WIEDERGEBURT Chapter 37

I stood at one point of a pentagon alongside four other combatants. Two of them were women, while the other two were men. I didn’t recognize anyone. This didn’t surprise me.

Two of the people, a man with light brown hair and a woman with dark blonde hair, seemed to know each other. They were trading banter back and forth about which one of them would win. Those two were wearing the armor of a Nevarian Spiritualist, which was like the standing army that protected Nevaria from Demon Beasts and kept the peace inside of its walls.

Nevarian Spiritualists wore a form of light armor. It was made from the hardened leather of a C-rank Demon Beast to form a chestplate, shoulder pads, vambraces, and greaves, which were worn over gray or black clothing. I couldn’t remember if the armor was made from a specific Demon Beast or not. There seemed to be some variations in their armor. The woman’s contained a blue tint. The man’s was a light green.

I glanced at the other two people I’d be battling and noticed that both of them were looking at me.

The woman was a gorgeous redhead with a voluptuous figure that seemed to spill from her outfit. Her large breasts were barely contained by the very small chestplate covering them. They spilled out from the top, which had been left completely exposed. A pair of leather straps running from the tips of the triangle shaped plate kept her armor from falling off. Like her chest, her stomach and crotch were both basically bare. She had a small metal thong covering her most private area, but that was all. This allowed me and everyone else to see her shapely hips, soft waist, and milky breasts. Oddly enough, her arms and legs were completely covered in segmented metal armor.

She was wielding a pair of swords. They were a little smaller than the average broadsword, which made them easier to wield with one hand. The hilts were also smaller.

This woman’s armor seemed highly impractical, but I did realize, objectively, that armor didn’t offer as much protection as a Spiritual Aura. She could probably activate hers and therefore didn’t feel the need to conform to standard ideals of armor. Some members of the Battling Valkyries had similar armor designs.

While debating the merits of armor that didn’t actually protect anything, I glanced at the man next to her. Unlike the woman, he was not wearing skimpy armor, which I found myself grateful for. His chestplate covered his entire body. The silver color was offset by the gold designs running across it. Underneath the armor was a black suit. He also had gauntlets and a pair of segmented armored greaves that went up to the middle of his thighs. He didn’t have a weapon, but I noticed that he had golden knuckles on his gauntlets. He was probably a brawler.

Rainer stood in the center of our arrangement. He was looking at us all with his calm yet stern glance.

“Are all of you ready?” he asked. We nodded. “In that case, the battle will begin on my mark.”

He walked out of the circle, took his place on the side opposite of Valence, raised his hand, and swung it down.

“FIGHT!”

The moment Rainer signaled that the battle had begun, the two Nevarian Spiritualists attacked each other. Their respective weapons clashed in a shower of sparks. Both of them were wielding a sword, but the two weapons were still very different. The male had a standard broadsword. Meanwhile, the woman’s sword was curved, had a single-edge, and a hook shape near the tip. I believe that was called a falchion.

“Looks like it’s finally time for you and me to see who is the stronger Spiritualist!” The man shouted.

The woman smiled. Her eyes contained a fierce fire blazing inside of them. Her blade was already locked with his, pushing against it and causing more sparks to scatter along the edge. It looked like the two of them were vying for dominance. At the same time, their Spiritual Auras had soared. The woman’s blue aura flowed around her like water. The man, on the other hand, seemed to have an ethereal green aura covering his body.

“I agree! Let us decide today which of us is stronger!”

The two broke apart and swung their swords at the same time, unleashing their respective Spiritual Techniques. A wave of water rushed from the woman’s blade. It struck the green crescent shaped spiritual attack that the man had unleashed. As the two attacks collided, the area around them became slightly warped as they battled for dominance. The attacks would have probably negated each other, but the man swung his blade again and unleashed another Spiritual Wind Technique to reinforce the first one.

