In response to the leader's statement that turned everything into cheers, Melania-san and Jos-kun, who looked nervous, also nodded their heads in agreement.
　[Destroyer] Fran-san pulls her chin as if it's natural.

''It's okay to do it with a flourish, right?

　Wraith-kun looked at me to confirm it.
　[Black Mage] Reme decided to join as the Wraith Party with the Holy Sword.

''Yeah, that's good, considering the rules. Let's take down the surviving players together.''

All right, so that's the plan.

　Reyes is the leader, but they decided to leave the overall direction to me.
　Jos-kun and Wraith-kun said it, and since no opposition was raised, I decided to accept the job.
　It's a big responsibility, but it fits Reme's style.

''Now, it's three, two, one until the turbulent and desperate point-scoring battle -- let's start.......''

　The stage is circular.
　The image would seem to be a carved out part of a mountain.

　There's a river flowing by the water, some open grassy areas, overgrown spaces with poor visibility, and steep slopes.

　The first designated location is determined by each party lottery.
　You are allowed to move after the start.

　In this fight, positioning is also important.
　From the start, the first thing to do is to head to a location that is advantageous to your party, or to attack enemies on the move.
　Or attack the enemy on the move.

　Since there are still a hundred parties, if you start a fight poorly, you may be attacked from the side.
　Some of them might even form a joint front.
　There are many things to think about. The important thing is to survive and earn points.

　In the midst of all this, several strange things happened at the same time.

　◇

Bang.

　The space that had been like a hill was blown up in its entirety.
　Ole, aka Garo, the 【Brave Man of Ashes】, blows up the hill on the grounds that it blocks his view and is in the way.

　Naturally, many of the players who were caught up in the explosion - have left.
　I don't feel sorry for those players who disappear without a place to play.

　If you came here, aiming to be the strongest, and challenged the qualifying round with the intention of being a wildcard, what's the point of not being able to deal with the big move at the start of the tournament?
　If you fail with this, you're just not qualified to challenge the strongest.

My brother.

Yes, my brother.

　I'm not going to be able to get my hands on any of them.
　Unlike me, he's f*cking serious and that's a good-looking guy.

You're still a fancy man, aren't you?　Shucks, apparently there are others like you this time!　That's hilarious!

　The giant man who carries a ridiculously large hammer on his shoulder is a 【Heavy Warrior】.
　Instead of losing the agility of a [warrior], it's a [position (job)] that has gained the weight of a single blow.

''Oh really. The flames are the fire boy and the great waves are the water boy. Is that.........a knight-sama's?

　The woman dressed in a sensational outfit like a dancer is a [Kenbu-sha].
　This is the job that has been passed down in foreign countries, and the blade that is wielded along with the dance is said to cut through evil minds and demons.

It's good to have a distant enemy, but why don't we defeat the one near us first?

　A [Warrior] woman equipped with bikini armor is the last member of the Gallo Party.
　Not an exposure hobby, but a set of armor, one magical tool. She exposes her healthy, well-trained and beautiful body, as her abilities will not function if she wears additional extra clothing.

　This guy is right, it's not like the ones nearby were wiped out by the current blow.

''Yeah, that's right. But I have to say something first!

　I spread my arms, looked around the audience and shouted.

"Rejoice, sirs (you)!　We're gonna have a good time today!　While we're having fun!

　The crowd cheered like an explosion.
　Being able to feel the real-time reactions of the guests firsthand was an uplifting experience that you can't get from a dungeon attack.

　If you're going to be an adventurer, you have to do what makes your audience happy.
　If all you want to do is fight, then go ahead and fight. If you're in a business that depends on the customer, it's a prerequisite that you seek to satisfy the customer.

　You want to see flashy magic?　I'll show you. Glad to see you got a good look on your face?　That's right, it's called eye candy. Some get a kick out of the beauty of the muscles, while others find eroticism in the soft skin. It's good, it's good, it's good. Hmm?　Even if it's all there, what's the use of a small fry?

　--That's the spirit. It's the adventure and the victory that I want to see.

