Due to the contract I formed with Tiamat, every time we dream, we occasionally share our memories to each other. She doesn’t mind letting me know her past, so at least I don’t feel any guilt after I wake up.

  “Huh, where am I…”

  She had been travelling around the world for a few thousand years before being sealed up, so it’s hard to pinpoint right away what era I’m at right now.

  All I know is that I’m inside some sort of castle, or should I say the training ground inside it. As I’m wandering on the verdant grass, I look up to the sky. I close my eyes and take a deep breath so I can feel this fresh air of a sunny day.

  “…!”

  The swinging and shouting sounds caught my attention, so I look back down. Not too far from where I’m standing, I can see a bunch a people gathering together.

  It seems like they’re the knights of this pce based on the shining armors, so I approach them to see what they’re doing. Of course, there’s one big problem.

  “I can’t understand a word they’re saying, so that’s a great start…”

  This is all just a dream, so my inference doesn’t change anything besides the fact that they’re speaking a nguage I’m not familiar with.

  Despite that, at least I know that the knights are training and at first gnce, they’re doing an impressive work.

  Some are practicing magic with dummies and targets, while others form various defense formations for war games. A little to the right, some knights are facing off for a hand-to-hand practice matches.

  “Amazing…”

  To witness such a scene like this is an honor to me. It’s like I’m watching the perfect symphony of strength and fluidity. It’s out of this world, yet so close to my heart.

  “Huh, I wonder who their mentor is…But then again…That’s far from what I actually want to know…”

  Leaving them behind, I look around, trying to find a clue about the pce. I’m not too good at History, so my first guess is that I’m in the medieval age, and that’s about it.

  I can’t really tell exactly the year, but the symbol…I think I’ve seen it somewhere before.

  “…!”

  As I’m still figuring out what the symbol stands for, a familiar voice interrupts me. I turn around and run towards that voice. Doing that brings me back to where it all begin: the training ground.

  “Tiamat…”

  Unsurprisingly, Tiamat is here as well. What surprise me however is that it seems like she’s giving instruction to the knights, meaning that she’s their mentor.

  I slowly walk to Tiamat, not to get her attention, but to have a closer look at what she’s doing. All of sudden, she turns around and says something. I already knew that she’s not talking to me, so I step aside to see the whole picture.

  “…”

  From behind me, a handsome blonde man slowly walks to Tiamat. Despite wearing quite a bulky and heavy armor, he still moves smoothly like it’s nothing. From the look of it, I’m guessing he’s the leader of the knights.

  Not only that, Tiamat and him seem to have a great retionship. The more I see them talk and enjoy their moment together, the more tragic it is to see her falling off with humanity.

  At first, I thought that it’s a normal thing since she’s a literal god, but soon I realized that was never the case.

  Her love and faith for humanity is bigger than I could ever imagine, so for them to betray her like that, it shattered her.

  That “love and faith” had turned into “hatred and frustration”, and it’s been brewing for years now. I can only imagine what bane and disaster she’ll bring upon us mortals if I didn’t get involved into her world.

  She’s lucky enough to have a second chance to make things right, but it’s still hurt me a bit to see this path to tragedy of her.

  “Huh, what the…”

  Before I even knew it, everything around me starts fading away. The castle, the knights, Tiamat, everything just slowly disintegrates into the void, never return ever again.

  I close my eyes for a minute. The moment I open them back, the scenery around me changes: no castle, no medieval symbol whatsoever, just a bedroom with a red hair woman sleeping next to me.

  “Oh yeah, it was all just a dream…”

  I reach to my phone while my face is still sweating from the dream. After that, I head to the bathroom, getting ready for a brand new day ahead of me.

  “So you took a trip to Spain huh Master…”

  “Yeah, presumably. You were there too, so you must have known about the pce already, didn’t you?”

  “Well yes Master, at least from your description. “Crown of Castile”, that’s what you’re looking for. Nice pce I must say. I wasn’t there for too long, so my memories are still somewhat hazy and indistinct.”

  “It’s alright, you don’t need to push yourself. You can’t undo something in the past, so the best way to not let those memories wasted is to live for today and tomorrow. At least, that’s what I think is the right thing to do…”

  “Yeah, you’re right Master.”

  On my way to the academy, I told Tiamat about the dream. It’s been a common thing for a while now, and I’m starting to like those conversations.

  We don’t have much time to talk to each other due to me still being a student, so this topic is a great way for us to know more about each other.

  Of course, it’s not like we want to relive those embarrassment memories once again, but sometimes it’s nice to remind you what type of person you used to be, all the roadblocks and struggles you faced alongside the path you took to overcome those.

  “So about the new technique…it’s 80% done now right?”

  “Yes Master. You were able to enhance abilities with more complexity, but you still need more time to master it fully. But as for now, you’re doing good Master.”

  My mana transferring training is progressing very well and like Tiamat said, I’ll be able to bring it into battle soon. All I need is a little more push and I’m good to go.

  “Well, let’s hope what I have right now is enough to deal with “him”…”

  “Haha, don’t worry Master, I’m sure that kid won’t be a challenge to you at all!”

  The “kid” Tiamat mentioned is Arazaki Kuroto, a student from css 3-A. He’s a great student and fighter, that was until we discovered that he has been abusing illegal substances for a while.

  Tiamat is still keeping an eye on him, and according to her, no suspicious movement has been detected from Kuroto-senpai. Consider the situation, it’s quite weird I must say. I guess we underestimate his willpower a bit.

  “Hey, don’t count others out like that. It’s not like I’m dealing with him on my own like that.” I said jokingly.

  Since this is a serious situation, the Student Council has no other choice but to step in. We had formed a pn in advance, so it’s just the matter of how things would py out.

  After a few more minutes of walking, I finally arrive at the academy. I’m temporarily working as a commentator for the ongoing [Summer Tournament], so I have to be there and prepare myself mentally as soon as possible.

  “Well, as expected, not many people show up this early…”

  Since it’s still only 7:30 in the morning, the stadium is still somewhat empty. As I’m heading to the cabin, besides the security and the staffs lead by Kariuda-san, not many students come here at this time of the day.

  I connect the microphone and check it a few times, making sure it works properly. After that, I take out a piece of paper, in which the information about today’s matchups is written on.

  I’m still an amateur, so this piece of paper is basically my lifesaver. I’m sure the professional do the same, but it’s still an important item to me regardless.

  I read it thoroughly, not leaving anything behind. As I’m still digesting those information, Takebeya-senpai goes to the cabin, with Atagi-senpai following him right behind.

  “My my Yasutaira-kun, don’t you think you’re doing too much? Rex, everything is gonna be alright!” Atagi-senpai said.

  The two seniors sits down right beside me and does the same procedure effortlessly. They’ve done this before, so it doesn’t take them that long.

  “Oh dear, I wonder how the crowds would react to the first match…”

  “Yeah Miwako, they don’t know about the “problem”, so I feel like they would be somewhat disappointed…”

  “Well Atagi-senpai, I’m sure the remaining seven matches would fill up that void just fine.”

