While his mind was racing, his sharpened senses kept Aldis calm in his thoughts.

　In order to resolve the doubts I felt earlier, I closed the distance.
　That speed is unbelievable that he hasn't strengthened his body with magical power.

　However, right now, you are the opponent.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on in the world.
　Ardis's sword is swung out after a minimum of preliminary movements.

''Muuuh!

　In an instant, Kamran flicked Aldis' sword, which was in time, with his bastard sword.
　A single swing that he didn't think would work, let alone as Aldis.
　It is a good idea to take advantage of the gap created by that defensive action to bring the body to Kamran.
　But still--

''Will the magic power not disappear?''

　If it's a bracelet that seals magic power, it's worn on Aldis' arm.

　The person wearing it, of course, had been told in advance that its effect would extend within a three-meter radius.
　If that were true, the power of the bracelet Aldis wears should also block Camran's magic power.

　But in reality, even if Ardis came close enough to strike each other with his sword, the magic power imparted to Kamran's body and armor did not disappear.

　Strange. And Ardis thinks about it while exchanging sword fights with Kamran.

　There is definitely magic power passing through Kamran's bracelet.
　I'm sure that that bracelet is not just an imitation, but one that is filled with magic power.
　The problem is what kind of effect is given by the magic power put into it.

　It is likely that they are taking some kind of countermeasure against the blocking of magical power from the situation.
　No matter how much he strengthened his body and armor with magical power, it would be meaningless if the effect was lost the moment he came in contact with Ardis.
　On the contrary, for Kamran, the sudden change to his body at the moment of his approach would lead to a sudden change in his body, which would rather lead to a derangement of his senses.
　As expected, he wouldn't be foolish enough to make a small move that would bring about such a result.

　Kamran's Bastard Sword tries to cut off Aldis' head with a sound that cuts through the air.

'Oops.'

　A bastard sword passed over Aldis' head as she sank to her knees and lowered her posture.
　A chilling sensation hit Aldis's back.

　No matter how much the blade is crushed, it is a lump of iron wielded by a body strengthened by magic power.
　Moreover, the sword itself is also strengthened by magic.
　If it hits you, you won't be able to get away with it.

　But since the Lotus Cup is a martial arts competition that uses melee weapons, plus it doesn't allow for magical attacks, Aldis has no choice but to fight from a distance, knowing the danger.
　He dodged Kamran's attack just before it happened and counterattacked while taking the utmost care to avoid putting strain on his sword as much as possible.

　If you strike each other's weapons properly, your sword will break, and one wrong move and you could be fatally injured.
　The mental burden falls on Ardis, and yet the last-minute offense and defense awakens her dormant warrior instincts with joy.

　Aldis also finds the slightest opening and unleashes a counterattack, but there is still no denying the poor flagging.
　Amidst the twitching pressure, Aldis suddenly feels uncomfortable.

''What is it?''

　This is because Kamran's offensive had occasionally ceased unnaturally.

　After several rounds of close-range offense and defense, he or she would suddenly move away from the situation, despite the relative advantage they had, to reconfigure the situation.
　At first Aldis wondered if he was being cautious, but as he continued to do so over and over again, he began to have doubts.

　This suspicion led to an inference by observing the bracelet worn by Kamran.
　The magic power emitted from the bracelet was weakening.

　Probably, Kamran's bracelet has been given something to counteract the effect of the bracelet Ardis wears, 'blocking the magic power within a three-meter radius'.
　However, that doesn't seem to be a perfect countermeasure, and while in contact with Ardis, the magic power of the bracelet can be confirmed to be slowly decreasing.
　If you are away from Ardis, its magic power becomes strong again, and when you get closer, it begins to weaken again.

　Although it's a speculation, if the approaching state continues for a long time, Kamran's bracelet won't be able to continue to be effective.
　Even though we don't know the exact mechanics of the bracelet, it was easy to come to this conclusion.
　Naturally, Kamran himself understands this, which is why he fights in a way that allows him to keep his distance once he's meeting a few weapons.

　It's like a mechanism to keep supplying magic power directly, Aldis perceives.

''Then...''

　If the magic power continues to decrease as long as Ardis is at your side, you just need to always close the distance and fight.

　However, that is normally considered to be extremely reckless.

　The object of the attack is a bastard sword filled with magic.
　Even if it was made of the same material, its strength is now incomparable to that of Ardis' sword.
　If he received a strong blow from the front, Ardis's sword would undoubtedly break.