　And in that respect, you and I are one and the same.
　We're gonna give you the best entertainment you can handle.

　But first, we have to have fun. It's no good unless we're having a great time.
　We both want to feel great, don't we?

　The enemy will come into view when it escapes the blast.
　My guys and I are going to take them all out, and then the guests and I are going to see the view we want to see.

The flames are over there, right?　Let's go say hello to the Fenixes.

　◇

　-- [The Balance of Justice] Astraea. People call me that.

　From the forest area, the trees had disappeared.
　To express it more accurately, everything that stretched from the earth to the heavens - was crushed.
　It was as if the hand of God had fallen from the sky.

　It was the same for the other players, whose bodies were crushed by the pressure to the point where they could no longer hold the bodies of living beings and dissipated with magical particles.
　Exit.

　But not all of them.
　A festival qualifier with various races and [Positions (Job)] gathered, there were many sturdy ones.

　There was one Dragon Man. He was a large man, and his skin was covered with scales that reminded me of a dragon.
　Crawling on the ground, he approached us.

'Brilliant persistence, I admire it.

　I gave the word and cut off his head with the holy sword.

　His body continued creeping for a few moments, as if he didn't realize that he had lost his head.
　It was only a minuscule amount of time before he was ready to leave, but I marveled in my chest at the fortitude of his soul.

　One by one, my subordinates dismissed the players who were similarly resisting my magic.
　Adjusting my magic range to match the actions of my four subordinates is not a contrivance.

''..........Three great spirit contractors in the same era. The Demon King's Castle to overthrow them. Concentrating too much power is undesirable, but reality is reality. Let us at least assure the world. No matter what kind of powerful people fall into evil, as long as the Knights are around - the peace of the continent will never be broken.

Ha!

　The voices of my subordinates overlap.

　The reason why the [Brave Man] is not considered as dangerous as the [Demon King] is because of the contract with the spirits.
　The four great spirits who love people and their offshoots have content built into the contract itself that prevents the misuse of their power.

　For example, if you deliberately kill a person, the contract is broken.
　The scope of 'people' has been expanded since the war and now includes sub-humans, who were once referred to as demons, in the category.
　It's not easy, but there are various other means, anyway - there's a way to change back from a spirit contractor to a mere 【Brave Person】.

　When a 【Brave Person】 falls to evil, the troublesome thing is not only the spirits, but also the popularity and connections they have cultivated, and they can be hindered by them, making it difficult to capture them. Sometimes there will even be fans who blame the Knights for not capturing them, which is troubling.

　However, even if you take those various difficulties into account, the criminals of the [Demon King] are far more frightening.
　Because--.

''Commander, it's time for you to break the spell.

　One of my subordinates calls out to me, concerned about my magic consumption.

''Not yet. I have an enemy that hasn't been crushed.''

　Out of the corner of my eye, I can see the ground rising up with every bobble as it moves.
　My magic power is filling the area around it, and furthermore, since it is underground, my subordinate must have failed to detect it.

''We will intercept it!

Averted.

"!　Roger that!

　I've incorporated those skilled in earth magic into my party, expecting to approach from the ground, but the enemy's speed is faster than expected.

　As my subordinate and I jumped back, a giant mole appeared - breaking through the position we had been standing in a moment before.

　Following such a sub-beast of a mole, a demon crawled out to the ground.

　--Is my spirit art offset by the magic power of the horns?

　The high density and high purity of magic power affects the world by itself.
　It is also possible to resist the pressure caused by spirit arts.

''I have to prove that the Demon King's Castle is not one of the 'impregnable' ones around here!

　Just as the king/chief of people was not alone, so was the king of demons.
　Not just as a [job title (job)], but also in dungeons, it was the same.

　In modern times, there are a total of five dungeons that bear the name 'Demon King's Castle'.
　However, the only one that can be called a Demon King's Castle is the impregnable Demon King's Castle.

　Because they are scattered in all directions around the impregnable Demon King's Castle, they are called by the names of North, South, East and West.
　The enemy in front of you is commonly known as the 'Devil's Castle of the West' and its four heavenly kings - the righteous warrior who rules the beast, Barbados.

