A sturdy Barrier enclosed the arena to protect the audience from the fallout of the battle. In the center of the ring, two Golems stood face-to-face, locked in a tense standoff.
The air hummed with anticipation, elation, and a feverish excitement. Amidst the roar of the crowd, the announcer’s voice boomed through the speakers.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for waiting! We have reached the final match of the day in the blink of an eye! Let us introduce the two competitors who will be closing out our show! First, look toward the Tiger Direction! The pride of the Kingdom of Bertram, the Golden Lion—Leonhaaaaart!"
A thunderous cheer erupted from the stands. His popularity was undeniable.
The announcer waited for the noise to subside before gesturing toward the opposite side.
"And in the Dragon Direction! A rare specimen from a foreign land—Lao-kanfu! Its slim, vermilion frame stands in stark contrast to other Golems, and the dragon motifs painted across its body are truly exotic! Given its martial-artist-like appearance, we expect some incredibly nimble movements! What will we see today? Expectations are high for this one tooooo!"
In one corner of the audience, Tao’s grandfather and his group were shouting hoarse, weathered cheers.
Tao climbed into Lao-kanfu with a troubled expression.
Aside from her small group of supporters, the applause was sparse. The atmosphere in the stadium was overwhelmingly in Ido’s favor. Lao-kanfu looked like a novelty act to most, and considering her opponent was Ido, the crowd's bias was understandable.
Still, Tao wasn't someone who would go down easily. This was a fight I couldn't afford to miss.
"Finally, it's Ido's turn," Albert said. "And against Tao, no less. I’m quite interested to see what kind of battle they’ll give us."
"Hey, Little Roddy! We don't know which one of 'em we'll end up fighting, so keep your eyes peeled!" Dian barked.
"I will!" I replied.
Albert and Dian seemed just as excited as I was.
The two Golems, Leonhart and Lao-kanfu, each took a step forward. Both sides were clearly ready for action.
"Now! Now, now, now! It appears both competitors are prepared! Everyone, keep your eyes wide open! The Golems have entered their combat stances!"
The crowd's energy reached its peak. In a brief moment of sudden silence, the announcer raised his right hand high.
"Both sides... ready, ready, ready... Begin!"
He snapped his hand down.
Instantly, Lao-kanfu kicked off the ground.
"Lao-kanfu makes the first move! O-Ooh?! Look at that speed! It’s charging Leonhart with incredible velocity!"
Gasps of wonder rippled through the stands. Lao-kanfu’s speed was on an entirely different level compared to any Golem we had seen so far. Its agility was likely a trade-off for its thin armor.
The vermilion machine glided across the arena, closing the gap in a heartbeat.
"The first strike is everything-aru!"
Tao threw a backfist—a feint—then dropped into a low crouch to deliver a sweeping kick.
The fluid, human-like sequence of movements drew cheers from the crowd. From Leonhart’s perspective, it must have looked like she had vanished. Not bad, Tao.
However, her full-strength strike met nothing but air.
Leonhart was already soaring through the sky above the defenseless Lao-kanfu.
"Ah! With a single leap, Leonhart jumps to safety!"
To evade that attack on sight was impressive enough, but Ido’s maneuver was already transitioning into a counter. Leonhart plummeted toward Lao-kanfu, swinging a sharp front claw—
"Kh...!"
—or so it seemed. At the last second, Leonhart checked its momentum and landed softly beside Lao-kanfu, who had braced for impact.
A confused silence fell over the arena. Everyone was wondering the same thing: why hadn't he attacked?
"Why didn't you counter?" Tao demanded. "Was that on purpose? Hah, you’re looking down on me. I didn't even want to pilot this thing at first, but now you’ve got me fired up."
Lao-kanfu sank into a deep stance, fists held ready. It was Tao’s signature posture. Not only that, but even from the stands, I could see that the machine was now saturated with Ki.
"Here I come!"
With that declaration, Lao-kanfu blurred. She was even faster than before, circling behind Leonhart like a bolt of crimson lightning.
"Hyaaaaaah!"
