, try tasting how a weakling feels.”By chance, Gen rolled to the front of where Satsuki was sitting in the viewing gallery.
His position on the ground resembled kowtowing to Satsuki for forgiveness. This made him trembled in shame.
A three dimensional battlefield is the reality when a White Iron used 《G.o.d Speed Link》in a high speed fight.
In this dimension, Moroha’s battle ability was far beyond Gen.
On the surface.
In truth, Moroha was actually at his limits.
He was not handling Gen as effortlessly as he appeared.
After all, he only awakened to prana two days ago, plus this was his first fight using light techniques. It’s not wrong to say that he was operating on half-gleaned knowledge and lacked experience and mental preparation.
Proud, confident, underestimating his enemy and handling Gen with ease and skill. Moroha was not that great.
“Wait.”
The referee Tanaka-sensei gave that instruction. Following, he went forward to confirm the state of the collapsed and trembling Gen, to see if he can continue the duel.
Moroha regulated his breathing as he calmly observed the two people.
When Gen hardened his body using 《Diamond Skin Link》at Moroha’s initial sword strike, Moroha had a.n.a.lysis the battle conditions and made the following conclusion:
The duel may turn into a long battle needing dozens of hits before he can defeat the enemy.
For Moroha who lacked battle experience, it was difficult for him to predict any unforeseen elements that may happen during that time.
So, before any disadvantageous elements entered the duel, it was better to cut away at Gen’s confidence.
That was why Moroha adopted an attack plan where he’ll loudly proclaim and showed off his “superiority”.
Although he also satisfied some minor urges for revenge, it was more important to prioritize victory.
It’ll be great if he had eroded Gen’s will to fight.
“Isurugi-kun, there’s too much gap between you and your opponent’s abilities. If you continue, won’t your injuries only increase? The worst case scenario would be that the reputation of your brother will suffer……” Tanaka-sensei, bending his knees, said that into Gen’s ear.
If Gen was a common hooligan seen everywhere, or a bluff who had self-inferiority complex, even a despicable person who bullied the weak but fear the strong, the battle would had ended there and then.
“SHUTTTTTT UUUPPPPPPPPPP!!!!”
Gen knocked Tanaka-sensei away to one side and stood up.
He’s an unyielding warrior who refused to give up even after seeing Moroha’s power up close with his own two eyes.
This was probably the results of his two years of training and teachings from his elder brother.
Moroha observed all this from his side and readied his stance again, holding his sword ready in position.
“TAKE THIS AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”
Gen’s enormous body leaped straight up like a rocket.
Reaching the bottom of the high up ceiling, he flipped over his body and pushed off the ceiling.
Forming a tremendous force with the aid of speed and gravity, he cut across the air like a meteor towards Moroha. With his axe straight out in front of his, it was a blow consisting of raw power.
Because of this, it’s inadvisable to meet him head-on blow for blow.
Moroha agilely jumped backward to evade.
Gen, ignoring everything, swung his axe with all his might and smashed into the ground.
(I was seen through.) Moroha cannot help but clenched his teeth.
Gen’s powerful blow shakes the entire building and surprised the teachers in the gallery.
The smooth training ground was completely shattered, spider web-like cracks radiating from the point of impact.
Even the building materials underneath the floor were twisted and bent; the reinforcing steel plates are scattered, and the steel foundations were poking out of the ground.
The destruction this time was incomparable to that done by Moroha’s test yesterday.
Moroha established his balance on the still shaking floor and sharpened his eyes.
Within the dust-filled air——
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHA”
Gen’s laughter resounded.
When the smoke cleared, Gen’s huge body reappeared and, opening his right eye exaggeratedly at Moroha, elatedly laugh at Moroha:
“You’ll have nowhere else to run to this time, right?”
That’s right——the grounds had been broken up. Even if you processed superhuman speed, there will be some decrease due to terrain obstruction. It’s the same as in the boxing ring – to use speed to disturb and confuse your opponent; the tactic can only succeed if you are overwhelming in speed to your opponent.
