"The match begins!"
At Princess Renner's declaration, Gagaran moved first. She lifted her iron hammer high above her head and brought it crashing down toward Naohara.
The hammer was massive and heavy, yet in Gagaran's hands it swung as lightly as a toy, moving at astonishing speed.
Facing the fierce blow, Naohara remained calm. In his eyes, the attack seemed to slow, as if time itself had paused.
With a slight shift of his body, he sidestepped the strike by the narrowest margin.
Bang!
The heavy hammer smashed into the ground, sending up a cloud of dust.
When the first blow missed, Gagaran immediately reversed her grip. Relying on her overwhelming strength, she heaved the hammer upward from below and launched a second attack in one fluid motion.
This time, Naohara didn't dodge. He simply raised his leg and stepped down directly onto the incoming hammer.
Bang!
A deafening crash rang out as a shockwave rippled across the field. Gagaran felt a terrifying force surge through her arms. She staggered, and the hammer in her grasp was driven straight into the ground.
Veins bulged across her body as she strained with all her might, trying to turn the situation around. But the hammer pinned beneath Naohara's foot didn't move an inch. Instead, it sank even deeper.
"Well, this is the first time I've ever lost in a contest of strength."
"I just happen to be a bit stronger, that's all."
Naohara smiled, completely at ease. At the same time, he casually reached out with both hands and grabbed at empty air beside him.
Two figures in ninja garb flickered into view, one on each side, closing in from the flanks. They had been about to strike, but before they could, Naohara's iron grip caught them mid-motion and flung them away.
The twins adjusted themselves in midair and landed steadily. They exchanged a glance, then retreated at once, melting into the shadows until they vanished completely.
"Seriously? You reacted to that too? Guess I need to improve."
Gagaran clicked her tongue. She had deliberately drawn his attention, yet the ambush had still failed.
Her expression hardened. Rays of light flared across her body as she activated her Martial Arts, steadily enhancing her physical abilities.
Naohara made no move to interrupt. He simply watched with interest.
In the middle of activating her Martial Arts, Gagaran felt a flicker of irritation. She was being underestimated.
Meanwhile, the twin Rogues lurking nearby lowered their weapons, patiently searching for their next opening.
When the Martial Arts activation finished, Gagaran felt power surging through her body. Gripping her hammer tightly with both hands, she used a special technique to channel all her strength into her arms.
Sensing the mounting force beneath his foot, Naohara considered it for a moment. Not wanting to crush her confidence too badly, he eased off. Using the recoil, he sprang backward with nimble agility.
Gagaran, however, had no intention of letting him get away. She raised her hammer high and slammed it into the ground.
Cracks spread instantly from the point of impact. Broken stone and dust shot into the air as a violent shockwave rolled outward. Having just landed, Naohara was struck by the tremor and swayed slightly.
The ninja twins seized the opportunity. They burst out from the shadows in a blur, closing the distance in an instant. Their timing was flawless.
In perfect coordination, they thrust their weapons toward Naohara, aiming to end the fight in one decisive strike.
"As expected of renowned Adamantite Adventurers. Your teamwork is impeccable."
Naohara praised them lightly, yet there wasn't the slightest hint of concern in his voice.
An ordinary person might very well lose in this situation.
Unfortunately for them, he wasn't human.
Rather than retreating, Naohara stepped forward to meet the twins' attack head-on. Steel collided with flesh, and for a brief moment, it seemed the outcome would be decided right there.
In the next instant, something unbelievable happened.
The blades stopped dead.
Though Naohara's body was nothing but flesh and blood, to Tina and Tia it felt harder than the finest steel. They couldn't pierce it at all. Not even a little.
Seeing the disbelief frozen on the ninja twins' faces, Naohara gave a faint smile. Then, at a speed invisible to the naked eye, he threw two punches.
Bang! Bang!
A terrifying force crashed into them. Their bodies were sent flying dozens of meters away.
At the same time, Naohara vanished from where he stood and reappeared behind Gagaran, driving a punch forward.
Bang!
All three of them hit the ground in a heap.
The tide of battle shifted in an instant. The trio who had seemed to hold the advantage were defeated just like that.
