Chapter 6: Makoto Takatsuki Watches the Tournament
“Our winner! Aya Sasakiiiii! Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new hero!!!”
I hadn’t heard wrong. The commentator just shouted about her winning.
Already? From what I’d heard, the finals usually took place in the evening.
“Ayaaa!”
“So strong! She’s unstoppable!”
“She’s tiny but mighty!”
“She’s so cute! I wanna take her home!”
“Hahhh, hahhh, Aya-ya!”
People seemed way happier with her than they’d been this morning. Well, obsessed might be the better word. Apparently, Great Keith really did love their strong people. Some of those comments though...
“Makoto! You’re back?!” Lucy exclaimed, running over.
“Yeah... It’s over?”
“Yup! Aya took them all out in one punch! It was amazing!”
Whew... A single punch for every match?
“My knight, why are all otherworlders so absurd?” Furiae asked. She was holding a parasol and fanning herself with a hand.
Ah, there’s Twi hiding in the shadow of her skirt.
“Nrow, nrow.”
I stroked the cat’s chin. You came out in the heat to support her too, huh?
“Sasa’s just special,” I replied. “I’m still impressed she won.”
Sasa was standing in the middle of the ring waving at the spectators.
“It wasn’t even a contest. And it was wonderful to hear the booing just fade away!” Furiae’s face was a mix of exasperation and enjoyment. Yeah, she had a bit of a bone to pick with this country.
“Did Sasa get hurt?” I doubted it if she’d won in a single hit each.
“The healing I arranged is going to waste,” Princess Sophia remarked with a rueful grin.
I thanked her anyway. “It made it much easier to relax knowing they’d be here though.”
“Takatsuki!”
“Whoa, Sasa.”
She’d come over from the ring and was now hugging me.
“I won!”
“Congrats! Sorry I missed your matches.”
“Don’t worry about it. The real one’s next,” she said, looking up at the VIP seats.
A dark-haired hero was looking back—Olga Sól Talisker, the Hero of Incandescence.
“There will be a short intermission followed by an exhibition match between Aya Sasaki and Lady Olga!” shouted the commentator.
A moment later, a figure appeared in the ring.
“Lady Olga?” the commentator repeated. This time, it was a question.
The hero had been in the stands until a moment ago. Did she jump down from there? The VIP area was more than ten meters in the air.
Olga said nothing, just folded her arms and looked down at us almost challengingly.
“See you later, Takatsuki.”
“Aren’t you going to take the brea—”
Before I could finish, Sasa leaped down into the ring.
She glared at the hero from about a meter away.
“Oh, what is this?” the commentator said. “The match isn’t scheduled to begin for a while!”
The crowd began to stir.
“You just fought. Go get healed,” I heard Olga say with Listen as she jerked her chin toward the healers.
“I don’t need it. I was just warming up,” Sasa replied evenly.
“Oh...so this is the real match? I suppose we’re continuing from the other day.”
“That’s right. I’ll beat you here.”
The two of them smiled fiercely at each other. The air was shimmering with their aura. The tension between them made the crowd fall silent.
“A-Ah...the match will be a little later...” the referee said hesitantly.
“Well, looks like she wants to get started.”
“I’m ready when she is.”
The two of them told the referee that they were ready.
At that, the official gave some kind of signal to the commentator.
“Oh! It seems like the pair are going to start right away!”
The crowd roared.
“Allow me to introduce our fighters! This is an exhibition match against Great Keith’s strongest fighter, the Hero of Incandescence, Olga Sól Taliskerrrrr!”
The hero remained calm even as the crowd cheered wildly. She was a symbol of strength for the country, and the combination of both strength and beauty made her immensely popular.
“Up against her we have our overwhelming warrior from Roses, Aya Sasakiii! It’s been decades since a foreign warrior has become a hero for our country! She should put up a good fight!”
Sasa smiled and waved at the crowd.
The cheer was just as loud as the one for Olga. If people were supporting her over Olga, then she’d gotten the crowd well and truly on her side. I used Listen to pick up on some of the crowd’s comments.
“Who’s gonna win?”
“Don’t be an idiot! Lady Olga will never lose.”
“But Aya’s pretty strong. It should be a good fight.”
“Yeah, she’s the strongest we’ve seen!”
Great Keith’s people definitely saw Olga as the strongest, and no one thought she’d lose.
While the cheering was going on, Olga and Sasa retreated to either side of the ring. Neither of them got into a stance or anything—they just stood there. Some of the spectators were already yelling for them to start.
