After the fight between Scarlett and Rai'kanna, it took the arena a while to return to normal.
The crowd continued talking about the match even after the following fights had begun. It wasn't hard to understand why. The two of them had displayed strength far beyond that of most of the participants.
While the organizers prepared the next matches, we returned to our seats.
Rai'kanna crossed her arms and remained silent.
Scarlett looked far too pleased with herself.
"What is it?"
Scarlett asked.
"Nothing."
Rai'kanna replied.
"You're sulking."
"I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm not."
"You are."
I simply sighed.
Some things never changed.
Elara started laughing.
Even Vespera seemed to be enjoying the situation.
Liriel's assistant watched everything with curiosity.
"Do they always do this?"
"Always."
I replied.
"Literally always."
The assistant let out a small laugh.
A little later, the last quarterfinal matches came to an end.
Now only four participants remained.
Me.
Scarlett.
An adventurer named Hargon.
And another fighter named Velrick.
Both of them were strong by normal standards.
But anyone who had watched the previous matches knew that the real highlight was elsewhere.
When the semifinal matchups were announced, the arena reacted immediately.
Takumi versus Scarlett.
Hargon versus Velrick.
Most people didn't even comment on the second match.
Everyone was interested in the first one.
Scarlett smiled.
"Finally."
I had already imagined she would react that way.
"You seem far too happy."
"Of course I am."
"It's just a match."
"No."
She replied immediately.
"It's a rare opportunity."
I shook my head.
There was no point in arguing.
Ever since the beginning of the tournament, I had suspected this would eventually happen.
I had only hoped it would take longer.
Unfortunately, fate had other plans.
A few minutes later, we were called into the arena.
The crowd immediately began applauding.
It was impressive.
I had already gotten used to the recognition after the war against Vaelthor, but I still felt a little uncomfortable when so many people looked at me at once.
Scarlett seemed to handle it much better.
She walked into the arena as if she were strolling through the mansion's garden.
Calm.
Confident.
Without the slightest concern.
The referee called us to the center.
He explained the rules once again.
No weapons.
No magic.
Only physical combat.
We nodded.
Then we stepped back a few paces.
The entire arena fell silent.
Everyone was waiting for the fight to begin.
The referee raised his hand.
"Begin!"
Scarlett charged first.
I had expected that.
She had never been the type to wait.
Her fist came straight toward me.
I dodged.
She kept attacking.
Another punch.
Then another.
Then one more.
All of them fast.
All of them powerful.
It was obvious she was taking this very seriously.
For a few seconds, I focused only on blocking and dodging.
The crowd watched everything closely.
Scarlett increased her speed.
I continued keeping up.
Then she finally realized.
"You're still holding back."
I smiled.
"Maybe."
"Stop that."
She attacked again.
This time using much more strength.
The impact of her strike against my guard produced a sharp sound that echoed throughout the arena.
Some people even stood up to get a better look.
Scarlett stepped back a few paces.
Then she assumed a different stance.
I knew that stance.
She truly wanted to fight.
I sighed.
Perhaps there was no avoiding it.
So I stopped merely defending myself.
I advanced.
Our next clash took place in the center of the arena.
Our fists collided.
A gust of wind scattered dust across the ground.
The crowd reacted immediately.
This time, I wasn't just blocking.
I began to counterattack.
Scarlett smiled.
It was exactly what she wanted.
The fight grew more intense.
Rapid exchanges.
Precise movements.
Blows that made the air vibrate.
Even without magic, our physical strength was already far beyond that of ordinary people.
As we fought, I realized something I had known for a long time.
Scarlett was incredibly strong.
Perhaps one of the physically strongest people I knew.
If we were comparing only raw strength, she might even surpass many elite adventurers.
But there was one problem.
Over the past few months, I had faced completely different situations.
Demon Generals.
Absurdly powerful monsters.
Battles where a single mistake meant death.
All of that had made me grow.
Far more than I had realized myself.
Scarlett was beginning to realize it too.
