■ Martial Arts Tournament Semifinals □
“Another one finished in a single blow….”
I muttered to myself as I looked down at the demon lying on the ground after delivering a sacred strike with my sacred knuckles, ‘Excellent Conversation Tool Mk2,’ which had four crosses engraved on them, one for each finger.
Round of 32, Round of 16, Quarterfinals.
I had successfully advanced to the semifinals by overcoming three trials.
If I win just two more battles, I will be crowned the champion of this long and arduous martial arts tournament.
Instead of heading straight back to my quarters, I decided to watch Gav’s upcoming match, as he was currently the most likely candidate to win the tournament.
‘He’s said to be at the level of the Four Heavenly Kings.’
If he truly is at that level, it might be worth giving it a shot.
After all, I have already defeated three out of the Four Heavenly Kings.
First was the possessed scarecrow, Mephisto, a dark mage specialized in summoning spirits and undead.
Naturally, his strength lay in overwhelming numbers, but unfortunately, against someone like me who can unleash wide-area attacks, his numbers meant little.
The second was Dorothea, whose downfall was her lack of experience and overconfidence.
Having been praised as a genius from a young age, she grew up receiving only compliments, which led to her having great talent but poor performance in actual combat.
If it hadn’t been me she faced multiple times, she might have already lost her head.
And the third was Nick Iron, whom I fought just yesterday.
His chrome body, unlike a soft human body, was nearly impervious to physical attacks, and he seemed to feel no pain. Additionally, the mana absorption device installed in his body nullified or halved most magic, making him a true cheat among the Four Heavenly Kings.
It was only because I, as a wind mage, could artificially create magnets that I managed to win. Had I specialized in any other element, I would have been defeated before I could even react.
…Returning to the main topic,
‘At first glance, he seemed like a physical fighter.’
In actual combat, what makes it difficult for a mage to face is not another mage but a frontline fighter.
Mages know each other’s attack methods and patterns well, so battles between them often revolve around countering those patterns. However, frontline fighters simply charge in with mana-infused bodies, knowing from experience that giving a mage time to prepare is dangerous.
But considering that dragons are called the progenitors of magic and possess exceptional mana-handling abilities, it was hard to judge which side would prevail.
After all, there are countless mages, including myself, who have built up their muscles to compensate for their lack of close combat skills.
“Contestants for Block A, enter!”
As I sat in the spectator seats, looking down at the arena, the announcer on stage shouted and pointed to one side.
Amidst deafening cheers, a knight clad in red armor walked out.
Though her face was hidden, the long hair flowing from her helmet and the smooth curve of her waist suggested she was a woman.
“The red rose blooming on the stage! The unyielding female swordsman! Ginger!”
Wahhhhhh!
The crowd went wild.
She was clearly one of the few female participants in the tournament, which undoubtedly drew more attention.
In contrast, Ozma, another female participant who had reached the quarterfinals, usually bound her chest with bandages, making her appear as a handsome boy. So, it was no surprise that Ginger was stealing the spotlight.
Soon, it was time for Gav, the main reason I had come to watch this match, to enter.
“Contestants for Block B, enter!”
While Ginger, the demoness, had captivated the male audience, Gav received enthusiastic cheers from everyone, regardless of age or gender.
“Our eternal champion! The blue dragon soaring through the skies! The undefeated champion who has never left the throne in 50 years! Gabriel!”
“Gav! Gav! Gav!”
I think I need to revise my earlier statement.
Ginger’s popularity was impressive, but it paled in comparison to Gav’s.
Literally, the entire stadium of demons was united, chanting his name.
…Wait, he’s been champion for 50 years?
That guy is seriously something.
The two contestants shook hands on stage.
They seemed to know each other, exchanging brief nods before stepping back to a set distance.
Once the referee confirmed both were ready, he raised the flag in his right hand.
“Begin the match!”
The moment he lowered the flag, both contestants moved simultaneously.
“Hup!”
Gav took the initiative.
Despite his massive frame, he moved with surprising agility, striking Ginger’s breastplate with his bare hands.
Clang!
Despite the clash of flesh and armor, it sounded like metal hitting metal.
The impact sent Ginger flying, but she quickly regained her footing and plunged her greatsword into the ground.
A crimson pillar erupted from the arena.
At first, I didn’t know what it was, but after enhancing my vision with mana, I realized it was blood.
Ginger, the female knight, was a vampire.
As the blood flower took over the stage, Gav bent his back.
From his back, a pair of wings covered in a membrane, like those of a bat, sprouted.
He soared high into the sky.
“Do you think you can escape with just that?”
But Ginger, determined not to let him go, climbed onto the blood pillar.
The pillar shot up, aiming to pierce Gav as he flew through the sky.
However, Gav suddenly twisted his body and caught the blood spike with one hand.
“Hup!”
As the tendons in his left hand tightened, the seemingly solid blood spike crumbled into a handful of blood.
Seeing this, Ginger swung her flamberge repeatedly, but Gav caught the blade with his other hand.
He smirked and asked,
“And you thought you could catch me with just this?”
“Ugh!”
With her decisive attack thwarted, Ginger hastily dispelled the magic she had been preparing.
Her slender body began to free-fall towards the ground, and seeing this, Gav folded his large wings and began to descend as well.
As Gav extended his long claws and swung his right arm, Ginger barely managed to block the attack with her flamberge and, like him, sprouted bat wings from her back.
Just as dragons are the progenitors of magic, vampires are masters of transformation.
They possess unparalleled strength compared to other undead and can transform into mist, bats, or wolves, earning them the title of kings of the undead in the past.
The two, who seemed to be falling to the ground, spread their wings and began a full-fledged aerial battle.
Unlike fighting on the ground, the three-dimensional mobility of aerial combat made their battle incredibly fascinating.
Every time they clashed in mid-air, dazzling sparks flew.
While Ginger, clad in red armor, unleashed blood spikes from her entire body, Gav fought purely with his bare hands, enjoying the battle.
In a way, he was quite unique.
A dragon who fought using only his physical abilities without relying on magic.
The messy dogfight continued until Ginger was the first to plummet to the ground.
Unlike Gav, who still seemed to have plenty of stamina left, she looked visibly exhausted.
“…You monster, you’ve gotten even stronger.”
“Thanks for the compliment. But you still have a long way to go to beat me.”
After their brief exchange, sensing the finality in the air, they prepared for their last strike.
As Ginger leveled the wavy blade of her flamberge horizontally, droplets of blood formed on it.
In an instant, the blood spread and engulfed the entire blade.
Meanwhile, Gav stood naturally, without any preparatory movements, watching her.
Then,
Ginger moved first.
The moment she stepped forward,
Blood spikes erupted from her body, including the sword in her hand, pressing Gav from nine directions.
An unavoidable strike.
Seeing this, Gav smiled amusedly and lightly extended his right fist.
Tap!
It was just the back of his hand touching the tip of the blade.
But that alone caused the flamberge in Ginger’s hand to crack and shatter.
The eight spikes that had erupted from her body also crumbled into pieces.
Despite clearly parrying the attack, Ginger, with holes in her armor, looked at Gav in a daze before collapsing backward.
Thud!!
The conclusion was rather anticlimactic compared to the buildup.
And I couldn’t help but be shocked by the technique Gav had just used.
‘Internal energy release?’
Why is that here?
