and parried the staff to her right. The move left Loose's right side wide open, and Tina slammed her left palm into her opponent's ribs.

A sword strike would have ended the match, but in that brief window, Loose might have counterattacked or defended. For a quick strike, her bare hand was faster than her sword.

Her gamble paid off perfectly.

Loose clutched her side, doubling over in pain.

Just as Tina moved in to finish the fight, a voice called out. "Fireball!"

A ball of flame shot toward Tina from her left. It was about the size of a volleyball. Tina instantly leaped back to evade it. The fireball struck the ground and exploded. The considerable force of the blast put Tina on high alert.

The magician, Dord, was likely intermediate or advanced. An explosion of that magnitude from a spell of that size was unthinkable otherwise. While not an overwhelming threat, she couldn't be ignored.

Dord approached Loose. "You're being too careless. She's the woman who took down the centaur at the border."

Her expression was blank.

Loose looked shocked. "What? I never heard that! Where did you hear it?"

"The adventurers who attended the party were talking about it over drinks," Dord explained flatly.

Loose's voice was a mixture of surprise and anger. "Why didn't you tell me?! Something that important?!"

Dord's expression remained unchanged. "Because you accepted the duel before I could. Telling you wouldn't have changed anything."

She said it as if it had nothing to do with her.

Loose sighed. "Haaah… you're right. Well, in that case… I guess we just have to do what we can."

With newfound resolve, she pointed her staff at Tina.

Dord likewise readied her own staff. As the two took their battle stances, Tina felt a strange sense of unease. She couldn't feel anything from them.

Normally, party members develop some attachment to each other. Their leader, Molzi, had been provoked and was furious, yet these two showed no similar anger, nor any fighting spirit on his behalf.

It was all too strange.

Even Rodel's companions, who had been with him under the guise of surveillance, had possessed the will to fight for their leader. In fact, when Tina had briefly teamed up with them for a monster subjugation, she had felt their desire to bring victory to their leader. It meant that, despite his selfishness, he had been a decent person in his own right. But these two had absolutely no regard for their leader.

Suspicious, Tina asked, "May I ask something? What do you two think of your leader?"

The two women looked at each other. "Nothing, really."

That was their answer. Dord nodded in agreement.

Hearing this, Tina's face fell slightly. "I see. Well then, shall we continue?"

She readied her sword, looking a little exasperated. The two seemed confused by her question but quickly returned to their fighting stances. The three of them faced off. Loose was the first to move.

She charged, her staff held in a thrusting position. Without slowing, she aimed for Tina's stomach. She was faster than before. Yet, Tina calmly sidestepped to the left. As if predicting this, Loose swung the staff around at Tina.

But this, too, was within Tina's predictions. She deftly parried it with her sword.

This time, it wasn't a deadlock but a momentary exchange. Loose continued her momentum, spinning her body like a top, and the staff came swinging at Tina once more. Tina parried it again and took a step back. Loose was clearly trying to lure her in. If she tried to close the distance, Dord's magic would fly. It was a nasty strategy.

Ordinarily, taking out the magician first would be the standard approach. But today's battle wasn't worth risking lives over. This was a quarrel between Shinsuke and Molzi.

Tina needed to keep both of them occupied for as long as possible.

If she went for Dord, Loose would go after Shinsuke. Conversely, if she focused only on Loose, Dord might make a move. She had to fight both of them simultaneously, keeping Loose engaged while keeping an eye on Dord. It was her only option.

Loose stopped spinning and swung her staff sideways at Tina. The moment Tina moved to block it with her sword, the staff split into three sections, connected by a chain. It was a three-section staff. It coiled around Tina's sword, and Loose pulled with all her might. The sword was torn from Tina's grasp and clattered to the ground.

As she moved to retrieve it, Dord chanted, "Earth Hammer!"

The ground beneath Tina suddenly swelled up and slammed into her stomach. She was thrown back slightly and coughed, but the defensive power of her Orichalcum and Adamantite armor prevented any fatal damage. Tina quickly got to her feet and assessed the situation.

Her sword was at Loose's feet, impossible to retrieve. Her remaining weapons were a shortsword and her Orichalcum Sword. Tina hesitated for a moment.

The shortsword was one thing, but the Orichalcum Sword was incredibly powerful and she wasn't yet used to handling it. Although this was an arena duel and her opponents wouldn't die, using a strong spell could lead to a loss of control. If that happened, the audience could be harmed. But these two weren't opponents she could beat with beginner-level magic.

