Volume 5
Chapter 2
After parting ways with Irisdina and the others at the school gate, and after the morning assembly, Nozomu and Mars were in the training grounds for their morning class.
The class content was
a practical mock battle, emphasizing group combat that had started in the third
year. Students who had arrived at the training grounds were now spending their
time as they pleased, swinging their swords or talking with their party members
before the class began.
"Nozomu, can I
talk to you for a second?"
"Hm? What is it,
Mars?"
Nozomu was checking
his weapon, but Mars called out to him from the side.
"It's about
today's mock battle, there's something I want to try."
"What are you
going to try?"
"…Well, I've been
learning a bit of magic from Tima, and I want to see the results in today's
mock battle."
"…And?"
According to Mars, he
apparently wanted to try out what he had been training with Tima in the mock
battle.
Nozomu knew that Mars
had recently been studying magic with Tima, so he prompted him to continue,
intending to listen for now.
"…Well, even if I
say I've learned it, honestly, I'm still not good enough. I can't do it as well
as Irisdina. So I want to try it in a one-on-one situation as much as possible."
"…In other words,
you want me to attract the other members?"
It seemed Mars wanted
to try using his magic, but he wasn't very confident yet.
"…Yeah, honestly,
it'll put a burden on you, but if I can't use it properly in a mock battle like
this, it'll be useless in a real fight. …Can I count on you?"
"Well, I'll
try... but I don't know how long I can keep them engaged, you know? I can't use
magic or anything, and my offensive ki techniques are dangerous, so I can't use
those either."
"Just for a
little while is fine. Please. Besides, you'll be fine, right? You might even
defeat them, surprisingly."
"…In close
combat, probably. Also, I wanted to ask, why did you decide to use it in a mock
battle? From what you're saying, I feel like you could practice a bit more
first..."
"No… well, that
is…. …I guess I'm just more suited to learning by swinging a sword than by
thinking things over at a desk, so I thought that would be easier to
remember."
Nozomu tilted his head
at Mars's strangely evasive answer, but he could understand what Mars was
saying.
Considering Mars's
personality, swinging a sword suited him better than sticking his nose in a
book. Everyone had their own way of learning things.
Nozomu thought that if
there was a method he felt suited him, it would be good to try it.
Besides, this was just
a mock battle. It was a time to try various things and hone their skills.
"…I understand,
I'll try."
Well, if Nozomu didn't
use offensive Ki techniques, he would have no choice but to engage in close
combat to defeat his opponents. However, Nozomu was also growing. There was
also compatibility with the opponent, but he probably wouldn't lose
immediately.
"Then I'll go
first. Mars, follow me and use whatever magic you want."
"Thanks."
"Alright everyone~~.
Gather around~~. Class is starting now~~."
Nozomu told him to
move freely, saying he would provide support. Just as Mars thanked him with a
single word, Anri-sensei's voice echoed through the training grounds.
The students, who had
been preparing individually, gathered around her at her call.
Nozomu and Mars nodded
to each other and began to walk towards her, just like the other students.
***
"They're our
opponents, huh…"
Mars muttered, looking
at their mock battle opponents.
Their opponents were
of intermediate or slightly lower rank within the 10th tier, the same opponents
Nozomu had fought with Mars when they first teamed up in class. However, unlike
before, there were five of them.
The vanguards were two
male students wielding longswords, named Jin and Tommy.
The student wielding a
spear was Deck.
In the rear, a female
student named Kami, who wielded daggers and could also use magic, and a new
addition, a female mage named Hamlia, had joined.
Nozomu and Mars's
party, on the other hand, still consisted only of Nozomu and Mars.
"Alright then~,
begin~~!"
The mock battle began
with Anri-sensei's unenthusiastic voice.
"Hmph!!"
"Wha!?"
At the signal to
start, Nozomu used Flash Step towards Jin, rapidly closing the distance.
In previous mock
battles, Nozomu had often played a supporting role for Mars.
This was actually the
case again, but since the opponents had expected Mars to lead the charge, they
were surprised by Nozomu's sudden rush. However, even though they were 10th-tier,
they were students who had trained at this academy. They immediately raised
their swords and parried Nozomu's slash.
However, Nozomu had
already factored that in. The moment his katana was parried, he relaxed his
strength and let the katana flow, then used the momentum of the slash to spin
his body around once and unleashed a roundhouse kick.
Nozomu's roundhouse
kick was blocked by Jin's raised sword, but Nozomu had already channeled Ki
into his leg, releasing the compressed Ki the moment the kick landed. Jin's
raised sword was knocked up by the force of the exploding Ki at close range,
and he lost his balance significantly.
Nozomu then took a low
stance with both hands, compressed his Ki, and slammed a Vibration Cannon at
the opponent.
