MC POV
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"Hahahahahahaha~" (Alfia)
"Ufufufufufufu~" (Grayfia)
I shook my head slightly as I listened to Grayfia and Alfia's laughter.
Watching the two of them continue their fierce battle, I walked together with Abernyu, Shalltear, and Kuro toward the side of the arena and sat down to enjoy the show.
"…The woman using the sword is named Alfia, while the one using daggers is Grayfia…" (Abernyu)
As we chatted, Abernyu informed Kuro and Shalltear of the names of the two women who's in the middle of fighting.
'Clang! Clang! Baamm! Swiisshh! Baaamm!'
Their fight intensified even further. Grayfia began putting more power into every strike, while Alfia responded with sharper and faster attacks. The two of them were experimenting with one another.
"Grayfia is quite persistent to keep refining her fighting style even though she clearly feels pressured by Alfia." (Abernyu)
Hearing Abernyu's comment, I nodded slightly.
"You might be right. Even though Grayfia always looks calm, her pride must feel challenged by Alfia. She probably sees Alfia as a punching bag to strengthen herself… No, perhaps the two of them see each other as tools to polish their own abilities." (Arthur)
I smiled while looking toward the arena. They had already switched to hand-to-hand combat after their weapons shattered, unable to withstand their own power.
Alfia attempted to launch a kick toward Grayfia, but it was easily dodged. Grayfia stepped to the side and quickly threw a punch toward Alfia's head, which Alfia blocked with both arms.
'Baaaammm!'
'Fwooosshhh!'
Alfia was blasted backward but quickly slid forward again to attack. She unleashed a rapid barrage of punches and kicks with precise efficiency.
'Smack! Baamm! Thwack! Thud!'
Grayfia responded with even greater intensity. Her attacks grew increasingly precise, and her movements more agile with each exchange.
'Baaaaammmm!!'
'Crack! Craaacckk! Craaaaaccccckkk!!'
When their fists collided… the air around them seemed to tremble from the sheer impact. The floor beneath their feet began cracking, fractures spreading outward in all directions.
I was genuinely amazed by the growth of both Grayfia and Alfia.
"…That woman named Alfia possesses tremendous talent. Even though her opponent has the advantage, she can still keep up. She constantly adjusts her fighting style to make things harder for her opponent while making it easier for herself… On the other hand, Grayfia uses her opponent's techniques to sharpen her own…" (Kuro)
"... They both have extremely sharp battle instincts. Just as Arthur-san said, they're using each other to polish their abilities…" (Shalltear)
Kuro and Shalltear commented softly, their eyes fixed on the arena with keen interest.
After some time, the fight still showed no sign of ending. Seeing that neither Grayfia nor Alfia intended to stop, I could only let out a quiet sigh.
The two of them were far too fired up.
""It seems they have no intention of stopping anytime soon. I will call them." (Abernyu)
Abernyu, who was beside me, whispered softly before standing up.
"Grayfia! Alfia!" (Abernyu)
Hearing their names called, both of them halted their movements and turned toward us.
"That's enough fighting. Both of you, come here." (Abernyu)
…
After they finished their match, I introduced Grayfia and Alfia to Kuro and Shalltear.
In the middle of our light conversation, Alfia suddenly spoke to me.
"Arthur-sama, may I fight either the Phantasmal King or the Underworld King?" (Alfia)
I looked at her in surprise. In fact, everyone present stared at Alfia in astonishment.
"…You still want to fight? Sigh…" (Arthur)
I let out a tired sigh as I asked.
"I simply wish to know how large the gap is. My apologies for troubling you." (Alfia)
Alfia answered calmly.
Hmm… she was being honest. It seemed she genuinely only wanted to measure her current strength. That was good. At least she hadn't turned into a battle maniac who challenges anyone she sees.
I don't hate people who enjoy fighting. I just dislike those who recklessly challenge opponents clearly far stronger than themselves.
Even if it's just a fly, it becomes annoying if it keeps buzzing around you.
"What do you think, Kuro, Shalltear? Would either of you like to spar with Alfia?" (Arthur)
I turned toward them and asked.
"…Mmm… I think Shalltear should fight her. I feel like relaxing today." (Kuro)
Kuro smiled wryly while patting Shalltear's shoulder.
