Abnormal Type-Moon

Roy's swordsmanship was average—even bordering on weak.

This was the conclusion she'd personally reached during yesterday's sparring session. Since he'd only been practicing swordsmanship by the book, it couldn't have been long since he started. Even with considerable talent, no one could reach her level in just a single day.

The facts proved this correct. Though Roy's swordsmanship had been corrected by her and was now on the right track, he remained far from Toudou Kirin's level.

During that rapid exchange of sword strikes just now, under Kirin's guidance, Roy had exposed an opening. Normally, she could have ended the match with a single decisive strike.

But Kirin had overlooked Roy's reaction speed.

His reflexes were astonishingly fast. Even when an opening appeared during their lightning-fast exchanges, he'd compensate for it in the very next instant. This reaction speed surpassed even her own rigorously trained capabilities—it was almost inhuman.

With such terrifying neural reflexes, even with inferior swordsmanship, he could hold his own against opponents far more skilled than himself.

Reaction speed formed the foundation of all physical movement.

Unless she could bridge this gap, she'd never be able to exploit the flaws in Roy's techniques.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Suddenly, countless streaks of light rained down from the sky.

"Thousandfold Arrows!"

Both looked up simultaneously to see innumerable golden arrows descending from above, blanketing nearly half the stage.

Toudou Kirin immediately retreated toward the unaffected side of the stage.

Roy, however, frowned.

This golden arrowstorm—a full-stage area attack—reminded him of someone from his past. How irritating!

His gaze fixed on the incoming arrows, Roy silently raised his luminous blade. With lightning speed, he deflected every arrow aimed at him.

For an instant, his sword seemed to transform into a net, his arm moving so fast it left afterimages.

Meanwhile...

A massive flaming dragon's head roared skyward, erupting from a magic circle-like trajectory. Yet against thousands of light arrows, the fiery construct proved helpless. After intercepting seventy to eighty percent of the projectiles, it dissipated like a candle in the wind.

"Ugh!"

Julis let out a brief grunt. Despite her desperate resistance, one arrow struck her flank.

Though she'd reinforced her body with prana in time to prevent penetration, the impact remained devastating. Excruciating pain shot through her side—likely from one or two broken ribs.

At least she'd protected her school emblem, avoiding elimination.

"Even my Antirrhinum Majus couldn't stop her..."

Julis looked pale and drained.

She possessed numerous techniques—over a dozen—capable of frontal assaults, flanking maneuvers, aerial support, trap setting, and wide-area clearing... Versatile enough to handle nearly any situation.

Except one.

When facing opponents whose output far exceeded her own.

And unfortunately—Rect Lux weapons overwhelmingly surpassed a witch's capabilities.

At this rate, she'd truly become dead weight...

Clutching her side, Julis rose from the ground.

Determination flashed in her eyes as she raised her rapier high.

"It's over—Piercing Arrow!"

Tonno Mozuhi, seeing Julis cornered, licked her lips in excitement before drawing her magic bow to its fullest extent, channeling her astral power into it.

A massive arrow of light, thick as a tree trunk, formed on the bowstring before being launched like a particle cannon.

The sheer power of this strike was terrifying—even if one could survive with prana, being hit would undoubtedly knock them unconscious, sealing their defeat in the match!

Gritting her teeth, Julis swung her rapier down with force.

"Bloom, Livingstone Daisy!"

Over a dozen flaming discs materialized mid-air, spinning at high speed like buzzsaws. Instead of attacking head-on, they flew toward Tonno Mozuhi from all directions.

"What?!"

Tonno Mozuhi was stunned.

Rather than using her Anthurium Shield for defense, Julis had unleashed a brand-new technique to counterattack?

She wasn't aiming to win anymore—she was determined to take Tonno down with her last ounce of strength!

If she couldn't win, she'd at least pass on her final power!

Resigned to being grievously wounded by the light arrow, Julis unleashed her last attack.

"Yes! That's it! Take down the Julis now, then gang up on the other one—victory is assured!"

Toudou Kouichirou, who had been plunged into despair after witnessing Roy's superhuman performance, now watched with a mix of shock and elation, clenching his fists so tightly it seemed he wished to lend his own strength to the two fighters.

On the battlefield.

After delivering her final strike, Julis gave up resisting and could only smile bitterly as the colossal light arrow streaked toward her like a flash.

In the end, she hadn't been of much help—at best, she'd just been an extra body on the field.

With Roy's terrifying speed, even fighting two opponents of the Page One level simultaneously wouldn't be difficult for him.

What kind of repayment was this…?

"Ha!"

Just as Julis closed her eyes, ready to meet her fate, a figure suddenly appeared before her. The light blade in his hands swelled dramatically, crackling with sparks as his entire body groaned under the strain.

Then, he swung down at the massive light arrow, thick as a tree trunk!

The mana particles in the air churned violently, scattering light particles as if they were free.

The colossal arrow twisted and expanded mid-air before exploding into pure motes of light, vanishing without a trace.

Meanwhile, Roy's blade-type Lux—now flickering with residual electricity—shattered with a loud bang, scattering into fragments. It had clearly reached the end of its lifespan.

"U-Unbelievable! Contestant Roy actually shattered Tonno Mozuhi's Meteor Art, fired from an Orga Lux, using nothing but an ordinary Lux?!"

"Roy also used a Meteor Art, but his prana was simply too immense—the ordinary Lux couldn't withstand it and exploded. Of course, another factor is that Tonno Mozuhi only acquired the Longshanks this year and hasn't fully mastered it yet."

"O-Oh, I see… Goodness, this level of combat is completely beyond me!"

At the same time.

"Tonno Mozuhi, school crest destroyed. Eliminated."

A mechanical female voice announced over the broadcast.

On the other side, Tonno Mozuhi stood there with a look of frustration, the shattered pieces of her Crimson Lotus school emblem lying on the ground before her.

At the moment she unleashed her Meteor Art, there was a brief one-second delay in her movement—just long enough for Julis's last-ditch Flaming Disc to shatter her emblem before defeat. Meanwhile, Julis had managed to survive thanks to her teammate's assistance.

"...Julis, you got lucky!"

Tonno Mozuhi glared at Julis and Roy on the opposite side, her face filled with resentment.

"Fine, you win this time. It's just a two-on-two mock battle anyway—it doesn't affect the rankings. Just you wait. Once I master the Longshanks, I'll definitely take the fifth seat from you. Hmph!"

The long-haired girl snorted and turned away, leaving the stage with lingering bitterness.

If it had been a one-on-one duel without any teammates, the outcome wouldn't have been her outright loss—it would've been mutual destruction. Judging by the timing of their emblems breaking, she might even have won.

The more Tonno Mozuhi thought about it, the angrier she became. Stomping her feet hard, she stepped off the arena one heavy stride at a time.

***

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