Chapter Three: Xunyu the Yinglong

Chapter Three: Xunyu the Yinglong

Paladin, Ray Starling

Opera halls and the like had a thing called "boxes" or "loges." Half-open, half-closed and fixed to the walls, they were luxury seats which gave the best view of the stage.

Our box in the central arena was much like one of those, but not completely. It was closed off, but the wall facing the stage was all glass, giving us an unbroken view of the fight.

The normal seats in the arena were like those in a soccer stadium. The paths linking those with the viewer benches were all made of a stony material, while those of us in the box seats had a carpet under our feet and some fancy, antique-looking chairs — antique-looking by the standard of this world, anyway.

There was quite a bit of space between them, too, giving each of us the option to ignore the rough duels beneath and just relax. And with the fully-functional air-conditioning, the comfort here was nothing short of perfect.

Man, is this fancy, I thought. I can totally see why it cost a whole 100,000 lir. Of course, this is actually the equivalent of spending 1,000,000 yen to watch real life sports, which is something I'd definitely never do.

"For someone with a fortune of 60,000,000 lir in his pocket, you sure are frugal," said Nemesis.

Having money doesn't mean I have to be inconsiderate about how

I spend it. "Gacha."

"Guahh..." I groaned, unable to say anything back to her.

...B-But gacha has a charm that I can't resist, and...

"Ray, won't you watch the match?" asked Marie, who was sitting next to me.

"Oh, yeah, I will," I replied and shifted my attention to the stage.

Before that, though, I took one last look around our box. The ones in here were me, Nemesis, Rook, Babi, and Marie.

Due to Nemesis and Babi being Embryos, the two had gotten in here for free. However, I hadn't known that beforehand, so I'd tried to get in after returning Nemesis to the crest.

"This is not something I like saying, but I felt like a dog about to be carried in one of those portable crates," she said.

What kind of comparison is that? I thought.

"Oh, right. You're the dog here," she went on.

"Could you not dig up a memory I want to forget?!"

The dog ears disappeared this morning, and I want them gone from my head, too!

"They looked quite good on you, though," she said.

...Yeah, whatever.

Anyway, we five were the only people here. My brother, the last person in our box, still hadn't arrived yet.

Did he stop by a shop or something? I thought. Oh, well. I'll just wait for him while watching the match.

There was a semi-event going on in the battlefield below. It was a perfect chance for me to reassess how duels work.

First, once the people stood on the stage, they set and agreed to the battle conditions. Then, they activate a special duel city barrier and begin fighting.

Inside the barrier, any injuries received, including fatal ones and player death penalties, disappeared after the battle was over. That allowed for deadly-yet-safe fighting.

The safety of the spectators was accounted for, as well. Multiple layers of barriers separated the audience and the duelists, letting through only sound, light, and the fighters' enthusiasm.

Of course, dangerous light like lasers or dangerous sound like destructive sonic explosions were blocked, too. Though apparently, players under level 50 — like me — could pass through the barrier unhindered, which was the reason why I couldn't participate in duels yet.

Also, the box we were in had come equipped with various devices. For example, there were monitors imbued with farsight magic, letting us observe the battle from numerous angles. The battle's sounds reached us, as well, including the words of the participants and the names of the skills they used. All of it made for a highly simple and convenient viewing experience.

These boxes were used by wealthy tian nobles, traders, and Masters who wanted to analyze the fighters on the stage.

"But many are just enjoying the duel, right?" I said to myself.

Due to no one's life being in danger, there were a lot of people who participated in duels. It was a popular activity among Masters and tian fighters alike. However, the main attraction of the arenas was the duels between Masters, and after seeing the fight before me, I could totally understand why. It was simply on a different level.

"Hhaahhhh!" shouted one of the Masters in the fight before me.

She was a black longsword-wielding, gothic-looking girl with black

wings reminiscent of fallen angels sprouting from her back, and she freely flew around the space inside the barrier while leaving black feathers all around her.

"Blackwing Orchestra!"

Each and every one of the innumerable scattered feathers released jet-black wind blades. They formed a dark lattice which rent the air as it surrounded the enemy, fully intent on slicing her apart.

However, the opponent, a girl wearing a pirate hat and swinging around a giant golden ax as if it was no big deal, tightly gripped her weapon and forced it into the stage's stony floor. "World Reversal Waterfall!"

A moment later, the seemingly-empty stage's surface released a great flow of water with a force far more immense than a flash flood's.

The jet surrounding the girl was much like the skill's name: a reverse waterfall. It made the surrounding black wind blades completely vanish.

However, at that moment, the black-winged girl broke through an opening in the waterfall caused by the clashing between the water and the feathers, and slashed straight at the pirate girl, who still had her ax stuck in the stage.

The pirate girl used her left bracer to block the attack, but it wasn't enough. It broke through the material and damaged her regardless. But at the same time, the gothic girl bent her body due to injury.

Right as the pirate girl raised her left hand to protect herself, she used a blind spot created by the enemy's attack to launch an offensive skill with her right hand, creating a ball of water which hit the gothic girl right in her abdomen.

The winged girl instantly jumped backwards, and the pirate girl's ax cut through the air where she'd just stood. She'd probably been

aiming to make use of the gothic girl's loss of posture, but it hadn't worked.

The two spread out, creating some distance between them, then stared at each other, predicted their opponent's moves, and clashed once again.

"Damn, they're good," I said. I was a bunch of tiers beneath them, not just in terms of basic stats, but playing skill, as well. "But I can still see them."

Which was strange, since Marie had told me that high AGI would make people immensely fast.

"Oh, that's because the flow of time is set to slow down inside the barrier," she said. "From the fighters' perspective, they're moving at their actual battle speed, while we in the audience see it in a speed that allows us to properly observe what's going on. There's a limit to this, though."

"Well, that's convenient," I said.

"Truly," she agreed. "That's how it works from a player's perspective. But according to the setting, this is lost technology from an old civilization."

So the arena itself is the same kind of thing as Silver, huh? I thought.

"I'd say it's necessary, though," she added. "If they fought at their normal speed, not even a tenth of the spectators could see what's going on."

Well, that sure says a lot about just how fast they're fighting.

"They're Juliet the 'Black Raven' and Chelsea the 'Vagrant Golden Sea.' Both are highly experienced Masters with sixth form Embryos. They're also on Altar's duel rankings. The former is fourth, while the latter is eighth."

That made sense, considering how well they were fighting.

"I think I saw the one in the pirate hat when we were eating sweets," said Nemesis.

Now that you mention it, yeah, she might've been there, I thought.

Nemesis turned to Marie. "Are 'Black Raven' and 'Vagrant Golden Sea' their nicknames?"

"Y es," she nodded. "As for jobs, well, the former is a Fallen Knight

— a Superior Job derived from the dark knight subgroup of the knight grouping — while the latter is a Great Pirate — a high-rank job from the pirate grouping."

Oh, Black Raven is in the knight grouping? I thought. I'm not sure whether it makes me feel any affinity for her. I mean, her equipment is a bit scary-looking...

"I sincerely doubt the girl would like to hear that from you, of all people," commented Nemesis.

What's that supposed to mean?

"By the way, are Superior Jobs common?" I asked.

"Not when you look at the whole picture," Marie answered. "Still, there are far more of them than Superiors, Masters with Superior Embryos. If I had to guess, I'd say that people with Superior Jobs are in the quadruple digits. Even tians can get those jobs, after all."

That was a greater number than I'd expected.

"Strong Masters stuck with high-rank Embryos often go for those jobs," she added.