On this unstable ground, Moroha had to give up on his tactic of using speed and movement.
Moroha had worried that Gen would do something like this.
For if the situation had been reversed, Moroha would had undoubtedly used the same plan as Gen.
Because of the halt called by Tanaka-sensei, Gen gained the time to think and came up with the plan.
“HA HA. Let’s go blow for blow now like real men!”
Gen lifted his giant axe high and happily rushed forward.
Moroha blocked the blow with the sword in his right hand.
Both had strengthened their arms with 《t.i.tan Strength Link》. Sparks flied as the sword and axe crashed together.
“GYAAAAAAAAAAA!”
Gen attacked continuously without pausing.
Moroha, like a precision machine controlling his right hand, use his sword to block, to disengage, to sweep aside, and to redirect.
10 rounds, 20 rounds, they kept going to and fro like generals in an ancient battlefield.
“How about this!” Gen raised his axe about his head.
That ominous shaped axe slowly was dyed in a blood red colour.
The weapon was wrapped in prana.
“HAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
Gen swung his red and black axe over.
Moroha raised his sword horizontally, intending to block the swing.
The two weapons clashed.
An unbelievable force blew Moroha away uncontrollably backward.
(What was that amount of force just now?)
Moroha narrowed his eyes suspiciously after rolling across the floor a few times.
The shattered floor, the exposed reinforcement bars and the weapon-like foundation rods jutting out of the floor slashed across Moroha’s body like a grater.
Using 《Diamond Skin Link》to harden his body, he avoided any serious injuries and leaped upright from the end of his roll after calculating the correct timing and force.
“Die with this last blow!!!!”
Gen ran over heavily to follow up with a victory, his readied axe glowing with a blood red shade.
(That’s it!) Moroha answered his own question.
Fraga fought like this in his dream too.
While filling his whole body with prana, at the same time, letting prana flowed into the body of the holy sword.
(Can I do that too?)
Moroha tried flowing prana into the sword from his right hand.
The body of the sword glowed weakly.
Compared to Gen, that white glow was definitely unstable and unreliable.
(Che.)
Moroha swung his sword to try and counter Gen’s attack. The two weapons crashed again.
(Geh!)
His wrist suffered an unimaginable strong impact. As expected, Gen’s bloodaxe was still better at a higher level.
Moroha jumped backward, and took a few more steps back to decrease and level out the excess force of impact. In other words, he was completely driven back.
“It took me two whole years to learn that technique! Do you think you can grasp it that easily in the middle of a fight?”
Gen, sensing his imminent victory, regained his c.o.c.ky self.
《G.o.d Speed Link》and the other Link skills are basic light techniques that strengthened the body beyond human limits.
Above the basic techniques, there are the advance techniques that strengthened the attack power of weapons——this particular one was called 《Venus》.
The results of Gen’s continuous efforts and training over a long period of time.
Moroha looked at his weakly glowing sword and felt deeply the great difference.
(Truly……If I want to master this, I’ll need around two weeks.)
He only achieved this little effect. Compared to swiftly filling the small ID Tag with prana, the principles in filling a sword with a larger volume is different. Moroha lacked practice.
“If you understand then die!” Gen attacked again.
He cannot block with his sword, it’s impossible to counter and hit Gen first. Moroha will had to give his all to land an effective attack on Gen, while Gen will definitely be willing to take one strike from Moroha to get a chance to trade blow for blow with him.
If he were to take on 《Venus》 directly, Moroha will definitely lose. That attack power wasn’t something that 《Diamond Skin Link》 can endure.
Moroha jumped to one side without hesitation to dodge the blow.
But, the cement floor he stepped on crumbled and caused him to falter for a split second.
Moroha’s chest was sliced by that terrible axe dyed in red.
It was only a shallow wound that sliced apart one layer of skin.
Even so, a shockingly large amount of blood sprayed forcefully from Moroha’s chest and dyed his entire torso red.
The true essence of 《Venus 》 was not simply to fill and surround your weapon with prana to increase it"s destructive force.
