Isono swung his naginata around.
Isono and Nakajima's job was to thin out the general participants.
They just needed to cut down the numbers.
It might have been the most grueling task.
I swear it wasn't out of personal spite. Seriously.
The two of them were just better suited for this than one-on-one duels.
"Ora ora ora ora! Come at me!!!"
The level of the general participants was the issue.
I'd brought our own personal machines—in my case, the [Massacre Night].
In other words, the machine was private property.
There was no way a humanoid fighter was cheaper than a light truck.
It had to cost a fortune.
In that sense, they were likely the children of VIPs.
The social hierarchy of the Ogre God Nation was dictated by strength.
Which meant they were probably individuals with overwhelming talent. Probably.
Then again, their subordinates seemed more talented.
I guess that made sense. It was easier to be number two than the Great King.
If a dynasty changed and the General Bureaucrats weren't all slaughtered, you'd aim for number two, wouldn't you?
Yeah, that tracked.
Anyway, Isono was clearing out the small fry at a steady pace.
That's when a spark of intuition hit.
He'd noticed a presence radiating incredible bloodlust.
The individual shouted toward Isono.
"I wish to fight fair and square!!!"
It was a girl’s voice.
But I could tell she was a powerhouse.
Isono readied his naginata.
"I am Isono. I'm here to assist Saria on the Empire's orders."
"I am Carla. We serve no faction! I will become the Great King and strike down both the Proone and the Ghouls!"
"Hmph. I respect that ambition! Our paths may differ, but I honor your conviction! Now, show me what you've got!!!"
What was I supposed to do? The legendary Isono was actually being sensible...
I needed to take him to a hospital the moment the match was over...
"I-Isono's lost it!!!" Melissa screamed at the top of her lungs.
Okay, so it wasn't just me.
"Isono, what's wrong!? Does your stomach hurt!?" Even Nakajima was worried.
"Shut up!!! You damn idiots!!! I want to be fawned over by Horned Girls!!! Don't get in my way, you morons!!!"
Isono shouted over a private correspondence channel only we could hear.
Thank goodness... he hadn't wavered for a second.
He was still a total scumbag.
I felt relieved.
"I! Want! To be popular—!!!"
Fairy smiled. "I'll report all of this to your fiancée."
"But, but—!!! We got sent on an expedition right away! My date plans got flushed down the drain!!!"
Isono’s bloodshot eyes were displayed in a massive window on the monitor.
It couldn't be helped.
We were the primary combat force, after all.
"Leo! You’re graduating early too!!! You won't be a high schooler anymore!!! Do you know what that means? It means the chance for a light-novel-style romance is going to vanish forever!!!"
We were scheduled for early graduation in a few months.
Actually, we were already working in the military and handling lordly duties.
The concept of "high school" was a foreign luxury at this point.
Besides, we weren't even at a normal high school; it was a military academy.
There was no way this would ever be the stage for a rom-com!
"Look, I actually call my fiancée every day," Eddie interjected with a deadpan retort.
"Uoooooooooh! Shut up!!! I! Want! To flirt and be lovey-dovey—!!!"
Isono shed literal tears of blood.
How annoying.
And then Nakajima delivered the final blow.
"I get where you're coming from, Isono. But we already have fiancées. Leo’s even married."
"Shut uuuuuuuup!!! Bring it oooooooon!!!"
He was a lost cause.
Admittedly, I had a bit of a desire for a rom-com lifestyle myself.
I wasn't going to deny that.
But I didn't say it out loud.
I only thought it in my heart.
Carla lunged.
Her weapon was a long blade—a zanbatou.
"Hah!!!"
She unleashed one heavy strike after another.
But Isono was a man who had survived many brushes with death. He dodged the attacks and... wait, you idiot!
His upward counter-slash gouged her helmet.
But Isono must have anticipated the trade, as he'd swept her shins simultaneously.
Ugh, how dirty.
But that one strike was enough to cripple the mobility of Carla's machine.
The leg of her unit buckled with a metallic groan.
Isono performed zanshin.
"I... I surrender!" Carla declared, her voice sounding like she was on the verge of tears.
Phew. The moron managed to win normally.
But then Isono spoke up.
"Ah, my controls went haywire. I’m forfeiting—"
"You absolute moron!!!"
"Can't be helped. The sensors broke."
Then, a video feed came in from Carla.
She was trembling with rage.
She was a petite girl, probably around the same age as Tatiana and the others.
No way... she has this much skill at her age?
The potential of the Ogre God Nation was terrifying.
"Y-You're running away after winning!?"
She had every right to be mad.
It looked exactly like he was mocking her by winning and then quitting.
Isono... this is why you’re a failure.
"I can't help it. I can't fight anymore."
His machine’s head was twitching and vibrating in small, rapid increments.
What kind of malfunction is that supposed to be!?
Isono withdrew from the field.
And so, the greatest victim of Isono’s exit was Nakajima, who was left to clean up the mess.
"Uooooooooo!!!"
He swung his hammer wildly.
It seemed there were Proone hidden among the general participants, disguised as members of the Ogre God Nation Forces.
He was surrounded by machines wielding spiked iron balls and sinister clubs shaped like skulls.
It looked like this was the Proone's actual target.
They were far stronger than the lot that had sided with the idiot sons.
"Prostrate yourselves in the name of God!"
An iron ball hurtled toward Nakajima.
Nakajima stepped on the chain of the iron ball.
The enemy lost their balance... but another machine moved in to cover.
A club swung down toward Nakajima.
He was forced to abandon the iron ball to dodge the club.
They weren't going to make it easy.
I moved in to back him up.
But then, a problem arose.
The Proone I’d sent flying earlier were back.
Those idiots from before were acting strange.
They weren't out of the fight yet.
They blocked my path.
I tried to use a move like aikido... but they grew cautious, slowly closing the distance to pin me down.
Are they stalling for time!?
"Damn it! This is such a pain!"
Ah, I was starting to see the pattern.
Individually, the people of the Ogre God Nation were strong. But their coordination was garbage.
On the flip side, the Proone were weak individually, but they excelled at teamwork.
This was going to take a while.