by Yuu Tanaka
Good news. My only problem was that he was getting a little too close for comfort. Chapped lips would be the least of his problems if they brushed against Fran’s ears.
“Really?” Fran asked.
The Beast King kept feeding Fran information, unaware of my dark thoughts. “Yeah. Doesn’t like being bothered, though. Tough character to meet.”
“Just tell me where he is.”
“That one respects my office even less than you do. Well, come over and I’ll write you a personal introduction.”
“You don’t mind?”
“As long as you tell me your secret.”
“Sure. I’m using a skill.” Fran told them about Stealth Evolution.
“Stealth Evolution…never heard of it.”
“But it does explain how she can conceal her form.”
Neither of them had heard of the skill before, which led them to think that it was exclusive to Black Sky Tigers. The two had yet to wrap their minds around Fran’s Evolution.
Teacher?
He’s telling the truth. He knows where the Godsmith is and he fully intends to introduce you.
So we need to visit the Beastman Nation.
Sounds like it.
“Sorry to leave you out of the discussion after you came all the way here to see us.” Rosch apologized, mistaking Fran’s conversation with me for silence.
“No problem. Can I go now?”
“Yes. That is all we wanted to ask. Thank you for the valuable information.”
“Hm.”
“If you don’t mind, we would love to continue this conversation once things settle down.”
“Sure.” Details would have to wait until after the tournament.
“Thank you so much. These are for you. They’re not much, but it’s the least we can do after calling you here.”
“What’s this?” Fran took the two tickets from Rosch.
“These are tickets for the assigned seats. You’re going to watch the fights after this, right?”
“You’re famous now,” said the Beast King. “People will spot you in the stands as soon as they see you. They’ll swarm all over you.”
“Which is why you should use these. They are a safe distance away from the stands, and no one will try and talk to you there.”
“Thanks. But why two?”
“The other one’s for your familiar. Consider it a reward for locking down Godo so well.” The Beast King smiled as he remembered Jet’s fight.
“Imagine my surprise when His Majesty insisted that the wolf get a ticket.”
“Sorry,” Fran said.
“Oh, it’s not your fault. My foolish king is to blame.”
“Why are you putting this one on me?!”
“Because it’s your fault. But seriously, it’s not like anyone’s losing out from this transaction. I trust that you will entertain Lord Solberd.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
The Beast King had bought the tickets off a beastman aristocrat who had come to the tournament for a good old-fashioned brawl. The noble wasn’t one to hold grudges against his liege, especially when the Beast King had invited him to the VIP room to watch the fights. It was a perfect chance to curry favor.
“We figured you wouldn’t want to watch the fights from here.”
“Hm.”
The passage leading to the assigned seats was spacious. The other guests saw Fran, but no one attempted to talk to her, probably because they were afraid of the direwolf at her side. I didn’t blame them. Jet’s tail stood at the ready, his face fixed with excitement for the coming match. Adrenaline coursed through Fran’s blood, making her look more intimidating than usual. I didn’t think a civilian would dare approach them. I enjoyed the privacy, so I let Jet play guard dog today.
Match still hasn’t started.
“Hm.”
“Woof.”
Perhaps it was because we’d blown up the arena. They were still in the middle of fixing the ring with Earth Magic. Maintenance mages were in the process of drawing out a magic circle. Twenty minutes went by before a new arena was formed and the combatants entered. Fran had finished her meal and was prepared to watch the battle.
The second match of the day was Amanda versus Elza.
“It’s been a while, Elza.”
“Oh, yes. You look beautiful as ever…”
Amanda’s confident smile earned a dreamy look from Elza. Her eyes were those of a maiden in love, and I remembered Dias saying that Elza was into both men and women.
“Ugh. I see you haven’t changed, either,” Amanda said.
“I love those cold eyes of yours! You’re slaying me!”
The air around Amanda started to grow heavy, and the match hadn’t even started. The two of them talked like they had known each other for ages. More importantly, who were we supposed to root for? The match began before I could decide.
“Haaaa!”
“Graaaah!”
“Too slow!”
“Speedy as usual, I see.”
