Vol. 15 - Ch. 36 - Ultimate Clan Battle - Main Event (3/10)

"We've seen some incredible ways to move a Clan House so far, but from here on out, they're all the same. Normally, mana is used to move the Clan Houses—though let's be honest, that's NOT normal either! Just giving a building arms and legs and walking it here is something regular people wouldn't even dream of!"

Another tremor rolled through the stadium.

"Next, from the remote island nation of Faunost in the far east, crossing the sea to be here… a clan whose combat style you've probably never heard of. Ninjas, who use unique arts called ninjutsu, not magic, and samurais, masters of sword skills so sharp they can cleave even orichalcum. Together, they form the clan… the Oniwabanshu, Palace Guards of the Inner Court! The sworn protectors of the Faunostian King, here to demonstrate their nation's might!!"

What appeared was an armored warrior wearing a massive conical hat. It was the smallest Clan House to appear so far, but it radiated an intense, formidable aura. Its head was crowned by the enormous hat, scrolls hung on its back, and it walked with a steady, two-legged gait. Of its four arms, two firmly gripped katanas.

"The Oniwabanshu's Clan House is crafted from the ancient corpse of a giant said to have once battled a Nine-Tailed Fox for supremacy over Faunost! The most shocking thing is its durability. Even after thousands of years, this corpse retains the incredibly resilient exoskeleton that once withstood the Nine-Tails' attacks! Is there ANY Clan House here that can break through this?!"

The Oniwabanshu Clan House was welcomed by the waiting Magic Knights and it took its place on the far right of the lineup. Only four finalist clans remained.

The next tremor to hit the arena was a rapid, staccato rhythm. That meant one thing; it was a Clan House with multiple legs.

"To move a massive body, you need the legs to support it. Two legs? Too unstable. Four legs? More stable than two, but still not ideal. More legs mean you can move an even bigger Clan House. Presenting the self-proclaimed heaviest entry of the tournament… the Order of the Supreme (self-proclaimed) Arcane Knights!!"

A Clan House shaped like a spider, complete with eight legs, made its entrance. It wasn't tall, but it was wider and more massive than any of the clan houses that appeared before it, its surface bristling with countless cannons.

As the Order of the Supreme Arcane Knights joined the others, the spectators heard another sound—a strange, creepy, slithering noise ever growing louder as it approached.

"Two-legged giants, wheels, four legs, eight legs… we've seen them all. But one clan realized you don't need legs to move a Clan House at all. From the Lascan Empire… FASDARAM!!"

An enormous serpent, slithering and coiling, entered the arena.

"Holy… that's huge."

"Is that… powered by mana?"

"No way… you gotta be kidding me…"

When it raised its head, its height surpassed even Phantom Butterfly's stone giant, the tallest so far. The crowd stared up in stunned silence. By the way, it was usually coiled up to form a large, circular Clan House.

"Two clans left! In the last tournament, one man was recovering from a battle with a demon and couldn't participate, leading to a narrow defeat against Ark Union. This year, he's back at full strength—the man who even slays demons! The man who, when the world was split east and west, emerged as the strongest in the west… the ogre-man, Gale Vermillion!!"

The stadium erupted louder than ever. Gale's Clan House wasn't even visible yet, but the mere announcement of his arrival sent excitement into overdrive.

Ogre-men were an evolved race from ogres, capable of speech and forming alliances with humans. Gale was a legendary hero who had saved countless nations from demon and fiend invasions.

"The clan Gale leads is a true union of races—ogre-men, hobgoblins, humans, elves, dwarves… the United Front of Humans and Demi-humans!!"

With surprisingly light footsteps, a massive centaur-like form entered the arena. Standing proudly on its head was Gale himself. The crowd roared with enough force to shatter the sky.

"Whew. Finally, the last one."

As the crowd's frenzy settled to a simmer, commentator Rivas began his introduction for the final clan.

"Let's be honest, Gale. You are the world's strongest. Every tournament you've entered, the United Front has won. But isn't that partly because… “she” has never entered the Ultimate Clan Battle before?"

The arena fell into a hushed, confused stir.

For the common folk, aside from otherworldly heroes, only one person was known to be Gale's equal, or even superior. She had never entered this tournament before, yet everyone knew of her strength.

The heroine who saved the world alongside the Guardian Hero.

The legendary magic swordswoman, none other than Tina Harivell.

"Her… you don't mean…"

"Surely not… Tina-sama?"

"Nah. That can't be."

"Y-yeah. Impossible."

They said it was impossible.

Yet, they couldn't help but hope – hope that they might witness the true, ultimate clash: Gale versus Tina.

As if answering that hope, Rivas raised his voice.

"To challenge the West's strongest, Gale… here is the East's mightiest! The heroine who, alongside the Hero, defeated the Demon Lord Velt and saved the world… TINA HARIVELL!!"

The loudest cheer of the day shook the foundations.

"The savior-heroine has gathered her comrades, trained them, and now comes to claim the title of world's strongest! Now, prepare for the battle of the century! Give it up for… FAMILIAAAAA!!!!"

…Nothing happened.

"……Uh… what?"

The Familia's Clan House was supposed to emerge from the southern passage right about now. Rivas, who had been briefed on this, was thrown off by their no-show.

Everything up to this point had gone according to the plans laid out by the tournament's sponsor, H&T Commerce, and the head of H&T Commerce was Tina herself. Meaning, this timing for their entrance was Familia's own request.

"Umm… Familia? Hellooooo? Tina-sama?"

Rivas's voice tinged with worry. The spectators also began to murmur, wondering what was going on.

Then—

"S-sorry we're late!"

A clear, crystalline voice rang out… from the sky.

It was Tina's voice.

"We got lost even though we're flying, meow!" (Merdie)

"It's 'cause Youko insisted on taking the controls!" (Hakua)

"Hmpf. It;s just harder than I thought." (Youko)

"Youko-san, you need to stop soon." (Luna)

"How do you even stop this thing?" (Youko)

"It must be this button, Youko." (Kikyou)

"Kikyou! That's the magic cannon firing button!!" (Halt)

"Ha-Halt-Nii, it just activated!?" (Akari)

A cacophony of noisy voices drifted down from above.

The people, drawn by the din, looked up—

And froze.

It was all because something monstrous was there.

"Um… Halt-sama. Your microphone is on broadcast mode."

"Huh, seriously?"

A massive mass was floating in the sky.

The voices were coming from it.

"Ahem. Sorry for the delay. We're Familia."

It was Halt and his family's Clan House.

The basic requirement to qualify for the finals of this Ultimate Clan Battle, the Clan House Brawl, was to arrive at the arena riding your Clan House.

The strongest sage, touched by a god's curse, had cast a flight spell over the entire vast grounds of their Clan House… and had flown their entire flying Clan House here.

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