　--After all, demons are special.

　The pinnacle of it all, the [Demon King], is even more exceptional.
　The reason why the criminals of 【Demon King】 are more frightening than the criminals of the spirit contractors who control the four major attributes is that they cannot be weakened when they commit evil deeds.

　Additionally, on the day that black magic is mastered, ordinary people have no way to prevent it.
　There are no people or demons in evil, but there is a difference in the threat.

　In that sense, it's no wonder that [Jet-Black Brave] Ex was once warned about it.
　The shadow spirit is a spirit that is unrelated to the four major attributes.
　In other words, there could be no conditions that are usually incorporated into his contract with the shadow spirits.

　Even if Xu kills someone, the contract might continue if the genie doesn't care about it.
　The same goes for [Knight King] Arthur, the holder of the Holy Sword, the newly so-called [Visionary Wizard] Merlin, and [Black Mage] Leme.

　No matter what they did, the blessings would not disappear and they might have the power of the spirits intact.
　How scary that would be.

　The trust that they won't do such a thing is unfortunately - not a guarantee to the world.
　But that doesn't mean that the deeds that bind their lives, which they have not committed, are - not right.
　Then what is the best thing to do?

''If the goal is to make the name of the 'Demon King's Castle of the West' known to the world, then I think we should fight with high-ranking adventurers before overthrowing the Knights,''

"I was going to do the same thing, but I can't blame you for losing your friends on your first shot!　We can't just ignore it and ask for results in battle!

　From the magical reaction, Barbatos' party members haven't left.

　He has [Trainer] aptitude, and the sub-beasts of the mole and others are being used by him.
　The sub-beasts he can follow are not included in the number of members. Training sub-beasts that are not friendly to people by nature is the power of the 【job title (job) of 【Trainer】. It's not fair to put a limit on it here.

　To summarize the story, it would be that my spirit art has crushed one of the sub-beasts he follows.
　So, rather than fulfilling the original goal, you're going to avenge them first.

''It's the righteous thing to do.

You've got a lot of room to maneuver, knight.

　The mole sub-beast disappears into the ground again, and Barbatos approaches, offsetting my spirit magic.

'I do not intend to do so. It's just that even if you're a god, we can't afford to waver if you're an enemy.

　A knight cannot appear frightened in front of innocent people.

　Vigilance and fear are important emotions.
　And the knights have a duty to reassure the people.

　They have a duty to keep proving that it's okay, that this is a country where even the powerless can feel safe.
　No matter what you pick, the buds of evil will always appear, although the establishment of perfect peace is still far away.

　Nevertheless, we will not give up, and we will continue to fight.

　If a strong person turns out to be a bad person, it's okay.
　Because there are righteous and stronger people near you.

　If you need the strongest proof for that, just do it.
　If there's a best way to reassure the innocent while keeping the innocent unbound, that would be it.

　Just prove that the righteous are the strongest.
　That fact will deter crime.

　He raises his holy sword.

"Haha, what fun! "Good evening, sergeant-at-arms.

Yeah, I'm gonna do that.

　Conquering dungeons is a great pastime.
　To provide work opportunities for those in combat jobs in a world where there is no more war.
　They entertain the people of the world with safe, non-lethal warfare.

　But that's not what the Knights of the Order do in battle.
　For the Knights of the Order, who go into flesh-and-blood combat where people can easily die, undefeated is an absolute.

　They don't have time to worry about appearance, and since they aren't a show to begin with, it's unnecessary.
　What we need is not splendor, but simply victory.
　Otherwise, innocent people cannot live in peace.

　I will instruct my men and take this place myself.

Spirit.

　Barbados stopped and put his hands on his knees.
　He still seemed to be able to withstand the increased pressure.

'If you think you're going to go down like this, you've got to be licked.

'I don't intend to do so, but I admit to a lack of recognition. We shall increase our strength.

　It narrows the area of effect and increases its power.
　Even the ground sinks in the miniscule area of effect surrounding him.

　Magic is only for victory.
　And all victories are for the peace of the good.

