The first match was an overwhelming victory for
Gozur needed to rethink his training from the ground up. One way or another, he'd end up confined in the Underground Labyrinth. It might be better to have challengers face him with weighted cuffs and shackles, in a space deliberately set up to be disadvantageous for combat. The way things were, he was simply too strong.
I glanced at the spectators, and even without fully understanding the situation, they seemed to have caught a hazy sense of Benimaru's strength. They were still buzzing with excitement as they headed off to eat.
Well, with
I'd told Souka she could come to me for commentary once in a while, but she seemed fairly good at hedging and deflecting — she hadn't made a single request during the match.
Not that I planned to reveal anyone's true abilities, anyway.
I suddenly felt someone's gaze and looked over. A girl with slightly long ears was glaring — or was she? — in my direction.
She had participated in yesterday's second match, and I remembered her being sent flying out of the arena in an instant.
Was she from the Half Ear Long tribe? Her ears seemed a bit small for that.
Hmm. I couldn't recall doing anything to earn her hostility.
Probably my imagination.
Nearby, in the seats around her, I spotted some familiar faces.
The Long Nose tribe.
What was going on? The elder's granddaughter was beet-red and staring blankly into space. The guards around her seemed to be speaking to her, but she wasn't moving.
Was she sick? Well, if anything came up, they'd tell me.
With that thought, I stood up from my seat too.
Yakisoba — I had to hurry or it would sell out. I didn't strictly need to eat, but I wanted to buy some before it disappeared. It was delicious, after all. There was nothing I could do about that.
The lunch break ended, and it was time for the next match.
Second match:
No need to watch — this would be a clear win for Souei.
That said, Souei seemed determined to keep the fight going for a solid thirty minutes. He hadn't forgotten to put on a show for the crowd and keep the excitement up. That was the kind of capable guy he was.
But there was a problem. Specifically—
"Now then, it's finally begun! The match of our esteemed Lord Souei!!
This Dagura fellow is all muscle and brute force — so how will he fare!?
For Lord Souei, he's probably a nobody not worth worrying about, but hopefully he'll at least cooperate in making the match entertaining!"
What shameless favoritism.
I had genuinely started to feel sorry for Dagura at this point.
I called a temporary halt to the match and declared a change in announcer.
That was going too far. I would keep Souka away from Souei's matches from now on.
So, in Souka's place,
With a clean, lovely charm so different from Souka's, Shuna captured the hearts of the audience in the blink of an eye. Her skill was so dazzling it almost seemed like she was using an actual ability.
"Begin!"
Now the match truly started.
Dagura—
"RAAAARGH! Watch me, Lady
Witness the magnificence of my growth!!"
He bellowed, wrapping his entire body in combat aura, and charged at Souei with tremendous force.
It was like a massive energy projectile — with enough power to send anyone it touched flying.
But—
"It's an afterimage."
Indeed.
Not a clone or anything of the sort — a true afterimage in every sense of the word. He left behind the tiniest sliver of magicule particles while using Spatial Transfer.
A tangible afterimage body that still possessed mass and presence — something you couldn't even call a clone. It was a false body that could only be produced when Clone Technique was pushed to its absolute limit.
This was an extremely advanced technique. Simply learning the skill wasn't enough to pull it off — you had to master it, refine it to perfection, before it became possible.
Souei had gotten behind Dagura, and from his blind spot, fired an energy bolt at the back of his neck.
The fist-sized energy bolt didn't have the same destructive force as Benimaru's Penetration Aura. However, as a precision strike aimed at a vital point from behind, the effect should have been devastating.
Incidentally, Benimaru had been able to take out Gozur in a single blow because he had spent thirty minutes refining his aura. He had condensed a far denser demon aura than normal and shaped it to carry the Penetration attribute.
Because it possessed the property of breaking through magical barriers, the only defense against it was to withstand it with pure physical force.
It was one of the effective offensive techniques available to those of us in the upper echelons who could master multiple barriers.
Souei's energy bolt this time hadn't been refined like Penetration Aura — it was simply a condensed projectile. Effective against lower beings, but nowhere near enough to work on someone like us.
