Chapter 153
The battle where the frenzied spectators' noise was dismissed as mere white noise.
Sword and staff fighting with pure strength and technique, without manifesting gangqi or sword qi.
However, precisely because of that, Esther and Obarna反而 felt it was troublesome.
'To think I'd meet such a strong person in a colosseum where only commoners would appear.'
Obarna was purely surprised and scrunched her face, while Esther had a face that seemed secretly pleased.
Obarna, as can be told from her name, is the adopted daughter taken in by Orbire.
A person born and raised in the Tower, who had practically never stepped outside it.
She experienced humiliation for the first time in her life when she was subjected to a group beating by Kalias, and thus set out for the secular world.
However, as soon as she came out, she was deceived by a swindler who kindly offered to show her the way, and she signed her own slave certificate.
And after being sold here and there, causing havoc wherever she went, she ended up here.
Anyway, since it was just fighting commoners of the secular world, she thought she'd quickly smash them all, earn some money and spend it lavishly, but it turned out to be more difficult than expected.
The swordsman before her eyes.
'A transcendent like me.'
At first, she wasn't particularly surprised.
She was originally the Floor Master of the 61st floor.
Her role was also to personally beat down those who had just raised their rank to transcendence, advising them not to be arrogant.
The first person to show them that even if they've surpassed human limits, the world is wide.
That was Obarna's role.
Thus, her surprise was but a fleeting moment.
In Boltan's Colosseum, Obarna unknowingly fought as a Floor Master.
As she expected, the water-haired swordsman was a being who had just transcended, and still had what could be called immaturity.
Those who have broken through the wall unknowingly end up fighting with the power accumulated inside their Teturi for a long time.
It could be called a habit built over many years. Even though they've barely broken through their limits, they feel awkward about exerting power beyond that.
But if they force themselves to squeeze out power, the balance gets disrupted and the transmission of force weakens.
Obarna had dealt with and taught such people for quite a long time, so Esther's weaknesses were crystal clear to her.
Tuk, tuk, tuk.
Just three times.
By poking her staff, Esther's movements came to an abrupt halt like a puppet with its strings cut.
"There are intervals in everything. If a certain level of interval isn't achieved, force cannot be fully transmitted."
Obarna, before Esther could fully extend her arm, before she could bend and extend her leg.
Before she could properly use her waist, she blocked her movements in advance.
"As you are now, you cannot defeat me."
"……"
But at that moment.
Tat!
Suddenly, Esther threw her blocked sword into the air.
"Eh?"
At the same time, she lightly stepped on Obarna's staff, spun around, caught her sword, and struck straight down.
Kwoong!
'Her aura changed.'
Shiver—
Obarna's fine hairs stood on end.
An insignificant movement.
But the judgment and movement just now would be a symbol of enlightenment for her.
With the advice given just now, she had grown.
Along with her fluttering water-colored hair, crescent moon sword qi began to be fired.
Kwagagagagagagak!
As dozens of crescent moons were fired, Obarna also raised her qi energy, shattered all the sword qi, and thrust her staff.
She planted her staff on the ground to launch a kick, and simultaneously wielded and thrust in a flashy manner.
Like the previous attack, it was to block her movements in advance.
However, right at that moment.
Swish.
Feeling Obarna's movement, Esther thrust her sword.
"Don't even try!"
Tuk.
Blocking Esther's extending elbow with her staff, the corners of Obarna's mouth lifted.
But Esther also smiled.
Her sword that hadn't fully extended slipped down. Her left hand snatched it and slashed upward like lightning.
Chwak!!
Tat, tat, tat! Doing a backward somersault to avoid her sword and create distance.
Srk.
Obarna's eyes, after wiping the blood bead at the tip of her chin, trembled without focus.
"Huu, haa..."
A single deep breath.
With that, Obarna hid her agitation and composed herself.
The secular world, the colosseum, the gladiator, the slave, and such things were all forgotten.
All that was visible in her eyes was the water-haired Master before her.
"I will go."
Her staff was imbued with gangqi.
"Please do."
Esther's sword was the same.
A thin coating invisible to the eye.
But a condensation of qi harder than anything else surrounded it.
The moment power and power were about to clash.
"A Master from another country!!"
"It's heresy!!"
Clear gangqi.
Even ordinary people couldn't fail to understand what that meant.
At the cries ringing out from all directions, Esther and Obarna's shoulders flinched.
"Ah..."
Intoxicated by the thrill, they had forgotten where they were.
Chuk, chuk, chuk, chuk, chuk.
Before they knew it, numerous soldiers with spears had surrounded them inside the colosseum.
Among them were captain-class imperial knights and one who was a few steps away from becoming a Master.
And standing there was one of the Empire's Spears.
"What kind of madmen have we here. On the Empire's soil. And Masters from another country fighting each other in Boltan's Colosseum, no less. Are you protesting for us to capture you?"
* * *
"What? What's happening? What about my money?!"
"W-who's the winner!"
"Don't tell me it's a draw! Where did my money go!!"
Heresy that appeared in the Empire.
Masters from another country.
The audience seats were in chaos, divided between those crying heresy, foreign Masters, and those crying for their money.
People rising from their seats and fleeing.
Leaving behind the lizard and dwarf running around crying for their money.
Kalias and Serena quietly kept their seats and watched them.
"What should we do?"
"There's nothing we can do. They're capable enough to handle themselves."
Originally, if it became known that Obarna was a Floor Master of the Sanctuary, there wouldn't be any major issues.
The Empire provides quite a lot of support to Agathodo, and tends to respect them.
"The problem is her."
