Chapter 5 – Duel
「You are, Tendoji Ayato, I presume?」
Souji timidly starts a conversation with the hero’s little brother who the girl (twin-tails) is flirting with.
「What of it?」
「Will you have a duel with me?」
Tendouji Ayato is surprised to be asked so straightforwardly that he widely open his eyes, but he immediately replies with a smile and a nod.
「Sure, why not, I’ll accept your challenge.」
「Wait Ayato!? Your partner is――」
The girl with the twin-tail hair style is fl.u.s.tered and she tries to stop them. However, Tendouji Ayato paid it no mind and went over towards the teacher. Afterward, Souji followed suit.
「Sensei, may we have a duel.」
「Understood, Tendouji Ayato-kun and…… you, right?」
Kyouko is surprised to see Souji’s face, but right away she shows a serious expression and calls over the other teacher.
「Kimura-sensei (木村), can you be the referee for their duel.」
「Yes, leave it to me.」
The male teacher called Kimura showed a strange smile. The two are then invited to the center of the sports ground (field).
「I heard that’s Tendouji Setsuna’s younger brother.」
「Seriously!? I can’t miss this.」
The surrounding students, who had been clumsily fighting with their fantasy/ illusion weapons, along with the other teacher stopped what they’re doing to observe the hero’s younger brother.
Naturally, n.o.body sees the unknown person, Souji.
「Souji lay the beat down on that pathetic lady-killer!」
Well, except for his trusted friend Eisuke who he had met today.
「Good luck.」
Souji lightly waves his hand to his friend, before summoning Tonbokiri.
As if it was a fantasy, the weapon materialized in the palm of his hand.
「Armitize!」
Tendouji Ayato materialized his fantasy weapon, a one-handed sword that he wields using both his hands.
It is a western sword with beautiful decorations. However, it is difficult to determine the sword’s origins just by looking at it.
(Now that I think about it, this is my first time fighting an unknown opponent.)
Souji had dueled against his master (grandfather) many times but he had no experience dueling anyone else.
While being excited by this new experience, Souji rotates his spear in a half circle to where the pointed b.u.t.t-cap of the spear is facing Ayato.
（It should be alright if we have the phantom armor, but just in case.）
In all seriousness, trying to use a spear to stab at a living opponent is indeed frightening.
Although, a third party probably wouldn’t see it that way.
「What? Does this person not know how to use a spear?」
「Are you not taking this seriously; you’re the worst.」
The girls who fell for Tendouji’ Ayato’s looks thoughtless began to heckle Souji.
「Please wait, I’m only――」
Because they disagreed――Souji wasn’t given a chance to explain himself.
「Hiyaaa！」
Without waiting for the referee’s signal, Tendouji Ayato charges forward.
(Oh s.h.i.t!)
Although he was caught unprepared, Souji readies his spear.
This may only be a test, but they came here to fight.
It is disgraceful for someone from a martial artist family to look away from their opponent during the middle of a match.
「Seiyaa!」
Even though his opponent is human, Tendouji Ayato swings down his weapon without mercy.
When Souji had caught the unfaltering attack on his spear, he felt that something was off.
(Huh?)
「Hiyaaa！ Hayaaa！」
Tendouji Ayato shouts out his battle cry and begins to rain down a barrage of sword slashes one after another.
He swings the sword down with all his strength as if it was a metal bat.
There was not a hint of any martial arts skill behind his attack. The guy moved like a complete amateur.
「Are you really Tendouji Setsuna’s younger brother?」
As Souji easily handles the attacks, he asks a question.
And thus, Tendouji Ayato looked up and raises his voice even louder than before.
「Do not mention my sister!」
「Eh?」
While being bewildered by Ayato’s response, Souji continues to handle the barrage of slashes.
Compared to his grandfather’s spear that seemed to freely move like a serpent, Tendouji Ayato’s sword is moving so slowly that a dragonfly could rest on top of it. For Souji, it was a simple feat to avoid the attacks.
(How disappointing.)
Although it is impolite to his opponent, Souji couldn’t help but be disappointed.
Not only had she protected j.a.pan, she was the first in human history to obtain a fantasy weapon.
He had thought that the younger brother of the hero would be just as strong, but in reality, Ayato is merely an amateur.
(No, it was my selfish thought.)
Souji reflexed on his shameful way of thinking.
By having a biased viewpoint of the 『hero’s younger brother』, Tendouji Ayato, it resulted in Souji having an excessively high expectation of Ayato.
At his own convenience, Souji had held expectations for Ayato and suddenly it became disappointment; he also had not taken into consideration the social pressure that Ayato felt nor how the loss of his sister had affected Ayato. Souji thought his own actions to be disrespectful.
「Sorry.」
「What!?」
Tendouji Ayato shows a doubtful expression to Souji’s sudden apology and continues his attack.
