With a sharp whoosh, the blade lunged forward at a speed that seemed to rend the air. Rhodos reflexively leaped backward to evade the strike.
The blade whistled past just ten centimeters from his face. Feeling a cold sweat prickle his back, he swung his longsword with a broad stroke, parrying the weapon as it came for him again.
A harsh metallic clang echoed across the stage.
The sword Rhodos parried spun away, only to jerk to a sudden halt in mid-air.
Even though his opponent hadn't reached out to catch it, the weapon simply stopped its flight. It hovered two meters above the head of Rhodos’s opponent, a man named Kelone, its tip leveled once more at Rhodos.
"Tch, another troublesome one..."
"Hehe, quite. I must offer you my admiration for surviving the first strike of my magic sword, Air Greed. Not many manage to evade its flight on their first attempt."
Rhodos clicked his tongue at the man’s theatrical display.
Air Greed. True to Kelone’s words, the magic sword obeyed his will, flying freely through the air to launch its assaults.
Just when Rhodos thought it was plunging straight down from above, it would pull up inches from the stage and flick its tip upward. It would spin through the air toward him, and even if he evaded the blade, the pommel would whip around to strike at the back of his head.
It was a 360-degree assault from every conceivable angle. Facing such an unorthodox opponent for the first time, Rhodos struggled to find his footing.
"Your magic sword is certainly a nuisance. But are you just going to leave the fighting to your toy while you watch from the sidelines?"
At Rhodos's provocation, Kelone shrugged with an exaggerated gesture.
"And what if I am? Is there something wrong with that? This is how I’ve won until now, and I fully intend to win this match the same way. And every match after this."
"Even if you win like that, it’s the sword’s power, not yours! Take this!"
Without finishing his sentence, Rhodos suddenly closed the distance.
His longsword was a high-quality weapon, but it was an ordinary tool of steel, not a magic sword. To Rhodos, who had refined his technical skills through sheer grit and practice, Kelone’s reliance on gimmicks was nothing more than an insult to the craft.
Rhodos took a sharp, whistling breath and shifted his stance. The moment he confirmed the magic sword had passed right beside him, he saw his opening and lunged into Kelone's reach.
He judged that the man's only true defense was his distance. Rhodos aimed for the torso to limit his opponent's movement, but his longsword was parried by a dagger Kelone had drawn from his robes.
The series of movements was smooth and well-practiced, proving that Kelone was not a man who had reached the main tournament solely on the performance of his flying blade.
"Too bad for you!"
Having parried the longsword, Kelone followed the momentum of the deflection to thrust his dagger tip toward Rhodos’s throat.
"Damn it!"
Faced with this unexpected counter, Rhodos clicked his tongue and leaped backward to put distance between them. At such close range, he had judged that Kelone with a dagger held the advantage over his own longsword.
However...
"Is it really wise to back away from me?"
Hearing the smirk in that voice, Rhodos instinctively swung his longsword.
A metallic clang rang out once more.
He had swung almost entirely on intuition, and for a split second, he let out a sigh of relief as he saw he had successfully intercepted the hovering blade.
But the relief lasted only a moment. The magic sword continued to harry him, attacking again and again. Rhodos parried, deflected, and evaded every strike, but while he was limited by his stamina, the magic sword was not. It was obvious who would win a war of attrition.
Rhodos didn't realize it yet, but Air Greed flew by consuming Kelone’s magic power. If he had simply focused on defense, the man would have eventually run dry, forcing the sword back to his hand. However, it was impossible for him to see through the weapon's mechanics in the heat of battle.
Kelone, for his part, understood his weapon's weakness perfectly. Periodically, he would call the blade back to his hand, gripping the hilt to replenish its magic power while maintaining his arrogant, theatrical posturing.
"Well now, I’m growing bored of this cycle, and I’m sure the audience feels the same. On that note, I think it’s time I ended this. I trust you don't mind?"
"Like hell I don't! Take that!"
Rhodos shouted as he deflected the magic sword as it lunged for his side.
Kelone ignored him, closing the gap with his dagger held ready.
"Crap, in that case... take this!"
Checking behind him for a fraction of a second, Rhodos spotted Air Greed coming for his back. Instead of retreating, he charged forward to meet Kelone head-on.
Since both were rushing forward, the distance between them evaporated instantly.
At this rate, they would collide. Even so, a smirk played on Kelone’s lips.
Is he planning to evade Air Greed’s attack from behind at the last second and make me hit myself? Does he think no one has tried that before?
It was the most common strategy people attempted when fighting Air Greed. Kelone was already well-accustomed to countering it.
However, Rhodos’s next move completely exceeded his expectations.
As the distance closed, Rhodos pulled his longsword back and, utilizing his opponent’s own momentum, unleashed a thrust. It wasn't his usual technique of consecutive thrusts, but a single, all-out thrust into which he had poured every ounce of his strength.
"Ngh!"
Because the action was so different from what Kelone had anticipated, his reaction was a split second too slow—and that instant created a fatal opening.
