During the preliminary rounds, I kept my promise and destroyed the collar, freeing the demon fox Woodsorrel from her bindings. I had assumed she had escaped since she had pretended to be dead and disappeared from the arena. However, she was here with me right now. I couldn't help but wonder why she didn't run away. And as if she could read my mind, Wodsorrel grimaced and ground her teeth in frustration.
"I tried to escape, you know? But it was impossible. The entrance to this place is sealed with a sturdy gate. Probably to prevent escapees! How irritating!" she exclaimed.
It seemed that she was extremely upset about not being able to escape. Woodsorrel stomped her feet and flailed her tail around. She lightly tapped my jointed leg with her soft fur, which was more pleasant than painful.
After a while, she calmed down and disappeared again, although her body was still present. She suddenly jumped up and then sat on top of me.
"So I decided to hide until this tournament thing is over and then escape when the crowd has died down. Until then, I'll stay close to you. Be grateful!" She declared.
Well, I certainly was grateful. It was a bit noisy, but still better than watching alone. Plus, there was a chance that Woodsorrel might have information about the upcoming battles. If I could use that to my advantage, my chances of survival would increase.
The first match of the main tournament ended quickly, with no messy corpses to clean up. The second match was soon underway, and the murmurs of the crowd gradually subsided. The manager's voice echoed throughout the arena.
"Thank you for waiting, everyone! We will now begin the second match of the main tournament!"
As soon as the manager finished speaking, the next combatant emerged from the entrance next to the Ogre Beast's. It was a frog with unnaturally long limbs, covered in slimy mucus, and sporting bright red skin with purple spots—an unmistakable noxious color. Like me, it was likely a poisonous creature.
It appeared that the frog was trained from birth, as it didn't have a collar. Like me, it had both poison and the experience of being raised in captivity. However, that didn't mean I felt any sense of camaraderie with it. Still, I was curious to see how it will perform in battle.
"The coming beast is the Flame Poison Frog! In the preliminary rounds, it deliberately allowed itself to be consumed in order to kill a formidable opponent, and surprised us greatly! This venomous frog, which causes the most suffering to hunters in the jungle, will show its strength in the main event of the "Rookie's Battle" tournament won't it!?"
"A frog, huh… It'd be delicious if it wasn't poisonous. Ah, I can't wait to be free and eat frogs and mice!"
Allowing myself to be eaten on purpose...I had never considered this idea. Compared to the beasts that fought in the first round, this frog had less spiritual power and fighting spirit, but still managed to survive due to its powerful venom, which neutralized any of its opponents' advantage in raw strength. It's not a strategy I would normally use, but I must survive at all costs, so I may have to take a page out of its book.
As for Woodsorrel, who was drooling on top of me, I'll ignore it for now. The venomous frog's opponent emerged from the entrance on the opposite side. Its appearance was chaotic, to say the least. It had two heads, one of a lion and one of a goat, a snake tail with a deep green color, bat wings on its back, and four sturdy legs covered in tough scales.
"On the other side, we have the pinnacle of alchemy—a synthetic beast created by Master Rudolf Muller! This masterpiece was created by mixing and maximizing the potential of five different organisms. In the preliminary rounds, it displayed overwhelming power and was undoubtedly the strongest among all the synthetic beasts that have entered the "Battle Beast Tournament" since its inception!"
"Whoa! That's creepy! Are the Furu members insane enough to bend the rules of nature to create something like that?"
A synthetic beast… an entity created by mixing two or more different organisms into a single being. The manager may have called it a masterpiece, but it didn't feel that way to me. Perhaps because of the fact that the body was one, the fighting spirit felt natural, but when it came to spiritual power, there was something off about it.
I've fought against many creatures up until now, but this was the first time I've ever seen something like this. Perhaps this was because the souls of five different creatures have been compressed into a single body. It was hard to believe that anyone could call that thing a masterpiece.
"Well then, let's begin the second match of the main tournament!"
"Gororoaaa!!!"
"Meeeeh!!!"
The moment the battle began, the synthetic beast charged forward with great momentum. As it increased its spiritual power, it unleashed flames from the lion's mouth, lightning from the goat's horns, and wind blades from the bat's wings. In response, the Flame Poison Frog remained motionless and took the attack head-on.
For a moment, it seemed as though the flame poison frog was about to get killed, but it sat calmly in its place, completely still. However, it wasn't inactive; instead, it secreted a large amount of mucus all over its body, thickening it into a protective armor. Despite the synthetic beast's attempts to strike with its forelegs and snake tail, the mucus repelled any physical attack.
"Grurururu…"
"Gekko!"
Realizing that its attacks were ineffective, the synthetic beast cautiously circled around the Flame Poison Frog, waiting for an opening. However, the frog retaliated back. The mucus that had enveloped its body turned the same noxious color as its skin, and part of it shot out like a bullet.