The male student who
had been holding the sword was powerfully blown away again by the torrent of Ki
released from close range, taking Kami, who had been chanting in the back, with
him.
Nozomu activated Flash
Step again. His target was Hamlia, who was chanting at the very back.
"Eh!?"
Hamlia, who had been
chanting, let out a dazed sound at Nozomu, who had broken through the vanguard
in just a few seconds, but Nozomu ignored her and swung his katana.
"Tch!"
However, his slash was
blocked by the sword of another male student, Tommy, who had cut in between
them.
"Hmph!"
But Nozomu continued
to swing his katana and delivered a series of attacks on Tommy.
Nozomu's original
objective was to distract most of the opponents so that Mars could move freely.
Indeed, Mars was in a
one-on-one situation with Deck.
"Uoryaaaah!!"
"Damn it!!"
Mars was currently on
the offensive. This was natural considering Mars's original abilities, but his
movements were somewhat awkward, apparently because he was already using magic.
Looking closely, a
faint light of magic power was visible on Mars's greatsword, hidden by the Ki
Technique "Dust Wind Blade" swirling around the blade.
It seemed he was
probably imbuing the greatsword blade itself with magic power.
However, as far as
Nozomu could see, all his techniques were half-baked, and he couldn't feel any
of Mars' original characteristic power.
"This guy!"
"Whoa!!"
Tommy, who had been
clashing with Nozomu, seized the opportunity when Nozomu's attention was on
Mars and pushed him back with brute force.
Pushed back by that
force, Nozomu retreated slightly, and then Jin, whom he had blown away with
Vibration Cannon earlier, regained his balance and attacked from the opposite
side.
"Deeeiii!"
Nozomu barely dodged
the horizontally swung sword, evading it by a hair's breadth. He tried to
create distance with Flash Step, but this time Kami circled around in Nozomu's
direction of movement.
"Haaa!!"
Kami swung the daggers
in both her hands, aiming for Nozomu's neck and torso respectively.
Nozomu, plunging
forward without losing the momentum of Flash Step, twisted his body while
blocking the swung daggers with his katana and scabbard. His body drifted
sideways with the force of the blows, and he then performed a full rotation
using her as an axis, moving behind her.
"Eh?"
Kami, thinking she had
certainly struck Nozomu with her dagger, then found her attacking opponent had
somehow moved behind her. She let out a dazed sound for a moment, but Nozomu didn't
miss this opportunity.
Nozomu slammed a
Vibration Cannon into her back, sending her delicate body flying like a leaf.
Where she was blown
away, Tommy, who had been trying to close the distance with Nozomu, was caught
in the crossfire this time.
"Ahh~~~"
Compared to Jin, she
was lighter. The impact of the two collisions completely dazed her.
"Wha!?"
"Damn it!!"
Jin and Tommy were
astonished and flustered by being defeated by an opponent they thought was
beneath them. The two of them, working together, tried to slam their swords
into Nozomu, but Nozomu moved around to avoid being sandwiched and parried
their attacks with his katana and scabbard.
Nozomu was moving
around because if he took the attacks head-on, he, being inferior in strength,
wouldn't be able to parry them.
Meanwhile, Nozomu
occasionally glanced at Hamlia, who was trying to chant, diverting her
attention to himself.
She seemed flustered
by the unexpected events and couldn't concentrate on her chanting.
After all, if the
two's pursuit slowed down even a little, Nozomu would immediately use Flash
Step to rush towards her. Her attention would inevitably be drawn to him.
Moreover, both Mars
and Nozomu were engaged in close combat, so she couldn't cast spells for fear
of involving her allies.
(…Well, this is fine
for buying time. …I'm not going to use "Phantom Void" or
"that" after all...)
This morning's dream.
Nozomu, fearing Tiamat and the rampage of his own power, chose to use methods
that minimized his power and focused on buying time with the survival skills he
had cultivated.
Nozomu also recognized
that this mock battle was Mars's main event, and he was just a supporting
character.
"O-oi. What's
going on...?"
"N-no. How would
I know...?"
However, from the
perspective of the members who didn't know Nozomu's true abilities, it was a
bewildering sight.
The lowest-ranked
student in their grade, an opponent they thought was even lower than
themselves, was fighting well against multiple opponents from the same
10th-tier class.
Furthermore, Nozomu's
expression, as he parried his opponents' slashes, still showed room to spare.
They had always
thought Nozomu's abilities were lower than theirs, but seeing this situation,
they couldn't help but understand the difference in power between him and
themselves. Whether they accepted it or not was another matter.
While Nozomu was
showing a glimpse of his abilities, Mars, uncharacteristic of him, was
struggling.
***
"Damn it!"
I was frustrated with
myself for being unable to break through, despite it being a one-on-one fight,
and I bit my lip.
