No sooner had the preparations for the second martial arts tournament begun than I found myself delivering the opening address. Time really did fly.
It seemed Ria and the others weren't quite ready to give birth yet. Fret as I might, there was nothing I could do but wait, yet I still found myself feeling restless.
This tournament, much like the last one, was divided into three sections: the General Division, the Warrior Division, and the Knight Division. The number of spectators had grown significantly. Along with the usual suspects—Dos and the rest of the Dragon Family—we had the Demon Kingdom faction, including the Demon King, Yuri, and Beezel. This time, Kuon and Kuorun had joined them, as had Gratz and Randan.
The Lamia race and Galf’s group of Beastmen were also in attendance. Even Shiso-san was there, though in his case, he had simply stayed on since coming to pick up Fouche. I wondered if it was really alright for a high-ranking Church official to be away from his duties for so long.
Regardless, the tournament began. Hakuren and Rusty worked together to serve as the referees.
The General Division followed the same simple format as the previous year, consisting of single matches. The outcome was largely a matter of luck, dictated by the luck of the draw. One of the Civil Official Girls ended up pitted against a Minotaur and suffered a defeat.
"It really came down to whether or not the magic would land," someone noted.
The Centaurs, meanwhile, found themselves at a disadvantage due to the stage's constraints.
"I tried to run, but I ended up out of bounds immediately..."
"Is it really alright for me to be declared the winner when I didn't actually do anything?" one of the Beastman girls asked, looking bewildered by her unexpected victory.
Despite these quirks, the matches proceeded smoothly. It was a peaceful affair.
The Warrior Division utilized a knockout system. The winner stayed on stage to face the next challenger, and the one with the highest tally of victories would be crowned champion. Those who lost were allowed to return to the end of the line, meaning anyone with enough stamina and drive could challenge the stage as many times as they liked.
The rules were essentially the same as last year, but to save time, we held matches in two different locations simultaneously. There was only one line for challengers, and they would be sent to whichever ring opened up first. Naturally, this introduced a bit of luck into the proceedings as well.
The greatest challenge, however, had been the sudden need for a second stage. The Minotaurs had helped, but it had been a frantic, rushed job.
As for the Warrior Division itself... just like last time, the High Elves, High Ogres, Lizardmen, Dwarves, and Mountain Elves participated, along with the Beastmen from Howlin Village and the Lamias from the Southern Dungeon. They were joined by Frau and the Beastman Sena—both of whom had performed excellently in the General Division last year—as well as Gordon of the Minotaurs and Gluewald of the Centaurs.
I wasn't sure how it would play out, but Galf, the Beastman from Howlin Village, proved to be formidable. He had clearly been training hard. It also helped that Ya, the Mountain Elf who had given him a run for his money last time, was absent from this division. She had decided to test her mettle in the Knight Division this year.
Despite valiant efforts from Donovan the Dwarf and Gluewald the Centaur, Galf swept the competition to claim the championship.
"Alright! Next year, I'm moving up to the Knight Division. I have to settle the score with Ya-san."
While Galf stood tall in victory, Randan looked utterly spent behind him.
"I actually had a decent amount of confidence coming into this," he groaned. He had faced both Galf and Donovan, losing to both. It seemed he had finally given up by the third round.
On a side note, Gratz managed to secure a victory in the General Division.
Next up was the Knight Division, but before that, we held the exhibition matches. Because there were so many high-profile participants, it turned into a full-blown Exhibition Match Tournament with eight contenders: Dos, Raimeiren, Graffaloon, Hakuren, Rusty, Kuon, the Demon King, and Zabuton.
While the Dragon Family looked raring to go, I couldn't help but notice the hollow, soul-crushed look in the Demon King's eyes. I was even more concerned for Zabuton, who had been thrown into such a powerhouse group. Come to think of it, I had never actually seen Zabuton fight before. I worried she might be outmatched, but she seemed perfectly composed, warming up while surrounded by her children.
