Martial Arts Tournament: Round of 16
"Ladies and gentlemen! You've waited long enough!"
The academy's grand auditorium.
To call it a grand auditorium was almost an understatement—it was a vast space capable of seating nearly several thousand people.
Upon the stage prepared there, a man raised his voice toward the surroundings, a magical tool for amplifying sound gripped in his hand.
"The tradition of Central Academy, boasting its long and storied history, and the festival of the kingdom! The clash of young blood and talent! And the grand celebration of sparkling raw gems!"
As everyone watched the scene with bated breath, the roof of the grand auditorium vanished amid a brilliant light, and the once-dim interior was instantly flooded with radiance.
"The main tournament of the Central Academy Martial Arts Tournament begins noooooooooooooooooooooooooow—!!"
In that instant, the man threw his head back in an exaggerated gesture and bellowed, while the waiting band struck up a majestic tune to herald the start of the tournament.
At the same time, a man seated in the VIP seats overlooking the entire hall rose from his place.
Blue hair and beard turning white with age. Yet from his sharp blue eyes, whose color had not faded in the slightest, a powerful will could still be felt.
Though he was growing old, every one of his movements carried the dignity that only a ruler could possess.
Alphonse Leoric fon Elianos III.
He was the King of the Elianos Kingdom and the man who stood as this nation's sovereign.
And at the same time, he was the father of the princess seated beside him—Elis Nella Elianos.
"Students of Central Academy. Young blood who will bear the future of the kingdom. To those of you who have fought through the grueling preliminaries, We hold boundless expectations. Through this martial arts tournament, We hope you will freely show Us the full measure of your potential."
With a royal address far too brief to be called a proper congratulatory speech, the king returned to his seat. Taking that as their cue, cheers erupted from every direction.
The first match: Schwarz, servant of the Valentine Count family!! And his opponent—the eldest son of the Edward Count family, a strong contender for the championship, and the rising star of the golem-crafting world: Philip Edward!!
"Haa…"
At the announcer's cry, Schwarz, who had been waiting below, stepped up onto the stage. From the opposite side, a boy also climbed onto the platform.
He stood about a head taller than Milia, with a slightly slender build.
Dark brown hair and brown eyes visible beneath round glasses left a strong impression.
This was none other than the boy who, during the preliminaries, had ridden atop a massive golem and beaten the other students into the ground.
"Khahaha! Looks like you got lucky enough to make it to the main tournament—but from here on out, you won't be able to count on luck!"
"I look forward to a good match."
A laugh that could only be described as that of an eccentric scientist.
Faced with that confident declaration, Schwarz calmly bowed his head and replied.
Both sides, ready yourselves! Begin the match!!
Confirming that both were prepared, the announcer's shout rang out together with the bell signaling the start of the match, and cheers exploded from the spectator seats.
"Sorry about this, but I've got to go all-out too! Don't take it too personally!"
With those words, he pulled a small stone from his coat.
A small blue stone brimming with considerable magical power.
Philip dropped it toward the ground. The moment the stone left his hand and touched the floor, it shattered, carving a pitch-black hole into the arena.
That's Gate Magic!! Contestant Edward! Just what are you trying to pull out of there!!
Watching the darkness undulate across the arena floor, the announcer shouted as if in excitement.
The next moment—
Kiiiiiiiiiiiiik—!!
Accompanied by the sound of metal meshing and grinding, a massive hand of pale, gleaming luster rose from the pitch-black hole.
The hand that had emerged from the darkness slammed down onto the arena floor with a heavy thud, and right after it, a humanoid form heaved its enormous body up out of the dark.
An Iron Golem—something only a master golem crafter is said to be able to create!! Philip Edward has summoned an Iron Golem!!
As the announcer cried out in disbelief at the sight before him, cheers erupted from the spectator seats as well.
A frame so massive that the ogre they had seen before looked small by comparison.
Between the steel plates of its body, gears and cogs whirred noisily, belching steam.
From the eye-slits of a helmet shaped like those worn by knights of the medieval age, blue light flickered and danced.
A giant robot forged of steel.
That single phrase was enough to describe the golem standing before them.
"Whoa…"
Gazing at the sight, Schwarz let out a low murmur of admiration.
The clanking of metal.
Gears meshing with perfect precision, pistons pumping in steady rhythm.
Even the heavy, oppressive presence created by the cold, unyielding material of metal itself.
Was it not the natural law that any man would feel a sense of romance toward the existence of robots?
"Heh heh. Well? My masterpiece that I've been secretly building since my first year? I originally planned to save it for the finals, but with His Majesty the King watching, I've got to give it my all too!"
