Chapter 26 - Outburst Part 1

Mersa's speed was astonishing, as expected from a sub-race specialized in hunting. Vorst had to spend several minutes before he could catch up with her. The White Wolf Princess was so focused on running away that she didn't even notice him calling out to her several times. In the end, the only thing he could do was get in front of her and stop her with a hug.

Suddenly held in his secure embrace, Mersa calmed down.

[Vorst: Seeing Mer-chan running away from me hurt a bit, you know?]

[Mersa: I'm sorry, Vor-chan... *sob*]

A small line of tears trickled down her little face as she buried her face in his clothes.

[Vorst: It's fine.]

After the wolf girl calmed down, they moved to a nearby park. It was quite late, so it was completely empty. Both of them sat down on a bench next to a lake.

[Mersa: Vor-chan... Does Vor-chan like older girls?]

[Vorst: ...]

[Mersa: Vor-chan does, right?!]

[Vorst: Umm... a bit.]

[Mersa: ...]

[Vorst: But it mostly depends on the person, you know? I won't just like someone because she is older.]

[Mersa: Hmmm...]

[Vorst: When Mer-chan grows up, I'll be all over her.]

[Mersa: *blush* R-really?]

[Vorst: Yes, I'm sure.]

[Mersa: I see... B-but... Does Vor-chan like Celina-senpai?]

Questions leveled up a notch. Is this what they call a difficulty level up?

[Vorst: Hmm... Not as much as I like Mer-chan.]

[Mersa: I-I see. *blush level 421*]

Vorst placed his hand on her head, making her lay on his lap.

[Vorst: Don't worry. I'll never let Mer-chan go. I'll protect you forever.]

[Mersa: Hehe, I'm happy.]

Nighttime passed slowly as they both stared at the night sky. That day, they didn't return to the party.

---

[Mersa: Vor-chan, good luck.]

[Vorst: Got it. You too, Mer-chan.]

And with that, both of them entered the VRG capsule, and the [Single Tournament - Lower Division] began.

The first day was a Block day. The participants were divided into groups called 'Blocks,' each with roughly 1,000 participants. In these Blocks, pairs were matched and put into fights repeatedly for 10-12 duels (up to 2 losses were allowed), after which they advanced to the next Block. To enter the main tournament, one needed to go through 3 of these Blocks.

All the participants in the same block shuddered as they saw the Golden Dragon entering the field. All of them had repeatedly watched the video from the previous week...

[CommentatorA: Welcome, everyone! We are broadcasting from 'Block' #11! Wow! I can't believe we are so lucky! There he is—the Golden Knight who amazed everyone with his incredible performance is here again! Let me put the details on the screen. Whoa! 2nd HST! He is even stronger than before!]

[CommentatorB: His advancement speed is simply unimaginable for a BLow type sub-race. I highly doubt that it's a real case, but official records state so, so who am I to argue? His aptitude number is certainly the lowest in history, and I doubt the Athena researchers will make a mistake of that degree, so this might be due to some machine error.]

[CommentatorA: Indeed. Whoa, look at this.]

The Golden claws started emitting light as nano-photons were packed to the utmost limit.

Dash.

Flash.

A sword strike was directed toward Vorst's right shoulder, but with minimal movement, he 'barely' dodged it and immediately countered. Taking advantage of the fact that the opponent was off balance, three consecutive claws struck the victim's barrier, and with a swish from his tail, he was finished off.

The first one was down in an instant. Chills ran through all the other participants. In the last battle, he had used swords; in this one, he didn’t even unsheathe them.

[CommentatorB: He is certainly showing off the same prowess he did a week ago, but this isn't going to be that easy.]

[CommentatorA: How so?]

[CommentatorB: Last week, he took advantage of the fact that most of his opponents’ barriers were worn down after prolonged battles. This time, all of the fighters will start out with their maximum strength.]

[CommentatorA: I see, that's certainly true. Besides our Golden Knight, there are some real monsters out there too.]

[CommentatorB: But in Block #11, he certainly is the strongest.]

[CommentatorA: Haha, I just got a message from Block #39. The White Wolf Princess is also participating in the tournament! If we're lucky, we might see a duel between those two children. Whoa, another opponent down!]

[CommentatorB: That's right. He is just cutting through them without using his swords! Such a show-off, haha.]

