"So he won..."
Garik Ash let out a small sigh.
"Things are proceeding more or less on schedule. The rest will depend on how he handles things."
That murmur was relayed to Laojun by Elm, who had been monitoring the situation while hidden via Invisible.
With this, the connection between Jix and Garik was confirmed. All that remained was to uncover their objective.
* * *
3:00 PM.
The awards ceremony had concluded, but some time still remained. Since this was the inaugural event, it was perhaps inevitable that the scheduling was slightly off.
"Perhaps we could offer some entertainment?"
The tournament officials reached this conclusion after a brief discussion.
"Lord of Kunlun, would you be willing to give us a demonstration?"
Just as the inquiry reached Jin...
"If I might be so bold, I would like to request a mock battle," Jix offered.
For Jin, this was exactly the development he had hoped for. This would provide the perfect opportunity to perform an Analyze on Phantom.
"Then, we should prepare the armor—"
"No, we won't need armor. As long as we use wooden swords, that should suffice."
"Well, that is true."
"It's not as if this is a scored match, after all."
And so, it was decided that a mock battle would be held using wooden swords and no armor.
<Ladies and gentlemen! From here on, we will hold a mock battle between our champion, No. 41, Phantom, and Steward—the golem belonging to the chief judge of this tournament, the Magi Craft Meister Jin Nidou!>
The venue erupted in excitement at the announcement. Those who had been about to stand and leave quickly sat back down.
Both Steward and Phantom held longswords. The conditions were identical.
(Now, let's see if I can't get a detailed analysis of Phantom.)
Back on Hourai Island, Jin was also looking forward to this clash.
(As for martial techniques... right, the level of a standard Shouro Empire soldier should be fine. I'll rely on physical performance for the rest.)
This was Jin's instruction, based on the logic that while techniques could be stolen, physical specs could not.
"Then, begin!"
To gauge the opponent, Steward took a defensive stance.
In contrast, Phantom closed the distance with measured steps.
When the gap between the two narrowed to less than two meters, Steward stepped in.
A light clack echoed as the wooden longswords collided.
Judging by the sound, it was clear that neither unit was putting much power into the strike yet.
After the initial clash, both units leaped back about a meter and faced each other once again.
<It looks like they're both testing the waters.>
<So it seems. However, their speed was already quite impressive. If this is just testing the waters, one wonders what it will look like when they fight in earnest.>
<I can hardly wait!>
"The Magi Craft Meister's golem, huh? This is an opportunity too good to pass up. Do a good job, Jix," Garik Ash muttered.
"Jin Nidou, hm? I met him once before at some ruins in the Kingdom of Egerea. I thought he was an outstanding magi craftsman even back then, but..." Lucol mused.
(Jin-san must have something in mind. I have to make sure I don't miss a thing.)
Vivienne also focused her attention on the match.
After facing each other for a few moments, the two units in the arena began to circle slowly to the right.
Just as the spectators noticed their speed increasing, a loud thump echoed, and their movements ceased.
Looking closely, their swords, swung in horizontal slashes, had collided and were now locked at the hilt.
Their strength appeared perfectly matched.
The wooden swords, imbued with Toughening and Hardening, were bending under the strain; even the spectators could imagine the sheer amount of force being exerted.
Then, almost simultaneously, the wooden swords shattered.
"Stop!"
The two units, which had come to a stand still at the official's call, were handed replacement wooden swords and faced each other once more.
"Begin!"
The match resumed.
This time they stepped in immediately, engaging in a rapid exchange of sword flashes.
A rhythmic clack-clack-clack echoed continuously throughout the arena.
"Amazing..."
Someone in the crowd whispered in awe.
<What incredible swordplay! It's every bit as intense as the semifinals or the finals!>
<It's truly magnificent... No, that applies to both of them. Jin Nidou is living up to the title of Magi Craft Meister, and Jix is performing exactly as a champion should. Both can be considered top-level technicians.>
* * *
"...What is that commentator even looking at? Calling that 'top-level'?"
On Hourai Island, Elsa, who was staring at the magi-screen, let out a dissatisfied grumble.
She was clearly unhappy that Jin's true abilities were being underestimated.
As she well knew, Steward's output was still capped at a mere thirty percent.
"But it doesn't look like the other side is at full power yet, either."
If they exerted their full strength, the wooden swords wouldn't hold up, so both units were holding back.
"Now, now. Buying time isn't a bad thing. I've gathered quite a bit of data."
While the opponent might be trying to analyze and learn Steward's martial techniques and movements, those techniques were only those of a common soldier, and the movements were limited to thirty percent output.
To Jin and the others, the gains were far greater.
"Hmm, as I thought, the armor material is the same as the Fragment—foamed 64 light silver. It seems to be impregnated with fluid metal."
Because of the close proximity during the blade lock, he had been able to perform a detailed analysis. High-fidelity data was being sent back in real-time.
"And you can tell by watching the movements. That armor is practically hollow. That's why it's so light."
The laws of inertia held true in this world as well. If an object is heavy, more force is required to stop it once it's in motion.
"Plus, the center of gravity seems to be somewhat high. It's possible that the head is the only part that isn't hollow, likely packed with the control core and mana tank."
In that case, the head would be a vital weak point, but with that level of agility, it was unlikely a blow would land on the head easily.
"So, if the interior were filled with fluid metal, it would become much heavier?"
Elsa's deduction was correct. Jin nodded.
"Most likely. Beyond that, if I could just figure out what that fluid metal is, I'd have no complaints."
However, that was proving difficult.
Even if he used Analyze, if the material was something Jin had never encountered, the results would remain inconclusive.
"Also, I'm curious about where it's drawing the mana to produce those movements."
An energy source capable of maintaining movements on par with Steward—which was equipped with a magi reactor—was a mystery.
Even if it were only at thirty percent output, the fact that the opponent could operate for this long was commendable.
"I can't afford to underestimate them."
Jin reminded himself once more.
In the arena, the battle between the two units was growing increasingly heated.