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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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“Another one-hit K.O.…”
I muttered, looking down at the unconscious demon sprawled on the ground, having just delivered a holy blow with my sacred knuckles, “Fine Conversation Starter Mk. II,” each finger adorned with a cross.
Round of 32, round of 16, quarterfinals.
I had won all three matches and advanced to the semifinals.
Two more wins, and I would be the champion of this long and arduous tournament.
Instead of returning to my quarters, I decided to watch Gav’s next match.
He was currently the most likely candidate for the championship, so I wanted to scout him out.
Ozma said he was on par with the Four Heavenly Kings.
If that was true, he might be a worthy opponent.
I had, after all, defeated three of the Four Heavenly Kings.
Mephisto, the Haunted Scarecrow, a dark mage specializing in necromancy and undead, was the first. His overwhelming numbers had been no match for my area-of-effect spells.
Dorothea, whom I had fought next, had been defeated due to her inexperience and arrogance. Having been praised as a genius since childhood, she had plenty of talent but lacked practical experience.
If she had faced anyone other than me, she would have been killed a long time ago.
And finally, there was Nick Iron, whom I had fought yesterday. His chrome body was impervious to physical attacks, and he seemed to feel no pain. Furthermore, the mana absorption device implanted within his body allowed him to nullify or weaken most magic. He was practically cheating.
If I hadn’t been a wind mage, capable of creating artificial magnets, I would have been defeated before I could even react.
…Anyway, back to the topic at hand,
He seemed like a physical fighter.
Ironically, mages struggled more against frontline fighters than against other mages.
Mages knew each other’s spells and tactics, so their battles were more about strategy and counter-spells. Frontline fighters, on the other hand, simply charged in, their bodies reinforced with mana.
They knew better than to give a mage time to prepare.
But considering that Dragonkin were masters of mana manipulation, it was difficult to predict the outcome.
There were many mages, myself included, who had trained their bodies to compensate for their weakness in close combat.
“Block A contestant entering!”
As I sat in the audience, watching the arena, the announcer’s voice boomed through the speakers.
A knight in red armor emerged from the entrance, greeted by a roar of applause.
While I couldn’t see her face, her long hair flowing from beneath her helmet and her slender figure suggested she was a woman.
“The Red Rose of the Arena! The indomitable swordswoman, Ginger!”
Cheers!
She was incredibly popular, likely due to being one of the few female contestants.
Ozma, also a female contestant and a quarterfinalist, was disguised as a man, her breasts bound by bandages, so she didn’t attract as much attention.
Ginger was hogging all the spotlight.
Then, it was Gav’s turn. The main reason I had stayed to watch.
“Block B contestant entering!”
While Ginger had enjoyed the cheers of the male audience, Gav received enthusiastic applause from everyone, regardless of age or gender.
“Our eternal champion! The Azure Dragonkin soaring through the sky! The undefeated champion who has reigned supreme for fifty years! Gabriel!”
“Gav! Gav! Gav!”
I had to revise my earlier assessment.
While Ginger was popular, she was no match for Gav.
The entire arena was chanting his name.
…Fifty years as champion?
He was incredibly persistent.
The two contestants shook hands on stage.
They seemed to know each other, exchanging brief nods before taking their positions.
The referee, confirming they were ready, raised his flag.
“Begin!”
As the flag swung downwards, both contestants moved simultaneously.
“Ha!”
Gav made the first move.
He charged with surprising agility for his large frame and struck Ginger’s breastplate with his bare hand.
Clang!
Despite flesh hitting metal, the sound was like metal striking metal.
Ginger, sent flying backwards by the impact, quickly regained her footing and planted her longsword in the ground.
A crimson pillar erupted from the arena floor.
At first, I didn’t understand what it was, but enhancing my vision with mana, I realized it was blood.
Ginger, the knight, was a vampire.
As the blood pillar rose, engulfing the stage, Gav bent down.
A pair of bat-like wings, covered in a membrane, sprouted from his back.
He leaped into the air.
“Do you think you can escape me?!”
Ginger, unwilling to let him go, stepped onto the blood pillar.
The pillar, rising rapidly, reached towards Gav, who was now airborne.
But Gav, twisting his body mid-air, caught the blood tendril with one hand.
“Ha!”
He clenched his left hand, and the seemingly solid blood tendril crumbled into a puddle of blood.
Ginger, seeing this, swung her flamberge repeatedly. Gav caught the blade with his other hand.
He grinned confidently.
“Do you really think you can defeat me with this?”
“Grr!”
Her attack thwarted, Ginger quickly dispelled the magic she had been preparing.
Her small body began to fall, and Gav, folding his wings, followed her down.
As they descended, Gav extended his long claws and swung his arm. Ginger, barely blocking the attack with her flamberge, sprouted bat wings from her own back.
Just as dragons were masters of magic, vampires were masters of transformation.
Possessing strength unmatched by other undead, and able to transform into mist, bats, or wolves, they were once known as the kings of the undead.
The two, who had been falling towards the ground, spread their wings and engaged in aerial combat.
Unlike ground combat, aerial combat allowed for three-dimensional movement, making their fight incredibly dynamic and exciting.
Sparks flew with each clash.
Ginger, her red armor gleaming, her golden hair flowing in the wind, unleashed a barrage of blood tendrils, while Gav fought with his bare hands.
He was an unusual Dragonkin, relying solely on his physical abilities instead of magic.
Their chaotic dogfight continued until Ginger, seemingly exhausted, plummeted towards the ground.
Unlike Gav, who still seemed to have plenty of energy, she looked tired.
“…You’ve gotten stronger, you monster.”
“Thanks. But you still have a long way to go before you can beat me.”
They exchanged light banter, then, as if sensing the end was near, prepared for their final attacks.
Ginger held her flamberge horizontally, and droplets of blood formed on the blade, quickly spreading and engulfing the entire sword.
Gav, meanwhile, watched her, his stance relaxed.
Then,
Ginger moved.
The moment her feet left the ground,
Eight blood tendrils erupted from her body, converging on Gav from all directions, along with her blood-infused sword.
An inescapable attack.
Gav, grinning, extended his right fist.
Thwack!
He flicked his wrist, his knuckles brushing against the blade.
That single touch shattered Ginger’s flamberge, sending cracks spreading across the entire sword. The eight blood tendrils also disintegrated.
Despite only touching the sword, Ginger’s armor was pierced, and she stared at Gav in disbelief before collapsing.
Thud!
An anticlimactic end to such a dramatic fight.
I was stunned by the technique Gav had used.
Was that…Fa Jin?
What was that doing here?
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