Seeing Ikki remain silent, Kirihara's expression shifted several times. "Seriously, this is so irritating!" (Unfortunately, his facial acting was terrible. Teacher Malik gave it a failing score.)
"A mere Failed Knight..."
Kirihara Shiya vanished into the woods once more, his voice echoing through the entire forest. "Oh, right. From now on, I'll tell you in advance where I'm going to shoot."
"First... your right thigh!"
"Clang—!"
An invisible arrow flew in, but with a flash of blade light, it was cut into two pieces.
Emmm... How was that possible?!
He had practiced for so long before managing to make even his arrows invisible! How could his debut end with such a complete failure?
No... no, it had to be a coincidence! Even now, Kirihara Shiya had yet to realize the severity of the problem. "Again! This time, your right arm!"
"Clang—!"
As another arrow was knocked down, silence fell over the arena. After that brief calm came Kirihara Shiya's frantic barrage. "No! No! No!"
"Something has to be wrong! How is that possible? How could you possibly see me?! It's fake! It's all fake!"
"Kirihara, I'm coming."
Ikki lowered his body slightly and spoke calmly. The giant screen promptly gave a close-up—his eyes were even closed!
"Bakana!"
Gone was his initial composure. Kirihara Shiya frantically leaped between branches, firing behind him.
Yet without exception, every shot was blocked by Ikki. Ikki's physical ability was ranked A, and he quickly caught up to him.
"Whoa!!!"
The Announcer shot to his feet and passionately called out, "What is going on here? As you can see, Kurogane is actually chasing Kirihara with his eyes closed!"
"This is pure perception."
Nenene opened her folding fan, half-concealing her smiling face. "As long as the arrows exist, the airflow they disturb naturally reveals their positions."
"By the same logic, he can naturally locate Kirihara as well." But the level of perception this required... he had actually done it~
"Wait! Wait! Stop!"
"Stop it—!"
On the other side, Kirihara Shiya had already been caught by Ikki. At this point, he could only be described as making a complete spectacle of himself. "I get it! I surrender! I surrender!"
"That's a sword! A sword! I'll really die!!! Aaaaaah—!"
But in the end, the Yin Iron stopped just short of Kirihara's face. An electronic voice sounded across the arena at just the right moment:
Kirihara Shiya has lost the ability to fight!
Winner: Kurogane Ikki!
"Life-or-Death" Training
"As expected, it's over."
Amid the cheers, White Night's calm demeanor seemed entirely out of place, but he had expected this outcome all along. "He didn't even need to use One Blade Arrogance."
"He should use moves that damage his survival instincts less often." Bronya was playing on her Handheld Console without even raising her head.
"Yeah. Use it too much, and it'll probably shorten his lifespan."
White Night deeply agreed, then waited off to the side. "You all go celebrate first. I'll wait for Bronya a little longer."
"Alright, but hurry and catch up." Seeing how harmoniously the two got along, the others decided not to disturb them.
Competitor Preparation Room:
Ikki had not used One Blade Arrogance, so he was naturally full of energy after the fight and did not need to be sent to the infirmary.
"That's great, Ikki won!"
Stella was overflowing with enthusiasm as she threw herself into Ikki's arms, visibly emotional. Shizuku, by comparison, was much quieter. "Congratulations, Brother."
"Ah, everyone deserves credit for this too."
Ikki scratched his head, seeming somewhat embarrassed. As this was his first official match, his mindset was not yet entirely steady. "By the way, why hasn't White Night come over?"
"Bronya is playing a game, and White Night is waiting beside her. Ikki should know too—some people really hate having their games interrupted." Arisugawa explained with a smile.
"I see. They're still as close as ever."
YOU WIN!
Most of the audience had already left when Bronya's Handheld Console displayed the victory prompt. Only then did she shift her attention away from it. "White Night was waiting for Bronya?"
"What else would I be doing~"
White Night held out an index finger and naturally poked Bronya's soft, pale cheek. "Let's go. We can still make it to the celebration banquet."
"Come to think of it, those two are about to get together, right?" White Night turned around and walked ahead, recalling the fragments of memory he still retained.
"But Bronya remembers... Ikki and Stella confirmed their relationship while lying in the infirmary."
"Uh~ Well... it probably won't matter, right?"
Still, this kind of thing could not be forced. Whatever happened, they would just let things develop naturally~
Not long afterward, although they had lost one opportunity, Ikki and Stella still became lovers.
As for the selection matches, Ikki kept winning one after another. Under Kusagabe Kagami's promotion, he gradually shed the title of "Failed Knight," and everything was moving in a better direction.
"Boom—!"
A huge section of ground collapsed. White Night turned into a bolt of Thunderlight and escaped by the narrowest margin. "Teacher Nenene, are you trying to kill me?"
"It's not like you haven't died before." Nenene closed Crimson Phoenix and held it against her lips, speaking without a care.
Yaksha Princess Nenene Saikyō
On the surface, she was merely an overage loli, and her young voice sounded utterly adorable. However...
