The Champion of Fighters (2)
“That is… a hidden character?”
Swordmaster Paul couldn't help being surprised when he saw the character Ian had selected, ‘Goruki.’
After all, this was Paul's first time actually seeing Goruki.
However, he had once heard a passing rumor about him.
‘Did you know? Apparently, there is some kind of hidden character in this game. Nobody knows what it is, but they say it can be selected with a special command.’
A mage Paul had once faced in a fighting-game match had told him that.
At the time, he'd dismissed it as mere boasting.
“To think it was actually true.”
Just as Paul had heard, the mages had suspected that there was an Easter egg involving Goruki.
However, none of them had been able to properly analyze Ian's magic, so they hadn't discovered exactly what it was.
Truthfully, Ian had been practically itching for someone to hurry up and discover it, so he intended to use this tournament as an opportunity to publicize the Easter egg.
But the referee quickly intervened.
“Lord Ian, the match may only continue with Sir Paul's consent. If Sir Paul refuses, the match cannot proceed with that character. Do you consent?”
“Of course.”
From the standpoint of competitive fairness, ‘the developer suddenly selecting and playing a hidden character through a method known only to himself’ was obviously controversial.
That was why Ian had instructed the referee beforehand to ask Paul for permission.
If Paul refused here, Ian wouldn't be allowed to use Goruki.
“Referee, I would like the match to continue.”
But Paul didn't refuse.
He wanted to fight him.
That mysterious hidden character.
And at the same time, he wanted to fight the Sage of Games, ‘Ian Maxwell.’
‘This may be my only chance.’
Ever since Paul had begun pursuing the ultimate realm of martial arts through fighting games, he had no desire to shy away from a challenge.
And so, the match continued.
Then-
『K.O.』
『Goruki Win』
“S-Strong……!”
Paul lost.
Goruki was unbelievably powerful.
But more than Goruki's performance, it was Ian's skill that sent a thrill through Paul.
The Goruki Ian had selected wasn't the absurdly broken Goruki from the old ‘Fighter of Street 2.’
If anything, his performance was closer to the Goruki who appeared as a collaboration character in the later ‘King of Iron Fist 7.’
The greatest strength of the King of Iron Fist version of Goruki wasn't Goruki's basic performance itself.
It was the fact that he could use systems from the 2D fighting game Fighter of Street inside King of Iron Fist as well.
Projectiles were the most obvious example, but there were also jump-linked follow-ups that had become almost useless in ordinary 3D fighters, clean-hit low-kick combos, and many other options unavailable to other King of Iron Fist characters.
Thanks to that, Goruki at least gave Ian cards he could play against a master like Paul.
But beyond those advantages, Ian himself possessed enough skill to impress even Paul.
“Razor-sharp spacing, relentless questions, and choices constantly forced upon me.”
Paul had defeated countless fighters to reach the main tournament, but Ian's skill was genuine.
“This is unquestionably my defeat… I still have a long road ahead of me.”
The second round was Fighter of Street.
Paul could already sense his defeat.
Fighter of Street simply wasn't a game that favored him very much.
And just as expected, Paul lost the second round without much trouble.
But he remained calm.
He had felt the difference in their skill.
“That was an excellent match, Lord Maxwell.”
“I played a little dirty, didn't I? Sorry.”
“No. I enjoyed it greatly. And… next time, I will defeat you.”
Despite losing, Paul took it in remarkably good spirits.
“That was incredible. To think he could fight that well even against such a broken character.”
“I don't think Goruki is actually that broken. Once you figure out his patterns, he seems manageable.”
“Would someone familiar with Fighter of Street have a decent chance?”
“Could there be Easter eggs hidden in the other games too?”
“There might be……?”
The spectators went wild over the match.
Some cheered for Paul's magnanimous attitude despite his defeat, while others immediately began talking about searching Ian's other games for Easter eggs.
But the person most excited of all was none other than Paul.
‘Lord Ian… That sensation I felt while fighting him. I must remember it and refine it.’
Paul felt the realm within himself growing deeper.
He was already called a Swordmaster, yet something had changed through his match against Ian.
He quickly drew his sword.
Then he recalled and reviewed the sensations of that battle.
