Episode 59: Only Two Days Left~
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Less than two days remained until the Academy Battle Tournament. Tomorrow, they would go through the procedures to confirm the flow of the Academy Battle Tournament, and on the final day, the use of training rooms and VR machines would be prohibited, making it a mandatory day off.
In other words, today was the final day. Of Kazuma’s spartan training.
From partway through, his disciples kept increasing, and in the end, Kazuma had trained all the representative members.
Now, as a final touch, he was conducting a match: Kazuma versus all the representative members.
The remaining members were already few. Everyone except the members who had been taught by Kazuma from the beginning had been eliminated. The remaining members were warriors Kazuma had painstakingly raised.
“Ngh!”
Kazuma, trapped in a prison of ice, let out a groan. Escaping was easy, but it required a slight amount of time. If he had that time, Kazuma could defeat several people. And the same could be said for the disciples Kazuma had raised.
“Mph!”
Kazuma, sensing the ice was slightly melting, looked up and saw the sun shining through a gap in the prison. That wasn’t the sun. It was the sight of Yukihime directing an enormous flame at Kazuma from high above.
“But, you’re too slow!!!”
Kazuma destroyed the ice prison and, at the same time he broke out, tried to leap away from the spot but got entangled in threads. Kazuma, immobilized like a butterfly caught in a spider’s web, swung his sword, attempting to slash the threads, but before he could, an electric current flowed through them.
“Uooh!”
With a crackle, electricity coursed through his body, and Kazuma’s movements stopped for just an instant. That was fatal.
“I’ve got you!!!”
Yukihime, in charge of maximum firepower, unleashed an enormous flame. The flame, released from high above towards the ground, looked like a meteorite falling from the sky.
Kazuma, judging that this was truly unavoidable, rejoiced at his disciples’ growth, the corners of his mouth curving up, and used his whole body to snap the threads.
“A splendid result! However, one more move—”
Just as he was about to say “is missing,” Kazuma remembered there was still one person left and his eyes widened.
The ground swelled up from both sides of Kazuma, sandwiching him as he was leaping back.
“Kaede, is it! You completely concealed your presence and were aiming for this! Hahahaha! Brilliant, truly brilliant! However, it won’t work on me! Rather, I should thank you for creating a foothold!”
Like some plumber, Kazuma kicked off the earthen walls formed on either side of him alternately, leaping up towards Yukihime in the sky.
However, he lacked height, and a mass of flames was closing in. At this rate, he would just be burned, but Kazuma swung his sword, extinguishing the flames, and simultaneously threw a kunai he had hidden in his breast pocket.
“Ahe?”
With a light thunk, the kunai pierced Yukihime’s forehead, and she received a death judgment and was eliminated.
A simultaneous attack was launched at the falling Kazuma, but since he had ninja equipment, he possessed a rope with a grappling hook, a Grappling Hook, and used it to hook onto a nearby tree and escape.
“What the heck is that!”
“A ninja…”
“Well, he is dressed like one…”
“Kazuma-kun in his serious gear is nasty~…”
As Hayato said, Kazuma was in his serious gear, which he planned to use in the Crown Battle. Ninja-like attire, and a total of ten rings on his fingers. Four swords on his back and four katanas at his waist. Furthermore, he was equipped with two spears, and his breast pocket was loaded with projectiles like kunai and shuriken.
One might think he was carrying too much, but Kazuma handled them skillfully, and even weapons he threw away, he retrieved by using Transposition to swap them with rings.
“I was wondering why he was wearing so many rings, but so that’s what it was for…” Karin murmured in admiration at Kazuma, who swapped rings and weapons with Transposition to retrieve his weapons.
However, there was a limit to the number of uses. If he lost all ten rings, he probably wouldn’t be able to retrieve his weapons. But, if he really wanted to, he could use Transposition with pebbles lying around, so it didn’t mean much.
However, picking up pebbles inevitably created openings, so swapping with rings via Transposition was more efficient.
