Chapter 18: Imperial Capital – Martial Arts Tournament – 42
In the VIP section, Sfenia, Shizuna, and Karma celebrated my victory with hugs. Of course, Mariane and Sakurahime, along with Geshura, also offered their words of congratulations.
Freinir still seemed to be concerned about me. Larni was likely in the waiting room by now. The second match of the day was not scheduled to begin until later, so she must have taken some time alone to focus.
As I took my seat, Sfenia and Karma settled in beside me. Eager to hear about the battle, Sfenia quickly asked, “You seemed to struggle more than usual, Soushi. From up here, it looked like your movements were sluggish. Were you under some sort of influence?”
“Yeah. There’s a skill called ‘Shadow Prison’ that was mixed into the magic used against me. It seems to have a debilitating effect, making my body feel heavy the entire time.”
“I’ve never heard of a skill called ‘Shadow Prison’ that slows down movement. Oh, but Mariane does have her ‘Status Ailment Infliction’ skill.”
“From what the Grand Master said, it doesn’t seem to be a skill typical of adventurers. It might be a unique skill of the members of the ‘Candlestick of the Netherworld.’”
“So, he was indeed being manipulated.”
“I spoke with him during the fight, but it turns out he was already dead by that point. Apparently, he was just a corpse. It seems the ‘Candlestick of the Netherworld’ has the ability to manipulate corpses.”
Upon hearing this, not only Sfenia but also Karma and the other members fell silent for a moment.
“…That’s an unimaginable level of evil. But if you defeated him, what happened to the one controlling him?”
Now that I think about it, the method of controlling a corpse remains a mystery.
From the atmosphere, it felt like someone was possessing the corpse and moving it, perhaps using some kind of spiritual influence. Regardless, since Isunani had spoken as if he were still alive, it was clear that the manipulator was controlling him remotely.
“The Grand Master and the imperial officials are likely searching for the manipulator. However, from the way he spoke, it felt like the manipulator was consciously controlling the corpse. So, I don’t think the manipulator suffered any damage from that.”
“Then we’ll have to confront and defeat him directly.”
Sfenia closed her eyes and exhaled. It seems that the ‘Candlestick of the Netherworld’ is indeed a troublesome opponent.
“By the way, Soushi, it looked like your movements returned to normal at the end. Was that your usual technique?”
Karma asked, and I assumed “usual technique” referred to my ‘Excitement’ skill.
“Yeah. But strangely, I don’t think I shouted this time. How did it seem to you?”
“I don’t think you shouted, but even if you did, the crowd’s noise would have drowned it out.”
“Ah, that makes sense. However, I felt like I could control my skill a bit better this time. Whether that’s a good or bad thing, I’m not quite sure.”
“Logically, it should be a good thing. But…”
She hesitated, glancing at Sfenia.
I looked over as well, and there stood a beautiful High Elf girl with a sorrowful expression.
“It is absolutely unacceptable for the wild Soushi to be lost. Please reconsider your path.”
“Uh? Well, I guess… is that so?”
I wanted to ask who exactly would not allow it, but Karma said, “These things are a matter of personal preference, not logic,” so I decided against it.
I could sense that Sfenia had a preference for wild men. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to occasionally let my ‘Excitement’ skill take over.
“Now, we will commence the second match of the fourth round of the Martial Arts Tournament. In the Rainbow Dragon Direction, we have Larni of ‘Soul’s Guidance,’ making her debut in the main tournament! In the Dawn Tiger Direction, we have Marishielle of ‘Water Lily Lion,’ competing for the third time and having won all previous tournaments!”
After a while, the announcement for the second match of the day finally rang out.
On stage were Larni and Princess Marishielle. It was quite impressive that Larni, still just a girl, had made it to the semifinals of a tournament that determined the pinnacle of adventurers on her first appearance.
The venue was filled with cheers like never before, but not all of it was directed solely at Princess Marishielle. Unlike an old man like me, Larni was not in any way inferior to Princess Marishielle in appearance. In that sense, the excitement was entirely understandable.
The two on stage crossed their swords and then took a step back. It seemed Larni had been practicing and thinking about various strategies last night, but now we would see.
“Begin!”
As soon as the match started, the two began to close the distance slowly. Both were using a classic swordsman style, wielding their longswords with both hands.
