In the arena, where the cheers and uproar from the audience seats were muffled, Kouhi and Hartvin faced each other.
Hartvin was a Power Fighter who utilized his over two-meter height and his exceptionally built physique in battle.
His type was similar to Osmo, whom Kouhi had fought first, but the level of his opponent was entirely different. He had reigned at the top of the Arena Rank for over ten years. It was likely that magic attacks wouldn’t be effective against him. This was the consensus evaluation of both combatants and experts regarding Hartvin.
Almost immediately after the fight began, Kouhi, unlike before, unleashed a succession of magic spells at Hartvin. At first, Hartvin, assuming she was testing something, spoke to Kouhi during a momentary lull in her attacks.
“What’s wrong? Magic won’t affect me, you know? Haven’t you realized that by now?”
Whether it was a taunt or merely a warning, Hartvin hadn’t dropped his confident demeanor from before the battle. In fact, despite not deflecting Kouhi’s magic like she had done to some opponents, Hartvin showed no signs of taking any damage. Kouhi, who had stopped her magic barrage against such an opponent, replied.
“It doesn’t matter, but it might be best not to make such careless statements?”
Taken aback by Kouhi’s sudden remark, Hartvin scowled.
“What?”
“It seems there’s been some commotion about my previous conversation being unfair, so this time, our voices can be heard by the audience as well.”
“Oh?”
While Kouhi hadn’t made any special preparations for the combat itself, she had taken care of this particular aspect. However, the “preparation” was simple; she had just used magic to ensure their voices could be heard in the audience seats.
Seeing from the audience’s reactions that their conversation was indeed audible, Hartvin looked impressed.
“I see. It does seem to be the case. I’m curious about when you did this, but it’s better than creating room for unnecessary interference in the outcome.”
Hartvin spoke as if being overheard wasn’t a particular concern for him. Kouhi also hadn’t intended to fluster Hartvin with this. She simply wanted to give him a warning.
“Is that so?”
As Kouhi remained still after saying that, Hartvin provocatively asked.
“What’s wrong? Aren’t you coming?”
Kouhi didn’t take the bait and silently readied her sword. This time, she was indicating her intention to attack with her sword.
Switching to sword attacks, Kouhi had already landed several blows on Hartvin. However, not only was Hartvin unharmed, but he stood there, laughing, showing no signs of damage.
“Hahaha. Attacks like that won’t work on me!”
Despite his confident laughter, this was truly the peak of his fighting style. He endured all attacks, whether they were magic or sword strikes, and landed his own hardened attacks on the opponent. For the past ten years, Hartvin had won solely with this combat style. This was the truth behind Carmen calling him a “monster.”
While effortlessly receiving Kouhi’s attacks, Hartvin occasionally counterattacked. Hartvin’s attacks didn’t involve any specific weapon; he simply struck out with his bare fists. Such simple, open-to-attack moves didn’t hit Kouhi, and a stalemate continued with neither side dealing damage.
After a while of this, Kouhi suddenly stopped her sword attacks.
“I see. So that’s how it is.”
Hartvin looked at Kouhi with a puzzled expression as she suddenly muttered this. Ignoring him, Kouhi put the sword she was holding into her Item Box.
“…What did you say?”
The moment Hartvin tilted his head, not understanding the meaning of Kouhi’s action, Kouhi disappeared from his sight. Even Hartvin couldn’t fully track her movements due to their sheer suddenness. Then, shortly after, Kouhi reappeared before him, holding a single accessory in her right hand.
“Y-You…!!”
Hartvin, who had never lost his composure before, saw the accessory and his expression contorted instantly.
“Did you really think I wouldn’t notice? Or perhaps you’ve grown complacent over these ten years?”
Kouhi, with an expressionless face, said this. Hartvin’s expression completely vanished. This change revealed how he had been acting the part of the rank-one fighter. The accessory Kouhi held was one with a strength so overwhelming it could nullify all attacks, almost to the point of being against the rules. Its power was closer to that of a Divine Tool than a Magic Tool. Hartvin had been using this item to defend against enemy attacks and had focused solely on offense throughout his battles.
The spectators watching the two fight also fell silent at the unexpected development. They had never imagined that the man praised as god-like for the past decade would rely on an item. Upon learning this, the audience, after a moment, began booing Hartvin. No doubt, it was a backlash from their previous expectations. The boos were intense. Perhaps anticipating this outcome when he saw Kouhi holding the accessory, Hartvin’s expression didn’t change. However, he stared intently at Kouhi as if contemplating something. He seemed to be waiting for Kouhi to make her next move.
Kouhi then said something unexpected to both Hartvin and the audience.
“You seem to be mistaken, but I didn’t take this to criticize you?”
“What?”
Finally reacting to Kouhi’s words, Hartvin asked in a bewildered voice.
“Everyone watching seems to be mistaken as well, but isn’t the basic rule of the arena to prepare your own weapons? I believe accessories are naturally included in that, aren’t they?”
As Kouhi stated, there were no restrictions on what could be brought into the arena. This ranged from magic swords to accessories like the one Kouhi was now holding. For Kouhi, it made no sense to blame Hartvin here. So, why had Kouhi gone out of her way to snatch the accessory Hartvin was wearing?
“I simply wanted to know what kind of item it was. I intended to return it once I had confirmed it.”
True to her word, Kouhi threw the accessory she held back to Hartvin. The reason Kouhi became interested in the accessory was, needless to say, for Kousuke. Once she had it in her hands, she could grasp its general construction. If she could convey that to Kousuke, Kouhi would be perfectly satisfied.
At her words and actions, the previously boisterous audience fell silent.
“What do you mean by that?”
Hartvin asked, to which Kouhi replied with her usual expressionless face.
“There’s no ‘what I mean.’ I will show you the world you aimed for. You can activate the accessory as before, it’s alright.”
“…Very well.”
Nodding at Kouhi’s words, Hartvin confidently activated the accessory in front of the audience. However, there was no visible change. But Kouhi, watching him, definitely felt the same kind of defensive barrier form around Hartvin as before.
Kouhi, with her sword still in her Item Box, approached Hartvin casually.
“Actually, someone else is more skilled at this kind of technique than I am.”
The moment she said that, Kouhi disappeared again from Hartvin’s sight. It was the super-speed movement she had displayed when she snatched the accessory. Even though it was super-speed, Hartvin, being a skilled fighter, could barely perceive her movements. And that was just barely. As soon as he caught a glimpse of her, Kouhi was swinging her arm at his abdomen.
“Guh…!? Im-Impossible…!?”
Feeling damage that shouldn’t have reached him, Hartvin’s eyes widened in astonishment, and he collapsed. At that moment, Kouhi’s victory was confirmed. It was an item cheat. However, Hartvin possessed the skill to reach the top even without items. The fact that he could clearly track Kouhi’s final attack with his eyes was proof of this. And Kouhi, who went out of her way to confirm an item for Kousuke, was as reliable as ever.
I believe this is the end of the story arc where Kouhi takes center stage.
