Chapter 243
While it still bothered me, it was time to head out to the arena . The competitors who had gone ahead must have already appeared in front of the crowds, as I could hear explosive cheering .
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“I’m getting nervous…”
“Do not be . Be proud, Asagi . ”
“Sure…”
I took in a deep breath and then exhaled . And then I raised my face and walked out of the door .
I had never been surrounded by the sounds of a roaring crowd like this before .
For a second, I wanted to shrink back . It was overwhelming and I felt stunned .
“Woah…”
“They are excited . You should wave . ”
Daniela said as she raised her hand . She was quite calm . Also, there were suddenly many more female voices among the roaring .
Nice . Maybe I’d give it a shot . I looked towards them and waved my hand . It was incomprehensible, but the shouting voices became notably lower . I didn’t understand .
And it was among such cheers and cries that we got up on the stage . I looked around again . The circular arena . The endless rows of people surrounding us . It was immense…
As commanded, we all stood in a line on the stage . The crowds then settled down as they wondered what would happen next . All eyes were directed at a single point . It was a platform that was raised higher than the other seats . It was tightly surrounded by military men .
There was an entrance behind it and a man came walking out . While he looked elderly, he was tall and stood strong and straight . It was the Emperor .
He scanned his people before raising both of his hands into the air .
“And now, let the main battle of the Imperial Sword Tournament begin!! The prize for the victor will be great!! And so I expect you to fight hard and bold!!”
His voice boomed throughout the arena . The crowd’s reaction was intense and it was clear that this Emperor was loved by his people .
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“Long live the Emperor!”
“Lord Veldrid!!”
The voices rang . Emperor Veldrid . Both his name and appearance suggested strength .
Once he made this announcement, the Emperor took his seat . There were a few others who sat near him, most likely important officials of the empire .
After that, several of the staff came out and handed us something . It was a bracelet . Everyone received one . And so I accepted mine .
“These are magic decoy devices . We do not want any accidents, so make sure to put them on . ”
I see . It was a simple silver bracelet that was a centimeter wide . However, it was filled with engravings on the inner side .
“The one that I had was a necklace . ”
“Right…”
So there were different kinds . As I looked at the thing, the announcer’s voice boomed .
“And now we will explain the rules of the game . Requirements for victory include evicting your opponent from the boundary, making them surrender or fall unconscious . In rare cases, the referee may pull them out as well . The match will also end the moment that the decoy bracelet is broken . ”
That was a nice way of saying ‘when you die . ’ Any attack that was big enough would automatically be dealt to the bracelet instead .
“You will be disqualified if you continue to attack after that . If your actions lead to an actual murder, then you will be tried by the laws of the empire and sentenced to death . ”
I would hope so .
“The match will run for fifty minutes . If it does not conclude before then, then the judges will decide the victor . That is all . Please fight while obeying these instructions . Now, the first battle will begin . Macadenia Nikke and Bandi Ree! Everyone else, leave the stage!”
And with that, we descended from the stage . Madenia was the dual-wielder, while Bandi fought with a spear . There were special seats reserved for us fighters . Kind of like where baseball players wait their turn in a stadium . I had been wondering if they were going to shove us back into the waiting room, so it was a pleasant surprise .
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They stood, face to face in front of the referee . To the west was the man with two swords at his belt . He wore a blue bandana and had light armor that would be easy to move in . Macadenia Nikke . Facing him, was Bandi . A B-Ranker . However, she wasn’t one of those Adventurers who had hit the ceiling . She was a vicious fighter who had risen to the top with tremendous skill . It was clear that she could reach Rank with a little more work .
Macadenia laughed .
“Hehe . ”
“What’s so amusing?”
Bandi asked suspiciously with a raise of a thin eyebrow .
“Well, how can I not laugh… When I am fighting against such a fierce warrior…”
“Yes . It’s perhaps too big a burden for someone like you, who only takes people down when they aren’t looking . ”
“Ahahahaha! And yet, I always win . ”
“What?”
The suspicious face became expressionless . But it felt like there was rage hidden under the surface . Bandi must have been watching the preliminaries then . Well, the guy’s fighting style was definitely divisive . As it was a battle royale, I thought you should always watch your own back . But I suppose it wasn’t exactly the most honorable way to fight .
