“Whoa! Magicamillia’s been sent flying!”
Almost the exact moment the announcer’s voice boomed across the arena, Magicamillia slammed into the ground.
As thick plumes of dust billowed upward, Magicamillia dropped to its knees. It struggled to stand, but it could do little more than hiss steam from its joints, unable to move properly.
Diguardia stood over it, its Magic Cannon leveled at the fallen machine.
“Strong! So, so, so strong! It’s overwhelming! Diguardia is a powerhouse! It hasn’t let Magicamillia get anywhere near it!”
Just as the announcer said, the match was entirely one-sided.
A single blast from Diguardia’s Magic Cannon at the opening had sent the opponent staggering. They’d tried to push forward somehow, but they couldn’t withstand the continuous fire and were driven back in the blink of an eye.
Hmm... I only loaded basic High Magic into the Magic Cannon’s cartridges, though.
Maybe Magicamillia just has paper-thin armor?
“Hmph, looking good. It seems it can more than handle golem combat.”
“Alriiiight! Nice one, Brother Zerof! Just keep pushing and finish him!”
Albert and Dian were clearly delighted by Diguardia’s performance.
The opposing team, however, was utterly dejected.
It was understandable. Building a golem took a massive investment of time, effort, and money. To be completely helpless in the very first round would be enough to crush anyone’s spirit.
Yet, one person refused to give up.
“N-not yet... I haven’t lost yet...!”
Lugol, the pilot of Magicamillia, raised his voice.
The golems were equipped with loudspeakers, allowing the pilot’s voice to carry throughout the venue. He twirled the staff in his hand and pointed it toward Diguardia. The gemstone at its tip began to glow with a brilliant light.
“Tremble, earth; rise, bedrock! Take this! Quaking Rock—”
Boom! A massive explosion erupted.
He had intended to use magic, but the Magic Cannon was simply faster. As Magicamillia’s head was blasted off and tumbled to the ground, the crowd roared again.
“And there it is! The counterattack fails! A golem is considered defeated once its head is destroyed! Therefore, the winner of this historic first match of the Golem Fight is—Diguardia and contestant Zerof! Everyone, a round of applause for our victor!”
Diguardia stood amidst the thunderous ovation. Then, it slowly began to make its way back to the standby area.
“Brother Zerof! Why won’t you come out?”
Even after the match ended, Zerof refused to descend from Diguardia.
As I kept calling to him, a small section of the armor plating slid open, and Zerof peeked out.
“This part is your job, Lloyd.”
“?”
While I tilted my head in confusion, a boisterous laugh rang out.
“Ha-hah-hah! You put up quite a fight!”
It was Lugol. I wondered what he wanted.
“Let us praise one another’s efforts! However, victory is often a matter of luck, and it seems the Goddess of Victory chose to smile on you today! I won’t lose next time!”
He thrust out his right hand and gave a sharp wink. I was a bit taken aback, but I returned the handshake.
“Give me a break. He’s talking like we only won because we got lucky. What a clown,” Grimo muttered.
“He’s certainly resilient, to say the least... Has he already forgotten that he couldn’t even lay a finger on us?” Jiriel added irritably.
I see—the 'job' Zerof mentioned was handling the people who come to talk after the match. I didn't mind, but I had a feeling everyone was mistaking me for Diguardia’s pilot.
“Since you defeated me, you’d better win the whole thing. I’m counting on you! But don’t think this is over. Next time, I will be the victor! Until then, don’t you dare lose! I wish you the best of luck! Ha-hah-hah!”
Leaving that booming laugh behind, Lugol departed. For the record, Zerof was the one who fought, not me.
“You’re the pilot of Diguardia, right? Please, give us an interview!”
“An autograph, please!” “Me too! Me too!”
Gah, this is bad. A huge crowd was swarming in. No wonder Zerof found this a nuisance. Still, I couldn’t just leave them hanging, so I did my best to respond to everyone who approached.
“Hao, that was a spectacular golem, Lloyd.”
I was taking a breather while the next match started when Tao called out to me, waving her hand.
“Hey, Tao. So you were participating too?”
“I didn’t really plan on it, but Grandpa, you see...”
Tao let out a heavy sigh before continuing.
“Apparently, he built it a long time ago with the Rentanjutsu Practitioners from back home. And for some reason, I’m the one who has to pilot it-aru.”
She gestured toward a slender, exotic-looking golem. Standing at its feet were her grandfather and several other elderly men. When they saw us, they began waving enthusiastically, prompting Tao to sigh again.
“Well, Grandpa’s friends have looked after me over the years. I figure this is a nice parting gift for the afterlife for them. Good grief, I’m too soft-hearted for my own good-aru.”