　Even if you want to strike each other, you will need to be extremely careful.
　Ardis's sharp blow was aimed at Kamran's left thigh.
　However, Kamran's reaction speed, enhanced by magic power, moves quickly to block it.
　The shield fixed to his left arm blocked Ardis's sword.

''Tch.

　Ardis quickly slows down his sword speed.
　Even if the opponent is just a shield to catch it, if Ardis swings his sword properly, the momentum and hardness of the shield could break it.

　This battle, Ardis is fighting with many restrictions on him.
　He can't use his magic power and can't cross swords properly.
　He must always fight up close and personal in order to interfere with his opponent's reinforcement, which means he is in danger of being caught off guard for a moment, which could lead to defeat.

　But that's about as much as you can do--

"I was aware of that.

　Muttering to himself, Ardis increased the speed of his attack.
　Kamran, whose body was strengthened by magic power, also followed it without a care in the world.

''You're a terrifying sorcerer, aren't you?''

　While exchanging sword fights, Kamran threw out words that could be taken as praise.
　On the other hand, there was also a hint of fear on his face.

''Not really.''

　Aldis returns with the same cool face as usual.
　It's not humility or anything else, it's just a fact.
　There are plenty of opponents in the other world who are more fearsome than Ardis.

But we can't afford to lose either!

　Kamran swings his sword down with spirit.
　Aldis dodged it halfway and took a step forward and swung his sword, aiming at Kamran's right wrist.
　Kamran's body, strengthened by magic power, instantly moved his left arm shield in front of it and blocked Ardis' sword.
　Kamran forced the bastard sword that was being swung down to the empty ground to slash upwards from below with all the force he could muster.

　For Ardis, who doesn't have a shield, normally that blow was an attack that she should have dodged by jumping back (shoo).
　However, the current Ardis doesn't have that option.
　The magic power emitted from Kamran's bracelet is steadily decreasing even while the offensive and defensive actions continue.

　But if we open the distance between us here, the bracelet will be filled with magical power again.
　This is not going to last forever.
　In order to break the stalemate, we must prevent something from happening to that bracelet.

Let her go!

　Aldis bites down on Kamran as he tries to keep his distance.

'What?'

　Kamran's eyes flashed with astonishment, and the next moment a hint of impatience came over him.
　Not wanting to let him escape, Aldis stepped forward and maintained a distance from Kamran.

　Kamran, who is backing away, and Ardis, who is leaning forward.
　Naturally, there is no way to open the distance.

''Tch, so that's how it is!

　Kamran seemed to understand Ardis' aim and clicked his tongue.
　The magical power of the bracelet that Kamran wore is still growing weaker and weaker.

　Of course, Kamran is not going to sit back and allow Ardis to approach.
　I'm not going to be the only one who has the ability to do that.

　It's not as easy as it sounds to keep moving forward while dodging attacks.
　Normally, you would be able to dodge to the left and right to avoid the attack, but in this situation, if you do that, you will not be able to move forward.
　And dropping backwards would not even be an option.
　If you don't move forward all the time, the distance between you and your opponent will increase, so of course you won't be able to bend down and let the attack go by.

　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're going to do with it.
　While the Bastard Sword cuts off several strands of black hair, Aldis doesn't stop moving forward even though she feels the wind pressure of it in her arms, on her shoulders, and in the close proximity of her cheeks.
　Using all the senses of his body to sharpen his nerves, he continued his unfailingly juggling evasive maneuvers as if he were walking on a single rope strung over a cliff, and occasionally thrusting checks and balances toward his knees and hips to slow Camran down.

　Eventually, the time had come.

　It would have been a tense offensive that felt long and tense to them.
　But the strange chase between Ardis and Kamran must not have actually been so long.

　After that not-so-long siege, Aldis would catch a definite change in his eyes.
　The magic power held by the bracelet Kamran was wearing had finally disappeared.

''Not good!''

　Kamran contorted his face, unable to hide his impatience.

　At that moment, Kamran's movements visibly slowed down.
　The effect of the body strengthening by magic power must have run out.

　At the same time, the magic power disappears from Kamran's bastard sword and armor.
　The effect contained in Ardis's bracelet has fulfilled its original purpose.

　There is no longer anything that separates Ardis and Kamran from each other.
　As long as they don't get separated like this, the rest will be a battle of ground power without magic power.
　It's not a good idea to have a good time with them," he said, pointing his sword at Kamran, who was unable to hide his dismay.

''This is a checkmate.