December Double Drop!
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"What's wrong?" Kirihara sneered. "Did the thought of facing me keep you up for days?""This is a good thing, you know, Kurogane—it shows you understand the gap between us. Unlike you, a worthless failure, I'm the real genius here."
Ikki didn't respond to Kirihara's taunts; instead, he simply summoned his Device.
Kirihara, seeing this, also drew his own—a longbow made of a vine-like material.
Blue light gathered in Ikki's hand and shaped itself into a dark katana, which he held loosely, its tip slanting down towards the ground.
For a moment, Kirihara's sneer wavered as he saw the change that overtook Ikki when he gripped his blade.
"Strange…"
Moments before, Kirihara had felt nothing unusual. Yet, with the katana in hand, Ikki's presence shifted in an inexplicable way.
But just as quickly, Kirihara dismissed it.
In the broadcasting room, however, Professor Nene, who had been lounging casually, now leaned forward, her expression intense. Shinguuji Kurono's face grew equally grave.
For a split second, Kurono could have sworn she saw the shadow of the world's greatest swordsman in Ikki's stance.
"Kurogane… he…" Ayase's eyes widened.
As a swordswoman, Ayase could sense more than most the change in Ikki's presence.
He was right there in plain sight, yet it felt as though he were nothing but air.
"You're not going to make the first move?" Kirihara asked in a casual, conversational tone. "Well then, excuse my rudeness."
In an instant, Kirihara's mana engulfed the entire arena, transforming it into a dense forest.
And with that, Kirihara vanished from Ikki's view.
"There it is! Hunter's Forest! Kirihara has disappeared from Kurogane's sight!"
A wave of amazement swept through the crowd.
The dense trees, shrouded in a thin mist, obscured not only vision but every other sense as well.
To counter Kirihara's noble art, the most efficient strategy was to destroy the forest itself. Otherwise, it was only a matter of time before one's energy was whittled away.
But Ikki simply stood there, as if he had already given up.
Slowly, he raised his sword hand.
Clang!
A green arrow of light struck his upraised blade, producing a sharp, metallic ring.
The next moment, three more arrows whistled through the air.
Ikki's arm moved in a single, effortless swing.
In that single slash, he deflected all three arrows, sending them off course—one into the ground, another into the air, and the last one shooting through a tree behind him, vanishing into the fog beyond.
Everyone in the arena stared, stunned.
"W-What did we just witness?! Ikki Kurogane has deflected every attack!"
Stella and Shizuku instinctively straightened in their seats, pride gleaming in their eyes.
After all, the boy in that arena was their beloved (or, in Shizuku's case, her brother).
"Well, well, are you serious? A mere 'Failed Knight'—are you actually trying to beat a genius like me?"
Kirihara's voice echoed from all directions, laced with disdain and scorn, yet Ikki's expression remained impassive.
His calm demeanor seemed only to fuel Kirihara's frustration.
"Fine then. If you're so determined, I'll give you a taste of my true power. You should be honored! You've driven a genius like me to go all out!"
"Oh, and by the way, I've perfected my technique—I can hide my arrows now too! Let's see you try to block them!"
Just as Souji had predicted.
Ikki thought to himself with silent gratitude. If it weren't for Souji's training, he'd probably be in real danger right now.
Ikki lifted his gaze, looking straight in one direction.
Though the dense foliage blocked his view, his "heart" told him that Souji, Stella, and Shizuku were out there, watching his every move.
So many people believed in him. So many were worried about him.
Then…
"I must win."
Without moving his body, Ikki tilted his wrist, positioning his blade in front of his right knee.
A second later, a flash of light struck his blade, sparks flying with a resonant metallic clang.
"Even invisible attacks are perfectly clear to my 'eyes.'"
Ikki's dark eyes fixed on a single point, as hard and focused as black diamond.
Meeting that unyielding gaze, Kirihara nearly lost his grip on his Device.
He sees me? Impossible!
This had to be a fluke—just blind luck!
"Stop pretending to be so tough!"
Kirihara, his composure slipping, fired a volley of invisible mana arrows from all directions, each one aimed to pin Ikki down.
Ikki suddenly ducked, and an arrow zipped past his head. He swung his sword, deflecting two more arrows with ease, then bent his legs, gathering his strength like a crouching predator.
In the next instant, he sprang forward, closing in on Kirihara's location like a hunting beast.
Panic flared in Kirihara's eyes as he realized that Ikki was running straight toward him.
Can he really see me?
But how?
Frantic and unable to think clearly, Kirihara had only one thought: escape.
A self-proclaimed hunter, a self-proclaimed genius, he'd become accustomed to bullying the weak and retreating from the strong. In his cushioned world, he had never learned to face a true threat calmly.
"Stay away from me!"
Kirihara fired another arrow at Ikki, but Ikki swatted it aside, sending it spiraling back toward Kirihara. The arrow hit its mark, piercing Kirihara's shoulder.
"Argh! It hurts! It hurts so much!" Kirihara wailed, blood flowing freely from his wound as he fell from his perch in the tree. He landed with a thud, clutching his shoulder as tears and snot streamed down his face.
"It won't stop bleeding! So much blood! I'm going to die!"
As Kirihara lay exposed on the ground, the forest illusion faded. Ikki stepped forward, his shadow falling over him.
Kirihara looked up to see Ikki standing above him, holding his katana high.
"No… please, no!"
Terror filled Kirihara's eyes as his body quaked. His voice rose in a desperate, choking cry.
"That's… that's a real sword! You'll kill me! I'll die!"
Ikki's blade glinted with cold steel, and Kirihara's screams filled the air, his voice hoarse with panic.
"I give up! I surrender! I admit it—I'm done!"
In Ikki's unwavering gaze, Kirihara's face, contorted in fear, reflected clearly—cold and indifferent, as though his very presence was ready to swallow him whole.
And then, with everyone watching, with Kirihara's pleas ringing in the air, Ikki swung his blade down.
"No! I can't stand the pain—!!"
The slash came down, as if to slice the entire forest in two.
Everyone in the arena held their breath, straining to see the final outcome of the match.
And then, in a heartbeat, the forest vanished.
Ikki's blade had halted mere centimeters from Kirihara's nose. A single bead of blood trickled down Kirihara's cheek, mingling with his tears and snot.
Ikki straightened, sheathing his sword as if he had completed the most mundane of tasks, his expression calm and detached.
Kirihara lay on the ground, utterly defeated.
The victor—Ikki Kurogane.
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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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