28 - 29. Brave defeats opponents before fighting

Two weeks later.

Today, the final tournament of the [martial arts tournament] will be held.

Over the past two weeks, 12 representatives have been selected.

In the players' waiting room.

"Hey, brother!　If I put my mind to it, I could easily become a varsity player!"

My brother had won the freshman varsity selection competition with flying colors.

"I'm different from what I used to be!　At the very least, don't lose until you've beaten me in the finals!"

According to the tournament table, if I were to face Gaius, it would be in the finals.

"Hey, thanks for the support."

I'm not cheering for you in the slightest!

"Yeah, but I told you not to lose."

"That's not what I meant!　Anyway, don't lose until you hit me. Well, the upperclassmen are all very strong.　I don't care if I lose, though!"

Gaius then leaves the waiting room.

The tournament will be held in the Colosseum, a facility on campus.

The two players whose names are called go to the main arena, where they are supposed to compete in one-on-one matches.

It is a tournament format, so there are not so many matches.

There are 12 players. There are 12 players. I'm not seeded, so I have to play four matches. I'm looking forward to playing Gaius.

And then...

"Hey, hey, hey!　Isn't that Carlisle's demon-less bum brother right there!"

A tall male student walks in.

Of course, I have never seen him before.

At least not in the same class, and probably not in the first grade.

He is a big guy.

Even in his uniform, you can see his muscular bulges.

"How come a bum like you is participating in this sacred martial arts tournament?　Yeah?　You're a cheater, aren't you?"

The man comes up to me and smirks.

"You've been paid to play for the national team, haven't you?　Hey, give me a lot of money and I'll beat you. ......"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I heard this place is off-limits to non-team members. I'm sorry, but outsiders have to leave."

Bikk!　A man makes a blue streak.

"Oh!　Who are you to say I'm an outsider?

"Well, you look weak, you know."

It seems that the upperclassmen who participate in the tournament are all the fiercest.

How can such a guy who just bulks up his muscles for nothing be a varsity player?

"I'll kill you!　I'll kill you right here, right now!"

Bam ......!　And the man takes off his jacket and shirt.

"Noooooooo!　Behold!　I've been working out, and my muscles are on the move!"

Gg......!　When he exerts himself, his muscles, which are not necessary for fighting, swell up.

"How great are these muscles!　Cry and apologize while you still can. That way you won't get hurt!"

"What?　I don't understand the cause-and-effect relationship between muscles and apologizing at all."

You can't stay here forever if you're not an athlete.

What are the security guards doing?

"I'll never forgive you!　I'll kill you! I'll use my fists of steel!

Gosh ......!

A fist comes flying at me so slow a fly could stop it.

Oh, man, he's slower than my brother.

I don't need to avoid him, but if he hits me with the armor of magic that covers me, he'll be in trouble.

I half twist to avoid the fist, and knock him off his feet.

The man is in the air, whirling around!　And spinning around in a funny way.

"Whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"

The back of his head almost hits the floor.

I grab his arm and spin him around.

It's a self-defense technique I learned from Kengo.

"...... What the hell was that?"

The man slumps down on the spot.

That's when it happened.

"Oh, bees. Watch out!"

There was a bee right next to the man's face.

I swung my fist lightly at it.

Hmph. ......!

The shockwave obliterated the bees and destroyed the entire wall behind them.

"Oh man, that was too much."

"............"

The man sniffles, opens his big mouth, and looks at the broken wall behind him.

The wall in the waiting room and the wall in the hallway across the hall have also been destroyed.

I fix the walls with repair magic.

"Huh. Well, outsiders, I think it's time for you to leave.

"Hee-hee-hee!　Monster oh oh oh!　Help me, mamaaaaaaah!"

The man left the room, crying loudly.

"What was that?　Well, he's gone, so that's good. Now, let's see who will be my opponent in the first round.

After a while, the referee came in and said.

"With Rodolgue's abstention, the winner of the first round is Julius!