The events that followed were a sorry sight. My pleas to stop them were in vain as Bakke transformed into her dragon form. Unlike Dahak and Boga’s humanization, the opposite phenomenon occurred, and a massive dragon, like the Fire Dragon King I saw at the volcano in Farnis territory, appeared on the stage. Yes, it appeared.
You see, on the stage, enclosed by a barrier, was Pritia, who was in her giant, goddess-like form. This posed a serious problem. At this point, the barrier and the stage were already at their absolute limit. If we were to introduce a dragon the size of a Dragon King into that, what would happen? The answer is simple: overload.
“How’s that, Kelvin! This is my true power!”
“Aroun~?”
Inevitably, the giant Bakke collided with Pritia, who was already there. When something like that happens on this slippery stage, even Pritia, who had maintained her balance with superhuman reflexes until now, would surely fall. And Bakke, who had been guzzling alcohol, it’s questionable if she had any sense of balance left in the first place. Well, to cut to the chase, the great demon god with her enormous body and the giant dragon lost their balance and fell spectacularly.
“Oh, my heavens! The incredibly giant Gordiana and Bakke, who has inexplicably turned into a dragon, have fallen! We can’t see clearly due to the dust cloud kicked up, but this might be an out-of-bounds call!”
Ah, it was indeed an out-of-bounds call. When they fell, Pritia’s toes and Bakke’s dragon tail landed outside the stage. I, being close by, was able to notice it quickly, but the result was deeply unsatisfying. Drinking during a battle? Absolutely not.
“Wait!?”
A little before the two fell, another misfortune had occurred over here. Where they collapsed was Leonhart, who had taken on the form of the Queen. With Leonhart’s cunning skill, he might have just barely managed to evade such an unforeseen event, even in this state of the stage. However, Silvia acted faster.
“Extreme Cold Land.”
The floor around Leonhart instantly changed its properties. Not to make him fall, but to freeze his feet and immobilize him.
“Kelvin-chan, isn’t that a bit sly?”
“Hmm, if anything goes, then this is also acceptable.”
“Yes, that’s true, but—”
—BOOM!
There was no way Silvia and Leonhart could have time to exchange words as the two incredibly heavy bodies mercilessly fell and piled on top of him. Ronowee and the others in the commentary booth can’t see it, can they? What a shame, to miss such a rare sight like this. A historic moment where the Beast King was defeated by a trick.
“Oh my, I got a bit carried away. But there’s no use regretting what’s done. Alright, let’s move on. Bakke-chan, that’s too bad. Oh, arun?”
“Kukaa…”
Pritia, lying on the stage, whispered to Bakke, who had also been disqualified. But for some reason, only sleeping breaths seemed to emanate from her dragon mouth. That’s right, Bakke was sound asleep. Perhaps she thought there was no point in trying any harder after retiring? Even so, to fall asleep during a match that everyone is watching, this outrageous act is not something just anyone can do. She must have nerves of steel.
“She’s been drinking since yesterday. Still, her ability to switch gears is surprisingly fast, though.”
I see. She must have been quite sleepy when the match started. However, in this position, with Bakke in her dragon form having fallen on top of Pritia, and now asleep, Pritia wouldn’t be able to get up. And if she moved carelessly, it would get in our way.
“Hmm, yes, I’ve made a big decision. For a while longer, I’ll watch the brave deeds of my cute little sister and my cute friends from up close. Please just think of me as a beautiful, inanimate object.”
“Understood, Onee-sama.”
“Hmm, as expected of Gordiana.”
Pritia seemed to have considered that. She told us not to worry about her, and that we could attack her as long as we continued the match. The pink goddess lay there like a sleeping Buddha, gazing around with benevolent eyes. …Will this become a collaborative art piece by Mister Caesar and Pritia? It’s destructive in so many ways.
“Ara? Ara ara?”
But in the next moment, the sleeping Buddha’s body slightly lifted. And from beneath it came a woman’s scream.
“Still…!?”
“Gah, she’s still alive!?”
Let me explain Emma’s surprise. Leonhart, pinned beneath the giant body, had not yet retired. He was supporting Pritia and the dragon Bakke with both arms, enduring the pressure while cracks ran across the stage beneath his feet. What incredible power and guts! His tail was twitching, though, indicating he was barely holding on.
“Then, should I return to the Ice Surface World? She’ll probably slip and get crushed again.”
“Stop it, you oni!”
Too bad, the oni is currently an object pressing down on Leonhart.
“No, there’s no need for that.”
“Glostina-san? It’s rude to ask during a battle, but why?”
“Earlier, when I was fighting Leonhart, I scattered a colorless, odorless paralyzing poison in that area. From her current state, she won’t be able to move, and eventually, her body will lose strength.”
“Coward! You’re a coward!”
Ah, it was when Gross was dancing on the ice. It was a poisonous sight, but it was literally poisonous too. Well, this poison might be a good lesson for Leonhart. I still vaguely remember her seducing Rion at the Beast King Festival. Although I settled that score back then, as an older brother who loves his sister, I still remember it.
“Hmm, that’s brutal.”
“Ufufu. You and Emma were the ones targeting her to immobilize her by crushing her, weren’t you? Besides, now that Onee-sama is unfortunately out of bounds, I have to do my best in her place, don’t I?”
“…I see. With the two of them out of bounds, it’s only a matter of time before the Beast King is crushed. So, it’s down to me, Silvia, Glostina-san, and Kelvin-san. If there are four of us, we can divide up the numbers then.”
“That’s right~. You guys seem to be participating in this battle as a single party from the start, so I thought I might be at a slight disadvantage. Kelvin-chan, can we take a short temporary truce and form a hastily assembled party? We did talk with our fists once, didn’t we? We should be able to synchronize on the fly~?”
“Oh, a tag match.”
In a battle royale where anything goes, forming alliances midway, like Silvia and the others, is acceptable. Although Glostina’s appearance and demeanor are not my preference, her skill has been confirmed at the Beast King Festival. Just as I have grown stronger since then, I imagine Glostina has also reached greater heights, just like Pritia. Unlike the Beast King, I have great trust that this deal will be honored.
“…Well, that might be interesting too.”
“Oh my, what is this! It appears S-Rank Adventurers are starting a tag match! Although the initial results were quite disappointing, this development is exciting! However, I’m still concerned about Gordiana, who is still lying there!”
“With her striking colors and unconventional appearance, she’s certainly got presence. Even in defeat, it’s as if she’s saying, ‘Gordiana is still here!’ wouldn’t you say?”
“Um, don’t we need to worry about the Beast King?”
“We don’t! Gaun believes strength is everything!”
Ronowee and Elder Nelras said in unison. Well, it is Gaun, after all.
“Now, shall we begin~? Don’t underestimate my poison~.”
“What is poison! The cuisine we make is also not inferior in terms of toxic elements!”
“Emma, Emma. That’s not something to compete about. We are merely the eaters; Nagua strictly warned us not to be the makers.”
“Hey, hey, help me. I’m starting to lose strength in my arms and it’s really dangerous. Bakke, please wake up!”
“Kuuu…”
Personalities collide, and even at this point, it seems unlikely to be resolved. You guys never cease to entertain me.
“Alright, Glostina! Let’s go!”
The arena fills with the clash of swords and magic, the sound of the Beast King collapsing from exhaustion, the roar of the stage splitting in half, and mysterious screams from the spectators. Ah, how fortunate I am to have such rivals.