The matchups were decided fairly by drawing lots, with Shiso-san acting as the referee.
First Round, First Match: Dos versus the Demon King. The Demon King’s face was a mask of pure despair, and the result was exactly what his expression suggested. That said, I should probably give him credit—he was the Demon King, after all, and he put up a surprisingly stubborn defense. He received a warm round of applause after the match.
First Round, Second Match: Rusty versus Kuon. I was personally rooting for Rusty, but unfortunately, she lost. Kuon was simply a level above her in every category; it felt more like a lesson between a teacher and a student. Rusty looked satisfied despite the loss, which was a relief. She spent the time after the match peppering Kuon with questions.
First Round, Third Match: Graffaloon versus Hakuren. This was a fierce struggle. Apparently, back in the day, Hakuren used to constantly chase Graffaloon away for pestering Draim. They were supposed to be reasonably good friends now, but... "I'm going to settle that old grudge today!" "I'm sorry, which one? There were so many." It was intense. Both ended the match battered and bruised, but Hakuren emerged as the victor.
First Round, Fourth Match: Raimeiren versus Zabuton. I wasn't sure what to expect, but Zabuton fought magnificently. She lightly evaded Raimeiren’s devastating techniques, counterattacking with her threads. Raimeiren dodged the silk and used her clone ability, sending over a dozen versions of herself to lunge at Zabuton simultaneously. Since each clone moved independently, it looked as though an entire army was attacking. Zabuton countered every single one, capturing and binding the real Raimeiren to secure the win.
The moment she was declared the winner, Zabuton summoned her children and performed a synchronized routine on stage that looked remarkably like a tap dance. It seemed she had been practicing. I joined the crowd in applauding their impressive performance.
"Wait, what? That’s the first time I’ve ever seen anyone break my wife’s clone technique," Dos muttered. "Mother’s attack could level a mountain with a single strike, right? And she caught sixteen of them at once? You’ve got to be joking," someone added. "Wait... am I the next one who has to fight her?" Hakuren whispered.
Second Round, First Match: Dos versus Kuon. This was a clear display of the difference in their standings. Dos won in a landslide. It felt like the roles from the Rusty versus Kuon match had been reversed. "Looking back, maybe losing here would have been the smarter move for my future," Kuon remarked gracefully afterward. "I wouldn't go that far... Father, please do your best," Rusty added.
Second Round, Second Match: Hakuren versus Zabuton. I was torn on who to cheer for. More than anything, I just wanted them both to walk away without injury. As it turned out, I needn't have worried—the match was over in an instant. Zabuton won. Hakuren couldn't do a thing; she was promptly swaddled in silk and left rolling around the stage. She sulked for a while afterward, so I had to go comfort her.
Final Round: Dos versus Zabuton. The battle was incredibly intense. First, Zabuton launched a relentless offensive while Dos focused entirely on parrying. Then they swapped roles. After three such cycles, Dos finally claimed victory. It felt like she had simply been overpowered in the end. I clapped as Zabuton was carried off the stage by her children.
"You really were impressive, Father," one of the observers said. "No, she let me win. I can take no pride in it," Dos replied. "Is that true?" "Look at her. That's all the proof you need." "She's... waving a leg at us." "I have my reputation as the Dragon King to think of, after all," Dos sighed. "I had a reputation as the Demon King too, you know..." the Demon King grumbled. "Given the circumstances, wasn't participating a bit reckless on your part?" "You did your best, Father. I've gained a new respect for you," Yuri told him. "Truly, spoken like a true Demon King."
The exhibition matches concluded, and it was time for the Knight Division to begin, but the atmosphere was a bit awkward. "You want us to follow that...?" "I really wish they'd kept things a bit more subdued." "Dammit, I'm still so far behind them."
We decided to take a short intermission to let the excitement from the exhibition matches subside before moving on.