Since both were users of the upper-tier skill ‘Swift Run,’ they likely wouldn’t engage in a ranged exchange using the ‘Flying Blade’ skill. Instead, it would either be a hit-and-run strategy from mid-range or a direct clash at close quarters.
The distance between them gradually shrank, and soon it was under ten meters. For users of ‘Swift Run,’ this was the distance referred to as “one step, one sword.” A single step forward would bring their blades within reach.
As the distance continued to close, it was likely that some invisible exchanges were taking place between them, even if it was not visible from the outside. Perhaps sensing this, the cheers from the crowd suddenly ceased.
Five meters, four meters—the gap narrowed further. Three meters, two meters—without needing to use ‘Swift Run,’ they were now within striking distance.
Larni was the first to make a move. Lowering her body, she flashed ‘Purple Wolf’ at her feet.
Princess Marishielle took half a step back and deflected the strike with ‘Fate Whisperer.’
Larni had likely anticipated this, as she didn’t let her body sway and instead flicked her sword upward, chaining it into her next attack. With the explosive power, flexibility, and reflexes unique to beastmen, she unleashed a relentless storm of sword strikes. It was as if a purple whirlwind was raging on the battlefield.
In contrast, Princess Marishielle deflected the torrent of silver light with minimal movement of her longsword. It was indeed a strange sight. The moment Larni’s ‘Purple Wolf’ touched ‘Fate Whisperer,’ its trajectory seemed to change. Rather than being deflected by force, it appeared as if the sword had been swung at that angle from the start, gracefully avoiding the princess’s body.
When a powerful strike was deflected, Larni’s body momentarily flowed with the motion. In that tiny opening, the princess slid in with a counterattack.
It was a precisely aimed strike, but Larni reacted with superhuman reflexes, parrying it with her sword. Thus began an exchange of countless high-speed slashes.
The crowd erupted as the two master swordsmen engaged in a fierce duel, their feet planted firmly. The overwhelming cheers were a pressure that felt as if they could burst our eardrums. There might even be some in the audience whose eardrums had actually ruptured.
For the first few minutes, it appeared evenly matched. Princess Marishielle’s swordsmanship was clearly superior, but Larni was compensating for that gap with her physical abilities.
The real issue was, of course, the princess’s ‘deflecting’ skill. While Larni was able to block the princess’s strikes, the princess merely deflected Larni’s. This made it much easier for the princess to transition into counterattacks.
Larni seemed to be calculating this and was attempting to minimize her movements, but it still appeared impossible to close the gap.
“She’s being pushed back. Perhaps it’s only thanks to Larni’s tenacity that she’s holding her ground,” Sfenia remarked.
That might be true. Until now, Princess Marishielle hadn’t engaged in such a fierce exchange in her previous matches.
“Well, Larni isn’t the type to be easily overwhelmed,” Karma, my childhood friend, said with a grin. Though, it seemed more like she was trying to smile but failing. She likely felt the weight of Princess Marishielle’s prowess.
At that moment, Larni made her move. As she swept her body low, she activated ‘Swift Run’ to create distance.
Then, as she turned, she unleashed ‘Purple Wolf’ and sent a ‘Flying Blade’ toward the princess’s feet. Simultaneously, she charged back in with ‘Swift Run,’ aiming for the princess’s chest with a thrust.
A two-pronged attack. With this strategy, it seemed impossible for the princess to deflect both attacks with her sword—Larni must have thought so as well.
However, at that moment, something inexplicable occurred.
Without hesitation, Princess Marishielle deflected Larni’s thrust with her sword. That part was fine. But surely the ‘Flying Blade’ aimed at her feet should have hit. Yet, that was not the case.
The ‘Flying Blade’ that seemed destined to strike instead veered away from Princess Marishielle. No, perhaps “veered away” isn’t the right expression. It was as if it had been launched on a trajectory that would never hit from the start. It passed right by Princess Marishielle’s side as if it had been intended to do so all along.
And as Larni launched her full-powered thrust, she left herself wide open. It was not the princess who would let that opportunity slip; ‘Fate Whisperer’ flashed against Larni’s side.
“No way… I surrender!”
With that, Larni collapsed to the ground.