Every time Eiji found a good opportunity to activate his charm ability, that opportunity would inevitably slip away due to various coincidences.
After several failed attempts, Eiji finally understood.
His charm couldn't be used.
There was only one possible reason.
Eiji's expression darkened slightly as his sharp gaze, like a blade, fixed on Amane Shinomiya.
Ikki was engaged in combat with him.
But the battle had taken a bizarre turn. Every time Ikki tried to advance and strike, he would either slip unexpectedly, be hit by sudden gusts of wind or lightning, or find his path blocked by a silver rapier.
In short, Ikki was struggling miserably. Despite Amane Shinomiya not appearing particularly strong, none of Ikki's attacks could land—no matter what he tried.
Eiji closed his eyes.
His mind flashed back to the incident at the traffic light intersection days earlier.
The moment Eiji had noticed something off about the utility worker, Amane Shinomiya had already rushed forward, declaring the man a would-be killer.
It was strange. Eiji had only sensed something amiss, yet Amane Shinomiya had immediately concluded the man intended to kill.
How had he done that?
No.
Thinking that way would only lead him into a trap.
When it came to fate manipulation, one had to reason backwards to reach the truth—because the outcome was predetermined, and the process merely followed.
In other words, Amane Shinomiya had known for certain that a random killer would appear at that traffic light intersection.
And he had also known he would encounter Eiji there.
Was it just luck?
Unlikely.
Eiji observed Amane Shinomiya's every move. The latter showed no tension at all, his entire demeanor relaxed to the extreme. Yet, with a casual thrust of his sword, he coincidentally struck the flaw in Ikki's technique, forcing him back instantly.
This scenario had repeated over a dozen times, yet Ikki still hadn't found a way to counter it.
"I see… I understand now."
Eiji's eyes flickered with realization.
"Oh? What have you figured out?"
Amane Shinomiya turned to him with a smile.
A seemingly ordinary action, yet it coincidentally caused Ikki's blade to miss once again.
In the distance, wind and lightning clashed relentlessly—the other two battlefields had long since moved away from this place.
"Your ability is fate manipulation, but fate manipulation that can surpass probability adjustments is exceedingly rare."
Eiji had given up on using his charm and lowered his sword.
"Your ability appears to be absolute good fortune favoring yourself while cursing your opponent with terrible luck. But in the end, luck isn't within the domain of fate manipulation."
"Oh?"
Amane Shinomiya let out a meaningless sound, nodding slightly as if acknowledging the point.
"Actually, I had the wrong approach from the start. Fate manipulation typically manifests by predetermining the outcome—once the result is set, the process doesn't matter."
Eiji's voice was grave. "If I'm not mistaken, your ability is—wish fulfillment, isn't it?"
Wish fulfillment.
The power to break all impossibilities and turn one's desires into reality.
"What?"
Ikki retreated several steps, his expression tightening.
"Doesn't that mean his ability is to make his wishes come true?"
As if to confirm this point, once he stopped thinking about defeating Amane Shinomiya, his footing no longer slipped, and those bizarre accidents ceased to occur entirely.
"Hehehe, I'm impressed you figured it out!"
Amane Shinomiya covered his face, laughing with genuine delight.
"You're absolutely right. My ability is called
This was his power.
Undeniably the strongest among causality manipulation—essentially a human-shaped wish-granting machine!
"If I wanted to, the moon could crash down right now! If I wished for it, a world war could break out this instant!"
Amane Shinomiya laughed wildly, without restraint.
"From the very beginning, I wished for Akatsuki Academy's plan to succeed without fail. That's why we will win no matter what! Even if you're stronger than us, even if you possess unmatched power, in the end, victory will still be ours!"
That's right.
This was why Utakata Misogi's probability adjustment failed, and why Eiji's charm ability couldn't be activated no matter what.
Because the outcome had been predetermined from the start. In this battle, Akatsuki Academy could not lose. Thus, any ability that could instantly defeat them all was rendered unusable.
This was domination on the level of fate itself.
Unless one could surpass fate, there was no way to oppose it.
"How... do we fight an opponent like this?"
Ikki's face was drenched in cold sweat, his heart gripped by a chilling dread.
"Fight?"
Amane Shinomiya wore a mocking grin.
"Are you joking?"
There was no way to fight.
From the very beginning, they had already been placed in an unwinnable position.
"The only reason you're still standing here is because I haven't wished to take you down yet."
His eyes gleamed with a swamp-like darkness, his smile twisting into something grotesque as his expression grew increasingly sinister.
"If I wanted to—"
The moment he spoke—
BOOM!
A thunderous roar echoed from the distance.
Both Eiji and Ikki's expressions changed abruptly.
***
Raikiri!
Within the crossed range lay her domain.
Facing Kurogane Ouma just two meters away, Touka instantly sheathed her sword and unleashed her trump card.
A supersonic electromagnetic draw slash flashed forth, transforming into a lightning strike too fast for the naked eye to follow. With a piercing howl of wind, it slashed toward Kurogane Ouma.
CLANG!
Kurogane Ouma took the hit head-on without dodging.
Even struck by a supersonic lightning slash, he remained completely unharmed—not even a scratch on his skin.
"He can withstand this?!"
Touka gasped in shock.
In battles between Blazers, there were rare instances where the difference in magical power rendered attacks ineffective. But the gap between her and Kurogane Ouma's mana reserves wasn't nearly large enough for that.
She abruptly retreated, putting over ten meters between them before stopping.
It wasn't over yet.
She still had one last move—an experimental technique originally reserved for this year's Seven Stars Sword Art Festival. She never expected to be forced to use it here.
Golden electricity coiled like frenzied serpents.
Touka conjured a circular electromagnetic field before her, positioning herself at its entrance. Raising her Device, Raikiri, she leveled its tip directly at Kurogane Ouma.
"—Takemikazuchi!"
She charged forward into the magnetic field without hesitation.
Propelled by the magnetic acceleration, she transformed herself into a bullet, firing like an electromagnetic cannon with such tremendous force that it could shatter her very body!
BOOM—!
***
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