Chapter 130 – I Won’t Shut Up
A secluded nation isolated from the world. Only a small portion of the population goes out to the outside world, and has little to do with other countries.
The country used to be a tyrannical and oppressive place where the royal family in the island had severely tormented the people with heavy taxes and other issues.
Eventually, the people couldn’t take it anymore and rose up, plunging the country into a long civil war.
And the civil war ended, and the people’s revolutionary faction has won… apparently.
What supported them was their faith in God and the presence of a goddess who descended from heaven and drew the blood of God.
“Oh… God’s Statue can also be found here.”
『Ugh, Nu…』
The former regime’s training ground has now become the arena of the tournament now.
It was smaller than the Imperial City’s arena, but it’s likely to accommodate thousands of spectators.
In front of the arena, there was a statue of Tre’ainar in a pose with both hands spread out from side to side.
“Please grant your graces~? Oh God~ Oh God~ “
『Cease that at once!』
“Kuhahahahahaha!”
It was so funny, so I put my hands together towards the statue in prayer, as a means of teasing Tre’ainar.
As expected, Tre’ainar looked embarrassed by his own statue.
『Anyway, wrap the Magical Bandage now. I shall give you a phantom spar.』
“Osu.”
I took the bandage out of my pocket and wrapped it around my fist.
I tighten my grip and roll it up so that I can put force into it.
『Now then, come.』
“Shah!”
Unlike our spars in 【Vier】, there’s no contact or counterattack from Tre’ainar here.
This is just for checking the form.
“Shhi!”
Tre’ainar doesn’t hit me, but he does check my rhythm by putting in a handling action.
For me, both the left and the right felt sharp.
The sound of my punches cutting the wind and bouncing off the air echoed, and the people passing by stopped to look at me.
“Wow, what is that?”
“F, fast!”
“Better yet, how many blows was that?”
Breaths leaked, and a slight moan ran.
Actually, I’m a bit troubled if I get noticed or cause surprised at this level, but now I am not worried about what people think.
“You’d have to see it from a distance to know how many punches have been thrown. Moreover, that’s not the only thing that’s frightening…”
“Hmm? Oh!”
When I was called out and turned around, there was Mr. Machio.
“Yo, Mr. Machio.”
“Hmm… we meet in the same dojo almost every day…. I was looking forward to seeing you compete today, but… seeing you face to face like this… as I thought, you’ve gotten much stronger.”
He saw me and gave me a compliment at the very beginning. It was a little embarrassing.
“By the way, Earth. I was curious… who were you fighting just now? No matter how you look at it, it’s someone of considerable ability. It looked like you were being pushed around.”
And, as expected, Mr. Machio.
He didn’t think I was just shadowing into an empty space.
It seemed he sensed from my appearance that I fought assuming someone in the world of fantasy and delusion.
“Who… God, I guess?”
“Wh… at?”
『Hey hey』
At my words, Mr. Machio made a dazzled face.
I guess he didn’t expect I’d make such a joke.
But it’s funny, because this is actually true.
“Fufufu, hahaha… yes I see. But let’s keep that a secret from the master. Even if it’s a supposed fight, opposing God would summon her imperial wrath.”
“Whoa, that was a close one.”
“Ah. Well, anyway… let’s give our best. Earth.”
Saying that, Mr. Machio held his hand out to me with a refreshing smile.
Shaking hands before a fight… it’s really refreshing.
Strong? Gentle? Muscular? That’s why Elder Sis Tsukshi fell in love.
“Yeah. To each other.”
『Oi, do not get too friendly with the enemy before battle.』
Tre’ainar said. But then again, Mr. Machio was a good guy.
I was a little out of sorts, but I firmly gripped his hand back.
And then……
“That you~, Machio~?!”
“Shaking hands with youngsters in front of the venue, is he a fan? I envy your popularity.”
“That said, I’m gonna beat you today, right? That’s why I’ve been training bloody hard.”
“Excuse me! Winning is what I’ll do! Shhhh”
One after another, a group of people with a distinctly different atmosphere from the other guests began to gather.
A well-trained body comparable to those in the dojo.
Eyes that were also glaring for victory.
But I’ve never met him in the dojo.
“Hmm, long time no see. You guys too.”
Mr. Machio seemed acquainted with them.
Then, Mr. Machio tilted his head to me…
“Earth, let me introduce you. They are representatives of our branch dojos for this tournament.”
“Eh? Branch?”
“Yes. The Arcane True Zenith Dojo has branches in remote towns and other areas. We’re at the Conarmy City Headquarters.”
Oh, come to think of it, Jamdi’el explained that to me at the beginning.
At that time, I had just regained consciousness after being kidnapped, so I wasn’t able to focus on that.
“Gord branch, Zabers branch, Mechros branch, Central branch, etc… today is a tournament of representatives selected from all nine dojos and external participants like you and José.”
Other branches? No, I didn’t check any of them out other than Mr. Machio.
It’s not like there were many of Machio’s class in the world. In the first place, Machio was the strongest in the dojo.
