"You did it, Mina.

Good job, girl.

Congratulations . Mina.

"That's my beloved Lily's best friend. You are my best friend.

After the cooking battle was over, everyone, including Kyou, said so to me.

Yes, thank you. Because of your help.

That was my true intention and without Kyou's advice, I would have lost sight of the essence of my cooking.
I hope that I can be of some help to you all and face Lily, who is still fighting on the battlefield for everyone.

Now, I will disclose the next pairing of opponents and their respective dishes.

In the meantime, the hand of the gourmet master revealed the next match-up and the designated dish, which contained the names of the unexpected combinations.




◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆.




--The battlefield.

There, countless armies are advancing toward the territory to be invaded.
The enemy forces are the forces of the Empire of Albrus, the pride of Rostam, the "Emperor and Hero".
The movement of the army is so refined that it is worthy of one of the world's greatest imperial soldiers.
However, the formation, which can be called ironclad, will collapse when faced with a mass of unstandard beasts and storms that run around the battlefield.

Move!　Regroup once!

The general commanding the troops shouts to the soldiers on the battlefield from his horse, and once the troops are in retreat.
However, as if to discourage the general's horse, a blow from a galloping beast on the ground blows away the general's horse and the general on horseback involuntarily adjusts his stance in the air and descends to the ground.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you get away with this. I'm sorry, but I can't let you go.

You will be able to find out the best way to get a good deal more about the company.

I've heard rumors, but is this the power of a heretical hero who has the power of a demon?

The general's glare at Lily was filled with obvious contempt, and she had seen that mixture of fear and contempt many times before.

...... Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you. The only thing that will make you unconscious for a while, and then you'll be our prisoner.

The moment you say that and raise your hand, Lily's literally wild instincts tell her the danger is there.
At the same time, a trajectory resembling a flash occurs in the spot where you were just before you leap backwards.

There was a hero standing there, and the slash, which would have struck while still in its scabbard, would have rendered him unable to fight on its own if it had been a direct hit.
But more than that, the most surprising thing is that the face of the master who fired the slash looked familiar.

You are ...... felid.

This is the person who had previously saved her from falling down in the forest and had some involvement with them afterwards.

"It's been a long time, "Beastman Hero" Lily. I would have preferred not to see you again like this if I could.

So, FERIDO, speaking of Lily's title as a brave man.
It's not the same as the general's, who was not in awe of himself, but rather a sense of gratitude towards a respected opponent, but also a sense of determination that if you are an enemy, you have no choice but to defeat him.

So do I. It is a very good idea to have a good idea of what you want to do with it, but if you're on the other side, does that mean you're on the side of the Albrus Empire?

"You're right. Hence, we're working with them now.

"Oh yeah.

As soon as it was enough to confirm that, Lily immediately went into battle readiness.
You will be able to find out if you have a good idea of the strength of Ferid's abilities when they fought together for a short time before.
But we also know that the opponent is hiding a lot of abilities, including the previous blow.
I'm sure that even with that in mind, I'm still convinced that I'm far superior to them in terms of current fighting ability.

You are aware of the fact that you are the one with the greatest individual fighting ability among the seven great heroes, and you are currently using the creation skill that released the power of the demon.
No matter how strong FERRID is, he has never been defeated in a person to person battle.
With that confidence behind her, Lily sprinted across the land, her fist reaching for FERRID's body.

In the nick of time, at an almost reflexive level, felid guards it with the sword he holds in his hand, but the damage through it was sure to enter his body.
After all, no matter how skilled your opponent is, in a head-to-head battle, you have the advantage.
With this confidence regained, Lily leaps toward the heavens with her sprinting speed and attacks with the sun at her back.

With a speed equal to or greater than that of the previous attack, and even greater than that of the attack from overhead, a blind sun-blindness.
In the face of a winning blow of various tactics, but this time the fist never reaches FERRID's body, but is caught by the ready sword and effortlessly flicked off.

The timing was perfect, yet the defense seemed to anticipate his attack, and for a moment, Lily felt uncomfortable and uneasy.

However, to retreat from this situation is to deny your confidence, and above all, miss the chance to stop the enemy invasion and ride the wave of interception.
Shaking off the faint warning sound that ran through you, Lily kicked off the ground again, this time with an all-out sprinting blow.

This time, the fist is on the verge of hitting the body with a full-body blow, but just before the fist strikes, it is as if the sense of time around felid is slowly advancing. Ferry's fist slows down slightly, and Ferry's body twists and turns as if to brush it off, and then Ferry catches Lily's back just after he releases his full fist.

In a moment, he managed to writhe with his beastly instincts and tried to evade the attack, but as he evaded, Ferrido's sword ran towards him and struck off the body that had turned into a beast.

"--Nope.

A shock of darkness running to the brain.
For Lily, it was an impossible situation; in fact, until the moment she confronted him, her own fighting ability was unquestionably superior to that of Felid in every way.
But in spite of this, the skill with which he first ate the attack, then blocked it, then evaded it, and even released an attack that caught him.
It was as if he or she had grasped all of the opponent's moves and attacks with just a few blows, an impossible evolution in combat.

You ...... what the hell is ......?

Even as she collapsed, Lily was unable to understand the reason for her defeat.
This is something that can no longer be overruled by simple strength.
If there is a being in this world that specializes in combat that surpasses you, it's only a brave man with a title.

That reminds me, I haven't claimed my title for you yet.

It is the title of the only person in the world who has the potential to rival ...... or even surpass me.

My name is Felido, one of the Seven Heroes. One of the Seven Greatest Heroes and now an ally of Rostam the Emperor.



Just before Lily was about to close her eyes to the man who embodied the title of "hero" (hero) most among all the brave men, her consciousness was reminded of that strange cultivator and his merry band of friends.

...... Mina, Phytis ...... Dora-chan, Rock ...... Kyou ......

Murmuring the names of their companions, Lily's consciousness was swallowed by the darkness.




◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆




After winning the mid-level match, the list of opponents and their designated dishes were written in the next vice general.
However, I didn't expect her to be involved in this game.

The Fourth Round: "Gourmet Brave" Fitis versus "Snow Witch" Ys
Dishes: dessert dishes

Snow Witch Ys.
It was a dessert showdown between her and our pal Fitis.