――The cursed principles left behind by the “Malicious Old Man,” Roswaal Dunkelken.

A shinobi’s secret technique that interferes with others’ Odo, drastically regressing their physical growth and turning them into infants.

Living beings are merely vessels of Odo that transition from nothing to something. Depending on the shape of the Odo, the appropriate size and shape of the vessel also differ.

Because of this, every living creature takes on different forms, each established as a distinct life.

If that reasoning is correct, and if the body merely serves as a vessel for Odo, then by altering the shape of the Odo, one should be able to freely change the shape of the vessel.

By compressing Odo, even the vessel that is the body can shrink to match it――.

“Well, to be honest, I don’t really get why the previous shinobi thought of such a thing. I mean, how do they know when to train their bodies right until they’re on the brink of death? That’s terrifying, isn’t it?”

“So shinobis, you see, it’s like walking on a massive pile of corpses the moment you decide to become one, you know?”

“The mountains of techniques need to be tested with one’s life before they’re documented, right? I have countless secret moves… just one of many, but that’s no exception.”

“But hey, it’s funny how results and impacts are pretty misaligned. I thought it just shrunk you, but it’s like everything in the head also gets youthful again.”

“Regrettably, I don’t understand the rationale exactly. I suppose since we’re forcibly tampering with Odo, the body shrinks to match it, the mind does too, right?”

“Well, it’s not a technique I use often, and the target usually has to end up dead, so I never really bothered to figure out why. Besides, having the head shrink along with the body makes killing them easier, doesn’t it? It’s quite considerate, huh?”

“Though there are times when there’s a kid with a serious resolve from childhood! For them, even if their mind shrinks, I can’t count on them. ―Ah, and also…”

“――――”

“…Nah, nevermind. Anyway, I like this particular shinobi technique because it’s amusing. Enemies being weaker is always convenient, right?”

△▼△▼△▼△

――Raging anger rises, boiling within Subaru’s soul.

There’s fear. There’s tension. There’s anxiety.

Many negative emotions that come to mind; probably all of them are there.

But amidst all that negativity, a scorching rage rises, burning all negativity away, folding it neatly and consuming it.

“Damn it! Why am I in this situation…!”

Shut up, idiot. No one is going to lend an ear to your whining.

“I told you, I was a warrior. I can use it much better than you all!”

Shut up, idiot. That’s a lie, and your show-off nature has already been exposed.

“I told you, I have no intention of entrusting my life to anyone…”

Shut up, idiot. You can’t get through this alone. You need to look around more.

――Yes, look around, and properly utilize everything you can.

“Vaits, catch! The one with the sword is being targeted!”

The moment Subaru grabbed the sword, a roar echoed through the gladiatorial arena as a black lion wildly charged forward.

It was clear that its target was him――no, no, it aimed for the creature holding the sword. So, he pulled out the sword he grabbed and threw it toward the standing Vaits.

At first, when Subaru took off, all three were stunned into silence.

Out of the three who froze, only Vaits, the tattooed man who could regain his senses at the last moment, properly caught the sword thrown by Subaru.

“W-what the…!”

Upon seeing the sword spin and embed in the ground, Vaits instinctively grabbed the hilt.

However, he also clearly heard Subaru’s voice, understanding that the sword was not merely the key to taking down the lion but rather a flag to change the lion’s target.

The problem was――,

“W-give me the sword! I will take down that Gladiator Beast…!”

The rusty-haired one, regaining his senses, tried to seize the sword Vaits grabbed from the side.

Full of tension and fear, his rusty hair lost all sense of judgment. If that turned into a struggled sword fight, both would become prey to the lion’s forelegs.

So, he needed to stop that before it happened.

“Hiaine! Behind you!!”

“W-huh, behind…?!”

Just before rusty-haired Vaits could grab Hiaine, Subaru shouted out to the struggling Lizardman, Hiaine, to warn him of the danger looming behind.

The most cowardly among the three turned back in a panic at Subaru’s voice, trying to check what was about to attack him.

However, nothing was there. Subaru simply wanted him to turn around.

As Hiaine nervously turned back――,

“Gwaah!”

Hiaine’s elongated tail whacked against rust-colored hair from the side. The unexpected interference sent rusty-haired Vaits tumbling, allowing Vaits to hold on to the sword.

At that moment, the lion changed its target from Subaru to Vaits, leaping at him.

“Duck!”

“Che!”

