Chapter 159: A wild and crazy sports festival (7)

“Then, the game begins!”

The referee shouted that and blew the whistle, and the game started.

There were 10 players on the blue team and 10 on the white team, making a total of 20 participants, who all quickly bent down to pick up the balls on the ground and began throwing them into the air.

They were aiming for a basket positioned 5 meters above them.

To be honest, their accuracy couldn’t even be called good, not even as a polite exaggeration.

In Anatolia, people learn to use swords or bows, but throwing techniques are never taught.

Unless they were going to use hand axes as a weapon, there was no real point in learning throwing techniques.

In fact, there were cases where female students with weaker arm strength couldn’t even get the ball to reach the 5-meter height and it fell short.

She probably wouldn’t make a single goal by the end of the game.

On the other hand, there were participants who showed skills far above the others.

It went without saying that it was Isma.

“Ha, anyway, since I’m here, I should at least earn my meal.”

He said that and casually picked up the balls at a slow pace, lazily tossing them into the basket.

Even if we were generous, his pace was about 1/3 of the speed of the others.

But unlike the other participants, who managed to get only 10-20% of their thrown balls into the basket, every single one of Isma’s shots went in without fail.

He was truly a marksman with perfect accuracy.

‘Pathetic. These are just small fry.’

Isma clicked his tongue inwardly.

With such a low level of competition, there was no meaning to his participation.

If he had just sent a few lackeys, they would have easily secured the win.

Thinking that way made him even angrier.

Those damn Salem people, spreading false information cowardly.

‘I thought maybe one of them might show something…’

Isma glanced over at Marianne in the distance.

Where was the boldness she had shown before the match? Now, Marianne was standing still, not moving at all.

It was in stark contrast to the other students, who were at least trying to make some effort.

She just stood there, her head hanging low, doing nothing, free-riding.

Did she even have any intention of participating in the game?

“Easy… guys…”

“Hmm?”

At that moment, Isma’s ears caught an odd sound.

Turning his head, he saw Marianne standing in place, muttering something softly. It was like a witch reciting a curse.

Seeing that, Isma felt a chill run down his spine for no reason.

‘What’s she doing? Is she using some kind of magic, like a demon?’

Maybe he should call the referee and have her kicked out before things got worse.

With that thought, Isma raised his hand to call the referee.

But at that very moment.

-Huff…

Marianne took a deep breath, then suddenly lifted her head and yelled loudly into the sky.

“You idiots are the ones who don’t know anything, you dumbasses!!!!!!”

It was a roar of anger that could shake the heavens and the earth.

The sudden loud sound made everyone, including the other nineteen participants and the audience, flinch all at once.

They blinked at Marianne.

Their eyes asked what was going on, seeking an explanation.

However, Marianne paid no mind to the attention focused on her (which, under normal circumstances, would have made her embarrassed), and continued to vent her emotions.

“Sure, Sien is usually a cool, stoic, and perfect tsundere who doesn’t let anyone deny him!!”

But sticking to such a shallow interpretation and defending logic is a mistake only the noobs, who have just entered the game, would make!!

If you’re a real fan of Sien, you should be able to appreciate his depth as a whole!!!

What’s the point of calling yourself a fan if you only exclude the parts you don’t understand, huh?!”

It was a good thing that she wasn’t a dragon.

If she had been, her breath would have turned the whole place into chaos.

With a twisted expression on her face, Marianne kept exploding with emotions.

“You don’t know anything.

Not at all, not even a tiny bit, nothing at all!!”

The lack of common sense or finesse Sien sometimes shows! Those few minor flaws lead to miraculous outcomes!!

He’s caught up in the fiery passion of Lièr and the innocence of Exia, losing his rhythm, and when he tries to regain control, he just keeps sinking deeper and deeper!!

The beat of his heart won’t listen, and his face turns red from emotions he’s never felt before!!!

THAT’S what really excites me, but you don’t even know that and you’re acting like this, huh?!!

At that moment, when Marianne’s emotions reached their peak, her shadow suddenly exploded outward, spreading and expanding like an unknown force.

It was like an unexpected night had arrived.

And from within the shadow, countless hands rose up into the air, like flowers blooming from the underworld.

The spectators, witnessing such a scene for the first time, screamed in unison.

“What is that?!”

“She suddenly went berserk and started using some strange power?!”

“Referee! Is this okay!? Referee!!”

Some people rushed to call for the referee, urging him to handle the situation, but even the referee was at a loss for what to do.

This was because what she was using was neither magic nor divine law.

If it had been, it would have been detected by the magic detection tool right away.

But the crystal ball remained still.

It wasn’t magic or divine law, it was an alien force.

It was a unique ability of Marianne, one she could use without any incantations.

It was the one and only ability that had manifested due to her bloodline from the Demon King Astaroth, similar to Therese’s “Abyssal Wound.”

