"!!"
When I uttered the words "Chameleon user", the composed smile on Mr. Slim's face disappeared.
Seems like I hit the bull's eye.
In Mobius Online there was a monster called Wraith.
Although it was mostly known by the nickname the player base gave it, chameleon.
Why so? The reason was simple, because it disguised.
Wraiths could turn into anything. They could become a monster, a player, an NPC, a plant, a bench, a large sword, anything. They could turn into anything that was between one to two meters.
Most likely, Mr. Slim has tamed a Wraith.
The Maine whom I met in the passageway right after the first match, and the Capito who talked to me about the hostages just now, must've been Wraiths. Thinking carefully, it is indeed strange for the King of a country to suddenly appears at such a place without any escort, and the fake Capito was simply wrong, all his words and actions were wrong.
This guy used cowardly off-board tactics, trying to keep me away from the Reiou title matches, trying to lead me by the nose in order for me to lose.
Then.
I noticed it from his eyes. Did you think I didn't notice you glance at the ground behind me, Mister-san...?
"――Begin!"
We bowed to each other.
Mr. Slim immediately used "Spirit Summoning". Looks like he's calling a water spirit.
"Possession."
At the same time, I too activated "Spirit Summoning" and "Spirit Possession" simultaneously.
"Fufufu, will you be aiming at me? Or is this going to be like your first match and――"
Slim started to go on and on about something. But his aim was just to get my attention. His intentions couldn't be more obvious.
How stupid can he be? If only he had withdrawn after I pointed out the chameleon thing, I'd have let him off the hook. But it's too late now.
I completely ignored him, taking a step back and jumping and then――striking heel first into the ground as hard as I could.
"W-wha-...!?"
Slim froze, his mouth wide open.
Something desperately wriggled at my feet as I kicked it over and over again.()
"Wh-, damn it...!"
An expression of anxiety crawled into Slim's face, and he pointed at me while looking at his water spirit――
"（That water spirit is called Aquera.）"
Okay… he pointed at me while looking at his water spirit, AQUERA, who then began casting "Water Attribute・First Form" magic.
"（Can you do 'that' thing?）"
"（Leave it to me.）"
Looks like that can be done.
The privilege given to the Great Spirit King, only available to the great spirit and their master.
"（Kneel!）"
――Lightning of domination.
At that moment, a bolt of red lightning rushed out from the tip of my outstretched hand, pinning Slim and Aquera to the ground.
"What is this!? What the heck did you do!?"
"...!? Uh～!?"
It's the terrible personality trait unique to the Great Spirit King, which forces those afraid of him to lower their heads.
Aquera was apparently a quiet spirit, or perhaps she didn't talk at all, but her face was dyed with astonishment. She was silently on her knees, but her face couldn't hide expressions such as "Why?" and "How?". Silent but yet so filled with emotions.
"Well then, first let's deal with this guy."
I grab the translucent doll-like monster lying limp at my feet by the scruff of its neck and take it over to Slim.
This is a wraith. It laid behind me, stretched out thinly, and transformed into ground.
Its combat ability is close to zero. Therefore, with just a few kicks and stops, it was immediately stunned.
"Guh, gghhhh...!"
Slim growled in frustration. Why? Well, his foul play was revealed.
Before the match started, he used "Monster Summoning" to call the wraith and set it on the ground behind me. And as the rules state, both spirits and monsters must be summoned after the match starts. Hence, foul play.
His plan was most likely to use some clever (lol) talk to get my attention, and using the opportunity where I was distracted, move the wraith to my feet and entangle my legs so that I couldn't avoid Aquera's attack. Or at least that's what it looked like.
Usually, the opponent wouldn't notice it. In the first place, I think it would be normal for people in this world to not notice since they have would've never seen a monster with such an ability. That's why Slim was able to reach this point using this strategy.
Not a bad strategy in and of itself, but it's still foul play. The outline is good, and there's no way to catch wind of it. After all, nobody would even think there's a monster that can turn itself to look like the ground.
However, there's something. A downside...His current opponent. I am the former world's number one. Plain and simple, that's all.
"I'll let you choose whether to lose by the foul play or by a KO."
Looks like the referee hasn't noticed it yet. No wonder. If you don't know there's a wraith, you can't make a decision.
However, if I were to properly explain it, he will surely understand. After all, a double-crowned champion would've taken the time and trouble to explain the opponent's foul in a match that could've been won easily. I'm sure he would trust me.
"...Let's fight to the end. I also have my pride as a summoner. This time, let's do it fair and square."
Slim must've known that too. So, he chose the one with the best chance for him.