Reacting quickly, the synthetic beast quickly evaded it while keeping its distance. As the mucus hit the ground and walls, it dissolved the stone with a sizzling sound. This viscous liquid was apparently a powerful acid that could dissolve rocks and likely had a poisonous nature as well. Any skin that came into contact with the mucus would likely be melted and poisoned.
"Oh, what a counterattack from the Flame Poison Frog! What a powerful liquid! Professor, what kind of substance is that?"
"The slimy substance secreted by the flame poison frog is terrifying. Despite appearing as clear, colorless water, just one gulp can exceed a lethal dose of venom. And even when heated, the poison doesn't dissipate. In fact, any type of water that the flame poison frog has come into contact with can never be consumed again."
"That's horrifying! With such monstrous ability, it's no wonder the beast made it to the finals!"
That slimy substance seemed to be a well-known attack. It was quite terrifying that the poison doesn't change even when diluted or heated. Surviving in a body of water where that frog has been residing would require an extraordinary poison resistance. I would like to believe I would be okay, but it seems like the world was full of danger. Even if I were to become free, I would still need to be careful.
The synthetic beast dodged and weaved while intercepting the slimy bullets with lightning blasts fired from its goat's horns. The audience's reactions were split between sneering and hurling insults. The bigger, stronger-looking one was being toyed with by the smaller, uglier, seemingly weaker one. Their reactions were understandable.
It seemed like there were more insults than cheers, probably because there were more people betting on the synthetic beast. Given its superior strength, it was challenging for the flame poison frog, whose sole expertise lay in poison, to defeat an adversary immune to its venom. If asked to determine the favored contender, I too would have deemed the synthetic beast to have the advantage. It's no wonder that those who had wagered significant sums of money and witnessed their forecasts being overturned were upset
Nevertheless, those who are aware could discern it—I could feel the fighting spirit and the expanding spiritual energy pulsating within the synthetic beast's body. It was not merely retreating; it was amassing strength to mount a potent counter-attack.
"Hey, you can't just run away! Fight properly, you bastard!"
"ROOOOOAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!"
… The demon fox sitting on top of me seemed to be one of the unawares, caught up in the atmosphere of the audience. Although her heckling did not provoke any response, the synthetic beast finally launched a counterattack. The lion's head, which had relied on the goat's head for defense until now, opened its mouth to the limit, before a loud roar erupted throughout the arena.
This roar was not just a voice but a spiritual art that contained immense spiritual power. It may be a primitive spiritual art that simply uses the power of the roar, but precisely because of its primitiveness, its power was proportional to the spiritual power used. The unleashed spiritual power grew into a violent storm that struck down the Flame Poison Frog.
If this roar had only lasted for a moment, the slimy substance of the flame poison frog might have absorbed the impact. However, the synthetic beast had been storing up its power and continued to roar for a while. The slimy substance began to make a squelching sound as it peeled off, and finally, the slimy armor that had been protecting the Flame Poison Frog until now completely shattered.
"Meeeeeeee!"
"Ge-goo!?"
After losing its defense, the flame poison frog became fragile. It was pierced by lightning released from the goat's horn, burned by flames from the lion's mouth, and cut apart by wind blades created by the flapping of bat wings.
During this time, the synthetic beast never got close to the Flame Poison Frog. It seemed that it wasn't foolish enough to let its guard down against an opponent that had been scalded. The flame poison frog was persistently attacked and thoroughly destroyed.
"The match is over! There were some dangerous moments, but as expected, the synthetic beast emerged as the victor!" the manager announced.
The audience cheered and praised the winner. Perhaps a sense of relief was mixed in with their voices. It was good that they didn't suffer any losses.
Although the synthetic beast emerged victorious, it would have to face with the Junivele Rock Dragon in the quarterfinals. Objectively speaking, it seemed unlikely that the creature could defeat the monster, but the synthetic beast had more attack strategies than the rock dragon, so it would be a great opportunity to see a glimpse of the rock dragon's strength.
"'So the tasteless one lost and the crooked one won. As expected, but it was more exciting than I thought!"
Woodsorrel sent a happy telepathic message, seemingly unconcerned about the impending battle I had to soon face. It may have seemed like someone else's problem to her, but seeing her carefree attitude warmed my heart.
Watching her then, free and frolicking without a care in the world, I felt grateful that I was able to help her. Ah, my soul had not yet fallen into darkness. Despite my own misfortunes, I still possessed the sensibility to rejoice in the happiness of others rather than curse them. This fact brought me great joy.
Once the slimy substance from the flame poison frog has been disposed of, it was time for the third match of the main tournament to begin. Until then, I savored this small joy. While the human slaves worked diligently around me, I trembled with an ecstasy that no one else could possibly understand.