Countless dangerous blasts are fired incessantly, any one of which could be fatal if it lands directly. The barrage continues relentlessly, seemingly unconcerned even about altering the terrain, bombarding a single person with what could be considered excessive firepower.
“Hey, is this really okay?”
“That senior student… they’re going to die from this, aren’t they?”
In academic battles, causing death through combat isn’t considered a punishable offense.
However, this only applies to unintentional cases. If one deliberately attempts to kill their opponent, they receive a warning from the judges, and in some cases, they might be immediately disqualified and declared the loser.
For example, Akari’s final action would have warranted a warning.
At that time, due to Rourke’s intervention and it being a first offense, she got off with a relatively light punishment: a stern warning from the faculty after the match and submission of a written apology. In worse scenarios, it could have led to disqualification or even expulsion in extreme cases.
Initially, the students were shouting excitedly at the Dreadnought’s incredible attacks. But as minutes passed with no sign of the bombardment letting up, voices of concern for Rourke began to rise, especially among the first-year students.
Some even suggested stopping the match, but neither the referee nor anyone else showed any sign of doing so. Dreadnought’s barrage continued.
“Huh? What? Is… is this really okay?”
Among them was Meili, a first-year student who had come to watch her senior’s brave performance. She was visibly shaken by the one-sided scene before her.
Although they hadn’t known each other for long, seeing a familiar and kind senior being overwhelmed without any means to fight back was truly affecting.
“Rourke-senpai will be fine… I think.”
Leia opened her mouth to reassure Meili, but her voice trailed off, ultimately adding to the anxiety.
While Leia thought she knew Rourke’s capabilities to some extent from the welcoming match for new students and the ruin exploration, she couldn’t confidently say whether he had the ability to withstand this fierce attack.
If anything, seeing a senior she had become friends with being so one-sidedly defeated made her want to rush in and help. Though realistically, she would only get in the way.
“Things are heating up, aren’t they?”
In stark contrast to the two of them, showing not a shred of worry and laughing carefreely, was Akari. She had recently won her memorable first rank battle. Although she had received a stern lecture from teachers and friends afterward and even written an apology letter, she didn’t seem particularly remorseful.
“Ah, Akari-chan, aren’t you worried about Rourke-senpai?”
“Not at all.”
Akari answered Meili’s question without hesitation.
Leia slightly furrowed her brow at Akari’s response, which showed absolute confidence. How could she be so sure when she had presumably spent less time with Rourke than Leia herself? A slight feeling of irritation welled up inside her.
“Akari-san, why do you think that?”
“Leia, haven’t you fought him once? Don’t you understand?”
“…What do you mean?”
“That person’s strength, its unfathomable depth.”
Leia fell silent at Akari’s words. Indeed, she had felt that sensation when she first faced Rourke. His overwhelming power, displayed without even revealing his contracted spirit, had terrified her… She certainly remembered that, but could he really withstand this rain of bombardment?
“The referee doesn’t seem to be stopping it either. And look, over there.”
Leia turned her gaze to where Akari was pointing. There sat Misha, the princess and top student of their year, and a little distance away, Gareth, watching the match.
What could that possibly mean?
“When I tried to slash my opponent in my previous rank battle, those people were about to move even before the teachers did. But now, they’re not showing any sign of that.”
“…”
“In other words, they must think there’s no problem.”
Leia felt a sense of fear at Akari’s words, which she spoke as if it were obvious. Had this girl been observing her surroundings so keenly even at that moment when she raised her sword?
At the same time, she understood. Gareth was supposed to be good friends with Rourke. If Rourke were truly in mortal danger, he would surely be the first to rush to his aid.
As they were talking, Dreadnought’s bombardment finally ceased, and the arena, which had been noisy until moments ago, was suddenly enveloped in silence.
Amidst the dust cloud covering the arena, the students watched the spot where Rourke had been, each harboring their own thoughts.
Some students worried that Rourke might be dead.
Some students concerned that Ophelia’s attack might be ruled as a disqualification.
And some students gazed ahead, certain of Rourke’s safety as the dust began to clear.
As the dust settled, standing in the arena under the gaze of the students, Rourke brushed the sand and dust off his uniform and quietly murmured to Ophelia:
“Were you trying to kill me?”
In an instant, uproar once again engulfed the arena.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
I thought I was going to die!!
No, seriously. This is way too much, no matter how you look at it.
It’s clearly not an attack that an ordinary student should be subjected to. I mean, why isn’t the referee disqualifying Ophelia? It’s obvious she’s intentionally trying to kill me.
I glance at the referee in protest, but he just nods with a self-satisfied expression, as if he’s figured something out. I’m gonna kill this guy.
“… Are you trying to kill me?”
I ask Ophelia seriously while brushing off the sand that clung to my body from the shockwave of the shell’s impact. Looking around, the ground everywhere except behind me is deeply gouged from the impact. Just imagining what would have happened if I’d taken even one hit makes me shudder.
“Of course, I attacked with full force. I thought going for the kill would be just right when dealing with you… but to think you’d be unscathed. I’m honestly shocked.”
“Well, I couldn’t afford to get hit.”
See? That woman just admitted she’s trying to kill me. If I’d taken even one of those hits, my body would have been blown to bits. And I’m not exactly unscathed either.
With several wind spirits hovering around me, I swing my arm once to check its condition. As expected, my overused arm feels numb.
“I see. Those wind spirits floating around you, you used them to create a wind shield?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
I affirm Ophelia’s words while tapping my shoulder with my sword.
I had anticipated taking a hit from the Dreadnought’s cannon fire. So, as a countermeasure, I sent spiritual power to the spirits to create a wind barrier in front of me. However, it wasn’t so much a shield as it was a barrier to deflect the bullets to the left and right.
If I had taken that storm of gunfire head-on, my body would have been reduced to splinters in seconds. To survive, I had to deflect them to the sides.
Most of it went according to the simulation, but the duration and speed of the barrage completely surpassed my expectations. Towards the end, there were more shells than the barrier could deflect, and for the ones that got too close, I had no choice but to cut them in half with my sword… Still, that barrage lasted way too long. I feel like I was bombarded with shells for about ten minutes straight.
As a result, my arm is screaming in pain. It’s even trembling a bit.
While I managed to survive the Dreadnought’s first wave almost unscathed on the outside, I used up more spiritual power than planned and overexerted my arm.
“So, are we going to continue?”
I ask, trying to maintain a poker face, not wanting to show any weakness that might boost her morale. If anything, I’d be happy if this intimidated her and weakened her attacks.
“Hmph, as expected. It’s frustrating, but I have to acknowledge you… However…”
Ophelia smiles slightly at my question and swings her arm horizontally.
Multiple cannons on the Dreadnought are once again filled with spiritual power, and a dazzling light is emitted from each barrel.
Seeing this, I start to deploy another wind barrier with spirit magic, but stop.
“It wounds me that you think this is all my Dreadnought is capable of.”
As Ophelia mutters, a massive spiritual bullet is fired from one of the cannons. Seeing the approaching shell, I enhance my body with spiritual power and leap away from the spot.
Immediately after, there’s a deafening roar and a pillar of fire.
When I look towards the landing spot, there’s a gaping black hole as if nothing had ever been there.
“Oh, come on…”
I can’t help but gape at the power of the fired shell.
What incredible power. The amount of spiritual energy packed into that single shot is on a completely different level from before.
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