Elza stood in place as Amanda pelted her with whiplashes, looking for a chance to counterattack. The fight was a spectacle to behold, with Amanda’s whip snaking around like a dragon and Elza’s mace leaving giant craters in the ground.
“Mmph!”
“Ooooh!”
“Aaahn!”
I was having second thoughts when Elza started moaning at the touch of the whip. This fight wasn’t exactly family-friendly, and I didn’t think Fran was ready for it, either. Unfortunately, we had to watch it to prepare for the battle tomorrow. I hoped the match would end soon, but Elza’s high defense value and Transmute Pain made that unlikely. Fortunately, Amanda’s strength pulled through.
“Just stay down!”
Rapid lashes weren’t enough to take her down. Amanda knew she would have to put more force into her strikes. She charged her mana, pulling her hand back for a second before lashing her whip. It snaked like a giant serpent towards Elza, too fast for her to activate her damage-reduction skills.
“Aaaahn!”
The whip hit Elza like a hammer, if the hammer was actually a log. She moaned as she was sent flying, the whip striking her right in the solar plexus. The attack had done some serious damage, despite the pleasurable sounds she was making. She lay sprawled out on the ground, not moving an inch. A big enough hit would cut the brain’s connection to the body, no matter how much damage mitigation she had.
“I can’t believe it! Ulmutt’s beloved hero has been defeated! Such an easy victory could only come from the A-Rank Adventurer, Amanda the Hariti!”
Only in Ulmutt could Elza be hailed as a local hero.
Did you see Amanda’s last attack?
“Barely.”
Me too.
The strike had happened so fast that the tip of Amanda’s whip was invisible. Multiple hits would be impossible to evade. Fran had the same thought.
We’re in for a tough fight.
“Hm!”
Amanda versus Elza was over. Fran took out a skewer from her Pocket Dimension and snacked on it as the ring was repaired. She examined the tournament roster.
“Next is Forlund and Phillip.”
Forlund’s going to take this one. Easy.
Phillip was at a clear disadvantage. I had seen both of them fight. Forlund was as big a monster as Amanda.
I just hope Phillip can last long enough to make Forlund take him seriously.
“Hm. Good luck, Phillip.”
Unfortunately, Phillip was annihilated in under three minutes. Forlund unleashed his magic swords as soon as the match began and made a hedgehog out of the knight general, killing him instantly. Still, Phillip got what he wanted. Before the match started, he appealed Bulbola’s plight to the crowd and asked for their support. The tournament was the perfect chance to appeal to the aristocracy.
I guess Bulbola’s still in a rough spot.
“Hm…”
The final match was the Dragonhead’s owner Phelms versus the Beast King
’s elite guard Royce. Former A-Rank would face active A-Rank in the most exciting quarterfinal of the year.
“Here’s to a good fight.”
“Likewise.”
The crowd had great expectations when they sensed the combatants’ battle auras. The tension was palpable, and the fighters soon made good on their introduction. Fran and I got lost in the fight, completely forgetting that we were supposed to be analyzing them as they tried to kill each other.
Royce’s basic strategy revolved around Dimension Door, teleporting to confuse his opponent and combining it with his agility as a rabbit beastman. He attacked with Land Magic. He was better at warping around the ring than I was, as much as it pained me to admit. At least I had a standard to aspire to with my feints now.
His Moonlight Magic countered his foe by reflecting their attacks back at them. He would feint to bait a counterattack, and counter that instead. Royce’s battle plan was full of smoke and mirrors.
Phelms handled Royce’s feints with a surprising strategy of his own.
