「Shiih!」

「That’s pretty half-hearted!」

「So is yours!」

The semifinals between Hilt and Neidhart had changed from a contest of strength into a high-speed battle.

Neidhart, who moves so fast that the average spectator can only wonder what is going on, appears to be able to make the smallest of turns.

He instantly closes the distance from an impossible distance, and immediately distanced himself after striking a blow. Just when she thinks he’s right in front of her, he’ll slash at her from behind.

He used everything on the stage to keep attacking Hilt.

But it doesn’t mean that Hilt is being attacked one-sidedly either. Although she is a little slower than Neidhart, she too is moving at super-high speed and continues to handle incoming attacks without difficulty using the Dimitris-style receiving techniques.

Moreover, she even manages to inflict some damage with counters from time to time.

The number of times Hilt got hit was definitely higher, but each of her counters is clearly doing more damage on Neidhart. As a result, their overall wear and tear seemed to be almost the same.

However, in terms of physical strength, Neidhart, who is an Insect-person, should have the advantage. If the situation continues as is, Hilt will surely be at a disadvantage.

But there’s no way that Hilt couldn’t have known that.

Suddenly, Hilt’s movement changed. She abandoned her previous defensive posture and stepped forward.

I wonder if she prepared to get hit to land her attack? It seems that Neidhart thought the same way as I did, and thrust out his twin swords at Hilt’s defenseless torso and face, however…

His swords couldn’t hit their target.

「Wha!?」

His twin swords, as if they were bounced by something, suddenly changed their trajectory and slid away from Hilt’s body. It also disrupted his momentum and caused a slight disturbance in his movements.

Not missing the opportunity, Hilt unleashes a series of consecutive punches at Neidhart.

Neidhart instantly switched his stance from offensive to defensive and tried to evade, but for some reason, he seems to be unable to jump backwards.

「Sei! Sei! Seryaah!」

「Geh!」

As if fixed in mid-air, Neidhart’s arms seem to be held by something invisible.

Immediately after, his body was jerked up several times by Hilt’s fist.

The mantis-headed man let out a high-pitched sound like something hard being rubbed together.

「Ghaah…!」

The adventurers in the audience were making a fuss when they saw Neidhart’s strange behavior. But we knew what had happened.

『If I recall correctly, it was the same technique that Colbert used last year, a technique from Dimitris-style school, Ashura』

(That was powerful)

『Moreover, Hilt was able to flawlessly conceal the technique before activating it』

It is a technique that produces four magic arms to increase the number of moves the user can use. Moreover, it seemed to have the effect of increasing the user’s physical strength.

Two of her magic arms must have defended against the twin swords, and the other two held Neidhart’s arms so that he could not escape.

The magic arms were visible in Colbert’s case, but in Hilt’s case it was very difficult to discern with the naked eye.

Besides, unlike Colbert, who needed a buildup, her activation was very fast, and the flow of her magic power was undetectable until it was activated.

As a result, even for people who can use Magic Detection like me and Neidhart, it could only be detected after it was used.

It may be possible for him to detect any preliminary movements if he focuses more on detection, but it would be difficult for him to concentrate only on detection during a fierce fight.

『We should be careful with that』

(Nn)

『Well then, let’s see how Neidhart deals with that』

If we were in his shoes, we’ll surely try to teleport first.

I was a little excited to see how Neidhart would deal with the situation, but to my surprise, he easily let go of his twin swords. Then, while taking further blows, he concentrated his magical power in both arms, and with the brute force of his arms, he managed to shake off Hilt’s Ashura.

It seems that even magic arms created by an expert like Hilt could be overpowered by Neidhart’s physical strength.

While spitting bodily fluids out of his mouth, Neidhart then quickly distances himself.

「Guh…!」

It seems that Hilt decided not to go after him. This is probably because she had deducted that even with the injuries, it would be difficult for her to catch up with Neidhart while his unique skill is active.

With that speed of his, it would surely be troublesome for her if he is committed in escaping.

Well, there is no way that Hilt is just simply watching and doing nothing. I can tell that she is quietly kneading her Ki and preparing for her next technique.

「I felt something strange just a moment ago. Could it be that your body is also different from that of a normal human being?」

「Well, I wonder?」

I see. I guess one of the reasons why she did not pursue him was that she sensed the unusual nature of Neidhart’s body.

It seems that Neidhart had activated Insectification and transformed his body.

As a result, Hilt’s barrage of blows, which should have struck human’s vital point, did not have as much effect as expected.

「Well, no matter. It means that I should just ravage you as a whole」

Hilt extended her hand straight out in front of her. Then, slowly, she closed her open palms.

「Void Grasp」

「!!」

It was right after Hilt mutters.

Neidhart jumps to his side.

Apparently, Hilt had fired some kind of attack, which he evaded just in time.

(Just now, was Hilt’s attack? Her magic feels strange)

『It’s probably an application of Ashura. She remotely created a magic hand for a moment, and then attacked with it』

Judging from the name, it must be an attack that grabs the opponent with magic arms. Depending on the gripping strength, it must be able to do some serious damage while also impeding the opponent’s movement.

Hilt’s master, Dimitris, was nicknamed “The Immovable”. This technique may have been the origin of that nickname. If he were to continuously release a series of Void Grasp-like techniques, he would surely be able to destroy his enemies without moving from his spot.

In fact, standing still on the stage, Hilt used both hands to release a series of Void Grasp.

It is amazing that Neidhart is able to keep repelling them while doing evasive maneuvers at the same time. But, what’s more amazing about him is that he’s able to detect all of them in advance.

Even Fran and I had to concentrate very hard to detect its magic flow. It must have taken an unimaginably sharp sense to be able to detect all of that during the fight.

It makes me wonder if Insectification also has the effect of enhancing his sense.

「You sure are good at this!」

「And you too, for continuing to avoid them!」

Hilt’s onslaught continues, a stark contrast to the early part of the match, in which Neidhart was on the offensive.

Well, I doubt it will end like this, let’s just see who will make the next move.