The referee was talking about the duel's terms. Ixion listened since I didn't care.
I could hear the people in the stands booing me and wanting me to lose so they could see the next match.
They are truly the worst.
"Master, the referee has finished dictating the legal rules. I will ensure they are followed, even if I don't want to, in fact."
"You are an artificial intelligence that only wants to cause harm."
"I hate the descendants of the new humanity; they are not worthy of carrying the blood of their ancestors. That includes you."
"This little piece of junk is a..."
"Hey."
A voice sounded suddenly; it was my opponent.
"I suggest you surrender. You are not a rival to whom I should give my maximum effort."
"..."
"This guy, it's clear he likes to talk."
"Very well, the duel can begin at any moment. It's time to bring out my best weapon."
"Ixion! Give me my best weapon."
"Understood."
From the gigantic backpack, a hole opened at the top and ejected an object that came flying towards my right hand. Obviously, Ixion made the calculations so it would land without problems.
"Let me show you my best weapon—"
Both I, my opponent, and the public made an OxO face at what we saw.
"... Ixion."
"Yes, Master."
"What is this?"
"It is your best weapon."
"..."
"Are you fucking kidding me?! It's a damn plumbing pipe!! What the hell is this doing here?"
"Don't you remember that when we were opening the subsoil to verify the possibility of extracting water and using it for bathrooms and other vital uses, you used Battler for that?"
"Yes, and?"
"You used Battler's backpack to store them and never took them out."
"Damn you, you bastard!! Are you laughing at me, aren't you?! Don't try to deny it; this is a serious problem and a mockery on your part!!"
While arguing with Ixion about why he is a terrible servant, my opponent spoke to me.
"You... are you making fun of me, aren't you? Do you think this duel is something ridiculous?"
This annoyed me; it's clear he is very angry. I would be too if I were him. But it's not my fault. I'm sorry.
"Ahh, I can't take it anymore!!!"
Suddenly, he charged towards me, showing his weapon.
"I will finish you right now!!"
His strange axe swung back to gain momentum and launch it towards my shoulder.
"Ahh, you're annoying too!! I won't surrender to a pedant like you!!"
Having said that, I gained momentum from the ground and swung forward while also stretching my right arm towards my opponent.
"Huh? Why is he fast—?"
Then with a light blow, it all ended for my opponent.
◇
I tried to do the same as my opponent, but I never expected this boy, Battler, to be faster and stronger.
The exchange lasted only seconds, and I moved my arm with low power to avoid strong blows. But I never imagined it would be so easy to crush a mobile knight.
Then...
"Haha, hahaha. Ahahahahaha."
I started laughing cynically while pointing at my defeated opponent.
"Hey, hey, hey!! You said I was nothing and that you wanted to fight the other guy, but look at you thrown down like trash hahaha."
The people looked at me with a bad face from the stands.
I didn't care, so I continued mocking the defeated.
"You said a bunch of things, and look at you now. This is karma, yes! This is the work of justice for hypocrites like you!"
There was no response to my insult. I felt equally good but worried. Then Ixion spoke.
"Master, I detect life signs, but it seems the hatch is stuck, and oxygen cannot enter."
"That is undoubtedly very bad."
Then, using my hand, I forced open the hatch on his back. Inside, you could see a man breathing heavily.
I gave him some last words.
"Now who is the one who should withdraw, little one?"
With a face of pain and indignation, the guy who had lost right at the start looked at me.
The referee approached and, after guaranteeing the individual's safety, proceeded to declare the winner.
"Victory goes to Bradford! Applause!"
"Hey, you didn't mention my name like the others, and you sounded very annoyed at the end!"
As was obvious, there was no applause, except for a few small claps that Irisdina made with a complicated smile.
(I think I overdid it. I should avoid sounding pedantic in my next victory.)
◇◇◇
While the medical team was taking Chlust away, Irisdina and Alicelotte made complicated smiles at Rudel's victory.
"Alicelotte-san, I'm glad Rudel-san won, but that last part was too much, don't you think... eh, Alicelotte-san, are you okay?"
Irisdina sounded worried about Alicelotte, who was sweating profusely.
Inside her head, she thought.
(W-What was that?
The opponent's armed unit was not just any unit, and yet it was defeated in a single blow!!
And not to mention that speed. In the blink of an eye, he closed almost five meters as if he were just stretching his legs.
Bradford... exactly who are you?!)
While Irisdina looked worriedly at Alicelotte, Rudel's next opponent arrived.
◇
This time, my opponent was more striking. His color was sapphire green with dark green joints. It was grotesque.
