TWEM Vol. 6 Chapter 4 Part 1
Chapter 4 – The Main Individual Tournament――Finne and Iris’s Battle
The next day was the day of the main tournament.
And Finne would be competing in the first match of the day.
She had already checked the tournament fixture last night, but she seemed to be very nervous.
“Finne, are you alright?”
“Yes, but my opponent is…”
“Yeah, he’s a tough opponent.”
“Yes…”
Finne’s opponent was a man named Reid.
Within the Imperial Guard, there were knights called the “Seven Royal Guards” who protected the Emperor.
Reid, who was also the captain of the Imperial Guard, was one of them and was a long sword user, and it was said that his ability was comparable to that of an S-rank adventurer.
It’s going to be a tough fight for Finne.
“Finne can win!”
“Iris…… I’ll do my best!”
“Keep it up♪”
Besides Iris who encouraged her, Kuzel nodded.
“Finne, you do your best.”
“Thank you very much, Kuzel! I will try not to fight in an unsightly manner!”
Finne nodded strongly and turned to go straight to the waiting room.
“Finne, the opponent is strong, but I am sure you will be able to find a way to best them.”
“Haruto…yes! I’m going to fight with the intention of winning!”
Finne cheerfully answered my words.
Then we headed to the spectator seats and waited for the match to start.
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‘‘The main event of the individual fighting tournament has finally begun! The first match of the tournament will be fought by a participant who displayed sophisticated ice magic and superb swordsmanship――the ‘Ice Princess’, Fiiinnnnee!’’
The audience was excited by Nina’s live commentary, who was at the top of her game today as well.
It was also the moment when Finne’s title was chosen.
As she entered the hall, Finne was blushing with embarrassment at having her title decided.
“I-Ice Princess…but I’m not a princess…”
Nina then moved on to commentate on Reid.
‘‘Next, one of the ‘Seven Royal Guards,’ the pride of our empire, who passed the qualifying rounds with overwhelming strength――Reid Zahak!!’’
A man in his early thirties, wearing light equipment, enters the stage using the commentary as a cue.
After exchanging greetings at the center of the stage, the two faced each other from a distance and readied their weapons.
‘‘It is said that Reid’s abilities are comparable to S-rank adventurers! It will be interesting to see how Finne fights! Then let the match begin!!’’
The moment the bell rang, Finne used her body reinforcement while closing the distance to Reid.
“Your speed is not bad. But…!”
Reid muttered to himself as he saw Finne approaching, and whipped out his sword.
“Ugh, so powerful…!”
Finne managed to block it with her sword, but she was blown away.
Finne adjusted her position in the air and used magic.
“――Ice Lance!”
“Sweet! ――Fire Lance!”
The magic from Finne was canceled out by the magic from Reid.
Then, aiming at the moment Finne landed, Reid closed the distance instantly and swung his sword.
“I’m sorry to be so abrupt, but this is the end.”
Reid’s sword sliced through Finne as she landed, but her figure faded away.
“What!?”
The effect of Finne’s unique skill, Fleeting Illusion.
Finne tried to slash Reid from behind, but…
“Over there!”
Reid, sensing the presence, turned around and swung his sword, repelling Finne’s attack.
The two glared at each other from a distance again.
“You are doing a good job.”
“Thank you, I’ve trained hard for this.”
“I see. Besides, was that a unique skill…?”
Finne did not answer, but Reid took the silence as an affirmation.
“Then let’s give it our all――let’s go!”
At that moment, Reid’s body blurred from Finne’s vision.
“Huh?”
Finne sensed his presence and immediately tried to move backward to distance herself from Reid.
However, Reid was already approaching, and all she could do was react and defend against the swinging sword.
“Gugg!”
Finne rolled on the ground, unable to withstand the force of the blow.
Reid approached the rolling Finne and swung his sword, but again Finne’s figure fizzled out.
Finne activated Fleeting Illusion just in time.
