Lurona city [southern shores of Fuminao Legacy Kingdom], local time [1794.01.12]

“What was that?” Zeph asked immediately. He had never seen such a reaction if Telekinetic constructs weren’t involved, and the two women were moving their weapons way too fast to apply any.

Not to mention, the swirling mass that formed between the almost-clashing weapons was all too tangible to be a mere Magicule emanation.

“Electromagnetic reaction. Probably unstable attractor had formed, but the polarity between it and both weapons reversed for some reason,” Ghrughah explained, scratching his chin. “The dark dust conglomerating at the center was unexpected… I think they are trying to counter our Discharge-related enchantments…”

The next clash played out the same, but this time a small explosion took place as electric arcs started flying around. Not enough to harm anyone, but pushing the combatants even further away from each other.

“This effect, it wasn’t intended,” P’pfel the professor said, leaning forward on his seat. “I think she is trying to use metal dust to taint the air while magnetizing Kwan’s armor to attract it.”

“That would make sense. They are using breathing masks and air tanks, as we expected. Introducing their own airborne toxin would be appropriate,” Makani added, nodding to himself.

Another clash came, this one was much more controlled – in contrast to previous exchanges, the weapons weren’t flailing wildly when suspended in the air as if the fighters were barely able to keep them in place.

After two seconds, both allowed their weapons to slip off of the opposite sides of the attractor, disengaging and taking just one step before turning and attacking again, forming another one.

Going by the commotion behind the non-reflective windows on the other side of the stadium, the audience loved this unusual spectacle.

“It’s not that easy,” Zeph said, frowning. “They can expect us to use the same or similar gear as a countermeasure. This dust—assuming it even is just metal dust—has to have additional effects… is it possible to damage enchantments that way?”

“Unlikely,” P’pfel said immediately as the show below continued. Both combatants seemed to adapt to the new phenomena well. “But it is, for sure, a great medium for causing localized explosions. Maybe it’s also caustic?” the Gremling tilted his head.

“We better prepare for similar measures,” Ghrughah said, getting up. “I will prepare modified Discharge plates for your armors.”

They all nodded in appreciation as the giant left the room. He would be fighting third, right after Aisha, so he had some time to spare. Next would be P’pfel, and then Makani and Zeph.

Returning to the fight, they focused once more. Every clue as to what tricks their opponents were implementing was a major advantage. Additionally, this was the most important fight of the day – it would be sheer stupidity to not give their fighters the best gear at hand, so a lot could be gleaned from this Duel.

The situation didn’t look good for Lesser Landlord Lucretia, though.

Kwan’s oversized club was creating too much distance between them, and she knew how to use the weapon efficiently. The few times Lucretia tried to slip through to decrease the distance, she was brutally pushed back in the accompaniment of electric discharges and small explosions as Kwan performed a wide, powerful swing.

And even though such actions should strain her, Kwan never slowed down or faltered. She showed no openings, playing a steady game.

This continued for a good five minutes until Lucretia had enough. It was becoming evident that her stamina wasn’t up to par in this prolonged fight. Even if she had an advantage in raw power and versatility because of Kwan’s disabled arm, she still failed to land even one direct hit.

She was also on a timer because of the air tanks’ capacity.

After another exchange, Lucretia jumped back to gain some distance. But just as her amor started changing sheen, Kwan used her own, much faster move.

Pausing only for a fraction of a second, she heaved her club above her head and, exerting the strength of her whole body and taking a step forward, slammed it into the ground with more speed than ever in the Tournament.

Even before the weapon reached the ground, the soft soil of the grassland exploded outwards, as if fleeing away from the catastrophic strike. The uncovered rocks followed suit before the weapon finally met opposition. The ground cracked and split, and a shockwave of force surged forward like a miniature avalanche, throwing the upturned earth and stone shrapnel in every direction as Kwan’s form was catapulted into the air because of the counterforce of the move.

The cone of destruction reached Lucretia in a blink of an eye and all she could do was brace for the impact, abandoning whatever attack she was preparing.

But she was too slow. Same as most of the audience, she overlooked a few rocks that were blown away with much more velocity after the impact – the initial chaos of the strike covering their trajectory.

She was hit in the tight, shoulder, and head as dozens of projectiles flew around her, missing their target. Sparks and clouds of pulverized stone marked the spots as she buckled back, taking a hasty step to regain her balance. But it was for naught as the shockwave hit, sending her to the ground. The debris hit next, covering her in soil and stone while obscuring the world around in a cloud of dust.