Everything was green with ridiculous decorations. He had a shield on his right hand in the shape of a diamond. His left hand had a firearm; its model was undoubtedly a Calico M950. It's a very specific name for a normal person like me because it was the weapon that killed me the most in shooter games with multiplayer mode.
His head was like a Persian helmet with feathers on top; even these were green. I think I'll vomit from seeing it.
After the same dialogue from the referee, I prepared to fight when suddenly...
"Hey, don't think too much just because you defeated that fool. I'm not like him."
He talked trash to me.
His voice, unlike the other guy who had a very rough, hoarse voice, was a delicate voice almost like a woman's.
But his tone was very annoying.
"Let me tell you that, unlike him, I don't underestimate you, but I also don't consider you someone worthy, so I'll finish you in an instant."
"..."
"This guy is also an annoying braggart." That's what I thought while grinding my teeth and a vein bulged on my temple.
"Very well. I'll crush you too in an instant."
After having those thoughts, my opponent made a magic circle of the same color as his armed unit fly several meters into the sky. Then he aimed his weapon at me, and what he did next bewildered me to the point that my brain shut down.
"Eat this! Flame Arrow!"
"Is he serious?!"
A bullet he shot ignited into flames, forming a fast arrow.
Then he continued, and my ears were ashamed every second that passed.
"I'm not done here, there's more!! Hahhh!!"
"Water Slicer!!"
"Earth projectile!!"
"Strike Air!!"
One bullet turned into a water scythe, another bullet became a pointed rock, and the last one became a kind of wind pear.
All impacted against Battler, generating a cloud of dust.
Inside the cockpit was me...
"Stop, please!! Don't go on anymore!!"
Screaming from secondhand embarrassment.
"It's so embarrassing to hear you say that!! Are you five years old playing superheroes with your friends or something?! My eardrums cry just hearing you, enough!!"
Then, without wanting to, I let out a heart-wrenching scream.
The people in the stadium were surprised, which caused Irisdina and Alicelotte to stand up anxiously from their seats.
"Rudel-san!!" Shouted Irisdina.
Then, upon hearing that scream, I stopped whining and propelled myself towards the sky. The response time was also scary.
It was only two seconds from the ground to a few meters above him.
"How did you get so fast until—?" Shouted the surprised Frey.
Then, with both hands, I swung the pipe and hit him hard on the head.
After a direct hit on his core, he was propelled towards the ground like a basketball.
A large cloud of dust rose, and after landing very elegantly on the ground, I lifted him and tore off the chest part so he could come out.
In front of me was an unconscious human. But even so, I had no mercy and said a few words to him.
"You are ridiculous!! How could you think of shouting the name of your attack before shooting?! You should do it after shooting!! No, first of all, you shouldn't shout it, much less say it!! It's so embarrassing!!"
A referee came running towards me to verify the guy's safety. After seeing he was safe, he proceeded to declare me the winner.
"T-The winner is Bradford, applaud!!"
Once again, no one applauded, not even the girls. I felt very sad in my heart.
◇◇◇
Alicelotte watched with wide-open eyes the scene of Rudel's victory. It was undoubtedly a very impactful scene for her.
Not once, but twice, he finished off his opponent with a single move.
(My older brother told me about the strongest armed units, but this is something else. It doesn't even have a single scratch after receiving several impacts of magical bullets.)
Irisdina spoke to the stunned Alicelotte.
"Alicelotte-san, are you okay? Does anything hurt?"
After being shaken for a few moments, she came to.
"I-I'm fine. More importantly, can you tell me why that thing is so strong?"
Irisdina moved her head confused.
"I'm sorry, it's the first time I've seen it, but undoubtedly, Rudel-san is amazing, isn't he?"
"Yes... he is amazing."
In her heart, she thought.
(Perhaps he can win against him without any problem.)
◇
I tried to leave the arena, but the referee told me not to. It seems that due to the tie in the second round, the guy from the first round doesn't have an opponent, so we will immediately move on to my main event.
I was ready and concentrated for what was coming. I looked at my right hand, to be exact, what I was holding.
"For being a metal pipe, it's really resistant. It doesn't have a single dent."
Then Ixion looked at me with his bright red eye; he seemed to boast proudly about it.
"That's right, since it was made of a material not found anywhere. So it's normal that it can be used even in combat and still not suffer damage. As a side note, it can last two hundred years without rusting."
"I can tell you're proud..." I murmured quietly to this guy who wouldn't stop chattering.
It was then that he finished chattering and spoke to me seriously.