"It's incredible! I never imagined I'd get to see something like this…!!"
Toward the triumphant Philip, Schwarz exclaimed with the pure, childlike face of a boy who had just discovered a brand-new toy.
"Hey, uh… I'm about to smash you to pieces with this thing, you know? Aren't you being a little too relaxed?"
Even judging by its completeness alone, his golem was close to the highest grade.
It could tear an ogre apart as easily as plucking the head off a doll, and because it had been coated with a special magic stone liquefied for its mana-absorbing properties, it possessed outstanding magical resistance.
On top of that, so long as the core in its head remained intact, it was even capable of self-repair—the ultimate crystallization of alchemy and magical engineering. A giant forged of metal.
An ordinary person would not even be able to stand properly under the pressure the golem radiated…
And yet, in Philip's eyes, Schwarz looked for all the world like a child who had found a fascinating new toy.
Treating my masterpiece like a mere plaything…
Watching that expression, Philip felt an inexplicable irritation well up inside him and flicked his fingers.
In response to the motion, his golem also began to emit irritable mechanical noises, white steam jetting from between its joints.
"I was going to go easy on you, but I've changed my mind."
In a cold voice, Philip spoke while staring at Schwarz, whose eyes were still sparkling.
"I'll beat you just enough that you won't die."
Immediately after, with a sound reminiscent of a steam locomotive's exhaust, Philip's golem charged straight at Schwarz.
At the sight of the golem advancing with thudding footsteps, silence settled over the crowd.
The spectacle of an Iron Golem larger than an ogre, belching steam as it moved, was that threatening.
—Poooooooooo!!
Spewing white steam, the golem that had charged the boy raised its massive arm.
The enormous arm of cold, gleaming metal caught the light pouring down from the ceiling and glittered…
The next moment, with a sound of slicing wind, the golem's arm came crashing down on the boy before it.
—Kuuuuung…!!
An enormous impact shattered the arena floor, sending fragments flying and a thick cloud of dust billowing upward.
Truly tremendous power.
The spectators who had watched the scene each held their breath, imagining what would come next.
But…
Uh… just now… what on earth happened?
As the thick cloud of dust cleared, Alphonse watching from the VIP seats, Elis, the other high-ranking dignitaries around them, the spectators below, and even the announcer whose job was to stir the atmosphere all stared at the scene before them with their mouths hanging open, unable to believe what had just occurred.
—Kiiiiiiiiik…!!
"Philip, was it?"
Having stopped the Iron Golem's attack with a single hand, Schwarz asked the question while looking at Philip, who stood with his mouth agape in shock.
From the golem's arm, white steam continued to jet out amid the sound of metal scraping.
"First, allow me to apologize. For having to break such a magnificent golem, that is."
"What…?"
For a moment Philip failed to grasp Schwarz's words and let out a dazed sound. At the same time, Schwarz tightened his grip on the Iron Golem's arm with a sharp Hup!
Simultaneously, amid the screech of metal, the Iron Golem—which had been raising its output—began to lift into the air.
"Haaah!!"
The next instant, Schwarz shouted another battle cry and slammed the raised Iron Golem down onto the floor.
A roar incomparable to the earlier impact thundered through the arena, and steam gushed from the golem, blanketing the surroundings in pure white.
I-I can't believe it! Contestant Schwarz has slammed the Iron Golem down with his bare hands!!
As the announcer cried out in disbelief at the sight before him, the sound of metal scraping could be heard through the thickly rising steam.
A short while later, the thoroughly unpleasant metallic noise ceased, and even the mechanical sounds of the golem's movement fell completely silent.
And then…
"Whew…!!"
Schwarz walked out of the steam, wiping the sweat from his brow, and approached Philip, who was staring at him with a vacant expression.
"Here. I tore it off as cleanly as I could, so there shouldn't be any problem repairing it."
"What…?"
Philip let out another dazed sound at those words, then shifted his gaze to what Schwarz held in his hand.
And when he saw the golem's head clutched in Schwarz's grip, he looked back at Schwarz with an utterly dumbfounded expression.
"You… just what the hell are you?"
He certainly wore a human form. But could the being standing before him truly be called human?
With that thought, Philip asked the question of Schwarz. Schwarz set the torn-off golem head down in front of him and answered.
"I am the servant of the young lady of the Valentine Count family—Milia Valentine."
Winner of the first match of the Round of 16! Schwarz!!
Schwarz answered Philip's question with a faint smile, and at that moment the announcer's cry rang out, unleashing a tremendous roar of cheers from the spectator seats.