Upon hearing Subaru’s shout, the lion’s fangs tore through the air over the crouching Vaits. Vaits distorted his tattooed face and slipped beneath the lion, letting the sword go before the next attack came.

With a soft toss, the sword landed right in Hiaine’s chest, who had reached out.

“Huh?”

“――――”

“Hiiieeeee――!!”

Naturally, the lion turned its attention to the slow-reacting Hiaine.

Hiaine, seemingly oblivious to the situation, turned away from the lion, clutching the sword, and fled with surprisingly quick speed to gain distance.

The lion, relentless, chased after him, launching its assault.

“In the meantime, I’ll…!”

While Vaits and Hiaine handled things expertly, Subaru dashed toward the wall of the arena. What lay ahead was a small handle fixed to the wall――like a lever.

At first glance, his attention was caught by the two swords stabbed into the floor of the arena, but upon closer inspection, such levers were discreetly embedded there.

“If I pull this, what will happen?!”

The lever was somewhat high for a child like Subaru, but he leaped to grab the handle and pulled it down. With his weight, he aggressively brought the lever down, resonating a heavy sound.

The grinding of gears activated something, sending vibrations through his feet. Some mechanical contraption under the gladiatorial arena must have come to life.

If this could change the situation, Subaru glanced back at the arena.

“Whoa, what the hell――!!”

In an instant, an iron barrier shot up from the ground, splitting the arena in two with a loud noise.

That wall, which rose to perfectly divide the circular arena into two semi-circles, could efficiently herd the lion to the other side.

However――,

“――――”

This time, the direction to herd it was wrong, resulting in failure.

The lion remained on this side of the rising barrier, shrinking Subaru’s escape space. The hunting ground shrank, making it feel as if the lion had doubled in size, with remnants of Hiaine stuck in its bloodied jaws.

“Ugh!”

Furthermore, rusty-haired Vaits rolled under the lion’s feet with a pained cry.

It seemed he had been right above it when the barrier went up. As a result, he had been flung towards the side where the lion and Subaru were.

Meanwhile, beyond the barrier, the unscathed Vaits looked on in a daze.

“Stop…!”

The lion’s raised forepaw mercilessly crushed the neck of the rusty-haired one sprawled on the ground.

The sound of bones shattering echoed, abruptly silencing his cry. Unable to leap over the barrier behind it, the lion then turned its gaze towards Subaru.

As it slightly hunched down, a shiver ran down Subaru’s spine.

The sword lay on the other side of the barrier with Vaits, but as long as the lion’s attacks didn’t reach him, it seemed it didn’t consider the sword a threat.

Thus, it charged violently at Subaru.

“Schwarz!!”

Vaits yelled. In a dangerous moment, he called Subaru’s name over and over.

Of course, only when he was still alive.

Holding onto that thought in the corner of his memory――,

“――Next it is!”

As Subaru roared, the sharp claws of the Gladiator Beast pierced through his chest.

In less than a second, Subaru’s body was blown apart in a flash, consciousness igniting in a white blaze――.

△▼△▼△▼△

“Ildra! The barrier can’t hold anymore! What about the sword over there?!”

“I can’t pull it out! It’s too heavy! There’s no way to move it!!”

The iron barrier distorted violently under a powerful impact as the lion twisted its body to weave through.

They say anyone can pass through a narrow place as long as their head fits, even a being shaped differently like the feline Gladiator Beast could probably slip through easier.

Meanwhile, behind Subaru, the rusty-haired Ildra struggled desperately to pull out the great sword stuck in the ground, but it wouldn’t budge an inch.

Just the lever for raising the barrier and the two swords had been found after fruitless searching. It seemed the rest would be a battle of sheer determination.

“You boy! What are you going to do?!”

“Don’t cower! You’re your father’s worthy successor, aren’t you?!”

“―I, yes! I won’t cower!”

With fear shooting through him, Ildra regained determination from Subaru’s words.

Ildra was neither a warrior nor anything else. He had ended up stranded on the Gladiator Island after failing to pay off debts that reduced him to slavery.

But, the reason he fell into debt was to protect the family business he inherited from his father.

Even if Ildra isn’t a warrior, deep down, he genuinely wishes to be a person his father would be proud of.

“Ugh, ughhh!!”

The talentless son of a flour mill pushed his weight against the great sword in a desperate effort to pull it out. Subaru dashed over to Ildra’s side, mirroring his attempts to leverage down on the great sword as well.

With the lion inching closer from beyond the barrier, behind it lay the already fallen Vaits and Hiaine, lifeless on the ground.

