Chapter 41: Preliminary (1)
by fnovelpia
Ding!
– The first match in Sector A is about to begin. Would you like to participate?
“0124…….”
A system message popped up in front of Suin King.
“Is it already my turn?”
The first match, he thought.
With a faint smile, Suin King pressed the accept button on the system window.
Fwoosh!
The moment he pressed the button, Suin King was enveloped in a blue light.
In an instant, he found himself standing atop one of the many arenas located in the center of the stadium.
He had been warped directly from the waiting room to the heart of the battleground.
“Suin?”
A human male appeared on the opposite side.
“Is my first opponent a Suin? You’re really unlucky to face me.”
‘A human, huh?’
Suin King Brigand adjusted his gauntlet, readying himself.
Judging by his attire and demeanor, the human seemed to be a mercenary.
Ding!
– The match in Sector A will begin shortly.
5.
The man leapt toward Brigand, but was abruptly stopped by a transparent wall between them.
“Ouch… What the…?”
4.
3.
2.
1.
– The match is starting.
With the start message, the transparent barrier disappeared.
“Hm… whatever this is, I guess it’s time. Here I come!”
The man’s body momentarily blurred, and suddenly, dozens of him appeared.
‘Illusions.’
The illusions were so well-crafted that even Brigand’s keen senses struggled to tell them apart.
Brigand realized his opponent’s considerable skill.
“Don’t feel too bad. After all, you’re up against me.”
As Brigand stood still, the man assumed he was paralyzed by fear.
Odwin, a mithril-grade mercenary, had toppled countless foes with his illusionary swordsmanship across many battlefields.
He believed the beastman before him would be no different.
‘I’ll end this quickly!’
Given that other competitors could analyze their fights, he aimed to defeat his opponent swiftly.
Dozens of Odwins charged at Suin King, surrounding him.
Meanwhile, Suin King pondered.
‘The other arenas are too close. Is it safe to use my power?’
Simultaneous duels were taking place in numerous arenas within Sector A, and he feared his power might spill over into other matches.
He couldn’t risk tarnishing the honor of the esteemed tournament overseen by the great GM himself.
Closing his eyes, he shook his head.
‘No. What am I worried about? The GM is omnipotent. A little power won’t cause any problems.’
Suin King drew his fist back.
Woom.
Energy coalesced around his fist.
‘I trust in Him!’
He thrust his fist forward.
BOOOOM!
A blinding light of destruction enveloped Sector A.
The full-force blow from Suin King was so powerful it reached the spectator stands but was halted by an invisible rectangular barrier surrounding the arena.
As the impact dissipated, Odwin and his illusions turned to dust.
Ding!
– Victory! You will be moved to the victor’s waiting room shortly.
5.
4.
‘To think that not even a scratch could be made on this indestructible transparent barrier!’
3.
2.
1.
Fwoosh!
Enveloped in blue light, Suin King vanished, trembling with reverence for his omnipotent deity.
“That light is pretty.”
“Isn’t it?”
“Suin King’s fights are always thrilling.”
And there, the object of his faith, Albus, sat with Dua on his lap, watching the simultaneous matches taking place across dozens of arenas.
“Dua, do you want to try this?”
“What’s that?”
“This is something called chocolate.”
Albus handed Dua a consumable item, [Square Chocolate].
“Aah!”
Dua took a big bite and chewed.
“Tasty!”
Her eyes sparkled.
“More! I want more!”
“Alright, here you go.”
Smiling warmly, Albus generated more chocolate from thin air for Dua.
‘Here, you don’t have to worry about cavities or gaining weight, so you can eat as much as you want.’
Watching Dua munch on the chocolate, Albus turned his attention back to the arenas.
Originally, the tournament was supposed to be a single-elimination format with one match at a time. But there were too many participants.
So, Albus created dozens of sectors and decided to run multiple matches simultaneously in the early rounds.
Starting from the round of 32, matches would be held one at a time in larger arenas.
‘The later matches will be more interesting anyway.’
To prevent battles in one arena from affecting others, he encased each in an indestructible transparent barrier.
‘Suin King’s attack… the arena withstood it?’
‘How did they make the arena so tough…? It’s stronger than the barrier I spent a month crafting…!’
This made many strong contestants even more awed by the GM’s omnipotence.
***
This concluded the match in Sector A.
It wasn’t bad swordsmanship using illusions, but the opponent was unfortunate.
Meanwhile, the Demon King projected a hologram of Sector A’s match above the arena, providing commentary.
– It would’ve been more fun if we saw more of his full strength. A pity.
‘Adding some divine power to his punch along with his aura. Impressive, Suin King.’
The Demon King, holding a microphone, crossed her legs.
– Now, let’s check out the match in another sector.
Click.
Suppressing her desire to jump into the arena, she manipulated the broadcasting equipment to project a hologram of another match above the arena.
***
Sector G Arena
A man with an eyepatch lifted a greatsword onto his back.
“This guy is my opponent?”
“Th-the Sword Emperor…!”
His opponent, recognizing his face, was terrified.
“Ha. I had high hopes.”
The Sword Emperor’s face showed disappointment.
In the past, a massive war engulfed the continent.
Many heroes rose to fame, but only three were granted the title of ‘Emperor’ for their exceptional prowess: the Blade Emperor, the Flame Emperor, and the Sword Emperor.
The Sword Emperor, driven by a desire for thrilling battles, had joined the mercenaries and participated in the Great War.
His extraordinary survivability and swordsmanship repeatedly turned the tide of battle single-handedly.
He sought out the most dangerous fronts and challenged renowned fighters, his powerful blade always tearing through enemy lines.
He was soon known as the Sword Emperor, the sovereign of the sword.
After the war ended, he spent his days in boredom until he heard about the tournament in Rudera.
A tournament hosted by the divine, gathering the strongest across the continent!
Hoping to find opponents worthy of his skill, he entered the tournament with high expectations.
But now, his opponent was just a mediocre fighter, recognizing the Sword Emperor and looking dejected.
– The match begins.
“Disappointing.”
With a casual swing of his greatsword.
Slash.
His opponent was cut in half and fell.
Enveloped in white light, the opponent vanished.
Ding!*
– Victory! You will be moved to the victor’s waiting room shortly.
‘This is all?’
The Sword Emperor’s body was enveloped in light.
‘Next time, bring me a worthy opponent, GM.’
***
‘The Sword Emperor is participating too…’
Princess Rebecca observed the hologram broadcast of the Sword Emperor’s match, taking notes with magic.
To win the tournament and become the GM’s apostle, she had to overcome not only the Republic’s enforcers.
‘Even without using his aura, his strikes are devastating… If I face the Sword Emperor… the strategy would be…’
She began drafting a new strategy.
She couldn’t afford to lose.
She couldn’t betray his expectations.
‘Watch me, GM. I will win and meet your expectations…!’
***
At that moment.
“Munch munch… Dad, what’s up?”
“Hm? Nothing.”
Albus felt an itch to join the fray.
Seeing so many players dueling, some like the Sword Emperor and Suin King swiftly dispatching opponents while others were locked in intense battles, made him eager.
For some reason, he wanted to dive in.
To truly enjoy the “game” he hadn’t been able to experience properly.
‘Let’s create a new avatar… alright.’
Albus manipulated the command window in the air.
‘Add a participant…’
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