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71.32% Trickster: The Apostle of Loki / Chapter 194: Ranking Tournament 2.0 [1]

Chapter 194: Ranking Tournament 2.0 [1]

Sitting on the ledges around the large arena, I was a bit excited about the tournament that was soon about to happen, and getting to see more of what my classmates could do. Sadly, I first had to listen to the idol who had been invited once again.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Ainu's annual ranking tournament! I, Elizabeth Rose, have gotten the honor to be the host for this year's tournament as well. With me today I have none other than Bruce Denver, one of the three prodigal children of the guild master of the Denver guild, as well as the Denver house."

*Waaaaaa!*

In the booth where they were sitting, the red-haired man wearing a black suit, who I could easily determine was Mike's brother, just gave a confident nod in response to the audience going wild.

"Now, this year will be a bit special, as we are actually not going to just get to witness the proficiency of the freshmen, but also tomorrow, another tournament will be held between the sophomores. And even better than that, the whole event will ultimately end with a show match between the number one freshman and the number one sophomore!"

Once again the crowd cheered, guests and students alike, everyone excited for the rare chance to see the older students fighting. "Seems like everyone is excited. So, Zero, how do you feel about having to sit this one out?"

Dr. Smith was the one who spoke to me, as he had opted to sit in the ledgers with me, both as company, but also as a way to make Jessica feel more comfortable as she had to stay with my classmates as their homeroom teacher and judge.

And to the doctor's question, my answer was pretty clear, "No, not at all. I'm not really suited to fighting anyway."

"I see. Well, just as well. Before your check-up this morning, your dear teacher was pretty intense, saying things like, 'I want a detailed 4000-word report on the state of his body by the morning', so maybe she will calm down a bit with this."

"Ahaha... is that so..."

At this point, I was wondering if there was something else Jessica was thinking of, and the possibility of her using me as a way to distract herself, but as it felt pretty far-fetched, I just had to assume she was very... caring...

"Oh, seems like it's time for my old friend to talk about some boring politic stuff!"

Raising my head, I turned my sights to the large platform that had once again been raised, with the same actor taking place and the only difference being the absence of arms that used to be attached to his body.

However, the king still stood proudly, his royal garments fluttering in the wind and his crown shining under the sun. It didn't take long until he opened his mouth, and I instantly felt myself getting drowsy when hearing him speak.

"Beloved citizens of Mensch! First of all, I would like to thank the academy of Ainu for once again holding this prestigious tournament where we all will get to see what the elite of the future looks like! In times like this..."

As the king blabbered on, I allowed my mind to flow back to the check-up that Dr. Smith had with me this morning in the office he had been appointed.

'-Hmm... Your body seems to have stabilized a bit, but the breakdown of cells is still continuing. At this pace... Well, we still have a lot of time it seems to find another solution, as long as you don't do something stupid.'

'-Ah, that's good, right?'

'-I want to say it is, but finding another solution will probably be next to impossible, and, if we let this continue, even the surgery won't help anymore. So...'

'-Yes?'

'-Are you sure about this? I understand what it would be like to live a life without mana, and how it might feel like you might as well be dead, but life is more than that. I'm sure a clever youth like you could find other work, build a family, or eve...'

'-Dr. Smith, I am sure. For me, this isn't something new, no matter how agitated Jessica might seem. For me, this has always been my truth and this has always been my future. Now, that's not to say I would say no to another way, but I need to keep the power I have been given.'

'-Haa... I don't know if you're an egomaniac or a hero... Alright, then I will continue my research and we will hope for the best.'

'-Thank you, Dr. Smith. And... thank you for staying by my side.'

'-Haha! Don't worry about it, after all, aren't I getting paid for my troubles? With the money they are spending to keep me here, I might be able to build myself my own castle soon! Hahaha!'

It appeared that no matter what, there probably weren't any good ways to solve the situation for Zero, and even if there were, I wasn't sure what was the right thing to do.

Life had gotten a lot more complicated since I got my 'restart', and it was getting harder and harder to find the right answer on how to approach the future. I still knew what my goal would have to be, and even without the deal with Loki, that was a goal I would strive for anyway.

However, what was the correct thing to go about it? There was not a part of me that enjoyed the death of innocent lives, and if there was another way to make sure no one won the war, shouldn't I at least try it first?

The problem lay in the fact that I didn't hate living as Zero. No, rather, I enjoyed it. So, did I honestly want to throw this chance away? If I had the chance, wouldn't it be possible to continue living these two lives, pretty much having the cake and eating it too?

There was even a part of me that was wondering if it wasn't a good time to let James rest, to let him and his sins disappear, and to search for redemption as Zero.

'Ha... Why am I thinking as if I was thinking of someone else?'

