『Semi-final, Match 1!』
『Nine-star "Swordsman of Light," Arthur! Versus! The super swordswoman, Erza Scarlet!』
『And…』
『Begin!』
GONG—!
The gong rang.
"Flash Sword!"
The moment the match began, Arthur attacked. His whole body moved like a beam of light, charging straight at Erza.
CLANG—!
With a sharp scream of metal, Erza was blasted backward.
She drove her sword into the ground, sliding a long distance before she finally stopped.
Crack!
The sword in her hand snapped.
"What?!"
Erza froze for a split second, staring at the broken blade. She couldn't believe it.
"Oooooooh!"
The crowd roared when they saw Arthur break her weapon right at the start.
"I was just saying hello," Arthur said evenly. "If you don't go all out, this match is over."
He wanted to fight Erza—but the one he truly wanted to fight was Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
He had never felt this kind of pull before. His swordsmanship hadn't improved in a long time. Part of him had started to believe he'd reached the ceiling.
But that man's appearance had shattered that belief.
There was more.
And watching from a distance wouldn't be enough.
He had to face him.
"If you say so, then you'll get what you want."
Erza wasn't stubborn. She had already seen Arthur use techniques in Block C that were practically magic. Her own magic was "The Knight." She was a magic swordswoman too. It wasn't against the rules.
"Requip: Heaven's Wheel Armor!"
A bright light wrapped around Erza. When it faded, she was wearing full plate armor.
Four large steel wings spread from her back. She looked powerful—and imposing.
"Erza's getting serious."
When Kael Vane saw the requip, he knew she was done testing. He'd seen her magic in the anime, but never in person.
"What? She changed her armor!"
"Is that Requip magic?"
Requip was common magic. It let a mage summon weapons and armor stored in a special space.
Many swordsmen in this tournament used similar magic. In Fiore, many low-level mages used magic swords, which was about the same idea.
"Heaven's Wheel: Circle Sword!"
Erza shot into the air and unleashed a storm of magic swords at Arthur.
"Shining Light!"
Arthur used the same move he'd used to clear the field in the preliminaries.
A wave of light-forged blades surged up to meet Erza's barrage.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The swords smashed into each other and shattered.
"Heaven's Wheel: Bladed Circle!"
Several swords spun at high speed, carving toward Arthur.
"Flash Sword!"
Arthur flashed forward. In a burst of golden light, he cut every spinning blade to pieces.
"Requip: Black Wing Armor!"
Erza switched instantly into sleek black armor with bat-like wings.
"She's so fast!"
The crowd gasped at how quickly she was changing.
Erza dove at Arthur.
"Black Wing: Moon Flash!"
She slashed in a sharp cross pattern.
"Flash: Cross-Slash!"
Arthur answered with a cross of light.
BOOM!
The two slashes collided.
"Requip: Flight Armor!"
Erza changed again—this one beastlike, with twin short blades. The moment it formed, her speed jumped.
"Flight: Sonic Claw!"
Erza vanished and reappeared behind Arthur, stabbing with both daggers.
"Flash: Thrust!"
Arthur gripped his sword with both hands and drove a precise thrust, intercepting her attacks and forcing her off-line.
Steel rang again and again as they exchanged, neither able to seize an opening.
CLANG!
They met one last time and sprang apart.
"You really are Titania," Arthur said, breathing steady. "You're strong—the strongest swordswoman I've ever met. But it's time to end this."
He raised his sword before his chest with both hands. Magic power poured into the blade.
Erza felt it and braced.
Light shot upward, forming a gigantic golden sword in the sky.
"Light's Judgment!"
Arthur roared—and the massive blade came down.
"Requip: Adamantine Armor!"
"Adamantine Barrier!"
Erza snapped into her strongest defensive set. Two giant shields locked together, and a huge green barrier flared into existence.
BOOM—!
The light sword and the barrier collided, blasting a terrifying shockwave through the arena.
CRACK—!
A fracture spidered across the barrier.
SHATTER—!
The barrier broke.
BOOM—!
The giant light sword slammed into Erza's shields.
"Aaaaaargh!"
The force shattered the shields, and Erza was hurled back.
The light blade gouged the arena floor, leaving a massive.
Erza struggled up. When she lifted her head, a sword was already pointed at her.
"I lose!"
Erza admitted defeat. She had felt it throughout the fight—his swordsmanship was far better than hers. If he had been serious from the start, she would have lost much earlier.
She didn't like losing, but a strong opponent only made her want to win more. She had seen so many sword styles in this tournament. She would learn from them all and become stronger.
Arthur sheathed his sword. "You're strong, and very talented. In a few years, I might not be your opponent. But not today."
He turned and left. The fight with Erza was just a warm-up. His real target was the other man.
『It's over!』
『The winner is… Arthur!』
The announcer's voice rose with excitement:
『What a fight! Erza from Fiore showed us powerful Requip magic—strength worthy of a nine-star! For someone so young to stand at this level is incredible!』
『And Arthur showed us exactly why he is the kingdom's strongest! Give them both a round of applause!』
"Ooooooh!"
"Arthur! Arthur! Arthur!"
"Miss Erza was really strong!"
The crowd cheered for both of them.
『Next up is the second match of the semi-finals!』
『Nine-star "Thunder Sword," Kray! Versus! The masked legend, Yoriichi Tsugikuni!』
BOOM—!
The crowd went wild.
"Sword God! Sword God! Sword God!"