The second round begins with the next match.
The first bout is between last tournament's runner-up team and Seigen Tamers A.
Normally, I wouldn't have stuck around to watch — I should have been getting ready for my own match — but one member of the runner-up team caught my interest, so I decided to stay and observe for a bit.
He was a man of average build who didn't look particularly strong, but something about him gave me an unsettling feeling.
Already waiting on the Fighting Stage were Agri and the others. Agri's three Familiars — Grapple Apes — were checking the condition of their weapons just like humans would. The three carried a one-handed sword, a spear, and a bow.
I had wondered whether apes could even use spears, but the ape holding one was swinging it around freely, so it seemed to be using it more like a club. Calling it "proper use" would be a stretch, but the spear was being swung with strength that far exceeded a human's — I could hear it whooshing through the air, and the force behind it meant it would be far more than just painful if it connected.
Standing beside the three apes was an armored warrior who seemed irritated that the opposing team was taking so long. I couldn't see their face, but this should have been Agri's grandchild who'd been introduced earlier.
The opposing team sent out a warrior, a magic user, and the creepy-looking man.
I thought they were going to fight with just the three of them, but the last man pulled out a bag and began fumbling to produce something from inside.
What he brought out — with a bit of clumsy effort — was a muscular, one-eyed giant standing roughly three and a half meters tall: a Cyclops. And beside it, another giant of about the same height, but clearly heavier, with a vacant, dopey expression: a Troll. Both wore matching collars and simple, rough-spun clothing, but no weapons or armor.
According to the Guild, both were classified as B-rank or higher Monsters, and in terms of raw attack power alone, they could rival A-rank Monsters.
Near the Royal Capital, the environment wasn't suited to the giant race's habitat, so they were Monsters you'd almost never encounter. (Cyclops primarily inhabited mountainous regions, while Trolls lived mainly in forests in colder climates.)
The sudden appearance of the giants drew enormous cheers from the Audience Seats. After all, once both giants stepped onto the Fighting Stage, their heads nearly reached the height of the audience. Even though they were separated from the seats by some distance, their sheer size was overwhelming. Some spectators even looked frightened.
However, for Agri's side, this had to be unbearable. They already had the strength to defeat a five-person opposing team in the first round with just three members — and now, inhuman combatants had been added to the enemy's ranks. If you thought about it calmly, defeat was all but certain.
Yet in this dire situation, the one who seemed most fired up was the warrior.
The man grinned, then deliberately began stripping off pieces of his armor, leaving only parts of it in place. He removed the helmet and shoulder guards, and in the end, only the chest plate, arm guards, and shin guards remained.
He ordered the three Apes to take the discarded armor pieces and throw them off the stage so they wouldn't be in the way. The armor flew toward the Audience Seats, but a magic user stationed nearby erected a barrier that deflected the pieces.
The Ape that had nearly launched armor into the Audience Seats suddenly struck a pose. Perhaps it was trying to say, "I'm confident in my strength too!"
Dumbfounded, Agri promptly smacked both the man and the Ape on the head, but the audience seemed to find it hilarious — laughter erupted from all around.
The preliminary skirmish? Dead even. With Agri's side at a numerical disadvantage, it seemed like the real highlight of this match would be seeing what kind of tactics they'd use to fight.
As if waiting for the laughter to die down, the referee gave the signal to begin.
The first notable movement came from the opposing team... or rather, the Cyclops and the Trench simply moved forward to take positions up front alongside the warrior. But just the sight of two giants acting in unison was enough to send a thrill through the crowd — the audience erupted the moment they heard the heavy thud of their footsteps.
Their formation was something like a 3-1-1 — the Cyclops and the Trench at both ends of the front row, the warrior in a slightly withdrawn center position, the mage behind the warrior, and behind the mage...
the Tamer.
was stationed there.
The reason for positioning the Tamer at the very rear was likely to prevent...
Familiar Disqualification...
from being applied in the event the Tamer was taken out.
Agri's side had adopted a similar formation. The spear ape and the sword ape occupied both ends of the front row with the warrior in the center, but unlike the opposing side, they stood in a horizontal line. Behind the warrior was the bow ape, and behind that was Agri. However, Agri stood right behind the bow ape, staff at the ready.
The instant the referee stepped back, the Cyclops and the Trench began advancing with thunderous footsteps.
The bow ape loosed arrows, landing several hits, but the two giants merely grimaced and kept pressing forward. Seeing this, the two apes on the front flanks moved to circle around to the sides of the Cyclops and the Trench, weapons raised.
This maneuver caught the two giants off guard, and they halted. Seizing the opening, Agri's warrior — now unencumbered — darted in and slashed at the Trench's shin. The blow wasn't particularly deep given the Trench's sturdy build, but the pain was enough to make it scream.