"But despite being strong, this 'Vagrant Golden Sea' lady doesn't have a Superior Job, right?" asked Rook.

"Oh, Chelsea is one of those who've yet to discover a Superior Job

she could take," said Marie. "There are tons of jobs with unknown conditions, after all."

Well, her status makes sense now, I thought.

"Having your Superior Job get occupied before you even know its conditions must be tragic," I commented.

"Oh, that happens a lot," said Marie. "Some Superior Jobs have similar conditions, after all. There are even people who have taken two of them."

"What an unfair world... Ah!"

As I listened to Marie's explanation, something big began happening in the match. The wings of the Fallen Knight, Juliet, disappeared, and a moment later, countless black feathers gathered around her hands. Soon, they all began whirling around her arms, accelerating to speeds so great it became hard to differentiate them.

The Great Pirate, Chelsea, swung her ax and made its wide middle part face her opponent. Then the golden ax part vanished, leaving behind a hole which released a powerful flow of golden seawater.

Using all their magic and technique, the two reached the limits of their power and unleashed their ultimate attacks.

"Corpse-Eating Bird — Hræsvelgr!"

"Golden Bull Tsunami — Poseidon!"

The stage became overwhelmed by the clash between a dark whirlwind and a golden tsunami.

Even with all the layers of barriers separating us, the visual pressure and the sound waves reaching us were still overwhelming.

The struggle between a tornado and a tidal wave — likely the results of their trump cards — made for a sight that felt completely

otherworldly.

Their Embryos were in their sixth forms, making them four tiers above Nemesis. Naturally, their destructive power was immense. It wouldn't have surprised me if both of those attacks were doing enough damage to instantly pulverize Gardranda.

However, there was more than just power to them. The entire battle that had led to this moment was a show of just how skilled they really were.

"So, is it safe to assume that these attacks are the 'ultimate skills' you told us about, and that their Embryo names are Hræsvelgr and Poseidon?" asked Nemesis.

"Y es," she said. "These attacks are their Embryos' ultimate skills, each named after the Embryo itself. They express the Embryo's dominant characteristics, which is why Hræsvelgr is a dark-wind mixed-element magic attack, while Poseidon is a liquid-summoning skill."

"Is there a difference between liquid-summoning and the water element?" I asked.

"In the simplest of terms, liquid-summoning is physical, while elements, including water, are magic. By the way, the liquid from Poseidon's ultimate skill is basically standard-temperature molten gold, and is far heavier than normal water. It can easily flatten fortresses."

"How luxurious," I said. "Damn freaky, too."

"Well, it all disappears after the attack is over."

That made sense. A person that could constantly spawn gold wouldn't be good for the game's market price.

"But man, I've gotta say, you're pretty knowledgeable about them, aren't you?" I asked.

"They're frequent duelists, after all," she replied. "There's lots of info about them."

That was the thing about duels. Masters who participated in Gideon's duels would receive rewards regardless of whether they won or lost — though, naturally, the victor got more. For those who fought in this arena's main events, the reward could easily reach 5,000,000 lir. With today's event being so special, that number was multiplied tenfold. Naturally, those are some high returns, but they came at a high risk of giving information about yourself to the spectators — other players included.

Marie had demonstrated this cost quite well. Being part of DIN, she knew everything from the two girls' jobs to the details of their Embryos' ultimate skills.

"Still, there are frequent duelists about whom we know absolutely nothing," she added.

I was silent.

"That's why I'm very excited about the next match."

The battle on the stage reached its end, and Juliet the Black Raven proclaimed her victory.

With that, it was time for the main event.

It was a match which would involve Gideon's ultimate king of duels, number one on the Kingdom of Altar's duel rankings: Over Gladiator, Figaro. His opponent was number two on the Huang He Empire's duel rankings: Master Jiangshi, Xunyu.

The curtains were about to rise for the Clash of the Superiors.

◇

The Kingdom of Altar had four Masters with Superior Embryos.

I'd seen them battle — no, completely annihilate — the PK clans surrounding the capital, so I was more than aware that their power was stupidly immense.

According to Marie, low-rank, high-rank, and Superior Embryos were all on completely different levels.

"To compare, low-rank are like dogs, high-rank are like tigers, and Superior-rank are like dragons," she said.

Naturally, this made for a difference so great, it left no room for hope for the lower creature. No normal players could match Superiors and their absolute power, so it was inevitable that they researched and gathered as much info on them as they could.

Therefore, because both dueling Masters were Superiors, most of these curious folks were focusing on their Superior Embryos.

There was so little info on the Kingdom of Altar's Superior Embryos that not even DIN knew much about them. Even the names of three of them were a complete mystery, while their abilities didn't even leave the realm of speculation.

The one Embryo that was known was High Priestess Tsukuyo Fuso's, but that certainly couldn't be said about the other three. Previously, Marie had suggested that the King of Destruction's Embryo was a battleship, but again, that was nothing but speculation. People merely assumed that based on the glimpses of a large shape lingering around the complete and utter destruction he left in his wake.

Due to this desperate lack of info, players were still eagerly searching for hints about their abilities. And, of course, a match involving Figaro was nothing short of a perfect opportunity.

"So that's what's been keeping you busy, huh?" I asked Marie.

"Y eah."

After the semi-event was done, there was a thirty minute interval until the main event began. It was used for maintenance of the stage and the barrier. Marie spent a lot of this time taking out various equipment from her inventory and setting it up. She was going to record the fight for her Journalist work.

Rook and Babi, seemingly tired from something they'd done in the afternoon, were spread out on their chairs and sleeping.

Better wake them up when the match begins, I thought.

Nemesis, as was standard with her, was emptying food she'd bought at one of the stands here.

After watching my party members, I began looking around the arena, when...

"...Huh?" I said.

"Hm?" she added.

Nemesis and I noticed something.

We saw a black shape disappear into the hallway below, and it was highly reminiscent of the black bear suit that my brother wore.

"What do you think?" asked Nemesis.

"Shu isn't the only one in this world to wear a suit, but it looked very similar to his."

However, assuming it was him, I could only wonder why he was there and not here in our box.

"I'll go check," I said and stood up.

"I'll come with you," said Nemesis.

After telling Marie that I'd be back before the event started, I went to search for my brother.

The arena's inner hallways were stony and had a design similar to the one used in real life sports stadiums.

Sure, there weren't any vending machines, but there were people selling light food and drinks. With the main event getting closer, many people were rushing to stock up on snacks or to answer mother nature's call, causing the hallways to be pretty crowded.

Though it didn't matter to the players — who logged out and did their business in reality — this world had flushable toilets. They were based on magic and were quite common in middle and upper class households.

Baths existed here, as well. However, they weren't too common in commoner residences, so most people opted for public bathhouses. I was even told that one of the twelve districts here in Gideon was known as the bath district.

First a Colosseum, then bathhouses... this city is strangely similar to ancient Rome, I thought.

"I don't see Brother Bear anywhere," said Nemesis.

"Strange, considering how much he stands out," I commented.

I didn't know for sure whether it had been him or not, but I had little doubt that I'd seen a bear suit...

"Hm? Doesn't this look suspicious to you?" she asked, pausing outside a corridor.

"It says 'Staff Only,' though," I said.

"We can just pretend that we got lost. I can even act out a good lost child."

"...Might I ask how?"

"Meow meow mew meow, meow meow mew meow."

"That's just the mewing kitten from that children's song!"

"I really don't like how it ends with the kitten still being lost."

Well, it asked a crow and a sparrow for directions, so it's to be expected that it didn't find its way.

Now, back to the matter at hand...

