Stars Shining Amid the Heat Waves

"Tch..."

The sound of tearing spread across the Duel Stage, which had suddenly fallen utterly silent.

As scraps of torn fabric flew into the air, Yakutdi was sent flying backward in a sorry state. He retreated a considerable distance before finally steadying himself just as he was about to fall.

However, Yakutdi's expression after landing was extremely unpleasant.

One side of his clothes had been sliced open, nearly reaching the school badge pinned there.

"You actually dodged that?"

Across from Yakutdi, Azer raised an eyebrow as he held the Black Furnace Magic Sword in the aftermath of an upward slash.

"As expected of rank thirteen. It really won't be easy to take down a senior."

Rather than feeling praised by Azer's words, Yakutdi felt somewhat humiliated.

Glancing at the Gun-Type Huang-style Armament in his hand, which had been effortlessly cut in half and whose severed edges glowed red like molten iron, Yakutdi took a deep breath.

"I should be the one saying it. As expected of the legendary Black Furnace Magic Sword. It destroyed my weapon so easily."

Without the slightest reluctance, Yakutdi tossed aside the costly Gun-Type Huang-style Armament. His gaze toward Azer became exceedingly cold.

"I was too presumptuous, thinking I could defeat you using a weapon and method I wasn't good at."

"I should have realized it sooner. Anyone acknowledged by a Pure Star Radiant Armament on the level of the Four-Colored Magic Swords could never be an ordinary person."

"I never thought there would be a hidden powerhouse like you in this academy."

It would have been one thing for an unranked student to possess physical abilities comparable to someone in the middle ranks, but he also had swordsmanship impressive enough to leave others stunned?

He had hidden himself far too well!

"But I won't give you another chance."

Yakutdi took out the Huang-style Armament he truly excelled with and activated it.

It was a katana-shaped Huang-style Armament. Its blade was thin, even thinner than the blades of ordinary Huang-style Armaments, and had clearly undergone specialized modification and tuning.

This was the weapon Yakutdi had made his name with.

Of course, if he used this weapon to block the legendary Black Furnace Magic Sword, it would probably be cut apart as well.

But as long as he did not block and focused solely on dodging, he would not need to worry about his blade being broken.

Close-quarters combat was also his greatest specialty. Even if the other man's swordsmanship was astonishing, his physical strength and Star Power were inferior to Yakutdi's. That was an undeniable weakness.

"As long as I focus on dodging, you won't be able to catch me again."

Yakutdi spoke those words.

In response...

"Since you've put it that way, Senior, it would be rather rude of me not to get a little more serious."

Seeing Yakutdi take out his usual Huang-style Armament, and sensing that his entire presence had changed from before, Azer was not surprised at all. Instead, the corners of his lips curled upward.

"What do you mean?"

Yakutdi's expression darkened.

"I mean the real show starts now."

Azer raised the Black Furnace Magic Sword.

"Clang..."

Star Dust swirled around Azer, enveloping his entire body in beautiful starlight.

Azer drew upon all of his Star Power and poured it into the Black Furnace Magic Sword, causing black patterns to emerge across its blade.

The black patterns floated around the sword, circling as they flowed toward the red Omni-Response Crystal and entered it.

In an instant, the pure white blade of the Black Furnace Magic Sword began gathering even more astonishing heat. Its color continuously deepened until it became purplish-black.

"Whoosh—"

At the same time, the terrifying heat formed a dreadful hot wind that surged around Azer.

The hot wind became heat waves, causing the air around Azer to ripple and distort like a mirage.

At the center of those heat waves, Azer's entire body shone with dazzling Star Power.

The sight was like a star glittering amid scorching heat waves.

The astonishing scene made Yakutdi's heart tremble for no reason, and he unconsciously took a step back.

But—

"Boom!"

The star shining amid the heat waves suddenly burst apart with an explosive roar.

Like a streak of light, the shattered star shot forward at terrifying speed, carrying a fearsome hot wind.

In the blink of an eye, it arrived before Yakutdi.

"Wha...?!"

Yakutdi's expression finally changed drastically.

A wavering figure, distorted like a mirage, instantly appeared before him and filled his vision.

"Buzz!"

The Black Furnace Magic Sword, radiating hot wind, flashed abruptly and carved a purplish-black arc through the air.

The speed was so great that Yakutdi could not make any effective response. He could only watch helplessly as it passed across the right side of his chest.

"Snap!"

At once, time seemed to freeze.

Yakutdi no longer moved. He stood there blankly, staring ahead, all reaction gone.

Before him stood Azer, Star Dust swirling around him and hot wind still trailing from his body as his form wavered like a mirage. The Black Furnace Magic Sword in his hand had long since completed its slash.

"Buzz!"

The blade hummed repeatedly. Azer withdrew the Black Furnace Magic Sword and spoke to Yakutdi, who was staring at him blankly.

"You let me win."

As soon as his words fell, a synthesized voice broadcast from above the stage through the school badges' information-processing function.

"The duel is over."

"The winner is Azer."

The moment the outcome was announced, the school badge on Yakutdi's chest split apart cleanly and fell to the ground.

"—"

Silence.

A deathly silence.

Everyone stared at the scene with stunned expressions. For a moment, no one could make a sound.

"Roar!"

Several seconds later, the entire audience exploded, and deafening noise erupted throughout the venue.

"Did you see that just now...?!"

"S-so fast!"

"How did he suddenly become so fast?"

"Both his speed and his slash were more than a level faster than before!"

"How did he do that?"

"He's so strong!"

The spectators erupted into cries of shock.

"What happened?" Yulis stood up as well, her face filled with astonishment. "How did he suddenly become so powerful in those last few seconds?"

The speed he had unleashed just now, as well as the speed of his slash, had far surpassed anything Azer had displayed before. Yulis found it hard to believe.

It could not be helped.

Even Yulis herself had failed to react to the speed Azer had just unleashed.

What did that mean?

It meant that even if she had been in Yakutdi's place, her fate would likely have been no different from his.

"How did he do it?"

That was Yulis's only question.

At that moment, Claudia spoke.

"It was the hot wind."

Claudia, who had been staring intently at the arena, suddenly said this.

"The hot wind?"

Yulis could not help but freeze.

"Yes." Claudia nodded, speaking with a serious expression. "He actively released the Black Furnace Magic Sword's heat, forming a hot wind and applying it to himself. Then he released that hot wind in the direction opposite to where he wanted to move, allowing it to push him forward."

"The principle is similar to a thruster. Even the final slash that cut through Yakutdi Van Ken's school badge used the hot wind to propel the Black Furnace Magic Sword's blade and accelerate the strike."

"That was why he could unleash that kind of speed and swing his sword so quickly."

Hearing this, Yulis could hardly believe her ears.

"Didn't he only obtain the Black Furnace Magic Sword a few days ago?" Yulis said in disbelief. "I heard that the Four-Colored Magic Swords are all notoriously difficult to wield. How could he bring that Pure Star Radiant Armament to this level in such a short time?"

"...I have never heard of anyone in the past using the Black Furnace Magic Sword to this extent either." Claudia smiled bitterly. "This method of using it is simply unheard of. Perhaps he is the first person to achieve such a thing?"

Could this... be the result of his Suitability Rate with a Pure Star Radiant Armament surpassing the limit?

Claudia could not help touching her waist.

Among the audience, the other highly ranked students present were all watching Azer in the arena with grave expressions, obvious wariness appearing in their eyes.

They knew that, from this day onward, another powerhouse had emerged at Seidoukan Academy.

A powerhouse capable of joining Page One's Twelve, perhaps even rising among the foremost of Page One's Twelve...

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