"…" (Shalltear)
Shalltear was stunned for a moment before exclaiming—
"…Kuro-san! Don't casually throw troublesome things at me! Why don't you fight instead!?" (Shalltear)
"Come on~ it's all the same, isn't it? Besides, it's my day off, you know. Let me enjoy my holiday, please?~" (Kuro)
Seeing Kuro's carefree behavior, Shalltear began trembling slightly.
Ah… she must be holding back her irritation.
"…Haaahh~ fine, whatever." (Shalltear)
In the end, Shalltear gave in.
"Alfia-san, I will be your opponent." (Shalltear)
Shalltear looked at Alfia and nodded.
"Thank you, Phantasmal King." (Alfia)
"There's no need to be so formal. Just call me Shalltear. You, Arthur-san's subordinates, can call me Shalltear as well." (Shalltear)
Shalltear waved her hand casually.
"Mm, you can call me Kuro too." (Kuro)
Kuro raised her hand with a smile.
…
After that—
"Alfia-san, I will limit my strength to match yours. Will that suffice?" (Shalltear)
Inside the arena, Shalltear asked casually.
"That is fine. I am aware of my own weakness." (Alfia)
Alfia nodded with a neutral expression.
Seeing that both of them were ready, I stood up and raised my hand to signal the start.
"Alright, since both of you are ready. The battle… begins!" (Arthur)
—
3rd POV
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"…Begins!" (Arthur)
The moment Arthur started the match, Alfia immediately dashed forward and launched a punch directly at Shalltear.
'Baaammm!!'
Without moving a single step, Shalltear caught Alfia's fist and countered by slamming her knee into Alfia's abdomen.
'BAAMM!! Crack!!'
"Ack!!" (Alfia)
The attack was too fast for Alfia to react. She took the hit directly and was blasted dozens of meters away by the force.
'BOOOMM!!'
'Crash!'
Dragged across the ground for several seconds, Alfia finally came to a halt at the edge of the arena, shrouded in rising dust.
'Rumble.'
As the dust began to settle, Alfia's figure could be seen struggling to stand, slightly unsteady.
She clutched her abdomen with a pained expression. Several of her bones had been broken from Shalltear's strike. She was genuinely shocked—Shalltear's attack felt hundreds of times heavier than Grayfia's.
'Kuuhh! Thankfully, Abernyu taught Grayfia and me various types of magic beforehand. At least I can heal myself…' (Alfia)
Alfia endured the pain while healing her injuries.
Shalltear simply stood there and waited. She had already decided she wouldn't take even a single step in this fight.
'Truly, her attacks are quite strong. At the moment, she and Grayfia are at the Marquis level, aren't they? And they're still growing stronger… Not to mention that woman named Abernyu… according to Kuro-san, she's equal to her… honestly, Arthur-san… what exactly are you planning with subordinates this strong…?' (Shalltear)
Shalltear glanced at Arthur, who was smiling proudly at her. Seeing his irritating grin made a vein twitch on her forehead.
'This man! He definitely isn't thinking about anything! He probably just wants strong subordinates! Can't he consider the consequences of his carefree attitude!?' (Shalltear)
Shalltear felt annoyed at Arthur's behavior. She had a feeling he would only make her work more troublesome.
"Haaahh…." (Shalltear)
She let out a soft sigh, calming herself before focusing on Alfia again.
'Fwooosshh!'
Once the pain subsided, Alfia began circling the arena at high speed, maneuvering toward Shalltear's blind spot.
She channeled mana into her legs, leapt, and launched a kick at Shalltear.
'BAAMMM!!'
The kick was stopped with a single hand.
Alfia immediately poured mana throughout her entire body and began unleashing a rapid barrage.
'BAAM! BAAM! BAAM!'
Each punch and kick impact echoed loudly across the arena.
Shalltear easily blocked every attack. No matter how fast Alfia's strikes were… they were still insufficient to leave even a scratch.
After enduring the barrage for a while, Shalltear spun her body and delivered a powerful kick to Alfia's side.
'Baaaamm!'
Alfia was sent flying but twisting her body midair to stabilize herself. The moment her feet touched the ground, she dashed forward again.
Shalltear responded while carefully controlling her strength to match Alfia's.
'Baamm! Baaam! Smack! Baamm! Thwack!'
They began exchanging blows relentlessly.
Every attack Alfia launched was blocked by Shalltear, while every strike from Shalltear landed on Alfia's body.
…
"…Arthur-kun, aren't you going to stop Alfia?" (Kuro)
Watching the fight, Kuro asked with concern.
