News of the opening of the Babel Roulette was broadcast across all the continents three days before the event. The proclamation to kick it off would be held in front of the duel city’s symbol, Babel Tower, and two duelists would hold an exhibition match as the opening act.
It was understandable that one of the duelists graced with this honor was Elias Crossford. The name of his challenger, however, was unexpectedly Yuri Eniastar.
Three days was more than enough for this information to spread and garner great attention. One duelist’s name resounded far and wide as a skilled fighter who had persisted to the end of the last Roulette. Nonetheless, the peculiar nature of his challenger gathered interest in certain circles.
“Hey, I hear Beheading Elias’s opponent is a mix-blood.”
“Hah? What sort of matchup is that? He’ll have his head off in an instant.”
“Thing is, they say this mix-blood beat a Silver in his first match. He may be inexperienced, but maybe his skills are the real deal?”
“Oh come on, that has to have been a set-up. I read all about it on the city bulletin.”
“Right, right. Just think about it, there’s no way a weak mix-blood can win.”
“Let’s not forget, everyone Adamant and above is on another dimension than us plebs. I wouldn’t expect a good fight even if he was a pure blood.”
At the circular fighting ring in front of Babel Tower, the gathered spectators loudly disputed their predictions. The majority were critical of Yuri. The weakest mix-blood challenging an Adamant Rank. Any duelist worth their salt understood just how reckless this was.
Rank served as a definite display of a duelist’s strength. Among them, the higher ranks—Adamant and above—boasted extraordinary capabilities. They stood at the top, not only in win rate, but in technique and perseverance as well. After taking on many fierce warriors, passing through more hellscapes than anyone, they secured their victory.
That was precisely why no one seemed worried about the outcome of the match. The winner would be Elias Crossford, that much was a given. The spectators had come to watch for nothing more than morbid curiosity.
“Tsk...not a decent duelist among them.”
On an upper floor of Babel Tower, where only a select few were permitted entry, Velt gazed out the window at the arena plaza, irksomely clicking his tongue.
“Each and every one of them...makin’ a face like ooh, I’m so smart, I know exactly how this match will go down.”
His toxic tone elicited a sluggish response from the demon beside him.
“You’re an Administrator, Velt. You shouldn’t be saying such things.”
“Oh shut it. Wait, Mirka, why are you wearing a uniform of all things?”
“Why, I’m an employee of Babel Tower, don’tcha know? I’m technically here to provide hospitality for one ill-tempered Administrator.”
“Then get me a tea or something.”
“I’ll slaughter you, you smelly middle-aged man.”
“Where did all the hospitality go!?”
“The tea’s been brewed just fine. I’m offering you the freedom to pour it yourself,” Mirka said as she poured the gurgling liquid into her own cup. “But, well, I do feel the same way. We haven’t had any duelists with real backbone these past hundred years. You can’t imagine how boring it’s been.”
“You said it. Good grief, I thought that Elias bastard might be able to cross the line, but he stopped in his tracks ever since that incident with Reilly.”
“I see. So that’s why you sent Yuri at him,” Mirka said, before narrowing her eyes. “But...will Yuri really be able to cross it? Even if he is a candidate chosen by an Administrator, a mix-blood’s shackles are a heavy weight to drag along.”
“What, you think the brat’s gonna lose?”
“Going off statistics alone, the odds would have to be in Elias’s favor. You could look into past records all you want, but at the moment, no mix-blood has ever defeated an Adamant Rank duelist.”
Among the mix-bloods Mirka had seen so far, Reilly Malbork was an aberration that the rest could never hope to reach. Even so, she had never achieved victory against any duelist Adamant or higher. She only ever won against Elias when they were both young and inexperienced. But Elias had grown even stronger these past few years. It was rather self-evident to think it impossible to win against such an opponent.
However—those who had crossed the line saw it differently.
“But...I’m pretty sure Yuri will win.”
“Aah!? So which is it!?”
“Taking only ability into account, Elias will win. However, precisely because Yuri was born a mix-blood, his thought process and experience are different from the other duelists.”
