Arriving at the courtyard, Momon and Parupatra began to back away from each other as they started readying their stance.
Parupatra’s gaze was definitely not something an ordinary old man would be capable of making, they were definitely the eyes of a warrior who was used to combat.
The atmosphere gradually changed to one filled with killing intent, the peacefulness surrounding the courtyard no longer exists.
As the audience was watching, the tension created a feeling of anxiety and some of them even started to sweat.
"…Oh my, not good. Elder seems to be completely serious."
Greenham, who was standing by Hekkeran’s side, unconsciously exposed his true self.
"Against an opponent of the adamantite rank, it’s understandable for him to go at it as if his life is on the line—"
While replying, Hekkeran shifted his line of sight towards the warrior in black, trying to put himself into the elder’s position, and gasped.
He couldn’t feel a single thing from Momon.
Both of his hands were lowered by his sides without showing any signs of taking any defensive actions, meeting the bloodlust head on as if it was nothing. It was completely as if he was facing against a harmless child holding a sword, that kind of feeling.
"Ahriya! Amazing! Confronted with that kind of killing intent and not showing any signs of reaction. It’s impossible for him to not notice this amount of bloodthirst being emitted, could it be that he’s reached the very peak of the warrior, the ultimate mental state of nothingness!?"
"Swordless Heart? Or has his mental state reached the Realm of Cloud and Water? To be able to stand so fearless like that when there’s that much of a difference between the weapons of the two, he must really be confident of his skills… really, how terrifying. "
The spear in Parupatra’s hands was a magic item made from the tooth of a dragon, whereas the weapon that Momon was holding was a wooden staff borrowed earlier from one of the adventurers. No matter how you look at it, it was definitely not imbued with any kind of magic. Weapons imbued with magic could increases their sharpness, boost the user’s abilities and provide various additional effects. Looking at nothing but the weapons, Parupatra had an overwhelming advantage.
"No, I don’t think so. Although it’s true that there’s a strong difference in terms of weapons, Momon-sam’s armor should be well above Elder’s in terms of magical properties. Also, the additional magic items equipped should be better as well. The overall difference isn’t that large, but Momon-san should hold the advantage."
"Don’t you think it’s a bit early to come to a conclusion? I’ve heard that the number of magic items in Elder’s possession is far greater than what most adamantite-ranked adventurers could possibly have.. Elder has been adventuring for a long period of time, and has completed countless requests. If we consider just the amount of payment he’s received, no-one in the Empire has more than him!"
"No, no, wait up—"
"The one that should wait should be—"
While the two of them were still arguing, the tension within the courtyard had reached its climax and the first sparks of battle finally started to appear.
"Well then, let’s go!?"
"There are still important things that needs to be done after this. Don’t make it too hard for yourself and come at me, senior—"
Without even finishing the sentence, Parupatra charged towards Momon with a speed that most people would never imagine an eighty-year old man to be capable of. Smooth and with strength, he completed the action with such fluidity that his opponent Momon still hadn’t raised the staff in his hands.
"「Dragon Fang Thrust」!"
Hekkeran’s eyes widened in surprise at Parupatra’s sudden use of a martial arts at the very beginning of the fight.