Chapter 73 Explosive Strike and the Saint’s Healing
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
A massive jaw came down from directly above. Hard bone and razor-sharp fangs became a black shadow that covered his vision.
—the Gatekeeper of Hell, Kerberos—unleashed its Jaws of Ruin. Xenos enhanced his physical abilities to their limit, calmly stepped back, and dodged the fatal blow by mere centimeters.
Around him, thunder and blizzard still raged. Freezing wind struck the arena floor, and ice particles turned his vision white. But my [Magic Seal] broke everything apart before it could reach me. Here, in the heart of hell, existed a single, calm windless zone.
He dodged Kerberos’s attack and, in the same motion, swung his sword with all his might, slashing the giant beast’s exposed muzzle.
Shrrrk!
The raw sensation of flesh tearing. Hot, dark blood splattered across his cheek.
The central head of the enraged Kerberos, no longer following Valuca’s commands, unleashed a massive Blazing Breath at close range.
A loud roar echoed from deep within its throat. From its smoke-covered mouth, a stream of searing flame erupted.
Xenos pretended to catch it with his left hand.
The massive firestorm raged around him. But the [Magic Seal]—an invisible layer surrounding his body—caused the flame mana to vanish on contact, like hot sand disappearing into air.
To the spectators, it must have looked like he was desperately trying to stop the magic while engulfed in hellfire. He gradually narrowed the [Magic Seal]’s range, making it look like a close battle.
A murmur spread through the entire colosseum.
When Kerberos finished its attack, the crowd erupted in astonishment and applause: “WHOOOOAAAAAA!!!!”
(—Well then, now it’s my turn.)
In that instant of vanishing flame, he closed in, pressing right up to Kerberos’s face.
His left hand contained all the mana he could muster. The mass of mana in his palm was like a pitch-black sun, emitting a faint heat and glow. He plunged it deep into the wound he’d just carved on Kerberos’s nose—crushing flesh, reaching deep within.
This time, no timer. Taking too long would only make him look weak before this giant enemy.
What he poured in was instant-activation, pure destructive force—
Explosion Magic.
BOOOOM!!
A heavy, dull roar that shook the entire colosseum. A massive blast that rang in their ears. The central head—one of three—was blown apart from within, scattering blood, flesh, and bone fragments in every direction.
He’d used a tiny Teleportation Magic to leap backward just milliseconds before the explosion. He barely avoided the blast at its center. But even so, the shockwave from the close-range explosion was devastating. His body spun through the air like a leaf, bones groaning, organs jolting.
Fighting while hiding his true strength was no easy task.
He couldn’t even brace himself as he tumbled backward. Seconds after the explosion, rain of blood and flesh fell over the arena.
”TH-THIS IS… AMAZING! WHAT A RECKLESS TECHNIQUE! XENOS THE BLACK SWORDSMAN! HE WITHSTOOD KERBEROS’S MAGIC ATTACK WITH NOTHING BUT HIS OWN BODY, AND THEN STRUCK BACK WITH A LETHAL EXPLOSION MAGIC OF HIS OWN!”
The commentator’s screams sounded like distant ringing. At the edge of his vision, he saw Elenor and Kuuko, having just finished off the leopard beastman Nerfel.
His body, thrown by the blast, tumbled across the arena—
—and landed softly against Kuuko’s massive black panther form.
Warm, soft fur.
Nice catch, Kuuko.
”…” She looked down at him with a complicated expression—exasperated, but with worry underneath. He grabbed her hand before she could protest and pressed it firmly against his chest. Her fingertips were slightly cold.
”‘…Heal me. Pour Healing Magic directly into my body,’” he said.
”‘…Again, doing the same thing as that man. Fine. You’ll recover soon,’” she replied.
Warm, pure light-mana welled up from her fingertips, pulsing gently as it healed his wounded body from within. His broken bones mended; his shaken organs settled.
