The schedule of the Fuyo Cup (Lotus Cup) has only two days left.
　The number of contestants from the thirty-two contestants had been reduced to four.

　Of course, a mercenary by the name of Ardis is shamelessly sitting in one of the seats.
　Naturally, the Marquis of Olguin, the actual organizer of the event, would not be in a good mood.
　This results in the presence of the assailants that were turned on Aldis last night.

''Don't think that's the end of it. ''Don't relax for the remaining two days.''

　As Moore, who himself took it easy after being eliminated the day before, came to warn him about last night's incident, Aldis doesn't expect it to go away.

　From those around him, Aldis feels that the gazes from those around him are incomparable to what they were yesterday.
　It is certain that there are people here and there who are looking for an opening for Ardis.

　It's a good thing that you are in the arena now, where there are many eyes on you, unlike the nighttime streets that are shrouded in darkness.
　It's true that they won't be attacking you imposingly in the midst of the public eye.

　On the contrary, he will receive small, unintentional harassment-level bullying.
　It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.

"It would be easier to deal with them if they attacked us in a big way anyway.

　If the attack is obvious from the edge, it can be dispelled with impunity, but if you fight back excessively against subtle harassment that is difficult to see from the outside, Aldis may be accused of being wrong.
　Even if each one is a small irritation, if there are more than one of them, it will be a big burden.

'It's a shabby thing to do,'

　You don't need to ask who is giving you instructions.

But, well, I'm not going to change the end result of your sneaking around and messing with me.

　An attendant, who was scuttling and pulling a mobile rack of weapons upright, deliberately tipped over into nothingness.
　A number of weapons flashed sharp edges from the overturned rack as they flew through the air toward him, but Aldis coolly avoided them and walked to the center of the arena where the match was to take place.





　Of the four remaining semi-finalists, three of them were officers or soldiers in the military.
　As the only outsider, Ardis' sense of foreignness cannot be wiped away.

　It's a good thing for the audience to see a non-military person advancing to victory, but from the military side, especially from the perspective of Marquis Olguin, it's a difficult situation.
　Of course, Ardis' upcoming semi-final opponent is also a military man.

''As I recall, the captain of the assault company or something like that: ......

　He pulls out of his memory what he heard from Moore.

　He was a man of great courage and boldness, a man who ran headlong into the ground.
　It is said that he is a very simple and easy to understand character who would destroy the enemy if he were to do so.

　I'm not going to be able to get a good idea of what I'm talking about, but I'm not going to be able to get a good idea of what I'm talking about.

'It's not quite what I've heard, but ......

　From the stories I had heard, I imagined a muscular, strong-faced man, just like Ted, the leader of the Byakuya no Myojo, but his opponent in the center of the arena did not look like the man I had heard.

　But his opponent in the center of the arena doesn't look like the man he's been hearing about.
　It's not a bad idea to have a good time with your opponent.

(However, we can't judge him by his looks, can we?)

　If appearance deceives you and you are caught unawares, you will suffer an unexpected blow.
　I've seen many such situations, and Ardis himself made mistakes because of that when he was young.

　In fact, the object in your opponent's hand is a halberd that requires a high degree of competence to handle.
　It is shaped like a combination of a spear and an axe, and has three killing points: the tip of the spear, the axe blade, and a projection that juts out in the opposite direction from the axe blade.

　Therefore, it is possible to use it in a variety of attacks and applications, but ordinary skills are not enough to bring out its full effectiveness.
　The fact that he deliberately chose such an acquisition indicates that he has the confidence to use it in actual combat.

　If you look closely at his slender body, you can see that he has shaved off the excess flesh and has tight, crisp-looking muscles.
　This was not an opponent to be underestimated.

'What are you lurking about!　Get the hell out of here!

　My thoughts were interrupted by the shouting of the judges.
　If you look, the referee waiting with his opponent in the center of the arena was directing a hostile gaze at Ardis.

　It seems to be a different person than the one who was a referee until yesterday.
　Aldis frowns slightly, but advances straight to the center.

''Totally, that's why mercenaries are ......

　The referees, who make no effort to hide their displeasure, spout insults.

　The referees who are supposed to be impartial do not express their innermost feelings in words or manner.
　At least the previous referees hadn't been particularly offensive to Aldis, and the decisions were fair.

(But that won't be the case this time around: ......)

　To the Marquis of Olguin, who was originally the real organizer of the event, Aldis was only an eyesore.

　After all, he's even resorted to the direct means of sending a group of assassins to them.
　Of course, there is no evidence that last night's attackers were sent by the Marquis of Olguin's instructions, but at this point in time, the person who is most worried about Aldis is the Marquis himself.
　To the extent that someone who has that intention is sent in as a judge, it's no surprise.

Listen, no magic!　You know what I'm saying?　If I detect magic, I'm instantly disqualified right there!

　As usual, the referees almost seem to be nailing Aldis alone while they are talking about the notes of the match.
　It is ridiculous to think that this is a fair decision.

