For a while, it was a battle of strength against strength.
My clash with the Queen wasn’t about technique or trickery. It was a pure release of power.
“You’re holding out at seventy percent. Then, Teo—this is eighty.”
KWOAAAA—!
“Ghhk!”
It might sound like a strange thing to think in this situation, but it felt almost like a mating display in the animal kingdom.
Like I’d beco a male peacock, fanning my brilliant tail feathers to impress a potential mate.
This is how strong I am.
So fall for —sothing like that.
Of course, Ayra’s tail feathers were far more dazzling and extravagant than mine.
“Well then, Teo Gospel of Angmar. What will you do? For soone who challenged so boldly, your steps have faltered. At this rate, you’ll be blown away like the rest of the contestants.”
“...Ghhk!”
KWOAAA. Crackle, fzzzt!
In terms of sheer magical output, Ayra had the edge—by at least a head.
Did I think that stealing the spider Bael from Ayra would shackle her powers? But even without Bael, Ayra had already surpassed the limits I had envisioned.
In fact, seeing her so composed and without a trace of instability made think—perhaps it was Bael who had been her weakness all along.
This was the Queen of Angmar.
A woman who had ruled the great powers by force alone.
I think I’m falling for her.
━Ah—! Our comrade is being pushed back! Everyone, pour more strength into your cheers!
If it weren’t for the imp sisters’ magical support, I too would’ve been blown away like the rest, crashing into so far corner from the magical storm.
━Hioooong...
Yeah, I know. If I keep clashing with magic alone, I’ve got no chance of winning. Like stag beetles, who know from just locking horns how strong their opponent is—and back down.
That’s what this was now.
Ayra’s horn is longer and more dangerous than mine. I have to admit it.
I need to use every bit of technique and trickery I’ve got.
That’s where my chances lie.
“Charm Beam!”
I raised my hand and fired a spell at Ayra. The pink lightning bolt zipped toward her and struck her body. But Ayra’s expression remained composed.
“A charm spell? Such magic has no effect on . Not that it matters—I’m already overflowing with interest in you, Teo of Angmar.”
“Not the kind of interest I was hoping for!”
Still, it created a small opening.
Shfft.
I used the tiny lull caused by the Charm Beam to move my hand to my waist. What I drew was the dagger I had carried with since I was a scrawny weakling.
Srrrrng.
Clutching it tightly, I dashed toward Ayra, whose defenses had montarily loosened. With this dagger, I would land a hit on her no matter what. The distance between us was about thirty ters.
Three seconds—no, two would be enough.
“So you’ve got a trick up your sleeve. But you think I’ll just let you approach ?”
Shshsh.
Ayra raised her hand and unleashed magic.
─Light Bullets.
Bababababat—!
Spheres of magic, each the size of a volleyball, ca flying at in a barrage. Pure magic condensed into projectiles—getting hit would definitely hurt.
Click.
I bit my thumb and drew blood.
“Black Coffin!”
I slamd my bloodied hand to the ground, and a coffin-shaped barrier rose up to shield from the light bullets. I ducked behind it and caught my breath. I’d advanced about ten ters—now Ayra and I were only twenty ters apart.
Then Ayra’s voice rang out from behind the black coffin.
“A coffin that blocks physical projection—black magic. Draco-style black magic. Quite resourceful. So, is this what you’re relying on?”
At her provocative line, I unfurled a spell scroll.
From within, I drew the round beads I had prepared for this very day. I hurled them beyond the coffin, and with a loud bang, thick smoke exploded out.
“Smoke? Slls like garlic...”
It was a smoke bomb I’d learned to make from Stella, back when I was beyond the barrier. Not only did it block sight, but it also contained an aromatic essence that erased one’s scent.
━Grrrrr...!
I could feel Bael within reacting strongly to the thick garlic odor now filling the air. Wasn’t it said that Ars Novas were weak to garlic for so reason?
I didn’t know if it would work on Ayra in her current state, but just that montary hesitation was enough. I pulled out a few more beads.
These had the word “Honey” written on them.
I threw them toward Ayra.
POOF—.
Just as the sweet scent reached my nose—
“Kamigin.”
I invoked the 4th-tier grand incantation.
A necromantic spell that influenced human consciousness. With it, reviving the unconscious contestants strewn around wasn’t too difficult.
The number: five hundred and twelve.
“When... did I pass out?”
“Where is my master’s enemy, Yujinoi...?”
As they began to grab their weapons and charge toward Ayra one by one—not even the Queen could escape being overwheld.
From within the smoke, Ayra’s voice ca.
“So you intend to hide a tree in the forest. Their numbers are impressive, but ultimately they’re just a mob being manipulated. With this many under your control, won’t your mana run out?”
She wasn’t wrong.
But I never said I was controlling them. I simply awakened them and planted a single ssage in their minds.
『Defeat the Queen and seize the crown.』
***
Among the fifteen hundred contestants, each of them surely had their own reasons and stories.
Still, they shared one thing in common: they entered this tournant to win.
If their own will and my planted ssage aligned, all I needed to do was give them a little push. That cost far less mana than trying to manipulate them one by one.
『Defeat the Queen and seize the crown.』
Now I just had to watch.
“Right, the rules changed, didn’t they? We just need to touch the crown.”
“I’m going to win.”
Srrrng, srrrung.
The sound of fallen contestants picking up their weapons and steeling themselves echoed out. As the thick fog cleared, Ayra stood surrounded by the crowd, holding a single sword in her hand.