"…No need to worry, Kuro. This is a fight Alfia initiated, and Shalltear accepted it. There's no need for us to interfere." (Arthur)
"…" (Kuro)
Seeing Arthur shrug so casually left Kuro speechless.
"…But isn't the result already obvious? Shalltear clearly has the upper hand." (Kuro)
"Come on… a fight doesn't end when the winner is decided… it ends when the loser is decided." (Arthur)
Arthur spoke with a grin.
'Hahaha~ I've always wanted to quote Izayoi from Mondaiji-tachi~' (Arthur)
Arthur felt delighted inside for accomplishing one of the many things he had always wanted to do.
"That's quite an interesting line from you, Arthur-kun…" (Kuro)
Kuro smiled wryly and gently shook her head.
…
After several failed attempts, Alfia became serious.
"Ataraxia." (Alfia)
She activated Silentium Eden and resumed her assault.
Shalltear observed Alfia's magical armor with interest.
"... Very well, let us see how durable that armor truly is." (Shalltear)
She extended her hand forward, pointing her index finger at Alfia.
'Ziiinggg! Pew! Pew!'
Light gathered at her fingertip before firing toward Alfia at extreme speed.
Seeing the beams approaching, Alfia cast her spell while running.
"Gospel." (Alfia)
She used Satanas Verion. The air distorted as blocks of sound formed, vibrations shaking the atmosphere as her magic collided with Shalltear's lasers.
'BOOM!'
The lasers exploded into countless fragments of light.
'Hoo~ using soundwave vibrations, huh… not bad. Then how about this.' (Shalltear)
She controlled the fragments of light and launched them from multiple angles at extreme speed.
"!!… Wha—" (Alfia)
Alfia froze for a split second before crossing her arms to defend.
'Boom! Boom! Boom!'
A chain of explosions erupted violently, shattering the arena around her.
When the smoke cleared, Alfia stood revealed—covered in cuts, her dress torn and slightly burned.
"Hm, it seems that armor nullifies magic… and even restricts the user's own magic. You appear quite accustomed to it. However, it is still useless against an opponent far stronger." (Shalltear)
Shalltear calmly analyzed Alfia's abilities. She could see that Alfia had grown far too accustomed to holding herself back.
"…Haahh…" (Alfia)
Alfia exhaled lightly. Once she was done testing it, she dispelled Silentium Eden.
She looked at Shalltear calmly and chanted again—
"Gospel." (Alfia)
Several sound blocks formed and shot toward Shalltear.
'Her magical power increased tremendously after releasing her armor…' (Shalltear)
Shalltear extended one hand and opened her palm.
"Lugio." (Alfia)
'BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!'
Each sound-formed block slammed violently into Shalltear. Then the final sound block, instead of striking her, detonated. This spell could also convert any remaining magical power into an explosion, and the resulting blast released shockwaves and oscillating waves that devastated everything in the surrounding area.
When the explosion subsided, Shalltear's silhouette appeared—protected by thin, layered transparent veils, slightly disordered from the impact.
'This is quite powerful… even a Marquis-level barrier couldn't withstand it.' (Shalltear)
Seeing that Shalltear remained unharmed, Alfia prepared her final move.
…
Arthur, noticing Alfia's intention, glanced at Abernyu.
"Abernyu, create a barrier to isolate the arena." (Arthur)
"…Mm, understood." (Abernyu)
Abernyu nodded and extended her hands, forming a barrier around the arena.
…
"Genos Angelus." (Alfia)
A massive silver-gray bell manifested above Alfia. As it rang, the surrounding space distorted and enormous vibrational waves shook the entire arena.
'DING! DING! DING!'
Each chime was followed by a massive explosion. Stone fragments disintegrated into dust under the vibrations and blasts.
"…That is an impressive extreme-class spell. It could injure the other Seven Kings… well, except for Kuro-san and me." (Shalltear)
Shalltear's calm voice echoed as her figure became visible once more after the spell subsided.
Shalltear's body was completely unscathed, not even a scratch upon her, and she's surrounded by multiple layered veils.
Alfia smiled wryly at the sight.
"…I surrender." (Alfia)
"There's no need to be disheartened, Alfia-san. You are very strong… I guarantee that you and Grayfia-san are currently the strongest beneath the Duke rank." (Shalltear)
Shalltear smiled as she spoke with frank sincerity.
"Alright. The match is over!" (Arthur)
Arthur announced dramatically.
"Snort~ idiot~" (Shalltear)
Shalltear snorted as she looked his theatrics.
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