Her attacks were still powerful.
But now I could respond with ease.
I blocked.
Dodged.
Counterattacked.
Controlled the rhythm of the fight.
Little by little, the advantage began to appear.
It wasn't an overwhelming difference.
But it was enough.
Liriel's assistant watched attentively.
Elara did as well.
Rai'kanna seemed especially interested.
Perhaps because she was analyzing just how far Scarlett could go.
After several minutes of intense combat, I landed a direct hit.
Scarlett partially blocked it.
Even so, she was pushed backward.
The crowd reacted.
She immediately regained her balance.
Then she charged again.
This time even more aggressively.
"Finally!"
She shouted.
"This is what I wanted to see!"
I couldn't help but smile a little.
She really loved this kind of thing.
The fight continued.
More blows.
More exchanges.
More impacts.
The arena began to develop a few superficial cracks.
Nothing serious.
But enough to show the intensity of the battle.
At one point, Scarlett tried to overwhelm me with an incredibly fast combination.
I blocked the first attacks.
Dodged the next one.
Then took advantage of an opening.
My counterattack struck her shoulder.
She stepped back once again.
That was when I realized something.
Scarlett realized it too.
The difference between us was no longer small.
She could keep up with my movements.
But she could no longer pressure me.
Her attacks were being neutralized before they could even become a threat.
Scarlett let out a short laugh.
"You've become ridiculously strong."
"You've gotten stronger too."
"Not enough."
We continued fighting for a while longer.
But now the outcome was becoming obvious.
The crowd could see it as well.
I controlled the pace.
Controlled the distance.
Controlled the moments to attack.
Scarlett was still resisting.
Still fighting.
But the advantage was clearly on my side.
Then she did something unexpected.
She lowered her arms.
And raised one hand.
The referee blinked a few times.
So did I.
Scarlett looked at me.
Then smiled.
"I surrender."
The entire arena fell silent for a few seconds.
It seemed that no one had expected that.
Not even me.
"What?"
I asked.
"I surrender."
She repeated.
"Why?"
Scarlett shrugged.
"Because I understand now."
"Understand what?"
"That you can defeat me."
I crossed my arms.
"That doesn't mean you have to give up."
"It does."
She replied calmly.
"If we keep fighting, the result will be the same."
Some people in the stands looked disappointed.
Others looked confused.
But Scarlett didn't seem to care.
She looked directly at me.
"You were holding back your strength from the very beginning."
"Not completely."
"But you were."
I didn't answer.
Because she was right.
Scarlett laughed softly.
"If you had been fighting seriously from the start, I would've lost much faster."
I shook my head.
"You're exaggerating."
"I'm not."
She seemed sincere.
Perhaps because she had truly realized the gap between us during the fight.
After everything we had faced over the past few months, I had progressed far more than I had imagined.
The referee finally made the result official.
"Winner! Takumi!"
The crowd applauded.
It wasn't the explosive reaction of the previous matches.
But it was still warm and enthusiastic.
Scarlett walked beside me as we left the arena.
As soon as we returned to the group, Rai'kanna crossed her arms.
"You surrendered."
"I did."
"Coward."
"No."
Scarlett replied immediately.
"Realistic."
Rai'kanna rolled her eyes.
The two of them almost started another argument.
But they ended up laughing soon afterward.
Perhaps because they both already knew that this tournament was just for fun.
Nothing more than that.
While they talked, I turned my attention back to the arena.
The other semifinal was coming to an end.
Hargon and Velrick had fought a very evenly matched battle.
But now one of them was about to win.
A short while later, the result was announced.
The winner would be my next opponent.
The final obstacle before the title.
The tournament final had finally been decided.
And as the crowd celebrated the end of the semifinals, I noticed the twenty-year champion watching everything from the area reserved for the finalists.
Calm.
Composed.
Like someone who had witnessed countless battles.
When our eyes met, he simply smiled.
And at that moment, I had the feeling that the most interesting fight of the tournament was still yet to come.