“Hm.” Fran sat on the couch next to Rigdith with her extra-large plate of meat. The small couch looked like it was prepared specifically for her. Not that the Beast King would be so considerate. Apparently, Royce had gone around all the shops in Ulmutt looking for a suitable couch for her. Sorry about that, Royce.
Fran and Rigdith watched as Amanda and Forlund entered the arena. I felt bad for having delayed them.
The crowd exploded with so much applause that the stadium shook. Even the Beast King had to cover his ears, and his room came equipped with soundproofing manatech. Fran’s flopped ears looked cute as always, but seeing Rigdith and his vassals do the same was kind of disquieting. The commentator began introducing the fighters.
“Coming in from the West Gate is Amanda the Hariti! She seems to have lost her weapon in her last match, so we’re very curious to see how she will fight today! But look at that invincible smile, ladies and gentlemen! No wonder the girls like her more than the guys do! What a manly grin!”
Amanda had a different whip strapped to her waist today. While it was a strong enchanted weapon in its own right, it couldn’t compare to the whip Amanda had used for years. I wondered if she could handle Forlund with it.
“Making his way in from the East Gate is the man who is closest to S-Rank: Hundred Blades Forlund! No smiles here, folks, just the cool look of a calculating fighter! Can he keep his cold mask until the end of the match?!”
They slowly walked to the center of the arena.
They chatted casually, already acquainted with each other. However, their conversation was drowned out in the noise. One thing was for sure; they weren’t going to go easy. They knew each other too well for that. Their desire for battle was building. They went to their starting positions, and began.
“Hrm!”
“Ho ho! That’s good!”
You know you had a good fight on your hands when Fran and the Beast King interrupted their meals to watch. Amanda kept her distance and pelted Forlund with wind spells and whip cracks. The newly repaired ring was immediately destroyed again, and Amanda fired the rubble towards him with more wind spells. She wasn’t a former Storm Warrior for nothing.
Meanwhile, Forlund produced swords and launched them at her, trying to close the distance. He was good at ranged combat, but he was no match for Amanda. They moved about for a good ten minutes before Amanda decided to end the match with a powerful attack. She couldn’t keep this pace up for long. She was taking a beating from Forlund’s mana swords. She readied her whip for a match-ending comeback.
“Ultimate: Skanda Killer!”
This wasn’t the move that beat us. She placed her whip at her waist as if to quickly draw it like a sword. The attack was so fast that we could only see streaks from this distance. We didn’t know what kind of attack it was, but could at least tell that Amanda was the source. Unfortunately, she missed.
“Dang it…I was going for your neck!”
“Close.” Forlund managed to dodge Amanda’s attempted decapitation. It highlighted the difference of power between us and them. It hurt to know that we still had to master the basics, despite already obtaining great destructive power.
“I won’t go easy on you.”
“I’ll show you how to fight without a weapon!”
Amanda’s whip was destroyed in her last attack, leaving her weaponless. The spare couldn’t handle her full power. Amanda fought hard, but the match ended with Forlund’s victory.
“Ugh…I can’t believe the emotionless jerk beat me…”
“Equip yourself next time.”
“With over a thousand combatants in the tournament, your champion this year is Hundred Blades Forlund! The man so strong he might as well be S-Rank!”
Fran watched as Forlund was declared the winner.
He’s strong.
Hm! But I’ll get stronger than him. And Amanda, too!
Of course.
The Beast King looked down at the arena with the eyes of a carnivore. His fighting spirit boiled over into murderous intent. “Forlund…I’d love to fight him one day.”
“Your Majesty, restrain yourself.”
“Don’t go attacking him out of nowhere, Lord Rig.”
“I won’t! What do you take me for?!”
“A meathead?”
“A battle junkie?”
“Urk…” Even the proud King Rigdith was no match for his vassals Rosch and Royce. He sulked quietly at their reproach.
“Well, it’s almost time for the award ceremony. You should get ready,” Royce said.
I had completely forgotten about that. Fran did win third place, after all. I hoped she would be able to stand a boring ceremony. If worse came to worst, I could move her around with telekinesis.
You can sleep if you want to, but just don’t snore.
“Hm?”
Just stay awake while you’re on stage.
Chapter 7:
The Truth About Godswords
WE LEARNED A LOT from participating in the tournament.
First and foremost, Fran had evolved. We probably wouldn’t have found any leads on Evolution if we hadn’t come here. Not only that, but we learned the conditions of breaking the personal and collective curse of the Black Cat tribe—the most vital piece of information Fran needed to accomplish her grand goal of lifting them all up.
And the experience gained from our battles was invaluable. This was the first time Fran could go all out against powerful opponents without worrying about losing her life. Even if we lost to Amanda in the end, we learned valuable lessons about our strengths and weaknesses.
More importantly, we didn’t lose when our lives were on the line. We got acquainted with the Beast King, and learned about the current state of Black Cats in the Beastman nation. That was all pretty good.
Personally, Fran’s new nickname was of the utmost importance to me. “The Princess of Black Lightning” was so much cooler than “Swordceress.”
Fran, wake up!
“Hrm…I’m…awake.”
We’re almost done. Come on, it’s your turn.
“Hm…”
Fran was half-asleep, but I couldn’t drag her all the way to the podium with telekinesis. Hang in there, Fran!
There’s a present for you if you can
