The next day, the second round of the Advent Festival began.
Just like yesterday, I blended in with the spectators to observe the contestants.
Last night, after putting as much distance as possible between myself and the presence of Celestia and Eileen, I ambushed four more contestants and retrieved their Seeds of Artificial Mythos.
That left fourteen seed-bearers remaining.
It was a pretty good pace, if I do say so myself. Somehow, I had grown accustomed to concealing my identity and fighting stealthily behind the scenes.
"Your battles stray entirely from the center stage, don't they?"
A stepping stone is just a supporting character in the grand story, after all.
There was no need for Reiji and the others who lived in the limelight to know where their stepping stone was or what he was doing on a daily basis.
I looked at the two girls standing in the center of the stadium.
Celestia and Eileen... Those two were definitely sniffing around for something.
I had to be careful. They belonged to the world of the light.
They shouldn't get dragged into this.
"Indeed."
Once the contestants who had won their first matches gathered together, an announcement echoed throughout the arena.
It seemed the second round of the Advent Festival would consist of one-on-one duels. The arena floor, which had been used as a single stage on the first day, was now partitioned into four distinct quadrants. They apparently intended to run four matches simultaneously.
Before the bouts began, flashy introductions were made for the contestants who had advanced.
—The wandering prince of a ruined kingdom, Arthur Pendragon!
A prince who had survived as a mercenary while concealing his identity after his homeland was destroyed by a neighboring country's invasion a few years ago stepped forward.
—The assassin seeking atonement, Jin!
An assassin who had been raised in a dark syndicate as an emotionless killing doll, only to regain his humanity after meeting a kindhearted girl, appeared.
—The combat maid, Melina!
A maid who had reportedly repelled every single assassin sent by numerous political rivals for the sake of the elderly noble who took her in after she collapsed on the streets was introduced.
—The fallen knight, Leon!
A knight who had lost his noble house after his biological father was charged with murder, yet had never abandoned his chivalric pride and continued to protect his current lord, stepped out.
Following them, more participants were introduced in rapid succession: a blind swordsman devoted to his younger sister, a young beastfolk chieftain, a martial artist with a cursed demonic arm...
Seriously... their backstories were way too heavy.
Am I really going to have to hunt all these people down night after night...?
"Is it really that heavy?"
Of course it is.
What were you even listening to?
"Compared to what you carry on your shoulders, it's light."
............
I suppose so... You're right, Zest.
Once again, I braced myself.
The fact that Reiji was introduced merely as an "exchange student from the Kingdom" only made my resolve all the firmer.
There was no way we could lose. The weight of what we carried was on an entirely different level.
Right, Reiji?
After the contestant introductions concluded, a warning announcement rang throughout the venue.
It stated that since last night, there had been frequent incidents of participant hunting targeting contestants in the Advent Festival. The culprit was described as a man wearing a black cloak and a white mask, and everyone was advised to exercise maximum vigilance since several formidable participants had already been defeated.
The matches began.
While the spectators' frenzy reached its peak, I quietly rose from my seat and cast myself into the darkness.
◆
After the second round concluded.
Because of the warning regarding the participant hunting, the contestants no longer wandered down the back alleys.
However, there was no need to give up on the ambushes. Many of the contestants seemed to possess an overactive sense of justice. This time, I would take advantage of that.
Lurking in the darkness of an alleyway, I directed magic power laced with murderous intent straight at my target.
Before long, the target approached.
A man wielding a tower shield as tall as himself alongside a longsword.
It was the fallen knight, Leon.
"Are you the participant hunter?"
Leon glared at me as he drew his sword.
"I'm surprised you came without hesitation."
"You seemed to be calling for me....I cannot leave someone like you to run loose."
Just as expected, Leon was a righteous man to the bone. I figured he would take the bait if provoked, but to think he would come without bringing a single ally...
"...You're looking down on me."
I closed the distance and unleashed a slash at Leon.
In that instant, it felt as though I had struck solid bedrock with a wooden stick.
"He's sturdy."
Yeah... way sturdier than expected.
Leon managed to deflect my sword with his tower shield. I had thought I could cleave right through it, but from the looks of it, there wasn't a single scratch on the surface.
Without missing a beat, Leon countered with a flashing strike.
I parried it deftly and stepped back, prompting Leon to ready his shield once more.
"My Guardian Swordsmanship is an iron wall. Do not think you can pierce a knight's shield so easily."
It's not like I was letting my guard down, though...
Looking closely at that shield, it seemed to be siphoning Leon's magic power. I didn't know the exact mechanics, but it appeared to be a specialized piece of equipment.
As I observed him, Leon boldly pressed the offensive, perhaps assuming I had run out of options.
However, this aggression was merely a bluff. True to the name Guardian Swordsmanship, Leon's real focus was defending with the shield followed immediately by a counter. He seemed to be waiting for me to grow impatient and overextend on the attack.
