"Now then—the high-rank explorer division of the martial arts tournament has reached its final match! The matchup is exactly what most people expected—!"
It was the fourth day of the martial arts tournament.
While I was meditating with my eyes closed in the waiting room, the host's voice echoed through the arena.
Finally—the finals.
My opponent was Oliver.
We were born in the same village and had always pushed each other to grow stronger.
The gap in our physical abilities started to show when we became explorers. By the time we reached the lower layers of the Great Labyrinth, the difference had become insurmountable.
After many twists and turns, I converted to an enchanter role, but Oliver continued to grow.
In a pure contest of strength, I could never beat him.
But I hadn't been idle either.
As an enchanter, I had gained a wide range of experience and observed Oliver's movements from a broad perspective for years.
I knew his habits better than he did himself.
The approach would be the same as against Fuka.
I would simply bring my full strengths to bear.
"Ladies and gentlemen—thank you for waiting! It's time! Let's call out the two fighters who will decide the championship! First—the current leader of the Hero Party, the one who reached the unprecedented 94th floor of the southern Great Labyrinth, also known as the 'Sword Saint'—Oliver Cardiff!"
Oliver walked toward the center of the arena from the opposite side.
The moment he appeared, huge cheers erupted from the spectator seats.
"Facing him—the one who single-handedly defeated a deep-layer floor boss and earned the title 'Dragon Slayer'—the ace of "Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky"—Orun Dula!"
My name was called next, so I walked from the waiting room toward the center of the arena.
Cheers came from the stands, but the loudest by far came from the section reserved for "Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky" members.
This fight wasn't just about me.
If I won the championship here, "Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky" would gain a massive advantage moving forward.
For that reason alone—I absolutely could not lose.
"Been a while, Orun."
Once we both reached our designated positions, Oliver spoke to me.
This was the first time we'd spoken properly in ages.
When I was expelled from the party, Oliver had done most of the talking. The day after I defeated the black dragon on the 50th floor, I had done the same.
We hadn't had a real conversation in over two months.
This might have been the longest silence between us since we were old enough to remember.
"Yeah—been a while. I've heard about Dawnlight's accomplishments. Collecting that insane penalty quota of magic stones in less than two months—impressive as expected."
"…Sarcasm?"
Oliver responded in a cold, emotionless voice without changing his expression.
"No sarcasm. I thought it would take you guys longer, knowing how you operate. Your replacement must be quite capable."
If you're active as an explorer in Tsutorail, you hear at least some news about those operating in other labyrinths.
I looked into Philly Carpenter—the enchanter who joined the hero party as my replacement.
But I found absolutely nothing about her.
Well—enchanters rarely get mentioned in the news.
It wouldn't be strange for there to be no information, but the final say on party composition belongs to Marquis Forgas.
Would he really allow an unknown enchanter to join?
Thinking about it now—this personnel decision also felt off…
"Yeah—she's excellent. Her support magic is… several levels above yours."
"…I see. So are you guys about to start tackling the 94th floor?"
"…Why would I tell an outsider like you?"
"Fair enough."
"—Enough talk. Get ready. I'll crush you just like always…"
Oliver's aura shifted to combat mode as he readied his sword.
"I know you're obsessed with conquering the Great Labyrinth. I know you can't afford to lose here either. —But I have my own reasons I can't lose. Today—I win!"
With that declaration, I switched my focus.
I drew the long sword from my left waist and took my stance.
"Both fighters appear ready! The final match—begin!"
◇
Right from the start—we closed the distance.
Once in range, Oliver swept his sword horizontally.
I met the attack head-on with my long sword.
(Guh—I knew it would be heavy, but still…)
The impact transmitted through the long sword was so strong that I leaped back without resisting, creating distance.
"Oliver's opening slash! Orun is forced to retreat! Could this end quickly!?"
The last time I used swords against Oliver in mock combat was years ago.
I could predict his moves from preparatory actions, and estimate power from sword speed—but actually receiving it was beyond imagination.
I didn't think this was his full power, but being able to block even once was significant.
"—!"
I closed distance again—this time unleashing a powerful diagonal downward slash that was easy to put force behind.
Oliver countered with a reverse diagonal—effortlessly blocking.
Logically, I should have the advantage swinging downward—but from the guard clash, my sword was steadily pushed upward.
I timed it—relaxed the force on my long sword, arched my body backward, and dodged Oliver's rising slash.
In the same motion, I drew the short sword from my waist with my left hand and thrust toward Oliver's chest.
Blunted—no piercing—but a powerful thrust could still break bones.
In this no-recovery-magic situation, that would be fatal.
Right before the short sword reached Oliver's chest—something hard blocked it.
Oliver's [Mana Convergence].
I had anticipated this—I wasn't shaken. I leaped back again to regain distance.
(Now I've gauged his sword power and [Mana Convergence] proficiency.)
As expected—direct sword hits would put me at a severe disadvantage instantly.
