December Double Drop!
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Just as everyone was starting to think that Okita Souji might have forfeited, she finally arrived, dressed in her school uniform.It wasn't that she had meant to arrive late; she'd been busy training Ikki Kurogane on Mind's Eye right up until the last moment.
Yes, even knowing she had her own match that day, Souji had prioritized training Ikki in the hopes of him mastering Mind's Eye in time.
The students' matches were spread over several days—Souji's match was today, while Stella's and Shizuku's would follow tomorrow, and Ikki's was the day after that.
This meant Souji only had until then to make sure Ikki grasped the technique.
And so, after keeping the audience waiting, Souji dashed into the arena, her uniform smudged with dust from her hurried arrival.
"What's up with that freshman? Did she trip on her way over?"
"Why even bother showing up? She might as well forfeit!"
After waiting so long, some of the spectators were already venting their irritation by hurling insults.
The massive circular arena didn't have any soundproofing, so even though the crowd's voices were somewhat distant, both fighters could still hear them.
"Hmph! I thought you'd chickened out. I'll give you credit for showing up, at least."
Yamai Ryugatake's voice sounded muffled as it echoed through his thick helmet.
Souji summoned Kiku-ichimonji Norimune the moment she stepped into the ring, while her opponent, Yamai, wore his heavy armor as his Device.
"It won't make a difference! I looked up your abilities before the match and saw that your power is the most useless of them all—Physical Ability."
Indeed, Souji had listed her ability as Physical Ability on her file.
On paper, her stats alone could have qualified her for a C-rank, but because her registered power was the least respected of the four ability classes, Physical Ability, her rating had been downgraded to D-rank.
Ikki Kurogane, too, was often dismissed as worthless due to his F-rank mana, with his Physical Ability ability seen as even less useful by others.
With enough mana, any Blazer could enhance their physical abilities, and sometimes even to a higher degree than those with Physical Ability.
Still, even if Ikki had been born with another type of ability, it likely wouldn't have mattered much given his limited mana pool. Abilities from the Elemental Manipulation category, known for versatility and wide attack range, would be weak without sufficient mana to support them.
"I don't know how you managed to train such a useless ability to D-rank, but I'll show you that no matter how hard you try, trash is still trash, and it will never surpass talent!"
Souji had a feeling his speech wasn't directed only at her; it sounded like he was also trying to convince himself.
Stella Vermillion, blessed with the world's highest mana pool, could achieve monstrous feats both in magic and physical strength, making her a living powerhouse, a human dragon.
Most likely, Yamai attributed Stella's power entirely to her natural mana, overlooking the sacrifices she had made to control her inhuman abilities.
Souji wasn't interested in defending Stella's honor. From the moment she gripped her sword, her emotions began to drain away. Besides, she was confident that Stella would one day silence such detractors herself.
The moment Souji took hold of her sword, she discarded emotion, mercy, and fear alike.
From then on, she could only smell blood.
From then on, she could only see victory.
As the announcer started the countdown to the match, her opponent was still talking about his abilities.
"My power lets me control my density, making my skin tougher than steel!"
"Three!"
"And combined with my heavy armor—"
"Two!"
"—your flimsy sword—"
"One!"
"—won't even be able to scratch me!"
A loud horn blared through the dome-shaped arena, echoing so loudly it nearly rattled the audience's seats.
Yet, the crowd's eyes widened at the next moment.
Just as the match started, Souji sheathed Kiku-ichimonji Norimune and turned around, striding leisurely back toward the exit.
At first, the audience thought she was forfeiting, but she never called out "forfeit" or any words of surrender.
The scene was so baffling that Yamai Ryugatake froze in place, his body trembling as the flames of his anger flared, sending waves of mana radiating from his armored frame.
"You… you dare look down on me?!"
Souji's relaxed stance, sword sheathed and back turned, radiated pure disdain.
A mere D-rank! And a Physical Ability failure at that! What gave her the right to look down on him?!
If someone could see under Yamai's helmet, they would've seen his face twisted with rage, veins bulging with barely contained fury.
At that moment, he only had one thought—reducing her to minced flesh.
He took one step forward…
Shhhhkt!
The instant his leg moved, he lost all control over his body.
A hot jet of blood sprayed from the gaps in his armor, forming a pool at his feet in moments.
He managed only a twitch before collapsing, his armored body hitting the ground with a heavy thud just as Souji reached the edge of the platform and began descending the stairs.
It was only after her figure disappeared from view that the crowd snapped out of its stunned silence.
"What just happened? How did it end so fast?"
"Was that her ability? Did she use some kind of special power?"
"She must've used a sneak attack! That's the only reason she won!"
"This is unfair! So shameless!"
The loudest voices were, as always, the sneering and bitter ones, much like the screeches of monkeys in a zoo.
But in a small, unnoticed corner of the arena, Shinguuji Kurono and Saikyo Nene sat in solemn silence.
"That move just now… did you see it clearly?"
Shinguuji asked quietly.
"…I could see her draw and sheath the sword," Nene replied after a pause, taking a deep breath. "But I didn't see the trajectory of her blade."
"Even you couldn't track it…"
The cigarette between Shinguuji's lips had burned down to a short stub.
She remained silent, holding the cigarette, her thoughts hidden behind a cloud of smoke.
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Thanks for reading! Let me know if you spot any mistakes or inconsistencies!
Posture and water check! Remember this is a fan translation!
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