Chapter 159: That’s Kid’s on Another Level
“Wow… this is incredible. So many people are taking part. I wonder if Sena’s going to be okay.”
“You don’t need to worry. If it’s Sena, getting through the preliminaries should be a piece of cake.”
We had arrived at the venue for the martial arts tournament preliminaries.
Except for those holding a seed spot, only those who survived this stage could advance to the main tournament.
Apparently, anyone could enter the preliminaries, which explained the massive crowd filling the arena.
The venue itself was the same coliseum that would host the main event, and spectators like us could watch the preliminaries unfold from the stands.
“If they don’t have a ton of people watching, I think even Shifa-san could make it to the main tournament…”
“Even with her Gift, she still couldn’t beat Sena.”
“Really…?”
“That kid’s on another level.”
“On another level…?”
“Sarassa-san isn’t competing either, right?”
“(Aaaaaahhh! With all these buff guys here, it’d be so… efficient… I just… aaahhh!)”
“Sarassa-san? Are you okay? You’re bleeding from your nose…”
“Huh!? …N-Nothing… it’s nothing… Uh, what were we talking about again…?”
“I was just wondering if Sarassa-san would be competing…”
“…This tournament… isn’t suited for mages… Of course, there are mages skilled in one-on-one combat, but…”
It made sense. Mages who needed to chant spells were much more effective with front-line fighters protecting them. They could cast spells with short incantations, but that would reduce the spell’s power.
Moreover, while one-on-one battles in the main tournament were tough, the preliminaries were free-for-all battles, making it even harder. Most mages who entered were eliminated in the preliminaries.
This year’s preliminaries were divided into eight groups.
Each group had nearly thirty participants, who would all enter the arena simultaneously to battle across the expansive field. Only the last one standing would advance to the main tournament.
The main event itself would then be a tournament among eight participants: the preliminary winners and the seeded players. Only last year’s champion could claim a seed, but the reigning champion was not participating this year, leaving no seeded players.
“Look! It’s almost Sena’s turn,” Anii said, pointing to the arena.
I followed her gaze to the field and saw Sena entering among about thirty participants. Two group matches had already concluded, and this was the third group’s turn.
“The highlight of this group is that blonde, handsome knight. He belongs to the royal knights and, despite his youth, is already serving as vice-captain. His skill is impressive—he made it to the second round of last year’s main tournament.”
As soon as the knight appeared, a chorus of excited screams erupted from the female spectators.
“Kyaa! It’s Sir Michel!”
“So cool!”
“Take me with you!”
“Look, he’s looking this way!”
“Ahhh… I’m dying…”
As he waved in response, some girls fainted from pure excitement, collapsing one after another.
Are they… going to be okay?
His popularity among women was staggering.
Meanwhile, the men in the crowd were booing. I jumped on the bandwagon and shouted:
“Sena, take that guy down!”
“Are you just jealous because he’s popular?” Anii shot me a glare.
“…”
Sena, oblivious to the tension, waved cheerfully toward us.
“Waah, Onii-chan! Hiiiii!”
I wasn’t expecting her to be tense, but a little focus wouldn’t hurt.
“Tch… what a carefree brat. Even if it’s just the preliminaries, seeing someone like her makes it hard to get motivated.”
“Huh?”
Ah… I knew it. A burly man nearby was scolding her.
“The usual strategy is to go after the strongest first. But I’m taking you down first. Shouldn’t even take a second,” the man growled.
And just like that, Sena had become a target.
In a chaotic free-for-all like this, luck often decided advantage. Being attacked first or singled out by multiple opponents could knock even the strongest competitors out of the running.
“Hey, about Sena’s sword…”
“Oh. I forgot to have it replaced.”
“Wait, is that… going to be okay!?”
“Y-You mean the sword with that insane magical enhancement…? Using that in the preliminaries could be dangerous…”
“I-I told her plenty of times to hold back and not kill anyone…”
As the women fussed over this, the gong finally rang, signaling the start of the match.
Almost immediately, most participants charged at the blonde knight, Michel. They clearly planned to team up to take down the strongest contender first.
Meanwhile, true to his word, the burly man swung his massive weapon at Sena.
The weapon was nearly three meters long, with iron balls at each end, studded with spikes.
It must have been incredibly heavy, yet he swung it effortlessly with one hand.
“This weighs a ton! A normal person couldn’t lift it, but with my [Superhuman Strength] Gift, it’s nothing! Your puny body will be crushed in one hit! Hyaaaahhh!”
“Here!”
“…Huh?”
Before the weapon could strike Sena, the iron ball split cleanly in two, the upper half flying off somewhere.