“The Great Keith Martial Tournament exhibition match is about to start!” the commentator announced.
“Begin!” the referee said sharply.
Instantly, Sasa leaped, her fist closing in on Olga. The hero evaded it, countering with a kick.
Sasa caught the kick on her arm.
There was a heavy thud and Olga’s leg crunched into the floor.
Come on... That arena’s made of stone...
The two struck at each other time and again, but both of them kept blocking or dodging... At least, that’s what it looked like to me. Honestly, I could barely follow what was going on.
“Did you see that defense?”
“Yeah, amazing! She got two feints in there.”
“Was that a triple punch?”
“Moron, it was four. Two with each hand.”
The spectators were a bit too insightful. Hell, they were all just analyzing it!
“Can you follow it, Lucy?”
“Yeah. They’re still feeling each other out. I think Aya’s only at eighty percent speed.”
“O-Oh...”
They weren’t taking it seriously yet?! Really? Lucy had good eyes and was apparently doing just fine, but I wouldn’t even be able to see anything when they really got into it. The exchange carried on for a bit before the two separated.
“Not bad. You’re stronger than before,” Olga said with an impressed smile.
“Right! I trained,” Sasa returned with an innocent grin.
“Let’s end this, then.”
As she said those words, Olga’s aura practically exploded around her.
The skill to turn heat into aura... It was a skill she’d been blessed with by Sól, and it had made her strong over the years. The skill was terrifyingly effective in Great Keith—the air here was always scorching from the pounding sunlight, but that helped her.
A moment later, Olga vanished.
I heard the thud of something hitting something else, and a dark figure flew toward the edge of the ring.
Sasa?!
I hurriedly looked that way...but it was Olga who’d gone flying. She stood back up immediately but with a look of surprise on her face.
“Yes!” Lucy cheered, pumping her fist.
What happened? I hadn’t seen anything.
“L-Lucy...what was that?” I asked quietly.
“Hero Olga finally got serious but Aya used the skill she’s been saving. She tripled her speed with Dash and then used a Charged Attack to knock her away! That was great!” she explained happily.
Oh, right. That made sense... Wait, what?!
“Sasa won without using her Action Game Player skill?!”
“Yup. She didn’t want to show the hero.”
What the hell? She hadn’t measured up at all even with her skills before, but since her evolution, she’d been fighting without them...
“Tch!”
Olga’s aura exploded again. Sasa met her with a smile. They crashed into each other once more. This time, Sasa went flying, but she didn’t seem hurt and stood up again.
Sasa started the next exchange, and they collided for a third time.
Several minutes later, the two of them were still on par with each other. They couldn’t seem more different, though. Sasa was breathing heavily but visibly enjoying herself. Olga’s expression was twisted in annoyance.
There was a clear division among the spectators. This wasn’t the decisive victory for Olga that they’d expected, and at this rate, it could end in a draw.
The general public was nonetheless excited—this country was just really fond of strong people.
The problem was in the VIP seats. The royals and nobles all had sour looks on their faces. The harshest expression was on the face of the hero’s father—General Talisker.
Conversely, nobles from other countries like Highland were all smiles as they talked with the nobles from Great Keith. We were too far away to hear (even with Listen), but it was probably banter about another country’s fighter matching their hero. Highland had a lot of people with...pleasant personalities.
Actually, how was our princess doing? I turned to look and was met by a pair of sparkling eyes.
“H-Hero Makoto, Aya is this strong?!” Princess Sophia exclaimed, tugging at my sleeve. Her voice was brimming with excitement.
“She’s been working hard to level up.” Sasa was over level eighty now, having kept up with the leveling even after evolving into a lamia queen.
“And thus is born the strongest fighter in Roses...” the guardian knight added before panicking and turning to me. “Ah, I’m not taking you lightly.”
“Nah, she’s definitely the strongest,” I replied with a deprecating smile.
“What a fight!” the commentator said. “This has been well worth the wait! We all knew how strong Lady Olga was...but who could have predicted Aya Sasaki’s strength?! As much as I hate to say it, the time allowed for the match is near—”
The commentator was about to announce that the match was over, but he was interrupted by Olga. Her angry yell echoed across the stands.
“Wait! Come! Balamung!”
A magic circle formed around her. It was similar to the Crimson Witch’s teleport spell, but inverted.
A...summoning?
