Chapter 8: The Swordsmanship Prodigy Saintess

Martial Arts Tournament (4)

1.

I checked the match bracket.

“Huh?”

Something was off.

There were 16 survivors from the first round,

But the bracket only listed 8 names.

Half of them were gone.

“I think there's something wrong with this.”

I held the bracket up to the attendant who had handed it to me.

“Weren’t there 16 participants?”

“Well… the others have withdrawn.”

“What?”

Suddenly withdrawing like that?

Did something happen?

I asked the attendant again.

“Why? Why did they withdraw?”

“Well…”

The attendant looked like he found it hard to answer.

It seems like there's some internal problem with the tournament.

But seeing as they were continuing, it didn’t appear to be anything serious.

Well, as long as my name’s there, it’s fine.

It’s disappointing that I’ll have fewer chances to cross swords,

But just having the opportunity to fight at all was enough.

“The second round will begin in 10 minutes. The participants for the first match, please prepare yourselves.”

Two people stood up.

One was a witch wearing a tall conical hat.

The other was a gloomy-looking man draped in a black cloak.

That woman… probably a 7th-circle mage?

Considering magic has a total of 13 circles, that would put her at about mid-tier.

As for the man…

It was hard to tell what kind of weapon he used because he's wearing a cloak.

But judging from his gait, he likely used a sword.

There was a certain gravitas about him that piqued my interest.

If possible, I’d like to face him at least once.

Anyway…

Where’s that adventurer from earlier?

I looked around for the adventurer who had given me such a good time.

I was hoping to chat with him a bit before my turn came up,

But he was nowhere to be seen.

I checked the bracket again.

I didn’t even know his name—how troublesome.

“Excuse me, wasn’t there a platinum-ranked adventurer among the participants?”

I stopped the attendant who was about to leave and asked again.

“If you mean him… he withdrew right after the first round ended.”

“Ehhh?”

Oh dear.

Such a shame.

I had rated him highly.

These days, people seem to lack grit.

No sense of responsibility either.

If you’ve decided to compete, you should see it through to the end, even if you lose.

Tsk, tsk, tsk…

I clicked my tongue inwardly and shook my head.

*

2.

The crowd was roaring with excitement.

In contrast, my own mood had cooled completely.

I had high hopes for this tournament, expecting strong opponents to gather—

But the matches were progressing far too blandly.

Quarterfinals.

Semifinals.

None of my opponents even managed to clash swords properly before being cut down in a single strike.

The first round was the most fun.

With that lingering feeling of disappointment, I advanced to the finals.

Only one opponent remained.

Defeat that one, and I win.

Please!

I’m begging you!

I hope the last one can hold out for a while!

I prayed to the gods.

It felt like the first genuine prayer I’d offered in ages.

Usually, I just pretend.

“At last, it’s time for the finals! First up, the rising star who appeared like a comet! Don’t underestimate her just because she’s small! She’ll finish it in one blow again this time! The girl swordsman, Lia!”

I entered the arena.

Maybe because it was the finals, the crowd's reaction was at its peak.

For the record, “Lia” was an alias to hide my identity.

Well, not that creative—just “Elia” with the “El” lopped off.

“And her opponent! The one who tears apart any enemy with ruthless precision! The Phantom of the Eastern Marsh, Illuner!”

My opponent was the gloomy man in the black cloak I’d had my eye on earlier.

The Phantom of the Eastern Marsh, huh.

A pretty cool title.

He made his entrance.

The crowd cheered for him as well.

Due to tournament rules, participants couldn’t watch each other’s matches,

So I still didn’t know what kind of weapon he used.

One thing I did know is that the bodies of those he defeated were covered in dozens of slashing wounds.

He must be a speed-type.

Sounds fun.

As for me, I’m a swordswoman who values power over speed.

My fighting style is about defeating my opponent with one solid strike rather than lots of light ones.

Of course, that doesn’t mean I can’t fight with speed.

I can adapt depending on the situation.

It’s just that power is what I usually go with.

“The rules remain the same! Use every ounce of strength you have to take down your opponent! And the one who does wins the tournament!”

I drew my sword.

My opponent remained relaxed.

He must be confident in his skills.

“Begin!!”

Dealing with a speed-type opponent is simple.

Close the distance faster than they can react and strike before they do.

As I swung my sword and closed in on him—

-Flutter!

His black cloak spread out like wings.

And what appeared in front of me were 10 small magic circles.

“A mage?!”

So that wasn’t composure.

He’d been preparing.

Did he know I was going to charge straight in?

Or maybe he just had real combat experience.

I grinned.

This is going to be fun!

The spell activated.

Blades of mana came crashing down like a storm.

I bent my knees and leaned back, sliding along the ground.

The blades of mana swept just above my face.