Fair and square, huh? Let's believe those words for now.
"（Can you undo the lightning of domination?）"
"（As you wish.）"
After giving those instructions to Angolmois, I dared to turn my back on Slim and walked back to my original position.
"――How stupid! Did you think I only had one wraith!?!"
...My oh my.
Who knew? Seems like Slim had another wraith hidden.
The second wraith tightly entwined itself between my legs, refusing to let go.
When I turned my upper body around, Aquera was standing there, having just completed chanting "Water Attribute・Third Form" magic.
This bastard, he seemed to be ready to take me by surprise from the start.
"（As expected.）"
Angolmois muttered happily. And I didn't have to turn around to notice it. This guy is grinning.
"（Is that bad?）"
"（Not at all...I am grinning too.)"
Oh, Mr. Slim. This surprise attack is clearly a huge blunder. At the very least you should've waited until my "Spirit Possession" was undone.
"Aaaaaaaahhhhhh――!!!"
With a yell to pump myself up, I rushed forth at full speed.
"!?"
There's still a wraith on my feet, you say? That makes no difference. To give an accurate description just picture this: a rugby player dragging the opponent that just tried to tackle him.
"S-Shoot! Shoot now!"
Slim hurriedly gave instruction to Aquera, but it's too late now. Seriously moving with the amount of AGI you get from "Spirit Possession" makes it look as if you're teleporting. A hesitant shot of "Water Attribute・Third Form" magic can be easily avoided.
...However, it seems this darn spirit didn't hesitate!!
"Wha-!?"
I collided head-on with the "Water Attribute・Third Form" spell, it hitting me directly on my face.
"GooooaaAAAAAHHHHHH!!"
It freaking hurt!
Fuck. It hurt; it even drew blood. And it didn't even look cool.
However, with this...Slim has used all his measures so I got him cornered.
"You really messed up...!"
"W-Weren't you the one go went ahead and took it head-on!?"
"Shut uuuuup!!"
Slim took a couple of steps back, even forgetting to continue his attacks.
He looks scared. Then, I'm glad at least something good came out of it.
"（Hahahaha!）"
Angolmois laughed. Yeah, I'm in the mood to laugh too. But my face hurts so bad that I don't really want to move my muscles that much.
"GAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!"
I roared in anger and instantly rushed at Slim. Maybe it was because of the blood in my eyes, but all I could see was red as I looked at him.
"...Hiiii..."
Point-blank range.
My eyes met his.
Then.
With all my might behind it, A headbutt――!
A headbutt! Another headbutt! Another one!!
"――E-Enough! Winner, Second Firstest!"
...I won.
"Haa… haa… haa…"
In your face!
If you use cowardly tricks in a title match, this is the kind of shit you'll find yourself into. I hope you learned your lesson, Mister.
＊ ＊ ＊
"...Scary."
In the audience seats, Chérie Lumberjack was trembling slightly.
No matter how much she admired him, the picture right now was just that scary.
"It was like seeing a hannya mask behind him, right?"
The one speaking next to her was Jerez Lumberjack. Chérie's brother.
There was no Buddhism in this world, so the hannya mask didn't have that connotation. But it existed as a piece of equipment. Therefore, everyone was aware of the concept of a hannya mask.
"He must've stepped on the dragon's tail, for sure. I remember hearing some strange rumors about Mr. Slim too."
"No matter how much he stepped on a dragon's tail, isn't it too much to take that spell to the face on purpose and headbutt him over and over with a bloodied face?"
"...I can see it happening. He's a guy who punched a girl 5 meters away, remember?"
"Hahaha! So, he's the guy who punched that girl five meters away."
"Onii-sama, it seems like you really like him, don't you?"
"Yeah. I've been crazy about him since I heard he brought Ernte and the Mix sisters to their knees."
"Did he do such a terrible thing!?"
Chérie was shocked by the newly found facts, but Jerez just looked at her with an indifferent expression.
Next to them was one maid with looked at the sibling with rolling eyes.
"When I heard gossips about him, they made it seems like he was a terrible man..."
"Is that with you think, Mariposa? Aren't you being a bit too harsh?"
"Not at all, that is the general opinion."
The maid called Mariposa turned a stern look at Jerez. The two of them were in a master-servant relationship, but in normal times it seemed more like an eccentric relation as if their roles were reversed.
"I think of him as my personal rival. I lost the Issenza match quite fast, but that won't happen the next time. I'm just grateful to have found a goal to strive towards to. That's why I can't help but look at him with a biased opinion."
"Jerez-sama, I won't make fun of you. So please stop aiming to reach Double Crown Second."