Contrary to what I had believed would happen in my mind, where I would have the James part and the Zero part, it was as if there was a third actor. And that was the me right now, where I could think somewhat clearly and rationally while still keeping my emotions with me.

Just as I was about to dive too deep into these thoughts, sub-me threw me out of the loop.

'You know, maybe we should think about that some other time?'

'Ah, you're right. Seems like that foolish king is finishing things up anyway.'

"... and this is what makes us strong! Now, let's get on with the event.'

*Waaaaaa!*

Just like always, the people loved their ruler, only seeing the painting he wanted them to see. Though I couldn't call him a wolf in sheep's clothing, there was no doubt that the hands he had lost weren't exactly pristine.

However, even if our business had been concluded, for now, I wasn't the one that would give him a second chance if something else happened. At this point, we had made our trade. I traded James's chance of living an ordinary life for his arms, as well as the feeling of security of his citizen.

Who lost more? In pure bias, I would always say me, but objectively he had lost a lot more than I did.

"Let's begin the tournament! First up, Gomerick Ritter versus Caroline Rue! As always, we are doing a double-elimination bracket so even when one of them inevitably loses, they will get another shot at winning the whole thing!"

*Wooooo!*

Leaning his head a bit toward me, Dr. Smith had a pretty interesting question, "Say, who do you think will win? Although I don't really know them, I have a feeling that the boy over there is pretty strong."

Rubbing my chin, I pondered for a bit, thinking about how things could play out. And in the end, I made a very simple conclusion, "I do believe Gomerick is stronger. However..."

"However?"

"However, Caroline will absolutely win this match."

His brow raised a bit in surprise when hearing how confident I was. "Hmm, is there a reason for that? Or is it just a gut feeling?"

It was hard to explain what I meant without telling him too much, but as I shook my head, I made an attempt at least. "It's because of who they are. Hahaha, I know it might sound stupid, but that's all there is to it."

"Alright... Well, we will just have to wait and see."

As he reset his sights on the arena, watching the two contenders getting ready to fight, I could only think about the real reason I thought Caroline would win.

'After all, how could someone as honest as Gomerick win against a snake?'


Chapter 195: Ranking Tournament 2.0 [2]

"Give it up for our first two contenders!"

Seeing them shake hands, it was hard to contain my excitement to see how another snake would fight. As she was a Rue just like Bellatrix, I had already assumed that she had the [Sniper] Manual, but as Bellatrix wasn't exactly the best at fighting, I was still a bit lost on what it was capable of.

And that wasn't even taking into account what I felt Caroline's personality was like. Now, with her walking back to the starting point, bow in hand, I wondered how she would approach the fight with a talented magician.

"Ah, it's starting."

With Mr. Brown as the judge, the man himself started the countdown, "5,4,3,2,1..."

'Let's see what she does.'

"Fight!"

****

[3rd Person Pov]

It didn't even take a second before Gomerick moved his mana, intent on making sure he could pile up the pressure before his opponent could put an arrow through his head.

"[Flame Bullet]."

With his hand raised, a fiery projectile was sent out towards the petite girl, who in turn easily dodged to the side. However, Gomerick didn't let up, sending another three flame bullets at her. Unfortunately for him,...

*Bom! Bom! Bom!*

... once again the small woman dodged, running in a circle around the arena. Signs of frustration could be seen on the young mage's face as he resolved himself to get a bit more serious.

"[Muddy Walk]!"

A huge area of mud appeared on the ground, seemingly covering almost the whole arena. "Shit!"

Even with her above-average agility, there was no way Caroline's speed wouldn't be affected by the utility spell that Gomerick used. So, seeing his opening, he executed yet another big spell.

"[Raging Tempest]!"

Using the same spell he had previously shown when he thought Adriana, it looked like Caroline was bound to collied with the monstrous whirlwind of fire.

*FWOOSH!*

Yet, somehow, she had managed to dodge it as well, and worst of all, her face showed no signs of exhaustion whatsoever.

It was as if her running was as effortless as breathing, now facing Gomerick with a cheeky smile.

Yet another level of frustration arose inside the mage, and he couldn't stop himself from moving as much mana as possible, intent on ending the fight in one strike.

After all, wouldn't he be the one to run out of gas if this continued?

"[Elementa..."

"[Piercing Shot]."

*Bom!*

At that moment, the crowd went silent, no one understanding how this heated fight could have ended so suddenly. And who could have ever thought that the mighty mage would be the one to go down with an arrow between his eyes?

****

[Zero's Pov]

'And that's that. Shit, she really is similar to me...'

What had happened was simple. In order to dodge the relentless barrage of attacks, Caroline had used a lot of mana to strengthen her legs.

Naturally, this had taken a toll not only on her stamina but her mana pool as well. However, Gomerick was too blunt and honest to see through her trick, as her acting had convinced him otherwise.

