The entire venue erupted into chaos as the spectators began to notice the strange behavior of my opponent.
The referee rushed over to check on him, but…
“Wait, don’t get any closer!”
The suit of armor turned its back to me and raised its sword.
My bad feeling was spot on.
Ignoring my warning, the referee had entered the opponent’s striking range and was being targeted!
There was no time to worry about the match anymore.
Switching gears instantly, I struck the torso of the armor from behind with all my strength.
The torso shifted diagonally, causing the red sword’s aim to falter as it sliced through the air right next to the referee.
That was a close call.
“! M-My apologies. But what on earth is this…!?”
The referee’s panic was understandable.
A massive amount of black mist was erupting from the molten gash where I had cleaved the armor in two.
The upper and lower halves of the armor writhed for a few moments before finally falling silent.
—It was then…
The red sword gripped in the armor’s gauntlet began to rattle and move.
So that’s the main body!
I reached out, bracing myself to have my aura drained but I was a step too slow to grab it.
The sword took flight.
At the end of its trajectory stood…
“Prince Edgar!?”
The silver-haired prince snatched the red sword out of the air.
He stood composed at the eastern entrance of the ring’s gate.
“Forgive me, but I cannot afford to lose this sword just yet.”
His voice was booming and clear, reaching us even from that distance.
Perhaps it was the result of his training to become a leader.
Now that I knew the truth, it felt somewhat tragic.
“Using a sword like that to disrupt the tournament… what exactly do you intend to do?”
“Is it not obvious? Come, my comrades! Now is the time to be released from our yokes… it is time for transcendence!”
The Prince shouted.
At that moment, screams erupted from the spectator stands.
Straining my eyes to see… I saw creatures I had never seen before… With twisted horns, black skin, and wings, going on a rampage.
What is this? When did they…?
(Big brother, look at that!)
Following Akane’s direction, I saw a human man convulsing.
As he continued to shake, twisted horns burst through the skin of his head.
It can’t be!?
“You noticed. We have transcended the human race—no, all races… we have become the kin of Baal.”
“What are you talking—”
“I am under no obligation to explain everything to you.”
“Tch… regardless, you’re the one giving the orders! In that case!”
The stands… no, the entire venue had turned into a scene from hell.
I signaled the nearby referee and ring announcer with my eyes, urging them to flee through the gate opposite the Prince.
At this stage, I didn’t have the luxury of choosing my methods.
If killing the man in front of me would stop this!
I charged toward the Prince at full speed, firing fireballs as I ran.
The ring was fifty meters in diameter; I was slightly west of the center.
From there to the entrance was another thirty meters or so.
It was a frustrating distance, but if I closed it in one burst…
“Ho, what fine bloodlust. It seems you are prepared to kill me. But is this wise?”
Prince Edgar pointed toward the sky.
I felt something diving down at high speed.
What appeared there was…
“Grrrrrrrr…”
A flying dragon about twenty meters long with blue scales… a monster known as a Water Dragon.
It landed between me and Prince Edgar with a thunderous roar.
I was forced back by the sheer wind pressure.
Dammit, I couldn’t reach him!
The dragon intercepted all of my fireballs.
Behind the prince stood his squire, Reid, blowing into an ocarina, the one used to control such monsters.
“Farewell, Magic Swordsman. Do your best to see that the damage doesn’t spread too far.”
How could a prince, even in name say such a thing?
After giving orders to senselessly slaughter his own people…!
(Big brother.)
(It’s okay, I know. What we have to do now is defeat this thing in front of us and go help the people in the stands.)
Just then, a member of the Knight Order rushed over from the stands behind the dragon and let out a cry.
He was visibly shaken by the mutated humans and the sudden appearance of a dragon.
The Water Dragon watched me, timing its chance to strike.
I couldn’t take my eyes off it.
“Lady Katia! I shall bring reinforcements—”
“Unnecessary. Protect the spectators instead!”
“But…!”
“I will stop the dragon! Just save as many citizens as you can!”
“Tch… right now, the two Title Holders are evacuating the former King and the Princess! Please hold out until those two return!”
The situation in the stands was already shifting rapidly.
Half the spectators were fighting; the other half were fleeing.
This sight was unique to this country, it showed just how many soldiers were among the civilian population.
As a result, they were managing to mitigate the casualties.
In contrast, the outnumbered Knights were scattered, running about to escort evacuees and lead the civilian militia in combat.
The exact number of transformed humans was unclear… but I saw many instances where it took several of our soldiers to surround one of them. Given that the tide of battle was at a stalemate, those individuals were likely quite strong.
Since the evacuation of non-combatants wasn’t finished, the more strength we had in the stands, the better.
Briefly taking in the situation out of the corner of my eye, I glared at the Water Dragon.
(Akane, let’s go with that.)
I sheathed my main-gauche, freeing my left hand.
(Understood. We have enough space here, so it should be fine, right?)
(The referee and the announcer have evacuated. As long as I use it in the center, the wide area of effect shouldn’t cause collateral damage.)
I had to end this quickly.
The Water Dragon stood fairly upright, and more importantly, it could fly.
Aiming for the head to finish it in one slash was the natural choice, but the difficulty was too high.
This was a moment where I couldn’t afford to fail, so I relied on magic.
I began weaving my mana while luring the Water Dragon toward the center of the ring.
(Here I go, Big brother…!)
I handed over about eighty percent of my total mana to Akane.
The Water Dragon unleashed a breath of water, but I sliced through it with Landini in my right hand, which was wreathed in aura.
…Then, the magic highly refined and converted by the spirit Akane, gathered in my left hand.
A dazzlingly bright flame, unlike any ordinary fire, manifested in my palm.
The Water Dragon froze at the sight of the abnormal intensity of the light.
Even if it was being controlled, its biological instincts remained; a look of caution flickered in its eyes.
I raised my left hand high toward the heavens to avoid being caught in the growing mass of fire.
The energy continued to expand boundlessly until the spell was complete.
It was a sphere of magic about thirty meters in diameter, truly fitting of the name “Small Sun.”
The entire venue was lit up brilliantly, and a blinding light dominated the area.
I unleashed the violent density of the flames toward the Water Dragon!
“Burn to ashes!”
The sphere advanced toward the dragon, melting the very ground beneath it.
The Water Dragon tried to resist with its breath, but the water evaporated before it could even reach the spell.
Eventually, the sun swallowed the dragon as it tried to take to the skies…
“—!”
The light burst.
Without even a chance to scream, the Water Dragon perished.
All that remained was the ground, bubbling like molten magma.