Kays Translations

Chapter 187: The Winner is Decided

Drexler’s machine extends a hand toward Sarah’s downed machine.

When she takes his hand and stands up, both return to the starting line, getting on one knee. Almost simultaneously, their mana pass are severed, and the two operators emerge from their cockpits.

“Sarah’s movements were truly marvelous. I couldn’t keep up at all.” 

Drexler remarked, shaking his head slightly.

Sarah, still catching her breath, responded.

“I had Lucy with me and have been practicing with magic giant golems since I was little. I just had more time to practice than you, Drexler. But in the end, I still got taken down.”

“I was only saved by the rules this time. If I hadn’t stopped you with a valid strike, I would’ve been overwhelmed by your consecutive attacks and lost instantly.” 

Drexler admitted.

The battle had unfolded with Drexler enduring attacks that barely missed being valid hits, all while waiting for Sarah to lose focus and become predictable. At that point, he landed a counterstrike. As Drexler mentioned, if this had been an actual combat scenario, the first valid hit Sarah landed would have led to her overwhelming him with follow-up attacks, resulting in his defeat.

In this sense, the rules of this competition put Sarah, who excels in rapid, successive strikes, at a slight disadvantage.

“No, I knew the rules before we started, so I should’ve fought with that in mind. This time, I lost fair and square.” 

Sarah conceded.

“Hahaha, that’s true. Just the fact that you managed to avoid Sarah’s attacks without taking a valid hit in such a short time is impressive! There aren’t many who could pull that off ” 

Greg praised Drexler, acknowledging his skill.

“That’s right. If it were me, I would’ve taken the third hit before I even got used to her moves ” 

Isamu agreed with a sheepish smile.

Though Drexler remained humble, it was clear that his ability to adapt to Sarah’s movements in such a short time was a testament to his skill, not luck.

With that, the first round of Block A ended, and Block B’s first match began.

The first match was between Tiramisu and Laurel, a knight from the Balsham Frontier Marquisate, and the eldest child of the former Knight Commander, Larem.

The match pitted Tiramisu’s machine, with its overwhelming agility, against Laurel, who used combat techniques inherited from his father.

“Tiramisu-san’s movements are fast as always.” 

Isamu remarked.

“Yes. It’s a battle that capitalizes on her strengths, though it’s a bit of brute force.” 

Felix said, somewhat hesitantly.

Mizeroi, standing next to him, chuckled. 

“You could call it that, yes.”

Isamu recalled that although Tiramisu wasn’t exactly a weak-willed person, her frustration at not being able to outmuscle men in hand-to-hand combat might have influenced her style when controlling the magic giant golem.

Both fighters took two valid hits each, but as the match progressed, Tiramisu’s machine became sharper, while Laurel’s, fatigued, started losing precision.

The scales tipped, and Tiramisu delivered a series of powerful thrusts, securing victory.

“Phew, that was close. Laurel’s spear technique is incredible.” 

Tiramisu said.

“I thought I had it at first, but in the end, I was overpowered by sheer skill.” 

Laurel acknowledged.

Tiramisu and Laurel praised each other for their valiant efforts.

Laurel’s spear-handling, even among the knights of the Balsham frontier margrave family, who are constantly guarding the border against enemy nations and regularly slaying monsters, was truly remarkable.

Had he been a bit more accustomed to controlling the magic giant golem, the outcome of the battle might have been uncertain.

After this intense match, the second match of Block B was between Isamu and Memphio, a knight from the Viscount Bisseling family, whom Isamu had once taught the fake burst magic technique.

(How should I approach this…?) 

Isamu pondered, feeling the warmth of Orihime on his head through their magic link.

He had no deep aversion to combat in this world of Ethersia, thanks to the battles he’d already fought. However, he lacked experience in close-quarters duels. His opponent, a professional knight, was far more skilled in combat techniques.

Isamu knew he had an advantage in controlling the magic giant golem thanks to Orihime, but he doubted that would be enough to overcome the gap in combat skill.

With no clear strategy, Isamu resigned himself to taking things as they came.

“Begin the match!”

At Norman’s signal, both fighters positioned their spears at mid-level.

Isamu suspected that attacking first might lead to a harsh counterattack, so he slowly moved to his opponent’s left, positioning himself behind them, and observed their stance.

When the match began, Memphio attacked first with a swift thrust. Isamu barely deflected it, but Memphio quickly followed up, landing a hit on Isamu’s right arm.

“Yellow scores a valid hit!”

Norman’s voice rang out, and they returned to their starting positions.

(Hmm… I figured just fighting normally wouldn’t be enough to win… Plus, keeping a distance feels like it’s putting me at a disadvantage.)

After reflecting on the first exchange, Isamu realized that fighting from a distance would only make things harder. For the second round, he decided to close in quickly.

When the next round began, Isamu took the initiative, stepping in aggressively. Memphio dodged, but Isamu anticipated this, pivoting to strike Memphio’s body with the butt of his spear. This led to a close-quarters brawl where neither could land a valid hit due to the proximity.

However, in the next clash, Memphio managed to land another strike, gaining his second valid hit.

**English Translation:**

(Being closer is definitely better, but the closer I get, the more the length of the spear gets in the way, making it hard to attack… Wait, maybe… if it’s a hindrance, then perhaps…)

Though Isamu’s performance had improved, he couldn’t win without a more offensive approach.

To break through this situation, Isamu chose an even bolder tactic.

As the third round began, Isamu closed in just as he had in the second round. This time, however, since his opponent was on guard, he held his spear horizontally, charging in with a fully defensive stance.

Not wanting to risk a direct hit, Memphio leapt sideways to create some distance.

(Now!)

