Volume 5
Chapter 15
Anri Var. She was the homeroom teacher for the Third Year Tenth Tier, and an irreplaceable benefactor to Nozomu. Without her, Nozomu truly would have been isolated in this academy. To Nozomu, she was as important as Shino, who had given him his katana.
And now, she stood
before Nozomu and his team. Her usual gentle, sunlit smile remained unchanged,
but cold sweat wouldn't stop running down Nozomu's back. Anri had said it: she
was a Special Target. That meant she was now an enemy to Nozomu and his team.
In fact, she wore the pendant of a training participant on her chest.
(Nozomu-kun...)
(Don't move. If we
move carelessly, we'll be defeated...)
Nozomu shivered,
unable to stop the chills from the fighting spirit hidden beneath Anri's usual
smile. But at the same time, he couldn't move rashly because he didn't know
what kind of moves she would make. Nozomu and his team had only ever seen her
supervising classes as their homeroom teacher, never actually fighting.
"Anri-sensei, did
you come here knowing we were here?"
"Hmm~, nope~. My
job is to take walks in various places~. Of course, even when I'm walking, I'm
doing my job properly~."
She pulled out the
pendants of the students she had defeated from her pocket. There were at least
twenty of them. Anri spoke with her usual languid voice, but looking around,
there was no one supporting her. Despite that, she had defeated over twenty
students by herself.
Jin and the others
shuddered at this fact. Despite their best efforts to defeat five opponents,
she had defeated more than four times that number all by herself.
"...So, we're
also targets for Anri-sensei's elimination?"
"...Yep, that's
how it is. I'll try not to hurt you too much... so I'm sorry~."
Anri made an
apologetic face, even though it was part of her job. But she said she would do
what needed to be done. Nozomu, confirming this fact, immediately decided on
their course of action.
"Jin! Deck!
Hamlia! We're running!"
Nozomu took out a
smoke bomb and the Twin Stones of Misfortune from his pouch and slammed them on
the ground. The smoke from the smoke bomb instantly spread, concealing Nozomu
and his team, and the Twin Stones of Misfortune lying on the ground glowed red.
Nozomu and his team had used up all the traps they had set in the forest in the
previous battle. Furthermore, since they had been discovered first, fighting
would inevitably lead to a head-on confrontation.
Nozomu didn't know how
Anri had defeated over twenty opponents, but directly confronting such an
obviously superior opponent seemed like suicide. Moreover, she wasn't the only
enemy in this forest. At the very least, they had to survive for the rest of
the day.
"Hurry, you
three!!"
"Got it!"
"A-Alright!" "U-Understood!"
Nozomu and his team
tried to put as much distance between them as possible, but then Nozomu heard
the sound of something cutting through the wind approaching him.
"!!"
Nozomu had a bad
feeling about the sound of the wind. He instinctively leaped sideways and rolled
on the ground, and the spot where he had just been exploded with a Paang! and
scattered dirt.
"Oh... You
avoided it. Then, this one's for you~."
"Kyaaah!"
"Gaah!!"
Anri swung her arm
twice in quick succession, and with explosive sounds, Deck and Hamlia's screams
echoed. The two lost their balance and fell. Jin rushed to the fallen two,
trying to help them up, but Anri raised her arm to attack Jin, who had rushed
to their aid.
"This is
bad!!"
Nozomu desperately
reinforced his body and stepped towards Anri to support Jin. His opponent had a
superior physical ability. He had to close that gap as much as possible, or he
wouldn't be able to handle her. But Anri, calm as ever, immediately shifted her
target to Nozomu, who had stepped in, and swung her arm.
"Tch!!"
As Anri swung her arm,
Nozomu was assailed by a chill that made his whole body prickle. The moment he
saw a black object in the corner of his vision, he instinctively kicked off the
ground and jumped sideways. Fortunately, the explosive sound that echoed again
was the sound of the ground bursting, and Nozomu was unharmed. He seemed to
have managed to avoid it.
"Jin! How are the
two of them?!"
"They're fine!
They are not disqualified yet!!"
It seemed Deck and
Hamlia's pendants hadn't registered them as disqualified. However, their
disadvantage remained. Deck and Hamlia seemed to have injured their arms; they
had dropped their weapons and were holding their arms, and their blood was
dripping onto the ground. Jin took out a potion and applied it to their arms.
The potion began to close their wounds, but while Jin was assisting the injured
two, Nozomu continued to be exposed to Anri's attacks.
(Damn it! I know she's
attacking with something, but I can't tell what it is!)
