Chapter 58
Ranking Duel.
Victor and Kaitlyn's slave wager.
Over the past few days, a certain narrative had taken root among the upper-ranked students.
-Victor? He is kind of arrogant···.
-He definitely gives off the vibe of someone who acts too big for his britches.
A smear campaign originating in Class B.
The narrative spread beyond Classes A and B, swallowing even Class D.
At least the students in Class C did not go along with it, since they remembered having their souls beaten out of them by Victor.
-I hear he's even trying to go toe-to-toe with Class B's top student now?
-He's lost his mind···. How impressive can he be, just because he's Class E's top student?
-I hear his overall stats are E-grade, too. What kind of confidence does he have to pick a fight like that?
-I heard he knows a few cheap tricks. Didn't he beat Class C's top student in a really bizarre way last time?
-No··· Well, I did watch that match in admiration. But that still doesn't mean he can match Class B's top student!
Of course.
The masked boy was pleased with that narrative.
‘Good··· I told those Class C guys not to go around telling people I stripped them to the soul during practical training. Looks like they kept their word.’
It was all thanks to the commendable cooperation of the Class C students.
Victor had no intention of stopping the waves crashing toward him.
He simply intended to drift along, carried away by the turbulent currents.
-If someone from a higher class bullies him, he should just take it quietly. That talentless bastard doesn't even know his place.
-He was definitely annoying. Honestly, if he got first place in practical training, the reason is obvious. Lady Kihano, who was on the same team, must have done all the work.
-And it wasn't even that big a gap, right? Then it's obvious. He just quietly rode on Lady Kihano's score.
-And he still walked around with his head held high?
The narrative continued to spread.
Victor did not respond at all.
At the same time, he merely told the other students he knew not to do anything.
He told them to leave things alone and let Class B do whatever it was planning.
-I hope Kaitlyn stomps him flat this time.
-Definitely~ People like that need to be crushed so they never act up again.
-I absolutely have to go see this ranking duel.
A stage drawing everyone's attention.
At a glance, it seemed like Class B had designed the whole spectacle, but in reality, it was merely rolling around in the palm of someone's hand.
And it did not take the students long to realize that fact.
***
Kzzzt-!
Fierce sparks surged violently.
Visual effects filled the training arena as though cracks were splitting open in midair.
The high-voltage current bleached the entire field of vision white before condensing into a bright yellow mass and exploding.
Light flashed.
KABOOM-!
A copper-colored fist shot forward like lightning.
It moved so fast that even following it with one's eyes was difficult.
The next moment, the girl had closed the gap and was right in front of my nose.
“Got you, you bastard!”
“Oh my.”
Without flinching, I pressed the button on my pocket watch.
Along with the ticking of its hands, the world slowed down.
Click-.
The world flowed like a slow-motion scene.
Even after I reduced her speed once, her fist was still conspicuously fast.
I dodged the girl's attack by the narrowest of angles.
“Ngh···.”
Crack-!
A small spark of static jumped lightly and ran up my cheek.
Black soot remained, followed by a small explosion.
KABOOM-!
“Hup.”
“What? You're still fine after that?”
The mask remained without a single scratch amid the billowing smoke.
Kaitlyn frowned and withdrew her fist.
Ding-!
[The item ‘Evil God's Mask’ has been activated.]
-Uses remaining: 2/3
-Time until charges replenish: 47 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds
A blue window floated up before my eyes.
I swung the pitch-black scythe wide.
“Start-up. Thorns.”
Shraaak-!
Thorns unfolded in every direction, and Kaitlyn stepped back.
The prickling energy receded. It gave me a brief moment to catch my breath.
I gathered Wriggler back into the shape of a scythe.
“You··· have some endurance, huh? I thought you'd drop in one hit.”
Kzzzt-!
Once again, electricity coursed over her copper-colored skin.
The girl leaped with a flash of bright yellow light.
“Now this is fun to play with···!”
Whoosh-!
Static shot out in a chain.
I had to keep pressing the watch without a moment's rest.
Each time, the scene slowed for three seconds, then accelerated and played out again.
Click-.
Click-.
Click-.
By the narrowest of margins, I dodged her fists several times.
The surrounding air had been heated by the crackling current.
In the face of the writhing lightning raining down, I spread Wriggler into a broad shape in my hand.
“Start-up. Umbrella.”
Clack-.
The umbrella unfolded until it was as large as a parasol.
Since Wriggler was made of a material that did not conduct electricity, it could easily block attacks like these.
‘What I need to watch out for··· is her speed.’
Kaitlyn was fast.
In terms of speed alone, she was among the top three first-years.
If I hadn't had the Slowdown Bug, I would have been beaten senseless and forced to retire long ago.
Click-.
“Fuck! You slippery rat, dodging this way and that!”
“Thank you for the compliment. By contrast, Miss Gay Dentures, you're having quite a hard time catching me.”
“Don't call me by that fucking name···!”
KABOOM-!
Flashes of light bleached my vision several times.
I spoke as though I were relaxed, but even I was beginning to feel the strain on my body.
Even if the bug allowed my perception to keep up, reacting accordingly was another matter.
“You fucking bastard! I'm going to burn you to death···!”
“Rather than ‘fucking bastard,’ wouldn't ‘bastard with a dick’ be more accurate?”
“Shut up!”
Of course, it seemed I wasn't the only one getting tired.
