episode_0024

Whoosh!

The sound of air being sharply cut. Following it, a spear surged forward. It was a fast, straight attack. I calmly raised my sword’s flat side like a shield.

Thud!

Immediately, a heavy impact resonated through my fingertips. My body naturally slid backward. A monstrous strength, utterly unbelievable coming from such a slender figure. As I regained my posture after the electrifying sensation, a taunt flew in as if on cue.

“You’re quite resilient, aren’t you? I thought you’d be knocked out in one go.”

The corner of her lips twisted ferociously. In the girl’s hand was a spear sculpted from ice. It was Emilia’s ability, [Freezing].

“But even so, you’re nothing but a mere bug!”

Swish!

From behind me, I heard the sound of something sharp flying at high speed. I lightly twisted my body to dodge it.

Thwack!

What embedded itself in the floor was an arrow. Turning my head, I saw additional ice shards flying from a blind spot. It was a surprise attack, aiming for a gap. However, I wasn’t flustered.

“Oh dear~ This is troublesome.”

Slice!

A leisurely swung sword strike cut the arrow. The ice fragments fell to the floor.

“Tch…!”

The girl clicked her tongue and retreated. Her blue eyes held a thick irritation. Was she agitated? The “bubble top student” whom she thought would fall easily. Because such an opponent had been flexibly blocking her attacks for a while now.

I smiled faintly.

“It seems things aren’t going your way, are they?”

“Ha…!”

She let out a hollow laugh. Perhaps she hadn’t expected to hear such a taunt from a bug she was ignoring. As expected, her mental state was easily shaken.

“How dare you, a mere nobody…!”

“Oh dear.”

Clang!

A piercing, explosive sound erupted. The emotionally thrown spear strike was swallowed by shadow. We continued our power struggle for a moment, blades locked. Her wide-open eyes were full of venomous light.

Crunch… Thud!

I pushed back the girl who was roughly pressing in. A slight distance opened up due to the recoil.

“This is disappointing, you know.”

I continued to mock cheerfully.

“You spoke with such confidence, so I was looking forward to it… but thirty minutes have passed and you haven’t even grazed me.”

“Shut up.”

“At this rate, becoming the top student will be difficult.”

“I said shut up…!”

Ah, I’m happy. This is dopamine. Her reaction was so good, it was immensely satisfying to provoke her. Even while batting away the spearhead that sharply thrust in occasionally, I continued my cheerful taunting.

“How about you try to hit at least my toes?”

“I’ll rip it apart. That mouth, I’ll surely…!”

“Oh, I’m truly looking forward to it~? May I ask when you plan to rip it apart?”

“How dare you, to Lady Vanity…!”

“The level of Vanity is truly apparent. To think someone like this is their successor.”

Clang! Crunch, grind…!

As the sharp noises continued, the girl was swept away by the atmosphere. Before long, the duel had taken on a one-sided aspect.

“Haa, haa…!”

Emilia was panting as if exhausted. Her blue hair was damp with sweat. At this point, her legs should have started giving out, but she was still holding her spear. Indeed, a tenacious person is tenacious.

“Haa, huuh…!”

“Your skill is quite excellent, but… your opponent was not a good match.”

This was sincere. Even though the “bullying” was enjoyable, I had no intention of deliberately denigrating my opponent. Emilia was clearly one of the most prominent geniuses of this generation. A solid foundation built through countless efforts. Her spearmanship, sniping, and psychological warfare, following her overwhelming ice magic, were already beyond student level. To exaggerate a little, two Emilias would be enough to contend with Charlotte. There was no doubt her talent would be etched in history. Or rather, well-founded confidence. The girl was certainly qualified. It was just that… her opponent wasn’t human.

“Haha~ You can’t reach me with attacks like that, you know?”

Clang!

I deflected another arrow flying from a blind spot. The ice fragments fell powerlessly. Among the onlookers, a murmur could be heard. The students couldn’t hide their astonishment.

-W-What in the world… are we watching? -Lady Vanity isn’t putting up any resistance? Is she not feeling well…? -The “bubble top student” is fighting too well. -He seems to be completely overwhelming her. -He’s been deliberately defending from the start. As if he’s… Lady Vanity.

