“Mmph!”
“Ooooh!”
“Aaahn!”
I was having second thoughts when Elza started moaning at the touch of the whip. This fight wasn’t exactly family-friendly, and I didn’t think Fran was ready for it, either. Unfortunately, we had to watch it to prepare for the battle tomorrow. I hoped the match would end soon, but Elza’s high defense value and Transmute Pain made that unlikely. Fortunately, Amanda’s strength pulled through.
“Just stay down!”
Rapid lashes weren’t enough to take her down. Amanda knew she would have to put more force into her strikes. She charged her mana, pulling her hand back for a second before lashing her whip. It snaked like a giant serpent towards Elza, too fast for her to activate her damage-reduction skills.
“Aaaahn!”
The whip hit Elza like a hammer, if the hammer was actually a log. She moaned as she was sent flying, the whip striking her right in the solar plexus. The attack had done some serious damage, despite the pleasurable sounds she was making. She lay sprawled out on the ground, not moving an inch. A big enough hit would cut the brain’s connection to the body, no matter how much damage mitigation she had.
“I can’t believe it! Ulmutt’s beloved hero has been defeated! Such an easy victory could only come from the A-Rank Adventurer, Amanda the Hariti!”
Only in Ulmutt could Elza be hailed as a local hero.
Did you see Amanda’s last attack?
“Barely.”
Me too.
The strike had happened so fast that the tip of Amanda’s whip was invisible. Multiple hits would be impossible to evade. Fran had the same thought.
We’re in for a tough fight.
“Hm!”
Amanda versus Elza was over. Fran took out a skewer from her Pocket Dimension and snacked on it as the ring was repaired. She examined the tournament roster.
“Next is Forlund and Phillip.”
Forlund’s going to take this one. Easy.
Phillip was at a clear disadvantage. I had seen both of them fight. Forlund was as big a monster as Amanda.
I just hope Phillip can last long enough to make Forlund take him seriously.
“Hm. Good luck, Phillip.”
Unfortunately, Phillip was annihilated in under three minutes. Forlund unleashed his magic swords as soon as the match began and made a hedgehog out of the knight general, killing him instantly. Still, Phillip got what he wanted. Before the match started, he appealed Bulbola’s plight to the crowd and asked for their support. The tournament was the perfect chance to appeal to the aristocracy.
I guess Bulbola’s still in a rough spot.
“Hm…”
The final match was the Dragonhead’s owner Phelms versus the Beast King’s elite guard Royce. Former A-Rank would face active A-Rank in the most exciting quarterfinal of the year.
“Here’s to a good fight.”
“Likewise.”
The crowd had great expectations when they sensed the combatants’ battle auras. The tension was palpable, and the fighters soon made good on their introduction. Fran and I got lost in the fight, completely forgetting that we were supposed to be analyzing them as they tried to kill each other.
Royce’s basic strategy revolved around Dimension Door, teleporting to confuse his opponent and combining it with his agility as a rabbit beastman. He attacked with Land Magic. He was better at warping around the ring than I was, as much as it pained me to admit. At least I had a standard to aspire to with my feints now.
His Moonlight Magic countered his foe by reflecting their attacks back at them. He would feint to bait a counterattack, and counter that instead. Royce’s battle plan was full of smoke and mirrors.
Phelms handled Royce’s feints with a surprising strategy of his own.
Name: Phelms
Age: 63
Race: Human
Class: Wire Mage
Level: 68/99
HP: 436; Magic: 669; Strength: 231; Agility: 412
Skills: Stealth 5; Disassemble 8; Flame Resistance 8; Wind Magic 3; Danger Sense 8; Presence Sense 8; Wire Arts 10; Wire Mastery 10; Bind 7; Gathering 6; Hush 6; Abnormal Status Resistance 6; Trade 5; Vibration Sense 8; Oscillation 6;
Dual Blade Mastery 8; Wire Manipulation 10; Dagger Mastery 3; Throw 9; Lasso 4; Create Mana Thread 7; Bestiary 3; Magic Resistance 5;
Mana Sense 5; Water Magic 6; Cooking 8; Disarm Trap 5; Trap Sense 5; Lay Trap 8; Enhanced Thread; Orc Killer; Spirit Manipulation; Pain Immunity; Split Thinking; Mana Manipulation
Class Skill: Spool
Unique Skill: Dragon Slaughterer
Titles: Enemy of the Scaled Ones; Garrote User; Orc Killer; Dungeon Conqueror; Dragon Slaughterer; Mana Thread User; Monster Exterminator
Equipment: King Baleen Battle Wire; Dragon-Eater Spider Thread; Thunder Dragon Fang Dagger; Dragonscale Battle Shirt; Dragonwing Cloak; Bracelet of Poison Immunity; Earrings of Scent Removal
I expected him to fight with wires, given his stats…but I didn’t expect his strange weapon to be so useful. At most, I thought he would use his threads as an extension of his fingers, but it looked like he was controlling over a hundred of them. He chased Royce down by manipulating his threads, transforming them into swords, walls, and nets as necessary. He set up tripwires around the ring so he knew where Royce was at all times.
Phelms got hit, of course. His wires couldn’t stop a high-speed boulder, and he was at a disadvantage at melee range. Then there was the matter of Royce’s superior physical prowess.
Still, escaping Phelms’ threads in a confined space proved difficult. Eventually, they caught up to Royce and tore him to shreds.
“Your winner: Dragon Hunter Phelms! He may be retired, but the three-time hall-of-famer proves that he’s still got the moves!”
Phelms waved to the audience and thanked them with a bow. His honesty stopped the gesture from being condescending. The old man was no ordinary dandy. He could still hunt down dragons for ingredients if he wanted to.
He’s strong.
“Hm,” Fran said.
How do you fight him in such a tight space…?
“Can’t run.”
Yeah.
The semifinals were decided. First up tomorrow was Fran versus Amanda, followed by Forlund versus Phelms.
Let’s just worry about beating Amanda for now.
“Hm.”
Despite her love for children, Amanda didn’t hold back the last time we sparred. She respected Fran too much to go