"Master, it's time."
"It seems so."
From within a tunnel, a horrible mobile knight came walking towards me.
It had many modifications.
It was gold with white joints. It had a thin body for a machine. Both its arms, legs, and chest had his family crest.
I felt envy since my family didn't have one.
On its shoulders, two extra arms curved backward as if they were an excavator's.
In both front hands, as extras, he used weapons that were a sword and an axe. The face was the most disgusting; it was exactly like its owner in every sense.
Upon arriving at the designated place, there was silence in the stands. The referee didn't know what to do.
I turned my head to where the girls were and could see Alicelotte clutching her chest tightly.
It was a very large chest, but even so, she pressed hard against her heart. Irisdina took her hand to calm her; it was a very moving scene.
"Hey, trash."
Without warning, the bastard spoke to me.
"I'm glad you didn't run away. I wanted to destroy you so much that I couldn't even enjoy the girls I was with all this time."
He truly is human garbage.
"Hey, what do you think of this as a victory gift for me?"
Without moving from where he was, he pointed to the girls' location and with a cynical and brazen tone pronounced the words that made my blood boil like never before in my life...
"What do you think if I have fun with that girl in front of you and Alice?"
"...!"
"She's a commoner, isn't she? She should be happy to be able to taste the manliness of the next heir of the Kingsfort Principality, hahaha. Without a doubt, she'll beg me to let her be the mother of my heir, hahaha."
With those horrible words shouted at his maximum effort, I noticed how Irisdina wanted to cry, covering her mouth with her hands. Alicelotte seemed to be saying something reassuring to her.
Ixion then notified me.
"Master, I detect that Miss Irisdina has elevated levels of stress and fear. At this rate, it could be very bad for her body."
Upon hearing that, several veins showed on my forehead.
"Master, I detect that your blood pressure is rising. I recommend relaxing."
"Shut up!!!"
Upon saying that, I moved the controls forward and propelled myself, grabbing the bastard and slamming him against the wall.
"You filthy bastard, don't you dare say anything else, or I swear I'll kill you now!!"
The referee came to me to indicate that it wasn't time to start yet; he would punish me with disqualification if I did anything more.
Then I understood his plan. Damn scum.
I gave him a deep look and headed to my place.
◇◇◇
Inside Klein's mobile knight, he was breathing heavily.
"Ha, ha, what the hell was that??"
He checked his equipment and detected a dent in both forearms of his extra arms.
The armed unit was a customized one named Valper. Naming your weapons partner was normal in this world. Made to measure and tastes of its owner, something like a dent should be impossible.
But Klein was...
"Damn trash!! I'll finish you and then rape that bitch in front of your dead eyes!!"
Truly angry.
He moved to his position, and after looking at the referee, this one gave the start to the semifinals.
◇◇◇
Erselica was in the stands watching. She had fallen asleep because until today she had pending exams, so she slept before the matches started.
Thanks to Rudel's recent uproar, she woke up wondering what was happening, and it was then that she noticed Rudel pushing Klein against the wall.
After wiping the drool, she put her thoughts in order.
"It seems we have finally arrived at this event." She said between her teeth so no one would hear.
"In this part of the game, two routes were taken. The first was to choose if Chlust or Frey won. If they defeated Rudel, they would face Klein, and the story would advance without problems. But when that important event in their final year happens, they wouldn't have been able to acquire the growth and special skills they would have unlocked, needing them at that moment, thus being a game over."
"On the other hand, if they chose to lose to Rudel, they would learn from their defeat and improve for the final battle. Then the villain Rudel's defeat would have been a necessary experience."
"That's what's happening right now. Soon the tragedy for Klein will begin, and the last actor will make an appearance to everyone's surprise. I can't wait to see it."
◇◇◇
After the referee indicated the start of the duel, Rudel didn't move at all. In contrast, Klein moved and used every second to hit his opponent with everything he had.
Sparks flew from the places his weapons touched. The people shouted excitedly because they thought they were going to win their bets.
Klein shouted quietly so Rudel could hear.
"Trash, that's all you have."
"You can't do anything against my overwhelming strength, can you?"
"Take this and this, bow before the fear of dying by the great me, ahahaha!"
"When I finish with you, you'll be nothing but scrap."
"..."
Klein's attacks were strong and persistent without rest. That was because, as an aristocrat, he had great magical power so the armed unit could extract prana without problems to fight.
Meanwhile, Rudel inside felt nothing. He watched without interest as his opponent laughed pitifully at him.
