Against a superior opponent, a purely defensive stance was nothing but a disadvantage.
Having made that judgment, Reiji kicked off the stage the moment the Emperor’s voice announcing the start of the match echoed through the arena, closing the distance with Noise.
Naturally, he did not simply approach Noise in silence. Swinging Death Scythe, he let out a great roar.
"Flying Slash!"
Released with his shout, the flying slash carved through the air, seemingly intent on cleaving anything in Reiji’s path.
Noise showed no change in expression as the projectile sped toward him; he simply swung his Magic Sword. It was a mundane downward stroke—truly nothing special—yet the flying slash shattered instantly upon impact, dissolving into mist.
(Tch. That Magic Sword looks the same as the one I saw in the semi-finals. But the scabbard is different... does it have some kind of special ability too?)
Reiji muttered inwardly as he watched the gap between him and Noise vanish in an instant.
But for now, his priority was landing the first blow and seizing the initiative in this battle. With that thought, he closed the distance.
"Hyaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Death Scythe was swung as if in place of a greeting. Its massive blade arced straight for Noise’s shoulder, but—
Clang!
With a sharp metallic ring, Death Scythe’s blade was repelled.
It had been turned aside with trivial ease. A blow backed by inhuman physical strength and a weapon weighing over a hundred kilograms was parried as if it were nothing.
However, the sheer weight of the strike must have been unexpected even for Noise. Reiji saw the man’s eyebrows twitch—just a fraction—with surprise. Judging this to be his opening, Reiji shifted his posture and launched a thrust with the butt end part of Death Scythe.
He aimed for the solar plexus, the area of the torso hardest to defend. If it connected, even an S-Rank would surely take significant damage.
If it connected.
The butt end made contact with the Magic Sword Blade, and in that split second, Noise subtly shifted the Magic Sword Handle. That minor movement was transmitted through the length of the weapon; the blade moved diagonally against the incoming butt end, parrying the thrust.
"—!?"
Noticing the movement, Reiji instantly tensed his muscles to halt the momentum of the thrust. Fortunately, he managed to stop the butt end halfway down the Magic Sword’s length before he could be completely off-balanced.
However—
"—!? Guh!"
The moment he caught a blur of movement in the corner of his vision, a violent impact sent him hurtling across the stage.
That he had the presence of mind to use his Dragon Robe as a shield and avoid a direct, unmitigated hit was likely thanks to his sharp five senses. The Dragon Robe, crafted from dragon leather and scales, was as durable as any suit of full plate mail.
Despite boasting such formidable defensive power, Reiji was blown all the way back to the position where he had stood at the start of the match.
Furthermore, it wasn't just raw force that had sent him flying. Had it been a simple blow of brute strength, Reiji would have been knocked back, but he likely wouldn't have taken much damage. Instead, as he steadied himself at his starting mark, he grimaced at the dull, throbbing pain in his right ribs.
(Fortunately, it feels like just a bruise. My ribs aren't broken yet, but... he dealt damage through the Dragon Robe?)
He muttered to himself, clutching Death Scythe in his left hand while rubbing his side with his right. He confirmed his suspicion: there wasn't a single scratch on the Dragon Robe itself. That meant...
"You passed the impact directly to my vitals, didn't you?"
Hearing Reiji’s mutter, Noise gave a small nod.
"Indeed. An ordinary opponent would be writhing in agony without ever understanding what happened. You’re every bit the man I thought you were."
Admiration from an S-Rank adventurer. To a normal adventurer, those words would have brought a shiver of pride. Unfortunately for Noise, Reiji was anything but normal.
"Is that so? Then next time, I’ll take those words of praise after I’ve knocked you down... hah!"
Ignoring the searing pain in his right side, he kicked off the stage once more and charged.
"Hyaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
He swung Death Scythe with a roar. Determined not to let the blow be parried as before, he rotated the handle within his palms the moment Noise moved to deflect. It wasn't a rotation meant for a thrust; instead, he spun the blade part in a tight circle around the axis of the shaft.
Noise, who had been moving to parry the blade, was forced to lean back as the edge lunged for his face mid-swing. Normally, such an unpredictable maneuver would have caused a momentary delay born of shock. Yet Noise showed no signs of confusion, moving his body calmly to dodge the tricky attack aimed at his head.
However, Reiji wasn't about to waste the opening he’d created by catching his opponent off guard. Without pausing his momentum, he shouted.
"Corrosion!"
The skill activated. Just as the name suggested, if Death Scythe crossed blades with a metal weapon, it would cause the opponent's gear to begin decaying. Even Noise’s Magic Sword could not withstand the rot if it took a direct hit from Death Scythe while the skill was active.
...Yes, if it took a hit.
To use the skills granted by Death Scythe, one had to speak the skill’s name. This meant Reiji’s opponent knew exactly what was coming. Of course, knowing was not always enough to react, and many failed to even notice the pattern of verbal triggers.
However, for an S-Rank like Noise, sensing the danger and responding semi-instinctively was not difficult. The fact that he had watched Reiji use skills in the semi-finals against Digma likely played a significant role as well.
