Do you want to keep going?
Of course.
Hm. That's spirited.

　He has his fist in the air, but Rifa is standing there with his stick.
　He doesn't react when he closes the distance a little bit, but shows an attitude of do as he pleases.

　After all, is he going to turn into a bat again and run away?
　But that's a good thing.

'Let's go!　........boost!

　I used magic to increase my physical abilities before charging at it.
　Faster and sharper than before, but........

It's sweet.

　Rifa didn't show any signs of being upset, but turned into a bat again and avoided my attack.
　I thought I had caught him off guard, but I guess it wouldn't be so easy.

　The first strategy failed.
　But there's still no problem.
　We still have a plan.

　And one of them is........this.

"Halt!
What?

　Using his Beast Tamer ability, he gave the bats the order to stop.
　Countless bats trembled slightly and their movements stopped.

　I don't know what the principle is but.......
　Bats are based on rifa.
　So there was an element of anxiety that I wasn't sure if the instructions would work as well as they did with other animals...

　I won the bet.
　Rifa, which had split into countless bats, looked like it couldn't seem to merge again and was looking right back at me.

''d*mn ... this!

　However, it seems it's difficult to keep the strongest species tied up for long periods of time.
　Along with a voice that sounds like I'm getting fired up, I can feel the sensation of orders being played out inside me.

　The bats regain their freedom and quickly gather in one place.
　Rifa manifests again.

''Was that... what?''

　Seemingly wary of our abilities, Rifa asked, keeping her distance.

''I'm a Beast Tamer.
So.....
'I can't control a normal person, but if I can turn into a bat I'll be able to handle it...'
Even if I turn into a bat, I'm the most powerful species in the world. I can't let a human control me.
Well, there's a lot going on there.

　Perhaps it's because of the brave blood flowing inside me.
　Thanks to that, orders that would normally not be understood are also understood by Refa.

　However, as expected, I can't explain that much.
　Since it's like a mock battle, I can tell you that this is a Beast Tamer and that I used that ability.
　However, the blood of the brave is quite confidential information, so we can't tell it to anyone other than those we can trust.

''Let's go.

　It seemed they were still going to continue, and Rifa took a stance.
　I thought the only way to convince him was to win, so I took a stance too.

　

''Wha........?

　The suddenness of the situation startles me and I can't help but stop moving.
　Rifa doesn't miss the opportunity.

''There's an opening.''

　This time, Rifa jumped out of my shadow.

　That's ridiculous!
　It's like instantaneous movement.

'Kuh?

　Rifa jumped out of the air with the momentum of her leap, spinning around and slamming a kick at me.
　Although he quickly guarded it with his arms, the force of the kick was quite powerful and made him chattering and numb.

　Rifa further rotated her body like a dictatorship, and while in the air, she unleashed a series of kicking blows.
　One blow, two blows, three blows.

　I succeeded in guarding against the second blow, but I received a decent third blow.
　A shock to the head with a thud.
　It's quite intense, and I lose consciousness for a moment.

　I managed to stay on my feet and endure the fall.
　A counterattack........or rather, a restraining blow to prevent further attacks, but.......

Sweet.

　Once again, Rifa disappears into the shadows.
　This time it appears from the shadow of a tree a little further away.

　The ability to move between shadows...?
　We don't have enough material to confirm this, but let's assume for the moment that it's something akin to instantaneous movement.

　It's possible....

Matter Creation!

　He built up a stone wall around the rifa.
　On top of that.........

Gravity reversal!
What is this...?

　I doubled the gravity on Rifa.
　This would have trapped him inside the stone wall...

It's amazing what they can do.
It's a long story.
But it's still sweet.

　Rifa disappeared into the shadows, as if it didn't matter whether he was surrounded by walls or doubled gravity, it didn't matter.

　From my shadow again...?

　Maximum security....
　I turn around at the right moment.

"What?

　With perfect timing, Rifa emerged from the shadow of the tree behind him.
　Stamping on the earth, he thrust out a fist....

....

　I stop him in front of Rifa.

'How's that?'
Well you're not safe from that blow. I'm losing.

　Rifa honestly admitted defeat and raised her hands as if to say surrender.
　Then he tilted his head in wonder.

'But why do you want my place?'
You should watch your back.
Hmmm... a bug?

　Rifa tugged at her clothes and looked at her back and saw that there was a small bug stuck to it.

'I'm a Beast Tamer, but I also have some of the powers of an Insect Tamer. So I used that power to stick that bug on Rifa's back.
Is this worm ... enchanted?
As Rifa says, it's a magical bug called a reactor ant. It's a worm, or rather an ant. It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. It's not enough to interfere with them, but...
Did you detect the location of the apparition from where my magic was disrupted?
Correct.
But when did this happen...?

　Rifa looks surprised as she seems to have come to an answer on her own.

'That fancy ability you had earlier?　That wasn't to lock me in, that was a distraction to stick this bug on me...?
And that's good, too.

　He's a smart kid.
　If you play with all our cards on the table, you might not be able to win.

I guess you could say this is what I do.
....
''I'm borrowing the power of a bug and... well, the power I got from the contract in the first place isn't mine, so it's not my own power. If it's not a pure power contest or else I won't be convinced, there's nothing more I can do about it, so in that case, I'll lose.
No. I wouldn't say that.

　Rifa gave a small shake of her head.
　Then, she turned her somewhat sparkling eyes to me.

''Rain is strong. Stronger than me.''
There's no guarantee you'll win the next one, though.
No I don't think so. Anyway, I lost. Rain's power, I admit it. I'm sorry for acting like such a brat.

　Rifa bowed her head with a smile.
　He's worried about the fact that he's spoken this and that strong line.

'It's fine. Confirming my power, that's what Rifa needs to do, right?　Then you can be sure of that as much as you want.
Thanks. Rain is kind.
'Mmmm, yes!　Rain is kind!

It's tough.

　After the game was over, everyone gave their impressions of this and that.
　No, it's more of a miscellaneous impression...?

Anyway, why don't you come in and tell me why you're looking for me?