Meanwhile, Kwan used her weapon as a proverbial stepping stone. Already in midair, she pushed the weapon downwards and to the back to jump over it and accelerate forward. She was spinning horizontally after discarding it because she used only one arm to propel herself, but she didn’t miss her target.

Drawing her long knife midflight, her spin only added to the force of the strike as she landed right where Lucretia had disappeared in a cloud of dust.

The Duel ended right then, with all the fireworks going off at once.

The announcements started flying around, calling the medical team and proclaiming Kwan’s victory long before they could see what exactly happened.

As the personnel entered the arena, Kwan’s form slowly emerged from the cloud of dirt. She was calmly walking to retrieve her club, leaving the medical team to do their job.

Someone used an air-related enchantment to blow away the dust and any dangerous particles away, uncovering the defeated woman. Lucretia was lying on the ground on her stomach. Seeing how her legs and arms were spread, it was clear that she was trying to stand up when Kwan landed on her. The knife’s handle was sticking out of the right side of her chest, just below her shoulder blades.

Zeph shivered involuntarily after seeing that. The weapon’s blade was long; much too long for comfort if it was stabbed through the chest up to the handle and at that angle.

No wonder Kwan left it behind, he thought, turning away. For some reason, stab wounds penetrating deeply were the worst to look at. They always made him feel the sympathetic pain. With guns, there’s not much to look at, at least…

“That was… a chasem-worth of an enchantment…” Makani said quietly.

“Tier 2. Almost reaching the power of Tier 3 thanks to Kwan’s… predispositions,” P’pfel said proudly. “A shame we won’t be seeing it again in this Tournament.” He deflated right after. “Compatible area is unlikely to be chosen again…”

“And she won’t oppose,” Makani nodded. “Does she have more surprises like that?”

“You should know better,” P’pfel sent him a stinky eye, “that it depends mostly on circumstances.”

“Yes, yes,” he said, raising his hands in a placating gesture. “Anyway, it was overwhelming. Too fast. I was curious about things like that.”

The Gremling shrugged and turned back to the window. “One or two. You will see if she uses them. We will change most of the enchantments after the fights, either way. There is no point listing them.”

Zeph could understand that. Their gear was enchanted specifically to increase their chances of winning in one-on-one fights with people possessing similar Classes. A lot of nasty surprises, but the setup wasn’t exactly optimal outside of the Duels.

Although, it wasn’t always true. Zeph’s spear would stay the same. Only the modular enchantments in his armor would be changed. Not like he managed to use any special ones yet – he was depending more on the consumables.

Kwan returned to the room not long after, already in a toga and refreshed. She didn’t seem tired at all.

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“Well, that was a huge waste of time for the Landlords,” she said as a greeting, unhurriedly stepping down to the group.

The men in the room exchanged glances of confusion, looking at each other dubiously. But after a few such exchanges with no one answering the unspoken question, they just shrugged and waited for Kwan to elaborate.

After she sat in her chair, she sent them a mirthful smile. “What, aren’t you curious?”

“You are a good counter for her, despite the fact that she was a rare find,” Makani deadpanned, wiping out her smirk. “Still doesn’t explain a quint of what had happened there,” he said, cursing.

She shrugged and gestured for Arhen to bring her a drink.

“Hmph.” P’pfel crossed his arms. “As expected. Keep your secrets if you want, but playing with my fragile heart comes with a price.”

“No worries, I have enough gold to melt your fragile organ all the way down to your spline,” she said as a matter of fact, causing P’pfel’s eyes to dilute.

Traitor, Zeph thought, shaking his head. “Are you going to share or not?” he asked with a sigh.

“Not now,” Kwan said more seriously. “Maybe after the Tournament, after we clamp down our security issues. But Makani was right. Choosing her was a mistake.”

The banter and small talk continued until the next match.

Unexpectedly, Aisha’s opponent turned out to be a long-range fighter. He was armed with an assortment of advanced-looking crossbows of all sizes. His Class had to focus on raw PE, otherwise this pairing wouldn’t be allowed. The match was called simply a ‘Warriors’ Duel’, further confirming their suspicions.

Both were geared with air tanks and masks that covered their faces.

The terrain seemed disadvantageous to Aisha because the high forest area would allow the crossbow wielder to keep a distance. But in reality, it was playing right into Zeph’s group hand, as Ghrughah was still working on the updates to their armors.

