■ Ozma vs Gav □
Thud thud thud!
Hitle… no, it took less than 5 minutes for Adolf’s teeth to all fall out.
The guy tried to resist, but unfortunately, I’m a stubborn type who doesn’t let go once I bite.
After pulling out all his teeth, he tearfully declared surrender.
“Phew. It’s been a while since I worked up a good sweat.”
I shook off my blood-stained hands and looked towards the audience.
Then, Camilla, who momentarily met my gaze, gave a small wave.
Her cute gesture made me smile inwardly, and I stepped down from the stage.
Now, the next match is between Ozma and Gav.
In a way, this might be the most interesting match of the tournament.
One is the daughter of the current Demon King Nero, and the other is an undefeated champion.
It’s a battle between the two strongest candidates for the next Demon King.
After finishing the match, I met Ozma on my way back to the participant waiting room.
She was walking down the hallway, looking much more focused than usual.
I noticed her and greeted her first.
“Ozma!”
Ozma looked me up and down as I headed to the waiting room, then chuckled and patted my shoulder.
“Looks like you made it to the finals.”
I nodded and said to her.
“Yes. This time, it’s your turn, Ozma.”
“Don’t go easy on me.”
As she said this, Ozma nodded and was about to pass me to head to the arena when she suddenly turned around.
“?”
Wondering what was going on, I stared blankly, and Ozma walked over briskly and handed me an amethyst necklace.
“This is a keepsake left by my grandfather. I’ll leave it with you for now.”
“What do you mean…?”
“Give it back to me after I defeat Gav. You can do that much, right?”
The necklace seemed to have been handled with great care.
Ozma seemed determined to finally defeat Gav this time.
I gladly agreed to her request.
“Then I’ll be back. See you in the finals.”
Ozma waved her hand and started heading towards the arena without looking back.
I quietly watched her retreating figure and raised the amethyst necklace in my hand to eye level.
“It’s pretty.”
I could understand why her grandfather had gifted it to her.
The amethyst necklace reminded me of Ozma’s hair color.
The excitement from the audience seats felt vividly through the thin wall.
Ozma, feeling this, fiddled with the Hellfire Demon Sword at her waist.
‘Gav, that guy, is still ridiculously strong.’
Since she came of age, she had participated in every martial arts tournament without fail.
Her current record was 34 wins and 34 losses.
No matter how much she trained, Gav remained out of reach.
Whenever she felt like giving up, she always pulled herself together.
It had already been 35 years of such training.
When she came to her senses, Ozma had become the strongest among her peers, but the gap with Gav was still vast.
The stronger she became, the more she instinctively realized.
No matter how much she honed her strength, she couldn’t reach Gav.
It was when she was half giving up.
Her father brought a human named Caldlasth, who first suggested she learn magic.
Ozma’s teacher was Barnett.
300 years ago, after the human empire fell to the elves, she became a Dullahan and wandered the world, eventually being recognized by the Demon King and becoming the captain of the Demon King’s personal guard.
Though usually unreliable and childish, when teaching, Barnett showed a dignity and spirit worthy of the title Sword Master.
Having been close since childhood, they were almost like family, but she was the strictest teacher.
So, Ozma never thought of learning magic.
Barnett, proud of her swordsmanship, didn’t think much of magic.
But the magic Caldlasth taught was like a whole new world.
A discipline she had never encountered before captivated her.
It gave the girl, who was about to stop dreaming, another chance to dream.
‘Okay. Let’s go.’
Looking at the mirror in the hallway, Ozma straightened her clothes one last time and confidently stepped onto the stage.
“Waaaaah!”
The cheers of the audience poured down.
Some were originally Ozma’s fans, while others were simply cheering for her as one of the notable contenders in this tournament.
Either way, they were grateful people.
To forget her pre-match anxiety, Ozma fiddled with her tied-back violet hair and quietly looked towards the opposite entrance.
Soon, the king of the martial arts tournament appeared, his lion-like blue hair flowing.
Celestial Dragon Gabriel.
The strongest warrior of the current dragon tribe, and the leader who inherited the purest blood of the 2nd Demon King Tiberius.
The undefeated man who hadn’t left the champion’s seat for 50 years was walking towards her.
It was a self-proclaimed rivalry.
Gav might not have cared about her, but to Ozma, Gav was a clear goal.
Comparing herself to him, she had grown this much.
Sometimes not even making it past the round of 16, sometimes coming in second.
Without him as a lighthouse, she might have lost her way long ago.
As Gav appeared on the stage, he met her gaze and extended his right hand with a complex expression.
Ozma shook his hand indifferently, wished for a good match, and stepped back.
It was essentially the finals, a dream match.
The champion who had held the throne for 50 years versus the challenger who never stopped trying.
In front of all the demons in the village, the grand battle finally began.
“Match start!”
The match was declared, but neither moved immediately.
“…….”
Both walked in a circle around the arena, imagining each other’s moves.
It was the usual reading between masters.
In the quiet atmosphere where even the smallest breath from the audience could be heard, Ozma moved first.
Strike first, win first.
In most fights, the one who strikes first has the advantage.
Following this formula, Ozma drew two swords from her waist.
Her main weapons were the thin and long Estoc, Saber, or Rapier.
Among the superhumanly strong demons, less durable weapons would break easily, so Ozma carried multiple swords as backups.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Their shadows momentarily overlapped, and sparks flew in the air.
Ozma, known for her fast and agile attacks, pushed Gav with her usual speed.
But Gav, without any sign of difficulty, blocked all her attacks with his bare hands.
The fight was so fast it was hard to follow.
Spotting an opening, Gav struck the hilt of one sword and threw a punch, but Ozma boldly sacrificed her other sword to block the decisive attack.
“Ha! You’ve improved!”
“Thanks for the compliment!”
After a brief exchange, Ozma discarded the broken sword and drew a new one, blue sparks flying from her hands.
Crackle!
In a short time, Ozma’s magical skills had grown explosively.
Just a few weeks ago, she didn’t even know the basics of magic, but now she used it freely in battle.
“Blind!”
Using the spell Blind to block the enemy’s vision, she boldly charged forward.
Knowing that ordinary magic couldn’t harm a dragon’s skin, she devised this method.
Using magic not for attack but purely for support.
It was one of the main combat methods of sword mages like her.
“Swoosh──”
In the intense battle without a moment to breathe, her right-hand rapier was enveloped in violet lightning.
Then, scattering purple lightning, Ozma became a thunderstorm for a moment and swung her sword at Gav.