“Let’s begin . You will become my footstool . ”
“Hmph . You’ll be a forgettable memory among the others I’ve defeated . ”
Macadenia took a few steps back and withdrew his sword . Bandi jumped back and raised her spear . Then the referee raised his sword high into the air and swung down .
“Begin!!”
Bandi was the first to move . Her posture was low as she shot out with her spear . While she wasn’t as fast as me, it was faster than most B-Rankers .
“She is quick . ”
Daniela muttered . While I had become accustomed to ridiculous speeds, Daniela was not . The white prince snorted . Blue-haired Heinrich rubbed at his jaw as he looked on with surprise .
Bandi thrust forward without losing her speed . Macadenia’s smirk never left his face as he thrust one sword into the ground and launched himself into the air so he was doing a handstand on the pommel . The spear smashed into the blade, but it not break . It was a good sword .
That wasn’t what surprised me . What surprised me was that he was able to respond to such speed . From the front, it would have been like a bullet coming towards you . But he had seen it coming and moved with precision .
Bandi scowled at this as she jumped back once again .
“Hmm . I suppose you were lucky . ”
“Hehe . Do you think so?”
Either she didn’t want to admit that Macadenia was skilled or she didn’t understand . In any case, Bandi twirled her spear over her head and crouched low .
“Then what about this!”
There was a sharp thrust and the sound of something cutting through air . As someone who was currently studying the use of a spear, it was night and day . She aimed for Macadenia’s feet with an attack that I could only dream of .
“Hhhuh!”
Macadenia stepped away while simultaneously blocking the attack with his other sword . The spear stabbed into the stage instead, but Bandi’s attacks didn’t end there . Just as Macadenia had done, she used her weapon to launch herself into the air and unleashed a ferocious kick to her opponent’s head .
“Ohhh!!”
I couldn’t help but gasp . It was a clean attack, and Macadenia fell to the floor . Perhaps the thrust in the beginning had been used to mislead him . I should take notes .
Macadenia’s face twisted in pain as he curled up on the ground . He had lost his weapons, but the fight wasn’t over…
Well, Bandi wasn’t likely to allow him to pick his swords up . So I guess it was over .
“That was fast . ”
“This is about what you should expect in one on one fights…”
“Really? I suppose you’re right . ”
Most of the fights I had gotten into personally had been against groups . But now that I think of it, judo matches tended to end quite quickly . So maybe it was like that…
“So, you were all talk, after all . ”
Bandi said as she pulled out her spear and approached Macadenia . Macadenia slowly picked himself up until he was on all fours . However, he was dripping with blood . The kick must have been hard enough to tear his skin . Even worse, it was falling from the left side of his face and so he had to keep his left eye closed .
“Heh . Damn this pain…”
“You did well enough, I’ll give you that . ”
Bandi said as she raised her spear and looked down at her opponent . Macadenia looked up . It was then that his hand moved slightly .
“Huh!?”
Bandi frantically moved out of the way . In spite of his condition, Macadenia had managed to throw a knife . While I wasn’t very close, I could still see it . Bandi only barely dodged it, but she lost her balance in the process .
“There!”
Macadenia’s smiled disappeared . For the first time, he looked dead serious as the second knife flew through the air . It was going straight towards Bandi’s face . The audience seemed to be holding their breath .
“Gaah!!”
Still, she avoided death . I suppose that was a B-Ranker for you . Her left hand went up and caught the knife . Well, I suppose I should say ‘stopped . ’ The end of the blade was sticking out of the other side of her hand . A stream of blood began to cover the stage .
“Heh . Hahahaha!! I specialize in projectiles!!”
“I see… That’s why you have that eye…!”
So he wasn’t actually a dual-wielder . In fact, he had never actually fought with both swords… I think it was just the impact of seeing him with two that had made me forget . Hmm . He was pretty tricky for a low-ranker .
Bandi pulled the knife out of her hand as the blood continued to pour . Still, she seemed determined as she faced Macadenia .
“The battle starts now! Macadenia Nikke!!”
“Hehe… Ahahaha! Let’s enjoy it then!”
And so the fight continued .