Chapter 18: Imperial Capital ~Martial Arts Tournament~ 37
After that, Karma and I headed to the VIP seats together.
The members praised me, and Karma received words of comfort as we took our seats.
Next up is Lani versus “Pollard Drake” Jace, but it seems they’re taking a short intermission first.
In the back, Shizuna and Sphenia are talking, sandwiching Karma between them.
“Karma’s fight just now, the ending was a bit nerve-wracking, wasn’t it?”
“It really was. If he had followed up with an attack there, it would have been intentional murder. If he’s aiming for the top, it’s not something he would do, but it’s still not a pleasant sight.”
“Since it’s a Martial Arts Tournament, I suppose some roughness is unavoidable, but it’s not something I’d particularly want to participate in.”
“But basically, they all seem to know where the line is when they fight. I don’t think it’s as rough as it looks.”
Karma was completely back to her old self, answering in a light tone. Seeing that, Shizuna and Sphenia seemed to relax as well.
“If that’s the case, then it’s fine. It would be good if the next opponent, Lani, seemed like someone we could talk to, but that Momentarl fellow seems dangerous.”
“That magic of his, the speed of activation is a bit mysterious, isn’t it? Did Geshura notice anything?”
Asked by Sphenia, Geshura wriggled his tail and muttered softly, “Hmm.”
“It did seem like a strange power was mixed in. As far as I could see, it seemed like he was suppressing a pre-activated magic with that strange power, and then releasing it at will.”
“Is such a thing possible?”
“I don’t know. But since there is technology to delay the activation of magic, it wouldn’t be strange if it were possible.”
“I see…”
Indeed, there were contestants using magic to sequentially fire multiple magical spears. Considering that, what Geshura said might be possible.
Perhaps I nodded unconsciously, because Geshura left his seat and slithered over to me.
“By the way, Soushi. That magic seems to be incompatible with you. Do you have any countermeasures?”
“No, other than constantly moving around. If I knew where the explosions would occur, I could block them with my shield, though.”
“It may be difficult to predict in advance. However, I don’t think explosions of that level would cause much damage to Soushi.”
“It might be tough if it exploded near my face, though.”
“Such precise control would be impossible. But a quick battle would be the safest.”
“That may be so, but I’ve already shown my ‘Shockwave’. Of course, he’ll be wary of it.”
“Hmm. I suppose we won’t know until we try. He probably hasn’t shown all his cards yet either.”
Honestly, I felt like the match would be over in an instant if I just spammed ‘Shockwave’ at full power. But if I did that, the Young Momentarl would definitely not come out unscathed… no, to be clear, there’s a high chance he would die.
Even though the rules state that it’s not a problem if it’s unintentional, my sense of ethics isn’t that lacking. It would be a different story if I were certain that he was one of the usual mud dolls from the ‘Netherworld Candlestick’, but I’ll have to investigate that on the stage tomorrow as well.
While I was thinking about that, Lani and Jace appeared on the stage.
Lani carries the longsword ‘Shurou’, and Jace wields a greatsword of similar caliber.
“The Martial Arts Tournament main event, Round 3, Match 3. In the direction of the Rainbow Dragon, it’s Lani of the ‘Guidance of Sol’! First time in the main event. In the direction of the Crimson Tiger, it’s Jace of the ‘Pollard Drake’! Four appearances in the main event, best result being the semi-finals.”
The two exchanged greetings by touching the tips of their swords, and then took their distance from each other.
“Begin!”
And with the call, they both closed the distance in an instant.
Both of them have the ‘Flying Blades’ Skill, but it seems they aren’t planning on a long-range battle from the start.
The two combat styles are both vanguard types, but there is a clear difference. Lani attacks with speed, mobility, and a high number of attacks, while Jace excels in reach and destructive power.
Lani uses ‘Dash’ from a distance to aim for hit-and-away tactics, and then seizes the opportunity to step into her range for a series of attacks.
On the other hand, Jace responds with accurate defense and strikes from a perfect distance where his greatsword can reach but Lani’s longsword cannot.
This exchange of swords, which is very pleasing to connoisseurs, continued for about ten minutes.
“Jace has been in quite a few battles. I can learn from his fighting style. It’s going to be very difficult for Lani to break through that.”
Karma said, impressed, as she leaned forward to watch the fight.
“Lani’s speed can’t be fully utilized if he calmly deals with it while standing his ground. Since she can’t win with strength, she has no choice but to get close and overwhelm him with a flurry of attacks, right?”
“That’s true, but his swordsmanship itself might be superior. After all, Lani has only been an Adventurer for a little over a year.”
“A difference in experience… that’s significant.”
The battle between Lani and Jace seemed to be entering its climax.
Lani stopped using ‘Dash’ for attacks and seemed to have completely switched to close combat while stepping. Jace firmly accepted it as his territory.
When the distance closes, Lani pushes with a storm-like barrage of attacks, and when the distance widens slightly, Jace’s storm-like slashes run wild. It’s a match that can only be done by Rank A Adventurers whose physical abilities, including dynamic visual acuity and reflexes, easily exceed the human realm.
However, it seemed that Jace had more than a day’s worth of experience in pure swordsmanship. Lani was gradually being attacked more frequently. Since Jace’s pressure is already strong, it’s a very bad flow.
“This is bad. But if she’s going to do it, it’s probably here, Lani.”
Karma muttered something like that.
Just as I was about to ask what she meant by that—
Lani’s ‘Shurou’ slashed diagonally, and Jace’s greatsword blocked it. At that moment, the blade of ‘Shurou’ burst into flames. Fire attribute 부여 by ‘Attribute 부여・Advanced’.
Perhaps it was due to his accumulated experience that Jace pushed forward with his greatsword without flinching.
At that moment, Jace probably lost sight of Lani in the momentary flames that spread before his eyes. That’s why he immediately darted his eyes left and right.
But Lani was not at the same height as him at that time. ‘Dash’ and ‘Leap’, and then ‘Dash’ and ‘Space Kick’.
Lani, who had swooped down from above Jace’s head, inflicted a powerful slash on Jace’s shoulder and thrust ‘Shurou’ into his neck as he fell.
“I give up!”
“Match over!! The winner is Lani of the ‘Guidance of Sol’!”
In the end, Lani, who brought it to her area of expertise, won the fierce battle.