Chapter 64: Melee, Mêlée, Fierce Battle
After being ambushed by Kaede while he was pestering Issei, Kazuma had been left tattered and beaten, but within seconds, he made a miraculous recovery and was once again bothering Issei.
“So, it’s not like we have a proper strategy or anything, but will the heroes Kisaragi summons follow my orders?”
“Probably. I think they’ll listen if I tell them to.”
“I see…”
Kazuma thought for a moment.
The heroes Issei summoned were Tsubaki Hinomori and Ayame Fujisaki.
Tsubaki possessed a Gift called Protective Barrier that covered both offense and defense, and Ayame was a swordswoman known as the Sword Saint.
It would probably be difficult to have Tsubaki, who acted as Issei’s guard, accompany them, but it might be possible with Ayame.
However, he didn’t know if she would follow his orders.
With far too many uncertain factors, Kazuma decided to act alone.
“Actually, never mind. I’m probably stronger on my own.”
“I-Is that so? Well, everyone knows Satsuki’s strength well. I think it’s better for you to move alone.”
“I’ll do that. Well then, if we meet on the battlefield, let’s have a good one.”
Shortly thereafter, the interval ended, and the students boarded the VR machines.
Once preparations were complete, at the teacher’s signal, they dived into the Virtual Space, and the battle royale between the new and old student councils began.
“Hmm… This time, it’s rather modern, wouldn’t you say?”
“Is that the same equipment as the National Defense Force?”
As the battle royale commenced, Ema and the others were watching from the VIP seats prepared in the stadium.
On the other side of the giant monitor, Kazuma and the other students were fighting on an uninhabited island divided into multiple areas.
Among them, the one drawing the most attention was, as expected, Kazuma.
This time, Kazuma was wearing modern-style attire, clad in camouflage combat fatigues, and lurking in the jungle.
“By the way, what’s that outfit a reference to?”
“I looked into it, and it seems to be the protagonist of a very old game.”
“Hoh. A cool, grizzled old-man character, huh. Why are the wrinkles between his eyebrows also on his bandana?”
“Who knows? I’m not sure, but don’t you think Kazuma-kun’s outfit looks similar?”
“He’s made it look quite similar…”
“That’s right. It seems only Handguns are permitted among firearms, so Kazuma-kun is equipped with one too. And a longbow, is it?”
“It’s not a firearm, so it’s allowed, but since it’s Kazuma-kun… Might it be banned in the future?”
“What do you think? I doubt it would be banned just because Kazuma-kun is special.”
“That might be true…”
Firearms are considered a threat even to combat-type Gifted, so they are prohibited in these kinds of competitions, but bows are permitted as they pose no such problem.
Therefore, at Souji’s request for him to be truly serious this time, Kazuma had equipped a bow.
With this, Kazuma had become an all-rounder, capable of long, mid, and short-range combat.
Moreover, since stealth had been added to his capabilities, the old student council team would probably be trampled.
“(Now then, what should I do from here?)”
Kazuma, lurking in the jungle, pondered his next move.
This battle royale, like the Academy Battle Tournament, used random Teleportation, so no one knew who was where.
He figured the old student council team had probably arranged to gather at a predetermined point.
Kazuma predicted that Hayato would have shared with the old student council team that Souji had said something unnecessary during the interval. He lay in wait in the jungle for prey to pass by, but it seemed they were taking a detour around the jungle, as there was no sign of anyone passing through.
“(Is staying here a waste of time? The urban area, mountain area, and dense forest area, which have many hiding spots, are out. That leaves the coast and the grasslands. If they’re being extremely cautious of me, it’d be those two… but the problem is the players other than me. Kisaragi, in particular, can summon two heroes, so he should be the second most guarded after me…)”
Kazuma, who could make calm analyses regarding combat, eliminated possibilities one by one.
Then, from the remaining options, he chose what he thought was the most likely and began to move.
“(Could this turn into an all-out frontal assault if things go wrong?)”
If the old student council team was bypassing the urban, mountain, and dense forest areas where Kazuma might be lurking and heading for the grassland or coastal areas, it might turn into an all-out battle.
Of course, they might encounter each other and a battle might occur en route, but it probably wouldn’t be anything on a large scale.
If Hayato, Souji, and Shiori were planning the strategy for the old student council team, they should have chosen to crush Kazuma in an all-out battle without resorting to petty tricks.
“(…The most certain thing Souji-senpai could Copy would be Starry Sky Memory, Copied from Kisaragi. Being able to summon heroes of the past is overwhelmingly strong. Even if we had the same card, Kisaragi himself is weak, so our chances of winning are almost nil. If it becomes an all-out battle, there’s a high chance we’ll lose due to the difference in strength. But… Kukuku. This is getting fun.)”
The new student council team included Kaede, Yukihime, Karin, and Taiga, all four of whom Kazuma had trained, but the difference in strength was still significant.
