You Can't Win, Can You?
Martin drew his sword with a sinister chuckle. “Heh heh heh. This is the end, kid.”
It's a shame I can't use my curved blade here. In the arena, he always switched weapons. Curved blades were uncommon in this place. Besides, the Civil Guard was actively tracking him using that very weapon as a clue.
Better to finish this quickly. That was why he had chosen a rapier. Not one of his own, but one provided by the arena.
Since my opponent is so short, I'll widen the distance and end it in one strike.
“Will both contestants please step forward!”
Martin looked at Selene, utterly confident of his victory.
“Pfft!”
He barely managed to hold back a burst of laughter.
“Kid…”
Selene was holding a mace.
“My arms look at least four spans longer than yours, and you're choosing a mace with terrible reach…”
“......”
“You really think you can beat me with that?”
“(Nods)”
“Puhaha!”
“Contestant, please focus! Show your opponent some respect.”
After the referee's warning, Martin barely swallowed his laughter.
“Then let the second match begin!”
Martin immediately dropped into a thrusting stance and charged at his opponent.
THUD!
“Eh?!”
And then he fell.
“Ugh?!”
A dull impact followed by surging pain.
“W-what the…?”
His shoulder felt numb.
“S-so fast?”
It had happened in the blink of an eye. He couldn't even tell what had occurred.
“One to zero! Incredible, Selene! Overcoming the disadvantage in reach to claim the first point!”
“Tch!”
Martin stood up again.
I let my guard down.
But he didn't think much of it.
“Begin!”
He dropped into another thrusting stance.
And as he moved—
CRACK!
“Ack?!”
This time it was his jaw.
“Are you alright, contestant?”
“I-I'm fine!”
“Two to zero!”
“......”
Martin brushed the dust off himself with an embarrassed expression and stood up. Then he took his stance again.
“Begin!”
THUD!
“Three to zero.”
He fell again.
Tch! Beginner's luck.
He got up once more.
“Four to zero!”
He fell again.
“D-damn it…”
Martin shook his head violently.
Alright. I have to admit she's not normal.
Only then did he begin to assess the situation properly.
How is this happening? She's dodging my attacks and closing in without any defense. That's impressive.
He acknowledged his opponent's skill.
But this is as far as it goes!
This time, Martin changed his stance.
“I'll deflect once…”
He swung his sword in a wide arc, trying to draw out her defense.
CLANG!
The moment Martin's rapier finally touched Selene's mace for the first time—
CRUNCH!
Selene's mace slammed the rapier into the ground, then slid up the blade with a THUD and struck Martin right in the philtrum.
“Ugh!”
If not for the protective magic on the weapon, that would have been fatal.
“This is…”
Martin staggered.
She aimed precisely for the tip of my blade. She knew that the further from the hilt, the further from the center of power, and used her mace to perfectly pin my sword down…
His thoughts grew longer.
CLANG!
“Ugh?!”
THUD!
“Oof?!”
He changed stances multiple times and tried different strategies.
But nothing changed.
“Ah! Seven to zero! This is bad!”
Just as the referee said, things had gone terribly wrong.
N-no!
Martin panicked.
From five to zero onward, his mind had been completely shaken and he couldn't do anything.
M-my plan is falling apart like this?
He had known it wouldn't be an easy plan. But he never imagined it would collapse so pathetically.
“What are you doing, you idiot!”
“What the hell are you doing against a kid?!”
Boos poured in from the audience.
It was the complete opposite atmosphere from the first match.
What do these bastards know…
The public preferred evenly matched fights. While they wanted the one they cheered for to win overwhelmingly, the matches that truly drew crowds were the close ones.
Overwhelming victories were boring to them. Rather than awe for the dominant fighter, they were far more likely to mock the one being dominated.
Especially when an unknown expert like Selene won…
“Grrrr!”
“Contestant? Are you not going to continue?”
“Just wait!”
Even the referee seemed to be mocking him. Martin ground his teeth.
“Ughhhhh!”
Far away in the stands, he spotted a familiar figure. It was his partner, Rosy. She pulled a pendant from her pocket and showed it to him as if asking a question.
“Haa… No! Not yet!”
Martin shook his head violently.
CLANG!
“Eight to zero!”
But the moment the referee's indifferent voice and the audience's boos poured in—
“I can't take this anymore… I didn't want to use it!”
Martin's lips trembled with rage and humiliation as he…
I have no choice…
Rubbed his nose and ears with both hands at the same time.
That was the signal.
“Alright! Then we'll conti— Hmm? One moment! The administrator is suspending the match!”
The pendant Rosy was holding. It was one of the magic nullification pendants that the traitor Ronan had previously stolen from the Security Bureau and secretly smashed into pieces.
Unlike the ones that caused chain explosions on narrow, crowded targets, Rosy's pendant only slightly damaged a small part of the target.
“Ah, it seems there's a problem with the mana suppression device. We'll resume the match after a quick repair!”
“Ugh…”
Martin swallowed his anger at having to use such expensive equipment here of all places.
But this will end it.
He couldn't miss this chaotic moment. The mana restriction device—the magic that suppressed all mana except the protective spells on the contestants' weapons—had just been lifted.
Martin immediately stared at Selene standing before him.
📍 Target - Selene: Cannot move more than three steps during combat and may only use physical attacks.
🎁 Cost to Martin: May only use physical thrusts; no other attacks allowed.
