Chapter 121
Traust and I charged toward each other at full speed.
When I swung my sword horizontally, Traust used his technique on the ground to launch himself into the air. The rebound from his movement propelled him high, allowing him to evade my attack. In midair, he adjusted his stance and swung his rapier.
A sky-blue aura rained down on me.
Babababat!
It was a pattern I hadn’t seen before, so I couldn’t fully dodge, but the damage was minimal.
Is this a case of great technique, but the body can’t quite keep up?
I quickly spun backward and swung my sword before Traust landed.
[Eastern Greatsword Technique – Horizon]
A horizontal strike aimed at Traust. However, he performed a trick, tossing his rapier and executing a backflip.
Traust landed steadily, caught his falling rapier, and pointed it at me.
“Your attacks have become much sharper than before.”
The nerve to say that after someone just dodged all your attacks!
Knowing Drenner wouldn’t waste words mid-battle, I charged at him silently. He did the same.
[Eastern Greatsword Technique – Waterfall]
I swung downward like a waterfall, but Traust paused briefly to step out of range. Then he lowered his body and slipped to my left.
A seasoned move worthy of a senior. But I had anticipated he’d evade my attack.
I released my downward strike and enveloped both my hands in aura.
Traust’s eyes widened in surprise, but he didn’t stop attacking.
Another flurry of strikes rained down like a storm.
Babababat!
But at most, those attacks were like a drizzle.
I closed the distance as I took the hits and swung my fists.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Though I didn’t have the skill to use [Dragon Strike], I likely inflicted enough damage.
Traust immediately focused on defense, but I pressed on relentlessly. The more I pushed, the more I got wounded—but it didn’t matter.
Eventually, the Traust who had been pushed back arrived at the spot where I had swung my sword down.
Even where the sword had hit the ground and spun in midair.
Traust tried to strike the sword passing beside him with his greatsword, but I kicked him first.
“Ugh!”
His rapier barely missed the greatsword, and I steadied myself while holding it.
[Eastern Greatsword Technique – Tidal Waves]
A violent, tidal-wave-like strike hit the airborne Traust.
Kuguaguak!
The aura’s force didn’t stop until he collided with the arena wall.
Bang!
For someone unused to aura armor, the impact must have been immense. Yet he propped himself up on his rapier and laughed.
“You bastard. Not sparing me at all, huh.”
He pointed his sword at me again.
“Alright, I’ll admit this one! But I won’t fall for the same pattern twice!”
Traust infused his rapier with aura and charged at me.
Even though one more hit could drop him, he moved more nimbly than before.
I swung my sword vertically again. As before, he paused briefly to dodge, then slipped to my right.
But my approach didn’t change.
I released the sword and surrounded my fists with aura, aiming to pummel him.
However, Traust slid and slashed at my ankle.
Crazy.
It wasn’t a deep cut, but it destabilized my leg’s center instantly.
Meanwhile, Traust stood and thrust his sword at me.
Babababat!
I raised my guard and wrapped aura around my arms, trying to get away.
But he relentlessly pursued, preventing me from recovering.
He wasn’t just attacking; he was forcing me into a state where I couldn’t regain my stance.
Dirty trick…!
The only saving grace: Traust’s attacks weren’t very strong. But if I kept taking hits like this, I’d lose.
His strikes were weak but extremely fast, making them impossible to grab.
Counterattacking was also difficult, lying down as I was.
If I’d known this situation would arise, I might have learned jiu-jitsu. Not that I could have predicted being trapped in a game.
Still, I wasn’t without options—though it was a gamble.
I deactivated my aura armor. His rapier cut deeper into me.
Traust spoke.
“You’re not going to give up here, are you?”
His eyes were wide, trying not to miss my next move, perhaps expecting me to counterattack.
Good. Watch closely. If I’d had a simple counter, I wouldn’t be trying this.
As my wounds deepened and my uniform soaked in blood, I activated magic.
1st Circle Fire Magic – [Fire].
Perhaps noticing the spell, he gave a wry smile.
“Don’t think a 1st circle spell will stop me!”
He thrust his sword against the incoming spell, but the erupting flames sent him flying.
What I had used was a spell crafted via [Mana Combination].
Even without a status window, [Mana Combination] was my personal revelation. It manifested as a skill, but not having it didn’t stop me from using it.
I hadn’t used [Double Incantation], pouring all my mana into it, and its power was phenomenal.
I quickly stood, grabbed my sword, and watched Traust fall.
Being a knight, he couldn’t dodge an attack in midair. Knowing this, Traust gathered aura to prepare his attack.
This would decide the winner of the preliminary match.
I wasn’t about to lose.
I used [Mana Combination] again. This time, I used aura instead of mana, so the focus time was almost instantaneous.
The compressed aura surged through the greatsword like waves, and I swung with all my might.
[Eastern Greatsword Technique – Soaring Waves]
While I concentrated the aura to strike upward, Traust unleashed a flurry seemingly simultaneous with my attack.