I swung my greatsword,
enhanced by the Ki Technique "Dust Wind Blade" and magic power, but I
couldn't wield it as I wanted.
The wind blade from
Dust Wind Blade and the increased strength and sharpness of the greatsword due
to enhancement magic certainly made my sword incomparably stronger than before.
However, the
simultaneous use of Ki Technique and magic, two completely different systems of
techniques, required a level of control far beyond using only Ki Technique or
only magic. I couldn't master this mixed technique at all.
On top of that, I was
so preoccupied with controlling the techniques that I couldn't concentrate on
the opponent in front of me.
A slash that would
normally blow away even a magical beast's massive body was parried by the
opponent's spear, and instead, the opponent's thrust plunged towards my neck.
"Kuh!!"
I instinctively
deflected the opponent's spear with my gauntlet, but that left one hand
occupied, allowing the opponent to follow up.
My opponent, the spear
user, his name was Deck, I think... He thrust repeatedly, but I defended with
my gauntlet, then aimed for one of his continuous thrusts and forcefully
deflected it upwards. I then tried to strike with my greatsword, but I couldn't
swing it as I wanted with one hand, and Deck blocked it with his spear.
"This guy!!"
"Guuuuu!"
Deck and I clashed
head-on, our weapons locked in a stalemate, and I couldn't push Deck back.
This was because all
the techniques I used were becoming half-baked due to the simultaneous use of
magic and Ki Technique.
The wind blade from
Dust Wind Blade was so weak that it didn't seem like the same technique I had
used before, and my body enhancement through Ki Technique was almost
nonexistent.
My own body movements
also lacked precision because I was preoccupied with controlling the
techniques.
Nozomu's figure
briefly entered my vision.
He was parrying Jin
and Tommy while occasionally feinting towards Hamlia, who was chanting. His
judgment and wide field of vision were as sharp as ever.
Moreover, he was
hardly using any offensive Ki Technique like "Phantom Void." The only
one he used was "Vibration Cannon," which blew away opponents with a
torrent of Ki.
"Damn it!!"
Compared to Nozomu,
who was toying with his opponents with precise and delicate movements, my
current movements were as slow as a turtle, completely incomparable.
That clearly showed
the difference between me and him, and it made me uncontrollably frustrated and
impatient.
At the end of the
second year, when I had confirmed his abilities, I thought he was quite
something.
Even with a
handicap-like Ability Suppression, I, as stupid as I am, understood that his
efforts to gain such abilities were far greater than I had imagined. Thinking
about that made me feel incredibly pathetic for only finding fault with him.
Eventually, we started
training together, and that's when I saw his Ki Technique "Phantom
Void."
A katana drawn in an
instant, a blade passing right before my eyes at that moment, a ki blade so
sharpened and extremely compressed that it could easily bisect a rock.
To be honest... I was
mesmerized.
I secretly tried to
see if I could do it like him, but perhaps because of my naturally rough
personality, the Ki I imbued into my sword only fluctuated, and I couldn't
create a ki blade like his at all.
That was the moment.
The moment I desired a sword that could rival his, a sword that I could wield.
To be honest, it might
sound childish, but I couldn't help but want it.
Afterward, I met
Irisdina and the others and came up with the idea of using magic and Ki
Technique simultaneously, but as expected, it was too difficult to control and
completely impossible.
Even when I read old
textbooks and magic books, I couldn't understand anything because I had
neglected those kinds of studies in the past.
If Tima hadn't taught
me various things, I would still be groaning with a textbook in my hand.
Although, the only magic I could use simultaneously with Ki Technique was
weapon enhancement magic.
On top of that, the
success rate was low, still less than 10% in practice. It was a miracle that I
was able to use it today.
I feel that guy's back
is far away.
I definitively felt
the difference between us when we fought Rugato.
When facing an S-rank
powerhouse, one of the few on the continent, Irisdina and I were helpless.
Although I didn't have
my weapon, and Somia was held hostage, we were still easily defeated. It was
literally an opponent of a different league.
Extraordinary magic
power and advanced techniques to use ten spells simultaneously.
Even Irisdina, who
could easily fend off opponents, was taught the difference between herself and
a true powerhouse.
And then, Nozomu
defeated Rugato, that powerhouse.
When he released his
ability suppression, he far surpassed my expectations. Because of that, the
impatience in my chest continued to grow, making my awkward sword even worse.
(Don't be impatient!)
No matter how much I
told myself that, my impatience wouldn't disappear, and in the end, the sword I
had created remained dull until time ran out.
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
Swagaraga
[Gold]
B random
DavidA
Nepheos
ShitaiNoKootoRyuu
[Silver]
Creris
Fred A.
Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon
Geral Aponso
Matthew Fraser
Anton Lim
Ctdela
Curious Panda
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