  Still having some times left on the clock, we decide to chat for a bit, giving out our thoughts on the 1/16 round. My seniors are far more experienced than I am, so they’re more capable of deeper analyzing.

  I can still keep up with them, just only enough to make a conversation.

  As time flies, more and more students come to the stadium. The silence and emptiness has been repced with excitement and festive vibes from the crowds.

  With that, the 1/16 round of [Summer Tournament] has officially begun.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 1/16 round of the [Summer Tournament]! With only sixteen fighters left, the stake is higher than ever! What will happen next? Who will advance to the quarterfinals? Let the battle begins!”

  With those words, Atagi-senpai sets the crowds on fire. The remaining sixteen contestants had put on an amazing performance to get here, that’s exactly what they’ll have to do until the end of the tournament if they want to be the champion.

  The fan-favorites are all gathered here to deliver the fight of their life, so it’s no surprise that the crowds would want to see the greatest show ever.

  Sitting in the cabin, I can see and hear everyone’s excitement in the air. Drums, chants, banners, crazy fans that brought all of them to the arena, you name it.

  “From the right corner, she’s the newcomer that has been causing some waves in just a few short months. Some says she’s the rookie of the year, others see her as the new sensation of this generation. Give it up for Takenada Mitsuko!”

  A blonde beauty emerges from the tunnel, and that alone is enough to get the stadium shaking. Through the monitor, I can see some banners with Takenada-san’s name attached on them being held everywhere. Some of her die-hard fans even chant for her as well.

  Seeing all of that, the only thing I can do is ugh it off. When your best friend is arguably one of the most famous and well-known students in the entire academy, you know this kind of reaction would happen inevitably.

  “Oh my, the crowds seem excited don’t you think Masayuki-kun?”

  “Well Miwako, millions of followers on social media isn’t for show. And with her recent performances, she might win it all!”

  “But first Takabeya-senpai, she needs to get through our next contestant. From the left corner, don’t be fooled by his beauty, you don’t want to awake the beast inside him. From css 3-A, Arazaki Kuroto!”

  The earlier energy from the crowds has gone down a little bit after my announcement. This isn’t to disrespect him or anything, he’s famous, that’s for sure, but compare to Takenada-san, it’s not even close.

  Despite that, it’s still an interesting matchup regardless. In terms of power, they’re equally strong. They have their own set of skills that define who they are and what they’ll bring to the table.

  No matter what the outcome will be, it’s going to be a feast to the crowds’ eyes.

  At least, that’s what the audience think…

  “Oh dear, it seems like Kuroto-kun is nowhere to be seen. Where could he be?” Atagi-senpai was the first to point out the problem.

  Unsurprisingly, the spectators go from exciting to worrying about Kuroto-senpai. Unlike us, they don’t know the truth about him, so they have no clue as to why he isn’t here right now.

  “Well, according to the rulebook, when a contestant doesn’t show up ten minutes after the announcement, they’ll be disqualified immediately. Two minutes has passed, so wherever you are right now Arazaki-kun, you’d better hurry up.”

  After hearing Takabeya-senpai’s words, the crowds start murmuring, wondering what is happening right now. Some are relieved that their favorite competitor will move on easily, others are quite annoyed and disappointed that they won’t get to see arguably one of the most exciting fights of the day.

  Down the ring, to kill time, Takenada-san and Kairuda-san decide to talk for a bit. Unlike the confused spectators, they already knew about the incident, so they can be more rexing, at least until Kuroto-senpai is officially disqualified.

  And speaking of him, of course we can’t ignore the possibility that he might take the chance to sneak attack. I ask Tiamat, and she confirms that he isn’t here.

  I let out a small sigh of relief, low enough to not being recognized whatsoever.

  I am not a god, so I can’t just control everything or even alter anything I deem eye-soring. The fact that my pn is still going well up until now is impressive enough.

  Things can still get out of hand, but we’re more than prepare to take on anything he’ll throw at us.

  “Ten minutes has passed, and it seems like Kuroto-senpai still doesn’t show up. Let’s see what the judge has to say.”

  Everyone looks down the ring as I said those words. They’re all breathlessly awaiting for the final decision from Kariuda-san. She’s still discussing something with Takenada-san, but soon after, what will be will be.

  “The judge…she’s holding Mitsuko-chan’s arm and raises it up! The decision has been made! Takenada Mitsuko will move on to the quarterfinals due to her contestant not showing up on time!” Atagi-senpai announced.

  Unsurprisingly, the crowds’ reaction is rather…conflicting. On one hand, they’re happy that she has guaranteed a spot in the next round. On the other hand, some are underwhelmed with the result, and I can’t bme them.

  “My my, not getting off to a good start huh? I’m happy that my lovely junior will get more taste of [Summer Tournament], but man I wish we actually got to see the fight.” Atagi-senpai said in a somewhat disappointing tone of voice.

  “Well Miwako, we still have seven matches to go, so let’s keep our heads high and end it with a bang, shall we?”

  “Yeah Atagi-senpai, you know what they said: “the show must go on”!”

  After that, Takenada-san leaves the ring and goes up to the stand to pick up an empty seat. The crowds, now having more time to digest what just happened, gdly accept the result.

  Just like that, we continue with the next matches, not worrying about Kuroto-senpai for the moment.

  (Yamamoto Nahoka’s POV)

  “And now, from the right corner, she’s the angel of our academy, but fear her, for what she’s capable of on the ring. From css 3-B, Touda Matsuho!”

  After Yasutaira-kun’s announcement, I can hear the crowds cheering in excitement. This academy is filled with talents, so every match is a guaranteed hit no matter what.

  Beside Takenada-chan’s obvious victory, the second match ended up with a rather surprise, as Sakama-kun, despite being an underdog, took home the win and move on to the quarterfinals.

  I would totally root for Touda-senpai to win the next match, she’s my one and only idol, but right now…there’s something I need to do first…

  “So you’ve come…”

  “…”

  “Tsk, not even bother responding huh…”

  Standing in front of me is Arazaki Kuruto, a third-year student from this academy. The guards was told to stand by, not provoke him and report to me, so the majority of them are all gathered around the stadium, with a few of them wandering around to detect him.

  His current state…isn’t the best I’ve seen from him, in fact, he looks even worse than I expected. He’s still wearing the academy’s uniform with a red and while jacket outside, so you can still tell he’s a student.

  Although, saying he’s a “student” is far-fetched, as I no longer consider him one after everything he’s done so far.

  Once a role model with fans wanting to be just like him, but little did they realize, their idol turns out to be a drug addict on the loose and might possibly ruin the academy’s reputation for good.

  With that being said, I don’t care if [Rising Phoenix] is behind this or not, but to me, this is personal. He dared to take away my victory like that, and he’s going to pay for all of his action.

  “Oi Kuroto-senpai, are you even there? Say something or I’ll come there and make you!”

  “Get…out…”

  “Huh? What is that you’re saying senpai? I can’t hear you!”

  “Get…GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!!!!”