After all, the old student council had Souji, formerly the strongest student, plus Hayato, Kazuma’s top disciple, and Shiori.
If past heroes were added to that, it would be like giving a demon an iron club.
However, Starry Sky Memory wasn’t much of a threat if the summoner was defeated, but breaking through the heroes was an extremely difficult feat, so it was still a powerful Gift.
However, Issei wasn’t as strong as Souji, so if they could just break through the heroes’ defense, they could significantly reduce their fighting power. Therefore, the old student council would likely actively target Issei.
“(Alright! Let’s head to the grassland area, the most likely spot!)”
Once that was decided, things moved quickly.
Kazuma leaped out of the jungle in high spirits.
His destination was the grassland area where the old student council team was likely gathered.
It was in the opposite direction from here, but it probably wouldn’t take much time.
Because he was wearing a Powered Suit that provided 5x Body Enhancement.
Around the time Kazuma leaped out of the jungle and headed for the grassland area, the new and old student council teams had gathered in the grassland area, glaring at each other, waiting for the moment.
“To think we were both thinking the same thing,” Hayato said.
“I thought Kazuma-kun would have whittled them down for us, but it seems my calculations were off,” Karin remarked.
“It was incredibly nerve-wracking getting here. I was constantly on edge, wondering if Kazuma-kun would launch a surprise attack from somewhere,” Shiori confessed.
“You were lucky…” Yukihime murmured.
Hayato, Karin, Shiori, and Yukihime faced each other, as if assessing each other’s strength.
Both sides had gathered about half their members and were ready to fight at any moment, but both were missing their aces.
Kazuma, the ace of the new student council, and Souji, the ace of the old student council, were not there.
The moment one of them arrived, the battle would surely begin.
It wasn’t hot, but their skin tingled from the tension, and just as they were enveloped in an impatient desire for them to arrive quickly, a new student appeared in the grassland area.
“Sorry! I’m late!”
“Souji!”
The morale of the old student council team, who had been eagerly awaiting their strongest ace, soared at once.
In contrast, the new student council team’s impatience grew, and a cold sweat slowly beaded on their foreheads.
“Kk! Kisaragi-kun!”
Karin, who was at the front, sensed that the power balance between them had crumbled with Souji’s arrival and quickly gave orders to Kisaragi.
“Ayame!”
“Leave it to me!”
Issei, receiving Karin’s order, sent the Sword Saint, Ayame Fujisaki, whom he had on standby, towards Souji.
Ayame, dashing across the grassland at astonishing speed and rapidly closing in on Souji, unleashed a glittering silver flash.
“Too bad! I won’t let you take the leader’s head so easily!”
The one who cut in between Souji and Ayame was Shiori, with electricity crackling from her entire body.
She was one of those trained by Kazuma and was one of the most skilled individuals even in the modern era.
Shiori parried Ayame’s sword with the sword she had equipped.
“You can stop my sword?”
“It might be rude to say this to the Sword Saint, Ayame Fujisaki, but compared to Kazuma-kun, you’re not scary!”
“Hoh. I know from my master’s memories, but is he truly that formidable? I would like to cross swords with him once.”
“You’d probably lose heart, so I think it’s better if you don’t!”
Shiori, having pushed Ayame back, leaped backward.
They distanced themselves, probing each other’s movements.
Shiori knew Ayame was called the Sword Saint and understood she could never win in swordsmanship.
Therefore, she was convinced her only chance of victory was to use her Elec Gift to enhance her physical abilities and seize the counter-initiative, so she waited for Ayame to act.
In response, Ayame was wary of Shiori, from whose entire body pale blue electricity crackled.
Her earlier movements were extraordinary, and Ayame thought she would lose if she let her guard down, so she too couldn’t make a careless move.
And at the same time, she was unbearably happy that the descendants’ generation had grown this much, so much so that a smile almost escaped her lips, even though they were in the midst of battle.
“Indeed, it’s a joyous occasion. To be able to see the growth of what we’ve woven and protected.”
“Oh? Then, we must ensure our ancestors aren’t disappointed.”
“Yes. I have high hopes!”
Shiori barely managed to react as Ayame charged in with blinding speed.
Her defense was just in time, leading to a clash of swords.
Even though she was augmenting her physical abilities with her Elec Gift, Shiori frowned at Ayame’s speed, which didn’t fall short in the slightest.
This was the power of a human called a Sword Saint and hailed as a hero.
Keenly aware of this, Shiori continued to exchange blows with Ayame.
“There are many fine warriors in this era, aren’t there?”
Tsubaki, who was by Issei’s side as his guard, watched Shiori fighting on par with Ayame with deep emotion.
Heroes summoned by Starry Sky Memory learn about modern knowledge and common sense through the memories of their summoner.
