Erza Makes Her Appearance

"Yoriichi Tsugikuni."

That was right! The one registering at this moment was Qi Yan. Originally, Qi Yan had planned to sit in the stands, eat popcorn, drink beverages, and enjoy the matches.

But plans could not keep up with changes. Ever since he heard someone ahead mention that the champion's prize was 20 million J, he had been unable to sit still.

20 million J was enough for two S-Rank Missions or twenty A-Rank Missions. Faced with such a generous reward, he naturally could not remain unmoved. He would regret it to death if he missed this, so he found an empty corner, took on Yoriichi Tsugikuni's form, and came to compete.

"Here is your contestant number."

Qi Yan took it. '0556.' That meant 555 people had already registered before him?

"Go this way to reach the contestants' passage."

Qi Yan stepped inside and soon arrived at the contestants' lounge, which was already packed to the brim.

"Hey! That's Seven-Star Swordsman Horn! He came to compete too?"

"Look over there, Eight-Star Swordsman Solt. I heard he killed the eight-star monster Viper."

"That's Eight-Star Swordsman Scarlam. Apparently, he has already slain three eight-star monsters."

"As expected of the World's Strongest Swordsman Tournament hosted by His Majesty the King. So many famous swordsmen have come to participate."

Just then, a voice rang out.

"Hey! Little lady, if you're looking for men, go outside. This isn't a place for a young miss like you."

"Ha ha ha ha!!"

Qi Yan looked toward the source of the voice and saw a familiar figure.

"Erza!!"

Qi Yan had not expected to run into Erza here after failing to see her at the hotel. But thinking about it, she was a swordsman herself, and with her competitive nature, there was no way she would miss such an interesting tournament.

"What a beauty! Let me give her some proper affection!"

"Miss, do you have a boyfriend? If not, what do you think of me? Come have some fun with me."

One man lecherously spread his arms and reached for Erza's butt.

Qi Yan could not help rubbing his forehead at the sight. Seriously, they even dared to harass Erza? Were they hanging themselves because they thought they had lived too long?

Slap!

Before the man's hand could touch Erza, her palm clamped around his wrist. Then Erza violently swung him away.

"Haah—!!"

Boom!!!

The man's body slammed into the ground, shattering the floor. Before he could even cry out, his eyes rolled back and he fainted.

"Ehh—?!!"

Everyone was dumbfounded by the scene.

"Hey! Who is that woman?!"

"That guy got taken down!"

"How is that possible?! He's a Six-Star Swordsman!"...

At that moment, a voice spoke up. "Enough! Behave yourselves! This tournament is hosted by His Majesty the King. There is no distinction between men and women. If you are dissatisfied, settle it in the arena."

Everyone looked toward the speaker.

A blond man in his thirties sat not far away.

"It's Nine-Star Swordsman Arthur!!"

The crowd immediately cried out in surprise upon seeing the man.

Qi Yan looked at him as well. A Nine-Star Swordsman was equivalent to an S-Rank Mage in the guild, according to the guild master.

"Arthur, I didn't expect you to come too."

Soon, another young man walked over.

"It's Nine-Star Swordsman Clay!"

The crowd erupted in exclamations again.

Arthur glanced at him. "Clay, didn't you come too?"

"Of course. This is a tournament hosted by His Majesty the King. The prize money is secondary. Becoming Ishgar's strongest swordsman is the highest honor for us."

At that moment, the arena manager came over.

"Group A's battles will begin shortly. Contestants in Group A, please enter the arena."

Clay stood up and said, "It's my turn. Arthur, I hope to see you in the final."

Arthur snorted. "Hmph! That is, if you can make it to the final."

Qi Yan glanced at his number tag. It had a 'D' written on it, meaning he was in Group D.

Then Qi Yan took another look at Erza's tag. Erza's had a 'B' on it, meaning she was in Group B.

He wondered what format this tournament would use.

Soon, a magic display screen appeared in the contestants' lounge.

Projected on the screen was the situation inside the arena.

"Next up is the Group A competition!"

"The rules for this tournament are very simple."

"Over a hundred contestants will engage in a survival competition in the arena, where only the strongest remain!"

"Only the final contestant left standing will advance to the next round!!"

"What?!"

"So only four people can advance to the next round?"

"Isn't that far too cruel?"...

Many people in the lounge changed expression. They had planned to display their strength before the audience. Even if they did not become the final champion, they could still gain plenty of fans. They had not expected only four people to remain.

"Now, the first round—Group A, begin---!!!"

Gong—!!!

As the gong rang out, everyone in the arena began fighting.

The weakest participants were all Five-Star Swordsmen. These Five-Star Swordsmen were usually lofty figures, but here, they were merely at the bottom.

One Five-Star Swordsman after another was knocked down like fodder.

In the blink of an eye, more than half the arena had been cleared out. Those remaining were at least Seven-Star or Eight-Star Swordsmen.

At that moment, Nine-Star Swordsman Clay said, "Hmph! Boring! All of you, get out of here!"

As he spoke, he swiftly made his move. Lightning coiled around his body, and in the blink of an eye, he knocked down the nearest Eight-Star Swordsman.

"It's Nine-Star Swordsman Clay!!"

The spectators immediately grew excited upon seeing him take action.

Qi Yan was also shocked. The other man was probably a lightning-element mage. He could use lightning magic to greatly enhance his strength and speed, and combined with his superb swordsmanship, his power was incredibly formidable. He was definitely S-Rank in terms of strength. Even ordinary S-Rank Mages might not be his match, since he was simply too fast.

This world really was far bigger than what he had seen in the anime.

Erza's expression also turned serious when she saw Clay. She did have armor designed to counter lightning-element mages, but this was a contest of swordsmanship. Even if she won by using armor, it would be an unfair victory.

Before long, everyone in the arena had fallen, leaving only Nine-Star Swordsman Clay standing.

"Oohhh! The victor has been decided!!"

"The winner of Group A is the pride of our Sobeia Kingdom! Nine-Star Swordsman 'Thunder Sword' Clay!!!"

"Strong! He's unbelievably strong!!"

"Clay! Clay! Clay!"...

Everyone in the stands shouted Clay's name. Clay also waved in response, making many of the girls in the audience scream even louder.

Soon, all the injured people were carried away for treatment, and the arena was cleared once more.

"Next is Group B! Contestants, enter the arena!!"

Erza stood and walked toward the entrance.

"Erza is about to take the stage."