Having received the permission from the butler, Parupatra took the lead and went over to the empty courtyard. All of the workers followed. The adventurers and the butler also came.

"Judging from what Elder had said, it seems like we won’t be able to witness much."

"—That man seems really strong."

"Uun, not just strong, more like outrageously strong. It feels as if he’s stronger than any of the other adamantite-ranked adventurer teams in the Empire."

"Seems like it. The only reason the adventurer team ‘Silver Canary’ has the adamantite rank is because all of their members are people with rare professions. Although they possess strange abilities, their actual strength isn’t quite up there yet. 'Eight Ripples' made it to where they are mainly due to relying on their numbers and spectacular teamwork."

'Silver Canary' was a team lead by a Bard who had reached the heroic tier, while its members had many strange professions. 'Eight Ripples' had been founded by nine members, but due to their numbers, they were often regarded as a team whose individual members were not at the adamantite level yet. However, if it was about teamwork, they were known to excel beyond everything other adamantite-ranked teams could achieve.

Nevertheless, all of them were considered as having achieved the impossible feat of ascending into the realm of adamantite-bearers.

Whispers of such discussions could be heard from the team members from behind.

The contents of the discussions wasn’t only limited to the previous remarks. If one listened carefully, many things could be heard. The most discussed topic was how long Parupatra could last, things like that. There wasn’t a single person who believed he could defeat Momon. The primary reason for that was that the man known as Momon had emitted an amount of pressure only those of the adamantite rank would be able to create, even if it had been only for a brief moment.

While Hekkeran was deep in thought, someone walked up to his side. Considering the metallic sounds that were produced, it was obvious who it was.

"What does Greenham think about the upcoming fight between the two?"

"Although I feel bad to say this, but I just can’t see how Elder can win. At this point, what’s left is simply to see to what extend Elder can take it to, that’s all. Does thee plan on going next after Elder?"

"No way, please give me a break. What about you?"

"I will also give up. I’ll be satisfied with just witnessing the strength of a superior warrior. However, I hope to be able to receive some guidance on the sword during this trip."

"I’m also thinking about doing that— Oh!"

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.

A consecutive two-hit piercing attack with the spear bending like the tooth of a dragon. On top of dealing additional damage based on the attributes imbued by user, this martial art technique also included a homing effect which increased the chance of dealing critical damage. Using ‘Piercing Strike’ as the base, this technique was something Parupatra had created forty years ago. A well-balanced technique known by many and even now a lot of people were still studying it.

In addition to the ‘Dragon Fang Thrust’, Parupatra layered an additional ‘Blue Dragon Fang Thrust’ on top, which caused extra lightning damage.

Just what is that old man thinking! Even though we have healing magic at hand here, who really goes all out like that?

The effect of the used martial arts was that even a minor scratch would cause a considerable amount of lightning damage. It was most suited when fighting against opponents wearing armor made of metal. His decision to use this attack showed Parupatra’s seriousness.

However, for an attack that was known to be troublesome to deal with for those wearing metal armor, Momon easily avoided it like it was nothing. His actions made it seem as if he was wearing an armor as light as feather. The sluggish movements that normally should have been caused from when wearing full body armor did not show at all. What made it even more surprising was that instead of making excessive movements like leaping backwards, Momon was able to evade the incoming attack with minimum effort while standing still.