231-Tournament Battle ⑤




 Bagatolu, Yuto's opponent, had come to this fight territory soon after the venue for the fight had been chosen.
 Of course, that was to prepare for the fight. Bagatolu was not thinking about taking a break until the fight. Rather, it would be a foolish act that would cut into his precious time.

(Taking a break when the enemy is known and the battlefield is fixed is no different than a rabbit waiting to be hunted.

 Bagatl checks every feature of the territory that has been passed off as the location of the match, moving at high speed. He then stops where he sees it and pulls out what appears to be a few tools from the quirky clothing he wears as he wraps himself around his body, quickly sets up traps for his opponents, and immediately starts moving again.
 There is not the slightest bit of wasted movement in those tasks. Some of them were so swift that even if you were watching in front of them, you would not be able to remember the procedure.
 Bagatl sends a sharp look around through his ruffled hair.

''That cocky little bastard apparently hasn't come........ The enemy isn't always right in front of you I'm Bagatl, and Bagatl means brave man. A brave man is always the one who hunts the enemy.

 Bagatl grinned and then imagined.
 The little boy spouting big words in that lounge, relative to himself here, must be very mind-numbing, he thought.
 I was surprised by the little boy's killing spree in the lounge, but now that I think about it, that's it.
 There was no reason for him to be a match for this brave man, who had hunted numerous enemies and outsiders. Every time Bagatl set more traps, he made room in his heart for more traps.
 Furthermore, there was a reason why he could afford Bagatl.
 Although the match was being held within the vast grounds of the Shitennji family, there was a lot of dense forest at the site of Yuto's match in particular, and this terrain was nothing but advantageous to Bagatolu, considering Bagatolu's strongest tactics.
 Also.........although it is often misunderstood, Bagatl's fighting style is melee combat. There are times when traps can be settled by themselves, but they are only meant to lead to an advantage in battle.
 Bagator takes it for granted that he is the strongest warrior of his clan and is therefore called a brave man (Bagator).
 He can defeat his enemies without any traps, but to Bagatl, a brave man is one who fights against all odds and wins the victory he deserves.
 And the winner receives the most valuable loot.
 The loot this time, of course, was Mizuho.
 Bagatolu thought of the face of the hateful little boy who had frightened him, the brave one, even for a moment in the lounge.
 It shouldn't have happened, it should never have happened.
 You must not, and you must not, feel fear at the awesomeness of a boy you didn't even fight, when you took this victory for granted.
 Bagatolu's whole body burned with anger.

'Now, ring the bell for the beginning of the battle! The loot that this Bagatl will get is Shitenji himself and his woman. How I deal with the loot I get is up to me! Yes, humiliate the girl in front of the cheeky little bastard! Because a loser is all the disgrace and humiliation that comes with being a loser!

 Bagatolu was intoxicated by the sight of the victory he would get.



 Yuto just after the start of the match.

(It's started. Let's see........)

 Yuto looked around in the dense forest where his own match was held.

(First of all, I had to locate my opponent.......and then attack at once, right? (The strategy was.

 He confirmed the strategy that Nina had told him to use, and stretched the circle of ki that had been concocted on the dantian below his navel.
 The movement of the creature within this circle of ki was easy for Masato to grasp.
 Masato's opponent was a man named Bagatl.

(As I recall, he's the one I shared a seat with in the lounge yesterday...)

 Yuto remembers that face. That impression of the man is not a very good one.
 Yuto feels that this man may have somewhat unusual thoughts about not only Mizuho, but women in general.
 Yuto noticed that even when Kotone showed up, he was looking at Kotone like he was licking her with his vulgar eyes.
 Yuto ducked down on the extremely large tree in front of him and looked around to stare.

 But it shouldn't have been much time. This is just like a hunter. (Then they've already sensed our location as well.)

 I imagined that those traps would attack in response to the psychic and magical power of the ability holder within their range, or that they were aimed at a state abnormality.
 The psychic power and magic power circulate in the body of the ability holder, and the speed and amount of that circulation varies wildly from one ability holder to another. However, in a sense, that state was the optimal state for that ability holder, and being disturbed by this would interfere with his own skill activation.
 Yuto understood that Bagatl's trap must have been processed by something like a poison built up by Bagatl's spiritual power.
 This is the reason why the spiritual power and magic circulation of the person with the ability is disrupted in order to directly or indirectly take away the opponent's fighting power.
 Masato thought that the gifted person named Bagatolu was a gifted person who was skilled at pushing the opponent both materially and emotionally.
 This kind of able-bodied person is the typical type of person whose true ability is not as good as their abilities. It's a good idea to make the most of the environment and situation, and in some cases, they will multiply their own abilities by several times. It is a tough and troublesome opponent to fight one-on-one.
 What's more........this is the type of opponent that Yuto thinks there is an eventuality for Mizuho to fight.