With the second Spiritual Wind Technique reinforcing the first one, the wind won out, breaking through the water wave and flying toward the woman. It struck the ground and detonated with enough force to create a spiderweb of cracks. However, the woman had already leapt into the air. Not only did the technique not strike her, but she used the resulting wind that rushed in all directions to launch herself over the man.

Her body spun in the air as she swung her sword multiple times. Each swing emitted a powerful cannonball of water that flew toward the man, who wore a grave expression as he dodged each attack. When one of the water cannonballs struck the ground, it exploded, sending water in all directions. The water itself didn’t seem harmful. However, when I looked at the large depressions that had formed in the ground, I realized that anyone struck by those attacks would be in serious trouble. The man seemed to recognize that as well.

“It seems you’ve been improving for this day,” he called out as he swung his sword and unleashed another technique.

“So have you!” The woman laughed as she landed on the ground and met his technique head on.

While the battle between the two Nevarian Spiritualists was interesting, I didn’t have time to focus on their battle anymore. The other two Spiritualists had activated their Spiritual Auras and were rushing at me. The woman’s aura was a thick red like an ardent flame. The man’s was a sort of brownish green. I suspected he had a predominant affinity for earth with a minor one for wind.

“Have you two decided to team up on me?” I asked as I held my ruler in a single-handed grip over my shoulder.

“Hmph! Don’t take it personally,” the woman said.

“We were merely hired to teach you a lesson,” the man added.

So someone had hired these two? Was it Albert? I didn’t think so. He seemed a little too forthright for this. Maybe it was Grant? Either way, I felt like this was a good opportunity.

“Well, all right.” I grabbed my ruler with both hands. “You can come at me at the same time. I need a good battle to loosen my limbs.”

The two Spiritualists narrowed their eyes. Perhaps they sensed something in my words, but they both kept running toward me.

I shifted my feet along the ground, gripped my ruler tighter, and then swung it. Spiritual Power flowed through my body like an electric current, charging up my arms and into the ruler. Pale arcs of lightning skittered across the ruler’s surface. Then the ruler’s 11 segments suddenly slid apart as the locking mechanism unlocked. Like the tail of a giant reptile, the 11 segments shot forward as I held each one to the next with a chain of lightning.

The woman’s eyes widened as she leapt to the side. My ruler’s segments shot past her. I twitched my hand and more Spiritual Power flowed through the ruler. Behind the two Spiritualists, the ruler’s segmented body curved around and attacked the woman from behind. It struck her in the middle of her back, sending her to the ground. Despite being knocked down, her Spiritual Aura was strong. She hadn’t actually been injured.

“What kind of weapon is that?!” the man asked in shock, though he didn’t stop running.

I stepped back as he thrust out his right fist in a straight jab. His attack didn’t reach me, but then he stomped on the ground and several stakes shot up as though to skewer me. I retracted my ruler. The 11 segments quickly became one again, and I slammed it into the ground before me, using the ruler’s massive body to protect me from the stakes, which crashed into the ruler and broke apart.

By this point in time, the woman was back on her feet. She crossed her two swords over her head, then swung them down, unleashing a powerful burst of flames that formed the shape of an X as they attacked me. I pulled my ruler from the ground, spun around on the balls of my feet, and then swung my ruler coated in lightning upward in a slash that split the X-shaped flames in half from bottom to top.

The two halves traveled along separate routes and exploded behind me. I ignored the heat surging against my back as I launched myself at the man, who had leapt back when his partner was attacking. My powerful, horizontal swing caused the air to whistle as the ruler cut through it. The man raised his right arm to block, and I could see that his entire arm was now covered in dense earth. A defense technique.

Just before the ruler met his arm, I channeled lightning through it.

I don’t think the man was expecting his defense technique to be completely useless. His eyes bulged as my ruler sliced through the densely packed earth covering his forearm like it was ground beef. A loud clanging sound echoed around us as my ruler hit the metal plating of his gauntlet, but then the gauntlet shattered into a thousand fragments. I didn’t stop my attack. The veins in my arms popped as I continued through with my swing, causing the bones in his forearm to break as his arm was forced into his torso.