“So, Machio. Who is he?”
“Ah. His name is Earth. He’s an external participant.””
“Heh, he’s young.”
“Young, but don’t you underestimate him. He’s a powerhouse with master’s endorsement.”
“Eh!? What? The Master!?”
When Mr. Machio explained to the other chapters about me, their expressions changed right away.
“You’re a tough guy, are you? You.”
The friendly atmosphere changed completely, and he asked me while glaring and as if putting pressure on me.
I’ll take that pressure head on and answer back.
“To prove it, I’m going to win the tournament. Me!”
Declaration of victory.
“This guy…”
“Heh, you’re telling me?”
“Yes, He has good eyes. So intense.”
“Oh, a strong one.”
Then, I expected them to react to my remarks with “cheeky kid”, but it was different.
When they looked at me, they nodded with a smile as if they had felt my power in their own way.
However, others did not…
“Wow, he’s here… I see… the High Priestess said he’d be in the tournament.”
“Eh~, is this tournament open to just anyone~? How demoralizing~”
“This is the day when everyone learns the legend of José, a sacred tournament…”
“But no matter who you’re against, it won’t matter to you, will it, José?”
“Hmph, I’ve failed to cut him many times, but… Senior, I leave it to you to hand discipline to him.”
Ah, here it comes…
“Hmm? What the hell is that?”
“Oh, that’s a specialty of this town… more or less, don’t make light of him.”
“Students? Ah, you mean the genius?”
“I’ve heard that he was popular with the women, but that’s quite a feat.”
“That’s one of the favorites to win this tournament?”
The appearance of five bitches. Mr. Machio explained with a little sigh, and the other branch members nodded as if they were in agreement.
And then……
“Don’t be too hopeful. I don’t like to stand out, but … guess I have no choice… for the time being, I have to win the championship.”
“””””Come on, (Mr) (Senior) José sigh~♡“””””
“What? Him…… Oh, he’s going to be in the tournament, too. Well, he’s not a big deal, so whatever…. and that’s the Machio that the High Priestess was talking about… Hmm.”
Finally, the dude, who I can’t wait to destroy right here, right now, has made his entrance.
And he looked at me with cold, condescending eyes.
He seemed to have just recalled me participating in the tournament, but immediately seemed uninterested.
“So that’s the genius, José? Earth, what do you think?”
“He’s really unpleasant!!”
“…… No, I didn’t mean that… Or rather, your voice is loud.”
Machio also smiled wryly at my reply.
However, it was unavoidable.
No other description came to mind.
And maybe they heard my voice, the dude who will make me vomit later, and five shits who are only biologically women.
I looked away.
“Hey, you! I can hear you!”
“Yeah. I meant for you to hear me. A bunch of obnoxious mass-produced waste of space!”
“What!?”
One of the angry-faced shits yelled at me… one shit.
And the moment I talked back, there was always a “dude” that would be shaken up until it became ugly later…
“You! What did you say… to the people I care about?”
“Didn’t you hear me? Then, one more time ――― “
“Shut ――――”
“You shut up!!”
“Eh!?”
“I’m sorry, but I’m not gonna shut up today. And I won’t back down, I can’t give in.”
Usually, this guy would threaten the other party by stomping the ground and the walls with a sharp “Shut up”, but for the first time, I charged back at him.
And he’s surprised at my defiance, as I’ve always done as I’m told, they all were.
“So if you want me to shut up… then shut me up. In this tournament!”
I said, just to add insult to injury.
And then……
“Ah … d … dear me. Don’t you know that weak dogs bark louder?”
He seemed confused for a moment, but the dude cleared his throat afterward to smooth over his crumbling expression, and tried to say something cool.
But!
“Kuhahahahaha, are you stupid? Dude. This is the human world. Why are you bringing up matters of the dog world?”
“What?”
I’m not going to shut up anymore. I’ve decided not to put up with it today.
“Still, if you have such a fondness for it, why don’t I brand you like a dog? You’ll be branded a loser.”
“Y, you… tch… such a trash talker…”
So I’ll declare it to him.
“Hold on, wh, what’s with this guy?”
“This guy… what do you mean? So far… different?”
The shits seemed upset.
Even the shit that always goes, “slash, slash, I’ll cut you,” is at a loss for words.
And……
“Will all tournament participants, please assemble! We will determine the brackets by lottery!”
At that time, the voice from the tournament’s organizers resounded.
Come on, we’re almost there.
Author’s Note
Everyone, Thank you for your continued support.
Yesterday, I was hit with a double shot. To be honest, it’s the first time I’ve received more than 10 spirits, and I’m too hot to worry about catching a cold. Moreover, when I woke up in the morning, I was hit by another shot!
In addition, the overall evaluation of 1 million drill countdown was cut to 910,000 yesterday.
I’m really thankful to you.
It is the first time that the spirits and drills have increased so much, and I ran through the shopping district without worrying about the eyes. 910,000 drills left! For the time being, I thought I’d aim for another 10,000 drills by the end of the year.
Best regards from now on!