Chapter 25: Ren Takes the Stage
"Semi-Final Match 1!"
"Nine-Star Swordsman, 'Swordsman of Light' Arthur, versus Super Swordswoman Erza Scarlet!"
"And... NOW~~~!"
"BEGIN---!!!"
GONG----!
The gong rang out.
"Flash Sword!"
The very instant the match began, Arthur attacked. His entire body shot toward Erza like a beam of light.
CLANG---!
A sharp ring of metal on metal.
Erza's figure was sent flying backward. She plunged her sword into the ground with both hands, skidding for a long distance before finally coming to a stop.
K-chak!
The longsword in Erza's hands snapped in two.
"What?!" Erza was stunned. She hadn't expected her sword to be broken.
"Oooooohh!" The crowd roared, ecstatic to see Arthur destroy her weapon in the opening move.
"That was just a greeting," Arthur said, his voice calm. "If you don't start going all out, this match is over."
He wanted to fight Erza, but the person he truly wanted to face was, without a doubt, Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
He had never felt this kind of anticipation. His own swordsmanship had stagnated for a long time; he had even begun to think he'd reached the absolute limit.
But that man's appearance had shattered his perception. He now knew there were higher levels to achieve.
He knew that just watching from the sidelines wasn't enough. Only by facing him in battle could he truly experience that divine level of skill.
"If you insist, then as you wish."
Erza was not an inflexible person. She had already seen that Arthur's techniques in the C-group match were basically magic. Her own magic was "The Knight," and her specialization was as a magic swordswoman. Technically, she wasn't breaking any rules.
"Requip: Heaven's Wheel Armor!"
A brilliant light enveloped Erza. When it faded, she was clad in a suit of silvery plate armor, with four large, steel wings on her back. She looked both majestic and imposing.
"Erza's getting serious," Ren thought, watching from the contestant area. He had seen her magic in the anime, but this was the first time seeing it in person.
"What? She actually changed her armor!"
"Is that Requip magic?!"
Requip magic was relatively common. It was magic used to summon armor, weapons, or equipment from a personal storage space. Many of the swordsmen in this tournament used a similar, if less refined, version.
"Heaven's Wheel: Blumenblatt!"
Erza flew into the air, summoning a storm of magic swords and launching them at Arthur.
"Flash of Light!"
Arthur countered with the same move he had used to clear the field in the preliminaries.
A massive volley of light-swords met Erza's attack.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The two storms of blades collided and shattered in mid-air.
"Heaven's Wheel: Circle Sword!"
Several steel swords formed a high-speed ring, slashing toward Arthur.
"Flash Sword!"
Arthur attacked, and in a flash of golden light, he shattered all of her circling blades.
"Requip: Blackwing Armor!"
Erza instantly Requipped again, now wearing a suit of black armor with a pair of bat-like wings.
"Her Requip is so fast!" The audience was amazed.
Erza dove straight at Arthur.
"Blackwing: Moon Flash!"
She slashed in a cross-pattern as she closed the distance.
"Flash: Cross-Slash!"
Arthur met her attack with a cross-slash of his own, made of light.
BOOM!
The two attacks collided.
"Requip: Flight Armor!"
Erza changed again, this time into a cheetah-like outfit, holding two short swords. This armor drastically increased her speed.
"Flight: Sonic Claw!"
Erza's figure vanished, reappearing behind Arthur and unleashing a high-speed barrage of thrusts.
"Flash: Thrust!"
Arthur gripped his sword with two hands, his own series of blindingly fast thrusts parrying every single one of Erza's attacks.
The two of them clashed fiercely, a flurry of metal and light. For a moment, they were perfectly, evenly matched.
CLANG!
After one final, heavy collision, they both leaped back, separating.
"You are truly worthy of the name 'Fairy Queen,'" Arthur said. "You're the strongest swordswoman I've ever met. But it's time to end this."
Arthur held his sword in front of him with both hands, and a massive amount of magic power began to converge on the blade.
Erza saw this and immediately braced herself.
The light from his sword erupted, shooting skyward to form a giant, golden sword of light.
"Light's Judgment!"
Arthur roared, and the giant light sword chopped down at Erza at incredible speed.
"Requip: Adamantine Armor!"
"Adamantine Barrier!"
Erza Requipped into her ultimate defense armor, holding two massive shields. She slammed them together, generating a huge, green magic barrier.
BOOOM----!
The giant sword of light and the barrier collided, unleashing a terrifying shockwave.
K-CHAK----!
The barrier couldn't withstand the force. A crack appeared.
SHATTER----!
The barrier broke apart.
BOOOOM!
The giant sword slammed directly into Erza's shields.
"Uwaaaaaah!!"
The immense force shattered the shields themselves, and Erza was sent flying with a cry of pain.
The light-sword struck the arena floor, carving a massive fissure into the stone.
Erza struggled to get up. She looked, and saw Arthur's blade pointed directly at her.
"I lose," she admitted, without hesitation.
She had felt it during the entire fight: his swordsmanship was far superior to hers. If he had used his full power from the start, she would have been defeated long ago.
She hated losing. But the stronger the opponent, the more it ignited her fighting spirit. She had seen so many new, powerful sword styles in this tournament. She would absorb this experience, learn from it, and become even stronger.
Arthur sheathed his sword. "You are strong, and very talented. Perhaps in a few years, I won't be your match. But that time is not now."
He turned and walked away. The fight with Erza had been a good warm-up. His real target was that man.
"The winner is decided!"
"The victor: ARTHUR!!!"
"What a spectacular battle! The lovely Ms. Erza from Fiore showed us incredible power with her Requip magic! Her strength is, without a doubt, at the Nine-Star level! For such a young woman to have such skill is amazing! And Arthur has shown us the grace of our kingdom's strongest swordsman! Let's give them both a thunderous round of applause!"
"Ooooh!"
"ARTHUR! ARTHUR! ARTHUR!"
"Lady Erza was really amazing!"
The crowd cheered for them both.
"And now, for our second semi-final match!"
"Nine-Star Swordsman, 'Thunder Sword' Cray, versus... the God of Swordsmanship, Yoriichi Tsugikuni!!!"
BOOOOM----!
Hearing the announcer's words, the atmosphere in the stadium instantly exploded.
"SWORD GOD! SWORD GOD! SWORD GOD!"
~~~
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