"He's being cautious."
Yeah.
What he kept in the corner of his eye this entire time was Zest—my sword...
It was probably because he was using a specialized shield himself. Assuming my sword also possessed a unique ability, he was staying on high alert against it.
...Is my sword really bothering you that much?
Then I'll get it out of the way, just as you wish.
I blocked Leon's sharp diagonal slash with Zest.
Right after the fierce metallic clatter rang out, the hilt slipped from my grip, and Zest went flying toward the wall.
An opening—I sensed the exact moment Leon thought he had found one.
Facing Leon as he pressed the attack without delay, I calmly kneaded my magic power.
Dark Arma—full power.
Seeing me enveloped in Jet-black Magic Power, Leon instantly raised his shield.
His speed in switching stances was commendable, but—
—Our baseline strength was simply on different levels.
My thrusting fist punched clean through Leon's shield.
Our gazes locked amidst the shattering fragments. Leon was trembling so violently that he forgot to counterattack.
"I-Impossible... To break this shield... with your bare hands...!?"
"Did you think a weapon alone determines the victor?"
Tightening my fist once more, I stepped in.
"Break along with your hubris."
My fist dug deep into Leon's abdomen.
A faint scream escaped Leon's mouth along with all the air in his lungs.
Leon collapsed atop the broken remnants of his shield.
I caught my breath beneath my mask. Not knowing how many consecutive battles I'd have to fight in a single night, I had tried to conserve as much energy as possible, which had resulted in my first strike being blocked by his shield. He wasn't a contestant who advanced in the Advent Festival for nothing; it seemed I would need to take things a bit more seriously from here on.
I went to retrieve Zest, who had been knocked over by the wall.
Just as I bent down—the cold bite of a blade pressed against the nape of my neck.
"Behind you!!"
I know.
The instant my fingers touched the hilt, Zest's warning echoed in my mind.
Swinging around, I deflected the blade thrust from my blind spot with Zest.
The weapons pressed right before my eyes were a pair of daggers. They had a compact, simple design perfect for concealing beneath clothing, and their blades were coated in pitch black to blend seamlessly into the shadows.
The wielder of the deadly blades clicked his tongue softly.
The assassin, Jin....How convenient of him to come straight to me.
"Now then, what will you do?"
I approached Jin with a faint smirk.
Cold sweat dripped down Jin's cheek. It seemed he grasped the situation all too well.
"An assassin failed his assassination... Do you have any moves left to turn the tables?"
"...Participant hunter, what is your objective?"
"I have no intention of indulging you while you stall for time."
Even so, I had to admit something to myself.
I hadn't realized how long this guy had been lurking nearby. He excelled at erasing his presence, and he looked fast on his feet. It would be a massive headache if he dedicated himself entirely to fleeing.
In that case, I might as well fight him on his own turf...
And while I'm at it... break his spirit.
"I'll set the stage."
I released black magic power into our surroundings.
I had always suspected I could use it like this.
The already dim alleyway was instantly swallowed by a jet-black torrent. Since it wasn't an offensive spell, it couldn't inflict physical harm. However, it created a shroud of poor visibility far worse than the densest fog.
Right before Jin's figure blended into the darkness, murderous intent reignited in his eyes. In a situation where neither of us could rely on sight, he seemed to judge that he held the upper hand. His pride as one who lived in the shadows was plain to see.
"Haha."
I couldn't help but chuckle.
Even though he had peeked at my fight with Leon, he still failed to comprehend the disparity between us.
Weaving through the veil of darkness, Jin closed in while completely suppressing his presence.
Before I even registered the motion, a dagger was planted directly into my forehead.
The white mask shattered.
However—
"—!?"
Jin was struck utterly speechless.
Though the mask had broken, my forehead didn't have so much as a scratch on it.
"Now then—what will you do?"
The moment I smashed Leon's tower shield with a single bare punch, he should have realized. To me, with Dark Arma unleashed at full power, ordinary blades wouldn't leave a mark.
I slashed Jin across the abdomen, keeping it shallow enough to spare his life.
Overwhelmed by despair and blinding pain, Jin lost consciousness and collapsed onto the stone ground.
"Claude, unfortunately, it doesn't look like you'll have time to rest."
Yeah.
A familiar magic power was rapidly approaching.
Nice. As expected, the knights of this country were truly exceptional.
Guided by sharp instincts and swift decisiveness, they had tracked me down in no time.
"—Claude, to think you were the participant hunter."
A dignified, icy voice rang out.
Standing at the entrance of the alley and glaring straight at me were the strongest Holy Knights—Yuri and Lumia.
A favorable wind was blowing.
Engrave evil into them this time. —It felt as if Fate itself was whispering the command.