THE EVIL-WHATCHAMACALLIT INSTANT-KILL DRAGON-THINGY!!

Goldoh took the lead.

The moment the match started, he closed the distance in a single breath, swinging a two-handed sword that was frankly a bit much on the decorations. He was aiming straight for my—I mean, Jimina’s—neck.

Jimina just stood there like a statue. He hadn’t even touched his sword yet. He looked like he couldn't even process what was happening.

Goldoh, already smelling victory, let out a smug grin, showing off his pearly whites.

Then came the sound. Crick.

"Wait, what?"

The words escaped Goldoh’s mouth, but he wasn't the only one confused. The entire arena collectively rubbed their eyes.

Goldoh’s blade had sliced through the air exactly where Jimina’s neck had been a millisecond ago. Before Goldoh could even register the whiff, he was standing there with his chest wide open, practically begging for a counter-attack.

"Tch!"

Goldoh’s face contorted.

Seeing this fatal opening, Jimina finally made his move.

Slowly. Very, very slowly, he drew his sword from its sheath.

That was it.

It was such a sluggish, half-hearted motion that it looked like he’d completely missed the opening—or maybe he just didn't realize it was there in the first place.

Goldoh scrambled back out of range and glared, his voice dripping with irritation. "Are you mocking me?"

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QUINTON & ANNEROSE

"Did you catch that?" Quinton asked from the stands.

"Barely," Annerose replied, her eyes locked onto Jimina like a hawk tracking its prey.

"Damn. As expected of you. I completely lost it. I could've sworn the Sword of the Undefeated Legend had his head."

"In any normal situation, he shouldn't have been able to dodge. But... Jimina cracked his neck right before the point of impact." Annerose couldn't quite hide the sheer shock in her voice.

"Cracked his neck? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean he literally just cracked his neck. Like this. Crick, crack." Annerose tilted her head to demonstrate, mimicking the sound.

"Wait, hold on. Now I’m even more confused."

"I don't get it either. But the second he tilted his head to crack it, Goldoh’s sword just... passed through."

"Oh, come on. You’re telling me he just happened to dodge a lethal strike because he felt like stretching his neck?"

"Exactly."

"Don't be ridiculous! There's no way a coincidence like that happens!"

Annerose’s gaze sharpened. "What if it wasn't a coincidence?"

"Say what?"

"He cracked his neck at a speed so high that even I would have missed it if I wasn't hyper-focused. Do you honestly think a normal human is capable of that?"

Ah, the classic 'super-high-speed neck cracking' theory. Because obviously, no normal person does that.

"Guh! I mean... when you put it that way..."

"To him, dodging that sword might have been nothing more than an afterthought. He just wanted to crack his neck, the sword happened to be in the way, so he moved it as a byproduct."

"No way! That’s even stupider! Goldoh’s swing was fast! You’re telling me he dodged it as a byproduct?!"

"I'm having a hard time believing it myself. Maybe it really was just a fluke. But if it wasn't..."

"Tch! There is no way I'm accepting that!!"

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GOLDOH KINMEKKI

Goldoh kept his eyes fixed on Jimina as he spoke. "I don't like your attitude. You just threw away a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The only chance you'll ever have to beat me, and you blew it. So why the hell are you acting so calm?"

Goldoh’s teeth ground together with a harsh grit.

"Show some frustration! Cry! Struggle pathetically! Anything less is a total blasphemy against my skills!"

Jimina just stood there in silence, taking the verbal abuse.

"Don't tell me you’re so incompetent you didn't even realize you had an opening? Figures. I guess you really are just a piece of trash with a Battle Power of 33."

Goldoh let out a low, guttural chuckle.

"Well, thanks for making me look like an idiot, you bottom-feeder. I’m going to slaughter you with everything I’ve got. Don't go haunting me after you're dead, okay?"

Goldoh fell into a stance, channeling his Magic Power into his blade. The very air began to vibrate as a massive amount of energy swirled around him. The crowd started to buzz.

"I’ll give you a little souvenir for the afterlife. My Battle Power... is 4,300!"

He lunged, closing the gap in an instant with a massive horizontal sweep.

"Evil God - Instant Kill - Golden Dragon Sword!!"

The golden Magic Power manifested into the literal image of a Golden Dragon. It looked like the beast was about to swallow Jimina whole.

At least, that was the plan.

Suddenly, a sharp Achoo! echoed through the stadium, and the Golden Dragon simply... vanished.

"BUBERA?!"

Goldoh was sent spiraling through the air like a discarded drill.

The roar of the crowd died instantly. The entire venue watched in stunned silence as Goldoh hit the dirt with a heavy thud and didn't move so much as a finger.

"T-The winner is... Jimina Seinen!!"

The announcement followed Jimina's back as he calmly walked out of the arena.

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ANNEROSE

"Goldoh Kinmekki... I didn't realize he had that much in him," Quinton muttered after the match.

After hearing Annerose’s analysis, he’d been looking down on the guy, but he hadn't expected Goldoh to be able to visualize his Magic Power so clearly. That final strike had enough weight behind it to actually win the Bushin Festival Preliminaries.

"He was better than I gave him credit for," Annerose admitted, crossing her arms with a sigh. "If he’d actually focused on fighting the strong instead of hunting weaklings, he could have been a top-tier Spellsword."

"So, what did Jimina do at the end there?"

"If I wasn't hallucinating... he sneezed."

"Huh?"

"I think the Golden Dragon was just too bright for him. He sneezed, his sword swung down at the exact same time, and Goldoh basically just ran into it. It was a total freak accident."

"No, that’s total crap. You’re saying a sneeze beat a dragon?"

"The results speak for themselves. Goldoh kept talking about 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunities,' but for Jimina, those openings didn't matter. He could have ended it whenever he wanted. He didn't need to wait for a mistake... because to him, every single moment was an opening."

Annerose felt a chill run down her spine.

No, that’s impossible. It’s just a theory... I’m just overestimating his abilities to the point of absurdity.

"Whatever. This is stupid." Quinton scoffed and stood up abruptly. "I wasted my time listening to this. I'm not acknowledging some joke of a fighter like him. If he keeps winning, he’ll run into me in the Preliminaries Final. I’ll be the one to strip off that mask of his."

Quinton threw one last glare at the empty ring and stomped off.

Annerose stayed behind, replaying Jimina's movements in her head.

Could I... move like that?

She sat there, trying to crack her neck and sneeze at the same time.

She did it again and again. Faster. More efficiently.

Crick, achoo. Crick, achoo. Crick!

"Achoo! Ah—"

She suddenly realized everyone nearby was staring at her like she was a complete lunatic. Her face turned bright red, and she bolted for the exit.