The Strongest Eriri in History

The second round of battles was entirely different from the first round. The intensity and brilliance of the two completed matches completely overshadowed all of yesterday's battles.

By now, another half-hour had passed, and the time was just past 11 a.m.

The participants for the third match of the second round were officially announced. They were Jibril and Ruri Gokou, who had ended her match yesterday with record-breaking speed.

The two stood opposite each other on the martial arts stage. Compared to Jibril's calm and collected demeanor, Ruri Gokou seemed less composed—she had already envisioned how her battle would end.

As soon as the match began, Ruri Gokou, just like yesterday, immediately used her Rinnegan to unleash a Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion.

However, this ultimate move, capable of instantly defeating most opponents, was effortlessly dodged by Jibril. In the next instant, through spatial manipulation, Jibril appeared right behind Ruri Gokou with a dangerous smile on her face.

Sensing something was wrong, Ruri Gokou quickly turned her head to figure out what had happened, but in the blink of an eye, Jibril had already taken her down.

Due to the vast difference in combat experience, Ruri Gokou was eliminated before she could even react. Her defeat was the second fastest in the tournament so far.

Additionally, both yesterday and today, Jibril maintained her youthful, childlike form.

Ever since Eriri brought her over from the world of No Game No Life, she had stayed in this petite form, and Eriri seemed in no hurry to return her to her adult appearance.

Due to time constraints, only three matches were held in the morning, with the remaining three postponed until after lunch.

...

As with yesterday, the afternoon matches began promptly at 1 p.m.

The participants in the fourth match were Sakura and Asuna.

Although Sakura was only six years old, Asuna wasn't about to underestimate her—doing so would only lead to trouble.

Yesterday, Sakura had been lucky enough to draw a bye and was the only participant in the second round who hadn't yet stood on the stage.

After the five-minute preparation time, Sakura and Asuna instantly began their fight.

Before the match, however, Sakura's rabbit-shaped multifunctional weapon had been subjected to numerous restrictions.

This was because its original abilities completely disrupted the fairness of the tournament. If Sakura transformed the rabbit into a full suit of armor, its defensive capabilities alone would make her practically invincible.

Although the weapon couldn't transform into powerful armor, it was still allowed to take the form of basic offensive weapons like swords, spears, and halberds.

Unlike passive armor, the effectiveness of offensive weapons depended entirely on the wielder's ability to utilize them.

Sakura transformed her rabbit into a pair of gloves and used her fists to go head-to-head with Asuna's longsword.

However, in terms of practical combat, Sakura was still slightly inferior to Asuna. Asuna's battle experience in Sword Art Online translated seamlessly into her real-world physical abilities, and even the sword techniques she used were advanced versions of the ones she had learned in the game.

It's fair to say that gaming does have its benefits.

Asuna's sword strikes became increasingly swift, leaving Sakura struggling to keep up.

Soon, Asuna spotted a small opening in Sakura's defense. With a swift, decisive move, she broke through Sakura's guard and brought her longsword to rest against her neck.

At this point, Sakura knew she had lost and decisively gave up resisting.

Second Round, Fourth Match: Asuna Wins!

After returning to the spectator stands, Sakura sat in her seat with a slightly dejected expression.

Seeing this, Reina, Illya, and others nearby immediately tried to comfort her.

"Sakura, you were amazing just now, much better than me," said Reina, seated to Sakura's left, with an expression of admiration.

Sitting to Reina's left, Illya leaned over, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Sakura. "That's right, that's right! If it were me, I might've lost instantly."

On Sakura's right, Rin Tohsaka also chimed in to agree.

"I'm fine, thank you all," Sakura said.

With the encouragement of her friends, Sakura quickly shook off her low spirits, and her bright smile returned.

At that moment, a soft, delicate hand reached out and gently patted Sakura's head.

Eriri, seated behind Reina, looked at Sakura sitting in front of her to her right and said with satisfaction, "Sakura, you did well. That was a great fight."

This scene was a common occurrence after each match. Although most of the group members participating in the Martial Arts Tournament claimed they were only here for the experience and didn't care about winning or losing, a loss still stung. Even Chika Fujiwara, who had lost in record time yesterday, wasn't immune to this feeling.

...

Half an hour later, a new match began.

"Second Round, Fifth Match: Ais Wallenstein and Luo Hao. Both combatants, please take the stage. The match will begin in five minutes."

In a corner of the martial arts arena, Riveria patted Ais on the shoulder and encouraged her. "Ais, do your best. Try to make it to the top three."

Nearby, Tiona, Tione, and Lefiya joined Riveria in cheering for Ais.

Since Luo Hao's opponent yesterday had been Rin Tohsaka and the battle ended quickly, those unfamiliar with Luo Hao's true strength still had no clear understanding of her capabilities.

Riveria was one of these people and had great confidence in Ais. After all, Ais was considered one of the most outstanding combat prodigies in all of Orario.

"Yes, I will do my best," Ais responded with a serious nod, though her expression remained unchanged.

Although she hadn't seen Luo Hao's full power, and the recorded memories of the chat group didn't include information on Luo Hao, Ais could infer from group conversations that Luo Hao's combat abilities were extraordinary.

Even so, Ais felt no fear. On the contrary, her fighting spirit grew even stronger.

The next moment, under the watchful and eager eyes of the spectators, Ais and Luo Hao appeared on the martial arts stage.

Five minutes later, with Aoi Kujo's command, Ais launched the first attack against Luo Hao.

"Tempest!"

As usual, Ais cast magic on herself to enhance her attack, defense, and speed. Gripping her Sword of Despair, she charged directly at Luo Hao.