—Ah. It was like being in holy water.
Having lost one head, Kerberos howled at the sky in rage and pain. Dark red blood gushed like a fountain from the severed neck.
”‘…Can you still fight?’” Elenor’s voice was tense.
”‘Yeah. No problem,’” he said.
Behind them, Valuca—the enemy heavy warrior—had been approaching, ready to attack the wounded Xenos and the healing Elenor. But before he could, the massive black panther Kuuko blocked his path with a low growl, keeping him at bay.
Soon, Xenos’s body was fully restored by Elenor’s Healing Magic.
The situation had shifted completely. Their side had three members—Elenor, Kuuko, and Xenos—all nearly at full strength. Opposite them: only the heavy warrior commander and a weakened Kerberos, having lost one head.
”‘Shall we begin round two, then?’” he said.
At those words, the final battle of the finals was about to resume.
—
Summary:
Xenos dodges Kerberos’s devastating attack and stages a close battle while concealing his true power. He delivers a point-blank Explosion Magic that destroys one of Kerberos’s three heads, then is caught by Kuuko after the blast. Elenor heals him with direct-contact Healing Magic, and the party prepares for round two against the weakened enemy commander.
—
Trivia:
Xenos is actively hiding his true power level by staging a close fight and making it look desperate.
The [Magic Seal] is a defensive skill that disintegrates incoming magic before it can reach him.
Elenor’s Healing Magic requires direct physical contact and uses mana with a warm, pulsing quality.
Kuuko transforms into a massive black panther form during battle.
The “same thing as that man” reference indicates another character previously requested direct magical healing.
Valuca is the enemy commander who controls Kerberos, but the beast becomes enraged and acts independently.
The commentator’s hype serves as both exposition and crowd reaction in the light novel format.
Notes:
• Kerberos – The mightiest magic beast in the colosseum, known as Gatekeeper of Hell. A three-headed beast with each head wielding different elemental magic – lightning and ice in this battle.
• Xenos – Xenos Grimlock, a reincarnated otome villain and former Final Boss, is an athletic, sharp-featured young man with black hair. Clad in dark gear, he wields “Magic Seal” to nullify nearby magic while hiding his genius. A pragmatic strategist, he commands the Rebellion and his theater-restaurant, Star of the Desert, building a loyal household of followers and princesses like Cecilia and the Pharma sisters.
• de – A particle used in the aristocratic name of the Margrave Albion de Blanchefort.
• Valuca – Luca, also known as Valuca, is a prideful, scarred noble turned heavy warrior commander of the Iron Beast King. Once a water magic bully and lackey to Xenos, he underwent a personality shift, gaining vast dark Mana and a massive morning star. Now a cold, formidable combatant, he leads the opposing forces against the protagonist in the colosseum and acts as the master of the beast Kerberos.
• Elenor – Princess Elenor, the “Saint of Light,” is a silver-blonde swordswoman with soft gray-blue eyes and refined, butterfly-like grace. Whether fighting as a celebrated gladiator or serving as a party’s primary healer in white-and-gold robes, she combines elegant precision with lethal skill. Though haughty and analytical, she is bound by Xenos’s Magic Seal, masking a submissive devotion beneath her cold facade.
• Nerfel – A leopard beastfolk and former Iron Beast King team member, he transforms into a giant panther to fight as a powerful vanguard. Once an enemy combatant defeated by Elenor and Kuuko, he previously served as a silent, robe-clad assassin. His combat style emphasizes direct clashes, contrasting with his team’s strategic flanking maneuvers.
• Kuuko – A cat beastkin infiltration agent and loyal companion to Xenos, she transforms from a tiny black kitten into a massive, physically imposing black panther. A frontline tank with regenerative prowess, she guards her allies and aids in childcare at the Grimlock estate. Doted on by friends, her unwavering bond with Xenos allows her to channel his mana, breaking enemy magic while providing a protective presence.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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