Every time Anri swung
her arm, something streaked across Nozomu's vision. It was too fast, and
fighting in the dim forest made it impossible to clearly distinguish the
object. Nozomu dodged by reading the chill running through his body and the
trajectory of the shadow that grazed his vision. Nozomu clicked his tongue
inwardly as he pondered how to break the situation.
"Fuwah~,
Nozomu-kun, you're amazing~. Hardly any students have been able to avoid
sensei's attacks this much~."
Anri spoke with a
drawn-out voice, impressed, but Nozomu had no time to listen to her words. The
intervals between her attacks were quite fast, and he knew that if he took even
one hit and lost his balance, he would be defeated without a chance to recover.
Nozomu strained his
eyes, trying to discern the shadow that was streaking past his vision. The
shadow was moving at considerable speed, and combined with the dimness of the
forest, it was quite difficult to see. However, Nozomu possessed extraordinary
concentration. His concentration sometimes even accelerated his thoughts,
allowing him to perceive things in his vision as if they were moving slowly. As
Nozomu intently tracked Anri's arm movements and the shadow's movements, the
previously indistinct shadow's movements gradually became clear.
(As I thought, it's
not a stick-like object, but some kind of string-like object. And it seems
quite flexible...)
Nozomu evaded Anri's
approaching attacks while assessing his opportunity. Eventually, as Anri swung
her arm horizontally, a shadow attacked Nozomu from the side, as if sweeping
him away.
"Now!!"
Nozomu lowered his
stance and crouched down, simultaneously raising his sheath to catch the
shadow's trajectory. The next moment, something wrapped around his sheath with
a whoosh of air. Before Anri could do anything, Nozomu immediately grabbed
whatever had coiled around it.
"...Ah."
"...Anri-sensei,
so this is your weapon, huh?"
Perhaps not expecting
her weapon to be snatched, Anri let out a surprised sound. What Nozomu had
grabbed was a black whip. She had probably dyed the whip black to make it
difficult to see in the dim forest.
"Amazing~!
Nozomu-kun, how did you figure that out~~?"
"...I could
faintly see the whip moving in the air, and then it was just a matter of
matching Anri-sensei's arm movements with the timing of the shadow. Honestly, I
was worried about what I'd do if the arm swing was a feint."
Nozomu had also
considered the possibility that the arm swing itself was a feint. If she had
been manipulating the whip with magic power or ki, he might have been attacked
at a different timing than her arm swing. But Nozomu didn't feel any ki or
magic power from the moving whip itself. He thought he might just not be able
to sense it, but continuing to evade would only lead to a drawn-out battle, so
he decided to take a chance. Fortunately, his action succeeded, and he was able
to confirm Anri's weapon in this manner.
"It's amazing
just to be able to discern that~. Especially in a dark place like this, my whip
should be quite hard to see~, let alone in a training ground~."
Even for Nozomu, it
would have been impossible without Shino's training. In a forest where
visibility was almost nonexistent, at close range, with blades sometimes swung
faster than Anri's whip. High-speed movements that disappeared from sight in an
instant. Ever-changing sword techniques. Nozomu had been literally beaten into
unconsciousness with these in practical combat scenarios where a single
misjudgment could lead to serious injury. It was a discernment that could be called
torture rather than just intense training.
However, knowing the
true nature of the opponent's weapon didn't improve the situation. Anri's true
strength was still unknown. On top of that, they had injured members.
(Frankly, this is
bad... It's completely at Anri-sensei's pace. Anyway, I need to do something
about the two behind me first...)
Deck and Hamlia, with
Jin's help, somehow managed to stand up. Their uniforms were still torn where
Anri's attacks had landed, but the bleeding seemed to have stopped. Thanks to
Jin's potion, they seemed able to hold their weapons, but with those injuries
facing such a formidable opponent, it was questionable whether they could even
defend themselves. However, Anri wasn't an opponent who would let them get away
easily.
(In that case, there's
only one sure way for me to turn this situation around. I feel like I've done
this before. Honestly, I'm not confident, but... I have no choice right now.)
"Jin! Take the
two of them and go to the rendezvous point first!!"
"Eh?!"
"If we keep
fighting Anri-sensei like this, we'll just be defeated! So go to the rendezvous
point first and call Mars and the others!!"
Nozomu instructed Jin,
who stood in front of the injured two, to take them and leave, and to call Mars
and the others. But at the same time, Nozomu knew that this would be difficult.
To fight Anri with Mars and the others, they either had to go to the previously
designated rendezvous point or hold out until Jin and the others brought Mars.
However, frankly, heading to the rendezvous point while facing Anri was
difficult.