  “Tsk, I poked the damn bear…”

  With that roar, Kuroto-senpai runs towards me while his sword is still behind his back. I quickly tell the guards to prepare for the worst and clench my fist, ready to take on him.

  “TAKE THIS!”

  “Too slow…”

  Kuroto-senpai punches me straight in my face, but I easily dodge the attack. Despite being slightly faster than the previous counter, it’s still nothing compare to the [Speed Demon]. And to further prove it…

  “[Fist of Fury]”

  I approach him and deliver a one-inch punch. By applying [Acceleration] and [Magic Force Field] at the right moment, every hit I put out is like a drill piercing through his flesh.

  Everyone is inside the stadium, and since the guards were told to back down, I can freely hit him as much as I want, as long as I keep him away from the stadium.

  Of course I don’t intend to take his life, he’ll still survive regardless.

  “Gargh!!”

  Taking the hit in the right chest, Kuroto-senpai’s mouth starts gushing out blood as he falls back a few meters. I really want to enjoy the beating, but I need to finish this fight quickly before the “alter ego” shows up and ruins everything for everyone.

  “Hah…Hah…My chest, it’s…Kargh!”

  “I’m sorry senpai, but you did this to yourself…”

  The moment he gets back up, I drop kick him to the face with the same speed as my previous attack. Not letting Kuroto-senpai have a chance to recover, I quickly flip myself back to build momentum for another hit.

  “And this…This is for your dirty win.”

  I elbow to his stomach, followed by a knee to his chin as I’m holding his shoulder, before ending the combo with an elbow chop right to his forehead. Everything was done within a span of half a second, so there’s no way he can bounce back in time.

  “Hugh!”

  Unable to neutralize my attacks, Kuroto-senpai took on quite some damage and fell back to the ground. I don’t know how many bones I broke, but judging by how he’s struggling to recover, I’d say a few.

  “What’s wrong senpai? Too much to handle?”

  As he’s still trying to get up, I provoke him, mainly to see if there’s something suspicious going on right in front of my nose. I may have the advantage right now, but things could take a turn at any given time.

  There’s no time to screw around, this fight will end with the next attack.

  “Get out…Get out…Get out…”

  “Do you really think that I’ll let you do that? After everything you’ve done to me? To sensei? To Ayami-senpai? That’s it, I’m taking you down, right now!”

  “Aya…Ayami…?”

  Ignoring his whisper, I run towards him as fast as possible and knee kick his face with my left leg. As he’s falling back, I deliver a hard jab right in his guts. Getting hit back to back, Kuroto-senpai starts gushing out blood again.

  “Oh you’re not going anywhere!”

  I grab his jacket colr and wrestle him to the ground. The impact alone is enough to break through the brick ground, and that’s exactly my intention.

  “And this…is to finish it all off…”

  I quickly jump as high as possible to the sky, building as much momentum as I can. Sensei told me to not care too much about colteral damage, so bad news Kuroto-senpai, I won’t hold back, at all.

  “[Supersonic Descending Fist]!”

  After reaching the needed height, I raise my fist and fall down to Kuroto-senpai. I aim to hit him right in his stomach, marking him down lower on the ground.

  Some might say this is way too overkill, but just think about this for a second.

  Regardless of his intention, what he’s done is not something that can be easily forgiven. If he wants to make things right, that alter ego must be killed.

  At least, that’s how I pn this all out.

  “Tsk, you damn bastard…”

  I cancelled the attack right in the st moment. Instead, I switched it to [Air Punch] and swung my fist to the side, deflecting myself far from Kuroto-senpai.

  I nd right in front of the stadium and immediately get into defense position. I felt something fishy coming from Kuroto-senpai, and it shows right away.

  “Ayami…Ayami…AYAMI!!!!!”

  After devolving himself into only saying a single word, a dark bubble starts covering around him as he flies up to the sky.

  All the winds around him form into multiple small cyclones, making me struggle to stay on the ground.

  To make things worse, the clear blue sky from earlier has now been repced with bck clouds and thunders. It’s affecting the entire stadium, and that alone is enough to cause some troubles.

  The guards, already realizing how dangerous it is, draw their weapons out and ready to jump in. I quickly tell them to stand back and instead focus on the audience inside the arena.

  After that, I keep on resisting the wind while struggling to take off my jacket. I can feel the pure overwhelming negative and chaotic energy coming from him, and I’ll be lying if I said that isn’t a threat.

  “RARGHH!!!!”

  A loud scream emanates from the bck bubble as it’s breaking apart, turning itself into some kind of shining ball. Lucky for us, no student is around here, so at least we don’t have to worry about casualties.

  “Heh, you sure know how to piss me off senpai…”

  I smile unconsciously, knowing that this is just the beginning of the crazy day I’ve ever experienced.

  (Yasutaira’s POV)

  “Hey Master, did you hear that?” Tiamat asked me through [Telepathic Line].

  “Pretty sure I tasted it too.”

  The worst scenario has happened, and I do not like it at all.

  Eight minutes into the third match, as the two contestants are still probing each other, the entire stadium is cover in bck clouds. No thunders have yet to strike down the arena, but the sound of them has caught the crowds’ attention.

  Inside the ring, the fighters seem to notice it too and decide to stop the match temporarily. During that time, one of the drones flew off the arena and headed outside.

  The crowds may feel confused about everything, but to us, this is exactly what we’ve expected.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, it seems like there’s an issue outside of the arena. We’ve sent a drone to check it, so please hold tight to your seat and calm yourself down.” Takabeya-senpai reassured the worried crowds.

  Besides the one we sent, every other cameras and drones have been shut down, meaning there’s nothing to show on the big screen, yet.

  “What the…”

  “Oh my god…”

  The moment the screen starts working again, what’s on it shocks the entire audience.

  “Isn’t that…Kuroto-senpai?”

  Someone on the stand realizes who the person shown on the screen is and starts panicking. Soon, the entire arena start wondering how is that even possible.

  Arazaki Kuroto, one of the third-year students, is facing off against another student. Known as the [Speed Demon], Yamamoto Nahoka-senpai is trying her best to keep Kuroto-senpai from approaching the arena.

  The temporarily calmness has reverted to fright and fear all around the arena. They don’t act like that because of the fight. More so, it’s something, or should I say someone they’re afraid of.

  “Oh dear, he even looks worse than I imagined…” Atagi-senpai said.

  The drone is flying far enough to not intervening the fight, so we’re getting a pretty clean shot. What’s not clean however is right now, the Kuroto that Nahoka-senpai is fighting isn’t the same person that he used to be.

  To be more specifically, Kuroto-senpai now looks like an amalgamation of golem and human in the worst way possible.

  His entire upper body with the exception of the right arm has enrged and hardened up. He grew taller as well, as all of his clothes had been ripped apart, leaving only his pants intact.

  His head has deformed beyond recognizable, with half of his face being covered in stone. His mouth is drooling nonstop while his teeth has sharpen up, making him look like a blood-thirsted beast.

  We were expecting some screaming around the arena, but it seems like everyone is too scared to even do something.

  Their legs are shaking, some even breathe heavily as the result of witnessing what’s going on right now.