"You've got to be kidding. Even with the three of us working together, you can still do that? No wonder you fought your way through the Undead tide alone."
Gagaran stood up and brushed the dust off herself, staring at Naohara in disbelief. He was far stronger than she had imagined.
They hadn't gone all out, but neither had Naohara. And according to the rumors, his greatest strength was actually his swordsmanship.
"Well, it wasn't that easy for me either."
Naohara smiled lightly. It really hadn't been easy. He had to carefully control his strength to make sure he didn't accidentally kill them with a single punch.
If he slipped and blew someone apart, that would be a real problem.
"Tsk. Captain, shorty, let's go together."
Gagaran clicked her tongue in annoyance. Was this guy incapable of not showing off? She couldn't see anything "not easy" about what he'd just done.
With that, she looked toward the two figures standing off to the side, watching.
"Let's do it."
Lakyus took a deep breath and stepped onto the field. The shock still hadn't faded from her heart. She had expected a close fight. She hadn't imagined they would lose so quickly.
If I'd known, we should've attacked together from the start, she thought silently.
She meant to go easy on Naohara to spare his pride, but ended up making things harder for herself instead.
As she stepped forward, she glanced at Evileye, recalling what she had said earlier. This strength really was on par with Evileye's.
"Hmph. I told you he was strong. You didn't believe me. Now you've tasted it for yourselves."
Evileye stared at Naohara, the faint light in her masked eyes flickering as she mocked Gagaran.
...
"Wow! Naohara-san is incredible!"
Outside the field, Climb was visibly excited.
"I didn't expect Naohara-san to be this strong."
Renner, who had watched everything from start to finish, lowered her gaze slightly. No one could tell what she was thinking.
Doppelgänger: Applause
...
Inside the field.
Lakyus and Evileye stepped forward. All five members of Blue Roses were now in the fight.
Lakyus held a pitch-black greatsword. Starlike light shimmered faintly along its blade, as though it had been forged from the night sky itself.
The weapon was called [Demon Sword Kilineiram], once wielded by the Black Knight, one of the Thirteen Heroes. It now belonged to Lakyus.
"Naohara, you'd better be careful. The captain is very strong."
"See this sword? It's condensed from infinite darkness, forming the ultimate pitch-black blade. If its power is released, it can unleash darkness capable of destroying a nation!"
Noticing Naohara's gaze resting on the sword, Gagaran began explaining in a grave tone. She didn't notice that Lakyus's expression was gradually stiffening.
"Only our captain can barely suppress this sword through sheer willpower. If it were anyone else, they'd already have been possessed by the very root of darkness within it."
Listening to Gagaran speak so confidently, then glancing at the ninja twins nodding in agreement, and even Evileye giving a faint nod, Naohara's lips twitched.
No. Hold it in. This is a serious moment. Don't laugh.
Pfft.
What is this? A public shaming?
He didn't remember this particular bit of the original story, but through magical appraisal he had already seen the weapon's information.
Infinite darkness? Root of darkness?
There wasn't anything like that at all. It was just a weapon with somewhat special properties. If it truly had the power Gagaran described, it would have to be at least a divine-class item.
"Ah! Gagaran, we're about to fight! Focus! Focus!"
"And Naohara-san, please don't take that seriously. Gagaran is just joking."
Watching Gagaran ramble on without restraint, Lakyus nearly felt like jamming the Demon Sword into her mouth.
To stop the topic from going any further, Lakyus cut her off, her face burning red. If this continued, she would suffer complete social death.
"Why can't I say it, Captain? You've worked so hard to control that dark power. Everyone should know!"
Gagaran protested loudly, clearly confused by the interruption.
"She's right. It should be publicized. Let more people know."
Naohara nodded seriously, adding fuel to the fire.
"Stop it!!"
Seeing everyone nodding along, especially Princess Renner and Climb watching from the sidelines, Lakyus's face turned bright red, like a steam engine about to explode. She shouted at the top of her lungs.
Gagaran finally shut her mouth. The captain probably didn't want others to worry and had chosen to bear it alone.
How noble, Captain.
Today was Lakyus's defeat.