Therefore, Nozomu's
plan was for Jin and the others to meet up with Mars, while he bought some time
and then escaped. He intended to get as far away from here as possible and draw
Anri away from his party. Honestly, Nozomu wasn't confident he could escape or
hold out until Mars and the others arrived, but he had extensive experience
fighting and escaping in the forest. The probability of escaping wasn't zero.
Jin hesitated for a
moment, but then, perhaps convinced by Nozomu's words, he took the two and
disappeared into the forest.
"Nozomu-kun, are
you sure~? The chances of winning would increase if you all fought
together~."
"Anri-sensei
isn't our only enemy. As long as we have injured members, prioritizing their
escape is necessary. The pain from the whip lasts quite a while, but it won't
be a problem if it subsides with healing magic. And Anri-sensei, you could have
attacked the three who just left, couldn't you?"
"Hmm~. But
Nozomu-kun, if I tried to attack Jin and the others, you would have immediately
charged at me, wouldn't you~? My whip wouldn't reach Jin and the others before
Nozomu-kun reached me~~~."
That's right, Anri's
weapon made it difficult to defeat an opponent in a single blow. A whip was
originally a weapon meant to inflict pain and break an opponent's spirit. In
this situation, if Anri attacked Jin and the others, Nozomu's katana would
reach her before she could defeat them. Anri was by no means underestimating
Nozomu. In that sense, Nozomu's strategy was a success. At the very least, he
had managed to direct her attention towards himself.
(Anri-sensei's weapon
has an incredibly wide range. There's no need to force a win, but I can't let
Anri-sensei chase Jin and the others right now. So, fighting is necessary to
keep Anri-sensei engaged...)
Nozomu concluded, and
focused ki throughout his body. Perhaps sensing the increase in Nozomu's
fighting spirit, Anri swung the hand holding the whip with full force.
"Kuh!"
The whip Nozomu was
holding began to go wild, now trying to entangle Nozomu's arm. Nozomu instantly
let go of the whip to escape it. With the whip freed, Anri resumed her attack.
Nozomu activated the ki technique Flash Step and charged straight at Anri.
Since his goal was to draw her attention, he took the most conspicuous action
possible. Anri immediately swung her arm, and the black whip was unleashed
along its trajectory.
Nozomu instantly
changed his activated Flash Step to Flash Step - Curving Dance and twisted his body,
causing him to drift slightly to the side. Anri's whip grazed Nozomu's temple
and continued past him, and Nozomu immediately charged towards Anri, trying to
close the distance. But Anri had anticipated Nozomu's aim. She flicked her
wrist, and the whip that had gone past Nozomu sprang up. The whip, having
sprung up, attacked Nozomu from behind, aiming to strike him from the back.
"!!"
Nozomu twisted his
body again from the chill he felt from behind, instinctively turning 90 degrees
to the right. The next moment, the whip that had attacked him from above struck
the ground where he had just been.
"Wow~! You dodged
it again! Amazing~."
Anri covered her mouth
with a slightly surprised expression. But she immediately pulled the whip back
to her hand and swept it at Nozomu, who was running across her front. Nozomu
dodged the approaching whip by using a nearby tree as a shield. The sweeping
whip struck the tree trunk, sending bark flying.
"Hiyah~.
Tooo~."
Anri's languid voice
echoed around, but contrary to her voice, she continuously unleashed powerful
and precise whip strikes. Nozomu skillfully used the thick trees as shields,
dodging Anri's whip while running in a circle, but his expression showed no
leeway. Due to the large difference in abilities and being within Anri's range,
Nozomu could only barely continue to evade her attacks. Eventually, Anri's
attacks also began to change, as if predicting Nozomu's direction of movement,
aiming for the space in front of Nozomu.
For a while, the two
continued their offense and defense, but Nozomu, who had been circling Anri,
suddenly changed course. He charged directly at her from the front.
"Yup. I knew
you'd come that way~."
Anri knew that close
combat was the only way Nozomu could find a breakthrough. She was unfazed by
Nozomu's sudden action and calmly swung her whip to intercept him. The whip,
faithfully following the trajectory of her swung arm, accurately aimed for
Nozomu, weaving through the thick trees. Nozomu tried to disorient Anri with
the dense trees and the curved movements of Flash Step - Curving Dance, but
Anri's whip accurately caught his feet, and the dirt that flew up reduced
Nozomu's momentum.
A slight decrease in
speed gave Anri an opportunity to attack again, and she didn't miss that
chance, unleashing her whip at Nozomu himself this time.
"But Nozomu-kun~.
If you keep going like that... huh?"
The moment her whip
was thought to have caught Nozomu's body, an explosive sound echoed around
them. In her eyes, Nozomu, who should have had his speed drop, was suddenly
charging forward again in a posture so low he was practically crawling.