History proved that effort and spirit were not enough to bridge the gap. But it was possible for battles to exceed expectations. A miracle no one could expect. Those at the top understood them as not a coincidence but something one had to grasp for oneself.
“Now, as for how he’s going to seize victory...that’s the interesting part.” Her red eyes turned to the world below, Mirka joyously swirled the tea in her cup. “How about you, Velt? Why do you think Yuri is going to win?”
“I got a gut feeling!!”
“You really are an idiot.”
“That’s the best part about me! No need for all those unnecessary thoughts in battle!!”
“Battle aside, you do have an obligation as an Administrator to select promising people, so we would all very much appreciate if you learned how to explain your reasoning...” Seeing him laugh without a care in the world, Mirka let out a tired sigh, “But I can see where you’re coming from. You and Yuri are pretty similar in that regard.”
“The brat and me? We’re completely different. He’s a natural-born duelist.”
“...What do you mean?”
As Mirka tilted her head, Velt planted an elbow down on the windowsill. “You know a bit about the Eniastar House, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. They were the first people to ever research mix-bloods, and they accomplished great deeds to ensure mix-bloods were welcomed into Human Tribe society.”
The Eniastars’ achievements could never be understated. They researched how a mix-blood could use their powers, and how these powers could then be put to use in everyday life. Apart from that, they also consulted for and mediated marriage between tribes.
Thanks to their continuous efforts, while it was still well-known that mix-bloods were at a disadvantage in a duel, they were generally regarded as having beneficial abilities and commanded the same rights and respect as everyone else.
Mirka continued, “While their initial plan of creating the strongest duelist failed, they continued preserving their mix-blood and contributing to the world. I see them as a splendid lineage.”
“But they’re maniacs who, in their goal to be the strongest, couldn’t keep it to themselves, dragging all the other tribes into the mix. You think they’re the sort of people who’d suddenly stop trying and start working for the good of the world just because it failed once?”
“But it was a failure, wasn’t it? You can’t really get around that fact.”
“Right. And that’s why—they keep up their research to this very day.”
A duelist who carried multiple Tribe Skills, worthy of the title of strongest. The actual result was a mix-blood, the weakest duelist, and yet...their goal would continue for over a thousand years, never once twisting off its tracks.
“Mirka, do you know who the brat’s mother was?”
“Umm... If the documents are to be trusted, she was a lovely elven woman.”
“I asked her personally. She’s more precisely a dark elf.”
“Dark elf... Aren’t they a belligerent breed with high combat capabilities who can manipulate shadows?”
“That’s right. An aggressive bunch hostile not only toward the other tribes, but even their brethren.”
If it was just his mother, it could be a coincidence. However—coincidence was broken through repetition.
“It’s not just his mother. His Beast Tribe blood harkens back to the vicious minotaur Asterios, and his Spirit Tribe blood comes from the moon spirits who control the mysterious sixth element. The rest of his blood, all of it, comes from subspecies who excel in combat.”
From the moment they set their sights on the top, the Eniastar House never let the mix-blood flame die out. If that wasn’t enough—they continued to mingle with certain exceptional races. Beast, dragon, dwarf, elf, angel, demon, spirit...Yuri had strongly inherited the blood of only those overflowing with fighting spirit and boasting the highest combat capabilities.
In order to prove that their idea of creating a mix-blood was no mistake, the Eniastar House had preserved their lineage for several thousand years, each generation carving in new fighting spirit so the dream would never die. That was what the boy known as Yuri Eniastar had inherited.
“The reason the brat longs to fight isn’t just his innate disposition. The blood flowing through his veins is crying out. That’s why...I, the Human Tribe Administrator, had to select him.”
No sooner had Velt finished his sentence than an ear-rending cry erupted from below. The challenger had appeared...
Yuri walked toward the center of the ring. Not a sliver of tension or fear could be seen on his face. His expression glimmered as his thoughts bounded toward the battle to come.
“Right now, I’m sure his blood is on fire.” Velt chuckled.