The clear autumn weather that has continued for the last few days has shone the sun back down to earth.
　There is only the sun in the sky and not a shred of clouds.
　The appearance of the sun, as if to say the sky is one's place, is right to describe it as sitting.
　The sun is as strong as the summer sun, shining relentlessly on spectators lining up outside the stadium.

"Wow... Why is the weather like this today? It's still early in the morning."
"I'm sure. I'm going to sweat a lot by the time I enter the arena."

　The audience murmurs, but it's only nine o'clock in the morning, and it's only natural that the temperature should be close to 30 degrees Celsius.
　Considering that it's autumn now, it's almost abnormal weather.

"Isn't it because there is a battle between Fudo and crimson?"
"I'd like to say that... but I'm afraid it's a normal battle between them."

　With the audience talking like that, I guess they saw this heat as a business opportunity. A vendor with a box of fruit water passes by.
　The seller was flooded with orders from the audience, and in an instant the fruit water sold out.
　The fruit water itself is warm because it doesn't use magic items to cool it down, but the buyers still moisten their throats deliciously.
　...and this vendor, in fact, was a member of the management committee of the competition, but few people know about it.

"At any rate, today is the last day of the competition."
"Oh, this year has been a flashy competition in many ways. I never expected crimson to appear."
"Well, there are a lot of people who have their own thoughts, but if you look at their strength,"

　murmur with fruit water
　The festival is nearly over. With that in mind, he turns his eyes to the spectators lining up in the stadium in a lonely manner.
　The procession is already quite long, although there is still an hour before the stadium opens.
　The people in this queue, myself included, tremble with excitement when they think they've come to see the best of the last games of the end of it.

"I don't know who will win, but I'm sure it'll be exciting."

　The man muttered, and the man whom I had been talking about just now nodded his assent.

"Well, will crimson ever win?" It's rank S. After all, crimson is about rank B... you know where you are."

　Another man nearby spat out hatefully.
　That gave the two men a rough idea. Perhaps someone I knew died in the spring war.
　I think so, but I don't particularly object.
　Fortunately, our acquaintances were not involved in the Spring War, but we understood that there was very little to be done about this matter.

(Perhaps he came to see Ray lose so badly.)

　Whispering inward, the man calmly waits for the stadium to open, enduring the glare of the sun.





　It was as hot as midsummer outside, but inside the stadium... especially in the waiting room for players, magic items made it cool and comfortable.
　Of course, you can't spend as comfortably in a waiting room as it was in the preliminary round, but Ray's room is as well equipped as the room in the long-lasting Kutei.
　...but in Ray's case, there's a dragon lobe that automatically adjusts the temperature, so there's not much difference.
　There were even very expensive magic items in the room that had the same capacity as refrigerators, even ice.
　It's incredibly good treatment compared to when I was in the qualifying round, but that's probably because I've made it to the final.

"...an hour or so later,"

　Check the clock in the room and close your eyes.
　I could sense some of the signs around this room.
　The management committee of the competition, the bodyguard of many members of the Imperial family and nobles since it was the final. And most of all, some seem to be bandits and assassins.

(Are you still going to poke your nose into this period? Well, there's nothing you can do about it now.)

　Many skilled guards are stationed in the stadium to protect the royal family and nobility, and if they try to force themselves to act now, they will undoubtedly cause a stir.
　And you have to deal with a lot of people other than Ray.
　Even Ray is struggling, but if that happens, there is no chance that the assassination will succeed.

(That's probably why it's so intense that it can't be stopped when things begin.)

　To gather such thoughts inside, open your closed eyes, and stand up.
　Open your legs wide, place your hands on the floor, and for a few seconds. Next, you can recline widely and begin to exercise flexibly in order to understand your body.
　One minute, five minutes, ten minutes... Ray's movement gradually changes to a smooth one as he continues to exercise flexibly.
　It's nothing but a subtle thing to say that the movement will be smoother.
　But Ray fully understands that the small difference is what determines the winner or loser in times of need. It's also a person who is superior to me in ability to fight today. It was only natural that we should want to try in the best possible condition.
　Perhaps after a while of flexible exercise, Ray decided that he had warmed up, but the next thing he started was to check the magic items he was wearing.
　Slapnil's shoes, mistylings, sorcery bracelets, dragon robes, misril knives, and Nevra's eyes, which I just got yesterday.
　Make sure all the magic items are fine...especially Nevra's eyes are carefully examined and magical to make an arrowhead.
　Just play with arrowheads on the palm, and see that they disappear like mist in about 30 seconds.
　Then, when the arrowhead is made by applying magic again, the arrowhead is thrown toward the target doll placed in the room only by the movement of the wrist.
　an arrowhead that pierces the head of a doll in the shape of a rough human being with a cutting sound.
　It's supposed to be a doll for beating and kicking. But now the arrowhead is stuck in the doll's head.
　After about 30 seconds have passed since the arrowhead was made, the arrowhead disappeared like a haze.

"No problem,"

　I mutter to make sure I'm doing well, but then I'm completely done.