You have to also refine your prana and convert it a pure destructive energy.
While enhancing the attack power of weapons to cut, stab or strike, the refined prana was also forced into the target’s body. The refined prana, once injected into the body, will act with an effect similar to poisons or toxins.
In other words, once you are cut by the weapon, the prana will destroy the body from within.
When his chest was sliced by the bloodaxe, Moroha painfully became aware of this.
Following the cut of the wound, his chest was being destroyed from the inside. If this continued, a [light scratch] will become a [critical wound with ma.s.sive blood loss, exposing raw flesh and bone].
In the instance his chest was cut——Moroha’s mind was flooded with Fraga’s memories and mindset. Cross-referencing the information, he remembered that the technique known as 《Venus 》 in Akane Academy had two effect. At that point, his body reacted instinctively.
Adapting 《Diamond Skin Link》 as an application, Moroha used his own prana to suppress and neutralized Gen’s destructive prana inside his body.
Thus, he managed to lower the amount of damage to a lower level.
While he lost more blood as compared to a [scratch], he escaped from a critical hit.
From this, it was understood that Moroha, who had the past life of an outstanding hero, processed a rare natural instinct for battle.
Still, he cannot defeat the enemy in front of him with instinct.
He needed a more explosive [power] to win.
Satsuki, heart in her mouth, was intently watching Moroha’s situation.
Moroha was at an advantage originally, but after the training ground was destroyed, he became disadvantaged.
Moroha started suffering due to his lack of abilities and could only take evasive actions, even rolling across the ground once.
When blood sprayed from his chest, Satsuki cannot helped but turned her face away.
(Moroha….is it the end? Are you losing…….?)
Satsuki’s right hand continuously played with her ponytail nervously.
She never noticed that her left hand was tightly gripping Shizuno’s hand beside her.
Moroha’s battle suit——the red area on his chest was gradually becoming bigger and bigger. He was still bleeding badly.
Since he was moving all over the ground so violently, he doesn’t have the opportunity to tend to his wound.
Although it’s difficult to determine from a distance, but Moroha’s face colouration seemed to getting worse and worse.
(Please win…quickly…quickly…)
Satsuki prayed strongly in her heart but heaven did not hear her pleas.
While Moroha did tried to attack Gen a few times when he was careless, they were just light strikes at best. Just like the jabs of an out-fighter boxer keeping his distance, it’s impossible to end the match early with a KO blow in the short term.
Unless, the match ended early with Moroha’s loss.
(At least, if the bleeding can be stop….)
Satsuki lowered her head as she cannot bear to watch further. The tears she had held back fell and wetted her knees.
“Please continue to worry for me…..”
If not for her promise with her Onii-sama in the distant past, she would have run out a long time ago.
“Satsuki-san, raised your head.”
Shizuno said in a rare strict voice.
Satsuki raised her head in surprise.
“You should know this very well. Moroha may act like he’s joking, but he is fighting for you now. Thus, you have the duty to look at him until the very end.”
Shizuno warned Satsuki while never moving her eyes from the battle.
“I will not allow you to avert your eyes.”
Satsuki felt that every word from Shizuno was whipping her.
“I’m sorry….”
Who was she apologising to?
Who was the one who declared that she will stay at his side, to watch his battles and to follow his back?
Satsuki opened wide her teary eyes and fixed them on Moroha, and determined that she’ll never miss another moment.
If Moroha was fighting for her, no matter the results, she will hold on till the end.
Shizuno was sitting beside Satsuki.
(I envy her.)
She could only hide those words and feelings inside her.
Of course, Moroha was in a desperate situation. It could even be said to be despairing.
It had reached the stage where you’ll want to stand up and screamed [STOP FIGHTING].
But, Moroha will never give up.
This is not a normal duel, but a fight for revenge putting his pride as a man on the line.
So, no matter how desperate the situation was, he will never give up.
Moroha continued to dodge the consecutive attacks that will KO him with one hit, just to bet on a minute chance for victory, and suffering more wounds in the meantime. Enduring enormous psychological pressure just to seek out any minor weakness and continuing to fight in this horrifying match.