‘Playing with her.’

Emilia must be hearing it too. Their whispering reactions. The prestige she had built up over time crumbled, and the meticulously prepared stage became a trap that ensnared her. It was a moment that ripped open the remaining scars of her inferiority complex.

“How about you forfeit now?”

“……”

I returned the exact words the girl had said before the duel began. Since I had decided to take this seriously, I planned to thoroughly crush her until she was like a rag. Of course, the girl seemed unable to accept it. She composed her breathing for a moment, then clenched her fists and glared at me.

“……Whose idea?”

A sticky killing intent emanated. How tenacious. It seemed she intended to see this to the very end. Emilia discarded the ice spear she was holding, then brought both hands together and began to draw forth power. Her clear blue eyes were already clouded.

“I will never lose to someone like you… I must never, ever lose.”

Crackle, crackle!

Blue sparks flew. The mana within her body began to explode. A ‘Mana Overload’ state, arbitrarily triggered by clashing her remaining mana and creating hundreds of thousands of frictions. It was an insane utilization, impossible to even attempt with ordinary control.

Amidst the turbulent flow. Her red lips chanted.

“Oh, bitter winter.” Before records were set. Marybell, who bloomed frost flowers in an innocent world. Hear my call, I, the rightful heir to the snow and cold. I covet your great slaughter. And gather the tears of fallen witches to build a tower of sorrow. “Erase them all.”

-Emilia’s Ice Magic Secret Technique- ‘Frost Spikes’

As soon as the chant ended, the surrounding temperature instantly turned frigid. White frost began to form around the girl’s feet. Clear breath plumed from her mouth. By then, enormous shards of glaciers had risen behind Emilia.

“Haa……”

Ten thousand ice spears filled the sky. I twisted the corner of my lips as I took in the magnificent sight. She finally brought out her ultimate skill. I’d always only seen it beyond the game, so facing it directly like this felt truly novel.

Whoosh!

The pressure was immense. A feeling of being naturally overwhelmed. Even the noisy students in the stands were now silent.

“……”

“……”

Their gazes briefly intersected. There was no defeat in either of their eyes. Only venom or certainty that they would win resided within them.

A fleeting standoff.

“Winter.”

Peace shattered fleetingly. Her red lips finished the final phrase.

“Unleash!”

Simultaneously. The ten thousand spears that had adorned the sky poured down all at once. Like a shower made of pale blue.

Whoosh!

The fierce downpour naturally targeted where I stood. A waterfall of spears, delivering distant despair. But.

“Hmph.”

Even in such a situation, I smiled. As if I couldn’t contain my enjoyment.

“Splendid.”

My opponent had shown something impressive first, so now it was my turn to show them something. I slowly extended my hand. Waving black mist. I calmly condensed ‘lies’.

Whoosh!

A sound that tore apart the surrounding atmosphere. I formed a gun with my index finger and aimed it at the pouring torrent. Shadows squirmed.

“Hmph.”

There was no need for extravagance like with Charlotte. A simple difference in caliber. I would simply overwhelm with sheer output. The power gathered at my fingertips, I murmured the chant as if pulling a trigger.

“Shatter.”

Click.

The next moment. The entire arena was tainted black.

***

The students were all soaked in excitement. The duel between the “bubble top student” and the villainess.

“Lady Vanity has finally drawn her sword.”

“That person is truly unfortunate.”

“Young Master Snakers… he surprisingly seems to have some skill, but still, being in the top student position was a bit much.”

“Outmaneuvering the Princess doesn’t make sense, does it?”

“Still, it’s a good spectacle.”

Even if they didn’t express it like Emilia. The students who had secretly questioned the results of the class placement exam. For them, this duel couldn’t help but be interesting. It was an opportunity to finally confirm the boy’s skill, which they hadn’t been able to witness last time due to Charlotte’s barrier.

“Who do you think will win?”

“Of course, Lady Vanity, isn’t it?”

“I suppose so.”

“Because she’s an outstanding person. If it weren’t for Her Royal Highness the Princess, she would have long since claimed the top student position.”

“They say no one her age can match her in ice magic.”

No one really expected a twist. Because everyone knew the prestige of the name ‘Emilia’.

