Immediately after Fran sat down in her seat, the commentator’s voice rang out.

『The legitimate heir of the Dimitris-style School, Hiltoria the Piercing Fist! Everyone knows that she has not yet demonstrated all of her prowess! Will we see the secret technique of the Dimitris-style in this match!?』

As the commentator said, Hilt used very few Dimitris-style techniques during her previous matches. She did use Magic Release, but that is all she used so far.

However, it should be impossible for her to keep her hand hidden in this match as well. I am looking forward to seeing what kind of techniques she will show us.

And as usual, she directed her gaze toward us.

『She’s glaring at us』

「Nn」

The glare of an A-Ranked adventurer was a treat for Fran though. She also looks back at her with excitement.

That said, it is not a given that our next opponent will be Hilt.

「I’m a little jealous that you’re staring at someone else when we’re about to have a good time together」

Says Neidhart as he walked onto the stage. And as usual, though it was clear that he’s not being sarcastic, his lines were able to set Hilt’s teeth on edge.

Hilt’s sharp gaze then turns to Neidhart.

No matter how strong Hilt was, it would not be easy for her to beat Neidhart. In fact, it was quite possible for him to beat her.

「…I hate conceited men and I don’t like insects」

「I’m sorry for that. But I am very interested in you. I wonder just how strong the heir of the most powerful adventurer is…」

「Hmph」

I could see not only her gaze, but her interest itself had shifted to Neidhart. She must have sensed the strength of the person in front of her.

『Neidhart the Flash Sword has also made his appearance! Will his skill with his sword, which slayed even a former A-Ranked adventurer, be able to bring down his opponent today as well!?』

It seems that Neidhart had gained himself the nickname of Flash Sword. He’s gotten quite popular, so I guess it was only natural for him to finally get a nickname.

However, there’s also something else that piqued my attention.

『Neidhart’s armor looks different』

His current armor was not the one he wore until the previous match. What he wore in his match with Fermus was light armor of orichalcon with the emblem of his mercenary group engraved on it.

But now he is wearing armor made of adamantite with little decoration. Performance-wise, the previous armor should have been considerably better, but was it broken?

The Cradle of Time rewinds only the time of the deceased player, not that of the winner. Therefore, it was quite possible for the winner’s armor to remain damaged, making it unusable in their next match.

It is also the reason why Amanda had to use a replacement whip after breaking her Heavenly Dragon’s Beard magic whip in last year’s match against Fran.

「Pretty soon you won’t be having that grin on your face anymore」

「Fufufu, I’m looking forward to that」

「Hmph」

Hilt and Neidhart then took up their stances. Both sides must have felt that this was a necessary preparation before facing each other.

Hilt sticks out her left fist slightly and folds her right arm close to her body.

Neidhart draws his twin swords and positions them in front of him with the blades crossed in front of his eyes.

Apart from the two competitors who were throwing sparks before the match, Fran and Urushi were glaring at each other in the spectator’s seats.

Fran clenches her fists and mutters.

「…Hilt will win」

「Woof!」

Urushi, on the other hand, countered with his mantis pose, which he had shown in the previous match, by bending his wrists like a praying mantis.

Fran put her trust in Hilt, while Urushi predicted Neidhart to win this time as well.

Well, let’s just see what will happen, shall we?

『The excitement in the audience and on the stage has reached its peak! Let’s get started before we ruin this mood! Semifinals, match two! Begiiinn!!』

Fwoosh!

As soon as the signal was given, a deafening sound echoed through the arena.

At the same time, both sides had already locked their weapon in the center of the stage. Creating shockwaves which made their hair and clothes flutter.

「That’s pretty powerful…!」

「Right back at you…!」

Hilt with her Knuckle Duster and Neidhart with his swords are trying to push each other out of the way.

At first, it appeared to be an even contest of strength, but soon the balance started to shift as Hilt began to push Neidhart.

Hilt is small and quite inferior to Neidhart in status. This is mostly due to their race difference, so it can’t be helped.

However, in terms of skills, Hilt was far superior.

She possesses a high level of Monstrous Strength, which is the higher version of Herculean Strength, and her physical strength is further enhanced by being clad in Ki power.

After a moment of pushing against each other, the two distanced themselves at the same time.

「It looks like I can’t beat you in physical strength」

「You look rather composed for a guy who says so」

「I’m a little frustrated though. But, the stronger ones don’t always win, you know?」

「I wonder if that is even true?」

「I don’t mean to belittle strength, but you know what else is important? For example―… Speed!」

Neidhart’s figure vanished after saying that. The speed he’s moving on was so fast that it could even be called an instantaneous movement. Even we could lose sight of him if we were not paying attention to him.

Clank!

「You’re good! I didn’t expect to be intercepted head-on with a fist!」

「You sure are fast! But not too fast for me!」

Both Neidhart, who can reach super-speed in an instant, and Hilt, who saw it coming and took it, were terrific.

Even Fran has gotten so excited that she forgot to eat the skewers in her hand. She even leans forward to look at them more closely.

『They are both strong』

「Nn!」