Inside the arena, the spectators were beyond cheering. Struck by a paralyzing awe, they couldn't even voice their astonishment; they could only stare, utterly captivated by the spectacle unfolding before them.
At the center of the stage, a magic sword and a Great Scythe clashed.
Anyone who had followed the tournament this far knew that both weapons were top-tier magic items. Those brandishing them were likewise masters of the highest caliber.
Digma of the Water Dragon and Crimson Rei.
The battle between these two alias holder adventurers was so graceful it almost resembled a dance.
"Water Spirit, appear."
Digma’s incantation triggered his spirit magic, and water manifested out of thin air. However, the water didn't form the usual arrows or whips to strike at Rei. It simply appeared, hovering in place.
Rei knew better than to think a move by a man holding the alias of Water Dragon was meaningless. He parried a strike from the elven magic sword and swung the Death Scythe's blade, slicing through the sphere.
The Death Scythe cut through the water ball with a sharp whistle of wind. The severed water offered no resistance, simply spilling onto the stage.
"Wh...?"
Rei stood dazed for a fleeting second, caught off guard by the fact that it really had been nothing more than ordinary water.
In that heartbeat of hesitation, Digma found the opening he wanted. The blade of his magic sword was already closing in on Rei's eyes. Realizing the elf’s aim was to maim his legs and kill his speed, Rei thrust the handle of the scythe forward. He didn't have enough time to pull the blade back to block, so he used the Death Scythe's shaft instead.
A piercing metallic screech echoed through the stadium.
The spectators felt a sudden surge of déjà vu. It was the same tactic from earlier: Digma closing the distance to prevent Rei from swinging his massive weapon, only for Rei to block the strike with the scythe’s handle.
However, there was one crucial difference this time. Previously, Digma had been blown back—or rather, he had leaped back to reset. This time, he remained rooted to the spot.
Rei realized why immediately.
The water he had just sliced was pooling on the stage. It had entwined itself around Digma’s feet like silk threads, anchoring him against the force of the impact.
(Damn it, I didn't realize how troublesome it would be when he mixes spirit magic with close combat!)
Rei cursed internally as he slid the magic sword along the shaft of his scythe to parry it away. This time, it was Digma’s turn to look shocked. The resistance he had been pushing against vanished in an instant.
Normally, he could have recovered his stance immediately, but the timing of Rei’s parry caught him completely off guard. His balance crumbled, and his upper body lurched forward. He managed to avoid falling entirely thanks to the water anchoring his feet, but his defense was compromised.
"Hyaaaaaaaah!"
Rei used the momentum of the parry to swing the Death Scythe's blade. Digma’s magic sword was still out of position, and he had no time to bring it back to defend.
"Water Spirit, a wall!" Digma shouted desperately.
The water at their feet surged upward, manifesting as a crystalline barrier between them. It was thin—flimsy enough that even someone without Rei's strength could have shattered it—but Digma only needed a momentary distraction to slow the scythe’s path.
Having diverted the anchoring water into the wall, Digma regained his mobility. He ducked under the Death Scythe's blade as it tore through the water wall and lunged forward, aiming a low strike at Rei's ankles.
It was a brilliant sequence—delaying the attack while using the spray of water as a visual screen. It was a snap judgment born from Digma's long years of experience as an A-Rank adventurer.
However, while Rei’s time in this world had been short, it had been incredibly dense. Trusting his combat instincts, Rei leaped into the air. He spun his body in a mid-air rotation, swinging the scythe down toward Digma.
"Water Spirit, become a whip!"
Digma chanted again, and spirit magic lashed out as a water whip. He had realized his target was no longer on the ground, but he was a fraction of a second too slow.
The water whip cracked toward Rei, but the young man activated his Sleipnir's Shoes. While still spinning in mid-air, Rei kicked off the empty space and propelled himself forward. This acrobatic maneuver—corkscrewing through the air while maintaining the scythe's momentum—caught Digma completely by surprise.
The elf only managed to dodge the descending blade by reflexively arching his back, escaping with nothing more than a graze. He leaped forward to put distance between them, swapping positions with Rei, who went hurtling past him toward the edge of the stage.
They ended up facing each other with the center of the arena between them. Both fell into a wary silence, observing each other's state. The spectators followed suit. A silence so profound it seemed impossible for such a massive crowd filled the air. Finally, Digma broke it.
A smile touched the cool, elegant features of his elven face. "I will admit it. You are a formidable opponent."
A stir ran through the stands. Digma was an A-Rank adventurer and a famous figure in the Imperial Capital. Hearing such a man acknowledge Rei brought a fresh wave of shock to the crowd.