Name: Phelms
Age: 63
Race: Human
Class: Wire Mage
Level: 68/99
HP: 436; Magic: 669; Strength: 231; Agility: 412
Skills: Stealth 5; Disassemble 8; Flame Resistance 8; Wind Magic 3; Danger Sense 8; Presence Sense 8; Wire Arts 10; Wire Mastery 10; Bind 7; Gathering 6; Hush 6; Abnormal Status Resistance 6; Trade 5; Vibration Sense 8; Oscillation 6;
Dual Blade Mastery 8; Wire Manipulation 10; Dagger Mastery 3; Throw 9; Lasso 4; Create Mana Thread 7; Bestiary 3; Magic Resistance 5;
Mana Sense 5; Water Magic 6; Cooking 8; Disarm Trap 5; Trap Sense 5; Lay Trap 8; Enhanced Thread; Orc Killer; Spirit Manipulation; Pain Immunity; Split Thinking; Mana Manipulation
Class Skill: Spool
Unique Skill: Dragon Slaughterer
Titles: Enemy of the Scaled Ones; Garrote User; Orc Killer; Dungeon Conqueror; Dragon Slaughterer; Mana Thread User; Monster Exterminator
Equipment: King Baleen Battle Wire; Dragon-Eater Spider Thread; Thunder Dragon Fang Dagger; Dragonscale Battle Shirt; Dragonwing Cloak; Bracelet of Poison Immunity; Earrings of Scent Removal
I expected him to fight with wires, given his stats…but I didn’t expect his strange weapon to be so useful. At most, I thought he would use his threads as an extension of his fingers, but it looked like he was controlling over a hundred of them. He chased Royce down by manipulating his threads, transforming them into swords, walls, and nets as necessary. He set up tripwires around the ring so he knew where Royce was at all times.
Phelms got hit, of course. His wires couldn’t stop a high-speed boulder, and he was at a disadvantage at melee range. Then there was the matter of Royce’s superior physical prowess.
Still, escaping Phelms’ threads in a confined space proved difficult. Eventually, they caught up to Royce and tore him to shreds.
“Your winner: Dragon Hunter Phelms! He may be retired, but the three-time hall-of-famer proves that he’s still got the moves!”
Phelms waved to the audience and thanked them with a bow. His honesty stopped the gesture from being condescending. The old man was no ordinary dandy. He could still hunt down dragons for ingredients if he wanted to.
He’s strong.
“Hm,” Fran said.
How do you fight him in such a tight space…?
“Can’t run.”
Yeah.
The semifinals were decided. First up tomorrow was Fran versus Amanda, followed by Forlund versus Phelms.
Let’s just worry about beating Amanda for now.
“Hm.”
Despite her love for children, Amanda didn’t hold back the last time we sparred. She respected Fran too much to go easy on her.
I never thought the day would come where we would fight Amanda again.
I wasn’t sure we could beat her, even if we had already defeated Gaudartha, who was at least as strong. I couldn’t shake my impression that Amanda was overwhelmingly powerful, probably because we fought her at an early stage of our travels. Fran was having none of it.
“We’re going to win.”
I know. Our goal’s the gold.
“Hm!”
“Arf arf!” Jet barked, not wanting to be forgotten. The other spectators left as we thought about tomorrow’s match.
“Let’s do our best, Jet.”
“Hm. Let’s go see Elza.”
Sure.
Elza had been kind to us during our stay in Ulmutt. It would do us no harm to visit her after her spectacular defeat. An official told us that she was sleeping in one of the infirmaries. The muscular fighter was still out cold, snoozing peacefully in a king-sized bed. And yet, she looked happy.
“Unngh…” Elza muttered in her sleep. “Mmph. Tee hee.” A line of drool dripped from the corner of her disconcerting smile.
You doing okay, Fran? This doesn’t gross you out or anything?
“Why should it?”
Just checking to see how you’re holding up.
“Should we wake her up?”
She looks fine. Let’s leave her be.
“Okay.”
“Hee hee heh…”
With that, we left Elza and returned to our lodgings. Sweet dreams, beloved hero of Ulmutt.
“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen! I hope you’re as excited as I am for the semifinals! Up first, we have a battle between two beautiful belles!”
I was getting used to the roar of the crowd, but they burst into louder applause when Fran entered the ring.
“Winner gets to go to the grand finals! Loser has to fight for third place!”
Let’s go, Fran.
“Hm!”
Fran was already fully buffed and Awakened. It would last for about an hour, so long as she didn’t use Flashing Thunderclap. The fight would be long over before then.
“Making her way into the arena is this year’s eye of the storm! This C-Rank adventurer has defeated all your favorites, even an A-Rank! The Swordceress, the Princess of Black Lightning…Fran!”
Princess of Black Lightning? I like the sound of that! Thanks, commentator!
