The battle stage of the Gaun Grand Arena.
The circular stage shattered, splitting in two as its ends sprang upward. The stage, now airborne, soon succumbed to gravity and plummeted, shaking the very earth with a tremendous crash. The various fragments that scattered were blocked by a barrier, but the spectators seated nearby instinctively shielded themselves with their arms. Beyond that, they could only stare in stunned silence at the sheer scale of the destruction.
“Heh heh heh… You still had things like this hidden away, didn’t you?”
“One always keeps insurance. And stop laughing like that. Efil laughs much more charmingly.”
As the dust cleared, Kelvin and the Beast King were revealed, locked in a sword fight between the two halves of the hewn stage. The Beast King’s Bastard Sword was parried by two Dark Black Swords, held protectively around Kelvin’s longsword. The output channeled into the Black Swords grew in proportion to Kelvin’s magic power. It seemed this method allowed him to contend with the Beast King’s strength.
(Before the stage was swapped, I even concealed a binding mud trap on the surface, but it’s useless in this split state… What a waste.)
While the Beast King was formidable, Kelvin was no less cunning.
“Weren’t you only allowed one accessory? To bring out an ancient talisman like that and then transform…”
“I did not break any rules.”
“Haa… So, the Transformation Ability wasn’t a National Treasure effect after all, but the Beast King’s Unique Skill, I see.”
“You got it!”
With a clang, their blades repelled each other, creating distance. The Beast King, having retrieved it at some point, held his thrown Bastard Sword again. Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t just that sword; talismans were affixed to both blades.
“It looks like two talismans, too?”
“It’s not two. …Though I doubt you’ll accept that. This talisman is called the ‘Divine Talisman of Sealed Imprints,’ given to me by Traage as a token of friendship during the armistice negotiations at the end of the Great War. Besides the sealing effect I showed you, it has other properties—”
As the Beast King raised one of his greatswords, the talisman attached to the blade blurred. Another talisman detached and fluttered down, landing on the exposed ground.
“—It increases in number based on the number of life forms in the vicinity.”
“The vicinity…!”
Hearing those words, Kelvin cast his gaze outward, towards the spectator seats, and considered.
(Just how many people are in this arena right now?)
The talismans on the ground instantly multiplied, scattering and rising into the air. Confetti, perhaps that’s the best analogy.
“…Quite the convenient item for this particular arena, wouldn’t you say?”
“Oh? And what might you mean by that? By the way, each of these talismans is quite potent. You must understand that, having experienced it firsthand.”
“Well, it was pretty strong!”
While conversing, Kelvin unleashed the Black Swords he had subtly deployed. The Beast King deflected the initial volley, and a bundle of the Divine Talismans of Sealed Imprints was flung at the Dark Black Swords positioned in the rear. The talismans seemed to be absorbed by the swords, and at that moment, the Dark Black Swords lost all momentum and plummeted. Several Black Swords skittered across the ground with metallic clangs.
“They become as heavy as lead, right? This is the power of this talisman—”
“Is that all? There’s more, isn’t there?”
“Hmph!?”
Kelvin, at full blast with Wind God’s, closed in on the Beast King. He advanced head-on, unfazed by the blizzard of talismans. Naturally, the talismans floating in the air blocked his path, but any that came into contact with Kelvin or his longsword were pulverized as if put through a mixer. As he entered striking range, Kelvin’s longsword was unleashed in an instant. The Beast King met it with his two weapons, but Kelvin felt a grating sensation transmitted through his hands.
“See, they’re too durable for a typical arena weapon, aren’t they? This talisman simply enhances defensive power, doesn’t it?”
“Gah, heh heh heh. Truly a sharp-eyed individual…!”
No matter how sturdy a renowned sword, clashing with a Dark Black Sword would cause at least a chip. The same applied to the Beast King’s Bastard Sword, and to withstand Kelvin’s attacks enhanced by the Roaring Overlord Sword was normally impossible. The Beast King wasn’t lying. But Kelvin had been watching from the start, suspecting that something was hidden behind his words.
“Here, another wave.”
In response to Kelvin’s words, dozens of new Black Swords descended from high above, far overhead. These were also enhanced with the Roaring Overlord Sword, a special specification from the second preparatory force. The demonic swords that crashed to the ground chewed through the paper-like confetti of Divine Talismans, scattering them. Against these swirling blades of the storm, the sealing talismans had no place to cling.
“…Master, isn’t that a bit excessive, as a magic power fiend?”
“I’m often told that, yo!”
The fierce swordplay continued. The battle stage had become extremely unstable, dotted with rampaging demonic swords and accompanied by strong winds. Kelvin unleashed Black Swords from all directions of the Beast King while also engaging with a mix of swordplay and martial arts. The Beast King, gathering the Divine Talismans of Sealed Imprints that had escaped the gale, skillfully parried and swung his greatswords. The back-and-forth exchange, conducted at super speeds, lasted for several minutes. The audience, including Ronowee, watched the screen, forgetting to even cheer.
“Fuh!”
The Beast King leaped and threw his Bastard Sword again. Kelvin retreated significantly further than the Beast King’s prediction, evading the unleashed sealing barrier.
“Hoooh…”
Taking a breath, he refocused on the Beast King. The Beast King landed like a cat on the hilt of his Bastard Sword, now stuck in the ground. The hem of his Maid Outfit fluttered up, perfectly maintaining the absolute territory.
“It doesn’t make sense. If you’re that strong, you didn’t need to resort to dirty tricks in your match with Rion.”
“Are you chatting? Well, it doesn’t matter. A match with Lion-sama, you say… For me, it was simply taking the strategy with the higher win probability.”
“Hey, hey… After getting booed so much by your own people, you can’t say that. Isn’t the Beast King Festival a celebration of combat? If Gaun’s King acts like that, won’t it damage your credibility?”
“I understand your point, but this is how I, as the Beast King, choose to conduct myself. To put it drastically… whether my child despises me or my people lose trust, I care nothing for reputation.”
“Huh?”
The Beast King stated this with a remarkably nonchalant expression.
“Fortunately, Gaun’s unique succession to the throne, where the strong become king, works in my favor. No matter how I behave, I can remain king as long as I don’t lose in the succession battle. After that, if I can prevent any ambushes or schemes, it should be fine.”
“…As a king, is that alright?”
“It’s better than those brats dying for no reason. All I want is for the Beastmen of Gaun, the soldiers, to become more cunning and stronger under my reign. Do you know? About the Great War Era of this Eastern Continent. A time when countries were depleted, people deceived each other, and the world, the malice of humankind, swirled in a negative vortex. The worst era for the brave, and perhaps naive, Beastmen.”
“What are you talking about? That was centuries ago.”
“…Indeed. I’ve spoken too much. We both can’t find a decisive blow, and fatigue is setting in. Shall we settle this with the next move?”
The Divine Talismans of Sealed Imprints enveloped the Beast King’s entire body.
“…Yes. Yeah, that sounds good.”
Kelvin grasped a Black Sword stuck in the ground with his left hand and readied it alongside his longsword. From beneath the sleeve of his black attire, a glossy black gauntlet peeked out.
“You undoubtedly have your reasons, but I’ve had enough of owing favors. I want to repay them, with Rion’s strength.”