"—!?"
Sensing an ominous ring to Reiji’s words, Noise chose not to block with his sword. Instead, he arched his body back sharply to avoid the swing entirely.
"Tch! Not letting you go! Corrosion!"
Since the effect had expired with the first swing, Reiji renewed the skill and lashed out again.
That very repetition confirmed Noise’s suspicion that the effect would be fatal if it connected. He swung his Magic Sword before the blade could close in—but not at Death Scythe. He struck the floor of the stage.
"Wind!"
As the word left Noise’s mouth, wind clad itself around the Magic Sword Blade and erupted with the force of his strike. A gale slammed into the ground, reflecting off the stage and rushing toward Reiji.
Having judged that clashing directly with Death Scythe was too dangerous, Noise used the blast to kick up sand and stone fragments from the previous exchanges. The debris pelted Reiji, and the pressure of the rising wind pinned him in place.
"Guh, tch!"
While the Dragon Robe prevented any serious harm, the grit stinging his exposed face and hands was a distraction, and the updraft hindered his movement. At this rate, Noise would follow up from beyond the dust cloud.
Reiji’s reaction was instantaneous.
"Flame, manifest before me... Flame Wall!"
The short incantation allowed the magic to manifest even while he was being buffeted by the wind. A curtain of fire erupted, incinerating the flying debris and neutralizing the gale's pressure.
He exhaled a single breath of relief. It lasted for only a fleeting second.
"Do you think you can afford to relax?"
His movement froze for a split second at the voice whispered right in his ear. Simultaneously, a massive impact slammed into his right ribs, sending him flying like a pebble kicked by a child. He was launched despite the hundred-kilogram weight of Death Scythe.
"Guuuuuh!"
While hurtling through the air, he clutched his side and activated Sleipnir's Shoes. He kicked the empty air to stabilize his posture and landed on the stage. He dug the butt end of Death Scythe into the stone, skidding across the floor to halt his momentum.
"Hah... hah... hah..."
It was the exact same spot. Noise had struck him with pinpoint accuracy in the same place as before, the pain bypassing the Dragon Robe’s defense once again. Reiji grimaced as he looked toward the spot where the Flame Wall had been—the spot where he had just been standing. He resolved not to repeat that moment of carelessness.
There stood Noise, Magic Sword in hand, his gaze fixed on Reiji.
Steadying his breathing, Reiji readied Death Scythe.
(He’s strong... far beyond my expectations. But if I can just shift the foundation of this fight!)
Muttering inwardly as he faced the S-Rank in whom not a single opening could be found, Reiji spoke.
"Flame, become arrows that burn everything and fall like rain... Shower of Flame Arrows!"
With the incantation, arrows of flame materialized behind him. There were approximately fifty of them, crackling with a dense amount of Reiji’s magic power. Each arrow possessed enough potency to cause horrific burns with even a grazing blow.
The Shower of Flame Arrows screamed toward Noise in unison, and—
"Gah!"
He didn't know what had happened. All he knew was that he was flying through the air—or rather, being blown away. Reiji, regaining the consciousness he had lost for a fraction of a second, caught a glimpse of his own flame arrows impacting the stage where Noise had stood, erupting in a massive explosion.
(What happened?)
Confused, he used Sleipnir's Shoes to kick the air again. Unlike before, he kicked off the void several times to put as much distance as possible between himself and Noise before landing.
"Ouch!"
The impact of landing sent a jolt of dull pain through his right ribs. The third hit to the same spot was taking a toll; while his ribs weren't broken yet, the damage was mounting.
(Is this that Shintoukei thing?)
Clutching his side, he recalled fragments of knowledge from manga and novels he had read back in Japan. It seemed to fit—a technique that used magic power or ki to penetrate through armor.
(No, the real problem is that speed. When did he dodge my magic? And how did he get next to me so fast?)
It would have been easier to accept if Noise had teleported, so suddenly had he appeared at Reiji’s side. He gripped Death Scythe, staying on high alert to counter if it happened again, while watching Noise across the now considerable distance.
Noise stood silently, sword in hand, watching Reiji. His movement had been carried out under the cover of the magic’s effects, masking the transition. Reiji observed every twitch of the man’s muscles, determined not to miss a single gesture.
(Given how he just appears out of nowhere, surely he can't actually be using teleportation?)
The phenomenon of teleportation existed in this world, but it was usually restricted to expensive Magic Items or a legacy of the Ancient Magic Civilization. For an individual to use it so casually was unbelievable, even for an S-Rank.
(That means there must be a trick to it.)
Noise likely sensed that Reiji was analyzing his movements, yet his expression remained unchanged. He simply didn't believe Reiji could comprehend his technique.
"...Very well. See if you can keep up."
He muttered the words and activated the technique that had broken countless opponents before. To the spectators, Noise simply vanished. The very next instant, he was already at Reiji’s side, his strike ready to launch the boy into the air once again.
(Guh... but I saw it!)
Reiji’s mind raced as he tracked the impossible motion.