Sworded Affair-Chapter 235: Armed Struggle

Chapter 235: Armed Struggle

My opponent didn't move an inch from his spot, even as Epitaph approached his heart, immediately making me wary, though not enough to outright pull my blow. The trick quickly became apparent as one of the broken bows strapped to his back began to crackle and hiss. I watched the wooden shaft mend itself in real time, snapping back together like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, while Epitaph snapped, leaving me holding only the hilt.

"Got you," my opponent crowed, waving his machete at me in a manner that might have been threatening, back when I was ten years old. "Now, why don't you surrender before I'm forced to get serious?"

I summoned another instance of Epitaph, replacing the broken hilt in my hand, and while my opponent's eyes were locked to my replacement weapon, I called out the Monitor Lizard. Space was at a premium inside the barrier circle, forcing him to appear on his knees, which turned outto be the perfect height to drive a clawed first into my opponent's testicles. It was a probing attack, intended to find his next layer of defences, to help map out his abilities. I didn't expect the blow to actually connect, nor my foe to let out such a high pitched squeal and fall flat on his back.

"Competitor Sudo Nym's feet have left the floor! Competitor Emma Knight advances by technical victory!" Master Europe proclaimed, as the circle around us fell, leaving me a bit disappointed by the anticlimactic end, though I could hardly complain about taking an easy win.

[In his first round, your opponent fought someone with an expensive magical sword, who surrendered as soon as Transfer destroyed it. Both of them were on the weaker end of the competitors, so this outcome was almost inevitable when the two of you matched up. Gimmicks are all well and good, but they are no substitute for an all rounded build.]

"That was easier than my first round," I deadpanned. "Which I guess makes sense, if pairings were really between the best and worst performers."

[That does happen sometimes. In fact, when this event was being proposed, a few people raised similar objections, that a single elimination bracket would be inherently unfair. A few alternatives were proposed, such as a round robin or preliminaries using the Swiss system, but expedience won out in the end. This event only lasts for a single night, there isn't the time for something too complicated.]

Indeed, despite our match taking nearly no time at all, over half the bubbles had popped by now, indicating similarly mismatched competitors among the remaining round of 32. Fewer injuries too, I realised as I looked over to the loser's gallery, as people emerged in various states of anger and despair, but largely no worse for wear, a few bruises and scuffed clothing aside.

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[While there are no rules against killing in this event, there can be social consequences for anybody going at it with too much enthusiasm. At the end of the day, this is still primarily a social event; going out of your way to humiliate or kill can lead to grudges that ripple beyond this arena. Also, on another note.

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Sudo Nym defeated!

500 XP gained!]

"That much for such an easy win?" I ask aloud, noting how my vanquished foe reddened in the stands; his hearing was impressive, if nothing else, either that or he had another ability aiding his perception.

[He didn't get to show much in your bout, but his magic isn't actually bad. Transfer takes the damage on one target and sends it to another; he aimed for Epitaph, but there was enough accumulated damage on his bow to cut your head off if he so desired.]

"That wouldn't have beaten me either," I pointed out.

[No, but it would've forced an instant win against most of the remaining competitors. Threat level is assessed in abstract, not for their performance against you specifically. His level is also in the low 20s, so the built-in bonus for defeating higher level opponents is also a factor.]

Truth be told, I wasn't even sure why I was arguing, as between the two matches so far, I'd gotten more experience in one night than I'd seen in a long while. Truly, combat was still the best way to advance, for all that I'd appreciated the period of calm in recent days. If the trend held, I could already see myself reaching Level 20, hitting a second milestone along the way. All but one bubble had burst by now, while I was contemplating my future, and to my surprise Princess Astaroth was inside it. She'd always seemed well put together, so I couldn't help wonder who was putting up such a good fight against her, though admittedly she was primarily a caster, so maybe she was at a disadvantage for the event? Typically, the exact moment that crossed my mind was when the final bubble popped.

[Princess Astaroth - Level 25 Warlock of the Deep]

Princess Astaroth emerged, wrapped in a bubble of her own, an inky black barrier that swallowed the light around her. I could barely make out her face, and if not for the System identification, I might have been a bit worried. Her opponent lay in three pieces on the floor, making it clear who was the victor, though as I squinted, I could make out individual stalks of straw pulling free from his mangled corpse, coalescing together to form a small voodoo doll that floated in the air.

"You are courting death!" The doll screeched, in its first words upon attaining sentience. "How dare you slay the firstborn son of Magus Wilhelm! A thousand curses upon you and your family!"

[You're a brave one, daring to throw curses my way, even through an intermediary.]

Nearly the entire room flinched, and only then did I realise that this latest line from Edith wasn't solely visible to me.

[Emma, be a dear and dispose of that trash, would you kindly?]

Up until now, I'd been concealing my cards for the later rounds. That was still the plan, but if Edith wanted me to reveal one of them here, I could only trust that something was happening in the background, and defer to her greater understanding of magical politics.

[Null Zone (TOGGLE: ON)]

It didn't take much, just three steps forward, followed by releasing the full potency of my anti-magic zone, the edge just barely touching the defiant little doll. It dropped like a stone, and though the entire room was silent, I thought I could hear screaming, somewhere far away.