　◇


　From the moment I made a contract with the main body of the fire spirit, my name was decided.
　【Flame Hero】Fenix.

　Such 【Flame Hero】 pulls out his holy sword as the qualifying round begins.
　Flames erupt from the blade, dyeing the world red.

''It's painful to spoil the beautiful scenery, but--''

　With a swing of my blade, a wave of fire far beyond the height of the trees gushed out to scorch the grassland.

''I have an opponent I don't want to lose to, and I can't afford to lose.

　The majority of those who stood on the grasslands left without getting a chance to play an active role.

''It would be easier if they were wiped out with this, but that's not going to happen.

　The voice of [Warrior] Alba, [Hunter] Lily responds to the voice of [Warrior] Alba.

''Yes. No matter how powerful a spirit technique is, no one is going to be inept, right?

　Almost at the same time a massive attack occurred in four places, and it would be the same there.

　We can see those who escaped the flames by flying high above the ground and sky, and those who were able to endure with magic, weapon armor and race characteristics.
　Likewise, there are surely some who survived the blast and, unlike the forest, those who did not get crushed.

　Even if they were the strongest, they were all gathered to become the strongest, otherwise.
　Some might say it's unfair, but I don't think those who can't manage this attack have the qualifications to challenge the strongest demon king.

　The party that seems to be in every venue, the party that seems to have joined to gain experience while recognizing their lack of memorial participation and ability, will unfortunately leave without any results.

　My friend's mentor, [Demon King].
　My friend's admirer, the 【Brave Man】.
　Both of them are legends, waiting for the strongest person at the end of the festive competition.

''........Somehow, you seem to be more motivated than ever. Is it because Reme is here or something?

　I smile at [Holy Knight] Lark's words.

''As we discussed beforehand, we'll plant the wraith party later.

　A clash between us and the Wraith Party would be the most favorable situation for the other participants.
　We get a chance to score points while we fight, and whoever wins gets a chance to beat the exhausted winner.
　It's not just a matter of beating the better man.

'So what do you mean by normalcy?

　[Ice Brave] Beulah says in a flat voice.
　While exchanging words, we were still going through the battle.

　Lark deftly plays the flying arrows and wind blades with his large shield.
　On the contrary, Lily shoots more and more at the enemy archers, creating arrow wounds.
　Alba slashes, pierces, and wraps one after another with his telescopic magic sword to cut, pierce, and wrap around the floating enemies with bird people and wind magic, making them wounded and fall.
　Those who aim at us from the flanks or from behind are frozen whole or footholded by Beulah.

　I thrust my holy sword into the ground and exercised my spirit magic.

'No Beulah, I'm not normal. It's just--'

　This is a spirit technique that can be realized only because it has the blessing of the fire spirit's main body and the magical output and control ability of the trained [hero].
　Its effects appear immediately.

　The ground scorches and melts (...).

　In a dungeon attack, destruction beyond what is necessary is a fine thing, so there are few opportunities to use this.
　What had been a grassy field of cool air before the start of the qualifying round was now a stroll through an erupting volcano.

　The players in the ground left before they could crawl out, and those in the area of effect were engulfed by the liquid ground that emitted a red glow and fell down.
　''The Flame God's Rage.

''I'm a little--burning now (,,,,,)''

　◇

　I heard it's called 'sea god turning over'.

　The spirit art that Wraith-kun invoked was on a scale that if the giant god sleeping in the sea were to turn over, it would certainly be such a terrible thing.
　It was a huge wave.

　The other three took shelter on Melania's shoulder.
　How many of them could resist the raging fury of nature?
　Most of those who were engulfed left - without coming up to the water afterwards.

'How many points ... is it possible to know yet? Oh well, let's take them down some more.


'What the hell...!　As soon as it starts, a massive spirit art explodes in each area...!　A significant number of players were forced to leave in an instant!

'Ah, haha..... Since the number of people were immediately reduced, the customers no longer have to wonder where to look. The four crazy 【Brave Men】 gave us a big bite, but don't worry!　This won't be the end of it!'