If he had taken a second to analyze her mana movements, he would have probably found the answer and relatively easily come out on top.

"She really won... It looked like Gomerick had the momentum for all of the fight, but then she just ended it in one shot."

Yes, Caroline had only used a single arrow this whole fight, probably knowing she would have no energy to spare. Also, that was the strength of a sniper. If they knew what they were doing, one shot was all they needed.

And the opening she found when Gomerick was stupidly launching a huge spell gave her the right circumstances for just that.

Turning my head toward my teacher while smiling, I couldn't help but gloat a bit, Saint Zero style.

"Yeah, didn't I tell you? Of course, my friend would win!"

"Haa... you brat."

Still, there was one thing that bothered me a lot about this fight.

'We even came up with the same kind of tactics...'

We were so much alike that she used an incredibly similar tactic as to when I fought Arthur in the Labyrinth. Not allowing our opponents to see just how rough and exhausting it was to use our mana to dodge their attacks.

'Ssssooo sssimilar...'

'Shut up, sub-me!'

Then, the host's voice suddenly brought me out of arguing with my clone as she and Bruce talked a bit about the match.

"What an unexpected ending to the first match! Or what do you think, Bruce?"

"I don't think so. Caroline appeared to have been looking for that opening all the time, as she extensively used her mana to dodge attacks while not wasting any on attacks of her own."

'Ah, he is pretty sharp.'

"Oh, I see! As expected from Mr. Denver, your eyes are a lot better than mine. Now, moving on, we have our next set of contenders! Akane Ito versus Thomas Everstone!"

Another interesting matchup, with a beast tamer going up against the man who fought like a beast. Looking down at the arena, I imagined myself that I could see how nervous the big man was as he shook the much smaller girl's hand.

Still, I had seen how he changed during his duel with Mr. Brown, so I couldn't say that I was all too worried about that part. What did worry me, however, was how he would fare against fighting not just one opponent, but three.

As they walked to their starting positions, Akane's two portals opened up, and the black panther and the brown bear emerged energetically out of them.

"5,4,3,2,1, fight!"

"Stephanie, Uldrich, go!"

Not missing a beat, Akane commanded her beasts to fight, quickly rushing towards the gentle giant who had right about now gotten in the right mindset for a fight. Though it could be said to be stupid, he also rushed forward, wielding the big gauntlets on his hands.

*Graaawwr!*

Because of the difference in speed, the panther had closed the gap a bit before the bear and lunged at the one she viewed as prey. Unfortunately, the prey she saw wasn't as easy as they might have wanted to believe.

*Bam!*

Instead of dodging, Thomas sent the panther flying with a right hook, followed by quickly setting his sights on the next beast that was coming at him.

*Growl!*

Seeing what had happened to his comrade, Ulrich didn't just launch himself forward. Instead, it made a huge swipe with one of its paws, threatening to tear the man's chest right off. Yet, Thomas didn't even flinch.

"Hupp!"

Like a boxer, he dashed underneath the paw and managed to get inside a range that was very vulnerable for the bear, and he launched his fist straight up. Just as his fist was about to connect with the bear's chin, something made him throw himself to the side preemptively.

*Grawr!*

And it had absolutely been the right move, as the panther had already recuperated from the earlier strike, now trying to slash the brawler's back with its claws. And this was where the problem would begin.

Though he tried time and time again to find an opening to attack either of the beasts, they covered for each other so well that he never managed to land a strike.

"Guh!"

*Growl! Graawr!*

Added to that, it was starting to become impossible for him to fully dodge all of their advances, as his body slowly started bleeding from various scratches and gashes. Noticing the situation, the host's energetic voice rang out, quickly followed by Bruce's more mellow tone.

"Ah, even though it looked like Thomas had a great start, it appears that he has somehow gotten on the backfoot!"

"Yes, it does seem like he doesn't have the tools to deal with them at the same time. At this rate, he is going to bleed out."

Yet, the man kept moving, and somehow, it almost looked like his movements became more and more fluid. From dodging by stepping, to his body now twisting and turning like a leaf in the wind. Then, another swipe from the bear threatened to tear his neck while the panther lunged to bite his leg.

*Grawr! Roar!*

But what happened next was unbelievable.

*BAM!*

Instead of Thomas getting torn to pieces, both of the beasts were sent flying at the same time, as he had somehow managed to jump into the air and superman punched the feline while at the same time kicking upwards, his feet landing on the chin of the bear.

Seeing her animals dazed by the sudden strike, Akane's face paled a bit as she knew what was about to happen. Dashing quickly, knowing he had to take her out so he wouldn't have to deal with her pets, it didn't take long until Thomas had reached his target.

"I surrender!"

And like that, the match ended with the victory for the beast facing off against Akane's beasts.


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