Nemesis and I entered the staff-only hallway. I expected to get confronted instantly, but it seemed that the arena staff were too busy preparing for the event in other places, leaving the hallway empty.

After going a bit further, I heard a familiar voice from behind the corner. Stealthily, I took a peek at the two speakers.

"We have two among the spectators. One's the guy from Caldina, and... Dryfe's King of Beasts, I think."

"I see. I'm sure getting some attention, aren't I?"

"Well, it's the first time you've been in an arena battle against another Superior. They're probably thinking that they can finally get info on you."

"I'm not really hiding it or anything, though."

"Y eah, it's just that your Embryo's effects are simple and not flashy at all."

"Y ou might be right."

"Also... overall, the city's enthusiastic, but I'm smelling something really fishy. I saw some shady-looking kingdom people. They might be planning something, so you should be on your guard. I'm warning you because you're usually dense about stuff like this."

"All right... Am I really that dense, though?"

"Y ou're a calm yet hot-blooded idiot, Figgy my boy."

"Really? I'm not sure if I agree."

"What do you do if you see a weird silhouette in the dungeon?"

"Launch a Crimson Dead Keeper from mid-range."

"What do you do if a PK group occupies an area?"

"Kill all the members, face the leader, and demand that they leave."

"What do you do if there's a horde of monsters and all you have is a club?"

"Charge at them."

"Y eah, you're hot-blooded."

"...Y ou might be right."

Behind the corner, a black bear suit was talking to a golden lion suit.

"Why are you so stiff? What did you s—PFFT...?!" The sight made Nemesis burst into laughter, which attracted the two's attention.

"Ayy, haven't seen you fur... however long has passed since teatime," said the black bear. As expected, he was my brother.

"Well, if it isn't Ray and Nemesis," added the golden lion. "I see you made it to this city."

The golden lion talked to me in Figaro's voice. In fact, it was Figaro.

"Umm..."

All right, Figaro's pretty weird, too, I thought. That makes three, so it's safe to conclude that suits are a sign of a weirdo.

The four of us moved from the hallway to Figaro's waiting room.

"So, why are you in a lion suit?" I asked.

"I'm quite famous in this city," he said. "Walking around like normal can get pretty troublesome."

Oh, so it's like the hat and sunglasses combo that celebrities use.

"It's just a piece of joke equipment I bought at the bazaar, though," he added. "I wouldn't mind having a UBM special reward suit like Shu's, but MVPs only get what they really need."

True. My Miasmaflame Bracers and Grudge-soaked Greaves had been exactly what I'd needed.

"I've defeated many UBMs, and I've yet to get a single suit," he said and faced my brother. "How do you even get them, Shu?"

"Listen, Figgy boy, you wouldn't like it if all the UBM rewards you got except for one were suits, now, would you?" said Shu. "Y ou can't equip more than one of them, after all."

I'm really curious about that exception. I thought. What could he have a gotten that's not a suit? A portable signboard?

"Unlike me, getting special reward equipment doesn't mean all that much to you," said Figaro. "The system probably thinks that it's best to just give you another suit."

"Damn you, Humpty... Y ou're unbearable!" Shu complained.

"Are control AIs actually responsible for that?" Figaro asked.

"I care not!" snapped Shu.

There's this and the thing with his first login... Is Shu actually hated by the control AIs? I thought.

"I must say, you two sure get along well," said Nemesis. "Brother Bear already told us that you're friends, but still."

"Friends... well, yes we are," said Figaro in response. "Y ou probably know this by now, but Shu and I are this country's Su—"

"'Super Splendid and Merry Suit Club' members!" Shu broke in. "There are only two people in it fur now."

...Just you two? Also, it's pretty blatant that only Figaro got dragged into it.

"U-Umm..." Figaro hesitantly spoke up. "Oh, speaking of special rewards, your bracers and boots seem like fine pieces of equipment."

"Oh, yes," I responded. "I've defeated two UBMs so far."

"Oho... Hmm... 'Miasmaflame Bracers, Gardranda' and 'Grudge-soaked Greaves, Gouz-Maise.' Oh, so you were the one who defeated the gang that everyone was talking about."

"Y es," I said.

In all honesty, I wished to have a word with him. If Figaro had done something about the Gouz-Maise Gang, they would've been defeated much earlier and there would've been far fewer victims.

However, I was aware that there was no use in saying it at this point. Figaro had probably had his own reasons for not going. Also, the idea of demanding that a person should do something simply because they were capable of doing it seemed pretty unreasonable.

"After all, you yourself are the type to attempt something regardless of whether you actually have the power to do it," said Nemesis.

You might be right, I thought.

The various things that had happened during that quest were now a part of me. Considering what could've been if someone else had gone instead of me was a mistake.

"Both of them have good skills... and your own feelings," said

Figaro. "Make sure to treasure them."

"I will," I nodded. But man, he just identified my equipment as if it's no big deal.

"When identifying people's equipment, the information you get is often beary limited, but Figgy's Identification skill is almost maxed, so the details aren't hidden to him," said Shu. "Still, it doesn't work on stuff like special rewards with a concealment effect on them."

"Like this thing," said Figaro as he pointed at Shu's suit.

It dawned on me for the first time that my brother's suit, being Ancient Legendary, was a far bigger deal than I'd thought it was. No one could really fault me for that, though. It looked like a mere piece of joke equipment. But now, I knew that it was a piece of joke equipment with ridiculously good stats.

"By the way, why were you in a staff-only hallway?" asked Shu.

I explained that I'd seen him from the box and had come to look for him.

"Why didn't you come to the box?" I asked. "Y ou have a ticket, don't you?"

"Oh, I just had some beary unimportant business to attend to. Been walking around here and there."

"I see," I nodded. "Still, I'd like it if you got there before the match. I want to introduce you to my party."

"Y eah, I'll be there in a minute. Oh, right, I forgot to give this to you during our teatime." Shu dug through his inventory and took out something resembling ear cuffs.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Telepathy Cuffs," he answered. "It bears a power that allows you

to telepathically talk to friends who also have this equipped."

"For real?" I took it from him and put it on my ear, filling up one of my accessory slots.

[Can you hear me?] Shu's voice rang out in my head.

I was used to telepathy with Nemesis, but the way I heard this was different.

[Y eah, I can,] I answered.

[Then the test went fine.]

Damn fine, actually, I thought.

From what I could see, his bear ears didn't have any Cuffs on them. Well, obviously they wouldn't work unless he had them on his actual ears. He's probably wearing them inside the suit.

"This item's pretty useful," I said.

"Beary useful, yes, but there's a range limit. It should cover all of Gideon and its surroundings, though," explained Shu. "I was actually planning on giving this to you when we split up in the capital."

"I see. I'd say that now is the better time, though. If you'd given me this when I started, I feel like I would've relied on you more than I should've."

"Nice to see such enthusiasm for self-reliance. Still, do call me when you're sure you can't handle something by yourself."

"Y eah. Help me out when I really need it."

"I will," he said as he puffed out his chest. There was pride in that action, but his appearance made it seem somewhat humorous, as well.

"Oh, it's almost time," said Figaro.

I looked at the clock and, sure enough, the main event was a mere 15 minutes away. Figaro probably had some preparations to make, so it was time for us to leave.

"Figaro, do your best in the duel," I said.

"We're acquaintances at this point, so we're cheering for you!" added Nemesis.

"Thank you," he responded. "Oh, by the way, the reception should still be open, so you could go there and bet on me."

Figaro used some skill or something to instantly switch from his lion suit to the equipment he'd worn when I'd met him in the Tomb Labyrinth. Then, he put on a gentle, yet strong, smile.

