Chapter 76: The Selection Tournament (4) - Combat

The greasy arm-wrestling match had indeed been spectacular, but cleaning up the arena afterward was a troublesome task—even with magic, it was no easy feat. The contestants themselves also needed to carefully clean up and change outfits, so this break was longer than usual.

But there was no need to worry about the audience growing bored; the giant screen was replaying highlights from earlier matches. Compared to others, Li Mei’s footage was noticeably more frequent.

It was a full half hour before the third event was finally announced.

Combat Showcase

“This time it’s a traditional event,” the burly host said to the elderly man beside him. “The winner of this event will receive a special prize, and for safety’s sake, we’ve divided the participants into different groups…”

“A traditional event? A special prize?” Zhao Tianhe turned to the staff member at his side, puzzled. “What exactly does that mean?”

“Oh, it’s like this…” The staff member gave a brief explanation.

A combat showcase was, simply put, a battle.

After all, female heroes were still heroes, and the task of a hero was to fight; this traditional event was meant as a test of just that. It allowed the contestants to reveal their truest selves and display the beauty of combat.

The contestants would be grouped according to their power levels to face dungeon bosses ranging from E to B rank. The bosses used for the matches were all controlled by special mental magic, ensuring they would not kill, and each contestant was protected by a sixth-level lifesaving spell, the Seed of Life, ensuring no accidents could happen.

“Artoria has been placed in the B-rank boss group, and the prize for the champion is the equipment dropped by the group’s boss,” the staff member explained. “Every group will have its own champion; this time there are seventeen groups in all.”

Moreover, champions in this event would not be chosen by audience vote, but by a panel of professional A-rank heroes.

Additionally, A-rank heroes—such as Aranta—would not compete. They would receive a special compensation prize and a fixed score of nine out of ten.

But there were very few A-rank heroes participating to begin with; this tournament had only Aranta. After all, the dungeons A-rank heroes oversaw were critical and troublesome, and they couldn’t easily abandon their posts. Aranta was only here because she wanted to attempt a promotion to S-rank dungeons, having already been replaced at her previous post by a newcomer.

“Hm, winning another championship shouldn’t be a problem, right?” Zhao Tianhe frowned, deep in thought. “And maybe the B-rank boss will drop a Summon Token… From what I’ve seen before, if I do all the fighting myself, equipment will drop, but when Artoria and the others land the killing blow, almost nothing drops… In fact, even if they just touch the monster, it greatly increases the odds of dropping materials. So if Artoria just tries her best to land a few hits on the boss, whatever it drops will probably be for me alone!”

Zhao Tianhe gazed expectantly down at the contestants’ lounge.

Out in the corridor outside the lounge, Katata looked at Artoria, who was clad in a blue dress and armor, and paused in surprise.

“You’re… melee?” Katata asked, uncertain.

“Yes,” Artoria nodded.

“Makes sense, you’re so fast… But your agility must be high too, right?” Katata plopped down next to Artoria with a broad grin. “By the way, are you from a continent called Moro?”

“No,” Artoria shook her head. “I come from the Throne of Heroes.”

“The Throne of Heroes? What’s that?” Katata tilted her head in confusion.

“Hmm…” Artoria frowned in thought, then finally replied, “I don’t really know. I can’t remember.”

“Amnesia? Oh well, everyone here has died once to get here, after all,” Katata laughed. “We’re in the same group in a moment. It’s just a temporary team, but what role do you prefer?”

“Well,” Artoria wanted to say she could do anything except be a mage, but she modestly replied, “Frontline assault, I suppose.”

She had no intention of using her Archer King form; mid-match transformations and outfit changes would attract too much attention.

“If this championship offers equipment as a reward, it’s worth going all out. If it comes to it, I’ll just change form,” Artoria thought, glancing up at the VIP section, where Zhao Tianhe was staring down at her with eager eyes.

The arena shifted once more. The E and D-rank groups entered first, since their bosses were weaker and the field could be divided. The B-rank boss was another matter entirely.

The bosses chosen were typically of a fearsome, monstrous variety; watching beautiful women pummel such creatures was a pleasure in itself.

There were fewer contestants in the B-rank group, so they formed a single team.

Li Mei, Katata, Artoria, and ten other contestants made up the group.

“So many people, and two otherworldly heroic spirits—this boss is in for a world of hurt,” Li Mei remarked, dressed in a loose mage’s robe, her hair neatly coiled behind her head, looking crisp and capable.

The B-rank team entered the arena. At the same time, a massive figure materialized from the teleportation circle in the ground.

A six-meter-tall, six-legged beast appeared, covered in rough scales the size of washbasins, lizard-like in form with three pairs of compound eyes.

“Roaaarrrrr!” The monster, thrilled by the vast sea of spectators, rose and let out an ear-splitting bellow. The shockwaves crashed against the protective barrier above, sending ripples shimmering outwards…

Three beams of rainbow light struck the beast’s belly, sparking against its armored scales and forcing it to stagger back.

“Weak to fire, weak to lightning,” reported Li Mei and the other two mages. “Strong resistance to wind magic—its scales emit a special field that interferes with wind spells.”

“I see. In that case, let’s go all out,” said Artoria. The sword in her hand began to gather columns of wind, condensing into a three-meter-long, spear-like whirlwind—her weapon transformed into a knight’s lance, wisps of breeze swirling around her, lifting her gently off the ground.

Supreme Flash Thrust!

In the next instant, Artoria’s figure blurred, her entire being erupting with magical energy as the lance of wind shot straight for the beast’s neck!

On the screens and to the audience, all that was visible was a streak of blue and white—then the monstrous lizard was sent hurtling across the arena by a tremendous, unseen force, its massive form rolling helplessly until it crashed against the edge of the field.

And in Artoria’s hands now gleamed a two-handed greatsword, shining with golden light.

“Hey! That’s cheating!” Katata shouted, rushing forward indignantly as a pair of spiked gauntlets materialized around her fists.

The other melee fighters quickly joined in, though none of them dared to recklessly use acceleration skills—after all, this was a B-rank boss, and it was far from beaten yet.