And yet, with that precise hit to the back of his neck, Dagura had dropped to one knee.
"Not bad… I thought you were just a bug clinging to Lady Shion, but you're halfway decent.
Don't get cocky just because you're a little popular.
That supposed ultimate attack of yours didn't even leave a scratch on me!"
…Excuse me?
Dagura, what are you talking about?
If anything, it was more like he got his knee knocked out from under him by a virtual phone punch.
"Didn't leave a scratch"? That attack was never meant to do damage in the first place, so of course not!
While I was still stunned, Dagura was ramping up his combat aura.
The demon aura leaking from his body filled the barrier, and visible waves of eerie distortion began swirling around him. It was dense enough to be seen by ordinary spectators.
In terms of raw energy alone, this guy truly was Demon Lord class.
But he had absolutely no idea how to use it. Well, that was exactly why he'd been kicked out of his country with orders to go study somewhere.
Besides, thirty minutes were almost up. The next attack would be the last.
"Take this — my full-power attack!!"
Rage of Nature!!
What an absurd attack name.
Pure brute force with zero thought given to defense. To put it bluntly, he was an idiot.
He concentrated all the demon aura enveloping his body into a single point and fired it at Souei. The energy spread out, then converged on a single point — an inescapable, all-encompassing attack.
But that assumed the target couldn't teleport…
"FOHAHAHA! Go ahead and teleport — I'll chase you wherever you go!"
Could he really catch someone after they teleported? Inside the barrier, he'd probably be able to locate them quickly enough, but from what I could see, it was an attack riddled with flaws.
The biggest problem was that he hadn't reserved any aura for defense.
If you took a fatal blow first, you lost. Defending should take priority over attacking. That was the basics.
And then, thirty minutes elapsed.
Souei, who had been teleporting around with an almost bored expression, the instant the clock hit exactly thirty minutes—
"Hazy Life-Severing Slash — Weak."
One step short of killing him.
One of his two blades was a sword capable of attacking the mind directly.
Physical and mental. He could switch between them at will.
This time, it was a strike from the mind-severing blade. With the skill's effect, it would normally deliver a fatal wound.
If he hadn't deliberately held back, that blow would have killed him.
Shuna was explaining that it was a pommel strike, and the crowd was applauding enthusiastically, but it had been a terrifying technique. Normally, it would have cut all the way to the soul — but he had severed consciousness right before that point and stopped cleanly.
This guy didn't just fight with threads — his swordsmanship had improved too. I genuinely wasn't sure whether he or Benimaru was more skilled now.
If I asked the Wisdom King, it would tell me, but I'd hold off. I'd save that for later.
And with that, the second match concluded.
Third match:
Now, the real question of this fight was whether Masayuki the Hero was the genuine article.
Masayuki's feet were trembling slightly. Was that a warrior's tremble?
Sweat was pouring down his forehead.
Was he truly on the same level as Hinata?
I turned my attention to the arena.
——————
My name is Hajimemashite — I mean, Honjo Masayuki.
You're asking what I'm doing right now? That's what I want to know!
A rather flashy-looking warrior is standing in front of me. The announcer lady said he's from the Lizard People race.
Hobgoblin? Yeah, right! How does a goblin evolve into something that cool?
But honestly, none of that matters.
The problem is: why am I standing in an arena-like place, facing off against this Hobgoblin?
This is obviously about to be a duel, isn't it?
Don't tell me… I actually have to fight!?
Masayuki had been in this world for less than a year. He'd appeared in the Kingdom of Inglassia, completely lost, and had been rescued by a boy who called himself the commander of the Free Guild.
The boy, Kagusaka Yuuki, had looked the same age as Masayuki but claimed to have been in this world for over ten years. He'd helped Masayuki with everything when he knew nothing.
But at some point, a fog had settled over Masayuki's mind, and he'd begun to feel like his own actions belonged to someone else.
Thinking back now, it seemed to have started around the time Masayuki had become aware of his own Unique Skill — Hero's Dominion — and consulted Yuuki about it.
