One after another, contestants were knocked from the arena and carried away... Many of them were already cold corpses.
The tournament did not prohibit killing during matches.
Only now could one truly feel how fiercely martial the atmosphere of the Elnes Kingdom was.
By now, most of the open-qualifier arena had been dyed red with blood.
"Congratulations. As long as you win one more match, you'll advance to the next stage."
The minor judge in charge of one section of the open qualifiers was offering a contestant under his jurisdiction a well-intentioned reminder—the man had already won seven matches in a row, and every victory had ended with a single blow that killed his opponent. His strength was formidable.
"One more win and I'll advance?"
"That's right. Congratulations."
"Then I'll forfeit this match."
"Y-you said what?"
"I still plan to fight a few more matches here." The contestant spoke with a laugh that made the minor judge's heart tremble. "If possible, please arrange for me to go to the crowded loser-revival melee area. I heard that's a free-for-all involving at least a hundred people."
A real... a real murderous lunatic.
The minor judge instinctively sized up the contestant who had won seven matches in a row. His appearance was utterly ordinary, yet his entire body radiated a terrifying aura of bloodshed.
He could not help glancing at the contestant's name: Liwa.
In the arena for the next stage.
Contestants who had qualified from the open-qualifier arena kept entering through the passageway—though, of course, their numbers had dwindled considerably.
Still, anyone who could pass the open qualifiers possessed considerable strength... at least among the professionals of the Chessboard World.
"From this stage onward, it won't be simple random-draw dueling anymore." Mosang pointed at several enormous buildings in the Second