White Night did not retreat, continuing to meet him head-on. With the Life Chronicle on his back, he had never feared anyone when it came to physical strength.
"Boom—!"
A tremendous roar rang out.
This was no longer a sound swords could produce. Their strength was too absurd; with just one collision, violent physical shockwaves spread in every direction.
"Heavenly Thunder Strike."
At that moment, White Night casually made up the name of a move. Thunderclouds gathered in the sky, and amid a rumble, Thunderlight descended from the heavens... right, striking him along with it.
"Rumble—!"
Since the two were locked in a contest of strength, Ouma did not retreat either. With his battle-hardened physique, he had no fear of lightning.
Beneath the cover of Thunderlight, White Night and Ouma launched frenzied attacks at each other. Countless bursts of Sword Qi tore apart the arena beneath their feet.
"Boom, boom boom—!!!"
The earth shook violently, and the arena had already become a complete mess. Then, at that moment...
A figure was blasted out of the Thunderlight—it was Ouma! He had endured the lightning strike head-on, but he ultimately could not withstand White Night's overwhelming strength and was thrown away during their struggle.
A mass of rubble flew through the air as Ouma nearly embedded himself into the surrounding wall, leaving behind a web of cracks.
"You can still stand, right, Ouma?"
"Yeah, of course."
Ouma rose from the pile of rubble, his kimono shredded. After taking a few steps, he found his clothes cumbersome and tore them off in one motion.
His torso was covered in injuries, proof of the sweat he had shed. A fierce gust erupted—Heavenly Dragon Armor, released!
"...It seems like you know about this." Ouma had originally intended to say more, but then he saw White Night's eyes...
"The Tyrant, right?"
White Night nodded and spoke the name Ouma had engraved in his memory. "In truth, you've already begun to walk out of it. One day, you'll choose to challenge him again."
"But before that, I'll teach you a lesson. Bet your resolve on this, and show me that you can surpass it here!"
The radiance of Magic Power gradually flared to life, and a terrifying presence seemed to awaken bit by bit.
—Imitation: One Blade Arrogance!
Then White Night took a step forward, appearing before Ouma almost instantly.
A blade flash that was nearly impossible to see. By the time Ouma came back to his senses, he had already smashed through the perimeter wall and crashed heavily outside the arena. What... was that just now?
No, he had definitely seen it before! Where had it been? Emmm... Ouma remembered.
Though it had changed somewhat, that swordsmanship was undoubtedly the Winged Sword!
"You actually fought that person before?"
Outside the arena, Ouma slowly rose to his feet. After the brief shock passed, what rose within him was the purest Fighting Spirit. Isn't it just the Winged Sword? Watch me surpass it!
A fierce gale howled as Ouma passed through the ruined wall and once more stood opposite White Night.
"WHITE NIGHT!!!"
Ouma gripped the dragon claw tightly and shouted with soaring fighting spirit. Though he did not possess a skill like One Blade Arrogance, it did not prevent him from pouring all his power into this attack.
At this moment, he would surpass everything and reach that realm! He was betting everything on this strike!
—Rising Sun One Heart Style: Extreme Swiftness: Amaterasu!
"I can't lose either."
Facing Ouma's godspeed sword, White Night slowly ran the fingers of his left hand across the blade—Hundred Paces Flying Sword!
A streak of light flashed by, and White Night appeared behind Ouma. He lowered his head slightly, revealing a tear in his black outer robe. "You did it, Ouma..."
Without looking back at him again, White Night started toward the exit passage.
—Behind him, Ouma had already lost consciousness. Though he remained standing, the match was over.
The victor, White Night!
Semifinals
Though the arena had suffered immense damage during the quarterfinals, with hurricanes and lightning strikes... Shinguji Kuroko was there, so it was not much of a problem.
The next day, the arena had been almost completely renovated, and Bronya and Stella were the first to begin their match.
After an impassioned round of introductions and amid enthusiastic cheers from the stands, Bronya and Stella entered the arena.
"Stella, use your full strength. Bronya trained with Nenene before this."
A silver-gray firearm with a technological design materialized. Bronya switched her Spirit Armor into the Blue Flame Silver Falcon form. "This time, Bronya will not hold back."
Azure particles of light gathered as the Magic Power finished loading. Holding the gun in one hand, Bronya opened fire on Stella.
"Dragon Sinner Sword!"
At the same moment, searing heat spread outward.
Within a blaze of crimson flames, Stella drew a golden-red greatsword and swung it down with absolute force.
"Boom—"
A massive wave of flames rose up and collided with the azure magic bullets, resulting in a terrifying explosion.
Then blazing fireballs rose behind Stella one after another. The Dragon Sinner Sword swept down like a conductor's baton. "Burn the enemy to ashes, Scorched Earth Ravage!"
With that incantation, the blazing spheres moved, launching a carpet bombardment toward Bronya's position.
"Light Sword Mode."
The Blue Flame Silver Falcon transformed, and an azure blade of light extended from the muzzle.
Rather than retreat, Bronya strode forward with fearless vigor and met the barrage head-on.
She leaped into the air, nimbly weaving through the gaps between the explosions. Azure blade flashes burst out in succession, tearing apart some of the blazing spheres.