All for Satsuki.
How could she not be envious?
(…What should I do?)
Shizuno continued to play with her errant lock of hair and tried to sort out her tangled feelings.
She had already formulated a plan for a counterattack in her heart.
A plan for Moroha’s victory——no, a plan that MIGHT lead to Moroha’s victory.
Why not tell him?
It was not due to her jealousy of Satsuki or any other type of selfish reasons. Compared to her strong hopes of [I wish for Moroha to win], those selfish reasons were insignificant.
If that plan was executed, Moroha’s school life will be turned upside down.
Because she knew this, she cannot decide if she should say it.
(…What would Moroha do?)
Looking in front, Moroha was trapped by construction materials.
At that point, Gen fiercely chopped his axe at Moroha.
At the very last moment, Moroha blocked the axe with his sword but his body was blown away and crashed into the high walls surrounding the training ground. It looked like his acc.u.mulated injuries are disabling.
His body was numbed to the point of paralysis.
Gen was laughing: “You are pathetic.”
Even so, ah, even so Moroha refused to give up.
Biting down on his teeth and desperately trying to move his body.
He still wanted to continue the fight, still wanted to claim victory.
Seeing Moroha’s desperate struggles, Shizuno dashed from her seat without any conscious decision.
She ran to along the perimeter of the gallery wall and arrived on the spot directly above where Moroha landed.
On top of Moroha’s head, on top of the wall, she cried out to her king.
“Did you forget? You should have another [Power]!”
Shizuno used her left hand to point at Gen, who was standing in the middle of the field as stolidly as a mountain.
“Remember quickly! You can do it! I guarantee it! So stop hesitating! Quickly!”
Abandoning her expressionless mask, she had on a face as if desperately longing for something——
Hearing Shizuno, Moroha subconsciously raised his left hand.
As he had impacted the wall with great force, he could only move slowly.
Even so, he forced himself to point his finger toward Gen who was strolling closer, confident in his victory.
“Uh?”
Gen stupidly pointed his own finger toward himself.
“What about me? Are you knocked stupid?”
Moroha cannot even summon the effort to be angry, and was putting his whole effort into moving his numb fingertip.
Following what Shizuno said, following what he had [remembered].
In the depth of his mind, something was madly rampaging around, roaring in anger:
“Your strength is not limited to this! Release it quickly!”
Moroha conquered the rising impulse and pain increasing in his head and forced himself to calm down. He took a deep breath.
『TRACE——』
And, aria:
『Purgatory of h.e.l.l, Conflagration of Gaia
Fire burn good and evil without prejudice, purifying all in its intense mercy
All beings revert to bones at death, Let the cremation rites begin』
While singing the aria in a hoa.r.s.e voice, at the same time——
Moroha’s fingertip, dependent on distant memories from tens of thousands of years ago, traced out the language of magic.
In thin air he traced out the trajectory of multiple glowing characters and completed three lines of complicated glyphs.
A process that allowed no room for errors in either his recollection or his writing.
Gen was getting closer.
(That’s it…..)
With the last of his strength, Moroha lightly tapped lightly on the floating, glowing characters.
The three lines of characters warped slightly.
That was all that happened.
(Did it fail……)
Moroha already had problems standing upright, so he leaned his back against the wall and slide down into a sitting position.
“Haimura, you understand the feelings of a weakling now? How would I know such a thing, I----idiot. How dare you lecture me? Let us begin the autopsy show that will induce horrifying screams from the female audience!”
Gen licked his lips with his tongue and lifted his axe with one hand.
“Looks like I’m the No.1, Haimura.”
“How boring….”
In front of the exhausted but bravely smiling Moroha, the warped lines of characters rotated into a swirl.
Slowly at first but picking up speed quickly, it finally spins at a high speed while throwing out sparks.
While absorbing the ambient light of the surrounding, it also shined brightly by itself.
Gen who was not paying any attention to it originally finally noticed it.
