Almost no one had a clear grasp of what had just happened.
The unexpected turn of events following a spectacular match befitting a martial tournament had thrown the entire Martial Emperor Festival into chaos.
Major upsets were a staple of every Festival, and it was not uncommon for criminal organizations harboring grudges to ambush participants. But no one had ever breached the venue itself.
Those granted entry to the Martial Emperor Festival — while diverse in occupation and race — were all heroes capable of cutting down a thousand warriors single-handedly. For anyone to appear in the midst of such a gathering spoke to an almost incomprehensible level of arrogance.
In the outermost ring of the spectator seats, farthest from the arena and at the highest vantage point, sat one of the VIP boxes. Radric Atorm Zeburdia, watching the match's progression from there, was one of the few who correctly assessed the situation.
"A fox… has appeared. To think he would show himself before this many people — what brazen nerve."
"To think he would crash the match venue like this…"
Standing beside him, the Captain of the Royal Guard, Franz Argman, grimaced. He had looked faintly pleased when Thousand Transformations was being overwhelmed earlier, but his expression was dead serious now.
The Nine-Tailed Shadow Fox was an extremely secretive criminal organization. Its true nature had become somewhat known in recent years, but there were still many who did not even know it existed.
Zeburdia was relatively well-informed on that front. He had evaded attacks from two of their operatives and had investigations quietly underway.
Radric murmured, looking at the mask worn by the attacker.
"That man's fox mask — it's the same as one I saw in that Treasure Hall."
"So the rumor that the organization has ties to that Treasure Hall is true after all."
The waystation they had encountered on the journey to the previous summit meeting was a Treasure Hall steeped in mystery, one that instinctively inspired dread.
Throughout history, organizations that invoked the names of gods were far from rare. One of the reasons Zeburdia had built his empire into a great power was that it had its origins in the destruction of a Treasure Hall — the Star Temple — that once stood where the capital now lay.
It was entirely plausible that the organization bearing the name "fox" had some connection to that waystation.
Tension ran through Franz and the knights assigned as bodyguards. Muriina, who had been watching from a nearby seat as well, gazed on with a face drained of color.
"Still, to take that much lightning and come out unscathed — he's quite the fighter."
"He must have some kind of trick."
The arena was thick with sand and dust, visibility was poor, but from the VIP box one could still make out the general situation.
Kraih Andrih's lightning attack had indeed struck the fox mask.
Lightning magic was a hero-tier spell. Its mastery was extraordinarily difficult, but its power more than justified that difficulty. Kraih Andrih was a name that sounded like some kind of joke, but his actual prowess was undeniably worthy of this festival.
And yet, having taken that attack — the fox-masked man was perfectly composed. His garments were a bit singed, but there was no sign of any real damage.
To calmly withstand a blow that had blasted away even Thousand Transformations, who was said to possess absolute defense — that was proof enough that his abilities exceeded even a Level 8 Hunter.
"Y-But Thousand Transformations also appears unharmed!"
Franz objected. His voice carried a mixture of the contempt he had so often directed at Thousand Transformations, and an unwillingness to let a criminal organization one-up them.
But the point was well taken.
Thousand Transformations, who had fallen after taking that golden spear, was now standing unscathed before the fox-masked man.
For a moment they had thought Kraih Andrih had been defeated, but what had that been? And they hadn't caught a glimpse of the instant Thousand Transformations appeared before the fox mask either.
Either way, two unknown quantities of inhuman power now faced each other on the battlefield.
The concession of victory must have been part of the strategy.
The fox-masked man who had immediately pressed his attack on Kraih was now watching Kurai warily.
"Absolute defense versus super recovery — is that about the size of it?"
The fox mask's attack was invisible. Neither lightning nor fire. The swirling dust had let the disturbance in airflow offer a brief glimpse of its force, but without that, it would have been impossible to detect the attack at all.
Kraih had been caught in that attack and now lay collapsed behind Kurai. His hand still gripped his staff and he was conscious, but his limbs were bent at unnatural angles. Combat was out of the question for him.
—This is going to be a long fight.
At that moment, Franz received a report from one of the security officers.
"Your Majesty, I have requested a security deployment. However, as expected — we simply don't have the manpower."
"That Krit. He held back, did he."
From the start, the festival's organizers had been skeptical about potential fox involvement. The enemy's methods were too clever, and the organization's public profile was still not that well known. Even the Empire had not been able to uncover the full scope of this attack.
They had recommended reinforcing security in advance, but the proposal had apparently been rejected.
The Martial Emperor Festival was by nature a dangerous event, and a reasonable number of troops had already been mobilized.
The reason no one had yet charged into the battlefield was that they had witnessed Kraih's ferocious battle firsthand.
