I stood before one of the teleportation circles installed in the Central Tower—a portal accessible only to those who had managed to collect five extra-large stamps.
After watching Lilia-san and the others depart for the spectator seats via an adjacent magic circle, I stepped onto the platform, my heart hammering against my ribs with nerves.
Dazzling light enveloped me. I squeezed my eyes shut, and when I opened them again, a staggering sight unfolded before me.
It was a gargantuan arena, reminiscent of a domed stadium. The stands were packed to capacity with a sea of people, and the sheer heat radiating from the crowd made the very air seem to vibrate.
Standing in the center of that arena, radiating an overwhelming presence, was Megiddo-san.
Wait a second—why are there so many people?! This doesn't make sense. I only finished collecting my stamps about thirty minutes ago. The speed with which this many people had gathered was nothing short of unnatural.
No, I didn't even need to ask where they got the information. There was only one person capable of spreading word to a crowd this size in such a short window of time.
That idiot... what on earth has she done now?
Seeing me standing there dazed by the scale of the audience, Megiddo-san let a savage, joyful grin spread across his face.
"You're here, Kaito! I've been waiting! I knew you'd make it to me eventually!"
"H-Hello..."
While he wasn't quite as tall as a skyscraper, he was still the size of a two-story house. Confronting him directly like this, I felt the true weight of his intimidation.
"Hahaha, I’ve been looking forward to this! All right, let's get started!"
"Y-Yes, sir."
As if responding to his own fighting spirit, the red flames across Megiddo-san's body flared up like a literal blaze. His released magic power made the air crackle and hum.
Um, you're really going to make this a contest I have a chance of winning, right? You're projecting the aura of a serious deathmatch, but we're not actually going to trade blows, are we?
"We’re going with a 'Best-of-three Match'! First one to take two rounds wins. Simple, right?"
"I—I suppose so."
"Good! Then the first round is... an 'Arts Battle'!"
"Ar... ts?"
By arts, did he mean drawing? No, wait... my art grade in high school was a '2'. Does this mean I've already lost before we've even started?!
"I'll explain the rules! The task is 'Clay Craft,' and the time limit is one hour. The theme is 'Living Creatures.' My subordinates will serve as the judges. But don't you worry, the judging will be fair. In fact, I told them if they dare give me a biased score, I'll kill them."
"..."
Well, I certainly didn't think Megiddo-san would cheat, but that wasn't the point. Clay craft? I didn't think I could handle that. I was terrible at 3D work. I could already see myself being humiliated in front of this massive crowd.
Besides, wasn't Megiddo-san actually quite good at art? I remembered him making an incredible sculpture a while back. Did I really have a chance here?
As I stood there in a stupor, Megiddo-san shifted into his human form, likely to facilitate the delicate work.
As clay and tools were brought out to us, a voice amplified by magic suddenly boomed through the arena.
"Now, the moment you've all been waiting for is finally here! The Challenger Kaito Miyama vs. War King Megiddo Best-of-three Match! Providing the play-by-play will be yours truly, 'Phantasm King No Face'!"
What is that idiot doing?! Why is she casually acting as the announcer? Is she a moron? ...There was no room for doubt. She was definitely a moron.
"And joining us as our expert commentator, we have the 'God of Fate,' Fate-san!"
"Hey... this is a pain. Can I just go home?"
"Um, Fate-san? We've literally just started. You're losing motivation far too early, even for you."
This was a disastrous failure in casting! Why, of all people, did she pick Fate-san?! That goddess was never going to actually provide commentary!
"Now then, since the first round is an Arts Battle, let's turn to our commentator, Fate-san. How do you see this match unfolding?"
"Hey, Shal-ta—I mean, 'No-chan'? Can I just take a nap?"
"I'll let you eat those cookies over there, so please just try a little harder!"
"Sigh... I can't believe I was lured in by that '1/1 Kai-chan Doll.' This is such a drag. Well, I guess they'll both do their best, more or less."
Wait, hold on... I definitely just heard the name of an item I couldn't ignore. I was going to need a very long, very serious talk with Alice once this battle was over.
"Wait, Fate-san! Seriously, stop! I told you that top-secret item was supposed to be a secret! My death flag is officially standing tall now! Kaito-san is staring over here with the face of a demon, you know?!"
"Oh, look! Hey there, Kai-chan! Do your best~!"
"She isn't listening at all!"
Could someone, anyone, please stop those two? Fate-san, this was not the time to be waving at me with a smile!
This was already an uphill battle, so why was I taking mental damage before the contest even began? Seriously... somebody help me...
"Eh? Huh? 'Kuro-san'? Wait, uh... you want me to come over there? N-No, I'm in the middle of announcing... What? If I don't come quickly, you'll grind me down? U-Understood! I'm coming right now!"
"Underworld King?! I'm not with her, okay?! I'm being serious here!!"
"Wait, Fate-san?! You traitor—!"
"...Ahem. Now then, since the Phantasm King has stepped away for a moment, I will be taking over as the lead for a bit. The theme of this match is Living Creatures. Since it's such a broad topic, the choice of what to create will be vital. However, time is limited, so if one recklessly chooses a complex creature, they'll likely fail."
Kuro, thank you. Thank you for removing the most dangerous explosives. Fate-san seemed to be terrified of Kuro as well, because she actually started providing proper commentary. I felt slightly more at ease.
"All right, Kaito! Let's do this!"
"Y-Yes... I look forward to the match."
"Then let the round begin!"
And so, the best-of-three match between Megiddo-san and me began in a storm of chaos.
Dear Mother, Father—The showdown with Megiddo-san is finally here. The first round is clay craft, and while my defeat already feels practically guaranteed, I'm going to try as hard as I can. That being said—please, someone, swap out the announcer and the commentator.
Serious-senpai: "Why?! Why won't you let me appear during the serious parts?! Even though I'm number one! I'm number one with 2000 victories! Even if it was just a mock battle, let me in there!"