"You finally can't escape this fight," Damian called across the arena.
He was without a doubt Bastion's worst matchup, and with only one win left to secure his desired prize, the encounter left a bitter aftertaste in Bastion's mouth.
Damian wore sparse heavy armor, open at the joints for maximum mobility, unlike Bastion's full set that completely covered his body. He also wielded a massive two handed battleaxe, tossing it around like a stick.
"I was never running," Bastion replied calmly.
He knew he was in trouble. Damian was a hard counter to his fighting style, and Bastion had no reliable way to engage him in melee. His only real option was to rely on free casting and hope to wear him down over time. He would have to play it smart.
"Ready… fight!" the referee called out.
Damian charged immediately, each step cracking the ground beneath him. He was a towering figure clad in heavy Rank 1 armor, wielding a weapon that matched his size.
To Bastion, it felt like a freight train was barreling toward him.
As soon as Damian reached him, he swung the battleaxe in a wide arc, aiming to cleave Bastion in half at the waist.
Bastion ducked under the blow and countered with a slash at Damian's knees, but the exposed skin suddenly hardened into steel and deflected the strike with a burst of sparks. Both emerged from the exchange without injury.
"What's the matter? Edge, not sharp enough?" Damian taunted.
He charged again as Bastion backed off, parrying blow after blow while being steadily forced back. He didn't dare try to block one of those heavy strikes directly.
Bastion reevaluated the situation and made a decision. He couldn't beat Damian through standard combat. It was time to shift tactics.
He dropped his sword, then raised his free hand and conjured a blend of wind and fire magic, shaping it into a blowtorch that glowed with intense blue flames.
Then, he dropped his shield and charged forward, both hands burning with intense heat.
"A knight who drops his sword and shield? You call yourself a knight?" Damian jeered.
Bastion ignored the taunt and closed the distance, aiming the magical torches at Damian's hands to disarm him.
The intense heat caused Damian's hands to glow red, forcing a reaction. The pain enraged Damian as he began swinging wildly, trying to catch Bastion with reckless, sweeping blows.
But Bastion was too fast, dodging each attack with precision and reading Damian's movements like an open book.
Damian was strong, and he was fast enough too, but the sheer weight of the battleaxe made his offense sluggish and predictable. In comparison, Bastion had dropped his sword and shield, and since he was just as heavily armored as Damian, he was fast enough to dodge.
Another wild slash came Bastion's way, so he ducked as before, but this time Damian was ready. He drove a knee into Bastion's face, then followed up with a Smash that sent him sprawling and left a massive dent in his armor.
Damian leapt in the air for the finishing blow, battleaxe held high and ready to end it, but Bastion rolled to the side just in time.
With a crash, Damian landed with such force that the ground cracked, sending stones flying and clattering against Bastion's armor.
Bastion got up and charged again, his palms blazing with blue flames.
Damian met the charge by thrusting the battleaxe forward, driving it into Bastion's gut.
Bastion endured the blow and grabbed both of Damian's hands, holding onto the battleaxe while intense blue flames spewed from his palms. The fire burned Damian's hands, forcing him to release his grip from the pain.
Bastion seized the opportunity, grabbing Damian by the cuirass and tossing him to the ground in a shoulder throw before wrapping both hands around Damian's face while the flames still burned.
"Argh…" Damian screamed in pain, struggling to pry Bastion's hands off his face.
But with Bastion's superior position and the hardened ground wrapped around his feet, he held his footing firmly. They weren't going anywhere.
Crack.
The barrier surrounding Damian shattered from the continuous searing heat on a weak spot.
"Winner, Bastion Diamondhart!"
The crowd erupted in cheers at the display of power and technique.
"I guess not all Diamondharts lose to Steelharts," Bastion said, offering a hand to Damian, who lay flat on his back, his face red and still steaming.
"Tch! I guess not," Damian muttered as he grabbed the hand and pulled himself up.
"It was a good fight. Next time, I'm kicking your ass," Damian said before walking off.
"I'll be waiting," Bastion replied.
Bastion was elated; he had reached his goal for this competition. Now, he didn't have to worry about the most expensive part of his personal project.
