Chapter 731

As soon as Fran sat down in the audience, the commentator's voice rang out.

It was Hilt who had come on stage.

『Here comes the rightful successor of the Dimitris style! It's Hiltoria, of the 'Piercing Fist'! It is painfully obvious that she has not yet demonstrated all of her abilities! Will we finally feast our eyes on the secret arts of the Dimitris style in this match!?』

The commentator was right, Hilt had barely used any techniques of the Dimitris style. She did use some magic release, but that was about it.

However, it should be impossible for her to keep her moves secret in this match, so I am looking forward to seeing what kind of techniques she will show us.

As usual, her eyes were fixed on us.

『She's still staring at us.』

「Nn.」

Even the glare of a rank A adventurer is like a reward for Fran. She glares right back with a thrilled look on her face.

However, Hilt will not necessarily be our next opponent.

「You're staring at someone else right before your time with me? I have to say, I'm a little jealous.」

Neidhart emerges. As usual, he's spouting a pretty cheesy line, but it somehow sounds honest coming from him. No clue how he's pulling that off with the mantis head though.

Hilt's sharp gaze turns to Neidhart.

No matter how strong Hilt is, it will not be easy to beat Neidhart. The fight could really go either way.

「……I hate both pretentious men and bugs.」

「My apologies for that, but I am very interested in you. I'd like to know just how strong the heir to the most powerful is……」

「Hmm.」

I could see her interest shifting to Neidhart when she looked at him. After meeting him in person, she must have sensed his strength.

『Just now, Neidhart of the 'Sudden Edge' has also entered! Will the blades that cut down a former rank A adventurer show their sharpness again today!?』

It seems that Neidhart has been given the alias of 'Sudden Edge'. It's no wonder, since he has been performing so well.

But I had noticed something else too.

『Neidhart's armor looks different.』

He was not wearing the same armor he had been wearing in the previous matches. During his battle with Felmus, he was wearing a light orihalcon armor engraved with the emblem of his mercenary brigade.

But now, it is an adamantite armor with little ornamentation. The previous armor should have been much better in terms of performance, but maybe it was broken?

The cradle of time only rolls back the time of the deceased player, not that of the winner. Therefore, it is quite possible that the winner's gear is damaged and cannot be used in the next round.

This is also the reason why Amanda had to use a substitute whip after she broke her Heavenly Dragonwhisker Whip in last year's tournament against Fran.

「You won't be able to treat this as a game for long.」

「Fufufu. I look forward to it.」

「Hmph.」

Both of them take their stances before the start. They knew that they were up against a opponent that needed to be taken seriously.

Hilt lightly thrusts her left fist forward, and folds her right arm close to her body.

Neidhart drew his twin swords and held them in front of him with their tips slightly crossed.

With from the sparks flying before the match, Fran and Urushi were glaring at each other in the audience seats.

Fran clenched her fist and made a declaration.

「…Hilt will win.」

「Arf!」

Urushi, on the other hand, struck a mantis pose with his wrists bent in the same way he had done in the previous match.

This was the second round between Fran, who had missed her prediction in the previous match, and Urushi, who had insisted on Neidhart's victory.

Fran was predicting a Hilt win, while Urushi was predicting another Neidhart win.

Well, let's see what happens?

『The voltage in both the stage and the audience has reached its peak! We should start before we ruin the mood! Let the second match of the semi-finals… begin!』

Clang!

At the moment the signal was given to start the match, a tremendous sound echoed through the arena.

As soon as the match started, the weapons of both fighters clashed in the center of the stage. A shockwave was generated, ruffling the hair and clothes of the two.

「You're pretty powerful……!」

「You too……!」

Hilt's knuckle duster and Neidhart's sword are locked together, and they were trying to force the other backwards.

At first it looked like they were even in strength, but soon the balance began to shift as Hilt pushed Neidhart back.

Hilt is smaller and her stats are much inferior to Neidhart, which is inevitable due to the difference in race.

However, in terms of skills, Hilt had a far greater advantage.

She has a high level in Super Strength, which is the upgraded form of Hard Power, and her strength is further enhanced by her ki.

After a brief exchange, the two simultaneously moved away from each other.

「It seems I will lose a battle of strength.」

「Aren't you a bit too relaxed to say something like that? Well, not that I know how to read bug faces.」

「I'm a little frustrated, truly. But I know that strength doesn't always mean victory.」

「Is that so?」

「It is. I don't mean to belittle your strength, but there are other things that are important too, right? For example… Speed!」

At that moment, Neidhart vanished. He was moving at speeds so high that we could lose sight of him if we weren't careful, as if he was teleporting.

Clang!

「Not bad! I didn't expect you to be able to intercept me head-on with your fists!」

「You're fast too! But, not as fast as I thought!」

Both Neidhart, who can reach the ridiculous speeds in an instant, and Hilt, who saw it coming and took it in stride, are amazing.

Fran was so excited that she forgot to eat the skewer in her hand. She was leaning forward, her attention completed focused on the stage.

『I have to say it again, both are very strong.』

「Nn!」