When that feeling flowed into his sword and he became one with the blade-
FSSSSSS—!
Brilliant blue sword energy enveloped the blade.
“An Aura Blade……!”
A realm said to manifest only for a true Swordmaster.
He had attained it.
“Ha… Hahaha! Hahahahahaha!”
Paul couldn't help laughing with joy despite losing the match.
Because he had obtained an even greater lesson.
“If only others could attain this as well.”
Then more powerful opponents would emerge.
Then there would be even more people for him to compete against.
Paul sincerely hoped that would happen.
“Hmm. I think I'd better seal Goruki away after all.”
Ian, completely unaware of what had happened, was only thinking about sealing Goruki away.
If Paul knew, he would have found it truly regrettable.
***
“Honestly, Sir Paul was incredible.”
I'd selected a hidden character with his consent, but even after I used that kind of underhanded advantage, Sir Paul had still been a difficult opponent.
Facing a character he'd never seen before couldn't possibly have been easy, yet he'd still pushed me down to a sliver of red health.
In truth, if Paul had wanted, there'd been no need to play that match at all.
I'd already achieved my goal of revealing the existence of the Easter egg, so even losing wouldn't have cost me much.
But Paul had deliberately accepted the challenge.
To him, the challenge itself had meaning.
“As a developer, that actually makes me pretty happy.”
The people of this world were taking gaming culture far more seriously than I'd expected.
Even against an unknown character, they earnestly wanted to challenge it.
Challenging a powerful opponent.
Challenging difficulty itself.
That spirit of challenge was actually an extremely important part of gaming culture.
Taking on difficult and complicated bosses and enemies was one of the fundamental pleasures of games.
As a developer who pursued that kind of gameplay, I was delighted.
“If they're going to challenge me this seriously, then I should face them head-on too.”
In the end, Ian stepped down from the perspective of a developer and decided to enjoy the tournament as ‘one gamer.’
So from the next match onward, he stopped selecting Goruki.
“Ghk! I lost by such a narrow margin!”
“That was a fine match, Lord Maxwell!”
“Next time, I will definitely win!”
Perhaps because none of the following opponents were as skilled as Paul, the next matches were fairly easy.
Every fighter who lost to me seemed pleased simply to have faced a strong opponent.
Well, even the fighters eliminated from the main tournament would receive separate consideration from the imperial household.
The entire reason the emperor had approved this tournament in the first place was to bring those fighters into the imperial fold.
As that continued, my own mindset began to change somewhat.
“Since I've come this far, should I seriously try to win?”
I began thinking that perhaps I should genuinely aim for the championship.
At this point, my only remaining opponent would be the winner of Group B.
It would probably be Darsin.
Along with Sir Paul, he was one of the favorites to win.
Unlike Paul, Darsin was also much more familiar with Fighter of Street, making him a somewhat more troublesome opponent for me.
Since I was more accustomed to King of Iron Fist patterns than Fighter of Street ones, I could be at a disadvantage.
“Well, I'll try. If I lose, I lose.”
I didn't overthink it.
I'd give it my best, and if I lost, I'd accept the result cleanly.
At some point, I seemed to have started thinking like the fighters around me.
But then an upset occurred.
“D-Darsin has been defeated!”
“What?”
Darsin lost to his opponent in the Group B semifinals.
“What? Darsin lost?”
“Who is that?”
“She is wearing a mask. And that name sounds like an alias too.”
His opponent was a masked woman.
Her name was common enough that it seemed likely to be an alias.
The spectators were puzzled because they had no idea who she was.
But I recognized her immediately.
“…Selen?”
It was Selen.
Why is she up there?
“Come to think of it… didn't they say the Intelligence Department might participate too?”
I'd heard that if they did participate, they might use false names.
Apparently, Selen had been selected as their representative.
In that case, I shouldn't act like I know her.
An Intelligence Department agent wasn't supposed to have her identity exposed.
“Both competitors, please step forward and greet one another.”
But before the match began, I had to face Selen anyway.
There was a brief period before every match where opponents shook hands and exchanged a few words.
I intended to pretend I didn't know her, but Selen spoke first.
“Lord Ian.”