Martin activated his unique ability. The two of them were now bound by invisible restrictions.
What should I choose? …This.
Martin began to focus.
At that moment, Selene quietly turned to look at him.
A chill ran down Martin's spine.
Did she… notice something? N-no…
But he didn't dwell on it.
[When engaging me in combat, do not move more than three steps and use only physical attacks.]
The restriction was placed on Selene.
[I will not use any attack other than physical thrusts.]
The cost was placed on Martin.
“Hmm? Contestant? Are you alright?”
“...I'm fine.”
The referee asked indifferently as Martin suddenly began bleeding from the nose.
Is this all I can do?
Martin wiped his nose.
The price isn't too high, so…
He had used this same ability long ago when he slaughtered Leonia's remaining family members. He had stolen the swordsmanship ability of the Empire's Sword, but Leonia was also skilled in magic. So Martin had placed a restriction on Leonia that forbade her from using magic.
In exchange, he had promised that if she defeated him, he would spare everyone present at the scene. Because the price was the lives of her entire household, he had been able to place such a powerful restriction on Leonia.
When his Absolute Restriction activated, its specific details were unconsciously transmitted to the opponent. The opponent would unknowingly follow the restriction and accept its conditions.
So now you're finished too.
Selene would follow this restriction without even realizing it. A habit she wasn't aware of would form, and from now on, she wouldn't be able to move more than three steps during a swordsmanship match against Martin.
This unique ability wasn't affected by mana restriction magic except when first activated.
“Ah! Finally! We've received word that the match can resume!”
The referee regained control of the atmosphere.
But everyone seemed to already know the outcome of the match, and their reactions were lukewarm.
Just wait, you criminals… Now you'll cheer for my dramatic comeback.
Martin took his stance. His body naturally moved into a thrusting position.
I'll widen the distance and finish this. You won't be able to close the gap.
The referee's hand moved.
Had there ever been a moment when Martin was this nervous?
“Begin!”
“Here I come!”
Martin let out a roar as he thrust his sword forward.
THUD!
“Ugh?!”
Instead of the feeling of a thrust, a blunt object struck his face first.
“What?!”
Selene, standing five steps away, had thrown her mace and hit him in the face.
“Y-you bastard!”
She had thrown the mace without taking a single step.
“Ah! What an astonishing result! But this is clearly a valid swordsmanship strategy! Nine to zero!”
“Ahahaha!”
“Idiot!”
The referee shouted as if a special scene had occurred. The audience burst into loud laughter.
“Grrrrr!”
Martin's body trembled.
“Just you wait… I won't let this slide…”
“Ah! Now only one point remains! What will he do?!”
The referee raised his hand while holding back laughter.
“This time for sure!”
Martin took another thrusting stance.
“Begin!”
“I'll kill you!”
He thrust his sword fiercely, aiming for his opponent's solar plexus.
“Go ahead and throw it! It won't work twice!”
Completely prepared for a throwing attack, he was confident of victory.
“It's over!”
The moment his thrust, carrying the full balance of his body, flew toward Selene's chest—
Whoosh!
“Ugh?!”
Selene flexibly bent her upper body backward. With both feet planted firmly on the ground, she bent her knees and arched her back.
“Oh?!”
Having suddenly lost his target, Martin lost his balance and stumbled forward.
The moment he fell over Selene—
THUD!
“Gah?!”
Selene's mace struck his solar plexus. An enormous force slammed into it, and instead of landing on top of Selene, Martin flipped over her and crashed into the ground with a boom.
“Gah?!”
Martin's face slammed into the floor first.
“Ack?!”
There was no protective magic on the arena floor. One of Martin's front teeth shattered.
“Ten to zero! Overwhelming! She subdued her opponent without taking a single step!”
“Ahahaha!”
The audience laughed at Martin sprawled on the ground.
“Grrrr!”
Martin jumped up in rage.
“Where do you think you're running, you moron!”
The audience's boos still rang out.
“Martin!”
Rosy came running from afar, shouting.
“I told you not to call my name…”
“It's bad!”
“I know! We have to go to Plan B, I know…”
“No, that's not it…”
Rosy, who had been about to say something, quickly hid as she sensed someone's presence.
“What?”
“Shh!”
Rosy covered Martin's mouth.
“Huh?!”
When Martin saw the owner of the approaching presence, he jumped in shock.
“W-when did I fall asleep? You didn't start the match without me, did you?”
A man walked past the two hiding figures. He had the exact same face as the disguised Martin.
“Hey! I have to compete! Mr. Security Guard!”
“Hmm? Ahaha! After losing so badly, what are you talking about?”
The person who should have been lying there bleeding was right here, collapsed.
“What? How is that bastard still alive?”
“Martin, listen carefully.”
“What?”
“The one who killed Jackson.”
“Is the one who killed Jackson here?”
“Yes! I was out of it back then so I didn't realize, but it's that woman!”
“Who?!”
Rosy pointed toward the arena with a trembling voice.
“Selene! The woman you fought! She's the one who killed Jackson!”
Meanwhile.
“Yes! Next up is—!”
The spectators had no idea what was happening behind the arena.
“Kairen of Balcazar! And Rubelia of Estelle!”
They were cheering while watching another match.
“......”
And then.
“Tch! You want me to use this? No way.”
Kairen looked at the personal sword he was holding—a blade embedded with a peculiar jewel—and clicked his tongue in annoyance.