"I'll win, so you will surely make a profit."

He said that as if it were already a fact.

I felt as though those words carried the pride of an unmatched king and the weight of the entire history that led him to becoming the duel city's strongest.

"All right," I said.

If he says it with such confidence, I have no reason to not do it, I thought.

"I'll come after talking to Figgy a bit more," my brother said. "Wait fur me in the box."

"Well, okay," I said.

With that, Nemesis and I left the waiting room.

◇◇◇

"By the way, what is this 'Splendid and Merry Suit Club,' Shu?" Figaro asked.

"That was the only thing that came to mind at that point."

"Have you actually not told him who you are yet?"

"Leave that aside fur now," said Shu. "What's important right now is the upcoming event."

"True."

"Y ou pretty much just said that you're certain you'll win, but the opponent isn't that easy, right? If you ask me, your chances are 50%, if not lower."

"That's about how I see it, too. I'm facing one of the Huang He Si Ling — the country's four strongest."

"And you're the Kingdom of Altar's toughest solo player — Figaro the Endless Chain."

"I probably shouldn't say this myself, but both sides sure are something," Figaro said. "I wouldn't mind watching this fight."

"Okay, now wait just a second here."

"Don't worry. Battles such as these, ones that set my life ablaze, are the very reason why I'm here in Infinite Dendrogram. That's why... I'll win with all that I am."

◇◇◇

The arena's reception counter was split into two — one for battle entries and one for gambling. The window for entries was already closed for the day. Also, with most people already having placed their bets and the match starting in but a few minutes, the hallway was almost completely empty.

The board above the counters — which looked much like an electric one due to the magic it used — displayed the odds for the main event. It said "1.2x" next to Figaro and "5.6x" next to his opponent. The

difference was considerably great, but that was a testament to just how much people trusted Figaro's power.

I spoke to the receptionist and went through the betting process. "How much are you betting?" asked Nemesis.

"Well, it's just 1.2x, so I won't win all that much if I don't put lots of money into it," I said. "So let's go with this."

I bet 60,000,000 lir on Figaro.

"Y OU IMBECILE!" howled Nemesis as she hit me with a dropkick and launched me across the hallway.

"Wh-What are you doing?!" I exclaimed.

"No, what are you doing?! Why are you throwing all the riches you've been blessed with into a gamble?!"

"Because I believe what Figaro told me."

"Be honest," she snarled.

"...I wanted to have an authentic gambling manga experience."

"All right, sit down right there. I'll thoroughly teach you about the importance of money!" Nemesis then commenced to scold me right in front of the reception...

"Too bAd, guy. All of that's going down the dRain."

I heard a strange mutter and felt someone grab my shoulder. I gasped and hastily turned around, but I didn't see anyone before me.

Actually, I did, but the person was standing ten meters ahead. It was impossible to grab anyone's shoulder from such a distance, and indeed, nothing was touching mine anymore.

For a moment, I thought that I only imagined someone touching

my shoulder because I heard the voice, but concluded that it couldn't be true, for the sensation was still there.

The touch was colder than ice, making me feel as though it had grabbed not just my shoulder, but my very heart under my ribcage.

"So Figaro's just 1.2x, eH?" the creature spoke. "I know I'm the 'away' fighter hEre and all, but damn, thEy're seriously underestimaTing me."

Even when filtered through Infinite Dendrogram's excellent translation function, the words still came with a strange intonation.

The creature walked while releasing an abnormal aura. As it approached, the people that were still in the hallway backed away or outright ran for it.

The receptionist lady, too, fell out of her chair and sank to the floor, looking like she was about to cry. No one could really fault her.

I had no idea what made the creature seem so unamused, so full of ire, but it was emitting immense amounts of bloodlust all around it.

I silently watched the creature. At the core, we humans were nothing but animals, and my base instincts were warning me that I was facing death itself. However, I kept looking at it regardless. And as I did, I realized that the creature's very form was as abnormal as its aura.

Also, it was more than ten meters away from me. The reason why I'd thought it was closer was its unnatural height, which seemed to surpass four meters.

Though the hallway had been built with tall Demi-Humans in mind, it was still just barely large enough for it.

The creature was wearing a hat with a talisman hanging at the front, making it reminiscent of jiangshi from Chinese movies. Its body was covered in loose clothing that seemed too big for it, only

giving slight peeks of its limbs. However, the very fact that those limbs could peek from under those two meter-long sleeves was more than daunting.

Its legs and arms were ridiculously long. The nails were metallic, sharp, and intimidating enough to make me absolutely certain that they had been used to kill thousands.

Naturally, the creature was frightening.

"Gh...!" Becoming aware of my fear made my legs shiver.

The Demi-Dragon Worm, Gardranda, Gouz-Maise... not a single one of the mighty creatures I'd faced had ever made me lose my fighting spirit, but the thing before me almost made it shatter. My instincts were telling me that this tall creature was on an entirely different level than anything I'd fought and that my only real option was to run away.

However, before I could do that, I noticed that it was holding a woman as if she was piece of baggage.

"Ah!"

The pained expression on her face rendered me incapable of ignoring them and running away.

"Nemesis!" I shouted.

"Got it!" she replied and instantly merged with me, taking her greatsword form.

Feeling my partner's palpitations in my right hand instantly revived my will to fight.

"WhAt? Y ou wanNa go?" the creature responded as I pointed my greatsword at it.

The creature raised its right hand in a bored manner while still

holding the girl in its left.

The motion was followed by an unamused sigh, after which the right hand bent in a bizarre manner, taking a sickle-like shape.

At the same time, the bloodlust it was releasing into the surroundings was suddenly focused on me, which was a sign of an attack.

"Coun—"

"Too slOw."

I momentarily envisioned Nemesis breaking and my head soaring through the air.

"STOOOOP! PAWS THIS!" a voice shouted.

However, that future didn't come. "HuH?" The creature's bloodlust disappeared as if it had never been there. No — it didn't disappear — it was simply directed at someone else instead. That someone was the one who'd shouted and intervened.

"The hell are yOu?" the creature asked.

"Just a bear passing by!" answered the new target of its hostility — my brother, Shu.

No longer being the creature's target made me heave a sigh of relief. It was all but certain that, if Shu hadn't come, I would've been given my second death penalty.

"A beaR? Hmm, you seem pRetty tough," said the creature.

"Oh no, I'm just someone who's beary enthusiastic about suits."

"HahAh, now ain't that somEthing."

Less than a moment after the creature laughed, a plosive sound, a metallic scraping sound, a crashing sound, and a crushing sound

reached my ears, all at the same time. It was bewildering beyond words. I'd heard the sounds, but I couldn't see what had caused them.

Before I'd realized it, Shu's right arm was positioned in a way that made it seem like it had deflected something, while the creature's right hand was aimed at him. One of the nearby pillars had been shattered, and my brother's suit's right arm had released white smoke

— a sign of recent friction.

I hadn't seen a thing, but it was obvious that they'd just gone through an exchange of blows. It had simply been too fast for me to see with my naked eye.

Remembering what Marie had told me, I realized that I'd just born witness to supernatural movements caused by ridiculously broken stats — a fight that had happened beyond the sound barrier.

"Kh, he, hahAhah! Y ou sure are somEthing, bear! Is it you, tHen? Are yoU Figaro?" the jiangshi asked.

"Bearily not!" my brother declared.

"Y eah, fiGured! Y ou're not whAt I saw on the phOto, and I doubt the kingdom's king of dUels would waLk around looking so wEird!"

...He did, though, I thought.

"SeriouSly, you're somEthing! Y ou deflected my attacks dEspite being way slOwer than me!"