As my knees scraped across the floor and my momentum slowed, I sprang back to my feet.

And then—

-Thuck!

A sharp dagger buried itself in my thigh.

“Ugh…!!”

I looked at the man.

He was holding five daggers in his hand.

Using magic and wielding blades at the same time.

Not unheard of, but certainly uncommon.

A filthy opponent, that’s what this is.

He reminded me of the Phantom Legion Commander of the Demon King's army.

That bastard swung a greatsword while casting spells.

It took me three grueling hours of relentless battle to bring him down.

I yanked the dagger out of my thigh.

“Well, well… I let my guard down.”

I dusted off my knees.

Hot blood was trickling down my thigh.

It hurts, sure, but not enough to keep me from moving.

“I’ll give you a warning in advance.”

Blades of mana came flying again.

I tilted my head aside.

The blade sliced through the hood of my robe and passed by.

“Hey. I’m talking here—!”

The hood slipped off.

Golden hair tumbled down past my chest and fluttered in the wind.

“I’ll warn you first. Even if you cry and beg, I will tear you apart.”

You’d think I’d done something to deserve such hatred.

We’ve just met, after all.

“…Got it. I’ll look forward to it.”

The exchange resumed.

As expected, the man went on the offensive with speed.

What I hadn’t anticipated was that his magic blades and daggers would come at me simultaneously.

I was practically dancing in the middle of his attacks.

Faster than I thought?

I’ll admit it.

This guy’s one of the skilled ones.

When I first decided to join the tournament, I expected this to be the standard.

A field full of opponents at this level.

-Slash!

A dagger grazed my shoulder.

Alright. Playtime’s over.

Time to get serious.

And just then—

“…Huh?”

My vision blurred, like fog settling in my eyes.

The ground rippled like waves on the sea.

The cheers of the crowd faded in and out like a warped echo.

“This is…”

“Poison.”

So he coated the dagger with poison?

Quite the dirty trick.

But I didn’t hate it.

Even cowardice can be a valid tactic, if it’s a strategy for victory.

“Soon, all your nerves will be paralyzed. Enjoy the slow descent.”

“…Heh. Heheheh…”

I let out a light chuckle.

Looks like I’ve really gotten old.

To fall for such a cheap trick.

I brought my hands together.

“Didn’t I say I’d tear you apart even if you begged?”

I ignored him.

“O Divine One,”

“…A prayer?”

“Hear my voice.”

A simple prayer.

Divine power, hot like the summer sun, prickled through my body.

My body recovered.

My body was purified.

A soft warmth lingered in my chest.

“Well then…”

My vision returned.

“Shall we see who gets torn apart now?”

I smiled.

“You.”

I filled the spots still tingling with divine power with mana.

And then infused that mana into my sword.

The rusted blade began to shine with a brilliant golden light.

“You neutralized the poison?”

“It’d be disappointing if that surprised you.”

I raised my sword overhead.

A storm of mana blades surged.

Six daggers rode the wind, flying toward me.

Well then, shall we see whose storm is stronger?

I swung my sword.

Sword energy spiraled out, shooting toward the man.

The incoming mana blades and daggers were swept up into the whirlwind.

Like a wolf baring its fangs, the vortex of sword energy opened its jaws wide and lunged at the man.

“W-wait…!!”

It swallowed him whole.

I swung my sword a few times to clear the air.

In the place where the sword aura dissipated, the man was lying on the ground, his body torn to rags.

I walked over and crouched beside him.

“It’s not over, is it?”

“Kk… ugh…”

I placed my hand on his head.

Reciting a prayer, I began to heal him.

Since I’d deliberately attacked to avoid any fatal injuries, his recovery was swift.

“Let’s go one more round.”

A wave of exhaustion hit me.

It seems I’d used too much mana and divine power.

I felt like my eyes were going to close from the fatigue.

But my heart, thrilled, was beating faster than ever.

“You little—!”

The man lunged at me from a close range.

I swung my sword like a club and struck his knee.

“Gahh!!”

“You should stay composed. To throw yourself at me in blind rage instead of using what you’re good at… That disqualifies you as a swordsman.”

“Shut up!! Gahh!!”

“You’ve got grit, I’ll give you that. So why not channel that grit into emotional control? I’ll heal you again, so let’s try that one more time, okay?”

I helped him back to his feet again and again.

I liked the guy.

His fighting style was unconventional, which made it fun to go up against.

But what a letdown.

Once he lost his composure, he became a mindless brawler flailing punches at me.

At that point, he wasn’t any different from that lump of a guy in the first round.

It’s a waste of time.

“Let’s finish this.”

I lightly tapped his head with the flat of my sword.

The man, who was rushing at me, rolled his eyes back and collapsed to the ground.

“Aren’t you going to end the match?”

Silence.

Everyone was staring with looks of utter dread.

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