There was another loud cracking sound when my ruler slammed into his torso, followed by a powerful bang! that resounded across the arena. The man was blasted through the air. He struck the ground several meters away, rolled across it like a ragdoll, and then slammed into the wall on the opposite side of the arena.

“Freystein!” the woman screamed. She turned to me with a fierce glare—only for her eyes to widen when she realized I was right in front of her.

“Sorry,” I apologized as I tucked my left hand into my torso, “but I’m gonna have to ask you to lose today.”

Rotating my torso and hips, I thrust out my left palm, which slammed into her solar plexus. My attack shattered her Spiritual Aura. Her mouth opened wide but no sound came out. I then channeled a small portion of lightning through her body, jolting her nervous system and knocking her unconscious.

The woman’s eyes rolled into the back of her head. Her body went limp and fell over my palm. I remained like that for a moment before turning the ruler in my right hand down and thrusting it into the ground. Once my hand was free, I grabbed this woman with both hands and gently laid her down on her back. Her eyes were still open, but they were sightless and glazed, so I closed them and stood back up.

I ignored Rainer as he announced that the two people I fought had been defeated and turned to the battle taking place between the two Nevarian Spiritualists. It looked like the fight was winding down. Their Spiritual Auras were flickering, a clear sign that they were running out of Spiritual Power. Should I intervene and knock them both out? I shook my head after giving the idea a second of consideration. It was bad form to interrupt a battle in a competition like this.

Sitting down next to my ruler, I crossed my legs and watched the battle between these two rivals.

***

The arena was almost completely silent save for the sounds of battle. Kari was sure that all the people sitting in the stands were just as shocked as she was—no, they were probably even more shocked.

Kari was not watching the battle between the two Nevarian Spiritualists, which was reaching its conclusion. Her attention was focused on the young man sitting several meters from the battle. He was resting with his chin on his right hand. He seemed almost bored.

“What… just happened?” Geirolf asked.

“That Eryk Veiger beat those two Spiritualists so quickly,” Mikkel muttered in shock. “What’s more, that weapon of his is strange. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“It’s called a ruler.” Earland was frowning as he studied the weapon. “However, I’ve never seen a ruler that can separate into multiple pieces like that. I’m also not sure how he is able to control each segment with such finesse.”

“He’s using the lightning element,” their mother said. Kari turned her gaze away from Eryk to look at her mom, who was studying the boy she loved with an intense frown. “It seems that boy is able to chain those 11 segments together using lightning as a magnetic force. He then controls the ruler as though it was a dragon’s tail, allowing it to swing around and attack his opponents from a distance. His control is nearly perfect too.”

“The lightning element? But how?!” asked a shocked Geirolf. “He didn’t use a single form of movement to channel his Spiritual Power. This is far beyond what he did during his Honor Duel against Albert. What he just did is impossible. What’s more, he was using lightning! I thought he had a water affinity!”

“You say it is impossible, yet you cannot deny what you have seen,” Earland said. “That boy is somehow able to control the elements without the need to use Spiritual Techniques. It also looks like he has a dual-affinity. I’ve heard that’s very rare.”

“That’s not possible,” Geirolf moaned, but he didn’t say anything else as he leaned back in his chair. He looked like a petulant child who was trying to deny a truth he’d just learned about.

“Mother?” Kari asked as her mother’s eyes narrowed further.

“Something about this boy’s Spiritual Power feels very familiar for some reason,” her mother murmured. “Am I imagining it?”

Kari bit her lip as she heard her mother’s words. Indeed, Eryk’s power was very familiar. Her mother might not be able to figure out from where, but Kari had already realized that his Spiritual Power was the same one she’d felt that night almost three months ago.

As she wondered whether or not she should say something, the two Nevarian Spiritualists ran out of Spiritual Power at the same time, causing Rainer to declare Eryk Veiger as the winner.