Whatever the reason she's here, she probably has some kind of plan.
'She said she set out on a journey to find the sacred relic almost a year ago, so why is she here?'
I'm not sure.
She wouldn't have been scammed like Obarna or swept up in the atmosphere to participate, so I'm curious about her intentions.
It was probably intentional.
In the heart of the Empire.
What could be the reason she revealed herself to become a gladiator in the colosseum.
'Has she too learned where the Tears of Lactus are?'
I couldn't think of any other reason besides that.
But.
"Seeing how she is now, it doesn't seem like that's the case."
Esther unleashed her sword qi as soon as she was surrounded. It wasn't the situation she desired, but she continued slashing at the imperial army as if it was rather convenient.
Perhaps the Empire's resentment stemming from Sylvibian was still lodged in her sword. At least, that's how Kalias saw it.
Looking at the emotion lodged in her sword, Kalias crossed his arms and asked.
"First of all, what about my money?"
"Shall I look into it?"
"With the situation like this, there must be some who ran off with my money."
"I'll make sure to catch them."
As expected of a dragon, you love gold.
Leaving behind Serena who had spawned yet another misunderstanding, Kalias kept his seat.
They swarm in.
The imperial army swarming like a pack of dogs.
Soldiers flooded into the colosseum like a tide, and Obarna and Esther, as if they had never fought each other, stood back to back and began facing the imperial army.
"They fight well."
Philo, who had been crying about his money, seemed to have reached enlightenment as he slumped down in his seat and decided to just watch the fight.
He let out a string of admiration as he blankly watched Esther and Obarna slice through the surging imperial army.
"That they are. Her talent is outstanding. It's probably safe to say she's the best in Karpe."
"You seem to know her. Who is she?"
"The Sword Saintess."
"Saintess? Karpe has a saintess too?"
"She's still a candidate, but she's a woman who will soon become the saintess. Remember her well this time. You might have a connection with her someday."
Kwajik! Kwang!!
It was Obarna's staff.
The staff suddenly became uneven, lengthening and thickening, and blew away one side of the colosseum.
Through the hole blown open in one side of the colosseum, a mountain ridge and the sun were visible.
"Aren't we going to fly away from that too?"
Kugugugung.
The shaking colosseum.
In the midst of the battle that seemed ready to collapse at any moment, Esther's sword radiated light.
'Sylvibian.'
The sword made from her emitted the light of lush nature.
The muscles of the bodies and arms of the soldiers struck by her flowing sword qi involuntarily swelled up and then exploded.
"Ugh. What is that?"
"It's complicated to explain... Just that anything in excess is bad for the body."
"What are you talking about?"
"That sword is originally a sword that heals people. It aids in wound recovery and clears the body and mind."
However.
"That too becomes poison if excessive."
For example, for the body to recover, cells must regenerate.
Without needing to talk about white blood cells or red blood cells, if cells regenerate, it's healed regardless.
But what happens if that cell regeneration effect becomes too strong?
The tissue can't handle the cell proliferation and bursts.
Esther's sword is that kind of sword.
To allies, the light of healing.
To enemies, the light of destruction.
The Saintess of the Sword.
Her epithet that would be called Witch would rapidly gain fame after the war...
'Various rumors are already going to spread throughout the Empire.'
Not that it matters much.
"How can such a terrifying sword exist..."
"The woman who became that sword was that kind of woman."
Compassionate, yet also strict.
Originally, Sylvibian had that kind of personality.
For she was a resolute woman who had even shut out Fileche for decades for not listening to her.
"Hmm."
Kalias suddenly closed his eyes.
His qi sense, which had transcended humanity, caught various things.
The imperial knights jumping back into the colosseum.
The outstanding strong ones among them.
And a faint presence slowly approaching.
However, a presence that gave the feeling of absolutely not being able to sit idly by was approaching.
"How slow."
At that moment.
Kalias, who had been spreading his qi sense fully, frowned and grabbed his forehead.
"What, what's wrong?"
"I've been seen through."
Someone had seen through and shattered his qi sensing that used demonic power and divine power.
'It wasn't the one approaching slowly.'
He was quite relaxed and left it alone even though he knew of his sensing ability.
But the one coming now was different.
It was quite fast, and as soon as Kalias sensed it, it spread its qi and shattered his sensing.
"Something is coming."
Hwiiiiii.
Suddenly, a sharp air-rending sound was heard.
Immediately.
Kwaaaaang!!
Something huge falling from the sky crashed down, smashing the colosseum.
Kuguuuung!!
Along with a massive tremor, shattered stone fragments scattered in all directions.
—Krararararara!!
Wings with wing membranes like a bat's.
A reptilian body and vertically slit eyes.
Two curved horns, gangqi enveloping its entire body, and sharp claws.
—Kiwoooong!
"Keuk!"
"Kkeuuk!"
Its roar echoing in all directions.
That was unmistakably what humans hadn't heard for a thousand years.
Dragon Fear.
The roar that amplified human instinctive fear stopped not only the movements of those seated in the colosseum, but even their breathing.
"D-Dragon... Why is a dragon suddenly...!"
As Philo's voice, trembling as he spoke with seemingly less damage, echoed, the giant dragon's eyes turned toward him.
"Ah..."
The dragon that suddenly appeared was clearly.
Enraged toward Kalias.
The dragon revealing hostility toward him.
To have a dragon as his first opponent after becoming a Master.
"Not bad at all."
Kalias, pulling up the corners of his mouth, gripped Roas's scabbard tightly.
Immediately, the sword was drawn in a single motion.
Half of the colosseum was split apart.