“How is it? Can you see?” Dan asked.
“Ohhh! The coloring is pretty unique, but it’s not as bright as before! These glasses are good! Wait, what’s that?!” Ronove shouted in surprise.
Dan had given Ronove some sunglasses, allowing him to once again fulfill his duties. Two shadows were sent flying away from the center of the intense light. They went in opposite directions but were both traveling at extreme speeds. If they continued without being stopped, they’d hit Colette’s barrier.
“Grk! Oof!”
“Gah! Hurk!”
The two shadows were Kelvin and Ema, both now in tatters. It was easy to tell just from their voices what terrible shape they were in. Both were likely barely conscious, as there was no sign of any healing magic or any attempt to brake before hitting the barrier. As things stood, they would both be knocked out of the arena. If that were to happen, the match would be decided based on who crossed the barrier first...
“I won’t...let that happen!” Shutola shouted.
“Ema!” Sylvia exclaimed.
Neither of their partners would stand by and allow it.
The damage is awful, but I can’t ignore the burns and frostbite all over his body either! Even Ema made sure to use her Chains of the Shunned on all of it! Shutola thought in a panic.
She deployed all the magic threads she could to catch Kelvin. The clash earlier had broken all the threads of Celsius’s Caritas as well as all the spider threads deployed around the arena, so she could only rely on her own magic threads. The kick from trying to catch Kelvin at the speed he’d been sent flying was intense, placing a humongous and terribly painful burden on both Shutola’s arms and magic thread, but she couldn’t very well let go. For her kingdom, for victory, and for the success of this wedding—there were many reasons for her to hang on. But more than anything, no matter what happened, she couldn’t even consider giving up on the person she loved.
Ugh! That last attack Kelvin used wasn’t his usual spell! It looked like the same slash, but it was actually an ultracompressed incarnation of gale-force wind! His aim was always to knock Ema out of the arena! Shutola’s thoughts were mired in frustration.
Sylvia alone remained untouched in the swirl of their clash, but there was no composure left in her expression. She turned around in a hurry, chasing after Ema. During the clash, she’d served to shield her friend from most of the impact—or at least, that had been her intention, but Kelvin’s strike had been incredibly unpredictable. It had looked like he was clashing with them head-on in a pure contest of power, but the blade had actually bent like a whip, going around Sylvia to strike at Ema. In the end, Ema had taken the full brunt of the wind and lost consciousness.
And so started the chapter of both sides attempting to rescue their partners. As if she’d predicted it, Shutola had been extremely quick to leap into action, but Sylvia’s reactions were superhuman as well, and her quick decision-making was flawless. As things stood, if everything went well, both sides would likely be able to save their partners just before they left the arena.
Yes...if everything went well.
“Gah!”
Shutola managed to save Kelvin while enduring the pain in her arms. However, something stood in the way of Sylvia as she chased after Ema.
This is Shutola’s! she cried internally.
It was a jet-black spider-shaped golem—the product of Kelvin and Shutola working together. An Adamantite Arachnid. She had thought all of them had sacrificed themselves to shield Shutola during the clash, but one had hidden at the edge of the barrier.
“Shutola... Don’t tell me she actually predicted all this?!” Sylvia yelled in frustration.
She would have no trouble dispatching the golem, but it would take time, and at the moment every second mattered. Every fraction of a second, in fact. Whether she chose to defeat it or go around it, she would lose time. Would dodging and blowing past it save the most time?
Sylvia didn’t even have time to think. Trusting in her own instincts, she blew past the Adamantite Arachnid with the least amount of extraneous movement possible. Unfortunately, as expected, the window for saving Ema was too small, and Ema crossed the barrier before Sylvia could grab her.
“Training my announcing ability means training my eyesight, which perfectly captured the sight of Ema leaving the barrier just now!” Ronove shouted. “Yes, it’s true! My eyes are amaziiiinnnggg!”
“Is that so? Good for you,” Dan replied. “And that means?”
“Right. In other words...the match has ended with Kelvin-san and Shutola-sama’s victoryyy!” Ronove announced.
His bold declaration of Kelvin and Shutola’s victory was followed by a thunderous uproar from the crowd. In the end, almost none of the fight had been visible to them, so most of the crowd had no idea what had happened, but the knowledge that Shutola had won was more than enough to shake the hearts of Trycen’s people.
“Mm, I didn’t make it in time...” Sylvia muttered.
In the midst of the cheers resounding throughout the coliseum, Sylvia returned to the ground, carrying an unconscious Ema.
“Thank you for giving it your all, Sylvia. I really wanted an actual win, not one that was called due to ring out, but...we were seriously cornered to the point where there was no other way. Yeah, it really was an awesome fight...” Kelvin muttered.
Shutola had descended after Sylvia, supporting Kelvin on her shoulders. It seemed he had used healing magic on the way down, as none of his wounds remained. However, he still had all his burns and frostbite, so he looked to be in serious pain.
“I didn’t think the Unique Skill’s effect would continue even with its user unconscious...” Shutola added. “I was being too optimistic.”
“Ema would be happy to hear you say that, with how you read everything from beginning to end. I would love to include it in her epitaph,” said Sylvia.
“Um, but I’m not dead yet...” Ema said. She had woken up with perfect timing and immediately undid her Unique Skill, finally allowing Kelvin to fully heal himself.
“Well then, once again...congratulations on your wedding, Shutola and Kelvin-san. I truly am happy that you got married. You really suit each other.”
“Mm, congratulations,” Sylvia echoed. “I’m happy you two got together too. Also, I’ll make sure to kill you next time, Kelvin, so don’t worry.”
“Sylvia! Wait a second!” Ema yelped.
Sylvia had spouted that insane line with a smile, forcing Ema to give a sharp retort. That hit their opponents’ funny bones, though, as both Kelvin and Shutola burst out laughing.
“Gah... Gaha! Gaha ha! Yeah, thanks to you, it seems I won’t be bored for a while. Still, you’re true to your word, or should I say you have a ridiculously strong sense of duty, Sylvia?” Kelvin remarked.
“Why?!” Ema yelled.
“Now, now, it’s fine, isn’t it?” Shutola replied placatingly. “It might sound threatening, but this is a type of communication on its own.”
“You know, Shutola...I don’t think it’s right for a wife to be too understanding either,” Ema replied.
“Hey, will there be food at the reception?” Sylvia asked.
“Of course,” Kelvin replied. “According to Shutola, there’ll be a spread of traditional Trycennian food, so it’ll probably be quite nostalgic for you.”
“Ohhh!”
“Agh, jeez! And they’ve already switched subjects...” Ema muttered.
And so, Kelvin and Shutola successfully took down the opponents “objecting” to their marriage.