  “Attention students!”

  A familiar voice echoes through the entire arena, grabbing everyone’s attention. Down the ring, a middle-aged woman wearing a traditional brown kimono is standing in the center.

  She’s Kiriwatari Chiyoe, the head principal of Kiriwatiari academy.

  She’s holding a microphone that was previously in Kariuda-san’s hand, which is a surprise consider that no one even noticed her showing up to the stage, not even us. I guess she’s the principal for a reason huh…

  “As all of you have known by now, there’s an unwanted fight outside of the arena. It appears that one of our students is affected by what seems to be an illegal enhancing substance. But fear not. I’ve vowed to protect this academy until the day I die, and today, we shall get out here alive!”

  With those words, she has successfully calmed the worried crowds down. They don’t regurly encounter this kind of incident, but I’m sure they know what to do in order to make it through.

  “The pn is simple: Teachers, guild the students out of the arena. Student council, come to the V.I.P and get our guests to the “room”. Time is running, so we’d better do the same, right now!”

  After that, the evacuation begins. The sense of urgent can be seen all around the arena, as all the students quickly get out of their seats, while the teachers are helping them getting to the best exit possible.

  They’ve all somewhat trained for this scenario before, so they know exactly what do to. The scenery, while a little chaotic at times, shows us just how fast everyone reacts and adapts to the current situation.

  Down the ring, Kiriwatari-sensei teleports the remaining three students to the medical center, as two of them are in the middle of the battle and need treatment immediately.

  As for us, we quickly pack things up and leave the cabinet. Our weapons are in the storage room nearby, so that’s where we’re heading first.

  “Hey Yasutaira-kun…”

  “Hmm, what is it Atagi-senpai?”

  “Are you nervous?” she asked as she took her sword out of the locker.

  “Well, I’ll be lying if I said I’m not, but at the same time…I don’t really feel it at all.”

  “Eh, how’s so?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know how to expin it. I just have this feeling…that we can make it somehow…” I quietly said.

  After saying that, a hand gently pats me in the back. I turn around and see Takabeya-senpai, now fully equipped and ready for action. His eyes are a mix of hope and believe, which comforts me a lot.

  “It’s alright, feelings can be very hard to express. Sometimes, you just have to do what you need to do. That’s a way better expnation than any words in this world.”

  “Oh my, since when did you know how to motivate people? Perhaps the real Masayuki-kun has been repced?” Atagi-senpai joked.

  “Hey, that’s rude to say. You know I’m just trying to cheer up the kid right?”

  “Ehehehe…”

  After a quick conversation, we quickly get out of the storage room, ready for the next part of the pn.

  Running for our lives to the V.I.P room, we were able to get the guests to the safe room, which is just the room’s lower floor. It has the same size as the V.I.P room, and it’s loaded with magic protections, including one that Tiamat casted just before the first match began.

  The V.I.P room, or should I say the V.I.P bunker, is now an indestructible fortress that could took forever to break, so the guests can rest assure that they’re safe. And speaking of guests…

  “Oh dear, what a weird way to meet up again huh…”

  “Ahaha, it’s…hard to expin everything Ms. Lucy, but I’ll try my best after I’m done with this problem.”

  One of the V.I.P guests is Lucy Hartwell, a high-ranking member of [Knights of Tomorrow]. Don’t let her childish looking fools you. Her healing ability and combat skill are among the greatest in the world.

  Fighting her is like trying to destroy an indestructible object. It’ll burn out all of your energy and eventually, you’ll lose.

  “Eh, Lucy-sama, you’re here too?” Atagi-senpai, surprised by our little conversation, asked.

  “Oh hey Miwako-chan, haven’t seen you in a while! Come here now little girl!”

  Ms. Lucy then lets Atagi-senpai lift her up so they can hug each other. I know they already met each other a few weeks back, but since I took the spotlight, I guess they didn’t really have the time for something like this.

  Either that or I left too early to witness it.

  “My friend and coworker asked me if I could come, so you know I’ll have to be here! Besides, I want to see what all of this [Golden Generation] hype train is about. So far, they’re doing great!”

  “Really? I’m gd you like what we’re doing!”

  “Well, that is until “someone” decided it’s a good idea to ruin it all up…”

  After the hug, Atagi-senpai puts Ms. Lucy down the ground. They both look at the window, and their faces get more seriously as Ms. Lucy reminds us how bad the situation actually is.

  Nahoka-senpai is still out there buying us as much time as possible. Last time I check, she’s still going neck to neck with her opponent. She’ll gas out eventually, so I need to act soon.

  “Don’t sweat it ma’am, just give my Master here five minutes and everything will be alright.”

  “Yeah I don’t think five minutes is enough…”

  From behind, Tiamat grabs our attention with those words. She’s here as Kiwatari-sensei’s bodyguard, so she can enjoy the tournament while also free herself from staying inside my sword for too long.

  “Oh come on now Master, don’t be shy. This is a great opportunity to show everyone “that”!”

  “Eh, “that”? What does she mean?” Ms. Lucy asked.

  “Well, I can’t spill it out yet, but just wait and see Ms. Lucy. I promise I won’t disappoint you.”

  “Ah, so you do want to show it Master.”

  “Yes and no Tiamat. Yes, I want to test out the new technique. No, I’m only doing this to save Kuroto-senpai, not beating him into a bloody paste.”

  “Heh, I knew you won’t fell for my trap, as expected from Master…Ufufufu, maybe next time, I should crank it up to the next level…”

  “Uhm Yasutaira-kun, is she OK?”

  “Nah she’s fine. I’m getting used to her prank by now, so if you want, I could teach you one or two things just in case this happens again.”

  Leaving Tiamat smirking suspiciously, I go ahead and check how Takabeya-senpai is doing, with Ms. Lucy and Atagi-senpai follow me behind. Since Kiriwatari-sensei is busy evacuating students, he’s the one in charge of keeping the guests in check.

  So far, despite a little rumble and chaos, he’s doing fine, in fact way better than I imagined.

  “You know Takabeya-senpai, you could make a great leader in the future, you know?”

  “Aren’t I already one, Yasutaira-kun? Hell, maybe next year, I’ll run for the leader of [Rising Phoenix].” Takabeya-senpai said jokingly.

  “Hahaha, anything but that senpai. We are not ready for that scenario.”

  “Well, I guess I’ll stick to damage control then.”

  After a little conversation, I sit down and drink some water, mainly to calm myself down before the battle. This isn’t about me beating him, it’s about whether he can be saved or not.

  I shouldn’t think of the worst case scenario, but I can’t just ignore that possibility.

  “Huh, Takenada-san isn’t here…Is she with other students?” I asked Tiamat.

  “Well, not exactly. She was at the evacuation spot with others, but from what I’m sensing…She’s moving back to this arena.”

  “I see…Then how much time do we have left?”

  “About more than five minutes. After that, the show is yours.”

  “Oh dear, I guess I should go now…”

  My initial pn was to send Takenada-san out and stop him, with me jumping in ter. But with the trump card that is Nahoka-senpai, adjustments needed to be made.