''That's right. There are still some players who are still going strong after undergoing that much spirit magic!　Also, the time of the clash between these four parties will be near!''

If you divide 5,000 points by 4, you get 1,250 points, but there may be other strong parties at other venues that will get more points, right?　The important thing is not the ranking in the hall, but the overall ranking.

If you don't defeat all of the strongest parties in the same venue before they defeat too many others, you will inevitably lose the amount of points you can gain, so the more people aim for a high ranking in the whole tournament, the more troublesome it will be. Should I earn points quickly, or should I beat the party that seems to earn more and more points first?'

　What you'll hear about the actual game is that it's not a dungeon strategy.
　I've heard it in tag team tournaments, though, so it's not particularly surprising.

Jos, feet.

　Fran's voice.

'Oh!'

　Mr. Joss applies the "Strengthening Legs" to Mr. Fran.
　The figure of Ms. Fran, who descended to the muddy ground, disappears. From the gouged mud, I knew that she had leapt somewhere with a terrific step.

　I put my hand on the hilt of my holy sword.
　I don't pull the sword out, but this also has meaning.

　This holy sword, this holy sword, was also given the ability to function as a staff.
　It was only a holy sword this time, as it had better performance than the preparation staff I used during the tag team tournament.

'The kindness to customize it to match your partner's methods. Have you fallen in love with it?''

　--not that, but thank you.

　Most of those who escaped the great wave were flying.
　Whether they were flying with magic or wings, the effective black magic was the same.
　Using the magic power that was poured into the holy sword, it was activated.

　--'Confusion'.

　The regular wing movement is disrupted, or the magic fails to maintain, and they fall.
　That short time is enough for Wraith-kun.

　Thin streaks of water, like water through a hose, gush out like a geyser.
　It's an attack magic that gives directionality to the water under pressure--'Water Blade'.

''Nice assist, Reme-san.

　According to the rules of the qualifying round, the damage that affected the ejection will be recorded up to the latest two players and the points will be split.

　In other words, if I used "Confusion" and Wraith's "Water Blade" to evict him, me and Wraith would get 5 points each.

　This calculation is applied to different parties, so if you defeat an enemy that is taking damage, the points you get will be split with someone from another party.

　You have to take this into account when fighting, but this rule is very typical of Mr. Ferro.
　It's probably because he's always thinking of giving even the least-favored jobs an opportunity to play an active role, and that's why he's chosen this system that allows even support members to earn points.

　For example, if Fran-san, who was strengthened by White Magic, made the opposing player leave, the points would be split between her and Josu-kun.
　In the same way, the damage caused by registered sub-beasts used by 【Trainer】 and others would also be counted by the person using them.

　It seems that you can check your individual points later on, so the efforts of unfortunate jobs that hadn't been visualized until now will be clearly shown in the form of points.

Please hold on.........

　Me and Jos-kun were on Melania's shoulders, and I immediately grabbed onto her clothes at her words.

'Yeah, yeah,'

　The thing that was released with a pretty voice was a large, doughy rock that was lying nearby.

　I thought I heard a dull, goo-o-like sound piercing the air, and then I heard another dull scream.
　Melania threw the rock and it hit the falling player in the 'confusion'.

'An up-and-coming wraith party!　Not only did the two guys do great in the raid, but the other three are excellent too!　The [Miner] is excellent in terms of physical strength, arm strength, and endurance, but no longer does it seem that a single throw can be a killing blow when you're a giant!　There's a groan from the audience at this!'

"White Mage's Joss and Black Mage's Leme have been earning points by supporting them. By the way, in this qualifying round, we want to visualize the activities of support staffs...

　The two guys on the air were busy talking about the war, including us.

'Yeah, yeah!'

"Haha, nice Melania!

Okay, yes....

　Wraith-kun, while praising the activities of his companions, iced the wet survivors himself, attacking the enemies in the sky with the 'water blade', and to the enemies that cannot be defeated with those - he draws his holy sword and sets up a close battle with them.

　Yes. Wraith-kun, who had officially signed a contract with the main body of the water spirit, decided to have a weapon to turn into a holy sword.

