Maruyama Kugane - The Invaders of the Large Tomb

"Don’t you think it’s a bit early to come to a conclusion? I’ve heard that the number of magic items in Elder’s possession is far greater than what most adamantite-ranked adventurers could possibly have.. Elder has been adventuring for a long period of time, and has completed countless requests. If we consider just the amount of payment he’s received, no-one in the Empire has more than him!"

"No, no, wait up—"

"The one that should wait should be—"

While the two of them were still arguing, the tension within the courtyard had reached its climax and the first sparks of battle finally started to appear.

"Well then, let’s go!?"

"There are still important things that needs to be done after this. Don’t make it too hard for yourself and come at me, senior—"

Without even finishing the sentence, Parupatra charged towards Momon with a speed that most people would never imagine an eighty-year old man to be capable of. Smooth and with strength, he completed the action with such fluidity that his opponent Momon still hadn’t raised the staff in his hands.

"「Dragon Fang Thrust」!"

Hekkeran’s eyes widened in surprise at Parupatra’s sudden use of a martial arts at the very beginning of the fight.

A consecutive two-hit piercing attack with the spear bending like the tooth of a dragon. On top of dealing additional damage based on the attributes imbued by user, this martial art technique also included a homing effect which increased the chance of dealing critical damage. Using ‘Piercing Strike’ as the base, this technique was something Parupatra had created forty years ago. A well-balanced technique known by many and even now a lot of people were still studying it.

In addition to the ‘Dragon Fang Thrust’, Parupatra layered an additional ‘Blue Dragon Fang Thrust’

on top, which caused extra lightning damage.

Just what is that old man thinking! Even though we have healing magic at hand here, who really goes all out like that?

The effect of the used martial arts was that even a minor scratch would cause a considerable amount of lightning damage. It was most suited when fighting against opponents wearing armor made of metal. His decision to use this attack showed Parupatra’s seriousness.

However, for an attack that was known to be troublesome to deal with for those wearing metal armor, Momon easily avoided it like it was nothing. His actions made it seem as if he was wearing an armor as light as feather. The sluggish movements that normally should have been caused from when wearing full body armor did not show at all. What made it even more surprising was that instead of making excessive movements like leaping backwards, Momon was able to evade the incoming attack with minimum effort while standing still.

"Impossible! Just how good are his kinetic vision and physical capabilities?"

"—「Gale Acceleration」!"

Parupatra responded immediately with another martial art.

That old fart is going way over the top! Has his brain already become a fossil?

"「Dragon Fang Thrust」!"

Using the same technique as before, Parupatra struck once more at Momon. The blade of his spear was brimming with a white layer of coldness which came from the ‘White Dragon Fang Thrust’ he used this time.

A four hit consecutive attack that didn’t give the opponent any breathing room—

A commotion could be heard from amongst the audience watching.

Of course. Even an attack like that wasn’t able to land a single hit or scratch on Momon’s armor.

Parupatra quickly leaped away to create some distance from Momon. Sweat started to build up on his forehead. It wasn’t from exhausting his stamina, but rather from the sheer amount of mental pressure he received during the face off against death.

"Amazing!"

"—Stronger than Hekkeran."

"Obviously, Arche. Don’t use me as a comparison. What you’re seeing there is the highest of the adventurers. The absolute peak of everything. The power of an adamantite-ranked adventurer."

"Well then, looks like it’s my turn to attack."

Momon slowly raised his staff, entering a stance. In contrast, Parupatra rested his spear on his shoulder, relaxing his posture. He was giving up, having completely lost any will to fight.

"Magnificent. I give up, I resign. Forget about winning, this old man can’t even put a scratch on your armor."

"…Is that so."

Towards Parupatra who announced his loss, the majority of the audience gave off a "uooooh" sound as they sighed. It was without a doubt, an overwhelming victory by Momon, as if he was an adult who played around with a child.

Discussions such as “which martial-arts-school did the footwork technique used by Momon belong to?” started to appear as the overly excited audience began to share their thoughts with each other.

Not caring about these things, Hekkeran and Greenham walked towards Parupatra who was busy wiping away his sweat while conversing with Momon.

"Already done, senior?"

It feels as if the atmosphere and speaking tone suddenly changed.

"…I thought you wanted to display your real ability."

"…hya hya hya. That would be too much for an old man like me. What I’ve shown is already my real ability, Momon-dono."

"—Ah, my apologies for being disrespectful."

"No need to apologize, but to be honest I am quite sad about it. Also, you don’t need to be so modest with your words. What we old timers respect is strength and not who has lived longer. To be treated with so much respect by someone as overwhelmingly strong as you just doesn’t make me feel good."

"…I see. So be it then. However, to just end it here like this without letting me even take a swing leaves a bad aftertaste for me. If there’s going to be a next time, I’ll be the one to start. Well then, I will have to get back to moving the luggage."

"There are other people already working on it. You shouldn’t need to be doing that right?"

"I do not think so. No matter what kind of status I have, when a task is assigned to me, I must still finish it properly."

Having said that, Momon turned around and headed back towards the carriages. Following him was the woman possessing peerless beauty. Hekkeran and Greenham whose path crossed by couldn’t stop their eyes from being glued to them once more.

Entranced by the silhouette of the larger than life’s back of Momon.

"Hya hya, you’re making the face of a man wanting to ask questions."

"—Elder, what was your thoughts on this?"

Parupatra’s wrinkled face started to distort, as if wanting to smile bitterly.

"Very strong. No, that should be as expected due to being adamantite ranked. However, I never imagined to what extent that was. The moment we clashed, I got the feeling that no matter how I attack, I would never be able to hit him."

Hekkeran had the exact same feeling. Every single attack of his would probably be evaded by the man named Momon, and then the counterattack would come. Even if he was able to land a hit after using the best tricks he could think of, the image of his attack being repelled by that armor still appeared in Hekkeran’s mind. Parupatra, who experienced it firsthand, must have received an even stronger impression.

"So that’s… the adamantite rank huh?"

"That’s right. That’s the so called adamantite level. A realm where only few can ever reach. Aahh, truly magnificently stunning. A height that you cannot reach and touch… Well, are you guys satisfied from witnessing this?"

"Without a doubt! Thanks to being an observer, I was able to see the whole thing in detail. If I had been the one fighting, I would have never been able to calmly observe everything. Although I have to apologize for saying this to Elder, but personally, I really wanted to see the Momon-dono the moment he was about to attack."