(If this guy wins and ends up fighting Mizuho.....

 The other party was someone who, as far as I could see yesterday, had no interest in Mizuho herself and only thought of her as a mere prize. On top of that, there was a vulgar and unpleasant gleam in his eyes.
 Yuto imagines that much.......but right now, there is no impatience or confusion on his face.
 Right now, all Yuto has is his irreplaceable friend, Mizuho, to win the situation of being able to choose his own normal partner, and his commitment to the way Nina and the others want to win.
 Masato glances forward and mutters softly.

''I'll take care of it right away.''

 Yuto releases the dense sacred ki stored in the dantian below the navel.
 As he did so, the sacred ki wrapped around Masato's body, and an overwhelming soil of unimaginable power converged on the human named Du Du Yuto.
 Even though there was no wind, the plants and trees around him trembled and the water surface of the pond to his right rear began to shake.
 Immediately afterwards, Yuto disappeared as if he was blending into the forest where many traps were staked out.



(It came......Entering from the east side. Then, first of all........let me wait for you.)

 Bagatolu was currently settled in an undulating area between a forest and a pond, slightly to the west of this eighth match venue, and was meditating and killing his breath.
 That's because he thought that if his opponent, Yuto, were to show up at this match venue as it was, there was a high possibility that he would invade from the east or south side. The territory of the match was almost circular in every way, and was set up scattered throughout this vast area.
 Bagatolu intended to create two potential ambush sites and change the locations according to Yuto's route of entry.

 Or do we wait for our move and lay low? (That's going to change the way we get out of here... but...)

"Kukuku my trap is not something you can just lurk in, okay? Kid. Do you notice a moving trap?

 This is Bagatl's signature tactic and a technique he has used to hunt a number of prey.
 Bagator does not only set a trap in a position where the enemy can easily pass and wait, but also combines it with an automatic tracking trap disguised as an insect or small animal. By doing so, you're sure to drive your opponent into a corner, both materially and emotionally.
 Also, all the traps that were triggered were detected by Bagatolu, so he was able to locate them as well.
 And it was Bagatl's way of finishing them off with his own hands where they were weakened. In the end, he would always bring it down directly with his own hands.

(Hunting a weakened, demoralized prey.......there's no greater pleasure than this, kukku.

M! Ho ... moving without stopping, pfft ... young ... yeah?

 Bagatolu gives him a dubious look.
 Strange..........
 The traps should have been detected. The ones that are easy to detect on purpose are also set up.
 When an opponent who should know of the existence of a trap decides to move rather than lurk, they will usually probe us while bypassing it.
 

(Is he just an idiot? That will only get you swallowed up in a sea of traps...............tch, it's boring. (That's going to make us fall over by the traps alone.)

 Bagatl stood up at the place where he was now lurking.
 He could sense that numerous traps were now being triggered.
 It's not something that can be avoided in terms of quantity or quality.

''The opponent is this.  It may not be too late, though.

 But ... that large number of traps are still being triggered one after another.

"...What?

 And Bagatl noticed that Yuto's speed hadn't slowed down when he should have continued to receive those traps.

''What! What do you mean by that?

 They are already trying to approach the center of the match venue territory.
 And although we can't judge it yet, that doesn't mean we can't take it as it's coming straight at us.
 Bagatolu concentrates his mind.
 Without a doubt, the trap has been successfully triggered........no, it continues to be triggered at the moment.

"You don't think.......you're ducking all my traps.......no, you're shooting them down! Nonsense! It's impossible.

 However, Yuto is currently still moving at breakneck speed and is coming towards us.
 Here, Bagatl noticed another strange point.
 Isn't that because the other party is not alone? That was the question that arose.
 Because the point where the traps are set off is wrong.
 The traps are activated for each person, but a wide range of traps are activated at the same time. Bagatolu's traps are set up so that each of them has a different range of activation, but there are traps that are activated at the same time that clearly do not match the distance calculations.
 And as Yuto gets closer, it turns into something progressively more convincing.

'What's going on! That's his ability? What if ... you're a subpoena or a non-signatory? No, impossible! Then there's no need for him to head here!

 Summoners and contractors usually fight in a way that maximizes their summoned and contracted non-human abilities. If they are that kind of person with that kind of ability, they wouldn't jump into the front line themselves.
 Besides, from the time Yuto appeared in this venue, I've confirmed its location. From there, until now, the traces have been perfectly traced.
 In other words, there is no doubt that the person heading this way right now is Yuto himself.
 And now, the trap in a position not far ahead of Bagatl's front is triggered.
 I understood that Yuto was coming straight at me here.