Kazuma, skillfully using the Grappling Hook and vanishing like a monkey, was fully equipped before anyone knew it. He should have thrown his spears earlier, but he must have retrieved them.
“Now, show me you can defeat me!”
The four were overwhelmed by Kazuma, who held two spears and shouted loudly. A tense atmosphere brushed their cheeks.
“Well, we have to land at least one hit, right?”
“Nn, I’ll make him cry uncle.”
“I’ll surprise him so much his eyeballs pop out!”
“Ahahaha, well, I guess I have to show how much I’ve grown too.”
Having been trained this much, it would be truly inexcusable to be defeated without doing anything. However, Kazuma probably wouldn’t mind. From his perspective, even if they were his disciples, they were nothing more than fledglings.
“Hey, can you buy me some time? This new technique takes time to activate.”
“How much time do you need?”
“About three minutes, I suppose…”
“That’s pretty tough. But, well, let’s give it a shot.”
“I’ll do my best.”
The three formed a protective stance around Shiori, who was charging up by making electricity surge throughout her body. Kazuma, seeing this, sensed Shiori was about to do something and aimed to eliminate her first, but the other three stood in his way.
“You shall not pass!!!”
Karin, having frozen the surroundings, closed in like a speed skater. Of course, she wasn’t just charging recklessly. She was firing icicles, keeping Kazuma in check.
“If it’s just that much, I can dodge it with my eyes closed!”
Kazuma dodged the incoming icicles with his eyes closed as he said, but sensing a presence behind him, he glanced back to see ice spikes extending towards him.
“The icicles were a decoy, and this is the real attack, huh! A good move! But it lacks strength!”
Kazuma shattered the approaching ice spikes with an elbow strike and parried the flying icicles with his sword.
“No! The real attack is something else!”
“Yeah. I know! You’re trying to freeze my feet and restrain me, but against me—”
“I’m here too.”
“I’d like you not to forget I’m here too.”
“Mph! Hahaha, I see! Ice, Telekinesis, Threads! Gifts perfectly suited for restraint!”
“Seriously, fighting Kazuma-kun feels like a Demon Lord battle in an RPG…”
His way of speaking was formal and overbearing. Originally, he was normal, but he had to maintain his dignity as a Hero in the other world, so he played a character, and the cause was that he had completely gotten used to it. He could speak normally if he wanted to, but he kept it this way because this felt more natural to him.
“But, as I’ve said many times, this level of attack is mere child’s play to me when I’m wearing a Powered Suit!!!”
Even though the three of them were restraining him, Kazuma forcefully broke free from their hold. As he said, Kazuma was currently wearing a Powered Suit. It was an item that only Support Course students were permitted to wear even in the Crown Battle. It was a high-performance Powered Suit that could boost physical abilities up to five times.
“Fuhahahahaha!!! If you want to stop me, you’ll need five times, no, fifty times the number of people!”
He was ecstatic. Kazuma was delighted by the extent of his disciples’ growth and recalled how his former masters used to get super excited. Ah, so this is what it felt like, Kazuma finally understood.
“Everyone, get back!!!”
Just as he stepped in, about to kick the three away, Shiori’s voice echoed. As told, the three each leaped back, moving out of Shiori’s line of fire.
What the remaining Kazuma stared at was the figure of Shiori, accumulating an immense amount of energy in her hands.
“Kukuku, Haaahahahahaha! I thought it was still incomplete, but you’ve finished it! Show me! The results of your training!”
“I decided I’d definitely make you cry, so I’ll do it! Take this! The Charged Particle Cannon, taught directly by my perverted master!!!”
What was unleashed from Shiori’s hands was a pale blue flash. A deafening roar resounded, and Shiori was blown backward by the tremendous recoil. Hayato immediately caught her, preventing any mishap.
Meanwhile, the Charged Particle Cannon unleashed from Shiori’s hands blew away everything in the surroundings and advanced straight towards Kazuma.