He did?

"Altar's dying and all, so I unDerestimated it, but it loOks like coming here wAs worth it, after all! Even if the Figaro guY 's no good, I think it'd be fuN to fight you, iNstead!"

"Y eah. I won't say no to a brawl with you if Figaro loses," said Shu. "But that won't be happening. I mean, he's gonna beat you."

"Heh, hehEheheHe! Guy must bE a big deaL to have you beliEve in him so much! Guess I now hAve two maiN dishes in sTore for me!" With those words as its last, the lanky creature passed us by and went further into the hallway.

"...Wait!" I shouted before it left.

"HuUh?" the creature turned to me and tilted its head, clearly bothered out of its mind. The murderous intent aimed at me filled me with fear again, but I couldn't back down.

"What do you intend to do with her?" I asked.

At this point, I was more than aware that I had no chance against this creature. But I couldn't turn a blind eye to what was happening. It would've left a bad taste in my mouth.

"'Her'? Oh, you meAn this?" said the creature and put the woman it was holding on the ground.

She groaned in pain.

"She's witH me. The waY we got here wAs a bit rough, so she becAme a bit nauseOus and groggy," said the creature and heaved a heavy sigh.

"Eh?" I asked in confusion.

They're together? Seriously? I thought. Oh.... now that I look at

her, she seems a bit pale and her expression isn't too good, but there's not a single injury on her.

"HmM? Wait, did yoU actually staNd up to me bEcause you thought I was a kidNapper or something?" the creature demanded.

"...Sorry."

Seriously, I apologize. I jumped to conclusions.

I probably just hadn't been rational in the face of all that pressure, but that didn't change the fact that it would've been a really stupid death if Shu hadn't intervened.

Damn, is this embarrassing.

"Kh, heH, khaHahahahAhahahah!" My response made the creature burst out laughing. "Y ou're quite somEthing, too, aren't yOu? Y ou actuAlly tried to fight me whEn I was releasing bloodlust all aroUnd me! First thE bear, now you — therE sure are a lot of fUnny guys among this cOuntry's Masters!" it said and placed its long, metallic claws on my head.

Before I could even see it move, it brought its talisman-hidden face to my ear...

"I like you, sweetcheeks. Let's play together sometime."

...and said that with a voice that wasn't filtered by the talisman's magic.

...Eh? Wait, that voice is...

"HahahAh! See ya laTer!" said the creature before turning around and dragging the woman on the floor to the other end of the hallway.

As it distanced itself from us, I could still hear it say, "Hey, ambasSador, wake up alreAdy. Y ou have woRk to do."

To that, the woman groaned and weakly said, "Please, no more supersonic air travel..."

After they left, the mood around us instantly cooled down.

"Y o, that was damn close, wasn't it?" said Shu.

"...Thanks, bro." I probably would've died if he hadn't helped me out. The creature had had both the power and the killing intent to do it.

"It's pretty cool to be able to brandish your sword against a thing like that, but you should bear in mind to use your courage where it actually counts," he added. "It's too early for you to be battling Superiors."

"Superiors... So that's..."

"Y eah, that's Figaro's opponent. One of the four greatest that the land of hermits has to offer — a part of the Huang He Si Ling."

Xunyu the Yinglong. I shivered.

◇

"We're back," I said.

"Pawrdon the intrusion," my brother added.

By the time Nemesis, Shu, and I returned to the box, Marie had finished setting up her equipment. Rook and Babi were awake, and they all stared at my brother, visibly confused.

Well, the sudden appearance of an unfamiliar guy in a bear suit

makes for a very strange scenario, I thought. Wait... Is it just me, or is Marie more shocked than confused?

"Umm... R-Ray? Wh-Who is this... bear... man...?" she asked with a stiff expression on her face.

I guess the suit's freaking her out.

"This is my brother," I answered. "We happened to be in the same box."

"Well, that's quite an interesting coincidence," commented Rook. "Oh? What's wrong, Marie?"

"I-It's not... It's nothing, really."

Though she said that, it certainly didn't seem like nothing. Her facial expression was visibly constrained. Also, she was muttering something along the lines of "They're so, so alike... It's a suit, not fur, but the texture is the same... The voice is similar, too... And it's a bear..."

"Marie," I spoke up. "Y ou're..."

"Eh?!" she exclaimed. "I-I'm what?"

The agitation in her voice made me absolutely certain that Marie was...

"Y ou're afraid of bears, aren't you?" I asked.

For a moment, my question left her completely dumbfounded.

Then, she nodded in a slightly exaggerated manner.

"Y -Y -Y -Y -Y es! Th-That's exactly it! I'm just not good with bears! Y es, it's definitely not that I'm afraid of the Kin— I-I mean, your brother!"

For some reason, she wasn't nearly as articulate as usual.

I guess bears scare her more than I thought.

"I guess I shouldn't look like this, then," said Shu. "Bear with me for a second." Suddenly, the bear disappeared and — for some reason — was replaced by a bipedal whale.

But then, it's a question whether a bipedal whale is actually a whale, I thought.

"If you can't handle bears, then perhaps this is fine? Whale?" asked Shu.

"Did you just replace 'well' with 'whale'? Holy crap, what a stretch!" I said.

"Whale, you got any better whale puns for me, wise guy?!"

"No, I don't!"

Seriously, I don't recall ever seeing a whale character that emphasizes his whaleness with whale puns, I thought.

"U-Umm," Marie spoke up. "It's fine. I've calmed down. Y ou can return to being a bear."

"Really? Very whale, then," said my brother before getting engulfed in light and becoming a bear again.

Man, now that I have something to compare it to, his bear appearance seems so calming. I thought. Really, there's a certain sense of security about it.

Of course, there was the big question of whether it was really a good idea to feel safe around a guy in his late twenties wearing a bear suit and talking with bear puns, but I felt it would be best to leave that for later.

"All right," I said. "Let me introduce you again. The person inside this suit is my big brother."

"Bearliest of greetings to you all. I'm Ray's brother IRL, Shu."

What kind of greetings are "bearly," anyway? I thought. Oh, whatever.

"And these are my party members..."

"I'm Rook, and this is my Embryo, Babi."

"Heyyy, I'm Babi!"

"I-I'm Marie Adler. Pleased to meet you."

"Marie Adler?" Shu repeated her name and tilted his head to the side.

That movement made Marie shake a bit.

Are you sure you're not afraid of the bear suit? I thought.

"Is your job 'Journalist'?" my brother asked.

"Y -Y es it is," she answered.

How did he get her job right just by hearing her name? Is it because of all the equipment here?

"I've read that manga, too," he said.

"Which manga?" I asked.

"Into The Shadow. 'Marie Adler' is the name of its protagonist, and she works as a journalist."

"I see," I said. "Y ou like that manga, Marie?"

"Y es, I do," she admitted. "It's the reason why I chose this name and job."

Well, it certainly wasn't uncommon for MMO players to take the

names and appearances of characters they liked.

"Is it also the reason for the way you talk?" asked Shu.

"Of course. It's just roleplay," she answered. "None of my peers talk this casually when they're over twenty."

She's sure dedicated, I thought. Also, this was the first time I'd learned that she was older than me.

"Into The Shadow, was it?" I said. "Maybe I should read it, too."

"Just so you know, it was discontinued by its magazine," said my brother. "The first part of its story finished and its serialization stopped, just like that."

Well, damn...

"It was pretty popular, though," he added. "I liked it a lot, too, and I'd love it if it restarted sometime."

"Thank you. I appreciate that," said Marie. It seemed she was a big fan.

