Round One, Concluded

Yaafan's scheme to drench Alexia and shock her into submission with lightning magic fell flat.

The lightning was disrupted by Alexia's fire magic.

What's more, Alexia had used fire magic to dry herself off.

"This is… not good."

He needed his book for Auto-Spell, but it was too far from where he stood.

Turning his back on Alexia was far too dangerous.

Before anything else, he had to deal with the battleaxe.

With the iron staff barely holding the line, there was no room for incantations.

He tried to deflect the battleaxe and create distance, but Alexia wasn't about to let him.

Every swing of Alexia's battleaxe forced Yaafan another step back, until he was cornered one step from the arena's edge.

Alexia thrust her battleaxe at him.

Yaafan was knocked clean out of the ring. The match was over.

"Match Five. Winner, Alexia!"

The referee called Alexia's name, and her victory was finalized.

Alexia hoisted her battleaxe and left the stage.

Yaafan collected his book from the arena and left, muttering "good grief" while brushing the dirt from his clothes.

Match Six.

Labyrinth explorer Meraia versus martial artist Shusei.

The moment the match started, the elderly Shusei produced a gourd from inside his robes, popped the lid, and began drinking.

The pungent smell of alcohol hit Meraia's nose.

Meraia attacked with his sword in exasperation, but Shusei dodged every swing while continuing to drink.

The instant the gourd was empty, Shusei tossed it aside and took a swaying stance.

From that point on, it was one-sided.

Meraia's attacks couldn't track Shusei's movements, and every miss invited a counter.

Shusei struck with a force no old man should have possessed, battering Meraia relentlessly until he stomped on Meraia's foot and unleashed a flurry of blows that knocked him unconscious.

Match Six ended with the defeat of Meraia, a man who'd spent his days exploring labyrinths, and Shusei advanced.

On to Match Seven.

Spartian warrior Tankton versus heavy warrior Oag.

As fate would have it, a shield-user showdown.

Oag carried a shield even larger than the Spartian standard and set it with absolute confidence.

His movements were ponderous under all that armor and the massive shield, but there was undeniable power behind them.

Tankton stowed his lance and gripped his shield in both hands.

Then he walked toward Oag.

His gait was surprisingly natural for someone carrying a full-sized shield.

He stopped in front of Oag, set his shield, and launched into a full shield charge.

A shield charge was the first technique any Spartian warrior learned.

If yours wasn't strong, you didn't earn a place in the front line of the honored phalanx.

Which meant a Spartian warrior's shield charge was devastatingly refined.

Oag had been confident in his defense.

He braced his metal shield, still heavy enough to slow him down despite its weight-reduction enchantment, and tried to push the Spartian back.

But the instant the shield charge connected, Oag's feet left the ground.

And once your feet left the ground, there was no resisting a shield charge's knockback.

Oag was hurled backward.

He managed to get his shield up, but Tankton was already right there, shield at the ready.

Another charge.

This repeated over and over, the color draining from Oag's face with each impact.

When they neared the arena's edge, Tankton switched from charging to simply advancing with his shield extended.

Their shields met.

Oag tried to push back with everything he had, but Tankton didn't budge.

The gap in shield technique and lower-body strength was too wide.

Oag was shoved out of the ring and couldn't stand for a good while afterward.

"Match Seven. Winner, Tankton!"

Tankton drew his stowed lance and thrust it skyward.

Then he offered Oag a hand, pulled him up, and the two exited together.

Then, Match Eight.

The final match of Round One pitted Darz Alanee against Ragun the hunter.

The referee signaled the start, and Ragun moved first.

Ragun, draped in animal hides from head to toe, launched a savage barrage at Darz with the iron claws mounted on his hands.

Every strike was stopped dead by a thick shield.

Ragun's onslaught left nothing but scratches on its surface before petering out.

Having gone all-in for a quick finish, Ragun was panting and spent.

Darz drew his sword and cut down at Ragun from overhead.

Ragun tried to catch it on his iron claws, but the blade broke through his guard and struck his body. He vanished.

A swift conclusion.

Round One was over.

The updated tournament bracket was displayed.

The referee announced that Round Two and Round Three would be held on subsequent days, and Day One of the Ocelot Colosseum came to a close.

Master collected Azu and Elza and went to meet Alexia before leaving the arena.

At the edge of the colosseum, Finn's back came into view.

Finn's hair was black. Jet black.

Her distinctive outfit made her easy to pick out.

She seemed to be talking to a merchant, but it didn't look like a pleasant conversation.

The merchant left soon after, and once he was out of sight, Finn kicked the colosseum wall.

She was clearly agitated.

Perhaps sensing she was being watched, she turned to look their way.

Those are the eyes of someone who wants money no matter what, Master thought.

Then Finn was gone.