They had practically no chance of winning. Yet, Ildra didn’t abandon Subaru and escape. That was a first for him.

“――――!”

“Ildra, now!”

“I know!”

The loud creaking of the iron barrier signaled the lion was squeezing through to their side.

Its thick furred body brushed against the damaged barrier, showing no sign of pain. Instead, if anything, it seemed to grow fiercer, blaming the pain on them as it charged with renewed vigor.

“Gah…”

Somehow, the great sword that had finally been pulled out was hoisted by Ildra. Subaru positioned himself under the sword’s tip, helping Ildra swing it using the lever’s principle.

As Subaru supported the sword’s tip from below, it would be easier for Ildra to swing.

As long as that sword connected with the lion――,

“I’m gonna do it――!!”

“Uooohhh――!!”

They aimed for the charging lion’s face, Subaru and Ildra working in tandem to swing the sword.

The pitch of Ildra’s swing carried by Subaru’s support struck miraculously right at the lion’s head.

But――,

“――Ah!”

The obvious strike was mercilessly swatted away by the Gladiator Beast’s claws, sending Subaru and Ildra flying in a single blow.

They tumbled through the air, crashing together against the wall of the gladiatorial arena.

“No!”

The indistinguishable splatter of blood spread across the wall from two bodies crashing――.

“…Next, I’ll…”

△▼△▼△▼△

――Anger rises, burning anger inflames Subaru’s soul.

Layers of “death,” with pain and fear piled atop, make his limbs and insides shrink. When he closes his eyes, the face of the lion he had seen up close comes to mind, its fangs, its mouth.

Unimaginable fear looms. But alongside it, another emotion wells up.――Anger.

Frustration igniting his shriveled insides and limbs, Natsuki Subaru opens his eyes.

With each step, he edges closer to victory in a challenge he had lost count of.

He had no intention of losing, he was determined to prove it to himself.

“Hiaine! Throw the sword to Vaits, over to Ildra!”

“Damn it! What the hell is going on?!!”

On all fours, Hiaine dashed across the ground at lightning speed, throwing the sword to Vaits. He accelerated toward Ildra, who still held the great sword.

Hiaine narrowly caught the spinning sword mid-air, and Subaru’s eyes widened as he began to instruct how to escape next.

“――――!”

A roaring lion, having tracked the fleeing Hiaine, skidded to a stop just beyond the divided gladiatorial arena.

At that moment, all of his companions were positioned ahead of the semi-circle.

All of them were alive, and for the first time, they had attained their ideal positions.

“Vaits, get ready!! Ildra and Hiaine too!”

With all his might, Subaru hurled his commands, shouting them from the depth of his lungs.

Though everything might not have completely reached them, Vaits gripped his sword, facing off against the lion, while Ildra and Hiaine leapt toward the great sword in a frenzy.

Subaru, meanwhile, ran towards the wall with full effort, looking quite foolish.

“――――!!”

Step by step, feeling like crawling away, a yell resonated from behind as the lion roared.

The lion kicked the ground with explosive force, lunging at Vaits, who was holding his sword at the ready.

Headed straight for him, even though Vaits was poised with his sword, nothing could stop its speed. A single hit would spell death. He knew well.

But Vaits had the courage to lock eyes with the lion until the last moment.

“U-AAAAH――!!”

The rancid breath poured from its mouth, and its fanged maw rushed towards Vaits, who was ready with his sword.

Just as it was about to get Vaits’ life――,

“——Go!!”

At that moment, as Subaru pulled all his weight using the lever, the sound of rotating gears echoed beneath him, and the iron barrier struck the lion right in the face from below. The impact forced its mouth closed ferociously.

The momentum of its charge crashed against the iron barrier, hurtling Vaits away with a “Gwoah?!”

The barrier buckled from the impact, with part of the distorted structure providing passage for the lion’s head. Receiving a heavy blow to the jaw, the lion dug its claws into the ground, trying to right its stance and break through the barrier.

――But that wouldn’t happen.

“Ildra! Hiaine!”

“Uooohhh――!”

“Ryaaah!!”

In Vaits’ place, Ildra and Hiaine rushed toward the iron barrier. The two of them gripped the great sword, which was far too heavy for any one of them to wield properly.

There’s no rule that says it must be used by one person alone.

By hoisting it together, there’s no rule against bringing it down on an immobile opponent.

“――――!!”