Rentanjutsu Practitioners were masters who dealt with elixirs that influenced the flow of Ki within the body. Essentially, they were alchemists from the East. That would make her machine an Eastern-style golem.
Since Tao was the pilot, she was likely using amplified Ki to control the frame. Ki flowed more easily through organic materials like wood or cloth than through inorganic metal. That was probably how she could move such a slender machine so effectively. It was fascinating. I really wanted to take a closer look at it.
“Anyway, that makes us rivals, Lloyd. Don’t go losing before the finals.”
“Yeah, you too, Tao.”
Tao struck a pose and bumped her fist against mine.
The tournament proceeded smoothly, with one match after another being decided. Where there were winners, there were naturally losers. The defeated pilots wiped away tears of regret as they cleared away the wreckage of their golems.
Watching them, Grimo murmured, “Hmm, I can’t help but feel a bit sorry for them, Boss. Every one of those golems is a masterpiece. They must have worked incredibly hard on them...”
“Do you think so? I think they had a blast making them. Besides, they probably realized a lot of new techniques through the building process and gained a ton of knowledge. The time and effort they put in will stay with them, so it wasn’t a wasted struggle.”
They gave it their all and had fun, so I doubt they have many regrets. Even if the machines broke, there’s so much to be learned from that. Yes, absolutely.
“As expected of Master Lloyd! It is that very spirit that allows for your daily devotion and mastery!” Jiriel praised.
“...I suspect there are very few people who can be quite that detached about it, Boss...”
Grimo looked strangely put off, though I didn't think I'd said anything odd.
As we were talking, Lugol approached us again, waving.
“Hey, Lloyd! Enjoying yourself?”
He sat down next to me with a wide grin.
“Man, golem fighting really gets the blood pumping, doesn’t it? Time just flies! Look, look, Lloyd! That strike from Kingfisher’s giant tail fin was magnificent! But Gigaluke’s Rampart Armor is also impressive. To think it could withstand a hit like that! Ooh, I wish my Magicamillia could have fought them!”
Lugol seemed to be genuinely enjoying the matches. A person who doesn’t let a loss get them down and can enjoy themselves to the fullest is strong. I was sure he’d take his defeat and turn it into fuel for his next project.
“Yeah, it’s great. But take Gigaluke, for example—how are they moving a golem with that much mass? The output of the nucleus doesn’t seem high enough to manage it.”
“Heh heh heh, output is vital, of course, but you can compensate for power by skillfully using gears to generate greater force from less energy. The inside of that fortress-like body is surely packed with gears.”
“I wonder. It seems like it would be impossible to move that much mass with gears alone. Don’t you think they’re using some other technology?”
“Hmm... you have a point! In that case, Lloyd, let’s go ask the pilot! It looks like their match just ended!”
“Good idea. I actually have something I want to ask that fish golem’s pilot, too. I’m curious about how they output the destructive power in that tail fin.”
Man, golems have really come a long way. I’m so glad I came. Truly.
As we were geeking out over golem mechanics, a massive cheer erupted from the other side of the plaza.
“Thank you for waiting! Today’s final match—Leonhart, piloted by contestant Ido, versus Lao-kanfu, piloted by contestant Tao—begins now!”
The announcer’s voice made me stop in my tracks. Oh, Ido is up already? And his opponent is Tao. This is one match I definitely can't miss.
“I’m going to go check that out. Lugol, you go ahead and talk to those other pilots for me.”
“Hmph, if it is a request from my friend, I have no choice! Then, Lloyd, you make sure to watch the match closely!”
I wondered briefly when exactly we’d become friends, but I hurried toward the plaza. Mmm, the crowd was enormous for such a high-profile match. I couldn't see a thing from back here.
“Shall I use Holy Magic to brainwash them into clearing a path, Master Lloyd?”
“You stupid angel, we’d stand out way too much if you did that!”
I tuned out the bickering between the two of them and looked for a better vantage point, only for Sylpha to appear out of nowhere.
“I thought you might be arriving soon, Master Lloyd, so I came to meet you. I’ve secured a spot for us in the front row. This way.”
“You’re a lifesaver, Sylpha. You think of everything.”
“The honor is all mine.”
I followed a respectfully bowing Sylpha as she led me to the very front of the crowd.
“Oh, you’re finally here, Lloyd.”
“You’re late, Little Roddy! Hurry up and sit down.”
“Okay.”
I took my seat between Albert and Dian as invited. The spectators watched the two opposing golems with bated breath. In the middle of that electric, high-tension atmosphere, the match was about to begin.