<strong>56. New semester and First-Year War [8]</strong>


    With the tremendous power that was surging through my body, I held my sword high and swung it down at once.


    「First Sword – Flying Shadow! 」


    At the same time, Ria swung her sword in arge arc.


    「ck Breath!」


    The moment the two collided, the shadow I released cut through the ck me easily.


    「…No way!?」


    With her eyes wide open from the unexpected oue, Ria immediately jumped sideways and avoided the looming Flying Shadow.


    (…Yoshi, I can work with this!)


    As I thought, I’m not going to lose in strength anymore…!


    I decided that now is the chance to win and,


    「HAAAAAAAAAAA!」


    To change the state of battle into closebat, I quickly ran towards Ria.


    「Draconic Roar!」


    A tremendous amount of mes mixed in ck and white blocked my path.


    (As expected, she made that move…)


    But right now – I can push through!


    「-HA!」


    With a side-sweep sh, I erased the mes that obstructed the path.


    「M-My mes… with just your sword pressure…!?」


    Due to the surprise, Ria stiffened slightly.


    I didn’t miss that opportunity, and unleashed a diagonal sh with all my strength.


    「SEI!」


    「Kuh…Kyaa!?」


    She immediately defended with her sword, but was blown to the side due to the overwhelming strength difference.


    「What… ridiculous strength…!」


    She managed tond safely and took a great distance.


    「This kind of strength even without the presence of soul dress… As expected of Allen…」


    「Same goes for Ria. In just four months, you can manipte your soul dress to this extent… You are amazing after all.」


    「Fufu, thank you. But my real power is from here on out!」


    Saying that, she thrust her sword onto the stage and quietly closed her eyes.


    The next moment,


    「-Dragon Soul!」


    She was dressed in sparkling white me and dark ck me.


    「This is …?!」


    A tremendous pressure that pierces the whole body.


    Only the space surrounding Ria was of a different weight. An extraordinary presence.


    (Wow, Ria…)


    It is nothing less than remarkable that she still had an ace up her sleeve.


    「It’s going to be somewhat different from before, alright?」


    「Aa, it appears to be so…!」


    The moment I blinked.


    The figure of Ria, with her sword held high, was in front of me.


    「Fast!?」


    This is different from Rose’s movement technique.


    This was simply Ria’s physical speed.


    It was that in and simple. No secret or trick behind it. How troublesome.


    「Eat this!」


    The looming downward sh,


    「Kuh…」


    I reflexively rolled to the right and managed to avoid it.


    「I won’t let you escape! High King Style – Consecutive Spears!」


    「Kuh, Sakura Blossom One-Sword Style Secret Technique – Mirrored Sakura sh!」


    Our attacks met fiercely and sparks flew.


    After that, our sword fight fell into a seesaw state. Our offensive and defensive exchanges were equally matched.


    「High King Style – Strong Strike!」


    「-HA!」


    Our swords collided and stopped.


    The two swords were locked in apletely antagonistic state.


    The swords don’t even twitch as if time itself had stopped.


    (No way… Even〈Dragon Soul〉can’t push him back…!?)


    (I see… So, the cells in her body are stimted by the white mes she wears. It’s a really good ability, with a wide range of applications…)


    Our gaze intersected, and we jumped back at the same time.


    (…As it stands, our physical abilities arepletely even.)


    In addition, the long-range ck mes and the indiscriminate ranged attacks… I can deal with both of them now.


    In short, what I should do here is simple. Just keep on engaging in closebat!


    「-UOOOOHHHHHH!」


    As I ran straight towards Ria,


    「Kuh, White Coil!」


    She deployed a huge white me shield forward.


    The white me shield that functions the same as an impregnable fortress.


    「Eighth Sword – Yatagarasu!」


    I cut it down easily with the eight shes.


    「Wha…」


    Her face turned pale, and she quickly leapt back.


    「……」


    「Haa Haa…」


    As the battle went on, Ria’s breathing visibly became heavier.


    (…I see, that state doesn’t seem tost that long.)


    Can her body no longer bear the burden of soul dress?


    Or does it have a duration like Rose’s〈Winter Sakura〉?


    I don’t know which one, but…


    (There is no doubt that the flow of battle is tilting towards me right now…!)


    When I was thinking about that, Ria spoke.