She unleashed a high-speed palm strike, but Leonhart avoided it by a hair's breadth. Lao-kanfu didn't let up. She followed with a low kick, a spear hand, an elbow, and a roundhouse—a fluid, relentless barrage of martial arts strikes.
"Fast! Fast, fast, fast, faaaast! Lao-kanfu is unleashing a staggering continuous assault! Leonhart is completely on the defensive! This is unexpected! It’s a one-sided beatdown!"
The announcer shouted over the roar of the crowd, who were losing their minds at the unexpected turn of events.
"Oho! That brat is being pushed back!" Jiriel scoffed. "He talked a big game, but he’s not all that impressive after all."
"But it is strange," I noted. "Why isn't he counterattacking?"
Leonhart wasn't making any offensive moves. Tao’s barrage was certainly fierce, but for a pilot of Ido's caliber, there were several openings he could have exploited.
"Are you mocking me?! Why won't you attack?!" Tao screamed, feeling the same unease I did.
Ido’s voice came through the Golem’s speakers, sounding perfectly composed.
"The truth is... I love Golems. Yours might look like a novelty at first, but it’s actually a meticulously crafted masterpiece. I can feel the love the creators put into it. That's why I don't want to break it."
"Then why are you even in this tournament-aru?! If you love them so much, stay home and admire them there!"
"Sponsor requirements. It’s the hardship of being an employee. Besides, there’s an opponent here I really want to face. If possible, I’d appreciate it if you just surrendered."
"Hah! You’re joking! I’m just getting started!"
Lao-kanfu kicked off the ground with explosive force. A cloud of dust erupted, and the machine vanished from sight. That was her fastest move yet. She was still accelerating. Before anyone realized it, she had herded Leonhart into a corner.
"Lao-kanfu is closing in with terrifying speed! Leonhart has nowhere left to run!"
The crowd held its breath.
"I’ve got you!"
Tao executed a full mid-air rotation, putting all her momentum into a lethal flying kick. There was no room to dodge. He had to take it.
In that split second, I could have sworn I heard Ido chuckle.
Suddenly, a surge of intense magical power radiated from Leonhart.
"A-Aaaaahhh! What is this?!"
A collective scream went up from the audience. Lao-kanfu’s leg had instantly liquified, and the machine tumbled to the ground.
"Hey, Albert-nii! Did you see what happened?!" Dian yelled.
"No, I couldn't see it clearly either..." Albert replied, stunned. "I thought the kick landed, but the next moment, her leg just melted. It was like shoving a rod of ice into a furnace. What on earth was that?!"
While my brothers were bewildered, I knew exactly what Ido had done.
That was the Fire and Water Double Synthesis Magic: Aqua Regia Veil.
It was a Barrier that dissolved anything it touched. It provided absolute defense and offense simultaneously, but the deployment range was incredibly narrow. If the user made even a slight mistake, they would dissolve themselves.
To think he had converted that into a Spell Formula and woven it into the Golem's armor... To find someone else capable of using a high-level synthesis Barrier with enough output to melt a Golem—he was even more impressive than I’d imagined.
Lao-kanfu staggered as it tried to regain its balance, but Tao kept her guard up.
"Kh! I only lost one leg! I can still fight!"
Lao-kanfu lunged forward, but Leonhart remained motionless.
"Let’s stop this," Ido said. "As I said, I don’t enjoy damaging Golems."
"Then stay still and let me hit you-aru!"
Lao-kanfu slammed a fist down with a resounding boom, kicking up a massive cloud of dust. When it cleared, Leonhart was gone.
"I’m afraid I can’t do that. But if I don't defeat you, it seems you'll just keep coming. I'll end this as gently as I can."
Leonhart was in the air, its jaws clamped firmly around Lao-kanfu’s head.
He had transitioned from evasion to attack in a single heartbeat. Even with a missing leg, the fact that Lao-kanfu hadn't been able to react at all showed the sheer gap in their abilities.
"Aaaahhh! A lightning-fast finish! Lao-kanfu’s head has been severed before our very eyes! According to the rules, a Golem that loses its head is eliminated! Which means... Leonhart is the winner!"
The announcer’s voice was drowned out by a massive ovation. Amidst the thunderous applause, Leonhart stood tall, bathed in the brilliant sunshine.