"Because you are strong, I shall face you with everything I have," Digma continued, his smile sharpening with the confidence of the truly powerful. "I am aware that you created a Flame Tornado, and that you have come to be known by the alias of Crimson."
Even as he spoke, magic power flooded Digma's body. Rei couldn't sense magic power directly, but he felt the pressure and intensity radiating from the elf reach new heights.
Most bizarre of all was the way water began to manifest behind Digma in an endless stream. It absorbed the water used for the previous walls and whips until the volume was large enough to swallow ten men whole.
Rei knew Digma was preparing a final move, yet he didn't interfere. He simply stood with his Death Scythe ready, listening in silence. He could have obstructed the process, but he chose to wait.
Winning by catching an opponent off guard would be hollow. If he couldn't overwhelm one of the capital's top adventurers with his own strength, he had no chance against Noise. He resolved to use his skills here—the trump cards he had intended to save for the finals.
Digma seemed to sense Rei's resolve. "Now, let me show you why they call me Digma of the Water Dragon. If you survive this, I will formally acknowledge you as a man of A-Rank equivalent strength."
His voice rang out clearly across the arena as the massive volume of water behind him expanded and began to reshape itself.
"Water Spirit, crush him with the jaws of the dragon!"
Digma poured his magic power into the incantation. The water surged, transforming into a gargantuan, terrifying dragon head. It lunged toward Rei with a roar of rushing water.
"I could only manifest the head given the size of this stage, but for a single foe, it is more than enough! Now, Rei! Let's see you try to overcome this water dragon!"
"GYAAAAAAAAAA!"
The dragon of water let out a primal cry as it bore down on him. Rei gripped the Death Scythe and heightened his own magic power.
(It’s impressive... but I wonder if this counts as a tamed monster? I guess since he's just shaping water, it's fine.)
While harboring these idle thoughts, Rei swung the Death Scythe in a wide arc, activating a skill for the first time in the tournament.
"Flying Slash!"
A crescent of compressed force flew from the blade.
"What!?" Digma's eyes widened. He had assumed Rei was a flame-specialized mage.
The Flying Slash struck the water dragon's head unerringly. However, despite its form, the dragon was ultimately just a mass of liquid. The slash tore through the water, continued straight out the back of the head, and vanished into the high sky.
"Tch, I guess Flying Slash isn't effective against this," Rei muttered, slightly disappointed.
He immediately pivoted to his next option. One of the greatest advantages of the Death Scythe was the sheer variety of its skills.
"Magic Shield."
As Rei spoke, a shield of light flickered into existence. However, the shield was far too small to cover the entire water dragon. Seeing this, Digma assumed Rei’s defense had failed.
"Don't think a tiny shield like that can stop my water dragon! Go!"
The dragon head lunged, its massive jaws opening wide to crush the magic shield with its fangs.
A thunderous clang shook the arena.
The spectators couldn't believe their eyes. Despite the overwhelming size of the dragon's maw, its fangs were held fast by the small shield of light. Digma was even more stunned. He had never imagined his signature move—even in its smaller stage form—could be halted so decisively.
Caught in his astonishment, Digma failed to notice that Rei was already chanting on the other side of the magic shield.
"O flame, thou art a being made of flame. Gather together with that flame. Spread thy wings and soar with great wings of fire!"
As the incantation progressed, a palm-sized flicker of fire gathered on the blade of the Death Scythe. With every drop of magic power Rei poured into it, the flame grew until it became a bird of fire with a wingspan exceeding five meters.
"Phoenix of the Skies!"
The magic activated. The bird of fire beat its wings and soared forward, asserting its dominance over the arena. It headed straight for the water dragon pinned against the magic shield.
Just as the phoenix was about to collide with his own defense, Rei vanished the magic shield.
The water dragon, which had been exerting all its pressure to crush the shield, lurched forward as its target suddenly disappeared. That split-second loss of balance was a fatal opening.
The phoenix plunged straight into the water dragon's head. When fire and water collided, the dragon began to boil violently.
"No...!"
It was one shock too many for Digma. The phoenix didn't extinguish; it drove straight through the water, causing the dragon to erupt in a massive explosion of steam.
Thick white vapor filled the entire arena, blinding everyone. Digma swung his magic sword blindly, relying on his years of experience to fend off a potential follow-up.
But Rei’s magic power surpassed even that experience.
When the steam finally cleared, the crowd gasped. Digma’s magic sword was held in place by Rei’s Death Scythe. And though it had shrunk slightly after passing through the dragon, the Phoenix of the Skies was hovering just inches away, its burning beak pointed directly at Digma’s face.
The match was clearly decided. Digma let out a small, tired sigh, let go of his sword, and raised his hands in surrender.
"I yield. It's my loss."
The referee’s voice boomed through the stadium.
"The match is over! The winner: Rei!"