  Nahoka-senpai will repce Takenada-san’s spot, and for the first time ever, I get to fight alongside my best friend. And since she’s on her way…

  “Tiamat!”

  “Yes Master!”

  “Teleport me out of here. Make it quiet and snappy, got it?”

  “Yes Master! Got it!”

  Leaving my water bottle to Takebaya-senpai, I say goodbye to him and Atagi-senpai. I go through the portal Tiamat made secretly, officially join in the battle to save Kuroto-senpai.

  (Yamamoto Nahoka’s POV)

  “Oi oi senpai, let go of me this instant!”

  “What’s that? Begging your enemy right in the middle of the fight? How pathetic!”

  “Oh I’m not begging, I’m ordering you. In fact, why do I have to beg you anyways? I could have just done it myself, take this!”

  “Kargh!”

  I head-butt him in the face. Surprised by the attack, he loose his arms, enable me to escape from his deadly hugging.

  His pure strength from that hug could shatter my bones. Lying on the ground, I’m struggling to recover.

  To know how I get to this point, we must first rewind time to around twenty minutes ago.

  “Heh, you sure know how to piss me off senpai…”

  After making a scene, Kuroto-senpai emerges from the bck bubble. The handsome-looking young man from earlier has disappeared, instead a horrifying beast appears in front of me.

  His body has increased drastically in size except for his right arm, with veins popping around his body. Half of his face is covered in stone, and the worst part is, his entire face has distorted horribly.

  One of the drones used to record the fight for the [Summer Tournament] is now flying on the sky, capturing what’s happening up until now. I can already imagine the look on the crowds’ face, and there’s a reason why.

  This isn’t the Kuroto-senpai we once knew. He’s now just a wild beast that just want to see the world burn and cry as he’s stomping on all of them.

  Once everyone see the beast he has become, they would freak out and cause quite a scene. That outlook to him is just perfection in every worst way possible.

  Ignoring the horrendous look, the first thing this “new” Kuroto-senpai does is get used to the body by punching and kicking air. Seeing those light yet powerful movements…I immediately realize the potential danger he can bring to the table.

  “Oi senpai, ya done? Or should I come there and smack you in the head huh? Rargh!”

  Not letting him having a chance to respond, I quickly run to him and deliver a punch to his face. I’ve missed my chance once, so there’s no way I’m letting another one go!

  “Heh, is that the best you can do?”

  “Tsk!”

  Kuroto-senpai easily blocks my punch. Not only that, he even tries to push me back, but there’s no way I’m letting him do that.

  “Kugh…”

  That big and heavy body, while very clunky, is not easy to deal with. Grinding my teeth, I’m still trying my best to resist him.

  Little do I realize I’m making a mistake, but it’s too te.

  “[Hammer Smash]!”

  Kuroto-senpai pulls me to him and hits my face. The surprise attack caught me off-guard, and I was sent flying back as the result.

  “Ouch, that’s hurt…”

  I wipe out the blood on my mouth as I’m struggling to get up. If that’s what he can do with one attack, I’m scared to know what’s next.

  “What’s the matter young dy? Tremble before my awesome power?”

  “Awesome my ass, do you think you can impress me simply with that?”

  I angrily respond as I’m looking straight at his hand, now turns into a stone hammer. It seems like those drugs he’s taking have finally kicked on, and I hate it.

  “What, you don’t like [Morphing]? Don’t worry, I have plenty of more toys to py with. Wanna join?”

  “Oh I do, but not in the way you’re thinking…”

  Somewhat recover from the attack, I get into the sprint start. I quickly run to him while clenching my fist, ready for my attack. I can tell that there’re a lot of tricks he hasn’t shown to me yet, and I don’t want to know at all.

  Smelling my intention from far away, Kuroto-senpai summons a bunch of stone spikes and throws them at me. I easily dodge them all, and in matter of seconds, I close the gap with him.

  “[Lightning Fist]!”

  Enhanced my fist with magic, I punch him right in the face. I didn’t put enough speed on my previous attack, but not this time. A hit for a hit, that’s all it matters!

  “[Stone Shield]!”

  “Oh no you don’t!”

  Kuroto-senpai leans back and morphs his left arm into a shield, but it’s still not enough. I break the shield, before using the momentum to hit his face with the remaining arm.

  “Argh!”

  The heavy body falls down on the ground. In a rather surprising twist, his broken left arm starts growing back to normal. It’s like nothing ever happened to it, and my attack didn’t do much to him.

  Of course that’s not the case, as I can still see him holding his arm in pain. It’s hard to tell whether I’m having the advantage or not, so I have to be careful.

  I can’t afford just one small mistake, and I’ll need to keep it that way until the very end.

  “Pfft, clever girl…”

  “Hehe.”

  I scratched my nose when he said that. I’m not trying to get cocky or anything, in fact I’m doing it just to make sure that he thinks I’m cocky.

  “You know, I didn’t consider you a threat, but I was wrong. Maybe this time, I should get a bit more…serious.” he said as he got up.

  “Yeah sure, like that’ll help you beating me.” I mocked him.

  “Oh I’m not just beating you. This stupid academy, your foxy principal, those coward students…I’ll destroy, I’ll destroy them all! But don’t worry, I’ll make sure to enjoy every moment of them…”

  He stuck out his tongue as he said those disgusting word. Honestly, this is bad, like really bad. The only thing worse than being an obnoxious, chaotic asshole is being an obnoxious, chaotic and unpredictable asshole.

  Talk some sense into him won’t work at all, so the only solution is to take him down and think of a way to kill off this “alter ego”.

  Unfortunately, I’m “unlucky” enough to have to deal with kind of nonsense.

  “Well, at least fighting is the only thing I have to focus on…” I thought to myself.

  I don’t know if he noticed it yet…but there’s a drone flying in the sky. It’s been here for a while, and everything he said, everything attacks…the drone records them all.

  The crowds must have known about this fight by now, so that’s one thing off my shoulder.

  “Well, I hate to break it for you Kuroto-senpai, but bad news: It’s not happening. Not on my watch!”

  “Heh, I’d like to see you try.”

  With those words, we continue the fight.

  Despite being stronger than me, I manage to go neck and neck with him. I kick him, he blocks my attack and counters with a left hook.

  I dodge it and backflip, before successfully hitting him in the face, again. Annoyed by that attack, Kuroto-senpai summons a boulder and throws it at me.

  “Hah!”

  Clenching my fist, I punch the giant rock into smaller pieces. I quickly grab a few of those smaller ones and throw them at him.

  “Do you really think that cheap shot would work on me?”

  Unsurprisingly, Kuroto-senpai easily stops them with his sword, but that’s not exactly my initial attack…

  “Hah!”

  As the rock pieces are falling, I quickly run to him and deliver a punch right to his stomach. I thought I had it, but he hardened his body up just in time, blocking my attack.

  “[Mace Chop]!”

  “Argh!”

  Kuroto-senpai morphs his left hand into a mace and strikes me down the ground with it. After that, he picks me up and throws me away from him.

