Confused by our classmate’s unexpected fighting style, I opened my mouth in agreement with the two people next to me. Not using a spirit in battle went against the usual conventions and felt extremely strange. Not that I’m in a position to talk, though.
In fact, fighting without a spirit should put her at a significant disadvantage, but she was overwhelming her opponent with her exceptional physical abilities.
I couldn’t help but notice her fighting style resembled mine, even though she likely didn’t intend it. Could it be that she, too, hasn’t contracted with a spirit or has some deep reason behind it?
“Now it’s my turn.”
As I watched Akari with a strange sense of familiarity, she suddenly burst into a run, and with a unique step, her body split into seven copies.
“Huh?”
“No way, that’s a knight’s technique!”
Next to me, Meili let out a surprised voice, and I muttered in disbelief.
The technique called “Wakemi,” which creates afterimages through spiritual reinforcement and unique footwork, was used by knights before spirit users became prominent—knights who fought against spirits with their own bodies.
I don’t know why a spirit master like Akari would learn such a technique, but she truly seemed like a hardcore warrior. The only student who could use such a technique other than Gareth, the heir of the Orrot family—descendants of knights from before spirit users rose to prominence.
Even Gareth could only manage three afterimages, but…
“Damn it!”
Jil, facing Akari who was slashing at him with her sword, let out an angry cry and unleashed a wind imbued with spiritual power. The wind struck Akari, who had raised her sword, but her body dispersed into mist the moment it was hit. Then, another Akari, in a low stance, stepped in to slash upward with her sword.
“Haaah!”
Jil, reacting instinctively, wrapped himself in wind and jumped high to dodge the slash. He then fired small air bullets at the defenseless Akari, piercing her body, but she also disappeared into mist upon impact.
“Too naive.”
“Wha—!?”
Startled by the unexpectedly close voice, Jil looked up to see four Akari’s, swords raised, standing right in front of him. Realizing he couldn’t evade or defend in time, Jil attempted to deploy a spiritual defense—
“Hmph!”
“Ugh!”
The four Akari’s slashed simultaneously, leaving red lines across Jil’s torso. In the next moment,
a sudden gust generated by Jil’s spiritual technique struck the four Akari’s, lifting them off the ground and halting their movements. Seizing the opportunity, Jil prepared to launch a follow-up attack, but then widened his eyes in shock at the single afterimage that hadn’t disappeared.
That technique relied on special footwork, so why was the afterimage still there? What was happening?
“Surprised?”
Akari smiled slyly as another Akari, holding her sword in reverse grip, infused her sword with spiritual power and unleashed a horizontal slash at Jil from behind.
Though Jil managed to counter the incoming slash by releasing wind, he was blown backward by the force of the impact.
“Tch!”
“Checkmate.”
Jil, who had tumbled onto the ground, tried to stand up immediately, but Akari, who had already closed in, pointed her sword at his throat, stopping him in his tracks.
At that moment, the bell signaling the end of the match rang, confirming Akari’s victory..
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“W-what the heck just happened!? How did Akari multiply!?”
“No, I think… that’s probably Akari’s contracted spirit.”
“Yeah, that makes the most sense.”
Meili was bewildered by the two Akari’s, while Leia, though not very confident, voiced her own speculation. Rourke, sitting next to her, nodded in agreement.
A perfectly identical copy, indistinguishable from the original, even down to the spiritual power it radiated—thinking it was a spirit’s power seemed the most reasonable explanation.
“Akari-chan is amazing.”
“Yeah, she really is…”
Leia nodded at Meili’s words. Since Akari hadn’t participated in the freshman welcoming battle, Leia hadn’t been sure of her exact capabilities, but she’d assumed Akari had some significant skill. Still, she hadn’t expected this much.
In terms of overall combat ability, Akari might be even stronger than herself. Leia, who had just recently realized her own poor decision-making and response abilities during the previous ruins exploration, internally reevaluated Akari and steeled herself.
Leia had managed to secure the top spot in the entrance exam, but if she let her guard down, she could easily be overtaken by her peers.
“Not yet! I can still fight!”
“So you say.”
Leia’s attention snapped back to reality at Jil’s voice. Despite the match being over, Jil was still trying to stand, and Akari was slowly raising her sword toward him.
“Huh? Akari-chan, what are you doing? The match is over, right?”
“Yeah, it should be… but no way!”
Leia stood up, shouting in alarm.
