kscans

Chapter 44 - The Curtain Rises and Pride

The next day, at the arena.

It was the largest venue in the kingdom, about the size of the Tokyo Dome. The interior was, to put it simply, a colosseum. The center was covered in sand, with no stone-paved stage. The entire sandy area was the field. A thick, circular wall surrounded it, and atop that wall were the spectator seats.

There were thirty rows of seats, with space for an estimated three to five hundred people. Above the stands was a terrace, a space reserved for nobility and royalty—in other words, the VIP section. This place was often used for adventurer registration exams, pitting them against captured monsters, as well as for duels between adventurers themselves. It was the perfect place for a spectacle. The spectator seats were completely full.

The reason was the duel between adventurers, and the fact that ‘Flash’ was participating.

For fans of the party, it was an absolute must-see. Their opponents, ‘Intense Thought,’ were the party that, alongside ‘Beautiful Sword,’ had successfully defeated the Kraken.

Among the people, they were known as the party that had received orders from ‘Beautiful Sword’ to deliver the final blow to the weakened Kraken. Many thought it was worth seeing the party that ‘Beautiful Sword’ trusted, while others were there to enjoy the sight of a newly risen party being miserably defeated.

In the waiting room for ‘Intense Thought.’

Bardos and I were handed dolls by a soldier. I knew them well. They were substitute dolls. By putting our blood in them, if we took fatal damage, the doll would swap places with us, and any damage sustained up to that point would be healed.

Bardos and I put our blood in them and handed them back to the soldier. The rule here was that in a multi-person battle, the losers had to stay in the loser’s room until the match was decided. Bardos and I were ready. Bardos wore his usual armor, with a machete at his hip and a great axe in his hands. I wore Japanese-style armor, a helmet with a crescent moon crest, a Japanese sword and another sword at my waist, and gloves. Our preparations were complete.

As the time drew near, the two of us headed for the stage entrance.

The place was, frankly, vast. And empty. That was my impression.

But there was something even more jarring—the voices of the crowd. The jeers were so loud they were nothing but noise.

Bardos had a disgusted look on his face, so I asked him about it.

"...Of course it’s disgusting. Fighting in a spectacle like this. A fight to the death isn’t for the crowd’s entertainment, it’s a life-or-death exchange. ...It’s nothing but infuriating."

Bardos said with a look of displeasure and disgust.

I could agree with that. There was nothing more tasteless than enjoying watching people try to kill each other. As I was thinking this, the voices grew even louder. The cause was Rodel and Glad emerging from the opposite gate.

The crowd roared.

"Kyaaa—!! Rodel-samaaa—♡"

"Glad-saaan!! We’re cheering for you—!"

"Beat down those two upstarts—!!"

"Die a pathetic death before Rodel-sama—!!"

Such cheers and jeers echoed through the arena.

Bardos and I listened with indifferent expressions. I didn’t know what kind of experiences Bardos had, but as for me, I had been subjected to endless shouting and sarcasm from my superiors, colleagues, and juniors at my previous company.

Compared to that, this wasn’t even worth getting angry about, let alone refuting.

With that thought, I looked around and saw ‘Beautiful Sword’ sitting in the stands to my right. They were silent, their faces expressionless, and they gave us a thumbs-up. It was their way of saying, Do your best. I gave a slow nod. Bardos seemed to have noticed as well and nodded toward them.

If they were to cheer for us openly, it would only complicate things—in other words, cause trouble. Mostly from Rodel.

‘Intense Thought’ and ‘Flash’ faced each other, closing the distance until they reached a suitable fighting position.

As for their equipment, Rodel wore golden full-plate armor with a sword at his waist. Glad wore full-plate armor with a helmet, a great shield in one hand, and a mace in the other. Rodel spoke.

"I’ll give you credit for having the guts to show up. ...But in the end, you’re just a nobody who can’t do anything without a competent person to guide you. I’ll teach you the meaning of class."

Rodel said, pointing his right index finger at me.

I replied.

"Is that all you have to say? Then let’s get this over with."

I said, gripping the hilt of my sword.

I took a stance, ready to wait until he drew his weapon.

Seeing this, Rodel was incensed.

"What! ...I gave you a chance to say something, and this is how you respond? Fine. If you’re so eager to lose pathetically, then I’ll grant your wish!"

Rodel shouted as he drew his sword.

As expected, the blade was made of gold. He held the sword up as if to show it off to me.

"Behold. This is the strongest sword in the kingdom. Its name is Chrysaor. It has exceptional sharpness, durability, and is as light as a feather. This is a royal sword that His Majesty the King only entrusts to those with the Light Attribute. It’s a treasure that a commoner like you could never even dream of seeing. ...Be grateful."

Rodel boasted with a smug grin.

I calmly activated ‘Analysis.’ The golden sword was composed of sixty percent gold, thirty percent Mithril, and ten percent Weightless Stone. The forging method involved using the Weightless Stone as a core, hammering the Mithril and gold together, and finally using Earth Magic to strengthen and stabilize the entire structure.

