「Woah…..it’s really amazing.」

Among countless voices, Rei heard those words.

Turning to see who it was, Rei saw Vaycul, who had spoken while looking around.

Normally, her actions would seem rather strange, but right now, many others were doing similar things.

Because of that, her actions were hardly noticed.

If it were noticed, it would be by the crowd watching from the audience seating……especially the aristocratic audience watching from the VIP seats.

That was right, Rei and the others were currently on stage, at the center of the arena.

There, all participants who had made it through the 20 qualifying blocks were gathered.

(There are around a 100 people in total though rather than just 60. It’s probably because some are backed by nobles or something similar. There are many faces I don’t recognise.)

Rei thought to himself as he hadn’t watched all the qualifying blocks.

But still, for the ones he did watch, he could tell at a glance who was strong and wouldn’t easily forget them.

「As expected, those who passed the qualifying blocks are not going to be easy to beat.」

「I guess so.」

As Vaycul was close by, it naturally meant that the rest of Wind Dragon’s Fang were also nearby. It was Mosst who said those words with a sigh.

Once the main tournament started, the format would change to single round elimination, in other words, one on one battles. For Mosst, who was a pure mage, it would be hard for him to make it through even the first round.

「Calm down. Look, there are also other mages around.」

Luzi patted Mosst on the back, who seemed like he would fall into depression.

Claymores were already big weapons, but the one Luzi used was even bigger than normal.

Being slapped on the back by someone who swung a weapon like that caused a mage like Mosst to stumble forward……before colliding with a complete stranger.

「……Be careful.」

The person Mosst bumped into was a man who seemed to be a veteran warrior, his face filled with scars.

He spoke to Mosst in a no nonsense voice, as if he didn’t like talking to others, before turning back to face the front.

「Oh, s-sorry.」

Mosst bowed his head vigorously before immediately glaring at Luzi, who was smiling at him with an amused expression.

「Please don’t lump me with someone who has stupid strength like you, Luzi!」

「Hahaha. That’s too bad. But, no matter how strong our opponents are, we’re still contestants in the main tournament. So if you think of it that way, we’re all at the same level.」

Everyone else seemed to hear Luzi’s words. The other contestants turned to look at him intimidatingly.

As if silently saying, don’t lump us together with people like you.

A normal person would have cowered under those gazes……but fortunately or unfortunately, Luzi had a personality that couldn’t be considered normal.

That said, as someone who had made it through the qualifying rounds of a national fighting tournament that was held once a year in the Bestir Empire, his track record alone already made him anything but ordinary.

In fact, despite being aware of the gazes directed at him, Luzi just snorted as he continued to speak without a care.

「But, why do we have to spend an entire day just holding the opening ceremony? We should just start the first round. There are so many of us, so the tournament will take a long time. They have to know that.」

「……Surely.」

Rei murmured in agreement.

He didn’t know the exact number of participants, but from what he could see, there were over 100 people at least.

Since the tournament format was signal elimination, it meant that the first round would have over 50 matches.

And, as many of the participants were competent fighters, those matches were unlikely to end quickly.

Rei expected that the first round would take at least a few days……or more than a week at worst.

(Well, once the first round, the longest one, is over, the number of matches will grow fewer and fewer. ……I guess I should be happy it isn’t a round robin format.)

If over 100 people had to fight in a round robin format, it would certainly eliminate the luck factor, ranking participants purely on ability. However, that also meant that the tournament would take proportionally longer and Rei honestly wanted to avoid a situation like that.

(That said, there’s no way they haven’t thought about it.)

As Rei was thinking about that, a voice suddenly echoed throughout the stadium.

『Everyone, quiet down! The Emperor of the Bestir Empire, His Majesty, Tragist Gunos Bestir has arrived!』

The voice that echoed out was probably using the same device that had been used for live commentary during the qualifying rounds.

However, compared to the commentator, the voice of the announcer was significantly more majestic.

Yes. Despite the fact that the voice didn’t belong to the emperor himself, but one of his subordinates, perhaps a noble or maybe a chamberlain, the voice was filled with dignity.

(As expected of a leader of one of the most powerful nations in the world.)

Rei thought to himself.

『Normally, we would kneel down to welcome His Majesty the Emperor, but as there are many visitors from outside the Bestir Empire present and this is the opening ceremony of the fighting tournament, please line up to receive the words of His Majesty the Emperor.』

Hearing the announcer’s words, everyone on stage lined up.

Their eyes were focused on the seat in the audience reserved for the emperor.

Then, a person appeared.

『Everyone, thank you for your hard work. It is a pleasure to see another year of blood filled battles. What is needed in this arena is not status, money, or power. It is strength. Strength to defeat everyone and stand at the top of the fighting tournament. ……However, this year’s tournament is a little different. There are many people who do not understand the meaning of strength. This was proven in the war that took place last spring.』

The emperor openly admitted that his empire had lost the war.

As he thought about that, Rei turned to look at the emperor, who was speaking to the participants.

The emperor of the country Rei had fought against. The father of Vihera, who held feelings for him. Despite Rei’s various thoughts, his impression of the man reflected in his gaze was that of a lion.

The emperor’s mane like hair only contributed to his impression.

The lions that Rei knew of were mostly males who didn’t do anything. Lionesses were the ones responsible for killing prey and retrieving them, so lions could be considered lazy creatures.

