Chapter 270: Predictions for the Champion

All of the first-round matches have concluded, leaving a total of 24 contestants remaining.

Listing them without honorifics: Lime, Mash, Thread, Helena, Sheila, Brittany, Joel, Isabella, Rose, Ashros, Drake, Margis, Milagros, Zepaul, Ren, Mika, and Yui—17 in total.

Additionally, the qualifiers who advanced were Shannon, Frees, Leonore, Carmen, Rodrigo, Paul, and Silva, who also participated last year and advanced.

These 24 will compete in the second round.

Among the notable members, Velvet, Shoji, Lua, and Moz were eliminated in the first round, and Yato was easily defeated by the female adventurer Leonore.

Since Sheila and Donnie faced off in the first round, Donnie was eliminated immediately, showing that the level of this mock battle tournament has risen year by year.

This time, even the qualifiers are all strong, making it impossible to guess who will truly win.

“Who will take the championship? Sato, who do you think will win?”

“Ah, Yato, good job in the first round. That was close.”

“Enough about me! Tell me, Sato—who do you think will win!?”

Yato, already eliminated, sat casually beside me and asked in a relaxed tone.

Who will win… huh.

In the morning’s prediction, I had picked Sheela, Mika, and Lime as possible champions.

However, judging from the first-round matches, Sheila was in quite a tough situation.

“Given the current state, I’d say Ren has a good shot.”

“Hoho! Well, Ren does have the easiest match, so I can understand your prediction!”

“Yato, who do you think will win?”

“I’d like to say Ashros because of our long acquaintance… but the safe bet is probably Margis.”

“Huh!? You’re predicting Margis?… Is Margis really that strong?”

I was quite surprised by such an unexpected prediction.

Sure, Margis had a 3-0 win in the first round, but the opponent was only the second-place qualifier.

Since I hadn’t realized his strength, Margis hadn’t even crossed my mind.

“Margis is strong! Drake is all offense, Margis all defense. Among the Dragonkin, he’s truly exceptional!”

“Really? If he’s stronger than Ashros or Drake, he’s definitely a top contender.”

“You can’t judge by raw strength alone, but under these rules, Margis is the strongest! The others are tricky too, so who knows…”

While discussing the championship contenders with Yato, the first match of the second round was about to begin.

The matchup: Joel versus Margis, the champion candidate Yato had mentioned.

Margis isn’t just taller than Donnie; he’s also broad-shouldered.

But he doesn’t seem fat; his physique is solid and well-trained, like a sumo wrestler.

When standing side by side, the difference in size is even more striking than that of Sheela and Donnie.

Personally, I want Joel to win, but it looks tough.

“All right, second-round match one! Both competitors, take your positions!”

“Margis, let’s have a good match!”

“Hmm. Joel, let’s do our best.”

They shook hands and took their respective positions.

Margis wields a large shield and one-handed sword, while Joel switched from a one-handed sword to a dagger.

“Begin!”

At the referee’s signal, Joel immediately charged.

He had waited before, but realizing he couldn’t win in a slow, methodical match, he decided to act immediately.

Taking quick, small steps, he closed the distance in a flash.

Once inside Margis’s guard, it should have been Joel’s tempo…

But Margis skillfully maneuvered to block Joel from taking his back, maintaining the shield forward and leaving Joel no openings.

The moment Joel hesitated, Margis executed a shield bash.

From the sidelines, it looked like a light push, but Joel was thrown farther than Donnie had been by Sheila’s full-power attack.

Even after regaining balance, Margis had no intention of following up.

Holding the large shield, he steadily closed the distance, leaving Joel struggling, as if being slowly strangled with silk.

Joel repeatedly tried to get behind him, but Margis’s footwork, like a basketball pivot, prevented it, and the shield bash steadily accumulated damage.

Having conserved energy due to minimal movement, Margis began his offensive once Joel’s movements slowed.

He landed three decisive hits, and Margis’s complete victory ended the match.

“That’s it! 3-0, victory for Margis!”

“Haa… haa… too strong! I couldn’t even get close!”

“Hmm. Joel fought well too.”

“You’re not taking this seriously, are you!? Damn it! I’ll definitely get him next time!”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Joel, who had dominated the first round, was completely defeated.

Margis’s stability is extraordinary—after ten matches, it’s clear he would win.

This match alone explained perfectly why Yato considered him a top contender.