◇
"Is that all he has?" I asked Ixion, discouraged.
"It seems so. I can detect that it's just different pieces joined without the slightest precaution. Over time, it will be destroyed by its own hand."
"I see. We should finish this quickly and deliciously, don't you think?"
"Please don't involve me in your strange things."
Looking annoyed at Ixion, I pressed a button on the controls.
Then, from the exterior of Battler's shoulders, small machine guns rose.
Klein didn't pay attention, but the others did.
Then, slowly, I pressed a button, and the machine guns blew the weapons from his hands into pieces. Only then did Klein pay attention to me.
With a macabre and antagonistic tone, I spoke to him.
"Hey, trash. It seems you've noticed that the game has just begun."
Then I shot once more and blew off his left extra arm, then the right one after a short interval.
I could hear that Klein made a strange sound, but that motivated me even more. Then I grabbed him by the shoulders and lifted him.
"Hey, what do you think if we play dismemberment?"
After my terrifying declaration, I moved my left hand and slowly but smoothly tore off his entire left leg and threw it far away.
I heard a scream from the stands, but I didn't care. Then, with my other arm, I tore off his right arm as if it were a cookie.
I heard more screams, but they only motivated me more.
His free hand tried to hit me, but it did nothing. Then, holding him like a sandwich, I stretched his body, and his lower part came off.
I threw some encouraging words at him.
"Hey, hey, don't tell me this is all a state-of-the-art machine with millions invested in it can do??"
"Hahaha, if it's so easy to defeat you, maybe I can conquer the duke's territory and make it mine without any problem, don't you think?"
I know it sounds terrible, but humiliating this guy is the best thing that could happen to me. I want to wallow more in my own ego.
Then, as if it were a soccer ball, I played with his body, making passes from my knee to another. I won't lie; it felt so fucking great that I want to do it forever.
Then the stands sounded in unison.
"What's wrong with you, damn cheater?!"
"At this rate, I'll lose what I invested!"
"Someone disqualify that cheater!"
More and more terrible things these guys said. Obviously, they are those who bet against me, so it's fun to watch their frustration.
Then I looked at Irisdina, who had a sad expression for what I was doing, and at Alicelotte, who was looking down.
I decided to stop to put an end to this.
I threw the battered remains of Klein against the wall, and from a side hatch, he came out. After falling very comically to the floor and vomiting, I gave him some last words.
"It seems the great heir of the principality is very weak, no? Maybe all aristocrats are that weak and conceited. At this rate, this country will sink because of you, hahahahaha."
As I laughed louder and louder, I could feel a very strong stinging in my neck. For some reason, I wanted to torture and humiliate him more.
My eyes moistened a lot, and I suddenly felt very happy.
Then, as if I were a cat, I used my index finger to give him a few soft taps as if he were a ping-pong ball.
The referee told me to stop and disqualified me, declaring Klein the winner, but I didn't care.
I wanted to humiliate him more.
I wanted to make this conceited aristocrat suffer more.
Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.
(Can I really take over this country with Ixion?
If this is what the strongest mobile knights are like, maybe it wouldn't be difficult to take over this country.)
Such a thing passed through my mind and then wanted to come out of my mouth.
I looked at Klein, who was crying like a child while with snot in his mouth, he begged for forgiveness.
"Hey, Ixion, what do you think if—"
At the moment I was going to say that, I heard a voice.
"STOP YOUR MISDEEDS THIS INSTANT!!"
Upon hearing that, I stopped my hand, and my fingers stopped playing with Klein, who looked like a swollen pufferfish.
"What the hell was I doing?" I asked myself while sweating, scared at the strange things I was thinking.
I turned towards the voice to thank them, but I didn't see anyone... below.
Then, Ixion indicated to me that there was someone at the very top of the coliseum.
With a dumbfounded expression, I said.
"The Masked Knight??"
Right there, standing, was a mobile knight of fuchsia color and strange clothes, something like long sleeves on its arms and a kind of long skirt that showed its front.
After making everyone see him, he took a great leap from up there towards here.
"Is he crazy?! It's more than fifty meters high; not even Battler would withstand that speed without damage!"
Ixion shouted at me after hearing that.
"Why do you talk as if my little one were just any old thing like modern weapons?!"
I ignored him and concentrated on how this guy fell at great speed.
Then a great light shone from that guy as he fell and stopped several meters in the air. He seemed to float from where he was to the sand floor.
Then I asked, surprised.
"Who the hell are you?!"
And he responded.
"I am the hero these people wanted!!"
I was left with a—"Huh?"—at his response.