I should really buy it when I get the chance, I decided. If they think it's a good read, I might enjoy it, too.

"Ladies and gentlemen! The wait is over! Today's main event — The Clash of the Superiors — is about to begin!" a voice called, announcing the start of the match. It rang out throughout the arena, accompanied by music.

I'd been told that, just like the toilets in this world, announcements were done by magic.

"Oh, the fight's about to begin," said Shu. "Best get mentally prepared fur it."

"True," agreed Marie. "I have to record it, too."

We all sat down and began preparing for the event.

Man, now that I think about it, an event called the "Clash of the Superiors" is exactly what it says on the tin, I thought. Figaro and Xunyu — two Superiors bearing Superior Jobs — were about to clash.

This would likely be a battle unlike any I'd seen so far. After all, the ones fighting were some of the most high-end, top class beings in Infinite Dendrogram.

"First, the eastern gate! The entrance of our venerable guest!" the announcer called.

A spotlight focused on one of the entrances.

"A Superior hailing from the land of Huang He! The great martial artist bearing the nickname of 'Y inglong'! The beast from the east! The Master Jiangshi! XUN... Y UUUUUUUUUU!"

There was a boom, a crescendo of music, and even a release of smoke. A moment later, the creature broke the thick veil and showed itself.

Its frame surpassed four meters in length, causing many spectators to scream from shock. A single glance at its abnormally long limbs was enough to send chills down the spine.

To the eyes of those living in this country, which had a Western setting, even the creature's clothes seemed like they belonged in the realm of madness.

Spreading fear and shock with every step, the Master Jiangshi, Xunyu, entered the stage. The creature raised its arms and released a war cry, which was followed by explosions on both sides of the entrance.

That performance caused the audience to either cheer or scream.

"They really know how entertainment works," I said.

"Gideon is beary much a showbiz city," Shu explained. "Also, Masters gave the tians advice on how to set up these presentations."

Just as I thought. It looked exactly like something from a fighting event on TV.

However, I felt that the announcers on TV were better. The one in this arena didn't seem too used to it.

"By the way, Xunyu's number two in Huang He's duel rankings," Shu added. "Y ou get used to this if you duel that much."

Number two? So there's someone else at the top, huh?

"By the way, what kind of job is 'Master Jiangshi,' anyway?" asked Rook.

"Huang He has a job called 'Daoshi,' and I hear it's a Superior Job from that grouping," answered Marie. "Its counterpart in this part of the world would be... Mage, surely."

"The main characteristic of Daoshi is that they produce and use certain consumable items — talismans known as 'Fu,'" added Shu. "Their main advantage is that they allow quick and consecutive spellcasting, while the demerit is the production cost."

"And don't forget that greater skills require you to spend time positioning the Fus," added Marie.

Shu nodded. "I've also heard that, while being in the daoshi grouping, Master Jiangshi is a direct upgrade to the job known as 'Jiangshi,' which is focused on endurance. With that in mind, it's safe to expect that Xunyu's fighting style is not purely magical, but involves melee, as well."

"Oh, that's true. After all, the daoshi grouping is the type that unlocks different Superior Jobs depending on which jobs you combine it with. In fact, it might be more correct to consider Master Jiangshi to be a Superior Job from the jiangshi grouping."

It seemed we had two people doing the explaining. And with Rook being the one listening to them, I basically became part of the background. Not that I minded it.

"Wait, the job is also called 'Shi Jie Xian,' right?" I asked. "That doesn't really mean 'jiangshi,' does it? So why do we read it as 'Master Jiangshi'?"

"Well, not every job translates as neatly as 'King of Destruction,' fur example," answered Shu.

"Superior Job names can be really something," added Marie. "Imagine meeting the 'Death Shadow.'"

I guess their uniqueness comes with unique naming senses, I thought.

"Then how does this player actually fight?" asked Rook.

I was curious about that, as well. I'd had a confrontation with

Xunyu at the reception and seen the jiangshi fight Shu, but I hadn't been able to understand a bit of what was going on back there.

"The nickname 'Y inglong' might make you think otherwise, but that's not the name of Xunyu's Embryo," said Marie. "Also, Xunyu sometimes gets called the 'Landmine' or 'Divine Speed,' too."

Those two nicknames gave off completely different impressions. The former was about waiting in place, while the latter was about moving around a lot. Naturally, it made me curious about which one of these applied to this mysterious fighter.

"And in the western gate! We have the pride of Gideon! The unwavering champion of our city!" the announcer called.

The music changed and the spotlight was redirected to the gate at the opposite side.

"The king! The lone explorer! The one bearing the nickname

'Endless Chain' and the title of 'Over Gladiator'! The strongest man of all! FIIIIIIGAAAAAROOOOOOOOOOOO!"

As introduced, the one that walked out of the western gate was none other than Figaro. While he had a gentle smile on his face, his eyes seemed to emit immeasurable pressure, and they didn't give away a single hint about what was going on in his mind.

Naturally, he wasn't wearing the lion suit. Instead, he was clad in the same curious equipment as before.

Figaro's appearance made cheers ring out throughout the arena.

"FI-GA-RO! FI-GA-RO!" the audience chanted as he slowly made his way towards the stage. Just as I'd been told, he was extremely popular around these parts.

Well, I can see why he needs to wear that suit, I thought.

"All right! Let's prepare for the fight of the century!" the announcer called.

Now that the participants were both on the stage, they opened up a settings window. I'd seen one of those at the semi-event, too. The windows were used to configure the barrier. Like in the semi-event, both sides looked through the rules displayed and confirmed if they were okay with them before starting the match.

Most duels here in Gideon were 1v1 and didn't have many rules. All attacks and tactics were allowed. What wasn't allowed were accessories that prevented instant death damage — such as the Lifesaving Brooch and the Dragonscale Ward I was familiar with — and consumable healing items. Healing from equipment skills was perfectly fine, and I was still too much of a noob to see any reasons why they were treated differently.

"Figgy would've had a serious advantage if they were allowed to use accessories like that," said Shu.

"Eh? But the rules are the same for both fighters, so would it really make that much of a difference?" I asked.

"Trust me. With Figgy, it would."

So Figaro has something that greatly benefits from those accessories? I thought.

"Both duelists are done checking the rules! Now, let's activate the barrier and... oh?" The announcer was about to signal the start of the battle, but stopped when he saw Xunyu raise one of those long arms.

Were the rules unsatisfactory or something?

"One one, teSting. Y ou people heAr me?" said Xunyu, the voice resounding throughout the arena.

"So yeah, I'm about to duEl this Figaro gUy, but let me juSt say something to make the fight mOre interesting."

Well, that definitely sounded intriguing. I readied myself for the words...

"I won't move a siNgle step until Figaro falls to his knEes."

Xunyu's words were something that no amount of readiness could've prepared me for.

For a moment, everyone in the arena was completely dumbfounded. It seemed as though every single member of the audience became of one mind, thinking nothing but What did I just hear?

"Did any of yoU even hear me? I'm saying that I won't move a siNgle step, and I'll make this Figaro gUy fall to his kneEs."

After another moment of silence, the spectators realized that Xunyu's words were a provocative insult towards Figaro — and the duel city of Gideon, which hailed him as their champion. Suddenly,

the whole arena was drowned out in anger and booing.

However, it only made Xunyu laugh. "Great! Now I'm a pRoper bAdDie! Oh, the laUghs I'll have WheN I beat you in tHis situation!"

Instead of responding, Figaro just silently looked at his opponent. I couldn't tell whether his silence came from confidence or due to some other reason.