Seeing the spiritual power beginning to envelop Akari’s blade, Leia’s uneasy premonition turned into certainty. Jil’s outburst had reignited Akari’s fighting spirit, and she now intended to deliver the final blow to Jil, who was almost completely incapacitated.
Some of the students also noticed Akari’s actions and showed signs of panic, but it was already too late. One of the teachers shouted, “Sheathe your weapon immediately!” but Akari seemed not to hear and didn’t even glance their way.
—I have to stop this!
Leia immediately summoned Salamander to stop Akari, but she was too late. Akari mercilessly swung her sword down at Jil with the intent to cleave him in two.
“What do you think you’re doing, Tsukikage?”
However, the sound that echoed through the arena wasn’t the sound of flesh being torn, nor Jil’s scream, but a high-pitched metallic clang as swords clashed, followed by the voice of second-year Rourke Areas.
“Huh?”
Leia’s eyes widened as she saw Rourke, who must have summoned his sword spirit, blocking Akari’s sword. Leia instinctively looked at the seat next to her.
But the seat was empty, as if no one had been there in the first place—the senior who had been sitting there just moments ago was nowhere to be found.
“Wha-!? Rourke-senpai!?”
Meili, who had been sitting beside Leia, also seemed oblivious to Rourke’s movements. Shock and confusion mingled on her face as she looked back and forth between the empty seat and Rourke standing between Jil and Akari.
“When did he…?”
Leia’s eyes widened in amazement as she watched Rourke, who had moved so silently and swiftly that she hadn’t sensed it at all.
! Image
The students who had been watching the situation unfold in stunned silence, unable to intervene, now turned their gazes toward Rourke, who had stopped Akari’s sword. They were all equally surprised.
“The match is over. Sheathe your sword, Tsukikage.”
“Rourke Areas… Senpai.”
Ignoring the gazes of the surrounding students, Rourke, with a burst of strength, deflected Akari’s sword, which had been swung down, and ordered her to sheathe it, despite the clear fighting spirit still burning within her.
Akari, standing before Rourke, who had appeared before her, displayed a clear smile on her beautiful face—a smile she had never shown during the battle.
“You win. Congratulations.”
“………..”
And that was that.
Without saying another word, Rourke turned his back to Akari. In response, she seemed to comply with her senior’s words and began to sheath her sword.
“Tsukikage Style: Empty Sky.”
But as she did so, Akari swiftly drew her sword from its scabbard and, without any hesitation, unleashed a high-speed iai slash at Rourke’s unguarded back.
Once again, a sharp metallic clang reverberated through the arena.
When everyone turned their eyes toward the source of the sound, they saw Rourke, who had blocked Akari’s slash with his back-turned sword without even glancing back.
No, to be precise, Rourke understood from the faint time intervals between the impacts on his arm that it wasn’t just one strike—Akari had delivered multiple slashes in that instant.
Feeling the numbness in his arm from the powerful slashes, Rourke looked at Akari, who was smiling brightly, almost joyfully.
“Impressive.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment… but what exactly are you trying to do, Tsukikage?”
—That was supposed to be the end of it. Why did you attack me?
Rourke had intended to resolve things relatively peacefully, but Akari’s attack had once again plunged the situation into uncertainty. Helping out a junior was fine, but he had completely underestimated Akari’s abilities.
I don’t know if it’s some kind of spiritual technique or the power of spirits, but Akari has split into two. From what I’ve seen of her fight with Jil earlier, the strength of her duplicate is nearly identical to the original.
This is really bad. I shouldn’t have come out here; I should have left it to someone else.
I was lucky to block that last attack, but if she can unleash a strike like that, I could lose my head if I let my guard down for even a moment.
“It’s not like I wanted to fight; it’s just that he insisted on continuing the match. I wondered who’d come out, but of course, it had to be you, Senpai.”
“You…”
—Did she notice?
There were several people, including some teachers, who were ready to step in when Akari was about to strike down Jil.
But if students like Misha joined the fray, Akari’s life might be at risk. So, I moved faster than the others, thinking it was the better option, but now, I’m not so sure.
“I’m glad. I’ve always wanted to cross swords with you at least once, Senpai.”
“…Why?”
“I looked up some records of the academy battles. You’re one of the few who don’t summon your contracted spirits. I can’t figure out your true strength.”
What would happen if I told her it’s because I don’t have a contracted spirit?
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