　It is a very good thing that the judges were able to give a fair decision to Ardis, because they were able to see that his opponent was staring at him in a rather unruly manner.
　There was no sign of contempt or mockery in his eyes.

　It was an opponent that was inexplicably difficult to judge, but in any case, the opponent was a company commander belonging to the Marquis of Olguin's faction.
　It's no different than what Aldis should do.

''Begin!''

　And then the voice of the start of the match echoed in the arena.
　At that moment, his opponent's expression changed drastically.

"Ururu-la-la-la-la!

　The innocent-looking face from earlier was instantly painted with a rasen expression and instantly approached with an intense spirit and pressure that puffed up.
　They took five steps towards each other. The distance that was for a combined ten steps was instantly closed down.

(Fast!)

　The reflexes that seeped into his body as well as his surprise came to prevent the blow.
　The sword in Aldis's hand was inserted to change the trajectory of Halberd's axe blade.

　Just before Aldis' sword touches the blade of the fast-moving enemy, Halberd makes a strange movement.
　The handle rotated around in the enemy's hand, and the axe blade and protruding portion of the tip switched back and forth to match it.

　The protrusion is shaped like a gently curved nickel, and although its tip is crushed, it is thin and narrow.
　Naturally, the power generated by the weight of the halberd, the opponent's physical strength, and the momentum of the swing is concentrated and poured into a single point.

　The destination of the power was the sword that Ardis had inserted, the base of the sword.

　The one Ardis has now is not the 'Sotensaika', it's just a few strikes.
　It's not even made of heavy iron, the sword barrel will not be able to withstand the blow.

　The weight difference is different, even though the opponent is made of the same material.
　It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on it.

(From the very beginning!)

　It's a good idea to have a good time with them.

　It's a good idea to be able to take them by surprise, but it's not as easy as it sounds to break your opponent's sword.
　If there is a significant difference in strength between you and your opponent, or if there is a difference in the quality of your gains, it would be reckless to do so without checking your opponent's strength.

　To break the sword, you must deliver a full-body blow, and this will inevitably lead to a large swing of your weapon.
　If that strike succeeds, it's good, but if it fails, it will leave your opponent with a huge opening.

　In fact, your opponent is pouring all of his energy into this strike.
　They didn't seem to be thinking about being dodged.

''Don't you dare!

　If it was an ordinary opponent, this might be enough to win the game.
　But even though he was taken by surprise, Ardis is also a swordsman who has treaded the field in his own way.
　If this is the extent of it, he could handle it.

　The actuality of this is that it's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get a good idea of what you're looking for.

''Nuh-uhh!

　As he follows it, his opponent maneuvers the halberd in the middle of swinging through with all his might to correct its trajectory.

(Ridiculous.)

　A creeping sensation ran down Aldis's back at the impossible action that could hurt the muscles in his arms.

　Aldis quickly kicked the ground to get some distance between them.
　The other halberd passed by vainly after its prey had disappeared.

　It's a good thing that you're not going to be able to get a good look at your own body.

''Raaaaah!''

　It's like a starving beast in front of its prey.
　Before the match, his mild-mannered face is distorted to threaten Aldis, and his eyes, which were as soft as the calm sea, are glittering with the joy of laying waste to his prey.

"So that's your personality (type)!

　It seems that he was the kind of person who showed his true nature when it came to fighting.
　This must have been what Moore had told me about.

"Then...

　Aldis stopped pulling back.

　This kind of people only think about getting ahead anyway.
　The more they pull back, the more they will only make their opponents feel better.

　This time it's our turn and Ardis closes the distance.
　Since the opponent has the advantage in terms of length of time, there is no advantage for Ardis to fight from a distance.

　He took a step forward, putting a restraining blow in place.
　The distance is too close to wielding a halberd, the distance between swords.

　A normal wielder would immediately try to get some distance between them.
　But the assault squadron leader would not back down.
　On the contrary, he even tries to step forward and challenge you to a head-on slash.

　The reason for this lies in what his opponent has to gain.
　His halberd was cut shorter at the hilt than the normal one, making it longer and easier to handle.
　On the contrary, the crescent-shaped axe blade and protruding parts would have been made larger and the weight would have increased considerably.
　It's as if they had no interest in fighting at a distance and using the length of their reach as a guide from the start.

　Two or three weapons clashed with each other.
　All the while, the commander of the assault squadron continues to attack from the front and put pressure on Ardis.

　This must be his way of fighting.
　If you know how your opponent fights, your response will naturally be decided.
　It's not like he's wearing the temptation of the god of death on his sleeve many times on the battlefield.

　There are three ways to deal with this kind of attack.
　They have to be able to parry the momentum and counterattack when they find an opening, or they can avoid the attack and fall into a physical trap.

　But the reason why Ardis entered this Fuyo Cup is to destroy the face of the Marquis of Olguin.
　And the opponent fighting is an officer belonging to the Marquis' faction.
　If that's the case, then this is still the place--.

''I'm going to beat him head on.

　The choice was to win by brute force and expose the cowardice of the Marquis' faction to the public.