The Trench, having been struck and now aware of the warrior, swung its arm down in an attempt to crush them, but the warrior was no longer there — this time, the axe was carving into the Cyclops's shin.
The Cyclops had been watching the Trench's reaction and was on guard, so it tried to dodge at the last moment. The cut only managed to inflict a shallow wound, but it drew the Cyclops's attention toward the warrior and away from the apes.
The sword ape seized the chance and leaped into the air, bringing its blade crashing down on the Cyclops's head.
Had the strike landed true, it could have dealt a fatal blow — but in leaping up, the ape had used the Cyclops's waist as a stepping stone, which allowed the giant to block the head strike with its arm.
The Cyclops swung its arm at the now-defenseless ape, but the bow ape laid down covering fire, forcing the giant to miss.
The Trench, being slower, was being outmaneuvered by the agile spear ape and struggling to keep up.
Up to this point, Agri's side had been running things smoothly, but the opposing team apparently realized they couldn't let this continue — the warrior and the mage began moving to join the fight, leaving only the Tamer behind.
However, something unexpected then happened for the opposing team.
Agri, who had been waiting behind the apes, began casting magic.
The magic itself wasn't particularly powerful, but her method of using it was infuriating — she launched flames shaped like living snakes, wrapping them around the bodies of the Cyclops and the Troll, and sent them after the approaching warriors.
And those fire snakes latched onto the faces of the Cyclops and the Troll.
Unable to endure it, the two giants clawed at their faces and dispelled the fire snakes.
They managed to extinguish the flames shortly after being engulfed, but they were still left with burns in the shape of coiled snakes on their faces, and neither of them could properly open their eyes.
While in that state, they were still taking hits from the apes, so the Cyclops and the Troll began lashing out indiscriminately. The opposing warrior and mage, caught in the range of those attacks, were forced to focus too much on dodging.
And without those two noticing, Agri's warrior and the sword ape began rushing forward.
By the time the opposing warrior and mage realized the enemy was heading for their Tamer, the Tamer was already within striking range.
Riding the momentum of their charge, one human and one beast swung their swords.
The moment the audience was certain it was over, yet another unexpected event occurred.
As if to block the descending swords, stone pillars erupted from the ground beneath the Tamer. Then, another stone pillar slammed into the abdomen of one of the attackers, sending them flying.
The warrior went hurtling backward, spewing liquid from his mouth, with the sword ape right alongside him. Fortunately, neither was sent flying as far as the Cyclops, so they didn't receive follow-up attacks while defenseless, but it was clear to anyone watching that they wouldn't be returning to this match.
As Agri and her companions faltered, the two giants — whose vision had largely recovered — along with the opposing warrior and mage, launched their counterattack.
Agri's team quickly recovered from their shock and managed to fend off the attacks, but they couldn't hold out for long.
The fragile balance was broken when the spear ape was knocked back by the Troll's attack, and Agri immediately called for surrender.
Hearing Agri's surrender, the referee declared the opposing team the victor, but the Troll began moving toward the fallen spear ape.
At the last moment, the Cyclops — obeying the Tamer's command — restrained the Troll, but it was clear the Troll had been trying to finish the ape off.
The referee couldn't simply let that behavior slide, but since no actual attack had been carried out, it apparently ended with just a severe warning.
The spear ape got back on its feet afterward, but the warrior and the sword ape who had attacked the Tamer were carried off on stretchers. Both tried to get up when being loaded onto the stretchers, so it didn't appear to be a critical emergency.
"That Tamer probably has first-rate power as a mage, but their ability as a Tamer seems second-rate to me."
Nanitaro, who had been watching the match beside me, muttered.
"What do you mean?"
"Huh, you didn't know? That collar is the same kind of thing used on slaves. Though, theirs is way rarer."
According to Nanitaro, the matching collars fitted around the giants' necks weren't decorations — they were extremely rare magic items. Their effect was apparently the ability to place the target wearing the collar under one's control.
There were apparently various types of conditions needed to place someone under control, and since the conditions differed depending on the item, the exact requirements weren't clear.
"Is that why they're second-rate?"
"Right — those guys are a bit slow to respond to the Tamer's orders, but that's because they're not obeying purely of their own free will. The delay is caused by their bodies resisting the commands."
I couldn't help but admire Nanitaro's impressive breadth of knowledge. When I asked how he knew all this...
"There was a time back when someone tried to put one of those collars on my neck too! The collar slid off the hook and they couldn't get it on, though! By the way, the guy who tried to put it on me ended up sinking to the bottom of a river! Oh, and I still have that collar from back then... you want it?"
"I don't!"
The collar Nanitaro held out was something barely holding its shape, and in his words:
"Well, it's so old it probably wouldn't work even on a goblin!"
Apparently.
"Nanitaro, you really get yourself into all kinds of trouble, don't you... getting caught, getting sold..."
