Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

While Seth was busy head-hunting, the stadium didn't wait for his return. In the arena, the last fight of the quarter-finals had already begun. On one side was Lyca, who had become the favorite of the tournament thanks to Nam's loss, in her full combat attire.

Her opponent was the holy cannoneer from Urth, the human gun turret Ibelin Godfrey. He too, didn't waste time with the Gatling gun and went directly for the high-calibre machine gun. The roar of gunfire filled the arena, Under the golden dome covering the battlefield, even Lyca was forced to evade and shield against his onslaught.

“That's what she gets for accepting the Holy Duel,” Brock, the Master of the Boulder Guild, commented on the stands. The crusader had requested the duel right in the beginning and the Amazon had agreed because she was interested in the fight.

“Don't be so dismissive. It's only been a few minutes since the fight started, I'm sure she has another ace up her sleeve,” Gallwell, the leader of Gamma Resistance, reminded him. Although she seemed to be at a disadvantage now, it didn't mean that it would stay that way.

“hah! You are just denying the truth because you bet on her,” the other taunted him friendly. After their initial small rivalry about their people, they had hit it off once it was clear neither of their own would make it far in the tournament. They had spent the past days, watching the fights together with their guild members in a booth they reserved together.

The two fell silent when a sonic boom erupted from the arena, overshadowing the gunfire. Their heads snapped back to the arena in synchronicity to see that Lyca's spear had finally clashed against the crusader's shield.

Sparks spewed at the place they met, cracks could be seen spreading in the air. The holy barrier was being damaged, however, Lyca's spear started slipping off the membrane, unable to fully break or penetrate it.

Despite the shield that quickly rose to protect her, there was a tiny opening in her guard, which the serious knight used without hesitation. The sonic boom was followed by the crack of a single shot. Like tracer ammunition, it left a bright streak of light in the air like a laser beam. It pierced the amazon's torso cleanly, but only had enough energy to fall outside the arena, once it had drilled through her.

“What kind of skill was that?” Brock mumbled shocked. He didn't know a lot about cannoneers, but this looked similar to high-grade archer skills. Something like <Penetrating Shot> or <Power Arrow>It was the first time Ibelin had used an actual, perceivable skill with his firearms.

In the arena, Lyca stared at the hole in her chest. Blood dripped from her lips, as her eyes were glued to the bloody hole in her hardened leather harness.

“Well fought,” she complimented her opponent without any regret. Her gaze lost its light and she started vanishing from the arena.

...

“Say what?! Lyca lost?! But I was only gone for like 10 minutes!” Seth exclaimed minutes after returning to their booth. He just came back from his conversation with Nam. When he noticed that the arena was being repaired, he asked what happened, only for his friends to explain to him, that he missed the last match of the quarter-finals

And even more shocking: That their Lyca was the one eliminated! It was hard to believe the powerful Amazon would lose twice in their tournament. it became more believable when they told him that she had accepted the sacred duel from the beginning.

At this point, the two favorites of the tournament were actually eliminated during the quarter-finals. The semi-finals would be held with three of the original winners and one returnee. This was an outcome few would have anticipated.

“Well, at least I'm in time for the start of the semi-finals. How are our preparation for “that” coming along?” he asked Mary and Leana about the main act of the day.

“Yes. The golems are in position and we sent a few more scouts in the surrounding mountains. We also informed our allies and “mercenaries” about the proceedings,” Mary answered. “Everything is ready for the grand welcome.”freēwēbnovel.com

Seth nodded. Now all they had to do was wait for the Grand Tournament, which had been degraded to a secondary climax to end and to see what their enemy had prepared for them.

“Shouldn’t we go all out and crush them? If we show the world what we can do, I’m sure nobody will pick a fight with us anymore,” Fin asserted, still a little unhappy about their plan.

“And steal Python’s show? You forgot these guys are just the cultivators working with demons and losers from the Scene. We have to stay vigilant because of Spatia,” Faenys commented roughly, but unexpectedly perceptive. Although her words were a little rough, she clearly pointed out the crux of the matter.

Forces like Spatia or Chrona wouldn’t get scared by their strength, they would just prepare better. Minas Mar decided to only use their new and secondary powers, leaving the stage to Python.

If they only revealed what was necessary to deal with the situation, the true mastermind behind it all would underestimate them.

What did Yu call it again? Marinating the chicken to eat the tiger, or something like that. In turn, they would have more leeway to react to attacks and buy more time to grow stronger.

...

The day was not young anymore but it was still bright outside. The sun was still some distance away from the mountains in the west. The clouds that had covered the sky from time to time on the previous tournament day were gone. The sun shone down on the final three matches of the tournament.

“Welcome back from the break everyone and welcome to the semi-finals of the Pythian Games' Martial Tournament! Just four contestants remain! I probably don't have to repeat it for you, but for formality's sake:

Following the traditional tournament style, the pairing of the semi-finals results from the winners of the quarter-finals. Our first duel will feature the contestant you all voted back in, Dowloon, the Shadow under the Rosebushes, and the man who had struggled his way here all the way from the preliminaries, the slayer of Dumm Ting, the Dragon Knight, Caleb!

And the second match will feature the slayers of favorites. Bartholomew Mathias and Ibelin Godfrey, the men who surprisingly kicked out our two favorites for the title, Lyca and Nam!

Without further ado, let's greet the participants for the first match. Dowloon, Caleb, please come to the arena;” Umi Kaldrops announced the continuation of the tournament.

Caleb stepped up to the stage, quite confident this time. After the battle with Bercy, he still had most of his prepared consumables left over and he had used his time since to prepare for his opponent. He went to re-watch the fight between the Mud Wizard and Dowloon, to come up with a counter.

Since it ultimately became Dowloon he had to face, he had visited the mud wizard in the medical wing after their fight, to get some tips on how to beat her. The mage didn't readily help him, but a few gold coins had loosened his tongue.

This was how Caleb came to know about how the man died and the Poison Energy that the Poison Fairy had used on him. Although the wizard couldn't tell him what the exact purpose of the counters was, the dragon knight now had an idea of what to expect.

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In his current state, he was buffed by Twinkle Rainborn, the goblin shaman from his former Team, pumped up with potions that raised his stats and he went out of his way to use a scroll that temporarily granted the Trait of “Blood of Mithridates”, which granted absolute immunity to all poison for 1h. With some luck, this and the new shield would be enough to win this match.

“Are the two of you ready?” Umi asked as always. Caleb nodded, bringing out his new shield and his heat sword. He was ready. Dowloon on the other hand, brought out two simple, unadorned daggers. Would she fight in melee combat? What happened to her hidden weapon arts?

He remembered her using wavy daggers in her fight with the crusader, but wasn't that more of a last resort? She cracked her long, slender neck, before she also nodded, giving the signal that she was ready, too.

“Alright! Then let the match- BEGIN!” Umi announced and Dowloon charged at him. Slightly surprised, Caleb raised his shield, to block her straightforward dagger attack. With the shield raised to block, it deployed a transparent bubble barrier around him.

This effect was his preparation for her poison counter. The shield created this way had 75% of his own total defense and lasted for at least a minute before it had to be redeployed unless it was broken.

Dowloon's simple dagger covered in a dark aura clashed with his barrier. Sparks flew for a fraction of a second and- it broke! Her attack continued, directly hitting his shield, leaving a notch on its surface.

<Ding! Poison Energy has invaded your body. Poison Counter +1>

“Urgh!” the dragon knight moaned a little displeased, as the force on the shield far surpassed what he expected based on her previous fight.

Dowloon's usually cold face showed a small, smug smirk at his reaction.

“You are not the only ones who can use medicines.”