The Gaun Grand Arena match stage.
A powerful purple aura swirled around Glostina. It was a threat separate from her Unique Skill, a peak attained by one who has mastered their path. I couldn’t help but feel my heart race at the sheer terror that made me hesitate to even look directly at it.
“Heehee, well, that’s fine. This is a favorable ground for me, so I’ll give you a handicap by showing you the content of my skill.”
“Is that so? If you’d also go at full power, I’d be even more grateful.”
“Heehee, you can rest easy about that. This technique, also known as Gordia’s ultimate, consumes a lot of willpower, making it extremely suited for short battles. Besides, going easy with this power… I can’t do that from the start!”
A whip, clad in an aura the same color as Glostina’s, swept out. Its speed was drastically faster than at the beginning of the match. Its power, probably too. If I carelessly defended with my sword, I might get restrained again. Above all, it was poisonous.
“Hiss!”
Still, when it came to agility, I was several steps above her. I weaved through the onslaught of the whip, which surged like a tsunami, and approached her. Behind me, the sound of the attack’s aftereffects, sizzling and melting the stage, frequently reached my ears. Hey, hey, are you trying to finish off Mr. Caesar’s stage? He’ll really cry soon, Mr. Caesar.
“Close combat!”
“Indeed!”
It was an opening in the whip attack, and I was close enough to hit her with my sword. However, her face was full of confidence, as if to say such a thing wouldn’t work. Still, I swung my sword without hesitation.
“Ouch!? My ‘Noble Fairy Dancing on the Stage’!?”
My sword cut through Glostina’s aura, and red blood scattered on her thick chest. It’s true that with this sword’s sharpness, it would have been insufficient to wound the sturdy Glostina. However, this longsword is imbued with the A-Rank Green Magic, ‘Grind of the Earth.’ Although it’s a plain-looking spell, it transforms any dull knife into a renowned sword when applied, significantly enhancing its sharpness and durability.
“Buuut!”
“Guh!?”
A fierce pain, felt the moment I cut through her aura. A new poison, said to have switched innards, perhaps? It seems this purple aura unleashes its poison’s power even through mere contact with a weapon. I could tell just from this pain. This is a potent poison, incomparable to paralysis or anything similar. Even through Mel’s ring, it’s bad.
“That felt good! It seems the poison doesn’t work at all, hmm… *cough*!”
Forgive me for interrupting your speech, but I’ll deliver a kick aimed at your jaw. My leg moved before my hand, but I’m putting Sera’s maxim into practice: strike whenever there’s an opening! The intense pain shot through me simultaneously, but I’m used to this. Mostly thanks to Sera.
“Bah! Your kicking manners are terrible!”
“You talk too much. …Tch.”
Glostina spat out a chunk of blood from her mouth, yet she still wore a smile. However, this is bad. Her aura, like slime, stretched from her aura and clung to my leg after the kick. Intense pain, ongoing.
“It’s stuck and won’t come off, will it? My ki is sticky, you see, and once it touches something, it doesn’t let go easily. Think of it as a slightly poisonous birdlime!”
“Since when is it ‘slightly poisonous’! I’ll die of shock!”
Even as we spoke, offense and defense continued between Glostina and me. I parried Glostina’s iron fists and whip, thrusting and gouging with my sword, kicking and punching. I had the advantage in terms of number of attacks, damage dealt, and agility, but each time I touched her aura, more parts of my body became sticky, and the poison raged even more fiercely. Partway through, I tried to cut through the aura with my sword, but even if I did, the aura remained stuck to my body, rendering it useless. Despite the resistance from the Ring of the Goddess, this situation was dire. The rampant poison that was afflicting me was not only causing pain but also beginning to erode my vision and consciousness.
“An opening, aaaah…”
Glostina’s fist pierced my right side, slipping through my defense. The sensation of several broken bones transmitted to my brain.
“Guh, hah…!”
There was no pain. The poison’s effects had already surpassed that. I could only feel my breath catch, unable to inhale.
“Heehee, hee. With this, it’s over—”
“Yeah, it’s over…”
Her final moment of overconfidence after believing in her victory. I used the remaining air in my body to its fullest, drawing on all my strength to thrust my sword into her chest, and as I pulled away, I delivered a kick to the hilt of the embedded sword. The durable longsword, with its tremendous sharpness, danced within Glostina’s body, which was now its sheath.
“—! Buf, fu… I-it’s stimulating…”
The purple aura vanished, and her massive body collapsed. It might have been an illusion, but I felt the earth shake. Just as I was being consumed by poison, Glostina, too, had been depleted by using her power, bled, and finally fell. We had both reached our limits. All that remained was, well… I don’t have the strength to raise my fist triumphantly, so I’ll settle for shoulder-high, though it’s uncool.
“Eh, the A-Block finals! ‘Grim Reaper’ Kelvin’s victory—!”
…Ugh, I feel like throwing up. But first, I need to restore Glostina. I pulled out my sword and closed the wound. I offered my gratitude for this dense and magnificent battle.
“…Guh… For this to happen even with resistance. If I didn’t have Mel’s ring, I might have died…”
I descended from the stage and collapsed onto the grass. Even the sensation of touching the grass was almost nonexistent. I had won the match. But looking at myself, it was hard to tell who was the loser.
“Rescue team! Hurry to Kelvin’s location!”
A loud voice echoed in my head. You don’t need to worry so much, I’m already recovering with White Magic. Besides, if you make such a fuss—
“Kelvin!”
“Older Kel!”
“Brother!”
Then, Sera’s voice faintly reached my ears. See, I’ve made them worry unnecessarily. Immediately after, a warm, soft sensation on the back of my head. It seems Sera is making a knee pillow for me.
“Older Kel, your recovery is slow, but are you okay?”
Rion’s face peeked out into my hazy vision. Ah, I’m fine. I can even see the ripe fruits of your abundant form. …Just kidding. Honestly, I’m exhausted. I can’t concentrate on chanting.
“…The magic isn’t working well due to the poison’s effects. And given my condition, I can’t use high-rank magic either. Full recovery will take some time.”
Should I call Melfina via telepathy? As I thought that—
“Nnnh…”
A warm, marshmallow-soft sensation on my lips. Rion’s face drew so close that even my hazy vision could clearly recognize it. Is she trying to extract the poison from me? She pressed her lips to mine firmly. Well, what she was doing was, by catching me by surprise, I found myself kissing Rion.
“Nn, nnnnh… chu, ru…”
As time passed, I began to feel the texture of the grass and the refreshing breeze on my body, sensations I had lost. …And the trembling of Sera’s knees, too.
“—Puh! Hoo… Better, right?”
“…The poison is completely gone. I think I can manage on my own now. Thanks, Rion.”
“Ehehe~”
As I embraced Rion, who clung to me, she narrowed her eyes comfortably. I couldn’t help but pat her head.
“W-wait! If you were going to use ‘Absolute Purification,’ couldn’t you have just touched him?”
“Kissing is more effective! Oh, right! Don’t worry, Sera-nee. I’ve only ever done this with Older Kel!”
“Th-that doesn’t mean you should do it in the middle of the arena where everyone can see! And that’s not the point!”
“Sera, relax. This is a common form of communication between brothers and sisters, so it’s fine.”
In other words, this is like a greeting for us siblings!
“WE DON’T COMMUNICATE LIKE THAT AS SIBLINGS!”
The silent arena erupted all at once, and for some reason, the audience collectively retorted. Faced with this inexplicable situation, Rion and I could only tilt our heads with question marks above them.
