"Nn... mmm...?"
Rei groaned as he slowly regained consciousness.
He sat up, his groggy mind trying to figure out where he was. It was a place that felt vaguely familiar, yet he couldn't quite place it.
As he scanned the room, his eyes landed on a figure sitting on the sofa directly across from the one he had been lying on. His mind snapped into full alertness.
Seeing Noise sitting right there made Rei spring to his feet instinctively. The memories of the final match were still vivid, etched into his mind with searing clarity.
"You're awake, it seems."
"Noise... This is... No, where exactly am I?"
"The waiting room assigned to you. Do you remember the finals?"
Noise was smiling for some reason, looking quite pleased with himself. Seeing him in such a good mood made Rei feel foolish for staying so tense, so he sat back down on the sofa.
Closing his eyes, he reached back for the memories of what had happened before he passed out.
(The finals... Right, I definitely fought Noise. Though, can I even call that a 'fight'? It was more like I was one-sidedly dismantled.)
The image of Noise flickering through his mind—clad in magic power so compressed it was visible to the naked eye. Rei had mimicked the technique through sheer instinctual magic power management, but in the end, it hadn't been enough to save him from defeat.
"I lost, huh," Rei muttered.
Noise watched him from the opposite sofa and gave a firm nod. "You did. But it's also a fact that I haven't had to get that serious in years."
Noise wasn't saying it to be comforting; he was simply stating a blunt fact. Rei didn't have a comeback for that. He simply leaned forward and buried his face in his hands.
The dull ache in his right ribs and the various minor scratches he'd sustained during the match had vanished the moment he left the stage. Rei noted the effect once again, but he lacked the mental energy to dwell on it. He just let out a long, heavy sigh.
(I knew the gap between us was huge from the moment we first met. Even so... yeah, even so, I thought I might have a chance. I thought I could actually win.)
It had been about a year and a half since Rei had come to the world of Elgin. He had survived countless battles in that time, and he had emerged victorious from every single one of them.
...Well, there were exceptions like the Lich Grimm.
But more than anything, he had taken pride in the fact that he'd somehow managed to defeat A-rank adventurers like Elk and Digma.
And yet... he hadn't even been able to push the man sitting in front of him to his absolute limit.
Of course, Noise had been serious. At the very least, he had exerted enough power to make it a true fight, which was entirely different from the way he had been essentially 'tutoring' his opponents up until the semi-finals.
But that was as far as it went. He had drawn out some of Noise's power, but he hadn't backed the man into a corner or forced him to use every ounce of his strength.
(He's strong. I never thought I was invincible, but I didn't realize the gap was this wide.)
Noise watched Rei's brooding expression with interest before finally speaking.
"There's no need to be so discouraged. You managed to use my Overlord's Armor just by seeing it once. In the grand scheme of things, that's a massive win for you."
"Overlord's Armor? ...Is that the name of the skill?"
Rei didn't recognize the term at first, but given Noise's comment about him mimicking it, he understood immediately what it referred to.
Noise nodded, noting Rei's comprehension. "Yes. That skill I used. It's called Overlord's Armor. Though the name isn't widely known. Honestly... I never imagined there was anyone else who could use it."
A ferocious smile spread across Noise's face.
Yet, Rei realized that he wasn't nearly as afraid of that smile as he once would have been.
For instance, back when they first met, Rei's palms would break into a sweat just from standing across from him. Now, even with Noise sitting right there wearing a smile that could only be described as bloodthirsty, Rei felt no overwhelming sense of dread.
It wasn't that he didn't recognize the threat. Simply sitting across from the man, Rei could feel that Noise possessed a level of strength that was entirely off the charts. Having experienced it firsthand, there was no room for doubt.
He wasn't sure why he was so calm now. His best guess was that by actually fighting Noise and feeling the extent of his power, the unknown had become a known quantity.
Unconcerned with Rei's internal analysis, Noise continued with his predatory grin.
"Over the years, several people have asked to learn the Overlord's Armor. Naturally, they were all warriors of significant skill, but not a single one of them could master it. ...And yet, you picked it up after seeing it used once. The alias 'Crimson' clearly isn't just for show."
"You're being awfully complimentary for someone who just beat me without breaking a sweat."
Noise's eyes widened in rare surprise at Rei's bluntness. He stared at the boy for a few seconds before breaking into a quiet, rhythmic chuckle.
"That was to be expected. How long do you think it took me to master that technique? It's true you used the Overlord's Armor, but you only used it. You haven't mastered it. To use that much magic power and only get that much performance out of it... well, that's the very definition of being a novice."
Noise's assessment was perfectly logical. Rei knew it, so he didn't try to argue. It was a simple fact that his version of the skill had been a clumsy imitation of Noise's.
Watching Rei's reaction, Noise let out a wry smile and thought to himself.
(Though the fact that he did that much through mere imitation is what's truly insane. Concentrating the armor in a single point and actually maintaining it... I wonder how long it took me to reach that level?)
Noise spoke to Rei again, his voice serious.
"If you continue to grow at this rate... one day, you might actually be able to beat me."
Rei froze for a moment at those words. After a few seconds, he asked, "Are you serious?"