***

“The winner of the second preliminary round is Eryk Veiger!” Rainer announced. However, there were no cheers at the end. Everyone was too busy staring at me. I assumed they were in shock.

I gazed at the people in the stands, all of whom looked like they didn’t know how to take my victory. They were probably stunned by my weapon. The Dragon Tail Ruler was not a weapon people would recognize. The exoticness of the weapon and method of attacking that it used probably left everyone present speechless. Even Valence, Kari’s blood father, was looking at me like I was a puzzle he couldn’t solve.

With a sigh, I stood up and grabbed the ruler, pulling it from the ground and setting it on my shoulder. The two Spiritualists I had defeated had already been taken away. The Nevarian Spiritualists who’d battled against each other in what amounted to a double knockout had also been helped out of the arena. I was the only one left.

I turned around and walked away. However, I paused when the sound of someone clapping reached my ears. Blinking several times, I looked up toward the balcony where the Astralia Royal Family were sitting. Kari and Empress Hilda were both clapping. Kari’s three brothers hesitated for a moment, but then two of them also began clapping while the youngest of the three crossed his arms and frowned.

Once the Empress started clapping, the rest of the people in the stands reacted. Like a tidal wave, the commoners, nobles, and wealthy merchants all began to clap and cheer. It wasn’t long before the entire colosseum appeared to have come alive.

This had never happened in my previous life. I wasn’t sure what to do. I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly as I gazed at the sea of people, then I slowly raised the ruler above my head as though declaring this my victory. The people seemed to approve. Their roars became even louder, nearly causing my eardrums to burst.

Feeling more than a little embarrassed, I took my leave and wandered back into the hallway. I followed the hall to the waiting room. When I entered, it was to discover everyone present staring at me like I had suddenly sprouted a head from my backside. I glanced at these people with a frown. I could see why Fay didn’t appreciate it when they stared at her. Even Dante was giving me a strange look.

“Eryk.” Fay stepped out from the crowd. There was a pleased smile on her face. “Congratulations on your victory. It looked like you won fairly easily.”

I couldn’t keep the pleased grin from my face. “Well, those two I fought weren’t bad, but they weren’t the best either.”

While I wanted to act humble, if I had to be honest, those two Spiritualists hadn’t been very good by my standards. They had only reached the First State of Spirituality. Granted, that seemed to be where most people in Nevaria were stuck, but that old man Fay faced had at least reached the Second State. Had he been younger and Fay not capable of using the Flash Step, I dare say she would have lost.

Fay shook her head. “You say that, but those two are Freystein and Freya. They are a pair of mercenaries who offer their services to anyone willing to pay their price. I’ve heard that when the two of them fight together, they are able to battle on even grounds with a B-rank Demon Beast.”

“You don’t say…” I frowned. I honestly didn’t think their power was that great, but I was also aware that my own thoughts on power were a little skewed these days. “Anyway, the next fight should be happening soon. Let’s find a good spot to watch it from.”

“Okay.”

As Fay and I walked over to the window, I looked around the room and found Grant Leucht glaring at me with eyes full of malice. He was standing beside another man who looked a lot like him. However, most of my attention was on Grant. I was almost 100% certain he was the one who hired those two to take me out. That said, it wasn’t like I had any evidence either.

Giving the other man a broad smile, I secretly enjoyed the way his face turned puce, before I turned my attention back to Fay and began explaining the concept behind the Dragon Tail Ruler when she asked.

***

There were a total of 14 more battles that took place this day. 14 victors emerged from these preliminary matches. Those 14 stood with me and Fay on the arena floor as Rainer, Valence, and Dante stood before us.

All of the battles had been fairly intense, with more than one requiring a group of Spiritualists with the earth element affinity to help repair the damage done to the arena floor. Even I had been shocked by some of the battles that had taken place. A few of the people who battled had already reached the Second State of Spiritualism. I had no idea there were Spiritualists who were this powerful within Nevaria.

