Published: September 10, 2025
Satou here. I like watching sports, but I’m not good with combat sports where blood flies everywhere. It’s not that I dislike blood itself; it’s more that it makes me uncomfortable watching it. I do enjoy matches like judo where there’s no blood.
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“This is a huge arena, Master,” Liza said, looking around the arena made of ochre-colored stone from the VIP seats.
This arena is said to be a historic structure built using magical technology from the Furu Empire era.
When Liza and I arrived at the Pialork Kingdom, we went straight to the Zaikuon central temple. However, the sole Zaikuon shrine maiden possessing the divine oracle skill was currently participating in a tournament at the arena. So, the ceremony had to wait until her match finished.
Therefore, Liza and I came to the bustling arena to pass the time.
“It’s so big~!”
“It’s very piggy!” Tama and Pochi suddenly appeared.
They apparently used Tama’s ninjutsu to travel from the airship gate to our VIP seats.
Judging by the time, it looked like they came during lunch break.
“Show them the strength of the ‘Galleon Warriors’!”
“Don’t lose to those Galleon Temple followers! Prove that the ‘Holy Warriors of Zaikuon’ are the strongest!”
We could hear the cheers from the spectators.
This tournament also served as a divine ritual, so all the warrior pairs fought under team names bearing the names of gods and wore cloaks and armor stamped with holy seals.
It was apparently an officially sanctioned gambling event funded by offerings, and many held betting tickets marked with holy seals.
“The next contestants seem to be entering.”
Galleon’s team was a duo of a large man wielding a massive two-handed battle axe and an elderly man with a longsword. Both were mid-level 30s, and neither carried a shield.
Zaikuon’s pair consisted of a handsome young temple knight holding a one-handed sword and small shield, and a female priestess wielding a long-handled mace like a metal rod and a round shield. The knight was level 29, and the priestess was level 40—an unbalanced lineup.
“The priestess seems quite formidable,” Liza noted, staring at her.
“Muscles~?”
“They’re ripped!” Tama and Pochi demonstrated bodybuilding poses they learned from Arisa.
Even though they both had soft, pudgy bodies and couldn’t get ripped themselves, their description fit. The priestess was muscular and sturdy enough to look like a post-apocalyptic conqueror.
It’s hard to say if that’s a compliment for a woman, but “the Cliff” would be a fitting name for such a reliable figure.
According to detailed info, she’s from the Norok Kingdom. Princess Meteor, who’s currently staying in the Labyrinth City, might know her if we asked.
“But is that priestess really the shrine maiden we’re looking for?”
“Yeah, that seems to be the case.”
Liza looked unconvinced.
Though she wasn’t wearing shrine maiden attire but rather the official priestess’s robes, AR displayed that she indeed had the “divine oracle” skill.
She was probably surprised since this type of shrine maiden hadn’t appeared among those we’d met before, including Sera.
“In the revered name of Zaikuon, may grace be upon Holy Warrior Senuma,” the Cliff shrine maiden chanted, carving a holy seal as the temple knight received it.
A yellow light overflowed from the golden circlet worn by the temple knight.
That was—the same “Super Enhancement” state that Karina’s Laka could induce.
“It’s starting~”
“The battle will be the battle axe wielder against the priestess, and the longsword elder against the temple knight.”
“They’re not coordinating?”
Apparently, though it was a paired battle, the matches were fought as two separate one-on-one fights.
The temple knight charged at the longsword elder with superhuman speed and began the fight.
“Defense stance one step~”
“Grandpa, do your best!”
“The temple knight’s attacks are sharp and heavy, but lacking in experience. That will leave him open eventually—”