Moreover, they weren’t worried. Everyone was sure that it was too little to endanger the Priestess; with the exception of mysterious trump cards their opposition used, but any opponent could use those.

And if the worst came to the worst, Aisha could always put the forest on fire. It was something the Landlords probably didn’t take into account because she rarely allowed herself to commit mass destruction of this kind, especially in the city. The collateral damage almost never was worth it; it was better to suffer some injuries during difficult fights than to overreact like that.

Because of the nature of the area and the speed of the combatants, not much could be seen. Of course, the other mode of the window panel allowed them to at least know their positions, but all details were lost for the audience.

Trees were falling; big explosions shaking the overgrown forest. Sometimes flashes of light pierced through the dense canopy. Yet neither of the combatants seemed to slow down, zipping through the area in a wild chase.

It took half an hour and a surprising number of felled trees to finish the fight. The crossbowman made a mistake that allowed Aisha to finally catch up to him – he failed to notice that Aisha herded him into an already deforested area.

When the two left the cover of the forest – the man carried by the medical team – it became clear that much more had happened than they could see during the match. The number of injuries on both combatants was a testament to that.

They had lost their anti-gas equipment somewhere during the fight, but Zeph doubted they were able to use any chemicals – they moved around too fast during the fight.

Aisha has become a veritable pincushion. None of the bolts penetrated deep, but the number of them was staggering. Most of the shafts were shattered already, Aisha seemingly not acknowledging their existence while moving around. She walked with the same grace and confidence as always, despite the sorry state of her attire. Her armor’s left side was melted down, leaving big holes that showed damaged skin beneath.

The man fared much worse. He lost all his weapons; broken parts were still dangling from the belts on his waist. His breastplate was missing, uncovering a deep cavity in his chest. Zeph was seriously wondering how the man was still alive. He was quite sure such a blow would damage even the spine.

The audience became rowdy once again after seeing the aftermath. This round of bets brought some exciting results, after all.

It took Aisha a while to return to the spectator hall. Her skin, what little of it could be glimpsed from between the toga’s folds, was dotted with red marks left by the bolts. But otherwise, she seemed satisfied and healthy.

Ghrughah entered the room with her, bringing the newly enchanted armor modules.

“Doesn’t that hurt?” Makani squinted his eyes at her nonchalant behavior.

“It means the fight was worth it,” she said with a smirk. “It stings a little, but my performance won’t be negatively impacted.” She sat down next to Kwan and stretched in her seat.

“The alien anatomy of your body aside,” Ghrughah grumbled, turning to the rest of the room, “show me your equipment. We don’t have much time.”

Obediently, P’pfel, Makani, and Zeph presented themselves or their equipment to the giant. They were all geared up and prepared for the matches – the stadium’s Manacasters already refreshed the security probes and enchantment systems earlier today. Thankfully, they didn’t notice that Gru ‘consumed’ one of the old probes from yesterday.

The process was simple – most of Ghrughah’s creations were created with some level of modularity in mind. Zeph armor had slots for solid plates in the most crucial spots. The Fullerene alloy wasn’t the best against blades hitting at steep angles. To give him the ability to deflect attacks, the shin guards, armguards, and neck area were covered in solid plates. The chest and back area, as well as the nether region alongside the immediate neighborhood, were all similarly strengthened from the inside. All of those plates were enchantment-ready and relatively easy to replace. Although, most of them were still empty. He had the standard set and a surprise or two, but he needed to work out more advanced enchantments himself.

The procedure was much faster when Ghrughah did it personally. It was much more time-consuming to secure the plates properly and test them out without his Skills and Soul contaminations.

In quick order, four modified Discharge enchantments were inserted into the strategic locations around their armors. P’pfel’s armored vehicle was the easiest to modify, while Makani’s robes required some additional work around the fabric.

“All done,” the giant nodded after finishing the final inspection. “And right on time, too,” he added, hearing another announcement.

“Don’t go overboard. The surprise is for tomorrow,” Kwan said to the leaving giant.

“I know.”

She nodded in appreciation and turned to Aisha. “So, how is it on your side?”

“The investigation is stuck. But I managed to convince the arbiters. I will be present during tomorrow’s pre-fight equipment inspection,” she said with a resigned sigh. “Thankfully, it will not be announced. But I have a dilemma. I can be present only during Zeph’s inspection to, hopefully, find the culprit guilty. Or I can take part in all of yours, which has the potential to dissuade the Landlords from using that artifact in the first place.”

“Will they call another Temple representative?” Makani asked.

