The Hero Called Dragonslayer

The intermission ended.

Master dropped Azu's dirty clothes off at the laundry and returned to his seat.

The referee took the stage first and announced the matches were resuming.

At the referee's signal, the fighters entered.

Second round, match four.

Magic Knight Alexia versus Alhechhi the Dragonslayer.

No betting pool had been established for this match.

Too many people wanted to bet on Alhechhi. The odds were unworkable.

Dragonslayer. A title earned by slaying a named Dragon alone and taking that Dragon's name as one's own.

A clan of heroes from the frozen northern lands. They were said to always seek an even mightier Dragon.

Their numbers had apparently dwindled considerably by now.

Of course they had. Nobody lived long that way.

In the preliminaries, Alhechhi had simply overpowered a mage who specialized in body-enhancement magic through sheer brute force.

The man wore full plate armor as though it weighed nothing. His strength was staggering.

Alexia's face was tense.

Her family had been a martial house. She knew full well how renowned the Dragonslayers were.

The referee declared the start of the match.

While distance still separated them, Alexia began chanting.

She chose a spell that hit hard and could be cast as quickly as possible.

She aimed her battleaxe at Alhechhi like a staff and unleashed the spell.

Multiple fireballs materialized and hurtled toward him at high speed.

Magical fire was a threat to any living thing.

On contact, flames would spread, engulf, and burn.

Layer a concussive spell on top, and blunt-force damage came with it.

Even through full plate, the heat would conduct and torment him.

Alhechhi reached out with his right hand and casually swatted the incoming fireballs aside.

That alone snuffed them out. Concussive force and all.

He deflected a few, then crushed the last fireball in his fist.

A thin wisp of smoke rose from his right gauntlet.

Eventually, Alhechhi began to walk.

Seeing this, Alexia threw every spell she had at him.

She fired an explosion spell. His stride didn't falter.

Alhechhi simply walked.

And nothing could stop it.

A firestorm spell hit him head-on. He paid it no mind.

Alexia combined wind and fire magic to cast a heat ray.

For the first time, Alhechhi assumed a defensive posture.

He shifted the cloak on his back forward with his left arm and held it against the beam.

It was no ordinary cloak. The heat ray dispersed on contact without igniting the fabric.

He resumed walking.

The heat ray spell expired.

With a flick of his cloak, Alhechhi simply walked on.

Alexia switched from fire to concussive magic, but Alhechhi punched the spell away.

Water magic, he ignored entirely.

The distance between them was less than half of what it had been.

Alexia planted the butt of her battleaxe on the ground and gripped the shaft with both hands.

Fire magic, but not just any spell.

She began chanting a grand-scale spell built purely for destructive power.

The same spell that had burned through Etoroki's heart.

Normally, this spell had no place in a one-on-one fight.

The incantation was far too long, leaving the caster defenseless throughout.

Any opponent would simply attack during the chant and win.

But Alhechhi didn't rush to close the distance. He simply walked.

Not that anything Alexia had done could have stopped that walk regardless.

One more step and Alhechhi would be within arm's reach. That was when the grand spell completed.

"Flame Line."

A massive drain on Alexia's mana produced a compressed ball of fire.

Of all Alexia's spells, this one hit the hardest.

This time, she layered concussive magic on top of it.

The palm-sized flame trembled, on the verge of detonating.

Only Alexia's mana held it in check.

She directed it at Alhechhi.

This was not a spell meant for use against people. She could only use it because the arena's protections would safeguard the fighters.

The small flame streaked toward Alhechhi.

For the first time, Alhechhi drew his sword.

A Dragon motif adorned the hilt. The rest was nothing more than a rugged, utilitarian blade.

He thrust the sword at Flame Line.

The instant they met, the compressed fire erupted in a blast of concussive force aimed squarely at Alhechhi.

The sword tip scattered it.

The strain must have been enormous, yet the point of the blade never wavered.

The fire's heat gradually turned the steel red-hot.

When Flame Line finally dissipated, Alhechhi's sword was glowing an angry red from the absorbed heat.

Yet somehow, no heat had reached the hilt.

"Had enough?"

Alhechhi said just that, now standing right in front of Alexia.

"… I forfeit. So this is what a Dragonslayer is."

"I see. That last one was rather good."

Alexia raised both hands in surrender.

The referee accepted it, and the fourth match was decided.

Against a hero who slew dragons single-handedly, Alexia simply wasn't on that level yet.

That was all.

Alhechhi exited. Alexia left the stage as well.

The audience gave generous applause, apparently in recognition of Alexia's valiant effort.

Master joined in.

Indeed, no wonder the betting pool hadn't worked.

A walking disaster in human form. That was the best way to describe him.

The overwhelming favorite to win the whole thing.

Second round, match five.

Drunken martial artist Shusei versus Spartian warrior Tankton.

Shusei's bizarre, inebriated movements left Tankton visibly flustered.

Every spear thrust was answered by Shusei stepping on top of it. Every shield bash was met with a shoulder check that canceled the momentum before it could build.

Try to push through with force, and Shusei simply wasn't there anymore.

Whenever space opened between them, Shusei was drinking.

While Master watched the match, Alexia came over.

She'd already changed out of her battle dress, understandably, since it was conspicuous and showed too much skin.

Even in regular clothing, her striking looks turned heads.

She seemed a bit subdued. Losing had clearly stung.

But there were no seats available.

Fortunately, the seat beside Master bordered an underused aisle, so he had Alexia stand there.

"Well, these things happen."

"Is that supposed to be comfort? Ugh. That was just unfair."

Master couldn't disagree. The man had physically overpowered magic.

"Strength" didn't even begin to cover it.

Alexia looked dejected, so Master gave her a slap on the rear to snap her out of it.

They still had two more fighters to cheer for.

"Hey! Cut that out!"

Alexia went beet-red and protested.