...

[CommentatorA: Finally, we have the list of winners from Block #11. As expected, Vorst, the "Golden Knight," achieved the expected score of 10 wins and no losses. ... ...]

...

[Commentator: Here's the list of winners from Block N. The unrivaled and most probably our favorite competitor, Vorst the "Golden Knight," with a perfect score, lightning-fast wins, and no losses yet again! ... ...]

...

[Commentator: Ouch, our White Wolf Princess just got defeated for her third time in Block VI. It seems like we won't be seeing her in the main event. Well, with her talent, I'm sure she will do much better in upcoming tournaments.]

...

[Commentator: Here are the results from Block III. Vorst the "Golden Knight," with an impeccable record of 30 consecutive wins and zero losses. ... ...]

---

[Mersa: Vor-chan is amazing. No losses at all.]

Mersa was used to losing. Against senpais from class A, she lost repeatedly, but the next day, she challenged them all the same. There was one match she was sour about, but she didn't want to trouble this green-eyed boy. This time, she didn’t expect to make it into the main tournament either—one must know their limits. After all, she was only 7th HST.

Among the 62 who qualified for the main tournament, only Vorst, an oddball, was lower than 10th HST.

[Vorst: No, it's all about the timing. As long as you can avoid the attacks and deliver your own, you will win.]

[Mersa: But Vor-chan needs to dodge better. Every time I see you barely dodging an attack, my heart pounds painfully.]

Mersa was quickly defeated in the third block, so she spent the rest of the time watching her knight's performance.

[Vorst: Oh, I apologize for that. *hug* But Mer-chan, you're mistaken.]

[Mersa: Mistaken about what?]

[Vorst: About me barely dodging. I avoided the attacks with minimal movement. That way, you have more time for counters, and it's possible to connect your attacks better.]

[Mersa: Whoa! Vor-chan is amazing.]

[Vorst: I'll teach you after we get back to school after this tournament month is over.]

[Mersa: Whaaa! I'm looking forward to it, hehe~]

---

Marc was surrounded by violet cushions, with Lily's head resting on his lap. With one hand, he played with her crimson hair as he watched the dark angel dancing in front of him. It wasn't essentially a dance because Krishna Calla Ragnarok was tirelessly practicing. However, with her beautiful curves and all those perfectly fluid, practiced movements, it was certainly comparable to one of the most mesmerizing dances possible.

Though he wholeheartedly enjoyed the spectacle in front of him, there was another thing that bugged him.

[--Lily--: Something on your mind, Marc?]

[--Marc--: There is a Link trying to reach me.]

[--Lily--: Oh, not Celina?]

[--Marc--: That's the problem... It’s not. I can feel Celina's Link getting close to the required level, but it’s much, much weaker compared to this one.]

[--Lily--: Really? And you don’t know who she is?]

[--Marc--: Yes, I have no idea. Right now, there are thousands of weak Links trying to form. There's also Celina's, which is at a higher level than them, and then there is one at a completely different scale from the rest...]

Calla, hearing the conversation, halted her movements. As she saw a dissatisfied expression appearing on Marc's face, she felt extremely content.

[--Calla--: So her feelings are growing at an extreme rate... M'lord’s cheating habits are showing themselves again.]

[--Lily--: Hehe, you'd better treat us gently as an apology.]

[--Marc--: Sigh... At this rate, she might break through my control threshold.]

[--Calla--: So I guess there will be another girl in the family. If she is as gifted in fighting as Mersa-chan, I'll train her personally too.]

[--Lily--: Marc, are you sure about telling Mersa the truth?]

[--Marc--: She will have to find out eventually, and I don't think it will

seriously matter given the scale of her feelings.]

[--Calla--: M'lord made his decision, so what's there to think about? I can't wait to bring up another fighter. I'll polish Mersa-chan to perfection. She will be capable of fighting that Mistglan soon. Huhu~]

[--Lily--: Anastasia is waking up soon too, right?]

[--Marc--: Yes. My soul is getting used to this world. It should be around now.]

[--Lily--: Knowing her, she will come running right after she opens her eyes.]

[--Calla--: And she will be all 'Marc~ Love~ Marc~ Shujin-sama~'.]

All three of them could immediately picture that scene.

[--Marc--: Not sure about the running part, but yeah, Kaya will come immediately...]