"That bastard!"
Stella's face twisted in anger.
"Is he saying the remaining forces are enough to deal with us?"
Even if they were elites from the underworld, each possessing remarkable skills, their side wasn't composed of pushovers either. What sheer arrogance!
"Mmm-hmm, truth be told, I never considered you opponents to begin with."
Reisen Hiraga tossed his head back, his words dripping with contempt.
"After all, our goal is to win the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival. A mere Hagun Academy could never stop us! With that, I'll take my leave!"
Having said his piece, he carried Arisuin Nagi on his back and headed toward the mountain path.
"Stop right there!"
Shizuku gave chase from behind.
Though her appearance was disheveled, her white stockings torn to shreds, her sharp gaze remained locked onto Reisen Hiraga.
"Give Alice back!"
Reisen Hiraga completely ignored her furious shout, humming a tune as he cheerfully departed Hagun Academy.
"Wait...!"
Panic flashed across Shizuku's face as she tried to pursue.
But suddenly, a towering figure blocked her path.
"As Akatsuki Academy's representative, I won't let you pass."
Kurogane Ouma coldly stared down his younger sister before drawing the terrifyingly long ōdachi from his chest.
Without hesitation, he swung it down at Shizuku with full force!
A gale coiled around the blade, transforming into invisible wind scythes that carved deep gashes into the concrete ground.
Shizuku's expression tightened as she instinctively raised her silver kodachi in defense.
"Dragon Fang!"
But suddenly, a massive dragon's head, baring its fangs, charged between them.
The fiery maw opened wide, clashing head-on with the oncoming gale as the two forces tore into each other.
"As you wish, your opponent is me!"
Stella leaped between them, her eyes blazing with fighting spirit.
"Hmph!"
Kurogane Ouma snorted before gathering another gale around his blade and lunging at Stella.
In an instant, wind and flames intertwined, transforming the surrounding dozens of meters into a deadly zone of scorching heat and razor-sharp scythes.
"Whoa, what a spectacle!"
The pink-haired loli Rinna Kazamatsuri grimaced at the chaotic battlefield.
This was her first time seeing Kurogane Ouma in action—she hadn't expected him to be strong enough to face the holder of the world's strongest magic power head-on. But such grand displays weren't to her taste.
Her peripheral vision suddenly caught Shizuku's figure.
"O my familiar!"
Rinna bellowed.
"ROOOAR!"
The black lion beneath her let out an earth-shaking roar, its soundwaves manifesting into a violent storm that surged toward Shizuku's path.
Forced to halt, Shizuku could only watch helplessly as Arisuin Nagi vanished from sight.
"Fufufu, my enemy shall not escape!"
Rinna laughed triumphantly.
CLANG!
Abruptly, the sharp clang of metal rang out, startling her.
"You shall not harm the young mistress!"
Charlotte Corde, clad in a maid outfit, leaped down from the black lion and positioned herself before Rinna.
Ikki had somehow closed the distance between them, swinging his Device, Intetsu, with full force.
But.
"Blocking it... with just a finger?"
Ikki stared in astonishment at the maid standing opposite him.
With just a single finger of her left hand, she had effortlessly blocked his full-powered slash!
"No, upon closer inspection, there's a one-centimeter gap between her finger and the blade... Is this some kind of ranged defensive ability?"
Ikki narrowed his eyes.
His extraordinary observational skills allowed him to instantly discern the truth.
While it appeared that Charlotte had blocked the attack with her finger, in reality, her finger must have been coated with something special—an object that had intercepted his strike from a distance.
Even so, the fact that she could withstand his full-powered slash without so much as flinching spoke volumes about her formidable defensive capabilities!
Even if he used his ultimate technique, Ittou Shura, it might not be enough to breach her defenses.
"This is troublesome... My Ittou Shura's penetrating force requires direct contact to take effect..."
Ikki felt the difficulty of the situation.
If she could defend from a distance, the Ittou Shura's effect wouldn't reach her.
In that case, he needed to find a way to force her to drop this defense—or trick her into switching to an offensive stance!
In an instant, Ikki formulated a strategy in his mind and engaged Charlotte in a fierce melee.
Relying solely on his swordsmanship, Ikki found himself unable to break through Charlotte's impenetrable defenses in the short term, and their battle quickly reached a stalemate.
Meanwhile.
The moment the chaotic battle began, Eiji kicked off the ground with explosive force.
His spirit weapon, the Bling Blade, materialized in his grasp as he shot forward like a gust of wind, covering over ten meters in the blink of an eye to appear right before the golden-haired girl.
Sara barely had time to register the blur before her—a flash of silver light was already at her throat.
Such blinding speed left no room for reaction!
Indeed, Eiji's first target was Sara!
Having once fought her in a prolonged nighttime battle on the streets, Eiji knew all too well the terrifying formations Sara could create if given enough time.
Thus, he intended to eliminate her the very instant the battle began!
"—Steel of Bronze!"
Clang!
The blade came down.
As expected, the strike landed squarely on Sara's neck.
Yet, instead of the expected sensation of cutting into flesh, Eiji felt as though he had struck solid steel. The tremendous recoil sent shockwaves through his arms, forcing him to instinctively disperse the force.
Sara's expression remained blank, but her eyes burned with fervent intensity as she stared at Eiji, radiating an unshakable resolve.
"So hard!"
Eiji was taken aback.
Her physique was so fragile that a simple push could knock her down—so why did his blade feel like it had struck a massive bell, even producing a resonant chime?
His gaze sharpened as he scrutinized Sara's body.
At some point, a layer of bluish-green hue had enveloped her, transforming her into what resembled a bronze sculpture.
"The concept of colour... I see!"
Eiji suddenly understood.
The intelligence reports mentioned Sara's ability to manipulate the concept of colour—this must be what they referred to!
By applying a specific colour, she could imbue objects with the properties associated with that colour's symbolism.
For instance, using a blue pigment could grant an object unparalleled hardness!
She must have prepared this in advance, knowing full well her physical frailty and the need to protect herself.
In that case, he would aim for her internal organs!
Above all, he couldn't let her wield her brush to summon other Blazers!
Eiji closed the distance once more!
"—Guidance of Pure White!"
But Sara had already reacted by then.
She raised her paintbrush, her wrist moving at an astonishing speed. The intensity of her focus was remarkable—her brushstrokes could almost rival Eiji's sword swings!
In an instant, a white horizontal line appeared before her.
***
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