Altair, still feeling a bit disoriented, had only been in this world for a day when he encountered two rather peculiar people, Shizuka Marikawa and Saeko Busujima.
Shizuka didn't call the police when she saw Altair smashing and taking things, even though later, someone from the school reported him. It was unclear what she was thinking. As for Saeko, she was even more extreme... not only did she refrain from calling the police, but she seemed eager to engage in a fight with him.
No doubt, someone with the potential to become a killer. She set a perfect trap that caught Altair off guard.
"I don't think your wooden sword can stand a chance against me."
Now that Altair understood her intent, there was no choice but to fight. He stood up, gently dusting off his light armor.
"You won't even be able to penetrate my defense."
"I don't know who you are or why you're wearing such strange clothes, but we won't know until we try, right?" Saeko remained unfazed by Altair's words, calmly holding her wooden sword in one hand and pointing it at him.
"Aren't you afraid that trying might lead to your death?"
Altair sighed. He reluctantly pulled out the hilt of his lightsaber from his waist. If she wanted to fight, he would oblige, even considering a one-hit knockout.
As a man, Altair had to be proactive. After drawing the hilt, he charged forward, his body becoming a blur as he appeared right in front of Saeko.
So fast!
Saeko's body trembled in shock, instinctively leaning back, but her right hand still swung the wooden sword fiercely at Altair. In response, Altair quickly performed an upward slash, activating his lightsaber mid-swing.
Zzztt... Whirr...
A blue light emanated from the hilt, tracing a blue arc through the air. With one downward slash and one upward strike, the two weapons collided, then immediately separated.
Missed? There was no sensation of impact, leaving Saeko confused. However, her battle instincts made her retreat three steps to distance herself from Altair.
Her sword felt lighter.
Catching a glimpse from the corner of her eye, she noticed that her wooden sword had been cut in half. The section above the guard had completely vanished, and the edge was scorched black.
What happened? This was a reinforced wooden sword, with a steel core for added durability. Yet now, the steel core had turned red-hot at the break point.
Melted and severed!?
Saeko's eyes shifted to the blue lightsaber in Altair's hand, emitting a low hum.
What kind of weapon is that!?
Saeko had never seen Star Wars or Gundam, so she couldn't immediately recognize the weapon. But that didn't stop her from understanding the sheer lethality of it. A single strike had cut through a wooden sword reinforced with steel. If it had been a person's body...
Saeko's expression finally changed. Her earlier calm and smile faded, replaced by genuine tension. But after that brief moment of anxiety, her expression shifted again... this time to one of excitement, her eyes alight with fanaticism.
Altair was bewildered. What the heck? Not only was she unafraid, but it seemed like her bloodlust had been awakened.
No wonder she had killer potential.
How many times had Altair marveled at this?
"With a weapon like that and wearing such strange clothes, you've definitely killed someone before, haven't you? And you're the kind of person who enjoys turning killing into an art, just like those otaku we see at school. Am I right?"
With a bloodthirsty grin, Saeko stood tall, eyes fixed on Altair as she spoke boldly.
'Whoa, hold on. What do you mean by 'like an otaku'? Do I look like I'm cosplaying?
Oh, wait, I am cosplaying. Never mind then.
But seriously, what's wrong with being an otaku? Did they do something to offend you?'
Altair couldn't help but click his tongue. Japan, the land where anime is the most developed in the world, but also the country that looks down on anime fans the most. If in doubt, just blame anime. What a magical place.
"I'm not like the otaku you're thinking of."
Even before isekai'd, he had been more of a workaholic, someone who worked during the day and watched anime or played games at night. Completely different from those hardcore otaku.
"And for the record, I haven't killed anyone yet."
Killing monsters and killing people were two different things. Altair had slain many creatures in dungeons, but he had yet to take a human life. Therefore, calling him a killer was inaccurate.
"Is that so? Let's find out."
Saeko gripped the remaining handle of her sword and charged at Altair. Without a weapon, she would find her own!
As she rushed forward, Altair didn't opt to attack with his lightsaber. After all, that thing could kill with a single strike, and he didn't want to kill Saeko... after all, she had once been one of his waifu.
Yes, Saeko was once one of Altair's waifus, as was Shizuka. That's why he had wanted Shizuka to follow him during the day.
Zzztt...
The blue lightsaber retracted instantly as Altair sheathed it at his waist, opting to engage her empty-handed.
Saeko, seeing Altair withdraw his lightsaber, was stunned. She had planned to snatch it, but he had already put it away.
In that case, she would grab the hilt!
Saeko eyed the hilt at Altair's waist. If she could just seize it!
However, while Saeko was formidable, she had a weakness... she was purely a kendo practitioner. As a pure kendo athlete without any superpowers, once she was without a sword, her combat ability drastically declined.
Altair, on the other hand, had just leveled up to Level 2, with his strength stat reaching an S-rank. At this point, his physical abilities had reached the limits of human capability... something Saeko couldn't compete with.
So, when Saeko tried to grab the hilt at Altair's waist, he reacted faster, grabbing her wrist and twisting her arm behind her back. With a swift motion, he spun her around and pinned her to the ground.
"This is what you meant by 'trying'?"
Pinning Saeko down, with one hand firmly holding her arm, Altair couldn't resist a taunt.
***
Keeping a precious item like the Power Stone is hard, so for your own sake, drop the Power Stone here, otherwise I can't guarantee your safety!