"That's right, Onii-sama. No matter how hard you try, you won't win."
In response to Jerez's story, both his maid and his sister looked at him with serious expressions.
But in return, he simply gave them a challenging smile.
"The higher the goal you set, the better. All you have to do is continue to work hard towards it. You two should also do your best! Hahaha!"
"Dammit...That man, I will never forgive him...!"
After the match.
After waking up from his stunned state and having recovered his HP, Mr. Slim was furious as he walked down the passageway.
The reason why the other summoners were wary of him was because of his trashy personality.
To every person he came to hate, he would hunt down "socially" using his secret monster, the Wraith. And as a result of doing this for so long, he became infamous in the community to the point where when people referred to him, they always added "be careful with him".
"Kuhihihi! Just you wait, Second...I will destroy your reputation...!"
And this was the reason people didn't like him. Mr. Slim was that kind of person.
"Wraith, coil unto me!"
After giving instructions to the wraith, it wrapped around Mr. Slim's body as if a thin layer of skin had been placed over him, then...
"By this time, Second should be in the waiting room."
...Mr. Slim's appearance changed, morphing into that of Second himself.()
This was what made people most wary of Mr. Slim. The use he had developed for the Wraith's Morph skill. Mr. Slim had used this skill to commit all sorts of evils, from big to small, such as sleeping with women to scamming people.
"I will end that man's life...!"
Mr. Slim, disguised as Second, had just one destination in mind.
To the only person who could have the greatest impact and most influence in society.
"――Maine! Are you here, Maine!?"
He casually approached the seat of the King of Castall, shouting loudly.
Mr. Slim thought to himself "How is it? I completely dropped the honorifics and spoke rudely"――
"Ahh, Second-san. What is it?"
"...Eh?"
He couldn't help being surprised. After all, he dropped all courtesy and called out the King, Maine, who in return only walked up to him taking it all as a matter of course.
"No, never mind that! You bastard, the thing about a large number of monsters in the Reus dungeon was a false alarm! How are you planning to take responsibility!?"
Mr. Slim thought: "I just called him bastard and pushed the blame on him. I'm sure His Majesty must be very angry this time"――
"The Reus dungeon? Is that true? Who said such a thing?"
"......E-Eh?"
Strange, he's not getting angry, why?... Mr. Slim was suddenly becoming impatient and confused. Was he being set up? Had everything he had done been seen through?
No, that can't be, it's been such a short time. I need to get him angry and escape immediately, that way I'll crush Second's reputation. Mr. Slim then thought hard and finally came up with a complaint that would manage to anger Maine.
"How noisy! In any case, apologize! Do you want to die!? I'll kill you! You mothercon, nerdy boy!"
"Well, sure. I'm sorry for the inconvenience... That much is fine, right?"
"..."
After several rants.
In the end, he made the King apologize.
"...I s-see. Alright. That much is fine..."
Mr. Slim couldn't think of any more ways to offend Maine.
Maine stared at the back of Mr. Slim as he tried to rush away, thinking to himself "What was this all about?".
"――Wait! Don't think you can just leave like this!"
Unexpectedly, a "Soldier Swordsmanship" attack pierced Mr. Slim's left foot.
"Guuh!?"
The one behind that attack was Maine's attendant, Klaus.
"...Aahh!"
At that moment, the wraith's morph was undone and Mr. Slim's true face was revealed. Maine couldn't help but shout in surprise.
"I knew it. You were trying to disguise yourself as Second Nikan and make him lose credibility."
"Y-You're wrong...This is...!"
"I won't hear your excuses!"
Klaus' sharp sword struck Mr. Slim.
Although he had yet to reach Title Match-level, he was still one of the top swordsmen in the country. And taking out a summoner who had let his guard down wasn't something difficult for him to do.
As a result, Mr. Slim had both of his legs slashed on the spot by Klaus, was fitted with a collar of servitude, and then taken away to the Knight Order.
And, at the same time, with the existence of the wraith revealed, the reason why Second had driven Mr. Slim to the corner with such a devilish expression became known to the audience.
"...Seems like he will have a lot of other charges added to him."
"Yes, without a doubt. Well, perform a thorough investigation."
Maine muttered as he watched Mr. Slim being dragged away.
Klaus nodded at him, then spoke.
"Still, as expected of you, Your Majesty. To be able to notice him impersonating Second Nikan and answer to his taunts without showing an ounce of anger in order to force him to let his guard down, amazing."
"...Y-Yeah. W-Well, it just happened."
Maine couldn't actually say he hadn't noticed it at all.