—There were only mistaken names, never mistaken nicknames. Nenene Saikyō's true nature was that after entering the realm of Demons and undergoing Transcendent Awakening... she had become an oni!
After asking Nenene for private lessons, White Night had truly died during their sparring sessions! And not just once!
"Dying once hurts a lot."
Despite saying that, there was no fear on White Night's face. Yin-Yang and Life Chronicle had pushed his survivability to the limit. He had the capital to train with his life on the line.
"Alright, White Night. It's Bronya's turn now."
A streak of Dark Lightning flashed over and condensed into a figure. Bronya had once again changed into Secondary Silver Wings after a long time... an indigo dress, silver winged shoulder pieces with a metallic sheen, and those iconic Leg Rings.
"I'll leave it to you." White Night was slightly out of breath as he high-fived Bronya in handoff.
"Oh my, Xiao Bai, honestly. You're actually making a girl take your place."
"Click, click—!"
Blue Flame Silver Falcon transformed. Bronya held the Silver Falcon in hand, looking utterly cool. "But Teacher Nenene has not gone easy on Bronya either."
"That's because Xiao Niya is too strong~"
( ? ? ? )
Bronya wore her classic expression, her tone completely flat. "...Bronya will take that as the truth."
"What I said is true~"
Nenene twirled Crimson Phoenix, half-hiding her face. "Seriously, Xiao Bai and Xiao Niya are both so strong. I'm quite surprised. You really can't tell at all normally."
"Would Nenene really argue with children? Alright, enough chatting. Fire—!"
Accompanied by a mechanical sound, Bronya raised her hand and fired. Pale blue Magic Power gathered at the Silver Falcon's muzzle.
But it was useless. Every shot fell to the ground without exception. A gravity-altering spell—Ground Binding Array!
"Xiao Niya, don't waste your effort."
Nenene tapped the ground with her toes, her movement seeming to skip a frame as she instantly closed in on Bronya.
"Clang—!"
The Silver Falcon switched into lightblade mode and precisely blocked Crimson Phoenix. "Drawn Foot is useless against Bronya. Bring out Nenene's real strength."
"Oh my, this is just a warm-up~"
Even so, the iron fan carried terrifying gravity as it smashed down viciously upon Bronya!
"Boom, boom, boom!!!"
Faintly, the ground could be seen sinking slightly... but directly behind Nenene, a streak of Dark Lightning flashed. A deep blue lightblade struck out, its edge closing in on Nenene's hair.
"Clang~"
Nenene did not need to look back. Relying on instinct and intuition alone, she dodged Bronya's sneak attack, then violently opened her iron fan to counterattack.
"As expected, no matter how many times I see it, Elementalization is still such an astonishing ability."
There was no surprise at all when Nenene's iron fan missed. Bronya turned into Thunderlight, evading an attack that had been nearly impossible to avoid.
"But Bronya still can't compare to Nenene."
A short distance away, Bronya reappeared. Blue Flame Silver Falcon's structure adjusted slightly, transforming into cannon form.
"But isn't Xiao Niya holding back too?" Nenene tilted her head adorably. At this moment, a layer of terrifying gravity still weighed upon Bronya!
"...Bronya does not want to write a self-criticism report yet."
"It's fine. Xiao Hei won't care."
Having finally found someone to fight to the death with, even if it was not Hei Nai, Nenene did not want to let this chance go.
In truth, every lesson went overboard. This training ground had already been repaired countless times, accompanied by one self-criticism report after another. "Be careful, Xiao Niya~"
Faintly, a phantom oni horn emerged upon Nenene's forehead. The gravity multiplier suddenly surged, cracking the earth apart.
"Boom—!"
The ground shook violently, as though even its foundations were trembling! The intensity of the fight escalated, inching closer and closer to a true battle to the death.
"Are you two at it again?"
A figure suddenly appeared beside White Night. That was how Time Element abilities worked—impossible to guard against.
White Night was already used to it and greeted her casually. "Chairman, are you here to supervise the battlefield again? Don't worry, we know what we're doing."
"I've already rewound time more than ten times." In response to White Night's words, Hei Nai merely glanced at him, her tone somewhat ethereal.
—They had literally fought their way through all of those!
"Ahaha~ Accidents. They were all accidents."
White Night scratched his head, attempting to muddle through it, while directing a pleading look toward Nenene in the field... Hey, Teacher Nenene, save me!
"Excellent, Xiao Niya!"
But on the contrary, Nenene had not noticed this side at all. Instead, she was in high spirits, her Fighting Spirit gradually rising along with surging Magic Power. "Watch my Tyrannical Heav—"
"..."
Then she froze. An exquisite, gorgeous flintlock pistol was pressed against Nenene Saikyō's forehead. "What were you about to say?"
Bronya's Turn
"Nenene really went at it hard~"
Back in the dormitory, White Night looked exhausted. The moment he reached the sofa, he relaxed completely, dropping onto it with gravity and bouncing a few times.
"Teacher Nenene's personality makes it understandable." Bronya walked past White Night and sat down a short distance away.
Before you continue