However, I was almost completely certain that the scenario Xunyu described wasn't impossible. At the very least, if I were in Figaro's position, I'd definitely get killed before the jiangshi moved even a single step. That exact situation had almost happened a few minutes ago. Still, I had a feeling that Xunyu's words weren't just a provocation.

"Those certainly are some abrasive words," said Nemesis. "Do you think there's any meaning to them?"

"If you're asking whether I think that was just a meaningless provocation or a meaningful preparation for something... it's definitely the latter," I answered.

Facing Xunyu once was enough for me to know just how murderous and relentless the jiangshi was. That certainly wasn't all, though. There was more to this Superior than met the eye.

From the incident at the reception and entrance and the words just now, I could easily tell that Xunyu was clever enough to calculate and manipulate people's impressions. The jiangshi's battle tactics and preparation covered even the very mood of the surroundings.

"We will now turn on the barrier!" said the announcer.

The booing towards Xunyu subsided and the barrier became active, setting the stage for the match.

"And so! Let the main event, The Clash of the Superiors... COMMENCE!"

A split-second later, a booming sound rang out as something golden flashed across the stage. It was merely a moment. However, it was a moment during which way too many things had happened.

At least, I assumed it to be so. After all, I could only see the results.

Before I knew it, Figaro was wielding two swords and had deployed four chains, three of which were already broken.

He was swinging his dual blades at an immense speed, using them to deflect "something." The "something" seemed to cover the whole stage at this point.

When it became spread out like that, I could finally see it with my eyes.

It was extremely long and moved at a speed so great, it was reduced to nothing but a blur. I probably couldn't have even known it was there if it weren't for its length. The very tip of the "something" was completely invisible to me. By following its long trails, however, I realized that it was connected to Xunyu's sleeves.

At first, I thought that the "something" were chains, like the ones Figaro used. It only took a moment to realize I was wrong. Xunyu's sleeves didn't hide any hands that could hold such things.

There was only one "something" attached to those sleeves — Xunyu's arms.

Reaching speeds my eyes couldn't follow, the arms reached for and attacked Figaro like a duo of serpentine dragons.

"It's too fast," I muttered.

"They put the wrong setting on the barrier," Nemesis spoke to me telepathically. "The time inside is slowed down, but their speed is so great that it means nothing."

She'd said exactly what I was thinking. I looked at my brother

sitting next to me, and wondered if he could see it.

Suddenly, the last of Figaro's chains flew straight towards Xunyu. Its speed was immense, but before it could even reach its target, it was sliced into five pieces in less than a blink of an eye.

The chains that had almost killed me back in the Tomb Labyrinth were just too slow in comparison to Xunyu's arms.

"Supersonic, extension-based attacks... They're faster than..."

Those were probably Marie's words, but I wasn't certain.

A bit belatedly, I finally realized that the booming sound that had rung out at the beginning of the battle was an actual sonic boom. Also, I came to see that, despite the ludicrous speed, the jiangshi's arms were properly controlled.

While realizing just how well-deserved Xunyu's title of "Divine Speed" was, I couldn't help but notice that the extending arms were much like the snake-like dragons from Chinese myth.

It made me more than certain that, if our fight in the reception had continued, I'd have been killed before I could even use Counter Absorption. Even in the off chance scenario of my being successful, Xunyu would've probably killed me by moving one of those arms around the barrier and simply lopping my head off.

While I could make out the trails of the extended arms, their very ends — the hands — were completely invisible to me. The fact that this was their speed after they were slowed down by the barrier made chills go down my spine.

However, Figaro was impressive, as well. Though he was exposed to a barrage of those supersonic attacks, it didn't look like a single one of them had landed on him yet. He saw, dodged, and deflected them all.

Also, little by little, it became harder and harder for me to see his

movements, too.

"A certain old manga had a term for how I'm feeling right now," I muttered. I think it was called "Yamcha Vision," I thought.

Nemesis, Rook, and Babi seemed to be in the same state as me. But that didn't seem to be the case with Shu and Marie. From his demeanor and from the movements of her eyes, I could tell that they could see and follow Xunyu's arms.

"Y ou two can actually see them?" I asked to confirm.

"To an extent," answered Shu. "I'm not an AGI build, so sometimes I can, sometimes I can't."

High AGI allows you to see this stuff? I thought.

From the battle at the reception and the fact that he was on the rankings, I was pretty certain by now that Shu's level was pretty high. However, it didn't make sense that Marie could see it, too.

"I can follow the movements because we Journalists have a passive skill that improves our sight," she answered my question before I could even ask it.

I see. So there are non-battle jobs with such skills, huh?

"This is barely visible at all to me," I said. It was my first exposure to a battle between two top players, and my first glimpse into the speeds they could reach. I wasn't even sure I could really say that, in fact, considering that they were slowed down by the barrier.

"We will now slow down the battle speed inside the barrier even further!" said the announcer, and — sure enough — the two fighters' movements lost a lot of speed.

And yet, they're still faster than the semi-event fighters, I thought.

"So they set the slowdown to max, huh?" said Shu. "Well, way too

many spectators couldn't have seen what was going on if they didn't."

"Y eah. I'm one of them, to be honest," I said.

Now, I could somehow see the details of the battle. A golden right hand was going for Figaro's head from his left side. He evaded it by bending backwards.

The hand that passed him made a U-turn and attacked his head yet again. This time, Figaro deflected the attack with the sword in his right hand.

The battle that had been completely invisible was now sufficiently slowed for my inexperienced eyes, and yet it still made me feel like I was watching a video on fast-forward.

Seriously, just how fast are these two fighting?

"Y ou can't even land a hit if you can't keep up with this speed, huh?" I asked.

"Well, you could try surprise attacks while they're not in battle-mode," said Marie. "That's impossible in duels, though."

Of course. Duels began when both sides agreed to a set of rules and were ready to fight. There was no room for surprise attacks. They were 1v1s where both sides fought with everything they had until the stronger one emerged victorious.

Figaro was the one sitting at the apex of Gideon, the city of duels. That meant that he was the greatest 1v1 fighter the kingdom had to offer. And yet, Xunyu was fast enough to force him onto the defensive.

I was about to assume that Master Jiangshi was a Superior Job focused on AGI, but then I remembered what Marie had said about it: Its counterpart in this part of the world would be... Mage, surely.

"Wait, magic!" I burst out. "Xunyu still isn't going all out!"

A moment later, the stage was overwhelmed by thunderous roars and a crimson light that dominated the entire area behind the barrier.

I looked and saw that the extended arms were releasing countless crimson heat rays. They were boisterously dancing as they burned the air and scorched the stony floor of the stage.

The origin of the heat rays were the pieces of paper covering Xunyu's arms whole.

"Are those...?"

"Daoshi's Fu," said Shu.

"Xunyu covered the arms in Fu enchanted with offensive magic and is now using them to cover the stage in heat rays," explained Marie.

"That's nuts," I muttered.

Naturally, with there being so many heat rays, some of them hit Xunyu's long arms. But the arms seemed to be extremely tough, not taking any damage whatsoever. The rays did make some of the Fus get detached and slowly drop down to the stage, but the arms continued their relentless attack.

Just how tough are they? I wondered.

"If they weren't tough, our slit-eyed friend would've severed them by now," said Nemesis.

Arms that were unaffected by heat rays and possessed a hardness that even Figaro had trouble breaking through. From the fact that Xunyu could fight at supersonic speeds while being the Master Jiangshi, a primarily magic-oriented job, I could only assume that...

"...those arms are Xunyu's Superior Embryo," I said.