“What is this?”
Bending over, he looked intently into the rapidly rotating swirl of light.
In hindsight, even if he was taught by his genius brother, it was too harsh to blame Gen, who just entered school, for his [carelessness].
The swirl——
Suddenly turned into a ma.s.s of flames radiating a huge amount of heat and energy.
The flames swallowed up Gen like a living monster.
「————！————！————！————————！」
Set afire over his whole body, Gen rolled on the ground in pain.
His large body shook in convulsions and he was rolling around on the ground frenziedly.
Even worst, the flames were drawn into his body by his indrawn breath, resulting in his lungs being cooked evenly and thoroughly. Even his rights to death cries were denied to him.
The pain was unimaginable.
Even if you harden your body with 《Diamond Skin Link 》, you won’t be able to endure that amount of heat.
Even if you rolled on the floor, even if you activated prana throughout your body, you won’t be able to extinguish the flames created by Moroha’s mana.
To take away the life of its pitiful, pitiful prey, Step Three Dark Magic 《Incinerate》 merrily burned.
That’s right. It’s mana, the Dark Arts that Black Mages used.
The protector of Satsuki in his past life, Fraga who fought in the battlefield was a White Iron.
The King of Shizuno in his past life, Shu Saura who ruled the world was a Black Mage.
Due to Moroha having two past lives, he was able to use both Light Techniques and Dark Magic.
“Emergency!”
As the shout of the referee Tanaka-sensei, the teachers in the viewing gallery leaped down in a rush.
Teachers that were Black Mages extinguished the fire on Gen using water Dark Arts and Tanaka-sensei carried his blackened body out.
Moroha, still leaning against the wall, stared absentmindedly at the scene.
(So this…is a real battle.)
Gen was a strong opponent who cannot be defeated using immature Light Techniques.
Without Shizuno’s instructions to use——to learn to be able to use black magic, it would be impossible to grab victory from near defeat.
Anyway——
(You…were really an incurable idiot till the very end.)
A despicable s.a.d.i.s.t who loved to insult other people arrogantly. Who make fun of and laughed at Satsuki who was weaker than him.
The inferior personality characteristics all revealed in the duel.
In the very end, Gen screwed up his victory all by himself.
That was his difference to the final victor Moroha, with never gave up and fought to the very end.
Moroha glanced toward the ramnants of the smoking flames born from vengeance on the ground and sighed. He felt really tired and his whole body hurt. Now that his tense nerves were relaxed from his battle state, he was just sitting in a half-conscious state.
At this time, two voices shouted down at him from above:
“Moroha!”
It’s Satsuki and Shizuno.
Satsuki jumped down directly from the gallery, ignoring the height. Shizuno hesitantly debated taking a huge detour to the tunnel leading to the training ground, but in the end decided to remain in position and looked down from above.
“Is it painful?”
Satsuki wanted to touch Moroha’s chest, but drew back her hand.
As long as you concentrate, prana will increased the natural speed of healing and stanched his bleeding. But it’s probable that it’ll be impossible to fully wash away that patch of red dyed into the suit.
“It hurts like h.e.l.l; can you stroke it and say [Pain, Pain Fly Away]?”
“If you can still joke, looks like you are fine.”
“I feel that my body is going to scatter. Really, I don’t think I can move yet.”
“Idiot…..”
Satsuki knelt down, and ignoring his dirtied clothing, hug him gently.
A protest of [Satsuki-san you idiot, that’s unfair] came from above her, but Satsuki conveniently ignored it. Hot tears gathered as she looked at Moroha.
“Once again, you…kept our promise, Onii-sama. Even though it was such a far,far away promise.”
A time very,very long ago. A promise from the past life.
Only those words can Moroha remembered.
“As long as you worry for me——”
“——Onii-sama will always be victorious and returned to my side.”
Even if they had confirmed the promise several times, it still caused them to be emotional anew every time.
“So, we have to fulfil the new promise made today, right?” Satsuki closed her eyes and silently pushed her face closer.
(I think…I made a really…ridiculous promise.)