Before Kazuma’s eyes, in an instant of time, the Charged Particle Cannon Shiori had fired was flying towards him. Evasion was utterly impossible. If so, there was only one thing he could do.
“Sheaaaaaaah!!!”
Letting out a war cry, with a flash of fighting spirit. With an iai draw, Kazuma slashed the Charged Particle Cannon head-on. The particle cannon, bisected down the middle, split to the left and right.
“N-No way…”
It was an all-out attack. Her control was still lacking, but it was Shiori’s ultimate and strongest attack, capable of surely burying Kazuma. That was blocked by a single katana. It was only natural that strength would drain from her entire body, causing her to collapse into a sitting position.
“Shiori! It’s not over yet! Don’t give up!!!”
“Hayato… But, I… anymore…”
She had poured all her energy into it. She no longer even possessed the strength to stand. Moreover, having her strongest attack blocked had robbed her of her fighting spirit.
“No, it’s over.”
“Ngh! Not yet! I’m still—”
“You pass.”
“Huh?”
“The objective of this match was to defeat me. You can still continue fighting, but my arm is completely dead from that last attack.”
“Eh, no way? Kazuma-kun, are you injured?”
“Mhm. Well, I’m confident I could still win if we continued… but I’m quite satisfied with this. At this rate, you’ll probably be able to beat Souji-senpai too.”
The four who received their perverted master’s approval beamed with smiles. Then, they looked at each other, embraced, and cried with joy.
“Waaaaaaah! We did it~!!!”
“We did it, we did it, we did it!!!”
“We’re finally free from this…!”
“We did it, didn’t we…? We actually accomplished it!!!”
Seeing his disciples filled with joy, Kazuma considered saying that they had actually just barely met the passing line, but he thought that would be tactless and instead just smiled contentedly without saying anything.
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After exiting the Virtual Space, Kazuma and the others regrouped with the members who had been eliminated and headed to their final strategy meeting. Tomorrow was the rehearsal, and the day after was their last day off. Today was the final day of training and the last day they could hold a strategy meeting.
“Alright then, let’s just confirm the details for each event, and then start the strategy meeting for the Crown Battle.”
Hayato, who was leading the meeting, began explaining the events for the Academy Battle Tournament, and the participating students confirmed their respective events.
And finally, it was about the Crown Battle. A detailed explanation of the rules had already been given, but they decided to review them once more.
“Let me explain the rules for the Crown Battle again. First, we entrust the Crown to one of the three members from the Support Course. We decided this beforehand, but we’re asking Satsuki Kazuma-kun to take it. So, the other two will act as decoys with fake Crowns.”
The three from the Support Course nodded in agreement as they listened to Hayato’s explanation. Hayato took a sip of water he had prepared, cleared his throat, and then resumed his explanation.
“There’s one rule change for this Crown Battle. It’s the introduction of a point system. First, the Crown is worth twenty points, the ace is ten points, the leader is five points, and the rest are one point each. Dummy Crowns are worth zero points. Therefore, the number of takedowns will be crucial this time. Aiming only for the Crown to earn high points is an option, but if you’re aiming for the top, it’s better to defeat many opponents. These points will affect the rankings. Everyone wants to see a spectacular comeback, right?”
The Academy Battle Tournament is like an annual festival. Naturally, it has high entertainment value. Because of that, people crave drama. The audience wants to see a dramatic scene where the First Esper Academy, led by the strongest student, Kenzaki Souji, is overthrown.
“Other than that, it’s a battle royale format game, just like before. You’ll move between five fields on an isolated island, fighting in various locations and battling for the Crown. Of course, you have to protect the Crown until the very end. In addition, if you’re aiming for victory, you need to proactively defeat enemies. So, well, yeah. I guess it means we have to try our best.”
“President! That’s not a rule explanation anymore!”