"...do you have image training?"

　mutter, sit on the sofa in the waiting room and close one's eyes.
　My image is my strongest self. I'm going to compete with a man called Fudo, and I'm going to overcome him.
　With that image in mind, we will examine how to proceed with the battle, referring to the noise battles we have seen so far.
　Time passed for a while... the knock on the door brought me back to my senses.

"Excuse me. It's almost time, Mr. Ray. Are you ready?"

　The voices spoken to by the management committee are different and respectful.
　When you think about the Spring War, it's a very, very unbelievable attitude.
　Not a few of the steering committee members say that their acquaintances and relatives were killed by Ray.
　But... it's the only thing I have to respect for being able to reach the finals of this competition, which is to make it the biggest festival in the Empire and decide who is the most powerful. It's such a great achievement.

"Oh, I'm always ready here,"

　Ray retorted, rising from the sofa he was sitting on.
　There is no calm color in his expression like he was already doing image training on the sofa just a few minutes ago.
　No, you won't know that from the side. In fact, the management committee didn't particularly feel uncomfortable with Ray's appearance.
　But there is certainly a fierce fighting spirit in his expression against the wall or mountain that he is going to challenge himself.
　We are quiet now because the battle has not yet begun, and if it did, it would certainly explode.

"...are you going?"

　Before leaving the waiting room, he turned around and created an arrowhead by casting magic into Nevra's eyes.
　Just by the movement of your wrist, you throw it... the next moment it sticks into the doll's head... you crush it as it'
　Looking at the situation, he nodded a little and passed by the management committee member, who looked surprised, and headed for the stage of the stadium.





"Well, gentlemen, this is the last battle of the long-running competition. True, the strongest of the Westians... and the strongest of the Westians... is a battle to determine the strongest of the world.'If people from other countries hear the word, there will undoubtedly be objections.
　In fact, quite a few foreign guests who come to the stadium's guest rooms look displeased at what they say.
　But this was definitely the Empire of Bestia, and it was inevitable that the voice of the actual situation would make sense.

"This competition has already been held more than a hundred times, but it has probably never been as exciting as this year."

　Normally, the voices of the actual situation stir up the audience, and the audience gets excited by riding on them.
　However, it was different today.
　Spectators in the stadium are filled to the limit, even in the seats of honor for the aristocrats of the Westian Empire and foreign invitations. 　
　Many members of the Imperial family come to the VIP seats where the emperor sits, and there are always so many people there.
　Nevertheless, there is still silence in the stadium, although there is some noise, rather than someone screaming with excitement.
　I know. What kind of battle will everyone be fighting for?
　It's probably a once-in-a-lifetime battle.
　As if to break such silence, voices of the actual situation reverberate through the stadium.

'You won't need any more detailed explanations. First of all... Rank B adventurer Ray enters."

　Several balls of light dance wildly at the players' entrances and exits with the voices of the actual situation.
　The performance itself was the same as in the semi-finals, but it had changed to a more luxurious, flashy and eye-catching specification.
　Instead of seven colors, Ray appears as countless balls of light of more than 20 colors dance wildly.
　Already having a death-size hand and wearing a dragon robe, this is something that spectators of the competition have seen many times.

"""The scythe that cuts everything apart, and the magic of fire that caused crimson to become famous, are real skills." In the semifinals, Mizuryu's digma beat him to the final. I'm sure many people had expected this scene from the time they heard that he was going to participate in a competition.

　He jumps lightly on the ground and lands on the stage, listening to the voices of the actual situation.
　With his death-size on his shoulder, he turned his gaze straight to the other doorway, which was different from his appearance, ready to start at any time.

'Another one confronts such crimson. Now that this person has participated in the competition, it may be fair to say that it has already been decided that he will get this far beyond Ray in crimson. Its overwhelming strength has made it to this final... ...a hero of the Empire of Bestia, a Rank S adventurer, an immovable noise."

　With the words, as Ray did when he came in again... or even more gaudy balls of light fluttering in countless colors.
　And what emerges from the dance of the ball of light is the noise that goes along calmly without showing any expression of surprise.
　But the noise that appeared in the stadium was very different from what he was showing in the semifinals.
　Monster leather armour, a sheath with a long sword at the waist, was the same, but the equipment itself was different in rank.
　Clearly a few steps above the equipment he was wearing until the semifinals.
　You must have noticed it. The spectators in the stadium also break their silence and make a slight noise.
　Ignoring the noise around him as if it were nonexistent, he leaps forward and lands on the stage.
　Just by looking at the move, Ray understands.
　I still think it will be difficult for me to beat the man in front of me.
　But difficulty is not impossible. He tells himself that if he makes the most of his advantage, his chances of winning will be low, but it's not impossible to win.
　While Ray is thinking like that, the noise stops moving on the stage.
　the two facing each other at the center of the stage

"You've come this far, after all," I've generally expected this to happen since we met on the street."

　With little change in his expression, he still drew the magic sword he had used in the semifinals from his waist sheath with a small smile on his mouth.

"I'm glad to hear that, shall I say?"

　She tells her death-size palm that she is sweating lightly under tension and pressure from the person in front of her.
　I didn't particularly reply to Ray's words...

'Let us fight each other to the best of our ability. Let'said he.

　With the emperor's brief voice, the final of the competition was declared.