Roughly fifty humanoid fighters lay in wait within the colosseum.
Judging by their appearance, seventy percent were horned—the Ogre God Nation forces.
The remaining thirty percent were equipped with maces and other blunt weapons.
Those would be the Proone.
The main issue was determining how many of the 'memorial exam group' were mixed in among them.
It would leave a foul taste in my mouth if I killed any of them by mistake.
Alright, time to come up with a plan.
"Fairy, you there?"
"Yes, yes! It's your mistress, Fairy, at your service!"
What do you mean, mistress?
"Fairy, can you tell which units belong to the royalty?"
"I'll place markers on the units that match Saria-san's data."
Good. That made things simple.
So the ones clustered with the Proone were the royalty. There were about five groups in total.
"Also, those units over there seem to belong to the general’s sons."
A group of horned units was gathered together.
I opened a channel to Saria.
"Are those sons of the general over there allies?"
"Ugh, another troublesome bunch... They aren't enemies, but they aren't allies either. I heard General Majano was purged."
"By purged, do you mean he was ousted?"
"No, I mean he's currently inside the stomachs of the Proone."
I really wish those slugs would just go extinct.
"What's your personal relationship with them?"
"I barely know them. For better or worse, I was always the 'leftover' prince."
I actually felt a bit of kinship with him there.
I was the youngest son of a lord in a marginal village, after all.
"I might end up killing your older brothers, so try to forgive me."
"They might be my brothers, but we aren't close. Do as you please. More importantly, if you actually make me the Great King, I'll resent you for the rest of my life!"
That wasn't my problem.
It was fate. He just had to accept it.
It wasn't like I had expected to become the head of my family's main house either.
"All warriors, take your positions!"
The announcement rang out.
I immediately began issuing tactical orders.
"Melissa, the units guarded by the Proone are the royalty. I'll take them on too."
"Understood. I'll make quick work of them."
"Saria, if you run, I'll shoot you from behind. You're coming with me for the royalty subjugation."
"Waaaaahhh!"
Shut up.
"Eddie, those guys over there are the general's sons. I'm leaving them to you. Join the royalty subjugation once your hands are free."
"Understood."
"Isono, Nakajima, you two scatter the memorial exam group."
"Hey... isn't our treatment a little harsh? We want to take down royalty and get showered in glory too!"
"Leo! I want to fall in love with a horned girl! Why can't you understand that burning desire?!"
"I don't give a damn about your desires. Just clear out the rabble. Also, I'm reporting that last comment to your fiancée."
"You absolute bastard!"
Idiots.
As I sneered at them, the referee began the countdown.
"Three, two, one... Begin!"
The heavy thrum of drums filled the air.
I propelled my unit forward.
First, the nearby royalty.
They called this a battle royale, but essentially, it was the same as American football.
You slip through the line, grab the ball, and go for the touchdown.
A Proone unit moved to block my path.
I was well-acquainted with this type of combat.
The Proone soldier swung its mace at me.
I dodged the strike and simultaneously delivered a knife-hand strike to the unit's neck, slamming it into the ground.
Another one closed in.
I ducked under its mace, grabbed its leg, and sent it flying with a throw.
A third unit attempted a body blow.
That was my favorite.
I countered with my own body blow, blowing it away.
Your center of gravity is too high! Put some more spirit into it!
The remaining Proone units howled.
"We won't let you! We won't let you pass!"
They swung their maces wildly, but I read every movement.
I grabbed one by the face from below and drove it into the floor.
The Proone used heavy, thickly armored units, but their piloting skills were subpar.
That was why I could trip them up so easily.
"Uoryaaaaa!"
One last charge.
I punched it square on and knocked it out.
"H-Hieeee!"
The royal pilot screamed.
I kicked the unit from behind, sending it face-first into the dirt.
"Saria! Finish it!"
"Argh! Fine! Brother, prepare yourself!"
Saria thrust his sword into the machine.
As I thought, Saria's piloting skills were top-notch.
Despite his constant whining, he was able to keep pace with my speed.
He was actually quite strong.
It seemed his brother's unit was merely immobilized; the pilot was still alive.
"That was my next oldest brother. He used to hit me all the time in the palace... Maybe I should just kill him after all."
"Saria, stay your hand. You know what they say—revenge is a soup that's best enjoyed once it's cooled down."
I figured it would be more fun to let him stew before deciding whether to boil or grill him later.
"...Leo-san, you've got a real nasty streak, don't you?"
Heh heh heh.
I never claimed to be a man of high character.
I'm the type who settles his debts in full.
Meanwhile, Eddie was facing off against the general's sons.
"Why?! Why are you intervening in the battle for the throne?! This has nothing to do with you!"
Are you stupid?
As if he could hear my internal commentary, Eddie responded with cold logic.
"It is for our own security. We can trust Saria, and he is not prone to recklessness. With him, we can maintain our relationship with the Battle Dome. Royalty who side with man-eating slugs are out of the question, and it remains an unknown variable whether you could manage a stable government or build a friendship with us."
"Don't give me that selfish logic! My father was eaten by those monsters!"
"Saria has the Great King's backing. Saria is the one who will take revenge for you."
"In the first place, if the Great King had just been firm..."
"That Great King came to the Battle Dome specifically to build a friendship with us. If there is blame to be assigned, it lies with the king's sons and the Proone. Do not mistake your enemy."
"Grr... Attack! There is only one of him!"
"The Empire does not abandon its friends, nor the Ogre God Nation. I am Count Eddie Anheim. Adjutant to Leo Kamishiro."
The group of the general's sons lunged all at once.
However, the gap in skill was overwhelming.
We were accustomed to fighting multiple opponents simultaneously.
Eddie masterfully controlled the distance between the six units.
He guided them so that they would obstruct one another, preventing a coordinated strike.
He took down the first one with a counter-slice as it lunged, severing its wrist.
Another slashed at him in that supposed opening, but that was exactly what he wanted.
He ducked under the blade and sliced through its leg, then moved in one fluid motion to impale the third unit behind it.
"Wh-What...?"
Seeing Eddie dismantle three units in a heartbeat, the general's son froze in shock.
"Are you... the strongest knight in the Empire?!"
"Me, the strongest? No, you are mistaken. The strongest of the Empire is Leo Kamishiro."
With those words, Eddie cut down the two remaining guards in a single, blurred motion.
Wait, even I couldn't see that just now!
Eddie's been getting stronger too!
"Surrender now, unless you wish to lose pathetically."
Eddie leveled his blade at the general's son.
This was supposed to be a clean fight... but damn, he was terrifying. His presence was intense.
"Guh... I... I admit defeat. I surrender."
That was two teams down.
Now to see how Melissa, Isono, and the others were holding up.
Go get 'em.