Chapter 27 - Outburst Part 2

[Quel (host): Greetings, everybody! Today, I, Quel Kin, am honored to host the Single Tournament - Lower Division. After the block battles, we have 62 participants left. But first, let us welcome two guests who have taken the time to join us in the studio. Our first guest is a legendary war hero, the 'Silver Knight,' a Liger hybrid, the 'A' Ranker, our one and only Mistglan Dex.]

The day before, Claire had casually informed him, “I’ve arranged for you to be the main commentator tomorrow.”

[Mistglan: Good morning, everyone. I hope we’ll see a lot of enjoyable moments today.]

[Quel: Our second guest is also a war hero, the 'Psionic Bullet,' an elf, the 'C' Ranker, Victor Erwing.]

[Victor: Morning, everyone. I’m honored to be here with Mistglan-senpai. Mistglan-senpai, please allow me to publicly express my gratitude for saving us all the other day.]

[Mistglan: No need for thanks. I just did what was expected of me.]

[Quel: Mr. Mistglan is so modest. Gentlemen, please share with us your thoughts on the current state of the tournament, especially the dark horse, The Golden Knight.]

[Mistglan: I’m pleased to see one of my pupils performing so well. However, I’d like to publicly clarify that his current ability is not solely due to my training. It’s incorrect to attribute his power entirely to me. While I’ve trained many others, Vorst’s current strength is the result of his own efforts.]

[Victor: That’s amazing. The skill The Golden Knight displays is outstanding. I believe his battle talent is even comparable to yours, Mistglan-senpai.]

[Mistglan: That’s right.]

[Quel: The Golden Knight certainly deserves attention. I’m looking forward to his future progress. Now, let’s start the tournament!]

...

[Semi-finals: Vorst vs. Merzes Vali]

Merzes is a 10th HST official 'Axeman.' His skill is slightly inferior to Renves from Mars' Strongest Trio. The day he saw Mersa on the news was the day he developed his first crush (lolicon!). Imagine his fury when he found out about the relationship Vorst had with her. His 'love' quickly turned into 'hate' towards the White Wolf Princess. Envy clouded his judgment, and he couldn’t accept that the ‘powerless’ he had looked down upon was actually very strong.

10

9

8

[Merzes: So, you’re the so-called Golden Knight, huh?]

[Vorst: ...]

7

[Merzes: So mighty and powerful that you won’t draw your sword, huh?]

[Vorst: ...]

6

[Merzes: Are you looking down on me? Seriously?]

[Vorst: ...]

[Merzes: You know what? I’ll destroy you just as I destroyed your crappy ‘Mer-chan.’]

5

[Vorst: ... What did you say?]

4

[Merzes: Haha, you heard me right. I beat her in the block.]

3

[Merzes: She was really weak, as expected of a brat who chose the ‘powerless.’ Once I called out your name, she got mad. Haha.]

2

[Merzes: I played around with her, and she was so weak she couldn’t do anything.]

1

[Merzes: Though I didn’t get her to beg for forgiveness, it was still damn satisfying...]

...

[Meanwhile]

[Mistglan: A taunt, and quite a vicious one at that.]

[Victor: A valid strategy. So far, the Golden Knight has relied on his excellent dodging ability to win battles.]

[Mistglan: Right. If he can provoke Vorst into a reckless charge, his chances of winning will increase tremendously.]

[Victor: You know your pupil best, Mistglan-senpai. Will it work?]

[Mistglan: I doubt it. Vorst is quite level-headed.]

[Victor: I see.]

[Mistglan: W-wha...]

...

The countdown reached ‘0,’ and the battle began.

The Golden Armor charged in recklessly.

It was a straight-line charge with incredible speed. But once the path can be determined, it’s easy to hit the target. With a triumphant laugh, Black Bear raised his axe and swung it down on the approaching golden line.

Clang.

...

[Victor: Whoa! Mistglan-senpai, that’s a triple hex shield, right?]

[Mistglan: Yes, that’s definitely it.]

[Quel: Wow. In my lifetime, I’ve only seen triple hex shields a few times, and that was only performed in Upper Circle Tiers.]

[Victor: That’s because they’re incredibly difficult to invoke, and if they fail, a large amount of photons will go to waste...]

...

If you want me... Then here I am.

That was what the Golden Dragon was implying.

Just as the axe was about to strike his head, three hexagram-shaped shields appeared in the air. A large number of sparks flew as Alchemical Metal clashed with the shields. The axe could break through two layers but was stopped by the third.

In front of Merzes, the green gems on the Golden Knight’s face glowed like the eyes of a Grim Reaper. With a series of claw strikes, the barrier of the Black Bear was broken. A quick tail swipe severed his arm brutally and swiftly.

[Merzes: Guaaaah!]

Though in the Virtual Game pain is limited to only 30% of what it would feel in the real world, the pain of losing a limb was still excruciating.

[Vorst: No one... No one is allowed...]

With another tail strike, another limb was severed from the Black Bear’s body. His pitiful howls echoed throughout the arena.

[Vorst: No one is allowed to insult Mer-chan in front of me! Remember this well. Next time you do that, I’ll draw my swords and cut you into smaller pieces. Slice by slice...]

With that, the tail pierced through the torso of the M-Armor...

...

Silence ensued...

[Quel: It’s the Golden Knight’s victory!]

The host of the tournament quickly regained his composure. Scenes like losing a limb in the tournament weren’t rare. What was surprising was that, unlike his previous battles where Vorst had finished his opponents in one clean strike, this time he had shown a level of mercilessness that was quite shocking for an 11-year-old.

[Victor: Haha, The Golden Knight won’t tolerate anyone insulting his Princess.]

[Mistglan: Hm, it seems he has a real soft spot for Mersa-san.]

[Quel: Right. He’s just 11 years old; outbursts like that are common. But the power he displayed is certainly uncommon.]

[Victor: That’s right. With this match over, we’re heading into the most exciting part.]

[Mistglan: That’s right. Next is the finals: Vorst of Athena's Institute vs. the Ace of Athena's Institute, Nova Aria.]

[Victor: It will be quite a sight. The Golden Knight vs. the Witch of Restriction.]

[Mistglan: Indeed. Although Vorst is my pupil, I certainly consider her the likely victor. Aria is an extremely gifted young woman.]

[Victor: Yes, she lost in the Inter-Battle School Tournament only because Mars' Strongest Renves was capable of lightning-fast movements to ambush her. In duels, she has yet to be defeated. She is also personally instructed by Claire-sama on Barrier Psychics, and she wields that mysterious power of Runes.]

[Mistglan: In terms of combat ability, Vorst might be able to fight her, but when psychic powers and runes come into play... I’d love to see him overcome that enormous hurdle.]

[Quel: It will certainly be an exciting battle. We’ll return after a brief break. Please stay with us to witness an exciting finale!]

---

It was time for the finals. Two M-Armors appeared on the field, both clad in a glistening golden color...

Violet light appeared in Marc’s eyes...

Vorst quickly accessed her profile...

[--Marc--: It’s her...]

[--Lily--: The one with the exceptional link force?]

[--Marc--: Yes.]

[--Calla--: She’s cute, m’lord. You’re lucky.]

[--Marc--: ...]