In that moment, Isamu threw his spear at his opponent while still running. Startled by the sudden move, Memphio quickly deflected it with a strong swing.

Seeing Memphio’s stance falter for a moment, Isamu seized the opportunity to close the distance. He grabbed his opponent’s extended right arm with his left hand, then, without stopping, hooked his right arm around Memphio’s neck like a wrestling lariat and swept Memphio’s right leg with a powerful kick.

It was a slightly modified version of a judo move, the *osotogari*, or major outer reap.

Memphio hadn’t expected a throwing technique in a spear fight between magic giant golems, and his machine fell backward. Since Isamu still held his right hand, his golem didn’t hit the ground at full force, but lying flat on its back, it couldn’t counterattack.

At this point, Isamu could break Memphio’s arm or step on him if he chose.

“Purple scores the decisive hit! The winner is Isamu!”

Seeing the situation, Norman declared Isamu’s victory.

“Haha, I never expected you’d throw the spear and then throw me as well.” 

Memphio laughed.

“Sorry, I was a bit reckless…” 

Isamu replied, bowing his head slightly in apology.

“No, no, grappling isn’t forbidden. I was the one who let my guard down.” 

Memphio reassured him.

“Thanks… Though it’s kind of a one-time trick, so it wouldn’t work again.”

“In battle, that one time is all that matters. I’d say it was more than enough! Still, I didn’t think Isamu-dono could use grappling techniques.”

“Haha, I guess I just got lucky… It only worked because we were using magic giant golems.” 

Isamu replied with a grin.

Isamu found his path to victory through close-range combat.

Above all, it was judo, the one form of real combat Isamu had some experience with on Earth, from middle and high school classes. His high school gym teacher had also been the judo team advisor, and since it was a private school, a substantial amount of time was devoted to judo over the three years.

Of course, he couldn’t hope to match the skills of a judo team member, but he chose a style that his body remembered, even if only a little. Additionally, he relied on the imagery power he felt during the spear throw, hoping it would supplement the movements of his magic giant golem—and it did.

Once they confirmed that the yellow machine Isamu had thrown was functioning without issues, the third match of Block B began.

It was a battle between Elis, a young soldier of the Klaufeldt family, and Greg, a seasoned veteran and former guardian. Greg won narrowly with a score of 3-2 in valid hits, but he had purposefully let Elis practice with him to make it a close match, believing a quick victory wouldn’t be a learning experience.

Next, the second round of Block A began, featuring Julius and Marcella, both advancing from the first round. With the assistance of the cat Leo, whose support abilities had awakened in the previous battle, Julius put up a valiant fight and scored valid hits against Marcella with skillful control, but Marcella’s experience ultimately secured her victory.

The second round of Block B was a match between Tiramisu and Isamu.

This time, aiming for close combat from the start, Isamu switched from a spear to dual short swords. Although dual-wielding is often seen as a fictional choice, it’s actually excellent for defense; in kendo, defensive dual-wielding was so powerful for stalling to a draw that it had been banned for a long time.

However, once his close-range strategy was apparent, it was difficult for Isamu to outmatch Tiramisu, a professional soldier. Tiramisu controlled the fight with her spear’s range, and even when Isamu managed to get close, she was cautious of his grappling moves. Combined with her physical advantage, Tiramisu ultimately won.

After a short break, the semi-finals finally commenced.

In Block A, the match was between Marcella and Drexler, while Block B featured Tiramisu against Greg.

The match between Marcella and Drexler, both seasoned fighters, was a captivating battle. Each tried to lure the other into making a mistake through skillful maneuvers, and in the end, Drexler, who had superior control over his magic giant golem, narrowly claimed victory.

Meanwhile, the Block B semifinal had an unusual progression.

Tiramisu made an aggressive assault, using her physical strength, but Greg skillfully evaded every move. Intent on making this a learning experience, Greg refrained from counterattacking, resulting in a long, drawn-out match.

Had the crowd been able to hear them, they might have heard Tiramisu grumbling “Grr…” while Greg chuckled with a “Ho ho ho.”

After about 30 minutes of this back-and-forth, the end came rather abruptly. Tiramisu’s attacks began to get sloppy from fatigue, and just as that happened, Greg, who had been evading until then, stepped in suddenly. Swiftly moving inside her guard, Greg swept the legs of Tiramisu’s magic giant golem with the haft of his spear. She fell to the ground with a thud, and as he pointed his spear at her, Norman announced the decisive hit.

“Ho ho ho, Lady Tiramisu, you have far too many unnecessary movements.” 

Greg teased.

“Grr… I have no comeback; it was a total defeat.” 

Tiramisu admitted.

The exchange after the match was something everyone, not just Isamu, had anticipated, causing the crowd to watch on with amused smiles.

Then came the final match.

The showdown was between Drexler, a veteran knight with high mana pass values, and Greg, likely the oldest active pilot—a pairing certain to appeal to connoisseurs.

This time, Greg, who had been on the defensive throughout the competition, seized opportunities to launch offensive moves. Drexler, meanwhile, had shown increasingly refined piloting skills with each match, skillfully parrying Greg’s attacks and counterattacking fearlessly.

After about 10 minutes without a decisive hit, Drexler, sensing he would be at a disadvantage in a prolonged fight, took a calculated risk and launched an all-out offensive. Greg attempted a counterattack, but Drexler’s determination prevailed. Greg’s spear was eventually struck from his grasp by Drexler’s powerful assault.

Not missing the opening, Drexler feinted low, then delivered a strike to the center of Greg’s chest, putting an end to the fight.

And so, the mock tournament—a combination of piloting training and a test of skill, spanning nearly an entire day—came to a close with Drexler crowned as the victor.

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