“That’s a troublesome skill…”
Finne moved behind Reid, who muttered so, and put her palm on the ground.
“――Frozen!”
Then, the ground freezes, closing in on Reid.
“Piss off ――Firewave!”
Finne’s Frozen was quickly erased by Reid’s Firewave.
However, Finne had already factored that in and was already running toward Reid.
“Fast, but that’s all.”
Except Reid had read that too.
Flames were burning in Reid’s long sword.
Finne broke out in a cold sweat in front of the blazing flames.
The long sword that Raid holds was a magic sword.
The name of the sword was – “Magic Sword Flama.”
It was a sword that increased the power of flame magic.
“If that is the case, then have this!”
As if in response to Finne’s voice, ice envelops the blade of her beloved sword, “Gentoh Suigetsu,” which has the ability to enhance ice magic, and emits cold air around it.
“Is that strange sword the same kind of magic sword as mine?”
“Yes. Then, here I go!”
Finne knew that, physically, this would be the last blow she would ever have to deliver.
Even if she could stand up after this clash, she would be unable to use her magic for the rest of the match, and if that happened, she would be as good as defeated.
Therefore, Finne decided to put everything on the line with this blow.
First of all, she would use all her strength to strengthen her body. Then, she continued by activating Clear Tranquility, a skill that allowed her to gain a high level of focus in exchange for a sense of fatigue after use.
“――Fire Lance!”
As Reid chanted, a number of fire lances were created in the air and shot at Finne.
“――Blizzard!”
“Something like that wont――”
Then Finne activated another spell one after another.
“――Water Wave!”
“――What!? Are you a dual-attribute user!”
‘‘Oops! This is where the unexpected truth came to light! It seems that Finne uses two attributes!’’
Reid was surprised, and Nina was excited to comment on the unexpected fact.
As soon as the stage was covered by a blizzard, a wave of snow started to wash over the stage.
Reid’s Fire Lance, which he activated as quickly as possible, became frozen over and fell to the ground.
“Not yet! ――Permafrost!”
The magic that Finne unleashed was something that Haruto had taught her directly.
That magic, which was upward compatible with Blizzard, which froze the entire surrounding area, was quite powerful due to its synergistic effect with her sword.
In an instant, Water Wave froze, and Reid’s legs gradually began to freeze as well.
“Tch, troublesome!”
Reid’s view was blocked by a blizzard and he lost sight of Finne.
“Got you!”
“There you are!”
Reid, sensing the presence, turned around and swung his magic sword, Flama, at her, but Finne’s figure disappeared in a mist.
Finne thrusts her sword at him, but Reid, who had noticed this, easily repels the attack.
A smile appeared on Reid’s mouth.
“Still sweet! ――Flame Conquest!”
At that moment, flames erupted from Raid’s entire body, drowning out the blizzard.
The flames gained even more momentum, melting the ice on the ground, and continued approaching Finne.
“Ugh…Ice Wall!
Finne created a wall of ice, but it was easily melted by the heat, and she was then hit by the flames.
She quickly tried to mitigate the damage by covering her entire body with water, but…
The flames had passed, and there was Finne, battered and bruised, with her sword thrust into the ground, kneeling on one knee.
She had burns and scars all over her body.
“Ugh, ouch…”
Wincing in pain, Finne slowly stood up and tried to ready her sword… but her arm would not budge.
“You lose. Will you surrender?”
“――!”
Finne gasped as Reid thrust his sword at her.
The tip of Reid’s sword shines dully.
“I surrender…”
Finne released her hand from her sword and admitted defeat.
‘‘Finne surrenders and Reid wins! What an intense battle that was!’’
Nina’s excitement was uncontrollable, and her commentary on the situation echoed throughout the arena.
Reid holds out his right hand to Finne.
“It was a splendid fight. I never thought I would be so surprised that I would end up using that thing…it was a really good fight, thank you.”
“No, it was my pleasure. I learned a lot from you.”
The two then shook hands and left the stage.
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