“I’ll bet on Lady Vanity winning within one minute.”

“Then I’ll bet on 30 seconds!”

“Aren’t you all underestimating Lady Vanity too much…? I think 5 seconds.”

The students in the stands each predicted the outcome. The top student’s defeat was certain. However. Unlike the students’ predictions, which expected a one-sided end. The fight continued as a fierce struggle.

Clang! Crunch…! Thud!

At first, both seemed to be fighting hard.

“What? He’s lasting longer than I thought?”

“His movements are clean, and his agility isn’t bad… Didn’t they say he was a ‘bubble’?”

“Indeed, he’s skilled.”

“Lady Vanity will win eventually… but, huh?”

As time passed, the atmosphere grew strange. The flow was increasingly leaning to one side. The gap began to widen. Emilia showed signs of struggling, while the boy continued to casually dodge. Without launching a single attack.

“W-What in the world… are we watching?”

“Lady Vanity isn’t putting up any resistance? Is she not feeling well…?”

“The ‘bubble top student’ is fighting too well.” He seems to be completely overwhelming her. “He’s been deliberately defending from the start. As if he’s… playing with Lady Vanity.”

The villainess was noticeably pushed back. The stands were filled with bewilderment. It was already surprising that he could exchange blows with Emilia, but now he was even overwhelming her. The unexpected development delivered a powerful shock. What in the world had happened? According to rumors, he was nothing more than an ordinary talent. Then what was this current scene?

“Impossible.”

“Lady Vanity is being toyed with…?”

A hypothesis flashed through their minds. The class placement exam that had caused great backlash in the academy. Charlotte, who had forfeited. Was it not mere capriciousness that she gave up the match, but because her opponent was truly unbeatable? Such an absurd hypothesis.

“Surely not…”

The air was filled with commotion. Just then. The duel finally raced towards its climax.

“Winter.”

The cornered girl was utterly precarious. As if walking on a razor’s edge. Yet, she did not back down. She forcibly exploded her remaining mana, drawing forth the maximum output she could unleash. Azure ice covered the sky.

“My goodness… what in the world is that?”

“I knew she was one of the top geniuses, but to think she was at this level…?”

“The entire arena is going to be shattered.”

“Isn’t someone going to die here?”

“Shouldn’t the management intervene…!?”

They urgently looked for the professors, but they only watched in silence. Finally. The girl’s lips finished the chant. The ten thousand spears, densely arrayed like stars, moved.

“Unleash!”

Boom!

A deafening roar pierced their eardrums. The fiercely raging winter descended as if to swallow everything in the world. It was like witnessing an apocalypse.

“Kyaaaah!”

“What do we do!”

“Even if he’s the top student, if he gets caught in that spear storm, he’ll be at least severely injured…!”

The children retreated, anticipating a disaster. But. The boy was different. The serpent, who was chuckling to himself, stood still in his place. And then, he raised a finger and aimed it at the sky. Was he crazy? When he should have been scurrying away, he stood frozen. The students screamed. Regardless. The boy parted his lips.

“Shatter.”

For just a moment, his narrowed eyes opened. Transparent, luminous white pupils. Time seemed to stand still. Immediately after. A handful of shadow shot from his fingertips. It pierced through the torrent of spears, then rapidly spread in all directions. The sky dyed pitch black.

Crumble, crumble!

It was instantly coated. The ice spears, their surfaces covered in jet black, froze in mid-air. Shadows dripped down.

Snap!

Following that, the boy snapped his fingers. Elegantly. The next moment.

Clang!

Ten thousand shards of ice. They shattered simultaneously. The venomous winter scattered into countless fragments. It shattered into tiny pieces.

Whirl!

Black snow fell. Following the gently blowing wind, the black snowflakes danced gracefully. Like a snowfield drenched in night. Alien, yet beautiful. Their gaze was naturally drawn to the layer piling up on the arena floor. An enchanting sight, softly glowing.

“……”

The stands were now filled with silence. The students blankly watched the winter mixed with shadow. Forgetting even the chaos from moments before.

Rustle, rustle.

A scene resembling a handful of dream. Within the dreamlike landscape, a single boy walked alone. The serpent generously asked.

“Do you still intend to continue?”

It was a whisper that captivated people.