In a massive combined effort, the great sword fell right onto the lion’s neck, inches away from where it protruded past the barrier. The enormous blade struck true, sending a howling cry echoing into the air.

Blood splattered in all directions as the lion thrashed, refusing to succumb to death.

“Die, die, die, DIIIEE!!”

“Please, let this end――!!”

Hiaine and Ildra shrieked, pouring their weight into the great sword as the blade embedded deeper into the lion’s neck. If they could just sever its head now, the moment of victory they longed for would come.

Time and time again, they had been battered by that lion’s claws and teeth.

“――――!”

“Gah?!”

“Both of you?!”

One step away, yet the lion held the same fear of dying.

With the great sword still crammed into its neck, the lion twisted its body, dragging its foreleg onto the side of the barrier and pushing backward.

Its paw tossed Hiaine and Ildra aside with a swift motion, sending them rolling on the ground with painful whines.

How badly those two were injured remained unknown.

But, instead of rushing to aid them, it was more vital to leap for that great sword.

“No way I’m letting you go!”

At this point, Subaru lunged for the hilt of the great sword. But it felt light. To compensate for both Hiaine and Ildra’s weight, Subaru was far too light now.

While the sword sank slightly deeper, that foreleg swung down toward him.

Just like the two before him, Subaru suffered a hit from the lion’s paw――,

“Not gonna let you, you beast…!”

That foreleg came crashing down, but Subaru pierced the ground with his sword.

The one who impaled the ground with the sword was Vaits, who had originally been blown away. Clenching his teeth, Vaits distorted his tattooed face, bracing the sword against the lion’s foreleg with all his might.

And then――,

“Still laying there, calling yourself a warrior?”

“Just die already, you damn thing!”

Ildra and Hiaine, back on their feet, leapt for the hilt of Subaru’s suspended great sword.

With the combined strength of the three――two and a half men’s worth, the sword deeply sank into the lion’s neck. Vaits also pressed hard against the lion’s paw, as the four members of “Gou” joined forces to sever its head.

The lion roared and twisted violently, the iron barrier creaking alarmingly.

There wouldn’t be another chance like this. He couldn’t afford to lose, he didn’t want to lose, it was unacceptable to lose; Subaru grit his teeth and clung desperately to the hilt of the sword.

Yet——,

“――――!”

“UAAAH――!!”

With a colossal shake of its head, the lion flung Subaru and the others off.

All their bodies were ripped from the sword, sending all four of them, including Vaits, rolling across the ground.

Exerting their last ounce of strength, they found it hard to muster energy in their arms and legs.

“I-I have to…”

He had to stand again, leap back to that great sword, and decapitate it.

Despite that thought, their bodies simply wouldn’t comply. It seemed that not only Subaru but also the other three were stuck in similar predicaments.

Despite all of this, the lion remained the most lively of them all.

“――――!”

With the blade embedded halfway through its neck, the lion let out a deep growl.

It sounded less weak than a desperate voice, more like an anger built up to its limits. Of course, it should’ve hurt, but they hadn’t been able to reach that breaking point just yet.

“Damn it…”

Having managed to close the distance, finally within a single step!

But even so, they still couldn’t reach. Utilizing everything they could, they had made their way this far.

So next time, they wouldn’t lose.

“Next time…!”

Subaru firmly swore to arrive at this very spot sooner.

Ignoring that oath, the lion lunged over the iron barrier, raising its uninjured paw toward Subaru――,

“――Pardon my intrusion!”

In the next moment, the lion’s thick neck was swiftly severed.

“Huh?!”

Facing the imminent death of the lion, Subaru looked on in shock, unable to comprehend.

The severed head dropped audibly to the ground, and slowly the lion’s body collapsed. The one responsible for that was none other than the great sword firmly lodged in the lion’s neck.

A small shadow fell from above like an ambush, stepped on the great sword, and shoved it deeper.

With that, the lion’s head was lopped off cleanly.

And the one who accomplished that was――,

“…Um, can someone explain to me why I’m in such a place?”

With an emotionless expression that counted as a troubled face, stood the girl――Tanzer.

Having shed her kimono and donned only a skin undershirt, Tanzer glanced at Subaru, who let out an exasperated breath.

He couldn’t answer anything. Moreover, when he turned to look back over his shoulder, the other three had also somehow managed to survive.

In other words――,

“――That’s enough! Well done surviving ‘Spalca’! With the authority of my professional occupation, I shall officially accept you as members of the Gladiator Island!”

A loud, lofty declaration from Gustav resounded, marking the end of their battle.