Ten minutes had already passed since the duel began.
The fight had turned into something resembling a game of tag.
By then, Kaitlyn was breathing quite heavily as well.
“Haa, haa···!”
“Oh? You seem oddly tired.”
“I believe I told you to shut up.”
Kaitlyn's weakness.
In exchange for overwhelming explosive power, she ran out of steam quickly.
That was the decisive reason she had failed to enter Class A and remained Class B's top student.
“What should I do~ I haven't even broken a sweat yet.”
“You goddamn bastard···!”
KABOOM-!
The copper-colored fist and the scythe collided.
Perhaps because the fight had turned out to be far more intense than expected,
the cadets in the spectator stands were unusually excited as well.
-What···? It's way more intense than I expected!
-She's insanely fast! He's dodging every single one of those attacks by a hair's breadth!
-No way. He's actually matching Class B's top student? He's not dropping in one hit···?
-How does he bend only the exact angle he needs to dodge from that stance?
Voices filled with admiration.
A high-level duel.
Kaitlyn's dazzling lightning and me dodging every single strike.
It was a spectacle that captivated everyone, regardless of their class ranking.
-What are you doing! Kaitlyn can't beat a single Class E student?
-Idiot, does he look like an ordinary Class E student to you? How could those movements belong to Class E's top student?
-And he's got an excellent sense for using his weapon, too. Is he spreading it as wide as possible to prevent it from conducting electricity···?
The murmurs of the spectators reached us on the training arena without losing a single word.
Admiration, praise, interest, and amusement directed at me.
Doubt, suspicion, disappointment, and contempt directed at Kaitlyn.
The many voices soon blended into an atmosphere that settled over the arena.
“Ghk···!”
The spectators' gazes grew increasingly focused.
Had she grown impatient without realizing it?
Kaitlyn gradually increased her speed.
The color of the current deepened as though it were overloading.
Kzzzaaa-!
“Just get hit already···!”
“Ah.”
KABOOM-!
For one brief moment, my footing tangled, and the copper-colored fist struck me directly.
A flash far brighter than before exploded.
I quickly brushed away the black soot that remained.
Ding-!
[The item ‘Evil God's Mask’ has been activated.]
-Uses remaining: 1/3
-Time until charges replenish: 47 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds
Two charges had already been consumed.
I could only click my tongue.
‘I knew she was good, but I didn't expect her to be this good···.’
Her skill was unquestionably excellent.
Solid fundamentals.
Well-honed instincts.
Reach that covered both close and long range.
And speed that flashed like lightning···.
‘······But that's all.’
It was not enough to call her the best.
It was difficult to call her a genius.
That was why the girl had remained in Class B instead of entering Class A.
She had clawed her way upward through sheer effort, making up for what she lacked.
“This bastard···! Why doesn't a single scratch appear even when I land an attack? What the hell are you pulling?”
“Who knows?”
I shrugged.
By the narrowest of margins···.
The fight remained taut, like a tug-of-war.
Kaitlyn pressed forward like a madwoman, but she had nothing to show for it.
If anything, her mana was steadily running low, and even the fierce current was gradually losing its momentum.
“A trick···.”
A game of tag.
It was almost time for the chaser to change.
“I haven't even shown you a proper trick yet.”
Wriggle, wriggle-.
I sharpened Wriggler and returned it to its original scythe shape.
Perhaps it was because my stance had changed.
Kaitlyn hesitated for a moment.
Unlike before, when I had focused solely on defense, I was now unmistakably preparing to attack.
“······.”
“Come at me.”
I tossed out the words lightly.
Perhaps that alone was enough to scrape against the girl's pride.
Kaitlyn clenched her teeth and wrapped electricity around her fingertips.
“Fuck··· This bastard and that bastard, everyone keeps looking down on me and acting like assholes.”
Her distinctive golden eyes flashed.
“Now even an E Class piece of trash···.”
KRAAAK-!
The voltage filled the air of the training arena with scorching heat.
Kaitlyn planted her foot, then kicked off the ground and leaped.
Crackle-.
A weak flicker sounded, and the girl's silhouette vanished.
Before long, copper-colored skin appeared right in front of me.
It was fast enough to pass for teleportation.
“Aaaaaaaaaah!!”
She threw a punch with a rough battle cry.
My vision turned white as light flashed.
But I did not retreat.
Click-.
I merely smiled.
As though I had been waiting for this exact situation.
“······.”
Kaitlyn's magic: Lightning (電擊).
The most basic spell among them was high-speed movement.
It was a spell that wrapped electricity around her entire body and accelerated her movements.
‘And.’
This was classified as a buff applied to herself.
In other words, it received the same classification as a status ailment.
“Got you.”
Whoosh-!
I swung the scythe toward the charging copper-colored fist.
Its trajectory curved as though shaving away the attack.
At the same time, a status window rose before my eyes.
Ding-!
[The trait ‘Status Effect Parry’ activates.]
Immediately afterward.
The light flickering beside Kaitlyn went out.
Like a switch being turned off, the current that had been writhing around her died down.
“······?!”
Kaitlyn stopped in place.
Unable to understand what had happened, she froze blankly.
I threw one unbearable word at the dazed girl before me.
“Huh?”
Kaitlyn Letus.
A battle mage who practiced martial arts based on self-buffs.
For her, her matchup with me was···.
“Kaitlyn's current··· disappeared?”
The absolute worst possible matchup.