“Uh… You know me?”
“There is no need to pretend you do not know me.”
My consideration proved completely pointless as Selen addressed me first.
“Ahem. So you entered too. I guess you're representing the Intelligence Department?”
“Something… like that. I did not expect you to participate either, Lord Ian.”
“It just happened that way. Still, I didn't expect you to be my final opponent.”
Of all people, I hadn't expected to meet Selen in the finals.
With Darsin eliminated, I'd already accomplished the reason I'd entered the tournament.
Since Darsin had been eliminated before me, the Magic Development Department had officially placed higher than the Magic Tower.
At this point, wouldn't it be fine to let Selen have the victory?
She was responsible for my safety on a daily basis, and even as a member of the Magic Development Department's team, she worked more diligently than almost anyone else.
Maybe I should show her some appreciation……
“Lord Ian.”
“Hmm?”
“If you are thinking of going easy on me, please do not.”
As though she'd read my mind, Selen spoke.
“If anything… if you wish it, I will withdraw.”
Instead, Selen seemed willing to hand the championship to me.
I didn't know exactly why, but Selen had always treated me with considerable goodwill.
Considering that, perhaps this wasn't particularly strange.
But seeing her like this made me reconsider.
“No. Don't. Absolutely not.”
“Did you not wish to meet the princess?”
“Hmm? I don't care about the princess. I just started thinking that there's no point in winning if someone hands it to me like some courtesy match.”
“…….”
“So let's both do our best, just like the other fighters… No, like all the other gamers gathered here.”
It seemed I'd been thinking about it the wrong way.
Selen's attitude made me realize it again.
Here, the right thing to do was give it everything I had as someone who genuinely loved games.
Just like the challenging spirit all the other fighters had shown me.
“…Understood.”
“Good. Then I'll see you in the match.”
Selen's atmosphere became strangely resolute as well.
The mask hid everything except the area around her mouth, but her determination still came through clearly.
I intended to give it everything I had against Selen too.
But……
If I beat Selen, am I actually going to meet the princess?
At this point, even I'm getting a little curious.
***
“First match! Fighter of Street!”
Unlike my match against Paul, the first game was Fighter of Street.
I selected the protagonist, Riu, while Selen selected Kaimy.
Their matchup was fairly even, though Kaimy had the advantage when it came to taking the initiative.
Kaimy specialized in jump-linked attacks and rapid offense, while Riu excelled at zoning and anti-air attacks through the Wave Fist and Rising Dragon Fist.
In a way, each possessed tools that countered the other.
『K.O.』
『Kaimy Win』
But Selen won the first match.
Whenever I tried to keep her in check with the Wave Fist, she calculated the distance with razor-sharp precision and came down on me with terrifying jump combos.
But if I carelessly attempted an anti-air, she'd bait me with a feint and punish me instead.
“She's seriously good.”
I already knew it, but Selen was extremely skilled at fighting games.
If anything, her ability seemed to have improved even further during the tournament.
But the second round was King of Iron Fist.
This round favored me.
『K.O.』
“Ghk…….”
As expected, I won the second round.
Selen fought hard, but I had the advantage in King of Iron Fist.
For some reason, she seemed even more determined to win now.
Maybe I'd fired her up a little too much earlier.
“She really wants to win that badly… but I can't go easy on her.”
The third round would be decided by a coin toss anyway.
If Fighter of Street came up, I'd probably lose.
If King of Iron Fist came up, I'd probably win.
The referee soon tossed the coin.
“Third round, King of Iron Fist!”
Whether the Goddess of Fortune had taken my side or not, the third round was decided as King of Iron Fist.
But before the match began, Selen made one request.
“Lord Ian. Please select Goruki.”
She wants me to pick Goruki?
Why?
“Why him? You'd have an easier time against one of the other characters.”
“I want to see you fight me with everything you have as well.”
“Everything I have…….”
Selen genuinely seemed to want me to give it my all.
And she had a point.
If I didn't use Goruki, it could feel as though I was fighting while deliberately holding my ‘trump card’ in reserve.
Was Selen's fighter blood boiling too?
“Fine. I'll do it.”
『Ready, Fight!』
And the final match began.