Next Life – Chapter 43

The “Festival of Wizards” has one final event remaining. Will Ranleo take the crown again, or will another kingdom stop them? The final event, holding the key to destiny, is “Shooting Royale”!

“Oh, I’ve been waiting for this!”

“Huh? But won’t it be boring if we just do it normally?”

Some of the audience members voiced their doubts.

“Yes, yes, impatient ones. I will now explain the rules.”

Laughter erupted from the audience, and as it subsided, the event and its rules were explained.

Each participant wears a special pad. They then generate magic bullets and aim them at the pads. Hitting a pad earns one point and delivers a shock to the targeted participant. If they go down, an additional point is awarded. Hitting anywhere other than the pad deducts one point, and causing a participant to go down deducts an additional point.

“Participants, do you have any questions so far?”

Marius raised his hand and asked, “Is it allowed to block a magic bullet with another magic bullet?”

“It is allowed. In fact, defending with anything other than a magic bullet is a foul. And importantly, if you use magic, you will be disqualified on the spot and placed last.”

“Magic power, judgment, accuracy… it tests various abilities necessary for a wizard.”

Furthermore, attacking someone who has gone down is a foul, as is attacking while in a downed state.

“Please be careful as these will result in deductions.”

If a downed state persists for more than ten seconds, one point will be added every two seconds. As this was explained, Mireille raised her hand.

“When downed, what happens if you are hit by multiple attacks?”

“In that case, download points will be awarded to both.”

The explanation continued. Participants would be divided into four groups of five for preliminary matches, and the ones who earned the most points would advance to the finals. Those eliminated from the preliminary rounds would each receive three points, while those who advanced to the finals would receive twenty-five, twenty, fifteen, and ten points, respectively, for first to fourth place. Points earned in both the preliminaries and finals would be added to individual scores. The preliminary matches would last three minutes, and the final matches would last five minutes.

“Wait! I have an objection!”

One of the Ranleo affiliates shouted.

“I have no intention of criticizing the Kingdom of Boltner’s efforts to foster international exchange and keep the tournament exciting until the end, but I cannot approve of rules that diminish the significance of past top rankings! I demand a revision!”

The audience also began to murmur, and discussions started, with comments like, “It’s strange from a serious competition perspective,” and “But it’s fitting for a festival.” Henry IV frowned at his subordinate’s statement but did not openly counter. Bernhardt III and others contemplated evasive wording. Amidst the growing awkward silence, Barra sighed and retorted.

“Stop that embarrassing behavior, Zephrom. It sounds like you’re making baseless accusations because we couldn’t win the third event.”

Barra’s beautiful voice carried well, and her undisguised anger and contempt made Zephrom falter.

“Your Highness… but, you see…”

“Isn’t it enough if Philip and I continue to captivate the audience until the end while winning? That is the pride of Ranleo, is it not?”

Barra pressed on, not allowing Zephrom to retort again.

“Or do you not believe in our strength that much?”

“N-not at all.”

“Then there’s no need to change the rules, is there?”

Zephrom’s shoulders slumped. Barra bowed and said, “I apologize for the disturbance,” and the commentary resumed.

“Ahem… depending on how one fights, it’s entirely possible to outmaneuver the top players or achieve a comeback victory.”

“It’s a battle royale, after all. You don’t have to fight one-on-one.”

“However, it also possesses fairness in that it’s difficult to achieve a comeback without skill.”

“Especially this time, it’s difficult to predict.”

The first preliminary match featured Lucas, Hemrooth, Stacy, Mark, and Ares.

“Oh, Lucas and Hemrooth have already clashed!”

“The top four should be in separate groups, but… this time, we have strong contenders like Hemrooth, Warren, and Marius in groups below fifth place.”

“This bodes for fierce battles right from the preliminaries! The participants may suffer, but for us watching, the excitement is non-stop!”

As Weiss exclaimed, loud applause filled the venue.

“If you’re in the same group as Marius, you have my condolences.”

Felix’s playful remark elicited laughter in various places.

“Then, let’s begin the first match right away.”

Lucas, Hemrooth, Stacy, Mark, and Ares moved to the edges of the arena. The pads were located on the chest, both shoulders, both elbows, and both knees – seven locations.

“Now, let the first match begin!”

At Weiss’s command, each participant began creating magic bullets. Hemrooth and Stacy created three each, while Mark and Ares aimed all of theirs at Lucas. Lucas created more magic bullets to intercept but was too late, taking five hits.

“Nngh.”

A shock ran through his body, and Lucas groaned slightly and stumbled back.

“Oh! A concentrated barrage on Lucas! This is the fate of top players!”

“Well, a four-on-one situation is to be expected. However, it’s not that simple.”

As Felix pointed out, Stacy also targeted Hemrooth, and Hemrooth, who had anticipated being targeted himself, succeeded in neutralizing the attack.

“Stacy’s attack on Hemrooth also failed! It seems she was read!”

“Hemrooth is also ranked fifth, so it’s natural for him to be targeted.”

The fierce battle from the very start greatly excited the audience.