“Co.”
Compared to the seemingly relaxed Ayra, the contestants hesitated to move.
“......”
“So, who’s going to go first?”
“W-Why are my hands shaking...?”
Gulp.
Only the sound of swallowing filled the air.
Could it be that the fear they felt during her mana release had been etched into their very souls? Contrary to what I’d expected, they weren’t rushing her.
“If you won’t co, then I will.”
When Ayra finally took a single step forward, the crowd stirred wildly. I had expected this.
“Hup.”
I took a deep breath.
“Huuuuuuup—!”
I took an even deeper breath.
Filling my chest with oxygen, sending it to every nerve from fingertip to toe, to the very ends of my brain, I finally opened my mouth.
“━━──!!!”
The roar from my chest thundered like lightning striking right in front of them. A sound so loud no one would believe it ca from a person, it drowned out everything around it.
The Lion’s Roar of Leones.
It ignited the fighting spirit of those who heard it.
━UAAAAH!!!
━RAAAAAH!!!
Maybe my plan had worked—those wielding weapons began to scream and charge at Ayra one by one.
At the sa {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} ti, Ayra drew a second sword from the ground and clashed with the mob. KWAANG—! A massive boom rang out as bodies went flying.
With two blades in hand, Ayra danced gracefully, her black hair flowing like silk. Countless hands and swords reached for her, but not a single one so much as grazed her clothing.
So much for exhausting her mana with sheer numbers?
No—it can’t be.
FWOOOOSH—!
Sothing launched at Ayra like a cannonball.
A fist stretched straight forward.
Ayra, who had been felling attackers with ease, raised her hand and conjured a shield. But the fist shattered it like fragile glass and ca flying at her face.
KWAANG—!
A massive explosion.
Through the flying dust and debris, a woman with crimson hair revealed herself.
“You sll sweeter than anyone this Yujinoi has ever encountered...!”
The rampaging nymph—Yujinoi.
She must’ve tracked Ayra by the honey scent I’d launched. That hunting thod I learned from Stella really did co in handy.
Clack. Ayra, who had been sent airborne, landed gracefully on the ground.
“A fairy... Not a good match for , it seems.”
Shfft.
Ayra lowered both swords.
“I’ll go all out.”
As she clapped her empty palms together—black shadows began to form behind her.
They were hands. Misshapen, twisted hands in irregular forms.
“There are too many of you. I’ll cut that number in half.”
─8th-tier spell: Eight Arms – Durga.
Eight arms sprouted from Ayra’s back and began weaving strange seals. The arena floor rumbled violently.
For a magician, hands were just as vital as the lips and tongue used to chant incantations.
It’s said that true masters can imbue power into even a single fingertip. With eight arms and forty fingers, who could guess what was about to happen?
“You’re all tricks and gimmicks!”
At that mont, the mighty nymph Yujinoi charged Ayra again—but was sent flying by a punch from sowhere else.
“Tiger Fang King!”
Boom!
Damn, he’s already here?
Can’t be helped.
Still, just draining Ayra’s strength was enough. They’d fulfilled their purpose.
“R-Run! That thing’s a monster!”
“Gyaaah!”
Ayra’s eight arms unleashed light bullets, fire, ice, wind, and lightning, clearing the crowd around her.
Watching the army I’d raised collapse like a rabble of amateurs—maybe Ayra really didn’t need an army after all.
But I could see it: the black mana surrounding her body was slowly fading.
Even Ayra’s seemingly infinite strength had a limit. That’s why she needed troops for the Gargarta assault.
She’s not invincible.
I used 《Calm Thinking》 to settle my mind. Then, I chanted the 3rd-tier grand incantation:
“Vasago.”
Show the optimal path.
Before my eyes, a path ford—composed of tiny glowing fireflies. A route to dodge the bullet hell fired from Ayra’s eight arms.
While her attention was still on the others, I silently slipped behind the Black Coffin.
If I followed this path to the end, everything would be over. I made sure to suppress every hint of my presence.
I silenced my breath.
Even the sound of my heartbeat faded.
I beca harmless nature itself.
I am the wind.
I am but a breeze.
Thinking that, my body felt as light as the wind itself. Even as I slipped from the Black Coffin and walked the path of light, Ayra’s eyes were not on .
At last, I reached Ayra’s back. Gripping my dagger—so tightly that sweat soaked my hand—I brought it down toward her back.
Pah—!
It was at that mont.
Sothing grabbed my wrist. It was one of Ayra’s shadow arms. Her grip was so strong that I dropped the dagger from my hand.
Shssssss.
At the sa ti, several arms grabbed my arms, legs, and neck.
“To bring down a king requires the dagger and poison of an assassin.”
Ayra turned her head slowly. Her pupils had dilated so fully that it wasn’t even accurate to call it that—they were entirely black. The mont I looked into those pitch-dark eyes, chills ran down my spine.
Eyes like these—I’d never seen them before.
“Teo, it seems you have talent as an assassin. But that’s too bad. My eyes pierce the universe and unveil all veils.”
So this was her Clairvoyance?
“...Still, you can’t see everything, can you? There must be a gap sowhere. Sorry, Ayra—but I’ve already won this fight.”
“......”
I lowered my gaze from the silent Ayra.
There—beneath her ankle, in that short afternoon shadow—was the dagger I had dropped, stabbed into it.
“Shadow Bind.”
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