Its weightlessness was likely due to the Weightless Stone. Its effect was to remove the weight of the forged weapon. I figured it was made so that one could swing it indefinitely without tiring. However, Chrysaor... I recalled that was the name of Medusa’s son in Greek mythology, meaning ‘He who has a golden sword.’ I had come across the name long ago while looking up demonic and holy swords on the internet. What a grand name, I thought, my face remaining impassive.

"Don’t make me repeat myself. ...Enough with the idle chatter. Come at me!"

I said, drawing my Mithril sword.

Hearing my words, Rodel’s face twisted in anger as he raised his sword and charged at me.

Seeing this, Bardos moved away from me and headed toward Glad.

Rodel closed the distance in an instant. It was a little surprising, but I already knew he had the constant skill ‘Body Enhancement.’ In that case, I could deal with him calmly. As Rodel swung his sword down, I deflected it with my Mithril blade and drove my left fist into his side. That area wasn’t protected by armor, and his black undershirt was visible. I punched him there with all my might. Rodel’s face contorted in pain, and he retreated from me.

As he clutched his side, I took the opportunity.

"‘Thunderclap Incarnation.’"

I enveloped my entire body in lightning magic.

Through countless practices, my activation time and endurance had improved, so a little pain was nothing more than an itch.

Rodel glared at me, still holding his side.

"You bastard— What do you think you’re doing, punching me?"

To Rodel’s thuggish tone, I replied.

"...There’s no rule in this duel that says you can’t punch. We have pugilists, after all. Or what? Are you going to cry to the king and nobles about something so trivial? Are you going to pathetically claim that a swordsman using his fists is against the rules?"

My provocative words made Rodel snap.

"...You will die here!"

Rodel screamed and charged.

His speed was still fast, but for me now, dodging was easy. I sidestepped to the right and swung my sword horizontally at his back. But Rodel immediately spun halfway around and blocked my sword with his own. For a while, our blades were locked, but feeling it was getting us nowhere, I relaxed my strength and lowered my sword and body. Rodel, carried by his own momentum, spun another half-turn.

He quickly regained his posture and came at me again.

From there, it was a clash of swords. Not a grinding of blades, but a sword clash of parries and dodges that continued on and on. Rodel was growing irritated at his inability to break through. After several exchanges, Rodel suddenly created distance and began channeling magic into his golden sword. I sensed he was probably increasing its sharpness.

I channeled magic into my Mithril sword as well. Then, Rodel closed the distance in an instant.

His speed was immense. He raised his sword high and brought it down. With minimal movement, I took a horizontal stance and blocked it. Our swords clashed, locked in a stalemate. I put all my strength into a horizontal slash and flung him away.

Rodel, irritated, swung his sword wildly, and I parried while counterattacking.

I was surprised at myself for how much I had anticipated this development. It was because his sword was too light; it had no weight-based attacks at all. The reason Rodel had been winning until now was probably because he had been able to cut through everything effortlessly with his Light Magic.

But I surmised he was attacking with the mindset that there was no need to use magic against this opponent.

That arrogance had created this situation. Then, as Rodel created distance, he held his sword horizontally with his right hand. A thrusting stance. Sensing something was coming, I decided to wait and see.

Rodel shouted.

"Skill, ‘Penetration’!"

He charged forward and unleashed a thrust.

I moved to parry it with my sword held sideways. But instead of sliding, Rodel’s golden sword pierced the tip of my blade. At the same time, it pierced my shoulder armor without sliding and left a scratch on my right shoulder. Rodel passed by me, ending up behind me.

I immediately turned and looked at my shoulder. It felt as if my armor had no defensive power at all. Even if he had imbued his golden sword with magic, my Mithril sword was also imbued, so it shouldn’t have been cut so easily.

But the tip of my sword was gone, cleanly cut.

Seeing this, Rodel boasted.

"How do you like that, bumpkin? This is my skill, ‘Penetration.’ A skill that pierces all things. Before it, no matter how sturdy something is, it is meaningless. Do you understand now what a formidable person you are facing?"

Rodel said with full confidence.

Having landed an attack seemed to have calmed him down a bit. But wait, Light Magic has the power to cut all things, and the skill he just boasted about has the power to pierce all things.

What a meaningless combination.

The only difference was between a slash and a thrust; both ignored defense. Besides, both magic and skills use magic power. Considering the consumption is about the same, it became even more meaningless. I was seriously pondering what kind of opponent I was truly facing.

Just then, a cheer echoed through the arena. But it wasn’t a cheer for Rodel’s attack.

Because I heard voices shouting, "Glad-san!"

The time rewinds to when my fight with Rodel began.

The battle between Bardos and Glad had started. Glad’s great shield blocked Bardos’s attack. Bardos was putting his strength into it, but Glad seemed to be giving his all just to maintain the shield. But Glad found a slight opening and thrust with his mace.

The mace hit Bardos’s side, but he was wearing an iron belly band, so he didn’t take much damage.

However, the attack forced Bardos back, and he reset his stance. Glad held his shield in front of him in a defensive posture. Bardos, on the other hand, held his axe in an offensive stance.

They glared at each other, and Bardos was the first to make a move.

"Wind Hammer!!"

