All the people were puzzled. They could never guess what Shinju was thinking.
But Shigeru was staring at him with a concealed smile on his face.
(What trick do you have hidden up your sleeve now, Shinju?)
Shinju raised his hands, and suddenly, a magical pattern appeared in the center of the arena.
"The students of both the Second Division and the Fourth Division—this is a teleportation array that I have set up. Enter the array along with Tomoki, and it will teleport you to the center of the forest."
Shinju went and sat on his chair.
Tomoki was the first to step into the teleportation array.
As soon as he entered the array, he was teleported to the battlefield located at the center of the forest.
All the students followed Tomoki into the array and were teleported to the battlefield as well.
Now, the arena was empty. Everyone sat silently, watching.
Clap!!!
Shinju clapped.
Rumble!!!
Suddenly, the entire arena began to shake. A huge screen emerged from underground.
The screen lit up, and the students of both the Second Division and the Fourth Division appeared on it.
Meanwhile in the forest, all the students were now gathered on the battlefield.
Chop!!!
A thwacking sound rang in the air. All of them looked up as a helicopter hovered over the battlefield, holding a massive screen.
Shinju's face appeared on the screen.
"Whoa, is this battle being broadcast on national television too!?"
Seichii screamed in excitement. Ryuu gave him a blank look.
(What are you, a child?)
"Dear audience, enjoy and witness this grand battle as these rising stars face each other to prove who is truly deserving of becoming an elite student.
To make this grand battle more exciting, the rules are different from the other battles.
Both teams will face each other in a team battle. As you can see, the battlefield is surrounded by water on all sides.
If any member of a team falls into the water, they will be disqualified and will no longer be able to fight.
If all the members of one team are unable to continue, the opposing team will be declared the winner of this grand battle, as well as the victor of the Inter-Division Competition!"
Shinju explained the rules of the grand battle. The students of both the Second and Fourth Divisions looked confused.
"Now, let the battle begin!!!"
Whoa!!!
The whole crowd cheered as Shinju declared the start of the final battle.
Carol, her injury still not fully healed, was staring at the screen. She had come to witness the fight despite her condition.
In the forest, Tomoki made his way to the far end of the lake as both divisions stood facing each other.
"It's finally time, Aramiya-kun. I'm really looking forward to this fight. I hope you're feeling the same way."
Rajin approached Ryuu with a wide smirk on his face. Ryuu stared at him, sweat forming on his brow. He could feel the intense aura emanating from Rajin.
"Before you face Ryuu-kun, you'll have to go through me first!"
Ryoko stepped in front of Ryuu. The smirk vanished from Rajin's face when he saw Ryoko defending him.
"Ah! Ryoko-san! I saw how you demolished your opponents in the solo battles. I really want to fight someone as powerful as you, but I'm not sure if I can stand up to an S Rank like you. So please, go easy on me."
Rajin requested, as purple lightning crackled from his hands.
"Why not? The solo battle felt far too easy for me anyway."
Ryoko replied, and an ice sword materialized in her hand.
"Let the showdown begin!"
Ryoko raised her sword and swung it toward Rajin.
Rumble!!!
The whole battlefield shook as an ice slash rushed toward Rajin.
Just as the ice slash was about to hit him, Rajin smiled and vanished.
Boom!!!
The ice slash continued forward and collided with the protective array that Shinju had set up.
Ryoko was stunned and looked around the battlefield.
Rajin reappeared at the far end of the battlefield, grinning.
"How did you avoid my attack? I didn't sense any teleportation array on the battlefield for you to teleport just before it landed!"
Ryoko asked, her voice sharp. Rajin simply smiled as he walked toward her.
"Ha~ Ryoko-san, did you forget that I possess the lightning element? By channeling lightning through my body, I can move at the speed of light without manifesting it physically.
This is a technique I developed by training my body. And don't worry, the fight has only just begun. There are plenty more surprises waiting for you."
Ryoko glared at Rajin as she tightened her grip on the ice sword.
Boom!!!
A massive explosion rocked the side of the battlefield.
Ryuu and Ryoko turned, their faces filled with shock at what they saw.
Taguchi stood there, smirking. In front of him knelt Seichii, his face covered in blood.
"SEICHII-KUN!!"
"SEICHII!!"
Both Ryuu and Masumi screamed as they ran toward Seichii.
Ryoko turned back to face Rajin, who stood in front of her with a smug grin. Her fury ignited, and her eyes brimmed with bloodlust.
"It was your plan all along to distract me and attack the others while I was occupied! Such a cheap trick!"
Ryoko yelled at Rajin, who merely smiled.
"Of course, it was my plan from the beginning. After all, this world is filled with cruel beings—both demons and humans alike. You must always be on guard, even against humans. Otherwise, when you face those cruel demons...
You'll be gone in an instant.".....