Surging Star Magic Sword

"What happened?"

"That explosion was huge. Is someone dueling?"

"With such a commotion, who's dueling?"

"No idea, but it's probably one of Page One's Twelve. No one else could make such a big scene."

"Let's go take a look!"

"If Page One's Twelve really are dueling, we'd be missing out if we didn't watch!"

As such conversations arose, many students at Seidoukan Academy were drawn in by the massive explosions and headed for the Girls' Dormitory one after another.

Azer was also looking in the direction of the Girls' Dormitory. Watching the explosions erupt there one after another, he seemed to think of something and smiled.

"Has he arrived already?"

After murmuring that, Azer headed toward the Girls' Dormitory as well.

Along the way, everyone headed for the same destination as Azer saw him and recognized him.

"Isn't that the Surging Star Magic Sword?"

"The one who's been really popular lately?"

"Who else could it be...?"

The crowd began whispering among themselves.

—Surging Star Magic Sword.

It was the title Azer had suddenly received one day after rising to prominence at Seidoukan Academy and becoming famous as Rank Thirteen.

In Asterisk, anyone who became well-known had a title of their own, so it was nothing especially surprising.

For example, Toudou Kirin was known as Gale Blade Lightning, while Claudia was known as the Thousand Sight Alliance Master. Sometimes, those titles were even more widely known than their actual names. Azer had now received the same treatment.

As for why his title was Surging Star Magic Sword, the reason was extremely simple.

"A magic swordsman gleaming with starlight amid scorching waves"—that was what had left the deepest impression on people during Azer's Official Ranking Battles.

Thus, Azer received that title.

Ignoring the looks cast his way, Azer walked straight ahead and arrived near the Girls' Dormitory.

There were already many people watching the fight there.

Yes, watching the fight.

Just as they had guessed earlier, someone was dueling here.

One of the duelists was a girl with waist-length rose-colored hair, exuding a dignified, chilling air.

Information about her flashed through Azer's mind.

"Yulis-Alexia von Riessfeld, a first-year student in Seidoukan Academy's Senior High Department, one of Page One's Twelve, currently Ranked Fifth, and known as the Magnificent Flame Witch."

At that moment, she stood in the middle of the field with an embarrassed, irritated expression. Vast amounts of Star Power poured from her body, forming countless Star Dust particles that danced around her.

Driven by that immense Star Power, the Omni-Response Element throughout the area stirred violently, transforming into waves of fire that became surging flames. The girl with swaying hair condensed them into flaming spears and hurled them forward.

Azer became somewhat interested at the sight.

"Come to think of it, this is my first time seeing a witch's abilities in person, isn't it?"

Among the Star Vein Generation, there was an extremely small number of people who were born able to form a connection with the Omni-Response Element, producing all kinds of incredible phenomena.

Such people were collectively called magicians if male and witches if female. Like Pure Star Radiant Armaments, they possessed special powers.

Yulis-Alexia von Riessfeld was one such person, a witch capable of controlling flames.

The explosions from earlier had been caused by this witch using her abilities to attack someone.

As for the person being attacked by her, he was a boy who appeared to be around Azer's age.

He had a slender build and hair that was neither clearly black nor purple. His face looked slack and listless, giving him a rather lazy air. He was the kind of boy who would never leave much of an impression at first glance.

Of course, as the target of Yulis's merciless bombardment, his slack-looking face was currently full of misery. Yet he did not dare relax for even an instant, hurriedly dodging the sharp flaming spears rushing at him as they exploded one after another behind and beside him.

Magnificent explosions bloomed across the field in succession, like flowers of flame opening one after another.

The boy could only dodge desperately, not daring to let a single flaming spear hit him. He could only be described as utterly bedraggled.

"Who's that guy?"

"I don't know. Never seen him before."

"I checked the Inscribed Sacrifice Book. He isn't in it."

"Then he's unranked?"

"What? I thought someone who could duel the Princess would at least be one of Page One's Twelve, or at worst someone ranked..."

"An unranked guy actually dared to duel that Magnificent Flame Witch? He's got guts."

"Still, even though he looks pretty pathetic, he's dodged every single one of the Princess's attacks."

"Could he be another Surging Star Magic Sword?"

"Probably not..."

The spectators discussed the fight with great interest, even bringing up Azer, who was hiding among the crowd. Azer merely shrugged.

He really wanted to say something.

"He's nothing like me. I was genuinely weak back then, but he's just pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger."

Although it was his first time meeting the boy, Azer still recognized his identity without much difficulty.

He was not a student of Seidoukan Academy—at least, he had not been one before today.

He was a specially admitted student who had only transferred in today, someone destined to draw the attention of all kinds of people in the future.

He was...

"Amagiri Ayato."

Azer called his name softly, then smiled.

"So the protagonist of the original story has finally appeared."

If Azer remembered correctly, the reason these two had clashed was entirely because the thoughtless Amagiri Ayato had barged into the Girls' Dormitory and entered Yulis's room.

Naturally, he had been mistaken for a pervert and attacked by the witch.

As their battle grew more intense—or rather, as Yulis became increasingly frustrated at being unable to defeat Amagiri Ayato and unilaterally increased her firepower, causing explosions to erupt without end—Azer began wondering whether he should step in.

"Hmm?"

At that moment, Azer suddenly noticed a familiar figure hiding in a corner of the crowd.

"Toudou Kirin?"

Azer was rather surprised.

"Why is she here too?"

She seemed unwilling to draw attention to herself, shrinking back timidly as though trying her best to reduce her presence.

It could not be helped. Even Azer, Ranked Thirteen, drew so much attention. If people discovered that Toudou Kirin, Ranked First, had appeared here, it would almost certainly cause a sensation.

Azer had not expected her to be here, but on second thought, this was the Girls' Dormitory. It actually seemed perfectly normal for her to be here...?

"Should I go say hello?"

Azer hesitated.

After declaring war on her like that face-to-face, would it be too thick-skinned to casually go greet her now?

Just as Azer was thinking that and hesitating over it, he noticed Toudou Kirin's gaze sharpen.

The still-young girl suddenly turned her head and looked in one direction.

"That is...?"

Azer instinctively followed her gaze.

Then, a streak of light entered Azer's vision.

The source of that light was an arrow.

The arrow of light, condensed from Omni-Response Element, broke the sound barrier like a bullet and shot over without a sound.

Ahead of it stood Yulis, gathering a huge amount of flames as she prepared to unleash some kind of finishing move.

"Watch out!"

On the field, Amagiri Ayato, who had just dodged one of Yulis's flaming spears, shrank his pupils and shouted.

At the same time, Azer saw Toudou Kirin move from within the crowd.

Whoosh!

The petite girl flashed into the field. Her speed was somehow even faster than the light arrow that had been fired first, and she easily arrived before Yulis.

Clang!

Then, the girl drew the real sword hanging at her waist. Its silver-white blade flashed coldly and knocked aside the incoming arrow of light.

"What?"

Yulis apparently had no idea what had happened and stood there in a daze.

Toudou Kirin sheathed her sword and turned around. Just as she was about to say something to Yulis, her expression suddenly changed.

Whoosh!

The sound of something cutting through the air rang out.

It was the sound of a second arrow of light flying toward them.

However, this time as well, someone was faster than it.

Clang!

Another figure appeared before Toudou Kirin, wielding a Magic Sword with a pure-white blade and cutting down the light arrow.

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