But in [Mana Convergence]—my proficiency seemed higher.
I overwrote my old Oliver data with the latest from this fight and simulated the battle flow.
"Still fighting defensively as always."
Oliver spoke as distance opened.
This was helpful.
"Going head-on gives me little chance."
While talking to Oliver—I considered multiple patterns.
"…So? Come up with a good plan yet?"
"…"
Was he deliberately giving me time by talking?
So cocky. —!?
The moment I thought he was underestimating me—Oliver rushed at a speed incomparable to before.
If I hadn't been used to his movements—I wouldn't have reacted at all.
I blocked the slash with my long sword on instinct—but the sharpness and weight were beyond previous attacks—my stance crumbled slightly.
Without pause—a golden mass appeared before my eyes.
"Guh!"
I managed to retreat—right after—the golden mass exploded.
(He's completely read my style.)
Naturally—I knew Oliver's moves and style well, but he knew mine just as thoroughly.
He deliberately showed weakness earlier—anticipating I was observing.
Oliver's relentless barrage continued.
His movements seemed buffed—cornering me.
"Here—Oliver's torrent rush! No one has endured this barrage before—can Orun do it!?"
I could endure thanks to reading his preparatory actions—but without that—it would have ended instantly.
◇
"—!?"
I kept leaping back to escape the barrage—but finally got cornered against the wall.
"Orun finally cornered against the wall! Is this the end!?"
"No escape now. Victory is decided. For old village ties—I'll let you surrender here. From this point—I won't give you time to speak."
So Oliver's goal was to corner me against the wall.
—Yeah, I knew…
When things are going exactly as planned—people don't notice they're being led.
[Mana Convergence] explosions aren't your exclusive technique.
I released the mana I had converged overhead—straight down toward Oliver.
To prepare for the aftermath, I used [Mana Convergence] to create a makeshift mana barrier.
Mana barriers count as magic—so unusable here—but with [Mana Convergence], it wasn't an issue for me. Oliver used it repeatedly too.
When I deployed the pseudo-barrier—Oliver seemed to realize what I was doing.
He looked upward.
Escaping his gaze—I kept the black mana mass suspended overhead—dispelled the pseudo-barrier—and charged Oliver.
Even a surprise [Mana Convergence] attack had a high chance of being countered by Oliver.
That's why—even the surprise was bait.
Oliver noticed my approach and hurriedly looked back—but too late.
I swung the long sword horizontally with full power.
"Kuh—!"
He barely blocked with his sword—but I succeeded in disrupting his stance.
I circled behind him and swung the long sword again.
Blocked again before reaching—but I managed to corner him against the wall.
I leaped back for distance—then finally released the overhead black mana mass downward.
I adjusted so a direct hit wouldn't kill—diffused near Oliver—black mana enveloped the area.
"One instant exchange! Then something black explodes—assaulting Oliver! Magic is banned in this tournament—this is likely Orun's ability! As expected—the ace of "Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky" possesses an ability!"
I had one rule for this tournament:
Avoid using abilities against non-ability users as much as possible.
In this tournament's rules—having an ability could decide victory or defeat.
If I spammed [Mana Convergence]—I could overwhelm almost anyone except Oliver, Fuka, and maybe Hart.
But the audience wouldn't want that kind of fight—and I didn't want complaints after the tournament ended—so I decided to minimize usage.
Well—if I was about to lose—I'd abandon the rule and use it.
Oliver had the same [Mana Convergence] ability.
Under equal conditions—I'd use it freely.
That said—the last attack looked direct. If it hit a bad spot—it could end things.
I couldn't see Oliver's state inside the smoke.
Definitely not unscathed.
For pursuit—I converged mana on my blade—wrapped it in black—and watched Oliver closely.
The smoke enveloping Oliver suddenly moved wildly and irregularly—golden light leaked from within.
Finally the smoke cleared—Oliver stood—blood flowing from his forehead—breathing heavily.
In his hand—a sword wrapped in golden mana.
I dealt significant damage—but his eyes were completely alive.
I sheathed the short sword in my left hand—gripped the long sword two-handed—and took stance.
Oliver likewise raised his sword overhead.
In the tense air—
—!
We swung at the exact same moment.
"Heaven Flash!!"
Black and gold slashes collided midway between us.
—Sorry, Oliver. I've used [Mana Convergence] constantly. You only recently started using it defensively—but my proficiency surpasses yours. And with your shorter convergence time—you can't win.
The clashing two-colored slashes—gradually the black began to erode the gold.
Like the sun setting—and night arriving.
Finally—the black swallowed the gold completely—and without losing momentum—engulfed Oliver too.
Silence dominated the entire arena.
Oliver lay unconscious—the only one standing was me.
"Here—match over!! Winner—Orun Dula!"
The host's voice broke the silence—answered by cheers from the entire spectator area.
And so—the martial arts tournament closed with my victory.