“No, they would need at least a week to manage that,” she shook her head. “What do you think?” She turned to Zeph.

To say that he was hesitant would be an understatement. In the letter, Alex and Alana sounded quite sure that the attack would worsen his Soul fragmentation problem. It was something he wanted to avoid at all costs. Not only because of the pain such an attack would bring—he was sure that he was slowly developing a trauma in that regard—but because he didn’t want to deal with the consequences.

He still remembered vividly the time back on Earth, when he was suffering from critical Soul fragmentation. To get even close to that state… There was nothing more frightening to him. After learning, once more, how it was to live without that burden… he feared the despair of losing it yet again; he feared that it would push him over the line this time.

“What are the chances you won’t be able to tell?” he asked slowly, glancing at her.

“You have two specialists in the topic at hand,” she said, indicating herself and Gru. “If that isn’t enough, we can as well assume it’s impossible to determine the artifact’s purpose before its activation. But such situations are… I will not say unheard of, but it isn’t something that should be happening on this stratum.”

He weighed his options, trying to ignore the creeping dread worming its way up from the deepest parts of his mind.

Truth be told, he was very tempted to just forfeit the fight. But he knew, those were his fears speaking – it was still too early to consider this possibility. He was a little too stubborn to surrender like that, too.

After a silent minute, he concluded that he… wasn’t sure what to do.

“Let’s see what they will try today, first,” he finally said, giving up. “If it will be another nasty surprise… maybe there won’t be a choice.”

“It sucks to be the weakest link, ain’t it?” P’pfel the wild said, grinning widely. It seemed he vehemently enjoyed not being the most vulnerable member of the group for once.

Zeph nodded. The Gremling was right.

Aisha and, by extension, P’pfel were a part of the Temple of Leilucia. Makani had his Tower. Meanwhile, Kwan’s Landlord title was almost guaranteed at this point.

In their cases, any serious transgression would be met with strong retaliation.

But him? No big organization would react as a whole if he was to be killed or crippled using illicit means. The political backlash of such an occurrence, the Landlords could weather relatively easily. He was the easiest target in their Guild while simultaneously representing a big chunk of its worth and resources.

Looking at it from another perspective… A perfect bait, isn’t it? he thought, trying to be more positive.

After a few encouraging words from Aisha, it was decided to wait till the strategy meeting before planning ahead. To that effect, all of them would visit the banquet this evening. Information was what they needed the most right now.

~~~

The next two fights were basically a repetition of the previous day.

Ghrughah patiently and methodically stripped the armor from his opponent, breaking the man’s weapons and body along the way. The few dents his mechanical suit received were slowly mending themselves over time – something the giant was able to do manually even during the fight.

No matter what hi-tech his opponent used, the monstrosity in the shape of Ghrughah’s armor stood firm and unimpeded. Even their version of high explosive failed miserably in damaging it.

The man was so out of his element, that he didn’t even use any last-resort attack.

P’pfel’s fight was more interesting.

It played in the marsh area. Zeph wondered how shocked their opposition had to be when the opening in P’pfel’s armor-slash-vehicle was sealed tight with the help of his shield while short plates slid out all around the external shell.

He would pay a lot to see their faces.

An unhealthy dose of toxic, oily substances was being left on the surface of ponds in the wake of the rolling vehicle. Of course, the resulting vapors quickly joined them in the colorful display.

In some ways, this Duel was more straightforward than his previous one. No gas explosions happened; no tricky ambushes were being set. All the contestants had to do was damage and unseal their opponent’s protective gear.

Because of that, after a short exchange of projectiles and Spells, which turned out ineffective, explosives started flying around in record time.

The woman was using something resembling a deep-sea diving suit. While P’pfel had much better mobility, she could dive underwater for protection.

It took a while, mostly because P’pfel didn’t have any explosives that were effective underwater. He entered up slamming into the woman after catching her on the shallows.

Her suit cracked, sealing her fate.

After that, she did try to attach something to P’pfel’s rolling vehicle, but he wisely kept his distance for the rest of the fight. Obviously, she didn’t have a chance to catch up to him.

Makani’s fight was next and for the lack of a better pairing, he would bash heads with a Ranger-type Spellwielder.

The man used a bow and had two Soul-bond avians at his disposal. It was a risk to bring them into the arena, as losing even one in the fight would leave a lasting effect on him.

For the first time in the Tournament, rocky cliffs were used as a stage.

The two combatants were standing on the opposite sides of a deep ravine, measuring each other, while the audience waited for the signal to start…