Reviewing the progress of the tournament, Bastion noted the results: Aurelia outlasted Kael, Julius blitzed Cyrus, and Seraphina overwhelmed Mira.
According to the bracket, Aurelia and Julius would face off in the semi-finals, while Bastion was set to fight Seraphina.
'That's unfortunate. I might've reached the finals if I fought Julius next,' Bastion thought.
From the records in the family library, he knew the main class of the Lionhart lineage was the Lion Knight, a class specializing in buffing skills that elevated the standard knight class to an entirely new level.
In Bastion's honest opinion, fighting Julius wouldn't be nearly as difficult as facing Damian. Julius, with his political mindset, likely hadn't undergone the same intense training Damian or Bastion had.
That meant Bastion could overpower Julius with his current techniques, skills, and free-cast magic, just as he had done against Damian.
Aurelia ranked a close second in threat. Bastion was confident he could eventually deal enough damage to win, but Aurelia was a Rank 4 Saint and had been diving and fighting alongside Seraphina. No doubt she was just as overleveled.
As for Seraphina, he had zero confidence in beating her. She had game knowledge, which meant she knew his play style well enough to identify his strengths and weaknesses. She had likely scoured the entire game looking for any advantage to defeat him and secure his harem route.
The only way he could see himself winning was by bringing out something new, like the project he was supposed to start after graduation. Unfortunately, he had not managed to build it yet due to lacking the proper smithing and magical knowledge.
Specifically, he needed to optimize the relationship between the delicate metal components and the engraved magic that would replace delicate parts prone to failure.
For instance, would a magical autoloader on the barrel reduce heat resistance because of how it divided free mana? Would relying on small moving parts, each individually enchanted, be more efficient than a purely magical solution? Would a 20 millimeter autocannon still overheat given the increased power of the bullets?
A proper teacher could answer those questions, and likely improve upon it with their experience and expertise.
That was the main reason Bastion needed the competition's reward: a teacher to consult with, plus access to free materials and labor for his cannon.
"You look nervous," Seraphina said, approaching him from behind.
"Not nervous. Resigned is more accurate," Bastion replied.
"I thought you would be prouder at this point."
"It doesn't take a genius to know I will lose our fight."
"Aww, you're no fun."
As a former husband, Bastion recognized that tone instantly. He sighed, then offered a remedy.
"All right. How about a bet? If I win, you send me a leveling guide. If you win, you get one wish from me within reason."
"Now I feel like I am taking advantage of you."
"Take it or leave it."
"I'm taking it. I am taking it! We have a deal," she said quickly, thrusting out her hand.
Bastion shook it with a sigh. Women were the same everywhere.
Then again, this particular woman may have come from Earth too, so maybe Earth women were all the same. Hopefully, women from this world were different.
A short while later, Aurelia and Julius's match ended in Aurelia's victory.
Bastion suspected she was extremely high level, while the rest of the capture targets, himself included, were falling behind.
Soon after, Bastion and Seraphina were called to the arena.
"Ready… begin!"
Bastion immediately activated Diamond Armor, raised his shield, then used Charge to close the distance.
As expected, Seraphina tossed out a mysterious bottle.
Bastion intercepted it mid air with a stone bullet shot from his feet.
BANG!
The bottle shattered, releasing a thick mist that froze the ground between them.
Still mid charge, Bastion powered through the terrain, roughening the frozen surface beneath his sabatons with his magic. He advanced, frosted armor glittering.
Finally, he reached Seraphina and lashed out with his whip, hoping to avoid taking one of her concoctions to the face.
But Seraphina dodged backward, then suddenly smashed another bottle at her feet, unleashing an ungodly screech.
"KYAAA!"
A mind splitting headache surged through Bastion's mind while his body suffered immeasurable damage.
CRACK.
His Diamond Armor shattered instantly, the scream's frequency perfectly matching that of his diamond defenses. Like glass under pressure, his magical armor exploded.
His body cracked and creaked under the high pitched sound that erupted close to him, but the worst part was the pain in his head. A migraine overwhelmed his senses, far worse than his bleeding and breaking body. It was blinding and paralyzing.
Unable to endure it, Bastion collapsed before his barrier even cracked, his mind giving in first.
"Winner: Seraphina Phoenixhart!"
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