“Now, this A-Rank has dominated all of her matches so far! Her beauty matches that of Hundred Blade Forlund, and she is the finest our kingdom has to offer…Amanda the Hariti!”
The crowd applauded Amanda slightly louder than they had Fran. And they’d fully supported Fran when she had gone up against Gaudartha, too… Wild beast versus little girl was an easier choice, I guess. Meanwhile, the beauty of a half-elf was not to be trifled with. Even the girls were screaming, their high-pitched voices cutting through the baritone of the crowd. They shouted, hoping their lady would turn their way.
Amanda paid them no attention and addressed Fran with a calm look. “I didn’t think I’d see you here so soon, Frannie.”
“Me neither.”
“I won’t hold back.”
“Hm!”
They smiled at each other before readying their weapons. The Madonna smiling at the pretty girl would’ve been picturesque if they weren’t about to murder each other.
“Hee hee.”
“Hm.”
Fran and Amanda locked eyes to preempt any sudden movements. They were ready to throw down.
I Identified Amanda again.
Name: Amanda
Age: 58
Race: Half-elf
Class: Whip Master
Level: 72
HP: 651; Magic: 808; Strength: 330; Agility: 457
Skills: Intimidate 7; Speedcast 6; Stealth 8; Disassemble 8; Wind Magic 10; Brute Force 5; Flash Step 7; Abnormal Status Resistance 7; Omni Radar 6; Elemental Sword 7; Throw 8; Whip Arts 10; Advanced Whip Arts 6; Whip Mastery 10;
Advanced Whip Mastery 7; Storm Magic 4; Magic Resistance 6; Mana Sense 6; Orc Killer; Spirit Manipulation; Dragon Killer; Enhanced Storm; Mana Manipulation; Enhanced Whip
Class Skill: Sky Whip Arts
Unique Skill: Beloved of the Spirits
Titles: Protector of Children; Dungeon Raider; Dragon Killer; Swift Breeze; Wind Mage; Monster Exterminator; A-Rank Adventurer
Equipment: Sky Dragon’s Beard; Hydra Hide Armor; Venom Gecko Mantle; Mad Eye Bull Boots; Armlet of Sacrifice; Thunderbird Feather; Barrier Ring; Shock Owl Throwing Feathers x24
Amanda was still the all-rounder, and seemed to have gotten even stronger during her travels. Fran had the upper hand in weapon skills, though. Still, we might not be able to beat her in a no-holds-barred brawl, so the tournament rules helped our odds.
Now, that new Class of hers… I was pretty sure she was a Storm Warrior last time. Did she change to Whip Master because it was better suited to the tournament? I’d never seen that Class Skill, either.
Sky Whip Arts: Speeds up the activation of Whip Arts by consuming more resources.
How fast could she go? We had to keep our guard up, especially when her Class had the word “Master” right there in its name. The additional resource cost would prevent her from using it forever, so I wondered if we could score some hits in that time.
The commentator saw that both combatants were ready and announced the start of the fight. “Begin!”
I was casting spells a moment later.
“Hexagon Tornado.”
Thunderbolt!
Thunder Chain!
Tornado Lance!
I anticipated her whip with tornadoes, and locked Amanda down with the speed and electricity of Thunder Magic. I’d invested some points in it after Lumina told us that it was the bread and butter of Black Sky Tigers. Thunderbolt was the one I had the most faith in. It was fast and stunned the opponent when it connected, making it perfect for locking down movement, like a more powerful Stun Bolt. Thunder Chain wasn’t as powerful, but its primary use was in binding the enemy in electric chains.
That wouldn’t be enough to defeat Amanda. Beloved of the Spirits, her Unique Skill, allowed her to nullify a fatal attack. We had to burn down that layer of armor before we could begin to beat her. My spells would hold her down and warrant the activation of her Unique Skill. After that, Fran could move in for the kill with Flashing Thunderclap. We weren’t going to let Amanda hit us with her big attacks, especially when we were faster than her.
We still had the upper hand in melee, despite the striking speed of her whip. I was ready with Physical Immunity just in case she got a counter in. Amanda was probably going for a one-hit kill, too, despite the multiple lashes her whip could dole out. I just needed to resist one hit.