“You 16 contenders who have emerged victorious from the preliminary rounds will be battling tomorrow for the glory that comes with winning the Spiritualist Grand Tournament,” Rainer said as everyone remained silent. Even the audience was not speaking. “Each of you has proven your worth, showcased your power, and earned the right to compete. I hope that none of you will give us a disappointing display tomorrow.”

As the man spoke, I glanced at Grant Leucht several meters to my left. The man didn’t seem to notice I was staring at him. However, someone else seemed to because I felt a slight pressure on my skull, the kind that came from a person with malicious intent. I looked around for a moment and discovered an older man who looked slightly similar to Grant Leucht giving me a hard stare. I didn’t know him, but since they looked so much alike, I assumed this man was Grant Leucht’s older brother or maybe a cousin. The Leucht Family was said to be fairly large.

“Before we bring this preliminary round to a close, I would like to explain how the battles tomorrow will work,” Rainer said, causing me to look away from the older man drilling holes into my head and stare at Rainer. “The first round matches will be selected at random. There is no telling who your opponent will be until tomorrow. After the first round of matches ends, the victor of those matches will battle next. The winner of the first round will battle the winner of the second round, while the winners of the third and fourth round will battle each other, and so on. This will continue on for each round until one of you emerges victorious.”

Rainer’s explanation was fairly straightforward. Everyone nodded to signify they understood. This caused Rainer and Dante to smile, though Valence remained stone-faced.

“This concludes the preliminary round of the Spiritualist Grand Tournament.” Rainer looked at each one of us in turn. “I recommend you all get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow, you will fight in the most grueling matchups against each other. You’ll want to be well-rested.”

With those words, the first day of the Spiritualist Grand Tournament came to an end. The many spectators in the stands stood up and exited via a series of archways. Meanwhile, the Spiritualists who were competing in the tournament walked through the doorway several meters off.

As Fay and I were taking our leave with the others, Grant Leucht walked up to us.

“Don’t get too comfortable.” He shoved his elbow against me as he walked by. “You might have emerged victorious during the preliminary rounds, but there are still a lot of battles ahead. You had better hope you don’t meet me in the tournament. Otherwise, I will make sure you understand what it means to suffer from a fate worse than death.”

I didn’t say anything in response to his words. Words meant nothing. Action was where it counted. If he and I faced each other in the tournament, I would break him in body, mind, and spirit.

“That man is such a pig,” Fay muttered as Grant Leucht walked off with the man who looked like his older brother. “He and Torgny are both pigs.”

“Are they brothers?” I asked.

“I think they are cousins,” Fay said, tilting her head. “Torgny Leucht actually participated in the Spiritualist Grand Tournament last year as well. I remember seeing some of his battles. He is a very ruthless fighter and has a bad habit of crippling his opponents. He didn’t win the tournament last year, but some people say that was because he’d been disqualified after destroying one of his opponent’s Spiritual Pathways. Some people had been certain he would have won if that hadn’t happened.”

“He sounds like a wild beast,” I muttered.

“That’s just what he is.” Fay nodded several times as he entered the hallway and walked toward the exit. “Were it not for the fact that he needs to hold back lest he get disqualified again, I am certain everyone who fought against him during the preliminaries this time would have been permanently crippled.”

Recalling the battle that Torgny had been involved in, I could see what Fay meant. The man’s attacks had been completely ruthless. He had wielded his massive battle ax like it was nothing. Each swing of his ax had unleashed a powerful Spiritual Technique that swept over his opponents like a firestorm. He was a fire user. However, I had sensed an indelible darkness within his flames.

“He might have a dual affinity,” I muttered.

“Excuse me?” Fay turned to look at me.

We had emerged from the colosseum and were walking down the road. The traffic was heavy. Everyone else was also leaving the colosseum. I could see numerous heads bobbing across my vision as excited commoners spoke in loud voices. Among the commoners who were walking down the road, a number of carriages were also flashing by, pulled along by four-legged Demon Beasts.

