#1055 Gama Kenpo

At the third checkpoint, something unexpected happened.

An actual sword fight broke out?!

“Take that! And this! Ha!”

“Wraaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!”

Defending the checkpoint is none other than Mermaid King Arowana.

He rules over the vast oceans and the Mermaid Kingdom, one of the world’s three major realms.

Challenging him is a mysterious woman.

Probably an adventurer or something along those lines.

But she manages to hold her own against Arowana’s fierce attacks, even boldly counterattacking.

It’s clear she’s got some serious combat skills.

And let’s not forget that Arowana is one of the top fighters in the world.

So the fact that she’s going toe-to-toe with him proves she’s top-tier herself.

“Hmm, who would’ve thought such a formidable warrior was still hidden in this world...” says the Demon King, impressed by the intense battle.

As the fight drags on, Arowana starts to get a bit impatient.

“To think I can’t break you even after all this! I must admit, you’re more skilled than you appear!”

“You’re slow to catch on! I’m going to push through and beat you!”

The woman remains as confident as ever.

“If you think this ends here, you’re sorely mistaken! Since I lack a decisive blow, I’ll have to play a new card!”

“What?!”

“The treasure I hold isn’t just the Divine Spear Trident! Equal to or even surpassing the superweapon bestowed by the Sea God is the ultimate shield I received from Lord Saint!!!”

“Huh? Saint?

With that, Arowana pulls out a shield shaped like a turtle shell.

Wait a second, he’s still using that old thing?

Oh yeah, we made that at our place ages ago.

“Th-That weird shield... you’re saying the Saint made it?”

“Weird? How rude! This shield, crafted from the shell of the monster Lotus, uses its curved shape to deflect and parry all attacks! Before this defense, any attack is meaningless!!!”

And wouldn’t you know it, as soon as Arowana readies the shield, all of the woman’s strikes are deflected with ease.

Even attacks from a Holy Sword can’t get through.

That shield is something else.

“While parrying all attacks with this Tortoise Shell Shield, I can pierce my enemies with this Divine Spear Trident! This spear, identical to the weapon of the Sea God Poseidon, can penetrate anything! Absolute defense and unstoppable offense! With both, my martial prowess is complete!”

A spear and a shield—the classic combo!

“Now, milady! Do you have the courage to challenge me after seeing this perfect setup?! Or perhaps you have a strategy to break this ultimate stance?!”

“I’ll attack your legs.”

“Ngah!”

Oh no, she’s going for his legs!

Without hesitation, she swings her Holy Sword low, aiming right at Arowana’s feet!

He may boast of his absolute defense, but he can’t cover his feet while holding the shield.

She relentlessly targets his unguarded legs!

This seems a bit... underhanded, to be honest.

“You coward! Fight me fair and square at eye level!”

“There’s no rule against targeting the legs. If I win, that’s all that matters.”

She’s spouting lines straight out of a villain’s handbook.

But her tactic is super effective.

Why? Because Arowana is a merman. Normally, they swim underwater with fish tails and don’t have legs to walk on land.

So he’s not exactly used to “protecting his legs.”

In the water, he can swim freely and even bring his tail within the shield’s defensive range.

But on land, he’s struggling with unfamiliar things like “standing on the ground” and “having legs he wasn’t originally designed to have.”

“Now, here’s my chance for victory!”

“Guwaaahh!!!”

Up till now, Arowana had been dodging her attacks like he was tap dancing, but finally, the sneaky tip of her Holy Sword grazed his ankle.

Losing balance from the pain, he tumbles over, and she swiftly points her sword at his throat.

“Game over!”

“Ugh...!”

Even the Mermaid King has to admit defeat when a blade’s at his neck.

That woman... she actually beat Arowana?!

Her fighting style was sneaky and not exactly a joy to watch, but the result is clear.

Arowana did spend time training on land, but it seems he couldn’t fully overcome the weakness of his legs.

He probably never bumped into someone so downright sneaky during his warrior pilgrimage.

After all, unless your skills are pretty evenly matched, that kind of underhanded tactic wouldn’t fly.

...I guess there’s nothing more troublesome than a decently skilled trickster.

“Well then, that’s the third checkpoint cleared! I’m getting closer to the Demon King! Better watch out!!!”

Apparently, that duel counted as the third checkpoint.

Meanwhile, other participants are just enjoying the obstacles like normal.

She’s the only one turning this into a battleground.

At this rate, the whole event at Orkubo’s Castle might get derailed.

Maybe the organizers should step in and do something about her.

“Please, allow me to handle this.”

Huh?

That voice... from the fourth checkpoint?

“Let me be the one to stop her. She’s just about to reach my station anyway...”

Standing there is...

...Oh! It’s Ritheseus!!!

It’s Ritheseus, the first president of the Human Republic!

Yes, he used to be a regular here at Orkubo’s Castle back when he was an exchange student on the farm.

Though we never really talked about his activities!

He’s using that experience to help out as support staff.

From the Demon King to the Mermaid King, and now the Human President.

What kind of crazy event has the leaders of the three major races all participating?

He’s in charge of the fourth checkpoint.

And that woman is heading straight for him.

“So, I just have to defeat you next?”

“That’s the idea.”

Wait, no!

That battle-hungry mindset totally misses the point of this event!

And Ritheseus!

Don’t just accept her challenge so readily.

Your straightforwardness has been a virtue since your student days, but come on!

“I can tell... you’re a Hero, aren’t you?”

Huh?

“Well spotted. I am a Hero—Hero Momoko!”

What?

A Hero? In this world, that refers to someone from another realm summoned by humans as a fighting force...!

And the name Momoko rings a nostalgic bell for me.

“Somehow, I could tell just by looking. Maybe because I’m a Hero too.”

“What? So you were summoned as well...?!”

“No, I’m a Hero of an older kind.”

You see, in this world, the title “Hero” has meant different things at different times.

Back when gods freely roamed the earth, they often... mingled with mortals and had children.

These gave birth to demigods—half god, half man— and they naturally had great power.

They were called Heroes.

Eventually, the gods were forbidden from meddling in the mortal world, and the Heroes—being half-divine—disappeared from the earth.

“But apparently, I’m a product of atavism. The divine genes in my blood awakened. They call people like me Ancient Heroes. You Heroes summoned from other worlds are supposed to be substitutes after the Ancient Heroes vanished.”

“Substitutes, you say...?!”

“The gods wanted to rule the earth, so they needed forces for invasion. They couldn’t give power directly to humans anymore, so they thought they could bypass the rules by summoning people from other worlds.”

“So that’s why the gods gave us power...”

...Ritheseus, you’re casually dropping some heavy revelations here!

That must be quite a shock for someone who was summoned.

“I think you, who were summoned against your will for the gods’ convenience, are victims. But if you misuse the power they’ve given you and disrupt the peace of this world, I, as the leader of the Human Republic, can’t stand by.”

“I also want to help this world. You don’t need to worry about me.”

Well, that’s a relief...

There’s always concern that some summoned Heroes might misuse their divine powers.

“But I’m intrigued to find that you’re an ancient hero. How about we find out who’s stronger—you or me?”

There she goes again with that action-hero mindset.

Were’s still heading toward a showdown even after all that talk?!

===========

kenpo (剣法) is a form of Japanese swordsmanship/fencing.