"And now, the second match of the semifinals is about to begin!"
"This is another matchup to watch. We have No. 2, Zaberer, an undisputed speed specialist, up against No. 41, Phantom, who has shown incredible all-around performance throughout the tournament. I honestly have no idea how this one will play out."
"No. 2 is carrying a short sword, while No. 41 is wielding a greatsword."
"I expected it to dual-wield, but it seems I was mistaken."
"I suppose there's a difference between a performance and a real battle."
In human terms, a one-handed sword was generally referred to as a short sword, while a massive two-handed weapon was a greatsword.
Including the hilt, the short sword was approximately 70 centimeters long, whereas the greatsword measured 150 centimeters.
While there was more than a twofold difference in size, that alone wasn't enough to determine which was superior. The effectiveness of a weapon changed depending on the user and the situation.
If Zaberer used speed as its primary weapon, it could likely master the characteristics of the short sword to the fullest. Conversely, it was expected that with Phantom's strength, it could handle a greatsword with as much ease as a short sword.
"Begin!"
At the signal to start the match, Zaberer lunged forward.
It opened with a horizontal sweep—a slashing attack with a much wider range than a Karatake, which was a vertical downward strike.
However, Phantom leapt to the right with room to spare, dodging the blow easily.
Zaberer followed up immediately with a Kesa and a Gyaku-kesa—a double-strike of diagonal downward slashes.
Phantom dodged the first Kesa strike and parried the second Gyaku-kesa strike with the greatsword in its hand.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Hmm, that's a poor way to attack."
Watching from Hourai Island, Jin muttered to himself.
"Jin-nii, what do you mean? I thought you weren't very knowledgeable about combat techniques."
Elsa, who had come to stand beside him, asked the question.
"Eh? Oh, well, I'm an amateur when it comes to martial arts, but the reason that attack pattern is bad is a purely technical matter," Jin explained, prefacing his reasoning.
"That Phantom is very good at analyzing the movements it sees. Which means..."
"It will eventually be able to counter them?"
"Exactly. So, in that case, if I were giving orders, I would have told Zaberer to let the opponent attack, dodge it, and then strike the opening... or something like that."
"My Lord, I believe you are correct. In fact, Phantom's movements are already showing gradual improvement."
Hearing Laojun's assessment, Jin and Elsa turned their attention back to the magi-screen.
There, Phantom was literally leaping all over the arena with movements that surpassed even Zaberer's own agility.
＊ ＊ ＊
"What a breathtaking match, Tolf."
"Yes. At first, it seemed No. 2 would use its speed to overwhelm the opponent, but No. 41 has shown impressive resilience by weathering the onslaught. And now, thanks to its inherent adaptability, it's already demonstrating speed that rivals No. 2."
Just as the commentator said, No. 41, Phantom, had acquired a level of mobility that was incomparable to how it had moved at the start of the match.
"However, since No. 2, Zaberer, bears the title 'Magician,' I imagine it still has some sort of trump card hidden away."
"I see. So, you believe that the trump card meant for the finals will have to be played here in the semifinals, Tolf?"
Just as they spoke, Yaruidare of the Kingdom of Egerea—the creator of No. 2, Zaberer—shouted instructions from the side of the arena.
"Zaberer! Go!"
That brief command was all it took.
Zaberer cloaked its body in a "Breeze."
While the wind itself was invisible, it could be faintly discerned by the sand and dust it kicked up around the golem.
"Oh?! W-What is this?"
"It's wind magic. It's surprising to see a golem capable of using it."
It was true that there were golems capable of "firing" fire-attribute magic like Fireball or Fire Bullet. However, golems that could handle magic with their own "will" and perform such advanced control were very few.
(Among those few were Jin's golems and the Universal Golems of the former Unifilar.)
"Some golems used in mining sites are set up to use the earth-attribute magic 'Dig,' but they can only activate it according to their programming. To be able to activate it in sync with its own movements like this... it truly is a Magician."
"I see. Well, the tournament rules don't state that a golem cannot use magic."
"That's exactly right."
＊ ＊ ＊
"I see. It's using that wind to deflect the opponent's sword."
Jin, eyes fixed on the screen, spoke to himself.
Even though it was called a greatsword, the weapon's material was wood, making it light for its size. If anything, the large surface area might make it more susceptible to the wind's influence.
"As expected of the engineer who made Zingel, he certainly does unusual things."
Yaruidare, who had created the Singing Golem, had now apparently created a golem that manipulated wind magic.
"That aside, since the tournament rules don't forbid magic, it's a clever move."
Considering that golems capable of magic were a rarity and that the ability to use magic was one of the golem's inherent characteristics, it likely wouldn't be a violation. However, a victory achieved through magic wouldn't leave marks on the armor, meaning no points would be awarded.
...Thus, Jin offered his opinion in his capacity as the chief judge.
In the meantime, the situation in the arena continued to shift.
＊ ＊ ＊
"This is incredible! Magnificent! No. 2, Zaberer, is cloaked in wind and is deflecting the opponent's sword!"
"And it's unleashing attacks that are aligned with the direction of the wind."
With this, the tide had turned. Zaberer now held the advantage.
It used the wind to deflect incoming attacks and utilized the same force to increase the speed of its own strikes. It also appeared to be using a tailwind for its movements, making it even faster than before.
Naturally, this created a headwind for its opponent, Phantom, which effectively slowed down its lunges.
Everyone watching thought the match was over.
But in that instant.
"Oh!"
The MC, Emsaston, let out an instinctive cry.
"Whoa!"
"Amazing!"
The audience erupted in shock.
Phantom had landed a blow directly on Zaberer's head.
"It's over! The winner is No. 41, Phantom!!"
Thunderous applause and cheers filled the arena.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Wind is just wind in the end," Jin muttered as he watched from Hourai Island. "The idea was sound, but the application was lacking."
In the arena, Phantom stood over its opponent, having delivered a blow to Zaberer's head through sheer brute force, completely ignoring the buffeting wind.
"Jin-nii, what do you mean by 'application'?"
Elsa, overhearing his comment, asked another question.
"Well, 'wind' is just the flow of air, which means its mass is small. That's why it has a low effect on heavy objects—things with a large mass, right?"
"Mhm."
"So, the question is what to do about that."
Jin paused and looked at Elsa's face. He believed that with her current knowledge, she could reach the correct conclusion.
"..."
Elsa thought for a moment before answering.
"Maybe... wind speed?"
"Spot on."
Jin nodded with satisfaction.
"I believe air resistance is proportional to the square of velocity. So, if you double the wind speed, the force increases four times."
Based on his estimates from the screen, the wind Zaberer had cloaked itself in was about 100 kilometers per hour. In terms of wind speed, that was roughly 28 meters per second.
When compared to the wind speeds of a typhoon, it was clearly insufficient.
Jin explained that considering the golem's weight, it would take a wind speed capable of overturning an automobile to be effective. He estimated that a wind speed of 80 meters per second—roughly 290 kilometers per hour—would be needed to blow away or knock over an opponent like Phantom.
Finally, the time for the final match was drawing near.