The Demon Beasts were called Mastodon, and while they looked like frightening monsters covered in fur, with sharp tusks sticking out of their mouths, and bodies several times larger than a human’s, they were actually quite docile. They were an F-rank Demon Beast that grazed on grass. A lot of farms out in the Nevarian countryside bred these. Aside from Mastodons, there were also several Mares.

“A dual affinity,” I repeated as I grabbed her hand so we wouldn’t get separated in this crowd. I ignored her embarrassed squeak. “Most people only have a single elemental affinity. For example, your affinity is fire. However, there are sometimes people who have an affinity for more than one element. This is called having a dual affinity. I myself have an affinity for lightning and water.”

“That would explain why you can use healing techniques on top of doing that strange thing you did with your ruler,” Fay murmured.

“Yup.” I smiled, feeling just a little proud. “I actually have an equal affinity for both lightning and water. Most people who have a dual affinity will have a dominant affinity and a minor affinity in something else. This is usually something that happens as a result of training. I know some people who can train to use manage it. Most prefer focusing on a single affinity because it lets them master it to a larger degree.”

“What about you?” asked Fay.

“I was born with two affinities,” I said, then paused. “Well, I think I was born with two affinities. When I first discovered what my elemental affinities were, the lightning and water elements inside of me were already equally as strong as the other, but I never trained to use them. That’s why I think I am a natural born dual-affinity Spiritualist.”

“That’s really impressive,” Fay said.

I shook my head. “Being able to train a second affinity is more impressive than someone born with two. What I have might be rare, but it doesn’t require any talent or effort on my part.”

“You might think it’s not that impressive, but being born with a rare dual-affinity is a natural talent you were born with,” Fay rejected my opinion with a shake of her head. “It is just as impressive as someone who has trained to use two affinities.”

“I suppose,” I muttered softly. “Thank you.”

Fay blushed just a bit, but the smile on her face was filled genuine joy. “You are welcome.”

***

A man sat on a small throne, elevated by a simple staircase layered in red carpet. He looked old. His face was lined with wrinkles and his short hair was white. Despite his appearance being that of an old man, he sat with his back straight and exuded the intimidating aura of someone not even half his age.

“I’m sure you are aware of why I’m here,” the man kneeling before him said. “After having watched Eryk Veiger in the tournament, you should understand that we cannot allow him to fight against Grant. The boy would stand no chance in single combat against him.”

“Hmm…” The man on the throne released a deep breath through his nose. Smoke poured from his nostrils like a dragon breathing fire. “It is true that this Eryk is incredibly powerful. I could tell from his battle against Freystein and Freya that he wasn’t going all out. He hides his strength well. Even I cannot see the depths of his abilities.” The man shifted until he was resting his head on his chin. “However, there is no guarantee that he and Grant will meet in the arena.”

“There’s also no guarantee that they won’t,” the other man responded.

“You are the only one who dares to contradict me like this.” The wizened voice was like the deep rumbling of a rolling ocean. “But you do have a point. It might be better if we eliminate him before the tournament begins tomorrow. I’ve had Skygge keeping an eye on him for awhile now. He has already defeated several Shadows when they tried to sneak into his old place. I’ll ask Skygge to send something more powerful to defeat him.”

The man below hesitated. “Can we trust Skygge?”

“You doubt his intentions?” The old man chuckled. “You needn’t worry. I do not trust that man as far as I can throw him. However, the two of us currently share the same goals, so we use each other. He will listen to what I say so long as he believes I can give him what he wants.”

“I understand,” the other man said before silently withdrawing.

The old man watched the younger man leave. When the man disappeared from the dark hall, he sat back on his throne and released a deep breath.

“It is a shame you are not my heir, Torgny. You would have made a far better one than Grant.”

Another moment of silence passed before the old man stood up, his long robes shifting around his feet as he walked down the steps. He would need to speak with Skygge and have him send a group to kill Eryke Veiger. The boy was a complete unknown, and given his relationship with Kari Astralia, he was simply too dangerous to let live.