He shouted as he threw a large ball of wind-infused power from his great axe with great force.

Glad, without panicking, raised his shield.

"Skill, ‘Immovability’!"

He activated his skill.

He took the great ball of wind head-on. I had thought that even if he blocked it, the wind pressure would blow him away. But after the wind subsided, Glad’s position hadn’t moved at all. Bardos wasn’t surprised by this and grinned. Glad’s ‘Immovability’ skill meant he wouldn’t move an inch from his spot.

Bardos’s face lit up with joy.

"It wouldn’t be interesting otherwise! Skill, ‘Berserk’!"

Bardos activated his skill as well.

His bulging muscles swung the great axe around with one hand as if it were a stick, and he charged at Glad. Glad, holding his magic-infused shield, didn't flee and continued to block Bardos’s attacks. He didn't flinch or retreat from the storm of the great axe, remaining rooted to the spot. Bardos felt this was getting him nowhere and decided to use his trump card. He imbued his great axe with magic, increasing its sharpness.

This great axe had been mere iron until yesterday, but Shinsuke’s ‘Matter Conversion’ skill had transformed it into one hundred percent pure Mithril. Glad, noticing the change, poured all his magic into his shield, increasing its defensive power. Bardos shouted.

"Here I go—! Murderous Dance!!"

Bardos spun his great axe horizontally.

The great axe and great shield collided. Bardos continued his horizontal spin while Glad desperately held up his shield. Using the weapons they took pride in, they met their opponent’s weapon, their pride, head-on to destroy it. That was the battle between these two men.

In the midst of the stalemate, a cracking sound, piki, was heard.

It was the sound of the great axe’s blade chipping and the great shield cracking at the same time. But the chipping on the axe grew worse, while the crack on the shield only widened slightly. It seemed like Glad’s victory, but Bardos didn't let up. In fact, he put even more strength and magic into his axe.

It wasn't that he believed in his weapon; it was that he felt it would be a disgrace to himself to back down now. That tenacity bore fruit. The crack in Glad’s shield gradually grew larger, and then, it shattered.

Seeing this, Bardos stopped his rotation. Glad fell to one knee, and Bardos let out a ragged breath. They remained motionless, in silence.

Then, Glad spoke.

"...I lose. My pride has been shattered. It’s meaningless to continue fighting."

To Glad’s declaration of defeat, Bardos replied.

"...Well, I can understand how you feel. But saying you lose just because your shield broke isn’t an excuse that works in a fight to the death."

Bardos sighed. Glad responded.

"...You’re right. If this were a battle for our lives, I would fight until my last breath even without a weapon. But this fight was, for me, a way to settle things. To see if you were worthy of being entrusted with Leona-dono. You shattered my shield. I will humbly admit it and gracefully accept my defeat."

As Glad bowed his head, Bardos said.

"? Well, if that’s the case, then I’m fine with it too."

With that, Bardos placed the blade of his great axe on the ground.

It was his way of showing he would not fight anymore. However, he seriously wondered, Why is Leona involved in this?

Scene change, back to Shinsuke and Rodel.

It seemed the other battle had ended in Bardos’s victory. They had decided beforehand not to interfere in each other’s fights. With that thought, I turned to face Rodel. At that moment, his face was contorted in extreme anger as he looked at the other two.

Rodel muttered.

"...Useless piece of trash."

He then charged toward the two of them with great force.

As he ran, Rodel activated his magic. Particles of light gathered around his golden sword, forming the shape of a blade twice its original size. By the time the two noticed Rodel, it was too late.

Rodel shouted.

"Flash Sword!"

He swung the sword in a horizontal arc. He cut down both Glad and Bardos in a single slash.

Glad’s head fell, and Bardos’s upper body fell. The two collapsed with looks of shock on their faces and turned into dolls. The crowd that had witnessed this spectacle fell silent. It couldn't be helped; Rodel had cut down his own ally without hesitation. If anyone were to cheer for him now, they would be nothing short of a fanatic.

However, it seemed there were no fans that dedicated.

But in this silent space, one person, his face filled with rage, shouted at Rodel.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing? What’s the big idea, cutting down your own ally?!"

To my angry shout, Rodel replied.

"I was just cutting down the enemy to avoid a two-on-one situation. ...Well, is it not excusable that I happened to cut down my ally in the process?"

Rodel said with a mocking expression.

It was true that in a multi-person battle, taking out the weakest link first is a standard tactic. Even if one had no intention of interfering, there was no guarantee the opponent would see it that way. But just a moment ago, I had heard him mutter "useless" to his ally. And his stance suggested he had intended to cut down Glad from the start.

Considering that, it was natural to assume he had done it on purpose.

Having come to this conclusion, my heart was filled with intense anger. I was certainly angry that he had defeated Bardos, but my rage toward Rodel for cutting down his ally like a piece of trash was about to explode.

I wished from the bottom of my heart.

I want power.

I want the power to utterly crush this guy.

At that moment, the surrounding space suddenly turned gray.

Everyone but me was motionless, as if time had stopped.

And a voice echoed in my head.

【You have acquired the skill ‘Turmoil.’】

It was the moment I acquired a new skill.