Chapter 257 - Size Doesnt Matter (1/2)
With the hype from the first match still strong in the air, the village was in a buzz. Zero went down to meet Zenobia and Mitchnew, congratulating them both and gushing about how brilliant those moves were.
Cleo busied away to prepare the stage for the next match. The next round's competitors were also busy warming up. This time, they didn't bother with a terrain. Instead, Lovina double checked all the barriers. They would need very strong barriers for the next match.
The next battle was one between extreme size difference and Zero was excited to know what kind of tricks Clowis had against Camie. He couldn't picture himself going against a giantess and winning simply because of that towering height advantage.
The match made Zero anticipate. He was curious about how a shorter person like himself would be able to overcome opponents who were much bigger and taller. Zero only decided to trade the female vessel form for the male vessel form because of that one-inch height advantage. If he could find out the secrets, Zero would seriously consider swapping to the female vessel because he honestly found the female vessel to be more appealing.
For this match, Zero opted to sit in the front row benches for a better look. There were no obstacles blocking their view and the young doctor was vibrating on the spot from excitement. Clowis was by no means short but Camie easily towered anyone in the village so Zero wanted to know what he should be doing in normal situations when faced with such an unfair height disadvantage.
Lowis smiled at his nephew and wished him luck before taking on the role of the masters of ceremonies.
”Settle down everyone. The next match is about to begin and this time, the rules are slightly different. Our warriors are both close-combat specialists. Both participants will tie six sashes around their body. One at the head, one at the waist, one on each arm and one on each leg. the first to completely tear off all the sashes from their opponent wins the match.”
Zero noted how Camie struggled a little with her sash as it was too small. Mitchnew came into the arena to help the giantess attach her sashes while Amaraline helped her brother out. Lowis introduced Camie with the blue sashes as a ”gentle guardian who transforms into a castle destroyer when she gets serious”. The giantess might only be a quarter-blooded giant but she was still a staggering three meters tall. That was twice Lovina's height and Zero couldn't help but wonder if height was something that could be donated.
Zero wasn't sure what Camie specialised in but Lowis answered his questions. ”Known for being able to take down wolves with a single crush of her hands, Camie has the strength to crush skulls and break stones with her fists. She can topple walls with her kick, fling rocks faster than a catapult and cause small earthquakes when she jumps from a high place. This lady has many talents and despite the power she possesses, is very gentle at heart. Still, her speed should be nothing to sneeze at despite her size.”
Zero noted for the first time what the giantess' choice of weapon was. He was expecting someone like Camie who was more feminine to go for rapiers or spears. Instead, the giantess picked up the twin battleaxes that had been wrapped up in thick cloth to prevent any lasting injuries during the spar.
Lowis then turned to his nephew who had secured all six red sashes. As the seamstress and fortune-teller stepped out of the arena, Lowis introduced his famous nephew.
”Over here, we have our beloved Chief Warrior who is armed with brass knuckles today instead of his usual metal talons. Clowis here has chosen to forgo his spear to demonstrate his versatility. Although he is a cockatrice descendant, his latent magic abilities of petrification don't work quickly enough for it to be of any real use in battles. He is also unable to fly although he is known to be very agile and lithe. Clowis' signature move is the one-tap hurricane where he sweeps everyone away with a powerful swing of his spear that he isn't using today. Who will emerge victorious?”
Zero clapped and cheered when Lowis made his way out of the arena. Lovina enhanced the barriers as the emcee yelled start.
There was immediately a huge explosion followed by a dirt cloud that obscured everyone's vision. As the dirt cloud settled, everyone could see that Clowis was already forced into a tough position. The battle of strength was draining him out but Camie had him pinned to the ground with her battleaxes.
Zero took down notes without looking at his book, afraid to miss the moment when Clowis would turn the tables around.
The head warrior didn't disappoint and surprised the giantess with a windmill kick.
Camie closed her eyes when Clowis kicked up dirt and the head warrior took the chance to make his escape from the stalemate. The heavy battleaxes hit the ground and made a small crack in it. Lovina groaned and quickly repaired the barrier before they could do any further damage to the arena. Compared to the match between archers, this match was going to be more taxing on the magicians and security team. Everyone knew about Camie's strength but not even Lovina would have expected her to be holding back this much.
The giantess smirked. Clowis didn't look too confident now. Although she was only a quarter of a giant, Camie knew that her strength was abnormal. While giants were usually stronger than most other species because of their sizes, their strength was usually directly proportional to their huge statures.
Camie was able to win giants in wrestling matches and lift them despite being only half of the normal giant's size. Size didn't really matter in this case and Camie understood what it was like to be fighting against an opponent that looked bigger than her. Clowis must be feeling that pressure now and while the strong usually fought with overpowering might, the weak usually won their battles through wits and tricks. There was no doubt about it. The village warrior head was thinking of a strategy and Camie couldn't help but look forward to what the usually stiff-headed spear user would attempt. Of the many things that Clowis was known for, using his head wasn't one of them.
Victory was in the bag for her.
Clowis growled when the giantess attacked once more, testing the strength of that mana barrier. Although Clowis dodged the battleaxes, the strong wind current blew him away. As a cockatrice descendant, how had relatively hollower bones, making him a literal lightweight. Camie knew that and used it to her advantage. The giantess never allowed Clowis to rest and continued to charge at him, strike after strike.
Zero saw how the giantess was like an unstoppable gale. What she didn't land a direct hit on, she would make up for it with a powerful gust. The teenager had stopped taking notes and chose to admire the powerhouse instead. Might was everything and Zero didn't think that Clowis would be able to squirm out of this match. He was forced into a defensive position that felt unfamiliar to him. If Clowis had his spear, he might have been able to do something.
Manny who was beside Zero laughed when Clowis fell onto the ground after the wind swept him off his feet. ”That boy's such a princess. If he doesn't grow a pair he will soon be pinned down by Camie.”
Zero tilted his head to the side. ”Grow a pair?”
Soon smacked the ex-paladin over the head, making it cave in a little before healing it up. ”Don't bother, Zero. What he means is that Clowis is going to lose. The boy is panicking too much to use his head. Camie knows what she does best and is going all out on him. It might have been better if he stuck with the spear that he's familiar with instead of testing out his new parlour trick.”
Mitchnew who had just changed out of her armour settled down beside Zero and raised a brow. ”Why is our warrior head getting smacked around?”
Zero sighed. ”He didn't bring his spear with him and cannot do anything against Camie. She's just too strong. Even Lovina is struggling to keep the barrier up because of her attacks. I've seen her repair it a few times now.”
The ex-assassin observed the one-sided battle and frowned. Then, to everyone's surprise, the dark elf yelled out loud enough for her words to echo in the forest.
”Hold steady and use your head! Is your brain for decoration? If you can't get out of this you don't deserve to be the warrior head!”
Her threat lingered and Clowis got distracted by it for a moment, giving Camie the opening she needed to land a heavy hit on him, sending him flying to the other end of the arena. He smacked the barrier painfully and felt some of his bones crack but nothing hurt more than his pride at the moment. That's right. he didn't become the village's head of security by luck. He worked hard for it and even though there were so many better warriors than him, Lowis still chose him.