Chapter 18: Imperial Capital ~Martial Arts Tournament~ 39
The next morning, I took a carriage through streets even more crowded than before, and entered the arena.
Today, two semi-final matches are scheduled for the morning. Tomorrow will be the final match, awards ceremony, and closing ceremony.
Receiving encouragement from the team, I headed to the waiting room for the first match.
While I was stretching, Grand Master Dorozitte (she) casually dropped by.
“Soushi-san, it’s finally here. What do you think about Momentarl (he), Soushi-san?”
“After hearing Karma’s (she/her) story from yesterday, and talking with Frey (she) last night, we’ve concluded that he’s the golem from ‘Netherworld Candlestick’.”
“Not that he’s being manipulated, or that he’s devoted to ‘Netherworld Candlestick’, but something more?”
“Yes, I’m almost certain.”
“So, Momentarl (he) himself is no longer in this world?”
“Unfortunately, that’s highly likely. It’s the worst-case scenario, and I certainly hope I’m wrong.”
“Hmm, we can’t be optimistic. What about Marquis Falcrum (he) then?”
“That’s also highly likely. In that case, I think there will be action when Young Momentarl (he) falls, but it would be even more frightening if nothing happens there.”
“Indeed. Of course, she’s under constant surveillance, and we’ll be watching her especially closely today and tomorrow, so please leave that to us and concentrate on your match, Soushi-san.”
“I will. What I’m afraid of is when Undead are Summoned. I’ve told the team to deal with it. Frey (she) is an anti-Undead specialist, so please rely on her.”
“Of course, we’re counting on the power of the next Saint, as she’s called, of the Ashram Faith.”
Grand Master Dorozitte (she) winked playfully. Never forgetting composure even at times like this is what it means to be in a leadership position.
But Freynil (she) is still treated as the next Saint. Well, she has more than enough qualifications and ability for it.
“Well, if Soushi-san says so, I guess we need to change our response a bit. I wish you luck in battle.”
Waving her hand, Dorozitte (she) left the waiting room.
About ten minutes later, a staff member came to call me.
So, it’s finally here. Suppressing my slightly excited heart with the weight of ‘The Great Equalizer’ and ‘Immovable Bulwark’, I headed to the stage.
“From the direction of the Rainbow Dragon, Soushi (he), ‘Guidance of Sol’! First appearance in the main tournament!”
Raising my Mace and stepping onto the stage has become a routine.
The cheers that seemed to avalanche from the audience seats resonated deep in my gut.
“From the direction of the Scarlet Tiger, Momentarl (he) of the ‘Water Lily Lions’! First appearance in the main tournament!”
Young Momentarl (he) also raised his Longsword and stepped onto the stage.
His face seemed full of confidence, but his eyes felt somewhat hollow. The corner of his mouth was raised, but was that a meaningless, empty smile?
At the center of the stage, we touched the tips of our Mace and sword.
“Let’s both do our best.”
To my polite remark, the young man didn’t even twitch an eyebrow, and replied calmly,
“I won’t hand over Princess Maricier (she) to Earl Okuno (he).”
Apparently, he still intends to continue pretending to be Young Momentarl (he).
We exchanged “Good luck” and took our distance, facing each other about 30 meters apart.
It was a distance where my ‘Shockwave’ would barely reach. The young man seemed to have judged that distance perfectly.
“Begin!”
The battle, which had a very heavy meaning for some, began like any other match.
As usual, I held ‘The Great Leveler’ and ‘Immovable Bulwark’ in both hands and slowly moved forward.
Young Momentarl (he) stood still and watched me, but when I approached to about 20 meters, he began to move in a circle, as if to prevent me from closing the distance any further.
At this distance, my ‘Shockwave’ would reach, but it wouldn’t be an effective hit. The young man seemed to have a good grasp of that distance.
When I started to run, the young man used ‘Dash’ to create distance. It seemed he didn’t want me to get close, but at this rate, we’d be at a stalemate.
When I tried to run again, Young Momentarl (he) thrust out his Longsword. About 30 spears of rock were fired from the tip of the sword, all of which shattered in front of ‘Immovable Bulwark’. The impact was quite strong, and it was clear that the young man’s magical power was worthy of an A-rank.
After about 30 seconds, the young man cast magic again. This time, 30 spears of flame, but the flames seemed to have black shadows intertwined with them.
It felt unpleasant, but I had no choice but to block it with my Shield. The flames scattered on the surface of the Shield and rained down on my body. Of course, my resistance Skills prevented all of that, but it was unsettling that the black shadows also adhered to my body.
While I was distracted by that, the young man fired another spear of flame. He used ‘Preemptive Strike’, or the activation was fast. Leaving a gap between the first and second shots was a ‘feint’.
Since the black shadows felt unpleasant, I was thinking of blowing away the magic with ‘Shockwave’ next, but it was crushed. I blocked it with the Shield, but the black shadows still clung to my limbs and disappeared with a whoosh.
At that moment, Young Momentarl (he) distorted his handsome face and grinned.
“Here I come?”
Faster than his voice, Young Momentarl (he) stepped in. Of course, with ‘Dash’.
I swung my Mace and unleashed ‘Shockwave’—
“Ugh!?”
I couldn’t help but let out a groan. My upper body was strangely heavy. I suddenly felt a resistance as if something was entangled and hindering my movements, or as if I was moving my body in a highly viscous liquid.
Was it the influence of that shadow from earlier? That thought was only for a moment, and I put strength into swinging my Mace. But the speed was less than half of what it usually was.
Before I could swing the Mace, Young Momentarl’s (he) body was right in front of me.
The young man swung his Longsword down in a diagonal slash. I somehow managed to block it with my Mace. I tried to swing the Mace to drive him away, but the young man used ‘Dash’ to move to the left.
Young Momentarl (he) was trying to get further outside the Shield, and behind me.
I twisted my body and somehow followed. Compared to my upper body, my lower body moved almost as usual. Conversely, the difference in freedom made it very difficult to balance my body.
The young man’s sword was deflected on the surface of the Shield many times. I pushed out the Shield as it was, but the young man was no longer there. He was going further to the left, outside the Shield, and trying to get behind me.
“Amazing, to be able to move that much even with ‘Shadow Prison’ stacked on you.”
Contrary to his words, the young man’s eyes were full of mockery. He must be confident in the Skill or magic called ‘Shadow Prison’.
Certainly, it was a troublesome technique, a Skill that hinders the movement of the body from above the defense. Was it a more powerful version of the ‘Status Infliction’ that Marianne (she) uses?
But this Skill felt very unpleasant. It might be the power of the one manipulating Young Momentarl (he), not Momentarl (he) himself. Come to think of it, Isnani (he/him) was also using strange magic. The people of ‘Netherworld Candlestick’ seemed to have a lot of bad Skills.