Chapter 110 - 110

"Bask in the thunderous applause as I bring down the curtain, Laus Saint Claudius!" The flames clinging to the sword, following the dance of the primordial fire, surged towards the Bull Warrior like a wave of blazing inferno. Poor Bull Warrior, despite his robust appearance, had only 1900 attack points, which was vastly outmatched by Nero, Hoshino's summoned entity with 2300 attack points. His massive, corpulent body rolled in the flames, crashing into the wall at the edge of the arena and embedding deeply into it. The red bullhead mask, which he would never remove, turned to ash under the intense heat. "The Bull Warrior has fallen!" The commentator, after repeatedly checking the arena, reluctantly acknowledged the fact, "The invincible Bull Warrior has fallen!" "A new champion has been born in the King's Arena, and it's none other than our mysterious challenger, Chiyuki Hoshino!" "Roar!!" "What a spectacular one-hit kill!" Of course, with cheers of support also came voices of dissent. "Letting a girl like her become the champion of the Desert Capital's arena is a disgrace to us Desert people." "You gladiators eat so much, yet you can't perform when it counts?" "She's just a girl; anyone could easily crush her!" "And now, our third challenger has entered the arena!" Unlike the long wait with the Bull Warrior, despite Hoshino's victory, her small stature didn't pose much of a threat to the enormous gladiators. Within moments, a rush of contestants crowded around the judge's desk. "Let's welcome our latest contender, Big Bob!" "So his title is Big Bob, huh? He does look pretty big." Staring at Bob, who was rushing towards her from behind the iron gate, Hoshino's mind wandered, "I wonder what title would sound cooler for me? Transforming Magical Girl? Or maybe Mysterious Female Swordsman?" [Bob][ATK1600/DEF1900] The primordial flame swung upward, raising a pillar of fire before Hoshino. The fierce flames launched Bob's body into the air, and by the time he landed, he was semi-cooked and unconscious. "Another one-hit kill? If the first was a fluke, the second was undoubtedly a display of skill," the commentator exclaimed. "Our contestant, Chiyuki Hoshino, has impressively completed a double kill in the arena!" "Seriously, is there no one who can put up a fight?" Two consecutive one-hit kills had inflated Hoshino's confidence, but she had never thought she would lose anyway. After all, she knew better than anyone the strength of her Servants. "Someone, please take her down! If she wins the championship, all my bets will be for nothing!" "Useless gladiators, wasting my hard-earned money!" "Tch, a bunch of gamblers." Hoshino, a gacha addict, clicked her tongue in irritation as she gradually grasped the situation in the arena. In such competitive matches, betting was inevitable. And as a newcomer, no one would have bet on her. This meant that with every opponent she defeated, she was destroying a portion of the audience's stakes. If there had been some who supported her out of novelty at first, as their interests were impacted, the boos would only increase. "The next contestant has entered the arena—it's Sion the Berserker!" [Sion][ATK1900/DEF1500] "Hmm? Another one to be sent flying?" Hoshino thought that her two overwhelming victories had already displayed enough intimidation. But it seemed that the arena was indeed a place for those who weren't afraid to die. "Sion the Berserker has picked up his most prized weapon!" The commentator shouted excitedly as Sion rapidly approached Hoshino, "The most terrifying killing tool in the Desert Duel Arena, the Bloodstained Mace, which has claimed countless lives!" "Huh? A weapon?!" Hoshino, who had become a bit complacent after her easy victories, suddenly realized that her opponent was not unarmed this time. By the time she realized it, though, it was already too late. The horrifying mace, thick as a doorpost and filled with spikes, was already descending heavily upon Hoshino's head. Why was it called a mace instead of a club? Because regular clubs are one-handed weapons. But this massive weapon, as thick and solid as a doorpost, with a spiked head, required the enormous Sion to lift it with both hands, living up to its name. [Bloodstained Mace Equipped: Increases attack power by 500 points] [Sion][ATK 1900 → 2400] "A direct hit! The destructive power is terrifying!" The commentator, nearly losing his grip on the microphone in excitement, watched in awe as the massive mace connected with Hoshino, exclaiming, "Is this the end for our adorable contestant, Chiyuki Hoshino? Such a brief but brilliant moment of glory, now gone!" "Sion, that was beautiful! My bet on you wasn't in vain!" "Keep this up, and my chance with a supermodel tonight depends on you!" "Let's congratulate Sion on becoming the new champion of the..." "Shut up! I haven't lost yet!" Under the massive mace, Hoshino's voice came through gritted teeth. "Hmm?" Sion, who had been grinning with joy, now wore an increasingly grim expression as he realized that he couldn't push his weapon down even an inch further. "I forgot about my equipment, how careless of me!" Hoshino said with a bitter smile, holding the primordial flame above her head with all her might. "If I hadn't been lucky enough to trigger the Guts skill, I'd be done for this time." [This skill can only be used once per duel. ③: Activate this skill when this card is destroyed. Toss 3 coins. If at least one of them is heads, the destruction is negated.] Toss results: Heads, Heads, Heads "Invictus Spiritus: Thrice, Though I Welcome the Setting Sun!" Hoshino roared as she stomped her feet, using the original flame in her hands to deflect the Bloodstained Mace above her head. "Chiyuki Hoshino has blocked it! This is the first time in the history of the Desert Capital's arena that someone has blocked this attack—what an incredible feat!" "Big guy, you've pissed me off!" After deflecting the opponent's weapon, Hoshino took advantage of the brief moment when Sion lost his balance and drew another card from her leg. "Phantasm Summon! Install—Emiya!" The flashing light once again transformed Hoshino's outfit. Although still dressed in red, the attire from the Phantasm Summon of Emiya was significantly more revealing, making her movements even more agile. [Heroic Spirit—Emiya (Hoshino) ★★★★★★ (6 stars)][Fire][Spellcaster/Effect][ATK2200/DEF2600] "Wow! Another transformation—and this one is super sexy!" "Don't be intimidated by such flashy tricks, Sion!" Hoshino, now transformed, vaulted powerfully into the air, soaring over Sion's head. "Let me show you just how painful it is to get smashed by your weapon!" [During your battle phase, this card can ignore equipment requirements and copy all equipment cards on the opponent's field, equipping them to itself as much as possible. After the battle phase, the copied equipment cards are destroyed.] Sёarᴄh the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Trace on!" With Hoshino's silent chant, an identical, enormous Bloodstained Mace appeared in her hands. [Heroic Spirit — Emiya (Hoshino)][ATK 2200→2700] "Listen up, you bunch of gamblers! The champion of the King's Arena, me, Chiyuki Hoshino, is claiming the title today!" With all her might, Hoshino slammed the Bloodstained Mace down, as heavy as a thousand pounds, crushing Sion's massive body. (*****) If you'd like to read 25 chapters ahead, please consider joining my Patreon: patreon.com/ANeet. Your support means a lot. Thank you!