I’ll give you a kiss if you win——that’s what Satsuki said.
Moroha’s heart beat faster unconsciously.
He wanted to break away, but it felt like his body was paralysed. Well, the reason for the paralysis was that half of it was literally true due to injuries, and the other half was just an excuse.
Satsuki face came down so slowly that it made one wanted to scream in impatience.
Her sweet and hot breath was a.s.saulting his nose.
Moroha cannot stop staring at her luscious lips.
(It should be better if I closed my eyes?)
If he doesn’t do that, his heart will burst from the visual excitement.
(This is common in western countries. This is common in western countries. This is common in western countries……..)
Moroha waited with his eyes close.
Waited.
After waiting for ten seconds, thirty seconds, the kiss never came.
Moroha forced himself not to open his eyes even if he felt tempted.
Even if it’s Satsuki, she would need time to prepare her heart. If he were to do any actions that look as if he was rushing her, he’ll lose face as a man. After that consideration, the kiss finally arrived.
A small and soft feel was pasted onto Moroha’s lips.
While he knew that Satsuki was on the pet.i.te side, even he was very surprised to find her lips so small.
It felt like the lips of a child. Was there so much difference between the body makeup of a boy and a girl? The human body was simply mysterious.
Plus, the act of kissing was original a hot and exciting action!
When he was ambushed by Shizuno, he was not touched at all due to the lack of antic.i.p.ation and surprise.
From the gap between the lips, it felt as if a stream of energy invaded his body.
That stream of energy made Moroha’s temperature rise, disolving the pain throughout his body like mist.
Kiss BANZAI!!!!
Although it was h.e.l.lish fighting a deathmatch with Gen, Moroha was receiving a heavenly reward now.
Then, the lips were pulled away from him in an unpleasantly simple manner.
He felt reluctant at the parting of their contact.
Moroha, savouring the aftertaste of the kiss, opened his eyelids.
A small girl around the age of 10 was in front of his face.
“Who are you?” Moroha cannot help but blurted that out.
The blue eyes of the little girl seemed to be smiling mischievously.
Looking at her closely, she was a girl as cute as an angel, especially with her blond hair, blue eyes and radiant smile.
“Did the pain fly away?”
The girl asked Moroha that. And without waiting for an answer, ran away from him with a “pita pita” sound.
She ran to hide fully behind a female teacher who had been standing there for an undetermined amount of time, and only stick her head out from her hiding place.
The beautiful blond haired teacher with blue eyes, who looked to be ten years older than Moroha, was carefully looking at him.
Wearing a figure-hugging female suit with a pointed-hat like those wore by witches; the beautiful person can only be described as strange looking.
Where’s Satsuki? Looking around, he discovered her struggling to break free from being fully tied up. By a rope made of some strange material that’s moving around by itself like a snake. A part of the rope was forced between her teeth to prevent her from speaking and even her eyes were covered up.
“Impure relationship between genders is no good.” The beautiful adult threw an impish look at Moroha.
“Princ.i.p.al……why……?” Moroha was shocked into silence.
That’s right, this beautiful blond haired, blue eyed women was the principle of Akane Academy.
“The interaction between mana and prana can be very interesting. Normally they work in opposition to each other, but if you were to use your head slightly and think about it, the two forces can be made to support each other instead.” The princ.i.p.al candidly talked to him in a conversational tone.
“This child just sent some of her mana into your body though your mouths. Your prana reacted to the “invasion” and raised its defensive levels, which also in turn increase the healing and regenerative effects of your body.”
What? So it was just a medical procedure?
Frankly speaking, he was feeling a bit guilty over sharing a kiss with a child this small. Luckily, if the reason was as innocent as this, then he felt better in his heart.
“Do you need a more detailed explanation?”
Moroha shaked his head.
Because the principle did not appear in front of him to give him an educational lecture.
“I see that you have good observation skills.”
The principle used the brim of her hat to hide the expression of her face.
And said in a very serious tone:
“You are an
A question that changed Moroha’s fate.