That was roughly three months after he'd arrived in this world.
The Unique Skill "Hero's Dominion" was overwhelmingly powerful. It caused others to interpret Masayuki's actions in the most favorable light, so that no matter what he did, he ended up being praised as a hero. An utterly absurd ability.
Furthermore, due to Masayuki's own extreme luck — so absurd it was embarrassing — even a normal attack would become a critical hit.
Well, with Masayuki's combat skill, which amounted to having dabbled in kendo, it wasn't anything spectacular. But against bandits and low-level monsters, he was invincible.
Masayuki had joined the Free Guild on Yuuki's recommendation and started his career as an adventurer. At that point, the unnaturally high attack power compared to others had struck him as abnormal — that was what first made him aware of his own ability.
But the true terror of this power lay elsewhere.
Its effect applied to Masayuki's companions as well.
And any actions taken for the sake of his companions were all reflected back as Masayuki's own achievements.
In other words, all of his companions' attacks became critical hits too, and they even received his blessing. On top of that, all the recognition his companions earned went to Masayuki.
Thinking about it, he figured this ability had been born from the desire he'd carried — the wish to become a hero.
When Masayuki had consulted Yuuki about this ability, Yuuki had apparently smiled.
From that point on, the fog had settled over his mind, and days where even his own actions felt like someone else's began.
Masayuki and his companions grew at a staggering pace, and within half a year, they were being called "Heroes."
He'd been told to enter Inglassia's martial arts tournament and had won easily. After all, all he had to do was draw his sword, and his opponent would declare surrender. The audience had mistaken it for an instantaneous-speed attack, but in reality, he hadn't done anything at all.
It was merely the effect of one of the Unique Skill Hero's Dominion's powers — "Hero's Aura."
To resist this ability, you would need to be a holder of an equally powerful Unique Skill. But conversely, that also meant it wasn't omnipotent.
And yet, until yesterday, Masayuki had never once questioned any of this. He had believed, with no basis whatsoever, that they were invincible and could defeat any enemy.
(Wait — how could I have believed something so insane? More importantly, I want to run. I want to get out of here!)
Masayuki was confused, desperately trying to understand the situation. If he'd known this would happen, he wished the fog had stayed over his mind.
Right — so why had the fog cleared in the first place? That question nagged at him.
He thought back. Last night.
He'd gone to confront the silver-haired boy called the Demon Lord, saying something like "Prepare yourself — I'm the one who's going to defeat you!"
And the boy had just said, "Sure, do your best," and given him a casual pat on the shoulder.
After sleeping through the night, his mind was clear and he'd woken up refreshed.
Huh? Why am I in this place? That was how he'd ended up feeling.
No, he had his memories — but he had no idea how things had come to this. Honestly, the fact that he remembered being the one who'd challenged in the first place only made him more anxious.
He could feel the trusting gazes of his companions pressing in on him, making his heart waver even more.
"Now then, the third match is about to begin!
Against the young warrior captain of the Monster Nation, what kind of fight will Hero Masayuki show us!?
The two of them are staring each other down in the center of the arena!"
(Oh no. I'm genuinely running out of time.)
Masayuki's anxiety mounted. Normally, he would have been endlessly curious about things like the base of the announcer lady's tail, but he was in no state for that.
He looked at his opponent. And by sheer coincidence, their eyes met perfectly.
Looking more closely, the other guy was fidgeting too, clearly restless.
It was eerily similar to the demeanor of his opponents in Inglassia's martial arts tournament.
Masayuki thought: even though the fog had cleared, his ability hadn't disappeared. If that was the case, then the effect of making others interpret his actions heroically should still be intact, right?
If so… even if he ran away here, the audience would spin it favorably, wouldn't they?
Alright — let's go with that! Masayuki made his decision.
Once the match started, he'd just get beaten up. Even if the ability happened to work this time, there was no guarantee it would work on the next opponent.
Just one quick glance had been enough — that huge black wolf and that dragon-man warrior didn't look like opponents he could possibly beat.