Summoning magic was usually for calling tamed monsters. However, this time, a sword appeared.
The sword shone bright red as it formed in her grasp.
“A-Ah... Lady Olga? Should you not be forgoing the holy sword during the tournament...?” the commentator asked hesitantly.
Balamung—the holy sword of Great Keith. It was an heirloom weapon passed down through generations of Sól’s chosen heroes.
“Aya Sasaki! I challenge you to a duel in the name of the Hero of Incandescence, Olga!” she proclaimed, readying the shining sword.
“Lady Olga?! There were no plans...” The sudden demand had come from Olga herself, and the commentator was blatantly bewildered at the event going completely off script.
“What?”
“A duel?”
“I wonder if Lady Olga’s fighting seriously...”
“No way.”
The audience was stirring as well.
“Halt! Olga!” General Talisker yelled from the VIP seats.
Is he acting...or not?
The general couldn’t have been pleased by a fighter from a weak country like Roses proving equal to Great Keith’s greatest fighter. Judging from his expression and harried tone, he certainly didn’t seem like he was putting on an act.
The hero ignored her father’s rebuke and directed another yell toward Sasa. “Aya Sasaki! Will you accept?! Or not?!”
“You cannot!” Princess Sophia exclaimed. “Aya, Hero Makoto! Dueling against a hero with a holy sword is folly!”
“Sasa!” I yelled, trying to tell her not to accept.
“Got it, Takatsuki!” she replied with a thumbs up.
What a smile she has...
Hm?
I had a bad feeling about this.
“No, Sasa! That’s not what I mean!” I hurriedly yelled.
But she didn’t hear me—she spoke over me, at the same time.
“I accept, Olga!”
Argh, she went and did it now...
“Hero Makoto! Why did you not stop her?!”
“I tried!” I managed as Princess Sophia shook me by the shoulders.
There was a reason for her panic. Heroes blessed by the goddesses were the only people who could wield the holy swords passed down in each country.
Ascalon, the holy sword of Roses, was wielded by Leonardo Eir Roses.
Clarent of Springrogue was wielded by Maximillian.
Caliburn from Highland was wielded by Gerald Ballantine.
Likewise, Great Keith’s Balamung was wielded by Olga Sól Talisker.
A hero blessed by the goddesses could—through releasing their blade—multiply their power several times over. It was said that only heroes who had done so could defeat the demon lords. Thus, they were considered to be each country’s strongest fighter and the symbol of a nation’s strength.
Although apparently, not even Gerald and Olga—the Heroes of Lightning and Incandescence—together could hold a candle to the Hero of Light and his borrowed magic sword.
Well, he is supposed to be the reincarnation of the savior, so him being OP is to be expected...the bastard.
Olga readied her blade while squaring off against Sasa in the ring. “Aya Sasaki, prepare your weapon!” Apparently, she wouldn’t attack an unarmed opponent.
“I’m fine barehanded,” Sasa replied, punching a palm.
“Oooohhhh! Aya Sasaki is ready to take on Lady Olga barehanded! This is crazy! Does this count as suicide?!”
Oh...the commentator was back. And on the offensive.
“No way! Surrender now!” shouted someone in the crowd.
“Aya’s gonna die!”
“Ruuun!”
“Lady Olga, stay calm!”
The spectators were just as worried about Sasa. She just smiled and waved—it was obvious that she had no intention to withdraw any time soon.
This is bad...
“Hey.” Lucy turned to me with a concerned look and tapped me on the shoulder. “Is she going to be okay?”
“Well, it’s not exactly a good situation. Sasa was the one who agreed though.”
“H-How can you be so carefree?! Are neither of you worried about her?!” Princess Sophia demanded. “I am putting a stop to this.”
She moved toward the arena, but Furiae stopped her in her tracks.
“It’s already begun. You’ll just get pulled in.”
Furiae gradually pulled her back. It was a real relief—there was no way I’d manage to physically stop Princess Sophia.
In the ring, the light around Olga’s sword billowed like flames. The mana within the blade—said to be a blessing from Sól—seemed more like a bomb on the verge of exploding. The air was starting to waver with the heat.
“You want to fight without a weapon? You’ll die,” Olga warned once more.
“Don’t worry about it. Come on, let’s get started,” Sasa replied, beckoning. The hero’s expression grew even harsher.
“You’ll regret that...otherworlder,” she muttered.