After passing through the bombardment zone, Bronya lightly touched down on her toes. Her wing-shaped mantle unfolded, and she seemed to glide forward, closing in on Stella in an instant.
"Clang—!"
A clear metallic ring echoed out.
She was a "dragon"! As a Dragon Kind, she should be proud and confident in herself. Only then would her heart and her talents answer her call!
Faced with Bronya's attack, Stella had no intention of backing down. She swung the Dragon Sinner Sword and met it head-on.
An enormous force traveled into the ground, and the place where they stood instantly caved in, forming a huge crater.
The ground shattered, dirt and stone flew everywhere, and purely physical shockwaves surged toward the audience stands.
"My turn this time."
On the other side, White Night followed Bronya's example and formed an electromagnetic barrier, blocking the aftermath of the battle. "But..."
—He knew very well that this was only a warm-up. Stella had yet to use Dragon God Possession, and Bronya had not given it her all either.
White Night turned to Shinguji Kuroko. "Chairman, have the audience move back a little. This spot is still too close."
"..."
Kuroko said nothing. She merely smoked in silence, gazing darkly at the shattered arena.
After a long while, she stubbed out her cigarette and finally began to act. After all, the words of the "World Clock" carried weight, and the people in the stands retreated some distance.
Back in the arena:
After a brief exchange, Bronya had unsurprisingly gained the upper hand.
In swordsmanship alone, Stella could not compare to her at all. However... in the Chivalry of a Failed Knight world, Magic Power was the mainstream! Of course, the realm of Demons was an exception.
A layer of blazing flame feathers covered Stella's body, shielding her from most of the damage—Dragon Robe.
Even so, the light sword still cut through the robe, leaving bloody wounds across Stella's body.
What sharp swordsmanship... Feeling the stinging pain, Stella knew that she could not continue like this, so she swung her greatsword. "Dragon Breath!"
Terrifying flames erupted, their temperature nearing three thousand degrees, forcing Bronya back.
It was not as though she could not withstand it, but there was no need to. Bronya slightly widened the distance, withdrew her light sword in an instant, and raised her cannon instead. "Fire—!"
A violent explosion obscured everyone's vision.
Then a pale-blue streak pierced through the dust and smoke, plunging straight toward Stella—Lance of Truth, Bronya's spear throw.
"Clang—!"
The spear blade slammed into the greatsword. Stella held her greatsword horizontally, blocking it with its broad blade.
"Northern Abyss."
Pitch-black Dark Lightning spread silently, somehow climbing onto Stella's leg. Her Magic Power and stamina were both eroded, and her strength unconsciously weakened.
"Switching to Heavy Rabbit."
At that moment, the Lance of Truth transformed. A dark-blue mechanical body emerged, and a huge mechanical arm smashed down mercilessly.
An enormous force struck her, sending Stella uncontrollably sliding backward along the ground for dozens of meters.
A valiant figure rushed out through the flames. Heavy Rabbit swiftly transformed into a silver-white motorcycle.
"Rumble—"
Amid the roar of the engine, Bronya pushed the power to the limit, the numbers on the dashboard rapidly climbing. A silver-white streak flashed past, and a drifting tail sweep sent Stella flying.
Then Bronya leaped from the vehicle, and the silver-white motorcycle transformed into a katana that appeared in her hand at just the right moment—slash!
"Aaargh!!!"
With no foothold in midair, Stella took nearly the full force of the attack and was blasted away.
Then the recently repaired wall shattered again... a figure flew out of the arena, crashing to the ground amid a rain of rubble and even rolling awkwardly several times.
"A-amazing!!!"
The commentator froze for a moment before reporting on the situation. "Contestant Stella has been blasted out of the arena! Can she return to the battleground within the allotted time?!!!"
(It feels a little strange writing this commentary during the fight.)
Emmm...
In the audience, White Night glanced at the shattered arena, then turned to look at Kuroko beside him, whose face had gone dark... and unconsciously moved a few steps to the side.
Outside the arena, Stella struggled to sit up—there was a gash across her body so deep that bone was almost visible. "You really hit hard. Have you already figured out my trump card?"
The phantom image of a colossal dragon gradually condensed behind Stella...
Her stamina recovered, her wounds healed, and every injury seemed like an illusion as it was completely erased.
At this moment, the concept of a "dragon" descended upon her. Stella's vitality completely surpassed that of a human, truly reaching an "inhuman" level. If it had to be described, she was probably a "Fantasy Species."
"Roar roar roar—!!!"
A terrifying roar thundered out.
Almost everyone in the venue felt an oppressive force stemming from a difference in life forms.
A figure radiating light and heat crashed heavily into the arena like a meteor.
Stella raised her head. Her dragon-like eyes radiated a ferocious aura as she stared at Bronya. "You were waiting for this moment, weren't you, Bronya?"
"Now, I'm here."
Dragon God Possession
"You didn't stab yourself with a sword?"
Standing on the opposite side of the arena, Bronya looked at Stella and noticed that there was no wound on her chest. "It seems Nenene really helped quite a lot."
"You even know about that?"
Before you continue