    「Nee, Allen… You’ve been exercising that inhuman power for so long… Doesn’t your body feel weird!?」


    「N-Not really an inhuman power though… Anyway, my body is quite fine.」


    Unlike Rose and Ria, there was no burden on my body.


    No, far from being burdened, the condition of my body was getting better.


    The burns I should have suffered during the match were nowpletely healed.


    「I see… Then, if the matchsts longer… it will be my loss.」


    「…That’s probably right.」


    Judging from Ria’s exhausted state, if we continue on as is, it will end as she says.


    「I see… So that’s how it’ll end after all…」


    「…Aa.」


    However, I couldn’t imagine that Ria, who absolutely hates to lose, would stand by and ept the loss without doing anything.


    When I raised my guard and maintained Seigan no Kamae,


    「Now, Allen. Before I run out of gas, let’s settle it now!」


    The mes that covered Ria’s body, all gathered on her sword.


    「……!?」


    White me and ck me mix, and a beautiful but hellish me rises.


    「This is my true final attack.」


    「Aa, I’ll take it on…!」


    Ria slowly held up her sword sky-high and swung it down resolutely.


    「This is the end – Dragon Breath!」


    An enormous dragon with ck me and white me mixed together, was unleashed with tremendous force.


    「GUUUOOOOOOOOO!」


    On the other hand, I unleashed my ultimate attack that mobilized all my power.


    「Sixth Sword – Dark Roar!」


    A sh that was farrger than Flying Shadow, plunged forward to y the enormous dragon.


    「HAAAAAAAAA!」


    「UOOOOOHHHHH!」


    The two attacks shed violently in the middle of the stage.


    And then,


    「Kuh, GUOOOO…」


    The Dragon Breath was extinguished by Dark Roar.


    「Yoshi…!」


    The moment when I was confident of victory and made a victory fist.


    「……」


    Ria’s body shook violently, and copsed forward.


    「Wha, Ria!?」


    The sword slipped from her hands and extinguished into fine particles.


    (Damn… she fainted? At a time like this…!?)


    Apparently the attack just now, genuinely used up everyst bit of her strength.


    Before the resigned, defenseless Ria, the absolute Dark Roar approached ever closer.


    If she took that attack head on in that state… she wouldn’t escape safely.


    「Guh… OOOOOOOOO!」


    I immediately threw away my sword and ran.


    (Damn… please make it in time…!)


    By utilizing the mysterious power that filled my body, I ran with incredible force which crushed the floor underneath.


    And I somehow matched with the Dark Roar and,


    「-HA!」


    I mmed the side of it with all my might.


    A hard sound resonated and a severe impact assailed my right hand.


    But – Dark Roar doesn’t stop.


    While maintaining the tremendous momentum, it pushed forward towards Ria.


    (No good… it won’t stop…!?)


    I shifted my gaze quickly and tried to seek help…


    Only at times like these, Leia-sensei was not nearby.


    In other words, I have no choice but to stop it on my own.


    (Squeeze out the power. The power to protect Ria…!)


    I gritted my teeth and clenched my fist strongly.


    Then, a huge amount of power that I have never felt before, surged through my whole body.


    「You… DISSAPEEAAARRR!」


    When I poured all the power into my right hand, and unleashed a single blow, a『ck something』was produced in my hand.


    The next moment, an eardrum crushing sound reverberated throughout the academy, and Dark Roar vanished, a few millimeters away from Ria.


    「Haa Haa… I made it in time…」


    The mysterious power that filled my whole body waspletely gone now.


    Finally being able to breathe, I exhaled greatly,


    「Ouch…」


    A sharp pain ran through my right hand.


    Looking closer, there was a deep sword wound engraved on my hand.


    (This arm… I have to let it rest for a while…)


    I stopped the sh, which I had unleashed with all my might, with my bare hands. It’s a natural result.


    No, rather, I should count myself lucky that this was all that I sustained.


    「But… I’m really d…」


    When I saw Ria breathing regrly, I heaved a sigh of relief.


    「Ri, Ria-Vesteria, unable to continue! So, the person who conquered this year’s First-Year War is… ALLEN RODORE! But surprisingly! What a contestant Allen! He hurt his prestige by protecting Ria! The Evil Emperor Showed Kindnessssss!???」


    Thementator proimed my victory.


    「Way to go, Allen!」


    「What an unbelievable match!」


    「Amazing… You’re really amazing…!」


    The longsting First-Year War ended with my victory.