The weapons were made of Holy Silver, sure, but he didn't think they could penetrate that steel fur or those scales.
He would run from here. That was the right call.
How should he explain it? He briefly considered this, but ultimately chose to simply leave without saying a word.
Being silent would let the audience come up with all sorts of imaginative excuses on his own… he figured.
With that thought—
"Wait. I forfeit this match."
He fought to keep his trembling voice steady and said just that.
Then, without another word, he turned his back and walked away.
It was the first time in his life he had ever concentrated so hard just on moving his feet.
And so, Masayuki made a magnificent escape from the greatest crisis of his life.
——————
Gobta and Masayuki had been staring each other down at center stage.
Then, suddenly, Masayuki declared his withdrawal and walked off.
Had he been a bluffing kid all along? Or was there some other scheme at work?
Gobta had been posing victoriously, but—
"OH—OH—OH?! What an unexpected turn of events! Hero Masayuki选手 has actually forfeited!
But this means we'll get to see the true worth of Gobta选手 in the next bout, won't we~?
His opponent will be
Having returned to the announcer's booth for this match, Souka's voice brought Gobta's memory crashing back. His face went pale in an instant.
If he'd known this was going to happen, he would have preferred to lose here! You could practically hear Gobta's inner scream.
The audience had been buzzing at first, but—
"Oh! That's right — he couldn't go all out in front of the Demon Lord, could he!?"
"Now that you mention it! The Demon Lord didn't enter this tournament, so he withdrew too!"
"Well, even if he beat the Demon Lord, he probably wouldn't go for the kill, so I imagine he wants to settle the question of who's stronger."
"So Hero Masayuki is the type who doesn't enjoy beating up the Demon Lord's subordinates! How admirable!"
With these surprising interpretations, the audience began to nod in understanding.
And then—
"Ma—sa—yuki! Ma—sa—yuki!!"
A massive chorus erupted.
Masayuki raised one hand to acknowledge the cheers.
His movements were a little stiff, though.
What was this? A religion!?
He felt like he'd caught a terrifying glimpse of something monstrous. Why was he being praised for backing down without even fighting? There were things in this world that simply couldn't be understood.
But why had he suddenly stopped the fight?
《Analysis. Last night, your contact with Master caused the brainwashing imposed by Yuuki to be undone. That is the reason.》
Oh, so that's what it was.
Wait — my demon aura could undo it? It probably depended on the extent of the thought manipulation, but still.
Having the brainwashing suddenly break must have been a massive shock. Which meant his withdrawal just now had been a carefully considered action.
That was quite impressive.
I'd treat him to a drink later. He was Japanese, apparently, and I wanted to talk to him too.
I'd also have Hakuro arrange some sushi for him.
In any case, I'd been caught off guard, but the third match was over.
Fourth match: Gabiru vs. Ranga.
The final match of the day.
Honestly, the result of this one was obvious.
As much as I felt bad for him, no matter how hard he tried, there was no chance of Gabiru winning.
True to form, the moment the signal was given, Gabiru attacked Ranga with his spear, but the blow bounced off his fur.
The matchup was the worst possible.
He tried creating a vortex of water to trap Ranga, but Ranga's Storm ability sapped the momentum.
He tried attacking from above, but Ranga had now gained the ability to fly as well, so there was no advantage to be had.
Naturally, Breath attacks didn't work on Ranga either.
This was terrible luck.
He'd drawn an opponent he simply couldn't beat.
Was it the downside of the "Trendsetter" ability? Good times and bad. He seemed to be able to pull out a good hand at the crucial moment, but it might have also drawn bad situations to him at other times.
Perhaps the good fortune he'd shown fighting the Holy Knights last time had come at the cost of this.
Well, Gabiru had exhausted all his attacks, and they had all come to nothing.
All that remained was Ranga's playful amusement.
The last match had been a walkover with Gobta winning by default, so having extra time was rough.
It looked like they'd spend a solid hour letting Ranga have his fun.
Well, it would serve as training for Gabiru and a good show for the audience.
Hang in there, Gabiru!
I cheered for Gabiru in my heart.
Namaste.