  “Tsk…Damn bastard…”

  I immediately get back up and come straight to him one more time. But before I can even do anything more, the worst case scenario happened.

  “[Invisible Cut].”

  “Kurgh!”

  Instead of using [Morphing], Kuroto-senpai swings his sword into thin air. Out of nowhere, an unseen ssh appears right in front of my chest, cutting through my uniform.

  Fortunately, I unconsciously stop myself just in time, so his attack just cut me shallowly. It’s still hurt, and my chest is still bleeding, but at least it’s not life-threatening, yet.

  “Heh, neat trick you got there. Surely it’ll impress everyone, but not me.” I said jokingly.

  “Oh young dy, just give it a few more shots. I’m sure you’ll love it!”

  Kuroto-senpai immediately hits me with another [Invisible Cut]. Since the element of surprise is no longer there, I can finally dodge the attack, at least for the first few sshes.

  “Hurgh!!”

  “What’s the matter? Out of gas already?”

  The more he attacks, the sooner I figure out the mechanics behind [Invisible Cut].

  Contrary to my initial thoughts, he doesn’t need the element surprise. All he needs is locate where to cut and the sword will do the rest.

  The worst part is, you can never tell where the cut will be, so you’ll just have to trust your own guts and hope that you make the right decision.

  “Argh!”

  Kuroto-senpai strikes me in the back, making me fall down on my knees. Knowing this might be my end of the line, I try to predict his next move and eventually…

  “Swoosh!”

  Kuroto-senpai aims for my neck and cuts it. Feeling the cold and deadly sensation, I jump up, dodging the attack just in time.

  “Tsk, lucky girl…” Kuroto-senpai murmured.

  Experiencing the near-death situation, I start breathing heavily. His new technique is quite annoying. It’s wearing out my stamina quite a lot, and if I’m not careful enough, I might get cornered by it.

  “Well senpai, you know what they say: Luck favors those who work hard. Let’s see if luck also favors those who choose the easy way.”

  “Haha, I’m gonna miss you when you’re dead.”

  Using this little talk, I buy me some more times to think of a pn to attack. I think I saw this on TV before, and with a little alteration, it might work.

  Then again, it’s quite risky, but what choice do I have left? If he can pull an element of surprise, then so can I!

  “Hah!”

  I form two mana balls from my hands and bst them at him. As expected, he easily dodges them. I’m still enduring all the pain from previous attacks, so I’ll have to make it quick.

  I throw more mana bsts at him. None of those bsts hit him, and it doesn’t take him too long to start wondering just what I’m trying to achieve here.

  “Hey, are you dumb? Hitting me aimlessly ain’t gonna work. Or perhaps this is just some desperate move?”

  “Oh Kuroto-senpai, you’ll soon know…”

  I throw the st two balls at him and unsurprisingly, they all miss. As Kuroto-senpai is still confusing about my intention, I start my actual attacking pn and soon, his confusion is gone and repced with te realization.

  “[Bursting Matrix]!”

  Those mana balls I threw at him didn’t disappear. They’re still floating around him, waiting for the right moment. And when the time comes, they fly straight to him, creating multiple explosions around him.

  “Argh!”

  Kuroto-senpai shouts as he’s taking all the explosions. Honestly, that move isn’t my style at all, but if I keep depending on my speed, I won’t be able to win.

  While he’s still struggling to recover, I can hear the sound of everyone in the arena evacuating. I look back and see the securities helping them exiting.

  It seems like their pn is working wonderfully. As for me, I don’t need to win exactly. As long as I get him to pay for what he’s done to me, I’m satisfied.

  “Hey, looking away from *puff puff* your enemy is a bad idea, you know right?”

  “Yeah, and what can you exactly do anyways?”

  In front of me, Kuroto-senpai gets my attention as the smoke is still clearing. I damaged him quite a lot, as I can see bruises and injured spots all around his body.

  He’s down on his left knee, and even a blind person can sense the pure unadulterated rage from him. He’s trying his best to keep it down, but not for long.

  “Tsk, you dare to take away my preys? Is this some kind of joke?” Kuroto-senpai angrily grumbled.

  “Do you expect us to just stay there and let you do whatever you want? We have a brain you know, unlike someone…”

  “Say something like that again and I’ll feed you your own brain.”

  “Oh scary, didn’t expect you to know that too.”

  We then continue the fight. This time, Kuroto-senpai is the one to charge. Despite taking quite damage, he can still move very fast. Combine that with his hand-to-hand combat skill, he’s one tough opponent to beat.

  “Swoosh!”

  Kuroto-senpai tries to cut me, but I dodge his sword. I then roll to the side, gaining some distance. Following that, I immediately come straight at him with a punch, but he tanks it with his hardened up body.

  “Haaah!”

  I continuously punch him like a Gatling gun that never run out of ammo. Kuroto-senpai might not injure much from those punches, but that doesn’t stop him from being pushed back.

  “[Rising Stone Pilr]!”

  Kuroto-senpai stomps his feet and from below me, a pilr rises up, hit me in the chin.

  “Argh!”

  I fall back on the ground. The moment I get up, Kuroto-senpai tries to punch me, but I dodge him just in time.

  “Hah!”

  To crank things up, Kuroto-senpai morphs his arms into two mallets and tries to smash me. I use everything I have to avoid as much swinging as I can, but at some point, I have no other choice but to block the attack with my bare arm, and as a result…

  “Kurgh!”

  As I’m blocking his left hook, he comes at me with a right uppercut. Following that, he guts punch me while stretching his arm up, pushing me far away from him.

  “Pfft, damn that’s hurt…”

  Still dizzy from the attack, I slowly get back up. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to rest.

  “[Mountain Strike]!”

  Kuroto-senpai creates a boulder and throws it at me. This one is bigger than the previous one, and despite that, it’s coming at me with an unbelievable speed.

  “Oh no you don’t!”

  Mustering as much strength as possible, I deliver a punch to the rock. It’s definitely harder to break, as it actually manages to push me back a little.

  “Hah!”

  The stone starts cracking and eventually, I demolish it into pieces. My hand is hurt in the process, but compare to what he’s about to give me, it’s nothing.

  “Heh, I see you handle it quite well. Then, how about another one?”

  From behind the pieces, another giant rock comes straight at me. Since I’m pretty gassed up after the first one, all I can do is block the second one with [Mana Shield].

  “Kurgh!”

  Just like the previous, I’m being pushed back by this one also. The only difference is, while I was able to destroy the first one, there’s nothing I can do about this one.

  But then, an idea pops off in my head. It’s risky, but it’s the only possible solution I can think of.

  “[Omega Dorm]!”

  I pour more magic into my [Mana Shield], turning it into a big dorm that covers the entire rock. Took me a while but eventually, I manage to stop the rock from hitting closer to the arena.

  “Burst!”

  I transfer more mana into the dorm and through it, I destroy the boulder with multiple explosions. Since the dorm also acts as a protection yer, none of the pieces escapes out.