However, the spear user who has already seen through his opponent’s skill is no longer on defense.
Souji stops the slash and kicks Ayato in the stomach.
「Ugh!」
「Hey, using your feet to attack is cowardly!」
The heckling from the group of girls doesn’t disturb the combat ready Souji.
Ayato is currently in a good range for an attack from Souji’s spear. And thus, Souji made a thrust with the spear’s pointed b.u.t.t-cap.
「Uffuu!」
He stabs his opponent in the shoulder. While Ayato is trying to regain his balance, Souji bashed him in the head and then proceeds to knock Ayato down by sweeping at his feet, and then finally, delivering a finishing blow by thrusting the spear b.u.t.t-cap into Ayato’s chest.
This is the basics of the Soraichiryuu style of spearsman-ship.
As the name implies, the spear techniques involves 『performing a dozen strikes, knocking the opponent off balance, and pushing the opponent backwards』; this involves striking the opponent either 『from below, from the sides, or from above』mulitple times from all directions.
「Uwhaaaa―――!」
Upon taking the 3 hit combo, Tendouji Ayato cried out as he fell to the ground.
「Phew……」
Souji lightly exhales as he lets down his guard.
His grandfather would alway say, 「when you’re holding your spear, always be prepared for combat」.
「「「…………」」」
Upon the conclusion of the match, the audience falls silent. Souji pays no mind to the fallen Tendouji Ayato, he turns around and calls out to the teacher.
「Sensei.」
「…………」
「Kimura-sensei」
「W-what is it!?」
「Where is the signal.」
Souji is inquiring about the end of the match from the teacher who is the referee.
「…………」
However, the teacher stays silent as the victory hasn’t been decided.
「Hey, declare Souji the winner already.」
「…………」
Eisuke insist they hurry, but the teacher shows a dumbfounded expression and doesn’t say anything.
「Why are just standing there, the lady killer is already beaten, ouch! What are you doing!」
Eisuke turns around to see who had struck him on the back of the head. Behind him is the girl with the twin tail hair style and a group of girls.
「You, don’t count it as Ayato’s lost at your own convenience!」
「Eh, no, look at reality――」
「That’s right, Ayato-kun hasn’t lost yet!」
「He isn’t even using his spear properly, and not to mention kicking is foul play!」
「W-what are you saying? This isn’t a sport――」
「A foul is a foul, that person is a coward!」
Eisuke listens to the girls complains, but all they were doing was criticizing Souji.
However, not all the girls had the same opinion.
「Hey now, stop with the false accusations.」
Although a single girl tried to step in, the commotion didn’t stop.
「I don’t agree, I call for a redo!」
「Ayato-kun will definitely win!」
「I won’t accept that person’s cowardice!」
The group of girls hysterically shouted out in an attempt to revoke the results.
「How did things end up this way……」
Souji questions how the girls ended up blaming him.
It is a bad idea to take one’s eye off of a fallen opponent.
「……there is no way I can lose, Ahhh―――!」
Tendouji Ayato suddenly stands up and give a battle cry.
And thus, from the sword he is gripping with both hands comes a radiant golden light.
「What the?」
Ayato has invoked his fantasy weapon’s special power.
But, from what legend does the golden sword originate from?
Souji didn’t have the time to consider the sword’s origin.
「Hiyiiiiii―――！」
A golden light streams from the sword that Tendouji Ayato is wielding and becomes an enormous blade that splits the sky.
「What the!?」
The pressure emitted by the blade of light causes Souji’s body to tremble.
What would happen if that person swings down his sword where the students and teachers are standing around?
The hero’s younger brother needs to be stopped before he can swing down the sword.
「Excalibur―――!」
Like a falling giant the blade of light slowly descends from the sky as it emits a thunderous sound.
It would’ve been easy for Souji to avoid the attack by leaping to the side.
However, the Eisuke, the group of girls, the other students, along with the other teachers behind him who are awestruck by the blade of light wouldn’t be able to dodge it in time.
「I have no choice.」
In an attempt to stop the approaching enormous blade of light, Souji runs with all his strength and then throws his spear.
「I’m counting on you, Tonbokiri!」
The spear’s dragonfly blade confronts the holy sword’s light.
However, the force from the blade of light pushes Tonbokiri back, causing the spear’s b.u.t.t to be implanted into the ground.
「Tsk……!」
However, Souji and his spear acts as a pillar in a desperate attempt to hold back the blade of light.
「Runaway, hurry!」
He had no time to turn around and check, but did his words reach the people behind him?
Not long after, Tonbokiri had reached its operation limit.
Shattering!
「Ah……」
Souji apologizes to his spear before his body is swallowed by the torrent of light and his consciousness falls into darkness.