''Muu ... you little bastard! I don't know what you're capable of, but you will not be unscathed! I'll pick you up right here.

 Bagatl pulls out the steel whip around his waist. It is Bagatl's partner who has beaten many enemies.
 The whip is not by nature a deadly weapon that can kill an enemy with a single blow. Bagator's sadistic mentality is evident in the fact that he fights with this weapon against an opponent who has been weakened by a trap.
 However, while the whip was a difficult weapon to handle, its trajectory was difficult to read, and it was easy to imagine that it could become a threatening weapon depending on the skill level of the person handling it.
 And by nature, it was more difficult to handle in a location like a forest, but for Bagatl, who was a master of the whip, it was no problem.

''Nuh!

 The plants and trees in front of Bagatl's eyes swayed.
 Bagatl cleaved around the swaying plants and trees, as if he were twitching his whip.

''I've found it. Mr. Hunter.

!

 Bagatl sees Yuto, who suddenly appears to the left of him, which is not what he was expecting, grinning fearlessly. At this moment, Bagatl's anger boils over.
 He can't forgive the little boy for showing such a cocky attitude towards him, this brave man.
 But Yuto's movements are fast. No, it wasn't fast.
 Yuto has already entered the bosom of Bagatolu, who has reaped the whip.
 And in an attacking stance, Yuto was about to slam his right fist into the side of his stomach.
 But............Bagatl chuckled inwardly.
 Bagatl caged his strength into the little finger of his right hand that held the whip.
 Then the whip changed its trajectory as if to roar and attacked from the left rear of the Yuto.

(f*ck you, kid!)

 The moment Yuto's right fist hits him, the whip of Bagatolu catches Yuto's neck, less than zero tenths of a second ahead. The steel whip instantly tightens around Yuto's neck and pulls him up ridiculously in an attempt to damage his cervical vertebrae.

''Fool!''

 

''Ha!''

 Because the figure of Yuto, who should have been captured by the whip, has disappeared.
 And that's not all.
 I noticed that from the right side of my own opposite side, at a time when I didn't even know when I had moved, Yuto was launching a spinning kick at me.

''Is it an illusion?!''

 Bagatolu exclaimed, but in fact Bagatolu himself felt that it was too good to be an illusion.
 This is because the Yuto on the left side that disappeared was too fleshy for illusion. Its presence was only recognizable as the real thing, despite the fact that it was fighting at this close proximity.
 I've never seen such an elaborate illusionary technique before. No, it was impossible to believe that it existed.
 But in the present, right now, Yujin's divine speed kick was approaching from the right side.
 The warrior's intuition tells him that this attack is extremely dangerous.

''Nuh-uh!

 Bagatl clenches his back teeth to the point of shattering.

(I didn't think he'd let it out here, but it can't be helped!)

 Bagatolu decides to play the backgame here. Because I am a brave man and I cannot lose in a place like this.
 A brave man is only supposed to win.

''Guwahhh!

 Suddenly, countless fangs were released as Bagatl's body was pushed out from within.

''Mu!

 Yuto's expression changed. Its fangs broke through Bagatl's own flesh and skin from inside Bagatl and attacked him like a bloody shotgun.
 This is Bagatl's inner workings.
 He regarded himself as the final trap, one he had kept inside himself to defeat his powerful enemy.
 The countless bullet-like fangs that were released from close proximity and unexpectedly at a wide angle could not be ducked by Yuto, who was in an attacking stance.
 Yuto received those countless fang bullets all over his body and was blown backwards in a beehive state.
 The bullets also pierced Bagatolu's right arm, which was truly the last backhandedness.

''Guu you're making me pay this much for it.

 Bagatolu hissed as he squeezed out with a ragged breath. It was nothing out of the calculation that he hadn't expected to be made to serve up to the back of the room.
 The contact time was only a few seconds.
 But right now, Bagatolu was in the same worn out state of mind as if he had been fighting for several days without a break.

''That was the deepest part? I'm afraid you're attacking yourself.

 A chill went down Bagatolu's spine.
 Because the lines just spoken came from the hinterland close to the hinterland, which was completely unnoticeable.
 Immediately afterwards, a powerful shock from Bagatl's back that blows away all of his physical body and fighting spirit runs through his five bodies.

''Kaha!''

 Unhooking his palms, Yuto supported the fallen Bagatolu from behind.
 Then, as he lay on the ground, Masato disappeared from the scene.
 Bagatolu was in the middle of his fading consciousness.

...in another dimension of strength.

 He murmured and let go of his consciousness completely.