He tried desperately to parry with his dagger, but against a thrust backed by Rhodos's full power, he couldn't deflect it completely. The longsword tip sank deep into Kelone’s body.
Since Kelone prioritized speed, he wore only leather armor made from monster hide. Rhodos's full-power strike pierced right through it.
"Gwah!"
Rhodos did not miss the opening as his opponent groaned from the agonizing pain. While his longsword was still buried in Kelone’s abdomen, he moved it forcefully. He sliced through Kelone’s internal organs, using the blade as a lever to shift the man's entire body behind him—turning him into a shield against Air Greed, which was closing in to pierce Rhodos from the back.
In the end, Rhodos had done exactly what Kelone predicted: he used Kelone as a shield against the magic sword.
The difference lay in how he had done it. He had impaled the man first, leaving him as immobile as a shrike’s impaled trophy.
"!?"
Kelone realized his predicament too late. He tried to stop Air Greed's movement, but the magic sword had been flying at a lethal velocity. It could not stop instantly.
"Aaaagh!"
The sword tip of Air Greed sank in right beside where Rhodos’s longsword was still embedded. Two blades now pierced his body, one from the front and one from the back.
"Gah...!"
The impact of his own sword's strike widened the wound from Rhodos's blade, causing Kelone to spray blood.
"That's enough! The winner is Rhodos!"
The referee’s voice boomed through the arena.
The referee rushed over to Kelone, who was slumped against Rhodos with two swords through his gut. Rhodos helped the official move the man to the edge of the stage, where they pulled out the blades just before lowering him off.
As soon as he was moved off the stage, his wounds vanished in an instant.
"...Many have tried to use me as a shield, but I never imagined someone would stab me through the stomach just to keep me from moving."
Feeling the ghost of the injury as it healed, Kelone gave a wry smile, stroking the hole in his leather armor.
"Well, that flying sword gave me a lot of trouble. It was a desperate measure."
"A desperate measure, you say... still, to take such a risk on the fly is impressive. You truly are a son of the Axe of the Thunder God."
At those words, Rhodos wore a slightly complicated expression. Kelone smiled, gave him a light pat on the shoulder, and walked away.
Watching him go, Rhodos headed toward the exit.
Alright. One more step. Finally, I’ll be able to fight Rei.
With the cheers of the crowd ringing in his ears, Rhodos felt his fighting spirit surging.
Rhodos’s match ended, and the next one passed as well.
"Of all things, to be matched with someone like him."
Veikyul let out a bitter sigh, her dagger held tight.
In her line of sight stood a man in his 30s, clad in a metal half plate armor and wielding a halberd.
He was clearly focused on power over speed. After exchanging blades a few times, Veikyul knew her intuition had been correct.
"Gahahaha! Just think of it as bad luck. I’m used to squashing bugs who flit around as fast as you."
Saying this, Gyanda spun his halberd in a great arc to demonstrate his confidence.
The movement might have been unrefined in terms of pure technique, but the sheer strength behind the swinging weapon possessed enough pressure to suggest he was far more powerful than the average adventurer.
And the fact that he's used to fighting speed-oriented types isn't a bluff.
This was proven every time she tried to close in. Despite her superior speed, her attacks were easily blocked. She had ducked under his strikes several times, but her dagger had been caught by his halberd or the armored parts of his body every single time.
If her dagger were a magic sword, or if she possessed a skill that utilized her magic power, she might have had a chance. However, while Veikyul was a skilled thief, she was ultimately an ordinary one.
When all her attacks proved ineffective, she was left almost helpless.
Normally, a trump card should be saved for a moment like this... Honestly, he really did something unnecessary.
She clicked her tongue, remembering her first match. Gyanda had likely been watching her earlier performance. Since it was a tournament, gathering information on one's next opponent was standard practice.
Because he had seen her Shidan with his own eyes, she could no longer rely on it as a surprise attack.
"If you won't come to me, then I'm coming to you!"
Tiring of the standoff, Gyanda leveled his halberd and closed the distance.
His speed wasn't exceptional, hindered by the weight of his metal armor. However, that slow, steady advance felt to Veikyul like a wall closing in on her, and she found herself backing away.
Realizing she had retreated a few steps unconsciously, she grit her teeth.
Losing my nerve? That’s not like me.
Staring down the approaching Gyanda, she took a short breath and kicked off the stage, closing the distance in a blur.
"Ngh!"
She swung her dagger in total silence, trying to catch him off guard.
Since her weapon wouldn't pierce his armor, she aimed for the joints. Not the joints of his weapon arm—Gyanda would be expecting that—but his knees.
She decided to strike low, hoping his guard would be focused on protecting his upper body.
"Too naive!"
The moment she tried to slip the dagger tip into the knee joint, a violent impact sent her flying.
It was a powerful, crushing blow.
While being blown away, she managed to see what had happened. Gyanda had unleashed an upward scooping strike with the butt end part of his halberd.
Veikyul’s body sailed off the stage, landing hard on the ground outside.
"That's enough! The winner is Gyanda!"
Listening to the referee’s voice, Veikyul felt her consciousness fade into darkness.