However, Marianne herself named it –

“The Black Swamp.”

Marianne grinned and waved her hand from left to right.

At that, hundreds of hands rose from the ground and each grabbed a nearby rubber ball, hurling them toward the sky.

It was as if a squad of archers were launching simultaneous anti-aircraft fire.

The target was the basket of the White Team, to which Marianne belonged.

“?! Wait, balls are falling from the sky!! Aaaahhh!!!”

“Everyone, get out of the way!! If you don’t want to get hit!!”

At the sudden barrage of falling balls, the students gathered near the basket—regardless of whether they were on the Blue Team or White Team—started running away.

Some slower friends were hit by the ricocheting balls and let out short screams.

Isma, who was standing behind, shouted with a stunned expression.

“What the hell is this crazy development?!”

From his perspective, it made no sense.

He was about to lose the victory he thought he had already secured, all because of some strange ability he couldn’t understand.

Of course, the success rate of each hand’s throw was nowhere near that of Isma.

In fact, it was less accurate than a regular girl throwing a ball.

However, when there are dozens, even hundreds, of hands throwing, those minor flaws don’t matter anymore.

It’s like shooting a thousand times and hitting a hundred times.

The total number of hits is obviously higher than shooting ten times and hitting every time.

With enough attempts, probabilities don’t matter as much. If you can “shoot until it goes in,” that’s the surefire way to win.

In short, Isma was like a single-shot pistol, while Marianne was like a rapid-fire machine gun.

Obviously, the firepower is incomparable.

“Hey, you trashy little bitch!!! Is there anywhere in the world that fights so sneakily?!

As expected of a lowborn bloodline, all you do is cheat, without an ounce of pride?!”

Isma, furiously pointing at Marianne, was suddenly hit by a rubber ball flying straight at him, sending him flying backward.

Thud, thud-thud.

His body rolled across the grass, kicking up small dirt clouds.

From a distance, Marianne snickered.

“Oh my, what did you just say? I didn’t catch that. My hearing isn’t great, you see.

By the way, it’s dangerous to stay in that spot. You might get hit by a stray ball, you know, senpai.♡”

“You little bitch, I swear…!”

Isma, looking furious, stood up.

He grabbed two balls that had fallen next to him and raised his arms.

Just as he was about to launch a high-speed ball at Marianne, reaching 160 km/h,

“Stop, stop!”

The referee intervened, halting their conflict. Isma, having missed his perfect opportunity, spat in frustration.

The teacher cleared their throat and spoke.

“Time’s up. The ball throwing game is over.

And as for the results…”

The referee squinted his eyes and declared, turning toward Marianne.

“White Team, disqualified.”

“What?! Why?!”

Marianne protested with an indignant expression.

But, to her surprise, everyone else, even her teammates, were more baffled by her protest.

Wasn’t it obvious? What had she done to complain?

The referee spoke gently, as though explaining.

“Marianne, the rule clearly states that ‘you must use your hands to throw.’ Using any other part of your body is invalid.”

“This is my hand! What else would it be if not a hand?!”

“Well, it is a hand, but it’s a shadow hand created by magic. That’s not allowed.”

“It’s not magic! It’s a unique ability inherited from the Demon Lord!”

“Anyway, it’s obviously cheating.”

“That’s a lie! The rulebook never said anything about not using innate abilities! Are we supposed to treat it as cheating if a half-giant uses their strength or if a half-elf gets an advantage with their vision?! What then?! Huh?!”

“No, this is completely different…”

“It’s not different, you bastard!! What’s different?!”

The last words were not from Marianne. They came from a voice shouting from a distance.

The overzealous parents, or rather, the overzealous ancestors who had been silently watching in the stands, shouted with veins bulging in their necks.

“Whatever happens, if we win, we win! Why is there a disqualification?! If the rules weren’t clear enough, it’s the organizers’ fault! Why are you taking it out on us?!”

“Stop making ridiculous complaints, or we’ll release you and rape you?! Huh?!”

“Eek…!”

The referee (23 years old, a new teacher, and a virgin) stepped back in terror.

The threats from the notorious leader of the Lust Legion were something even someone like Ada couldn’t withstand.

Just as she was about to give in to the pressure and announce the cancellation of the disqualification,

“Nelia Whitevine.”

From behind the leader, a cold, icy voice rang out.

It was Mana.

“What did I tell you 30 years ago about causing a ruckus again? Huh?”

“…..!”

Nelia, who had been shouting loudly just a moment ago, suddenly turned pale, sensing imminent death.

Mana glared at her coldly and spoke.

“Do you want to experience ‘that’ full course again? From step one to step seven?”

“Eek?!! No!!! I’m sorry!!!”

Nelia immediately threw herself to the ground, humbling herself in an infinitely degrading position, with no regard for her dignity as the leader of the Legion.

Thus, Marianne’s grand “Victory Spell” ended with her not even breaking even.