However, the lion before Rei was different. The emperor might have been entering old age, but his physique showed no signs of weakness. Even from a distance, it could be seen that he was more than capable physically, despite holding the position of emperor.

Above all, he gave off an overwhelming feeling just by looking at him.

Perhaps because Rei himself had been in front of a monster called Noiz, an S rank adventurer, just a few days ago, he felt somewhat overwhelmed, but not to the point he couldn’t move.

However, the others……especially those from outside the Bestir Empire, were simply overwhelmed by the emperor’s voice.

Yes. He wasn’t a lion like Rei knew, but a lion that was the king of the beasts. That was who Tragist Gunos Bestir, Emperor of the Bestir Empire, was.

(This……is very different from what I expected. No, he’s a man who leads a country as powerful as the Bestir Empire. In a sense, it only makes sense for him to be so dignified.)

Despite feeling the pressure, Rei listened to the rest of the emperor’s words without showing his feelings.

『It is true that our army lost that war. However, that was due to our lack of strength and the presence of a great strength in the Mireana Kingdom.』

The emperor moved his gaze as he spoke.

His gaze was directed towards the great strength he had just spoken of. In others words, Crimson……Rei.

(Hah.)

Rei met the emperor’s gaze straight on and looked back without showing any sign of averting his eyes.

That was all Rei did, but the emperor still praised him internally.

That was because the emperor understood the amount of pressure he was placing on everyone.

(But……will you be able to maintain the same attitude after this?)

The emperor spoke up, feeling a slight sense of pleasure.

『Yes, strength. In other words, our imperial army lacks strength. So what should we do? It’s simple. We just have to work hard to obtain that strength. Challenge that wall. You can overcome it, destroy it, or just avoid it. But we can never stop moving against that wall. For that purpose, I have prepared a wall.』

With those words, he paused.

At the same time, a person stepped forward next to the emperor.

Murmurs broke out.

That person……the moment they saw that man, even though they were before the emperor, those who knew who he was couldn’t help but break out into discussion.

If this were the throne room, their actions would certainly be criticised.

But……the person beside the emperor had still caused such a shock.

The shock made several nobles later say that they were glad the opening ceremony hadn’t been held in the throne room.

It was someone from the Bestir Empire whose mere appearance was enough to give a strong impact to those around him, comparable to that of the emperor. That person was……

『An adventurer the Bestir Empire is proud to show to the world. Noiz is an S rank adventurer with an unshakable reputation. One of only three in the world. In the name of the Emperor of the Bestir Empire, I nominate him as a participant in this tournament.』

Roar-!

Along with the emperor’s words, a huge shock ran through the stadium.

The audience shouted with joy and many of the participants on stage shouted out similarly, even though he might end up as their future opponent.

However……among the participants, only a few had ferocious smiles, not just of happiness, but at the joy of meeting a strong enemy.

An opponent who stood at the top of the world in the literal sense of the world. They wanted to see how far their own strength could reach against them.

Of course, Rei was one of those few people.

(……I have to defeat him.)

A buzz of blood lust rose from Rei……or rather, pure fighting spirit.

He wanted to defeat Noiz, not kill him. Because of that thought, what was better called pure fighting spirit radiated from Rei rather than blood lust.

The surrounding participants seemed to have noticed Rei’s fighting spirit, making them take several steps back. Noiz, who was standing next to the emperor, turned to look at Rei.

His lips twisted slightly.

If you want to beat me, you’ll have to win first. Seeing Noiz tell him that silently, Rei grew more motivated.

And, Rei wasn’t the only one thinking of challenging Noiz, a person who stood at the top of the empire.

A number of people among the over 100 participants showed similar signs to Rei.

During their silent exchange, Noiz spoke up at the emperor’s urging.

『It’s great to see that everyone seems to be in good spirits. However, since I am an S rank adventurer, I can’t afford to lose that easily. If you’re serious about defeating me, come at me with the intention of dying in the literal sense. No matter who my opponent is, I will accept their challenge.』

His words echoed through out the stadium.

The stadium was quiet for a moment before an explosion of cheers erupted out at the sound of his quiet but mysteriously deep voice.

He had a charisma that could surpass that of the emperor, even if he didn’t do so deliberately.

Of course, his charisma mostly came from his solid position as an S rank adventurer, his ability, and his track record.

Even so, those around him were drawn in with fascination and admiration as Noiz displayed a charisma that rivaled that of the emperor.

Everyone on the area was aiming to win the tournament. However, seeing Noiz, they were more than happy to face an S rank legend at the cost of their own victory.

Realising the abnormal situation, Rei also became aware of the fighting spirit burning within his body.

「I see, it really is amazing……I can’t afford to lose either.」

Rei muttered as he gripped his hands.

Hearing Rei’s voice, Rhodes seemed to regain his senses.

He realised that he had been smothered by the emotions of his surroundings.

(What……was I doing? Right, I came to this tournament to win. But……)

Although he had initially overwhelmed by Noiz’s presence, Rhodes started to think about what he was going to do after regaining his senses.

Yes……he had entered the tournament in the first place because he had bet on a one in a million chance.

In that way, the opening ceremony of the fighting tournament proceeded despite the surprise appearance of Noiz. That day, people all over the Imperial Capital were talking about the opening ceremony and the main tournament that would begin in a few days.

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