"Wow, what kind of move was that?!"
"We can see that Kabe used some unknown method to destroy the entire military camp. Even I, the host, got blown into the sky!"
"Please, someone catch me from below! I'm going to die from the fall!"
Even at a time like this, the host was still desperately explaining the situation on the field.
Meanwhile, Irene, who had escaped to a safe distance beforehand, raised her foot and a massive magic circle appeared beneath her.
In an instant, everyone who had been blown away felt an invisible soft cushion catch them.
Under the pull of some unknown force, they slowly descended back toward the ground.
"I-I survived!"
"This is your host speaking, the one responsible for explaining today's competition!"
"Thank goodness Miss Irene was here. Otherwise, everyone might never have had the chance to see such a dedicated host like me again."
There was no denying that the host's professional skills were excellent.
The moment he landed safely, he immediately started joking to calm the frightened crowd.
But soon, he shifted his attention back to the battlefield.
Standing on his toes, he tried to see the situation clearly.
"Such a wide-range attack..."
"I wonder if contestant Jura can withstand it."
Because he was quite far away from the battlefield, the host could not see the situation clearly.
"However, those watching the live broadcast should not have this concern. Everyone can continue watching the match safely."
He did not need to say it.
The audience had already been completely attracted by the huge disturbance Kabe caused.
Everyone widened their eyes and focused on the projected image.
On the battlefield, after releasing a small amount of his power, Kabe looked at the mound of earth in front of him that looked completely out of place among the flattened surroundings.
He crossed his arms and said calmly:
"Come out."
"A person who is equal in reputation to a Wizard Saint should not be defeated by a playful greeting like that."
"If that happened, I would be very disappointed."
After his voice fell, the mound trembled slightly.
Several cracks appeared across its surface.
The cracks quickly spread.
As pieces of earth fell away, the figure buried inside was revealed.
Jura.
Half of his body was buried underground, and his arms were crossed tightly in front of him.
The audience, who had just relaxed after hearing Kabe's words, immediately became nervous again when they saw Jura's current state.
At this moment, Jura's clothes had already been reduced to torn pieces.
The front of his body was covered in countless small scratches and wounds.
Even his bald head had a thin trail of blood running down it.
"Wait, isn't Jura supposed to be the strongest below the Wizard Saints?"
"How did he become like this before the real fight even started?"
"Exactly. I was expecting Kabe and Jura to give us an amazing battle."
"This is too disappointing."
"Kabe-sama really is too powerful."
"Coming to a competition like this is basically an adult fighting a group of children. There is no suspense at all."
Most of the audience had come to watch intense battles, where every punch and attack mattered.
Although Kabe's display was indeed impressive, Jura's performance had still disappointed them too much.
They began blaming Jura for not being able to properly fight Kabe.
But they did not know that the person who felt the most frustrated was Jura himself.
He originally believed that even if he was weaker than Kabe, he could at least exchange a few moves with him.
He never expected that before they even fought, Kabe would use a large-scale AOE attack and almost sweep him off the field like clearing away ordinary enemies.
Unlike Kabe's seemingly casual attack, Jura had already used his full strength to defend.
Before the energy wave arrived, he had created several layers of stone walls in front of himself.
Together, they were several meters thick.
But even then, he failed to block it.
The walls shattered, and the flying fragments struck him violently.
In the end, the only reason he managed to stay on the battlefield was because he created a small pit and buried himself inside it.
It was an extremely embarrassing way to survive.
"Cough, cough..."
"What a disgrace."
"I thought my strength was already powerful."
"But I never realized that it only gave me the qualification to stand before a true powerhouse."
Jura, whose entire body looked like it had been painted red from his injuries, let out a bitter sigh.
Then, gritting his teeth, he stubbornly climbed out of the pit and stood in front of Kabe again.
Kabe looked at Jura's current condition and narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Even if you say that..."
"I don't see even the slightest sign of retreat in your eyes."
"Just that alone already places you above most people."
Jura forced a smile, though it was clearly difficult.
He brought his left hand forward with his fingers together like a blade.
His right hand clenched into a fist and rested behind him.
His body took a fighting stance.
Kabe immediately understood his intention.
He also lowered his body slightly, preparing himself.
The two stared at each other.
Without saying another word, they stepped forward at the same time and charged toward each other.
Jura shouted.
His left hand came down like a blade, while his right fist gathered power at his waist, ready to strike the moment his first attack was blocked.
But Kabe seemed to have already seen through every one of his intentions.
With one hand, he grabbed Jura's left wrist.
With the other, he caught the fist that had not yet been thrown.
Then Kabe raised his knee.
His entire body shot forward like a cannonball, crashing directly into Jura's chest.
"Bang!"
The heavy sound of the impact echoed through the battlefield.
Even Irene and the others watching from far away could clearly hear the collision.