“Lucas! Lucas! Lucas!”

“Hemrooth-saaan!”

“Stacy-chaaan!”

Loud cheers from the crowd flew in all directions.

“Lucas and Hemrooth, being previous top contenders, also have significant fan support. Can they live up to expectations?”

“Beautiful Stacy-chan… ahem, Stacy also has a lot of popularity.”

The battle continued. Hemrooth intermittently created magic bullets while keeping the other participants in check, and promptly attacked when an opening appeared. Lucas was employing a similar strategy, but he was clearly struggling. Lucas could only create ten magic bullets at once, and while he could equalize up to that number, he couldn’t cope when more than that were fired simultaneously, resulting in him taking hits. The difference between Lucas, who could create ten at once but had significant openings, and Hemrooth, whose limit was eight at once but could continue creating them without pausing, became apparent.

“Ah, Lucas has finally gone down! When targeted so intensely, even a skilled participant can’t handle it! But why is Lucas being targeted so much, Felix?”

“One reason is that attacking him makes it easier to gain points. Hemrooth is good at launching magic bullets in small bursts, making him harder to target. And further consideration is Marius.”

“Is Lucas easier to stop than Marius?”

“Yes. Also, depending on the matchups and how points are earned, a comeback in the national standings isn’t impossible.”

Attacking the weaker ones, the ones who can be taken down, is fundamental. With Lucas downed, the concentrated attacks turned towards Hemrooth. However, the match ended once Hemrooth managed to neutralize five incoming magic bullets.

“Announcing the results! First place is Hemrooth with thirty-four points, second place is Stacy with thirty-three points, third place is Mark and Ares with thirty points each, and last place is Lucas with eighteen points. Hemrooth advances to the finals, while the favorite, Lucas, has been eliminated in the preliminaries.”

“Lucas finishing last is certainly unexpected. Still, it was a very watchable and intense battle.”

“L-Lucas is last…?”

“Hemrooth passing first isn’t that strange, but…”

The audience was also shocked by the results and murmured greatly.

“Indeed. On the other hand, Hemrooth showed the mettle of a favorite.”

“It simply means the level of the tournament has risen with more skilled participants, and Hemrooth hasn’t weakened.”

“Yes. Now, let’s move on to the second match.”

The second match featured Philip, Warren, Catarina, Paul, and Gregor. Another murmur arose.

“Philip and Warren will clash.”

“Given what happened in the first match, neither can afford to be careless.”

Both Philip and Warren showed signs of tension.

“Now, let the second match begin!”

As before, magic bullets were concentrated on Philip, who was a high-ranking participant. And similarly, he couldn’t defend against them all and took hits.

“If you shift your body and take it with bare flesh, you not only avoid losing points but the opponent incurs deductions, right, Felix?”

“If they were ordinary wizards, maybe, but taking a magic bullet from a skilled fighter like Warren or Catarina head-on would cause injury. At worst, you’d have to prepare for a fracture.”

“Ah! The rule is that defense with anything other than magic bullets is prohibited! And using magic results in disqualification!”

“Yes, you have to take it with your bare body.”

Of course, injuring an opponent and taking them out of the fight would put you at an advantage, but other opponents would do the same, and it would be difficult to injure all opponents besides yourself anyway. It is a battle royale format. However, with the point accumulation rules, the more skilled participants were more likely to be targeted.

“In other words, unless you have exceptional skill, it’s actually disadvantageous for the top players, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. However, depending on the matchups, intentions can change.”

As Felix said, not only Philip but also Warren was targeted. Catarina, in fact, seemed to be targeting Warren more. They counterattacked when they saw an opportunity as the concentrated fire shifted, but they ended up taking hits and giving away points. That was the pattern for Philip and Warren.

“That’s it for that match!”

The second match ended, and the audience began to buzz. While the exact points weren’t clear, it was evident to everyone that Philip and Warren had struggled.

“First place is Catarina with twenty-four points! Second place is Warren with nineteen points, third place is Paul and Philip with eighteen points each, and last place is Gregor with thirteen points! Astonishingly, both Philip and Warren have been eliminated!”

“My goodness, this is turning into an incredible situation.”

“Th-that’s impossible.”

“You’re kidding me…? The favorites are being eliminated one after another.”

“No way…”

The audience couldn’t hide their shock at yet another unexpected outcome.

“It’s understandable that the audience is in such a state of commotion, isn’t it, Felix?”

“It is. Frankly, I didn’t expect Catarina to advance.”

“The point calculation is going to be complicated.”

“The organizers are probably delighted with this unexpected turn of events.”

The remaining strong contenders are Barra, Mireille, Marius, and Agash. Only Barra and Mireille, who are in the top four, are unlikely to face each other. Fierce battles are expected in the upcoming matches.

(Philip is out, so it’s a little easier.)

Marius thought to himself. Shooting Royale was more complex than Marius had imagined. He hadn’t even mentioned winning, but he wanted to win if he was going to participate.

(For now, I need to make sure not to break the pads or injure anyone.)

That was Marius’s primary concern.