Actually, the previous
explosive sound wasn't the sound of her whip hitting Nozomu. The true nature of
the explosive sound was a torrent of ki propelled from Nozomu's back. When he
was dodging Anri's whip using a tree in the forest as a shield, he had already
highly compressed ki on his back so she couldn't see it, and released it the
moment her whip was about to hit. He instantly lowered his stance and accelerated,
leaping into her personal space.
Anri, who had thought
she had surely caught Nozomu, clearly reacted late. Nozomu was already only a
few steps away from katana range, and it was clear she wouldn't be able to
retrieve her whip in time.
"Haaaaah!!"
Nozomu swung his
katana with a roaring cry. The diagonal slash accurately aimed for Anri's
shoulder, where she held the whip.
"E, e~i!"
But the moment
Nozomu's blade was about to catch Anri's body, Anri's loud voice suddenly
echoed.
"Eh?"
The next moment,
Nozomu let out a surprised sound as he saw what appeared before his eyes. Anri
had lifted her skirt with the hand not holding the whip. What Nozomu saw was
fair, dazzling skin deep within the fluttering skirt. Slender, shapely legs.
And cute pink fabric. And strapped to her moderately well-fleshed thigh, a
black iron mass contrasting with her fair skin.
It was a black iron
rod. Its length was probably about 30 centimeters. Given that it had a guard
and a hilt, it was clear that it was meant for sword fighting. Anri gripped the
iron rod in a reverse grip and swung it up with full force.
"Wha!?"
Nozomu's blade and the
black iron rod clashed. Nozomu's blade did not reach Anri; it was firmly
blocked by her rod.
"Oh, that was
close~~."
Anri let out a sigh of
relief while still in their locked position. Despite blocking Nozomu's katana
with one hand, her black iron rod didn't budge.
"E~~i!!"
Anri tried to push
Nozomu back with a languid voice. Nozomu desperately tried to resist the force
pushing him, but being under the influence of ability suppression, he couldn't
resist.
"Kuh!!"
Nozomu, judging that
he couldn't win with strength, instinctively used the curve of his blade to
deflect her momentum and, while moving to Anri's side, delivered another slash.
However, Nozomu's slash was again blocked by Anri's quickly returned black iron
rod. Nozomu continued to deliver consecutive slashes afterward, but all were
parried by Anri's black iron rod. Anri's black iron rod, shorter than Nozomu's
katana, was superior in handling and did not allow his blade to touch her body.
"Te-yah~!"
Anri lowered her
stance and unleashed a roundhouse kick at Nozomu's flank. Her white leg,
peeking from her fluttering skirt, attacked Nozomu with a force unimaginable
from her appearance.
"Whoa!!"
Fortunately, Nozomu
succeeded in ducking and dodging Anri's roundhouse kick, but she didn't stop
moving and brought her black iron rod down on Nozomu's head. Nozomu deflected
the downward-striking black iron rod with his katana and tried to escape to
Anri's side by rotating his body, but she unleashed another roundhouse kick.
"Gah!!"
This time, Nozomu
couldn't avoid it completely. Nozomu instinctively put his sheath between
himself and Anri, but he couldn't stop her forceful kick and was blown away.
"Kuh!!"
Nozomu instinctively
broke his fall and bounced backward. As Nozomu left the spot, the whip Anri
unleashed as a follow-up strike hit the ground.
"There~!"
Anri aimed for the
moment Nozomu, who had been flung back, would land, and swung her whip again.
Nozomu raised his katana to cut down Anri's whip, but cutting down a flexible
whip approaching at high speed was not easy. Moreover, if he mishandled the
parry, his feet would stop. If that happened, it would be Anri's turn to take control.
But the moment Nozomu
landed, suddenly, a gust of wind swept through.
"Whoa!!"
The sudden gust of
wind struck Nozomu directly, blowing his body away. Anri's whip missed Nozomu's
body, cutting through the empty air instead.
"Bfft!!"
Nozomu, caught off
guard by the sudden event, couldn't properly break his fall and ended up
kissing the ground with his face. Nozomu's face distorted at the bitter taste
filling his mouth.
"Peh! Peh! W-What
on earth was that!?"
Nozomu spat out the
dirt in his mouth and looked in the direction the gust of wind had come from.
He saw two students, a boy and a girl, wearing academy uniforms, running
towards him.
"Thank goodness.
He seems alright."
"Looks like we
made it in time."
The boy and girl in
uniforms were Deck and Hamlia, who were supposed to have left with Jin just
moments ago. Nozomu widened his eyes at the sight of the two who should not
have been there.
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