Those permitted to compete at the Martial Emperor Festival were not the kind of opponents you could beat simply by overwhelming them with numbers. Indeed, if someone tried to restrain Kraih, who commanded lightning, a considerable number of soldiers would be killed or wounded.
Moreover, while some countermeasures could be devised if the enemy's methods were known, the fox mask's attack was a complete enigma.
If this were Zeburdia's territory, he could deploy soldiers while accepting the casualties. But even an emperor of a great power could only bring so many troops into foreign lands.
"I have deployed the soldiers we brought to various positions throughout the venue. We will not let them escape."
"…Good."
Franz's expression was tinged with frustration. If the man had fallen from the sky, he could presumably fly. Tracking him would be extremely difficult.
The soldiers they had brought were all elites, but they would be at a disadvantage against the fox mask.
"I have also requested cooperation from the contestants. I'm not sure how much they'll move, but…"
Whether the fox mask could be apprehended depended on Thousand Transformations and the contestants' combined strength — that much was certain.
Higher-level Hunters tended to use large-scale attacks. Rushing in carelessly could actually get in the way.
If it were a Party whose members always fought together, coordinated combos would not be an issue. But strangely enough, the members of Beginning Footprint seated nearby were simply watching.
There was not a trace of anxiety on their faces. They clearly held absolute trust in their leader.
Or perhaps — if they intervened without thinking, their strategy might fall apart?
The fox mask spoke in a heavy voice.
"I see… I thought something was off. The declaration of war didn't match the image I had. So you're the 'real' one."
"…"
"But this merely adds one more task to the pile."
Thousand Transformations said nothing. They simply broke into a grin.
Without taking any stance at all, their eyes were locked straight on the fox mask. An arrogance entirely different from the fox mask's own.
And then, Thousand Transformations opened their mouth for the first time.
"First — let me apologize. I really didn't think things would turn out like this."
Their eyes were fixed firmly on the fox mask, but those words were probably directed at Kraih.
So even their divine schemes had blind spots — but looking at Kraih, who had dominated lightning so thoroughly, it was no surprise they thought they could win.
"One or two, it makes no difference. Regret having defied me, and die."
The fox mask's voice was quiet, but it concealed a hatred with no bottom.
Thousand Transformations blinked at those words for a moment, then finally spoke in an exasperated tone.
"…Don't be so angry. I'm sorry too. I know I was goofing around too much, but let me say this — your organization had problems of its own, you know?"
"What… did you… say!?"
The fox mask was struck speechless. And then — the sky flashed.
A massive bolt of lightning descended.
The sound that shook the air. The light. Its scale was comparable to the previous bolts, but this one carried a soul within it.
The lightning pierced through Thousand Transformations — not the fox mask.
The unexpected sight made them gasp. Franz's eyes went wide.
The impact drove the fox mask a single step backward.
But Thousand Transformations had taken that divine judgment of a bolt falling from directly overhead, and in the midst of that blinding light, remained perfectly composed.
Kraih's raised arm dropped as though spent.
Thousand Transformations was silent for a while, then finally spoke with a look of genuine remorse.
"I'm apologizing, so… can you forgive me?"
"I see… You're certainly different from a fake. But — can you stay calm after seeing this!?"
The fox-masked man drew a single blade from his hip. At its appearance, Franz, who had been standing frozen, let out a trembling voice.
"Impossible… the Key of the Earth!? That should have been — in Thousand Transformations' possession."
A weapon of destruction said to have once toppled entire civilizations — the Key of the Earth. According to texts, its power could cleave the earth, the sea, and the sky, surpassing all existing armaments.
Its enormous magical consumption had paradoxically made it safe, since it was always being charged by Thousand Transformations. But now— "Now! Franz, have the Mages prepare defensive magic!"
He shot to his feet and barked the order on instinct. How the Treasure Weapon had ended up in enemy hands was unclear, but now was not the time to dwell on that.
With the Treasure Weapon in the fox mask's hands, evacuation was already meaningless. No one fully understood the situation, but if their response was too slow, everyone would die.
No — even if they didn't die, if the Treasure Weapon fully activated, it would not merely destroy Krit or Zeburdia. The entire civilization of this continent would be obliterated.
They had anticipated this scenario and prepared Mages proficient in defensive magic, but whether they could actually block it— And just then, one of the Royal Guards stationed at the venue's perimeter burst into the VIP box, gasping for breath.
"Captain, there's an attack! Men in fox masks — they're going after Princess Muriina!"
"What did you say!?"
Franz received the report with a sharp expression, but quickly turned to look at Muriina.
Muriina blinked nervously. Nobles from other nations in the nearby VIP boxes were looking over at Zeburdia's box, wondering what was happening.
The guard took a deep breath and delivered his report with precision.
"…They are currently — engaged in combat with a fake Princess Muriina."