Maybe she had a bit of a bias against otherworlders? I mean, we did sort of just show up out of nowhere and throw the world’s power balance out of whack.
“H-Hero Makoto! Aya is—”
Princess Sophia was yelling even as Furiae held her back.
“Sasa’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
“What?” Princess Sophia looked at us doubtfully. “How can you be so calm?”
“Well, Sophia—” I started. But then, Lucy cut me off, pointing at the ring.
“They’re starting!”
“Referee! Once you give the signal, move away!” advised the commentator. “Otherwise, you will be caught up in it.”
There was a pause.
“Are you sure about this?” the referee asked Sasa.
“Yup, it’s fine,” she replied, cool as a cucumber.
“Then, on my mark... Begin!”
The referee gave the starting signal and simultaneously leaped from the ring. Olga and Sasa were the only people in the arena now. The spectators were holding their breath, and not even the commentator had anything to say.
A beat. Then, Olga vanished. A second later, the ring exploded.
I couldn’t see her attack, or Sasa taking the attack, so everything that happened was explained to me later by Lucy.
Olga had sprung up into the air and then fired all of her sword’s mana down at the ground. The attack was like a meteor strike, and Sasa had taken it head-on. The arena was splintered like a bomb had gone off—a blast of wind buffeted us as a massive cross of red light formed in the air.
After that, I could see what was going on again...somewhat. That’s...like Sakurai’s sword technique and Rosalie’s saint rank magic... Apparently, attacks of that caliber formed crosses like that.
The ring was now covered in dust, so we couldn’t see anything.
“Aya?!” screamed Princess Sophia.
All around us, spectators were trembling at just how powerful Olga’s attack had been.
“Wh-What in the world?” the commentator said eventually. “Is Aya Sasaki safe?”
That was pretty much what everyone wanted to know. The dust cleared gradually, revealing a pulverized ring. No one said a word. I could’ve sworn I didn’t even hear anyone in the audience breathe.
“Uh...what? L-Lady...Olga?”
The commentator’s voice was shaking.
The first thing we could see was Olga, slumped against the inner wall of the Colosseum. Maybe she’d been slammed into it? Her armor was cracked and broken...
Like something massive had crashed into it.
She’s not dead, right? Olga looked like she’d been in a car crash.
“Ugh,” she groaned.
Well, she was still conscious at least. She soon staggered to her feet. I was glad she was still alive. Her face was flooded with disbelief. She glanced between her broken armor and the ring. There was nothing in her hands—Balamung was nowhere to be seen.
“A-Aya Sasaki is fine! She’s standing in the ring!” echoed the commentator’s voice.
In the middle of the dust cloud, where Olga’s attack had been at its strongest, Sasa was standing like nothing had happened.
She was shining with light that shimmered in the hues of the rainbow.
“Aww, she let everyone see her skill,” Lucy whined.
“Well, at least she’s safe,” I said, sighing in relief. I’d been pretty sure she would be, but the scale of Olga’s attack had still made me worry.
“What in the world was that?!” Princess Sophia demanded, grabbing hold of me. She’d been too busy with all the official business, so we hadn’t gotten time to explain Sasa’s new power yet.
“It’s a skill she got from Action Game Player when she evolved,” I explained.
“A new skill...those seven colors of light? Oh, it’s fading now.”
Indeed, the kaleidoscope around Sasa was fading away.
“Takatsuki! I won!” Sasa cheered, posing with her fingers up in a “V” shape.
However, my eyes were more focused on the bent and battered sword at her feet. This is bad, right? I mean...Balamung is a national treasure...and we broke it... I’d heard that it was priceless—practically beyond value. This wasn’t going to cause an international incident, was it?
“C-Congrats, Sasa,” I said. She’d won, so she was entitled to some celebration.
“Yup! Go ahead and praise me more!” She nodded, then jumped at me and wrapped her arms around my neck.
“Ah...Aya? What does your skill do?” Princess Sophia asked dazedly.
Sasa giggled. “It’s Super Star!”
“What did you say?”
I remembered how lost for words I’d been upon seeing the skill for the first time. Super Star. It was as terrifying as it was simple. While the skill was active, she was invincible. It protected the player from all attacks and nullified all defenses against the player’s attacks.
Princess Sophia froze as she heard the ridiculousness. Lucy and Furiae’s expressions of disbelief and exasperation were the only real responses.
Sasa giggled shyly. It was cute, so I found myself stroking her head...even as I complained mentally about her skills being bugged to hell and back.
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