"Oh, there's still more~ ...want to hear about it?"
Not knowing why he looked so eager to tell, I silently shook my head in refusal.
"Aw, how boring~"
While that was going on, the next set of Demon Soldiers was about to enter, so we headed back to the waiting room for the time being.
The moment we arrived at the waiting room, an official instructed us to rush to the entrance area right away. When we got there, a match had just ended. It was a fairly quick resolution, but hearing that Garibar had gone all-out made it easy to understand.
After passing the official's check and entering, the opposing team entered from the opposite side. Just as expected, the three front-liners were glaring at me.
"Second Round, Match Two. 'Orasion' versus 'Roengrin' — begin!"
With the referee's call, the team called 'Roengrin' immediately began arranging their formation.
However, this referee seemed quite agile, signaling the start and then promptly retreating out of range.
So we didn't bother with any formation and immediately charged toward our respective targets.
First out of the gate was Shiromaru, with Namitaro following a close second.
Solomon ended up third because of the extra motion involved in leaping into the air.
Slarin and I moved while observing the enemy's reactions, so we lagged a bit behind the three of them.
"Gyaa!"
"Haah!"
Shiromaru lunged at the warrior on the right side, aiming to bite the weapon-bearing right arm.
Namitaro built up momentum with some mysterious propulsion and charged straight at the warrior on the left.
Shiromaru's bite prompted the opposing warrior to dodge at the last moment, pulling his arm back. He took no damage, but the sword he was holding was bitten and snatched away by Shiromaru.
The other warrior timed his sword swing against Namitaro's charge…
"Ku-Wolf Turn!" or something like he yelled.
Spinning sideways in a flurry, he threw off the opponent's timing and got behind him… Though, Namitaro's spinning technique bore absolutely no resemblance to the Ku-Wolf Turn I knew. Rather than a "turn," calling it the "Namitaro Top" would have been far more accurate.
"Ah— pfft—"
Before the opponent could turn around, Namitaro's body slammed into his back. The warrior toppled forward from the impact of the rear tackle.
Seeing the warrior fall, the swordsman rushed at Namitaro with a slash, but Namitaro dodged it by spinning.
And then, at that moment…
"Kyaaaaah!"
A woman's scream echoed through the arena.
I reflexively looked toward the source of the scream, and there was Solomon flying through the air with the archer's legs clamped in his jaws.
Fortunately, the archer wasn't wearing a skirt, so there was no accidental upskirt incident.
Looking at where the archer had been standing, I saw a bow lying on the ground. She must have dropped it when Solomon grabbed her.
Dangling helplessly in the air, the archer kept kicking at Solomon, but her strikes didn't seem to deal any real damage.
When the archer unleashed yet another kick, the boot clamped in Solomon's mouth came loose.
"Noaaaaah!"
The archer plummeted headfirst toward the ground. Solomon's jaw dropped for an instant — he made a face like "Oh crap!" — and dove after her at full speed.
He managed to retrieve her just before she hit the ground, but with a guilty look on his face, Solomon carried the archer over to the edge of the Fighting Stage and set her down.
The archer appeared to have lost consciousness, and she was carried off on a stretcher by the referee.
The moment the archer began to fall, both sides had briefly frozen in the middle of their skirmish. Shiromaru had moved as if to catch her, but Slarin was already stationed at the landing spot even faster, so even if Solomon hadn't managed to grab her, the archer likely wouldn't have been hurt.
"Tenma! You're done for!"
Almost simultaneously with Namitaro's shout, several air balls came hurtling toward me while I had my eyes on Solomon.
"That's dangerous…"
The mage probably thought she'd caught me off guard, but even while glancing elsewhere, I had been keeping tabs on her the entire time, so it was all for nothing.
I raised the magic barrier I'd already prepared and blocked every single air ball.
Having launched a surprise attack that was deflected without a single hit grazing me, the mage wore a look of considerable shock, but she quickly composed herself and began chanting a new spell.
But,
that
It was a little too late, though.
Because Namitarou was right behind the mage, and Slarin and Shiromaru were flanking left and right, glowering as they closed in to surround her.
"Damn it! What are those guys doing?!"
The mage looked around for the swordsman and the warriors, but the three of them had already been taken out by Namitarou's group at some point, stacked on top of each other and left lying there.
"Your other members are all in that state… So what'll you do? You gonna give up?"
I asked the mage that, but before she could answer my question, she came charging straight at me.
The instant she broke into a run, she released semi-circular firestorms in three directions — behind her, and to both sides — as a blinding screen, but it was no use against the three of them.
"Whoa—! Bwagh—! Gueh—!"
Thinking she had pinned them down with the firestorms, the mage let her guard down. That was when Slarin's tentacles tangled around her feet and threw her off balance. She staggered right into a paw-slap from Shiromaru that sent her sprawling, and then Namitarou crushed her with a body press.