In an instant, the spectators—no, the gladiators who had been quietly watching the fight all stood up, raising their voices in celebration of Subaru and the others’ victory.

“You did well!”

“That was impressive!”

“Way to go, kid!!”

Amidst the cheers of the excited men, Gustav stood with his arms crossed, saying naught.

Hearing the raucous applause, Subaru collapsed onto the ground, utterly exhausted. Tanzer cautiously approached his downcast form, peer into his face.

“I’m sorry, who are you…?”

“Natsuki Schwarz.”

“Huh?”

Tanzer’s face went wide with surprise, and seeing her big round eyes, Subaru sighed deeply while still lying there.

“For now, I’m Natsuki Schwarz, pleased to meet you. There’s a lot to talk about, but…”

“But…?”

“…Can I just get a moment to rest?”

Apologizing silently to the puzzled Tanzer, Subaru realized he had finally reached his limit.

The tension that had gripped him snapped as the heat of his boiling soul evaporated. To be sure, there were still embers burning in this unrestful situation.

Yet, they had somehow lived through “Spalca.”

“Please… just let me sleep.”

And with that, Subaru’s consciousness simply vanished, as if he had fallen into a deep pit.

△▼△▼△▼△

“――――”

Gustav squinted down at the boy sprawled out in the arena, slipping into unconsciousness.

It was an astounding battle, yielding an unexpected outcome.

Who would have thought so much raw talent lay within that boy?

“Wow, that was epic, wasn’t it, Gustav? Picking up Batsu was the right call; I’m so glad we didn’t throw him away! Doesn’t this make for a great achievement for me?”

“…Segmund.”

As Gustav immersed himself in contemplation, Cecilis casually struck up a conversation.

With both arms crossed behind his head, the boy’s words prompted Gustav to rub his forehead and brow with two of his right arms.

“You make a good point. Did you foresee this?”

“I was hopeful! Wished something good would happen like this, and lo and behold, it worked! Truly, faith does save those in need!”

“…You staked your life on such an uncertain possibility, didn’t you?”

“—? Well, yes, I did!”

Cecilis replied, tilting his head curiously, as if bewildered by something strange he had said.

It was as if Cecilis had never claimed that if Natsuki and Tanzer proved useless, he would bear the responsibility with his own life.

“Honestly, everything turned out fine, didn’t it? For me, I was just glad not to be wasted in this affair!”

“Your logic eludes my profession. By the way, what did you do during that final sequence?”

Cecilis, wearing a triumphant smile, raised Gustav’s intrigue.

During the conclusion of ‘Spalca,’ Cecilis had vanished for just a brief moment.

If he considered what occurred afterward, he could make a reasonable guess, but――,

“You went to awaken the girl, didn’t you?”

“Aw, come on, if you already know, then you don’t need to ask! By the way, wasn’t it you, Gustav, who said ‘the group must consist of five’? If that girl didn’t wake up, we would lack numbers. A little helpful, I think!”

Looking up with one eye shut, Cecilis brought his height disparity with Gustav into the conversation, challenging him.

“Are you going to take that back? Saying that this ‘Spalca’ was revealed to be foul play?”

“――It is not foul play. The Emperor would surely be pleased to see the rise of admirable gladiators.”

“Ha, I must say, your Highness doesn’t seem like the most decent individual either!”

“Insulting the Emperor is not tolerated. There will be no second chance.”

With a stern voice, Gustav reprimanded Cecilis, who merely shrugged his shoulders and backed off nonchalantly. Exhaling through his nose, Gustav then turned his gaze back to the arena.

The chief contributor to this success, Schwarz, along with the other three men, was being carried away by Gustav’s subordinates, likely to receive treatment in the healing room.

Tanzer, looking a bit lost, seemed like she would follow along for now.

“All members of ‘Gou’ survived, at least one of them,” he noted.

None of them could have achieved this outcome alone, but it went without saying who had been the most powerful driving force.

Having not overlooked any traps or weapons set up within the arena, keeping an eye on his fellow comrades in similar dilemmas, and observing the enemy’s movements as thoroughly as possible, he had skillfully maneuvered through every narrow path.

As one who witnessed this resolution――,

“See? Doesn’t this feel like a grand epic is about to unfold?”

Cecilis eagerly sought Gustav’s agreement with glee.

To respond to that would’ve felt insufferable; thus, Gustav remained silent, his expression ostensibly grim as he crossed his thick arms.

 

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