Hesitantly, Tina decided to take a gamble.

She drew the Orichalcum Sword and took a thrusting stance. As she poured magic into it, preparing to cast a spell, the sword began to glow red.

Dord saw this. "She's about to cast a spell. Be on your guard."

Though her face was blank, Dord looked troubled.

Loose said, "I don't know what she's planning, but we just need to respond in kind. Dord, let's do our usual."

She readied her staff in a thrusting stance.

Dord channeled her magic. "Flame Dagger Addition."

She cast the spell. A twenty-centimeter blade made of fire appeared at the tip of the staff.

Then, Loose declared, "Activating skill: ‘Charge’."

She activated her skill and began to run. This was their winning strategy: Loose's skill would block the enemy's attack, and the flame dagger would deliver the final blow.

Tina held her stance, watching her opponents. She had anticipated they would do something if she feigned casting a spell, and her guess was spot on. The flame sword appeared, and the skill ‘Charge’ was activated. She had experienced that skill in her fight with Altorine.

Without panicking, Tina became as calm as still water and unleashed her specialty, water magic.

"Heavy Water Cannon!"

A torrent of water erupted, its power even greater than the one she had used against the Flame Alligator. Faced with the raging flood, Loose was terrified. But she trusted that the invisible wall of ‘Charge’ would protect her and charged head-on.

However, the moment she collided with the torrent, her feet stopped. She couldn't advance against the rushing water.

The wall of ‘Charge’ nullified a certain amount of damage, but anything beyond that was difficult to block. Loose had been using it all this time without knowing its limits.

Overwhelmed by the water's force, Loose was brought to a standstill, then pushed back. Cracks appeared in the invisible wall, and then it shattered. Loose was swallowed by the flood, and Dord, who was behind her, was caught in it as well.

The straight blast of water slammed into the arena wall, denting it and leaving cracks. When the water subsided, the two women were gone, leaving only two dolls in their place.

Tina's match was over.

Meanwhile, in Shinsuke and Molzi's duel, the clash of swords was my clear advantage. His strength was so lacking that I could easily block and push him back. Frustrated by the situation, Molzi started casting spells—wind, water, and earth, one after another, just to regain his footing.

Growing tired of this, Molzi roared, "I'll end this now! Durandal, release!"

As he shouted, lightning crackled around Durandal's blade. It seemed to be the effect of the Thunder Stone. I calmly imbued my own sword with magic. It glowed red and grew hot. I effortlessly blocked Molzi's overhead strike as he charged.

The moment our blades touched, lightning coursed through me. Bzzzt bzzzt! Molzi watched with a grin. However, I simply brushed it off with a cool expression.

Thanks to my repeated use of ‘Thunderclap Incarnation,’ the lightning barely affected me. I felt a slight tingling, but it wasn't enough to immobilize me. If anything, it was pleasantly relaxing, like it was loosening up my stiff shoulders.

Seeing this, Molzi put about ten meters between us. "You… you bastard! Making a fool of me! Take this! Random Shot!"

The moment he shouted, a ball of fire shot from his hand. I calmly sliced it in half with my sword.

Molzi laughed. "Ha-ha-ha! How's that?! What do you think of a spell where you never know what's coming next?!"

He laughed boastfully.

I was dumbfounded. If it's random, shouldn't you fire a continuous barrage instead of just one? Now that would be surprising, I screamed in my head. If I said it out loud, he would hear me.

I sighed and activated fire magic in my left fist.

Molzi saw this. "I don't know what you're planning, but do you really think you can beat my magic, commoner?! Random Shot!"

He cast the same spell. This time, a bullet of water emerged.

"Fire Shot!" I yelled.

I threw a straight punch, unleashing a barrage of fire bullets. The water bullet collided with the first fireball and was neutralized. The countless remaining fireballs flew toward Molzi. Faced with a rain of fire, even Molzi was startled and fell on his butt.

The fireballs landed near him, setting off a series of violent explosions. Molzi cowered in fear.

Then, one fireball hit him directly and exploded.

When the explosions stopped, Molzi was half-charred. He was still breathing, though. I approached him and delivered the final blow with my sword. Molzi's head was severed, and he disappeared, replaced by a doll.

My match was over in an instant. It seemed Tina's was finished as well.

After the match ended, a roar of cheers erupted. But for some reason, I felt empty. It was because the voices in the crowd lacked any real passion. It felt like they were just shouting because the match was over.

It felt like a mere formality.