Luo Hao immediately countered by unleashing her signature technique, the Twelve Divine Palms Strikes of the Phoenix, meeting Ais head-on. The battle quickly escalated, with the clash of swords and thunderous booms resounding across the martial arts stage.

Ripples in the shape of enormous palms occasionally appeared in the void surrounding the arena.

Time passed swiftly, and over an hour had gone by, yet there was still no decisive winner between Luo Hao and Ais. Both combatants had expended a significant amount of energy, and the intense battle was taking its toll on their bodies.

At that moment, a melodious and ethereal chant came from Luo Hao's lips.

"Bright swords flash, brave men fall and die / Riderless horses whinny at the sky. Kites and crows pluck out the guts / Hang them high on the withered trees."

"Soldiers' blood on the dry grass stained / While generals map the next campaign. Wise men know a war having won / Is no better than losing one."

Luo Hao floated mid-air, dressed in an elegant azure cheongsam that highlighted her perfect figure, making her appear like a celestial beauty from a painting.

The chant she recited was an incantation of one of her powers, the Mighty Vajra Divine Art.

As the chant concluded, golden particles materialized around Luo Hao, condensing into a colossal golden palm. The palm, under Luo Hao's precise control, moved flexibly and repeatedly struck at Ais.

Using her enhanced speed, Ais evaded the golden palm's attacks, but she lacked the capacity to counterattack.

However, using such a power for an extended period drained Luo Hao's energy significantly. Considering her current strength was heavily suppressed, and she had already expended much of her energy in this prolonged battle, maintaining the golden palm was unsustainable.

"Glowing sun, brilliance of scorching lightning! Spirit of the heavens, spirit of the earth, Grand Supreme Elderly Lord, make haste as commanded!"

Another incantation flowed from Luo Hao's lips, activating her power Dragon's Roar and Tiger's Howl Technique, which intertwined with the Mighty Vajra Divine Art.

The golden palm instantly dissipated, transforming into a wild, magical gale that blew Ais away in an instant.

Bang!

A dull thud echoed as Ais's body slammed hard against the barrier of the martial arts arena. She coughed up a mouthful of blood moments later.

Clearly, the impact from the magical gale had inflicted severe injuries on Ais, drastically shifting the balance of power in the battle.

After ceasing her use of powers, Luo Hao employed her unique footwork to teleport instantly beside Ais. Without hesitation, she delivered a flurry of strikes from her Twelve Divine Palms Strikes of the Phoenix, landing them squarely on Ais.

"Battle over! Fifth match of the second round of the Martial Arts Tournament: Luo Hao wins!"

As Aoi Kujo's voice echoed above the arena, the battle between Luo Hao and Ais finally came to an end.

...

This duel lasted longer than any previous match in the tournament, stretching to nearly two hours.

With this conclusion, ten of the twelve participants who had advanced to the second round had finished their matches. Only Lala and Tina remained.

...

Time quickly moved to just past 4 p.m. The final match of the second round, and also the last battle of the day, officially began.

Not long after, Lala and Tina appeared on the martial arts stage.

Although Tina's combat ability surpassed that of Mine, whom she had quickly defeated in yesterday's match, she was still somewhat lacking compared to Lala.

Five minutes later, their match officially commenced.

Like Sakura, many of Lala's seemingly overpowered inventions had been sealed. Otherwise, with just a few of her creations, she could easily win this battle.

Lala was no longer wearing the casual clothes she often donned in the villa but had Peke instantly change her outfit into the dress she wore during combat.

She then took out her phone and summoned a uniquely designed longsword from it, charging at Tina.

Although Lala rarely fought, her swordsmanship was highly refined. While it might not quite match Kanae Kocho's level, it wasn't far off either.

At the very least, it was more than enough to handle Tina with relative ease.

Tina's energy blasts, fired from over a dozen iron spheres, were all deflected by Lala's sword—casually swatted aside even as she advanced toward Tina.

The energy blasts Tina fired weren't as powerful as one might imagine and weren't enough to completely halt Lala's advance.

It wasn't that Tina couldn't unleash more powerful energy blasts, but such attacks consumed immense amounts of energy, making it impossible to sustain them for long.

Among the barrage of ordinary energy blasts, Tina occasionally mixed in one or two significantly more powerful shots, causing some trouble for Lala.

Lala, accustomed to the usual intensity of the blasts, was briefly caught off guard when a much stronger shot appeared amidst the weaker ones. One of these enhanced blasts nearly knocked her weapon from her hand.

However, such inconveniences were nothing more than temporary setbacks. They couldn't stop Lala's relentless advance.

Before long, Lala closed the distance, arriving at Tina's side. Tina's expression immediately changed.

Tina excelled at long-range attacks but was woefully underwhelming in close combat. To call her mediocre at melee would be an overstatement—she was utterly outmatched.

Against ordinary opponents, she could hold her own, but against someone of Lala's caliber, her skills in close combat were insufficient.

After deflecting a few incoming energy blasts, Lala swung her sword directly at Tina.

Lala showed no hesitation, knowing the barrier would intervene if her attack posed a fatal threat. The barrier would automatically block such attacks and end the match with the protected participant declared the loser. This had been the case in nearly all previous battles, except for instances like Chika Fujiwara's, where she was instantly defeated.

Thus, even if Lala's sword struck Tina, there would be no bloodshed, nor would Tina's body be split in two.

However, as noted, if Lala could eliminate Tina instantly and painlessly, the barrier wouldn't intervene.

This was Eriri's small yet thoughtful way of caring for the group members.

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