“Ah, sorry. Um, first, Combat Course members, other than those with Body Enhancement Gifts, have no equipment. Body Enhancement Gifted can have armor and weapons, but only melee weapons. The Support Course can use weapons, armor, and wear Powered Suits. Firearms are allowed, but only Handguns. And, as for the general rules, like I said earlier, it’s a battle royale format. Same as the training conducted at the academy, if you take damage that results in elimination, you’re out. If you get injured, like a broken bone, you might lose the use of an arm, so be careful.”
So, it’s basically like some FPS game. In fact, the rules are easy for both the participants and the audience to understand, so they’re well-liked. The major addition this time is the point system. Thanks to that, just as Hayato said, comebacks are possible.
“Alright then, let’s finally get to the strategy meeting. Initially, the plan was for Kazuma-kun to flee alone while the remaining members moved as a group. But thanks to our excellent master, we’ve become stronger. Strong enough to even get his approval. So, we’re changing the plan. Following the basics, we’ll form parties centered around the three from the Support Course. We have ten members in the Combat Course, so we’ll split into five and five. Formations of three, four, three are common, but to aim for victory, we absolutely need points. Therefore, I’m thinking of dividing the thirteen members, including the Support Course, into six, one, and six.”
“Yes!!!”
“Go ahead, Kazuma-kun.”
“Is the ‘one’ the President?”
“It’s you.”
“I don’t get it…”
“Is this exchange necessary?”
“No, it’s not necessary, but it’s different from what you said at first. I heard we were forming parties centered around the three from the Support Course, so why am I ending up all alone?”
“Aren’t you the one who understands that best?”
“Mmm! Those are convincing words!”
“If anyone other than Kazuma-kun has an objection, let’s hear it.”
Saying that, Hayato looked around at everyone in the conference room, but not a single person objected. In fact, they were nodding as if to say he’d be more than enough on his own.
“My disciples are so cold~!”
“Our dear master. If it’s you, no matter how many enemies attack, you will not lose. We know this.”
“Oh! My disciple! If you say so, then I shall also give it my all!”
“(He’s so easy~)”
During this short yet intense period, Hayato had come to understand Kazuma to some extent. He was simple-minded. If you flattered him a little, he’d easily go along with it. Realizing this, Hayato skillfully guided Kazuma.
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That evening, Souji and Kazuma, who had become closer than anyone, were fooling around in the large bathhouse as usual.
“Look at this, Souji-senpai!”
Kazuma had brought blocks made of wood in three colors: red, blue, and yellow. Souji tilted his head, being shown these seemingly ordinary blocks.
“What’s that?”
“Fufufu! You use it like this!”
Kazuma took the red and blue blocks and skillfully lifted the yellow block, holding it between the other two. Seeing Kazuma cover his crotch with the blocks, Souji also understood what he was about to do.
“Ooh!!! That’s one of the legendary party tricks!”
“That’s right! Just watch!!!”
With a dry kako sound, Kazuma flipped the blue block. He was paying close attention not to drop the yellow block.
“Ooh~! Magnificent! Your crotch isn’t visible!”
“I’m not done yet!”
“Yo, ho,” Kazuma skillfully moved the blocks. He performed his trick, sometimes boldly, sometimes exaggeratedly, making sure never to reveal his crotch.
“Uoooooooooh! Amazing! Hey, let me try too!”
“Sure. Well, you probably won’t be able to do it as well as me, though!”
“Heh! Don’t underestimate me, the strongest student!”
Having watched Kazuma’s trick, Souji had a pretty good idea of how to do it. He immediately borrowed the blocks from Kazuma and tried to move them so as to exquisitely not reveal his crotch.
“Ha!!!”
It seemed his planning was a bit naive, as Souji’s crotch was completely visible.
“Bwahahahahahaha! You’re having a wardrobe malfunction! You can’t show that on family TV!”
“Kuh! Kill me!!!”
“Hahahahahahaha!!! Don’t say such famous lines in that state!”
Two days left until the Academy Battle Tournament. The men were having a blast again today.