"I am. Why would I bother lying to you? Of course, it won't be anytime soon. You'll need to survive countless more battles and go through hellish training first."
Noise considered that Rei might even find a different way to become stronger, rather than relying on a skill that was essentially Noise's own signature. Given the boy's freakish rate of growth in combat, nothing was impossible. In fact, if Rei sought out a different kind of strength, it might be even better. It might actually cure Noise of his long-standing boredom.
Noise lived with the solitude that came from standing at the peak, and he secretly hoped that one day this boredom would vanish.
"On another note," Noise said, changing the subject, "the award ceremony for the fighting tournament is starting soon. The referee told me he wanted you to be there if you were able... Are you up for it?"
"I'll be fine," Rei muttered.
He stood up from the sofa and tested his movements. His injuries had been healed the moment he left the arena, but he checked just to be sure. After a few seconds, he confirmed his body was in perfect working order.
"I'm good to go."
"Good. ...By the way, your weapon is over there."
Noise gestured toward the floor, where the Death Scythe lay on its side. Rei stared at it with a blank expression.
"You... brought this here?"
"Yes. Did you want me to leave it behind?"
"No, I appreciate it. I'm just... surprised you could even lift it. A normal human shouldn't be able to... wait, I see. You used the Overlord's Armor."
"Sharp as always," Noise said with a smile.
In the final match, Noise had clad his entire body in the armor, but even in the earlier rounds, he had shown bursts of incredible speed. This meant he could manifest the effects of the skill without necessarily cladding himself in high-density magic power that was visible to the crowd.
(And the way he stopped Ruzy's claymore thrust with just the sword tip. To pull that off, he must have perfect control over the armor's flow.)
Having briefly used the skill himself, Rei finally understood the level of precision required. He had certainly closed the gap slightly, but that only served to make him realize just how much further he had to go. He couldn't even dream of that level of delicate control yet.
(He's so far ahead...)
Rei whispered to himself, but his eyes didn't hold a hint of despair. On the contrary, he had a fierce, predatory smile that matched Noise's own. He had a clear goal now—a wall he needed to climb.
Noise saw that expression and smiled back, his own eyes burning with the anticipation of a rematch. Even though their fight had only just ended, both were already eager to go again.
Noise's boredom was deep, and Rei was the first obstacle that had ever truly piqued his interest. Resolve burning in his heart, Rei reached out and touched the Death Scythe.
He stored the massive weapon into his Misty Ring, drawing an impressed sound from Noise. The ferocious grin on Noise's face vanished, replaced by curiosity.
Seeing that, Rei recalled their first meeting and spoke up.
"An Item Box. Mine is a bag-type..."
Noise had mentioned having one back then, but he wasn't wearing an Item Box bag on his waist now.
"You mentioned that before. But you don't seem to have it on you."
"Hm? Oh, that. If people know I have an Item Box, I'll constantly be targeted by thieves. And it's always the most annoying, pathetic types who try. I don't bring it to a place as public as the fighting tournament."
"So you weighed the convenience against the hassle and decided the hassle wasn't worth it."
"The exact opposite of what I do," Rei remarked.
Rei had been using his Item Box openly ever since he arrived in Gilm. Countless people had tried to ambush him for it, but the vast majority of them were now in the afterlife. The survivors were left with nothing but varying degrees of trauma.
"Well, you can tell me more about that later. We've got an award ceremony to get to. Let's go."
Rei lightly brushed the dust off his Dragon Robe and looked at Noise. Noise nodded and followed suit, checking his own gear.
Rei felt a flash of complicated emotion as he watched him. In the final match, he hadn't managed to deal a single bit of damage to Noise—not even enough to scuff his armor. He had used magic, but even that had produced limited results.
(Though I guess the same applies to me.)
He had been struck repeatedly, yet his Dragon Robe was pristine. Of course, the reality was different. Noise had truly avoided damage, while in Rei's case, the strikes had bypassed the robe's defense to hit his flesh directly.
(Was that technique also an effect of the Overlord's Armor? ...No, it felt different. A completely different system. Which means it's likely a separate skill. ...Rank S. He really is on another level.)
Rei muttered quietly to himself as he walked out of the waiting room with Noise. They walked down the hallway toward the stage in silence. Before they reached the end, a figure came running toward them.
The man looked relieved to see them both. "Excellent, it seems both of you are well enough to attend the award ceremony. Preparations on the stage are complete. ...Please keep in mind that today's event is only a temporary award ceremony. The formal award ceremony will be held at the palace at a later date. As for your victory prizes, you will present your requests to His Majesty the Emperor today, and they will be officially granted during the palace ceremony."
"No problem."
"Understood."
Noise and Rei nodded as they were briefed on the procedures. The champion, Noise, would be the main focus; as the runner-up, Rei mostly just had to stand there until it was time to voice his request for a prize.
As the explanation finished and the two warriors prepared to step onto the stage through the player entrance...
The arena had been quickly decorated for the ceremony, and cheers were already erupting from the stands. But then...
BOOM!
A sudden, deafening explosion shook the air, its roar drowning out even the thunderous cheers of the crowd.