  I’m safe for now, but dealing with two giant pieces of stone has worn me out a lot. As the smokes are still clearing, I’m down on my right knee, waiting for my opponent to show up anytime now.

  All of a sudden, something just went through my mind.

  No, that’s not just “something”. Someone is contacting me telepathically.

  I was confused at first, but the voice told me to calm down and hear the expnation. It’s a woman voice, a powerful and confident one I must say.

  Hearing what she has to offer, I smile unconsciously. I tell her something back before we cut off the communication, shifting my focus back to the fight.

  But before I can even do that, I discovered something else.

  “The drone…It’s gone…”

  A few minutes after I stop his attacks, I look up to the sky and see that the flying drone is no longer there. I try to look everywhere, hoping to find it.

  “Looking for this?”

  Within the smokes, Kuroto-senpai shows up, while holding something in his hand. I couldn’t tell what that is, but I soon realized the moment all the smokes have cleared out.

  “Oh, you’re so done senpai…”

  What Kuroto-senpai is holding is none other than the flying drone I’m looking for. Now broken and dysfunctional, no one will know what’ll happen here, except for “them”…

  As I’m getting up, he brags about destroying it while I was dealing with his first strike. Hearing him yapping about cowardice and weaklings really makes my stomach churn.

  Despite that, I still crack a faint smile on my face. I may not win this battle, but bad news Kuroto-senpai, you’re not killing anyone today either.

  “Huh, what’s so funny about all of this?”

  “Oh nothing, I just thought to myself: Why don’t we just cut to the chase and end this already? You want to destroy everything we love and I want to take you down. How about we settle this right here, right now?”

  “Finally, something you said I find tolerable. I guess an utterly painful death would be a perfect prize for you.”

  “Well, if you said so…then I’ll gdly take it.”

  After that, I charge up what’s left in my body. I’m not winning this fight, but at the very least, I’ll give him something to remember for the rest of his life.

  “[Speeding Star of Death]!”

  I run towards him with everything I have. Unlike [Supersonic Mega Punch], this move is a series of combo that starts with me knocking him down on the ground. After that, I’ll send him fly up with a star pattern before dropping him down from the sky.

  “Kurgh!”

  After the first hit, I turn around, ready to deliver the second bst to send him fly up. Suddenly, my sixth sense tries to warn me something, but it’s too te.

  “Argh!”

  From behind, something hits me in the head. Unfortunately, that’s where my memory ends.

  And that’s how we get here: Lying on the ground defeated.

  “You know, I’m surprised you can still talk. I swear I hit you pretty hard, yet your mouth is still functioning…”

  “Heh, I guess your aim isn’t that good after all…”

  “Well then young girl, I won’t disappoint you this time.”

  Stomping me, Kuroto-senpai raises his sword, ready to plug that thing down my throat. Normally, people would just accept their fate and close their eyes.

  But in this instance, I don’t have to.

  As his sword is heading to my mouth, I break a faint smile. Seeing that, Kuroto-senpai gets confused and stops his sword. And that is the biggest mistake he makes today.

  “Boom!”

  “Argh!”

  From behind, something hits Kuroto-senpai in the back, knocks him down on his knee. He turns around, only to realize that the fight has officially took a bad turn for him.

  (Waka Yasutaira’s POV)

  “Oh dear, they just don’t know how to keep it down don’t they?” Tiamat said, letting out a big sigh.

  The moment we step foot outside the arena, we hear a big noise coming from the other side. According to Tiamat, it seems like Nahoka-senpai just stopped one massive attack coming at her, thus making that sound.

  “Well, better move fast. I hope she’s doing fine out there…”

  Both of us then start running towards the battlefield. It’s not too far from here, but to be safe, we try our best to not blow our cover.

  And clearly, great minds think alike.

  “Eh, isn’t that…”

  I saw someone waving at me smiling, so we stop for a bit. Tiamat and I immediately run towards that person, knowing who she is and why she’s here.

  “Yasutaira-kun, thank god you’re here!”

  “Eh? What the…Why all of a sudden!?”

  As we’re reuniting with each other, Takenada-san immediately jumps at me, giving me a tight hug. I wasn’t expect her to do that, but at the same time, I’m not overreacting as well.

  Sometimes, Tiamat would hug me while we’re sleeping, so I’m somewhat familiar with woman’s body, which is a weird thing to say out of context.

  Either way, it’s a surprise, surely, but a welcome one.

  “Now now, I know you two miss each other a lot, but let’s save that after we kick the arrogant kid’s ass shall we?”

  “Ehehehe…”

  Tiamat splits us up and reminds us about the situation. Our pn is only half-way done, and the rest depends on the three of us, so we can’t be te to the party.

  “Well then…Tiamat, you know what to do right?”

  “Got it Master!”

  The three of us continue to run to the fight. In that time, Tiamat disguise ourselves using [Invisibility], making it hard to track us down.

  “Hey Takenada-san, how’s everyone else doing?” I asked.

  “Well, not too good. They didn’t panic, but they’re certainly worried about the outside. Last time I check, sensei and others were still trying to comfort the students. I’m sure they’ll be fine soon.”

  “Yeah I hope so…”

  Some of the students are far more stronger than me, so I can already tell their urge to just jump in and take the matter into their own hands. But that’s not the point.

  Kiriwatari-sensei is the one in charge of this situation, so she first has to see the bigger picture before giving out decisions.

  I can’t read her mind, or should I say don’t want to ask “someone” to do it for me, but I'm sure that in the end, sensei still cares about her students’ safety, even if they turn their backs on her.

  Knowing my concerns, Tiamat reveals something to me through [Telepathic Line]. What she said was definitely a surprise, but Tiamat reassures me that everything is still under her control.

  But what’s not under her control however is someone’s anger, and it shows right away.

  "Oh my god...”

  The moment we arrive, a horrifying scene unfolds right in front of our eyes: Nahoka-senpai, being tied up on a stone wall unconciously, is about to be tortured by Kuroto-senpai, who’s know looking like a terrifying mutated beast.

  "Stop!”

  Takenada-san shouts, trying to interrupt him. I manage to stop her just before she can even run up to them.

  “What are you doing Yasutaira-kun? Let go of me!” Takenada-san angrily said as I'm holding her back.

  “Calm down. I know you’re mad, but we can’t blow our cover just yet!”

  “Then what the hell am I suppose to do, let him kill Nahoka-senpai?”

  “No, just...listen to me. I have an idea, but you have to trust me.”

  Hearing that, she finally settles down, temporarily. She’s still clenching her fist angrily, but at least she’s willing to listen to me.

  "Tiamat, do it.”

  “Got it Master.”

  Tiamat then snaps her finger just before Kuroto-senpai delivers multiple punches at his victim. Takenada-san witnesses them all in anger, but she soon realizes something was off about those attacks.

  “Wait a minute, why do I...”

  “So you must have realized it don’t you?” Tiamat said.

  Those punches are definitely heavy hitters, but unfortunately, they aren’t enough to make Nahoka-senpai suffer, or should I say, we aren’t allowed them to.