Kuguguguguaguak!
The torrential rain met the surging waves. At first evenly matched, the waves gradually pushed back the rain, soaring into the sky.
Traust, at the center, fell with his uniform in tatters.
The referee shouted:
“The winner advancing to the finals is Drenner!”
Applause erupted.
“Too bad, Traust!”
“Drenner! Well fought!”
Even in the preliminaries, everyone seemed satisfied; the applause lasted a while.
Traust lifted himself up and laughed hollowly.
“Ah… embarrassing. Pretended to be strong, and got completely crushed.”
If it were Drenner, he’d have left quietly, but a small whim was fine.
I approached Traust and extended my hand.
“If I had faltered, it would have been my loss.”
“Modest, huh? Even empty words feel good.”
He shook my hand and stood, lightly patting my shoulder.
“I heard you didn’t intend to win, but still, give it your best.”
“You didn’t need to say it. I already planned to.”
“Hmm. After the fight, you finally sound more like your usual self.”
“…Huh?”
What did I do wrong? I was clearly Drenner.
Seeing me puzzled, Traust said:
“You used to speak so formally to me. I even told you not to because it was too much pressure.”
What?! Drenner, the ultimate jerk, spoke formally?!
Embarrassed in many ways, I forced a wry smile.
“I didn’t even notice. My apologies.”
“Well, it happens. A first-year in the tournament must be nervous. This senior understands.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
“Stop speaking like that.”
We left the arena, exchanged a few words, and parted ways.
Outside the Skayanna Hall, Drenner waited for me.
“Tough win for someone who boasted so much.”
Seeing the smirk on his face, I had the urge to punch him, but I held back and calmly said:
“Traust’s appearance was unexpected.”
“Hope there won’t be more surprises.”
“It’ll be fine. Even an unexpected opponent can be handled.”
In the original, the finalists were pre-determined, but I had loaded strong players into preliminary groups, so most expected to advance were eliminated.
Any strong opponent next would already have been analyzed; if weak, easy to handle.
Then Drenner asked:
“You were talking to Traust at the end. You weren’t saying anything unnecessary, right?”
“…I wasn’t.”
The problem was not saying what I should, but I didn’t want to. Too much backlash.
Everything turned out fine, so it didn’t matter.
Drenner looked uneasy, so I naturally changed the topic.
“Your prelim is tomorrow, right? Ready?”
“Sort of. Honestly, I’m more worried about lunch later than tomorrow.”
“Because of Ridipin and Ceres?”
“Yeah. Ceres keeps sticking around, which is a burden, and Ridipin keeps staring at me with scary eyes.”
For Drenner, acting is trickier than the tournament itself.
Ridipin reacted sensitively due to previous interactions since the start of the year.
“Still, it’s fine, isn’t it? When else would you experience being surrounded by girls?”
“Not at all. Unlike you, I’m single-minded, so it’s just uncomfortable.”
“Don’t make me seem fickle. I’m single-minded too.”
“Then tidy up a bit. Don’t leave openings everywhere. Sometimes it’s painful just watching.”
“That’s exaggeration.”
Drenner stared at me, sighed, and said:
“By the way, did Sonia notice anything strange?”
“Since the first day in the new body, no one has suspected anything.”
“I see.”
Drenner looked slightly disappointed—probably expecting suspicion like Ridipin.
If that were the case, why not just date them?
Then Reina and her group appeared.
“So you came to see Drenner? Should’ve said so.”
“I’m sorry. Since you and Drenner are rivals, I intended to bring him alone.”
“It’s not like we’re enemies. You deserve some praise for passing the prelim.”
Reina approached and extended her hand.
“Congrats on making it to the finals. If we keep winning, we’ll face each other in the final.”
I shook her hand.
“Thanks, but already talking about the finals? Bold.”
“What?!”
“But I’m looking forward to it. If both the champion and runner-up are first-years, the academy will be turned upside down.”
Reina’s anger turned into a confident smile.
“Since I’m going up first, don’t fall later.”
“Hope you don’t fall first and curse me.”
“Hey!”
We bickered while walking to eat together.
While heading to the restaurant, Drenner quietly pulled me aside. When we lagged slightly behind Reina’s group, he muttered discontentedly:
“Congrats are enough. Why the unnecessary talk?”
“I just followed your usual style.”
“When did I do that? I always say only what’s necessary.”
I chuckled. He criticizes constantly, and now I imitate him, and he complains.
No point arguing with someone lacking self-awareness, so I stayed silent.
Drenner glared at me.
“Thinking of saying something, but holding back?”
I flinched slightly but feigned indifference.
“I haven’t thought that. Don’t take it out on me with paranoia.”
“What?!”
Drenner scoffed, about to retort, but I quickened my pace to rejoin Reina.
Drenner said nothing more, just wore a scowl.
Despite the malice in his eyes, I found it rather amusing.