　A short sword that was easy to handle so that even his small body could handle it. However, considering the physical strength of the 【Brave Man】, the sword itself is heavily made.
　Due to the conversion to a holy sword, both the sharpness and the power of the slash have been greatly improved.

Ha.........Haha......you are a dependable companion, aren't you?

　Jos-kun says, maintaining his white magic to Fran.

''You too.

'Yes!　I'm ready!

　It's not a good idea to have a good time.
　It's because it's a combination of warrior and wizard types that have been further strengthened by this 【job】.

　And 【Destroyer】 is more of an irregular combat type that doesn't fit into a framework, rather than an avant-garde.
　It is better to let these two people go free to increase the results of the war.

　The 【Black Mage】 and 【White Mage】 accurately support them to make their battle go smoother, and the two people who are their supporters - Melania-san, who is half of Cyclops, will protect them.

　Cyclops is a race that specializes in blacksmithing and construction, and it seems that 【miner】 is a common 【position(job)】 from the old days, along with 【Lumberjack】.

　However, although it is necessary, it seems to be looked down upon because it is a 【job】 that awakens people who do not have the skills of blacksmithing and construction, which are their pride, and it tends to be looked down upon.

　When Melania-san saw Wraith-kun's recruitment for a mate, she thought it was a chance to get out of the current situation.
　She did her best to make Wraith-kun, who welcomed her as a companion, the number one ranked player.

''Lele, Reme-san. It's a good idea to have a good time with them. Thanks to that, ah, it was easy to apply.

　A natural smile escapes her words.
　I don't turn my head to look at her, I don't lose my focus, and I respond.

'I'm glad to hear it. We'll be able to concentrate on supporting you, thanks to Melania-san.

"....!　

　Shaking her body, Melania takes out her round shield and club and slams the club to the ground.

　We are shaken by the tremendous impact, but we manage to withstand it.
　The giant snake sub-beast that was approaching us couldn't withstand the power of the attack and left with a single blow.

''It looks like there's a [Summoner]. From the feeling I get now, he should be nearby, but I can't confirm his magical reaction, so.......maybe it's a magic tool. I don't think there was any information about him having a magic tool, but from the snake I saw earlier--

　I raise the name of the enemy that is probably lurking nearby.

''Reme-san do you remember all those things?''

　He shook his head slightly at Jos-kun's words.

'No way. Only if you're curious. --Melania-san, I wonder if you can cleave the ground with a club.

Well, let me just say...

　Once again we are shaken, but the high point of Melania's shoulder is sometimes quite convenient.
　The view is good, and we'll need to take Melania by surprise to attack me and Joss-kun.
　I think it's an advantage for a support staff with inferior physical abilities to be able to support from the safety zone.

''Ah, nah, I feel like I blew something up.

　The magic particles are dissipating, so someone has left.

　From slamming the club into the ground, he cleaves the ground around him.
　If a giant, even if it's a half, does this, it would be a terrific range attack.
　I hope the one who defeated it is the snake user, [Summoner].

''Reme-san!　Here come the giants, giants!

　Wraith-kun shouted happily.

''I knew it, it's big.......!

　What a big enough for Melania to say.
　She must be pure blood, not half-blood.

　....well, it's this huge. Everyone had noticed its presence before we started.
　It seems that they set their sights on us.

　--The actuality of the situation is that Wraith-kun is consuming a lot of magic power due to the big technique called 'Sea God's Turnover' and the battles he's had so far.

　It will take some time for him to generate magic power before he can unleash his big move again.

'Jos-kun, focus the white magic on Fran-san. Melania, I want you to put us down and intercept the giants. Wraith-kun, come back for once!　Mr. Fran!　You're the one who's going to be the one to put the brakes on...!

　The experience of defeating giants with a good group of friends is gained in the original dungeons.

　Don't worry, it can be done.
　I'll channel the magic into the holy sword.

''Sounds fun, doesn't it?''

　-- Oh, it's fun.

　Everyone's serious and giving it their all to win.

　How could it not be fun?