As a result, the mage was knocked out cold.
My role this time amounted to little more than glaring at Solomon, who had gotten carried away and made a small blunder — and then it was basically over.
"The winner — 'Orasion'!"
The referee, who had no idea what had been going through my head, announced our victory.
Cheers rose from the Audience Seats, but I decided to pull out right away and go watch the next match.
The next bout was between the Dawn Sword and last tournament's champions — whichever side won would be our opponent in the next round.
However…
"Jin and his team are going to lose."
I slipped into the same viewing spot as before and murmured my prediction based on an objective look at the matchup.
"Whaaat, Tenma, you're so cold… But I reckon the same thing, honestly!"
Namitarou and I were on the same page: if both teams were in top condition, the Dawn Sword could hold their own or better despite being outnumbered. The problem this time was that Jin and Garat weren't at full strength, so the gap in numbers would translate directly into a gap in power.
And that prediction ended up being spot-on.
At the start of the match, Jin and his team seemed to have the upper hand, but around the midway point they gradually started getting pushed back, and by the end they were completely overwhelmed and lost just like that.
Looking back on it, it felt like they had been in the palm of the opposing team's hand the entire time.
The members of the Dawn Sword seemed to realize that, and they wore frustrated expressions.
"As expected of the previous champions. They had the Dawn Sword under control from start to finish."
"Yeah. Jin and the others knew what was happening, but it felt like they had no other moves to make."
Jin and his team withdrew with frustrated looks on their faces. With that, all of Jin's matches were over.
Placing in the top eight as a team, with Jin making the top four individually and Garat qualifying for the Main Tournament—on the surface, those were impressive results. But since they had the potential to aim even higher, there was probably still some lingering regret.
With two matches remaining, there was about a one-hour break, so I decided to shift my timing and head back to the waiting room to avoid running into Jin and the others.
I figured I had no right to say anything to the team that just lost, since I was still advancing… or so I thought.
"Damn it! That was a total waste!"
"If only we'd been in top shape…"
"This is Jin and Garat's fault. Lina and I didn't do anything wrong."
"That's right! They should take responsibility!"
I had thought Jin and the others had gone back to the waiting room after their loss, but somehow they showed up in the viewing area where we were.
I was caught off guard by how unusually cheerful Jin and his team were acting, but then we got warned by staff for being too loud, so we had no choice but to move to Orasion's waiting room.
"But why the strange good mood? Aren't you upset about losing?"
As I handed out tea in the waiting room and asked Jin, he took a sip before speaking.
"Of course I'm upset. But look—even if we were being played the whole time, we gave it everything we had and lost. I have no regrets about that. Besides, I can't just keep sulking forever."
"Says the guy who's going to hold onto this longer than anyone else here."
The sight of Menace and Lina bursting into laughter at Garat's words.
"You're one to talk! You'll be lying awake tonight fuming about it!"
Watching Jin and Garat bicker, I decided it was good enough that they weren't feeling down about it, and didn't worry too much about them.
"I just realized, though — I've got to get revenge for Jin and the others... in both the Individual and Team Battles."
In the Individual Finals, the opponent was Amour, who had defeated Jin and Garat. As for the Team Battle, the next match was against the team that had beaten the Dawn Sword.
"Oh, now that you mention it, you're right~! Jin-san and Garat-san will have to root for Tenma-san twice as hard as anyone else!"
At Lina's words, Jin and Garat — who had been playfully shoving each other — made disgusted faces at the same time.
After killing time with small talk, the start of the semifinal's first match was fast approaching.
"Well then, time to head out... Do your best, Tenma!"
Jin and the others headed back to their waiting room, while I made my way to the viewing area.
Shortly after parting ways with Jin and the others, I heard a loud crash coming from the direction they'd gone.
It was probably the sound of Jin punching a wall. No matter how brightly he'd been talking just now, he was still frustrated — and it clearly wasn't easy for him to simply shake it off.
Passing by the staff members who rushed toward the sound without so much as glancing back, I headed for my destination.
After entering the viewing area for a short while, the Demon Soldiers made their entrance.
Garibar looked to be in good shape as he stepped out of his bag, swinging around a thick wooden club as a warm-up.
For the Demon Soldiers, Garibar's performance was no exaggeration the key to winning this match. He understood that, which was exactly why he was so fired up.
Their opposing team, same as in the previous match, was running a little late.
The Demon Soldiers' members didn't seem to mind, but the audience seats had started to buzz with murmuring.
Not long after the murmuring began, the opposing team finally made their entrance. However, only the Tamers and mages had shown up.
Was the warrior absent because of some kind of trouble?
Just as everyone was starting to think that, the Tamer who had stopped in his tracks opened his bag.