  “When I snapped my finger, I casted multiple yers of [Mana Protection] around the girl. Don’t worry, that arrongant kid won’t suspect a thing. Look.”

  Tiamat points at the two. Kuroto-senpai is still hitting and smashing his victim like crazy, but what he doesn’t realize is...those attacks didn’t do much damage to her.

  Of course, Nahoka-senpai still receive a good amount of damage, but it’s not and never enough to kill her. And most importantly...

  “Those yers...you used [Invisibility] on them, right Tiamat?” I whispered.

  “Ding ding ding! One point to Master. That’s right, just like us right now, he won’t notice it at all. Didn’t I tell you before Master? None of his movement is out of my radar, then and even now.” Tiamat expined.

  “Wait a minute, the pn...Don’t tell me that Nahoka-senpai deliberately wanted to trick Kuroto-senpai?” Takenada-san asked.

  “One point for Master’s best friend. Just like you said, what we’re seeing is just a little py that we’re staging, with our two fighter being the stars of the show. And for my next trick, we’re about to steal that show!”

  “Haha, when you put it that way...”

  Watching someone you know getting beaten up like is definitely a hard thing to swallow. But this, this is different.

  Nahoka-senpai knows she can’t win, yet she’s willing to put on a fight of her life just to help us save him despite her desire for a rematch.

  She has done more than we even asked for, and now, it’s our turn to repay that favor.

  A few minutes after Kuroto-senpai delivered the final blow, Nahoka-senpai awakes. He picks her up by holding her arm, and that’s when we prepare for our little "surprise”.

  “Takenada-san, I have a pn, hear me out.”

  I then expin what I have in mind to her, and she immediately understands it. She creates a [Light Ball] and keeps it floating mid-air.

  As for me, I activate [Super Strengthen Magic]. I take out my sword and get into batting position. Baseball isn’t my thing, but I still learn one or two things about it, just in case I need it.

  Nahoka-senpai had managed to make her opponent let go of her arm, so I’m in a perfect spot right now.

  “I’ll go first to buy some time. Tiamat, you teleport Takenada-san to Nahoka-senpai, then get her to the medical center. Got it?”

  “Yes Master.”

  Giving out the orders, I pour more mana into my sword.

  As I’m doing so, Tiamat puts her hand on Takenada-san’s back, ready to teleport her. She takes out her sword and holds it tightly.

  She didn’t get to fight him in the 1/16 round, so to her, this is a great opportunity to do it, ignoring how unorthodox it is.

  “[Silver Home Run]!”

  I hit the light ball, sending it fly straight to Kuroto-senpai’s back. As it’s on its way, I immediately run towards Kuroto-senpai.

  “Boom!”

  The light ball hits Kuroto-senpai. Taking a surprise attack from behind, he gets knocked down on the ground. Nahoka-senpai is safe for now, but I have to make it quick.

  There’re some moves I’d like to try, and if it works on Tiamat, I’m sure I can pull it out right here.

  “[Overpping Triple Threats]!”

  I make three continuous sshes as I’m running towards him. Unlike [Air Ssh] that Tiamat once showcased me, these are visible and shaped like [Mana Bde].

  It’s not too practical, but with elements of surprise or enough speed, it can be a deadly move if you take if for granted.

  “Argh!”

  The moment Kuroto-senpai gets up and turns around, he’s met with two consecutive strikes towards him. And just when the third one makes it to him…

  “[Double Lariat]!”

  Running past Nahoka-senpai, I use my sword to strike Kuroto-senpai in his stomach just enough to push him away, not cutting him.

  Getting hit back-to-back, Kuroto-senpai falls back a few meters, giving us some time to breathe, but not for long.

  “Nahoka-senpai, are you OK?”

  “Well, I’ve been better…”

  I check on Nahoka-senpai while my opponent hasn’t recovered yet. She’s bleeding everywhere and her uniforms are one step away from being torn apart. A few bones must have been broken by now.

  I help her get up from the ground. She’s quite injured despite Tiamat’s protection, but it’s not life-threatening, so I don’t have to worry too much.

  “Hang in there senpai, help is on the way. We’re gonna make it through together, got it?” I held her hand, reassuring her.

  “Haha…*cough cough* I’m very stubborn you know, so like hell I’m giving up just yet. But be careful, that idiot bastard is quite troublesome. *puff puff* You’re gonna need more than a hundred percent of your power to beat him.”

  “Thanks for the advice Nahoka-senpai. You don’t have to worry about me though,…”

  “He’s got company.”

  From behind, a familiar voice joins in our conversation. Takenada-san, my best friend, has finally arrived, alongside with Tiamat who’s responsible for bringing her here.

  Tiamat is hiding behind us right now, and since she’s on her knee, it’s impossible for Kuroto-senpai to discover her identity.

  “Hey Mitsuko-chan, what took you so long? And…huh, who is beautiful dy? What’s she doing here?”

  “That’s another long story senpai, but you’ll know it once you’re safe inside the medical center. Tiamat, take her out of here. Make sure to come back whenever I need, got it?”

  “Yes Master.”

  “Tia who? She’s doing what now?”

  Before anyone could answer her questions, Tiamat picks Nahoka-senpai up and teleports her to the safer pce. After that, we turn ourselves back to the main event, who happens to be very pissed off about what just happened.

  “Oh you son of a…You dare taking away my prey? Do you wish to die the most horrible way possible?”

  “Oh no Kuroto-senpai, I’m not here to die…I’m here to save you senpai…no, more like the “real” Arazaki Kuroto-senpai…” I said in a serious tone of voice.

  I increase the intensity of [Super Strengthen Magic], letting him know that I’m not just for show. I can already see the anger in his eyes, but despite that, he holds it down just for this moment.

  “Hahahaha…You? Saving “him”? Get a load of this kid will ya? Do you expect me to believe such a joke coming from [The Heretic]?”

  “Oh dear, here we go again…”

  Something far exceed Kuroto-senpai’s anger just awaken.

  Takenada-san, now fuming in fire, starts powering up right next to me. If there’s one thing she hates the most, it’ll be someone trying to drag me down to the mud.

  I may get used to that nickname, but not her, especially when it comes out of the enemy’s mouth. Mom was right, you cannot mess with a woman, not when they’re angry.

  Fortunately, she’s not completely blinded by the rage, as she’s taking a deep breathe then points her sword at Kuroto-senpai.

  “You know senpai, you’re one hell of a lucky guy. I could have just come over there and tear you into pieces, but since my best friend here wanted to save you, you have the honor of not fighting me with killing intent.”

  “Ooh, scary…Oi kid, why don’t we go somewhere else? You know, pce where real men can talk and not being interrupted by some snotty little chick eh?”

  “Why you…You’re going down Kuroto-senpai!”

  “Hey wait up…”

  Before I could even do anything, Takenada-san charges at Kuroto-senpai with everything she has. She won’t kill him, but I’ll be damn if she doesn’t want to give him a beating.

  “Hah, guess I’ll have to go with the flow…”

  I speed up and follow her lead immediately, and with that, our battle to save Kuroto-senpai has officially begun.