Prosthetic limbs that emitted a golden gleam and attacked the

opponents at speeds that broke the sound barrier. This Embryo's characteristic abilities could be described as "strong arms that reach far at great velocity." Though that sounded basic, seeing it in action in the display before me awed and scared me.

Strength, speed, range — it had the whole package. It was simple, but that was exactly what made it nigh impossible to counter.

"If there's any power that can counter it, though..."

"...it must be something simple, as well," Nemesis finished for me.

As Nemesis' words entered my ears, something else entered my vision.

Crimson light and countless freed Fus danced all around as Figaro broke through the hell of supersonic destruction and came out of it completely unscathed.

He didn't do anything special. Figaro simply dodged, deflected, and dashed.

Avoiding the heat rays and parrying the arms, he gradually closed the distance between him and his opponent.

The battle itself was simple, but the level at which it was happening made it seem beyond abnormal.

"Amazing," I said, lacking any better words to describe the battle I was seeing.

At first, I thought that Figaro was completely on the defensive, but

I was wrong. He was closing in on Xunyu, growing faster with every passing moment, and dodging every single one of the jiangshi's attacks.

It was only a matter of time until Xunyu would be within his attack range. That made it pretty obvious that the odds were right, and that Figaro was going to win.

However, I suddenly noticed something. Not about the two fighters, but about two of the people sitting next to me — Shu and Marie.

The aura about them was different.

It wasn't the first time I'd been exposed to such an aura. I'd felt it when I'd fought the Demi-Dragon Worm, gotten killed by the Superior Killer, and faced Gardranda and Gouz-Maise. Looking at them made me feel as tense as I'd been during those deathly encounters.

Soon, I realized that both their gazes were directed at the same thing.

It wasn't anything on the stage, but one of the monitors installed in our box — specifically, the one showing a close-up of Xunyu's face.

The visage was still hidden by a jiangshi-like talisman. However, there was an instant in which it was raised by the battle winds, revealing an indomitable grin.

"Call — Baolei!"

Right after the jiangshi spoke that word — meaning "raging lightning" — there was a new development. The back of Xunyu's hand suddenly burst open, revealing a Jewel used to store monsters. From it came a creature that seemed to be wrought of lightning.

Released at nearly point-blank distance from Figaro, it instantly bared its electric fangs at him.

"An elemental," said Shu. "A rare kind, too."

"Seems like a type of Lightning Elemental that's focused on speed and offensive ability," added Marie. "It's just a fancy distraction, though."

Before I could even ask what she meant by that, Figaro swung the

swords in his hands in the shape of a cross and sliced the monster apart.

It happened in but an instant. Just as Marie said, the elemental ended being nothing but a momentary distraction. However, that moment was enough for Xunyu to safely retract one of those golden arms.

It returned to its original size, and between its index and middle fingers, there was a single Fu. It was detailed and elaborate, making it reminiscent of a painting, but rather than finding it beautiful, I felt mostly fear.

Then, the hundreds... no, thousands... of Fus that had fallen on the stage during the fight began emitting a crimson light.

The main characteristic of Daoshi is that they produce and use certain consumable items — talismans known as "Fu," I thought, remembering what Shu and Marie had said. And don't forget that greater skills require you to spend time positioning the Fus.

"Zhenhuo Zhendeng — Baolongba!" Xunyu called.

Those words — meaning "True Flame True Light, Explosive Dragon Dominance" — caused most of the duel field to be engulfed in a pillar of fire.

The scene made me remember one of the jiangshi's other nicknames: "Landmine."

The pillar of fire had no trouble breaking through the upper part of the barrier separating the fighters and the spectators.

In fact, it went high enough to make it seem as though it would scorch the very heavens themselves. Though not great enough to cause damage, the pillar's heat reached us and just about everyone else in the audience, causing many to scream in fear.

The panic might've made it seem otherwise, but no harm came to

any of them. If anyone was hurt by it, it would be the two fighters on the stage.

But the pillar didn't extend to its caster, Xunyu. Before I'd even realized it, the jiangshi's right arm was retracted back to its original length, just like the left one, sparing it from the flame.

The same couldn't be said for Figaro. Dealing with the elemental had rendered him unable to evade the attack, and it obviously wasn't something that could be deflected with mere swords.

Just about everyone in the audience held their breaths as the pillar of fire faded and allowed them to see what was happening on the burning stage.

What we saw was Figaro, completely surrounded by a searing hot heat haze and a spherical barrier that shielded him from all harm.

"He survived it completely unharmed?!" Marie voiced her shock, and I couldn't agree more.

"Is that one of Figaro's Embryo's skills?" I asked. "Or is it an Over Gladiator ability?"

"Neither," answered Shu. "It's an item skill. That longcoat he's wearing is a special reward. Its active skill allows him to prevent all and any outside influence for a short time."

So it's a special reward skill. Like the ones on my Miasmaflame Bracers and Grudge-soaked Greaves, I thought.

"Oh, but it has a cooldown of 10 minutes," Shu added. "Meaning that the attack cost him his ultimate means of defense."

"I think that Xunyu is also out of viable moves, though," Marie said. "The elemental can't fight anymore, and I don't believe it's easy to recast a spell that costs so many Fus, which means that the same trick can't be repeated, and that..."

"...Figaro will win!" I cried with certainty.

"All that's left is to figure out the effects of the last skill that Xunyu used," Rook said.

Nemesis and I, and even Babi, didn't understand what he was talking about.

Shu — clearly noticing something — was looking at Xunyu. A bit belatedly, Marie joined him in that.

"What do you mean by 'last skill,' Rook?" asked Babi.

"Xunyu used a skill besides the one that created the flame pillar, no?" Rook asked.

"Well, I... Really?" I asked. I hadn't seen that happen.

"Figaro's defensive skill's about to end," said Shu, and sure enough, the shield protecting Figaro from outside influence disappeared.

I fully expected the duelists to start clashing at supersonic speeds again, but what actually happened was the complete opposite of that.

Neither Xunyu — the one used the fearsome skill — nor Figaro — the one who negated it — were moving a muscle.

Naturally, that was strange, for it was clearly time for the former to get into a proper stance and for the latter to charge. Despite it all, however, Xunyu was still grinning.

"'Arms and Legs Reach for the Horizon — Tenaga Ashinaga,'" Rook broke the silence.

"Rook?" I asked.

"That's what Xunyu said right after creating those flames," he said.

I didn't hear anything like that, I thought. The soundscape had

been dominated by the fiery roaring, and Xunyu didn't have a mic or anything of the sort.

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"I saw his lips move," he answered. "The mouth movement for proper nouns here is the same as it is in reality."

He was lip reading? When did he get this skill? Or wait, is it like Marie's drawing? Did he bring it over from reality? More importantly, is "Tenaga Ashinaga" the name of Xunyu's Superior Embryo?

The name referred to a certain type of yokai from Japanese myth — one that would be a perfect fit for the jiangshi's abnormal frame.

A skill bearing such a name could only mean that...

"...Xunyu used the Embryo's ultimate skill — the one named after the Embryo itself!" I cried.

Suddenly, the jiangshi raised the right leg, which was hidden by cloth. The one which hadn't moved an inch since the battle had started.

Just like the arms, the leg was a golden, prosthetic limb — a Superior Embryo.

Its toes were as sharp as the fingers on the arms, and there was something between them. Unlike the Fu from before, its shape was indistinct.

The same could be said for its color. It looked white, pink, and red at the same time, which — combined with its apparent softness — made it look much like a human organ.

"I missEd your heaRt," said Xunyu. "This iS a damn luNg."

A moment later, blood splattered from Figaro's mouth as he dropped to his knees.