Of course, Tsubaki was learning about modern knowledge and common sense from Issei’s memories, but what concerned her most among that was the current state of Japan’s Gifted.
Once, back when safe zones were scarce, not just Japanese people, but people all over the world were constantly engaged in battles against Ibinom.
People died every day, they killed Ibinom, living through brutal days, an era where many comrades fell before achieving their goals.
Of course, the environment was different from now, and numerous warriors existed.
And naturally, their quality was also different; there’s a clear difference compared to the modern era.
That said, there are skilled individuals in the modern era as well.
Indeed, individuals like the King, the Overlord, and the Sun King would likely not be inferior even when compared to the strong ones of the past. In fact, those three might even be stronger.
However, the three mentioned above are exceptions. Of course, the Crimson Knight is too.
“Master, you can’t afford to lose either.”
“Yeah. I’m going to get stronger too.”
Issei, still weak, was always being protected by Tsubaki.
He had become somewhat capable of fighting, but compared to Souji and the others fighting before him, Issei was like a mere infant.
“You can become strong even without a Gift. I need to prove that.”
Issei still looked up to Kazuma, who had yet to show himself.
Regardless of having a Gift like Transposition, which was unsuited for combat, Kazuma, who had defeated strong individuals like Souji and Juuzou, was an object of admiration for Issei.
While his personality had some regrettable aspects, his skill alone was undeniable.
“Master!”
“Uooh!?”
Issei was startled by an arrow of light that suddenly flew towards him.
Protected by Tsubaki’s Protective Barrier, Issei, having escaped harm, breathed a sigh of relief.
“Thank you, Tsubaki.”
“No, it’s not something that warrants thanks. Please be careful. It seems you are being targeted.”
“Haha… I guess so.”
Currently, in terms of strength, the old student council had a slight advantage over the new student council.
In addition to the two Issei had summoned, Tsubaki and Ayame, and Kazuma’s disciples, Kaede, Yukihime, Karin, and Taiga—though these four were fighting hard, their opponents were the former student council presidents.
It was only natural for them to be strong, as the former strongest from each academy had formed a faction.
The battle situation was only being maintained because of the six people mentioned earlier, and if even one of them fell, the front line would collapse instantly, and the new student council would be defeated.
“Defeating me is the quickest way, huh…”
Although it was difficult due to the presence of an extraordinary being like Tsubaki, if they could defeat Issei, they could significantly reduce the new student council’s strength. Therefore, targeting Issei would be the most efficient strategy.
Issei, once again made aware of his own weakness, felt dejected.
“As I thought, this won’t be easy~”
Aoi, who had shot an arrow with all her might aiming for Issei, once again realized how solid Tsubaki’s defense was.
She had thought she might be able to do it amidst this chaotic battle, but it seemed things weren’t that simple.
However, even so, in order not to let an extraordinary being like Tsubaki move freely, Aoi persistently sniped at Issei.
“For a student, you put up a good fight, huh?”
“D-Damn it…”
The one who became unable to fight and disappeared from the Virtual Space was Taiga.
Taiga, trained by Kazuma and someone ordinary students couldn’t even touch, still couldn’t win against a man called a hero.
The one who defeated Taiga was Kirarazaka Hayate, summoned by Souji.
He possessed the Wind Ability, danced freely in the sky, and tore through enemies like a kamaitachi.
He was a veteran hero who had defeated countless Ibinom.
“This is bad. For Taiga to be defeated…”
“The balanced battlefield is collapsing… What should we do, Karin?”
“I’d like to say temporary retreat, but do you think they’ll let us escape so easily?”
“Well, it’s probably impossible… Still, I didn’t expect Kenzaki-senpai to be able to summon two people as well.”
“Is your conversation over? I’ll be attacking now… Are you ready?”
The one looking at Karin and Yukihime with a concerned expression was Kirarazaka Raika. She was Hayate’s younger sister and a hero from the past who possessed the Thunder Gift.
She was from a different era than Tsubaki and the others, but she undoubtedly possessed extraordinary strength, and it was questionable whether Karin and Yukihime could win even if they fought her together.
“I apologize for worrying you. But don’t worry. We haven’t been trained so poorly!”
“I apologize to our ancestor, but we will be taking the win!”
“Fufu, that’s quite alright. Then, please show me your growth as well.”
Ice, flame, and lightning clashed, resounding with a deafening roar.
While fierce battles were taking place in the grassland area, Kaede was facing Souji.
Kaede, trained by Kazuma and boasting top-class strength among students, found Souji to be too much to handle and was forced into a difficult fight.
“As expected of the former strongest. You’re strong…”
“You’re surprisingly persistent yourself.”
“Mm. Because Kazuma trained me.”
“Hahahaha! I see. As expected, that guy is something else.”
“Guh!”
Punched by Souji, Kaede was sent flying.
She had defended using Telekinesis, but her arm was still numb.
Kaede keenly realized that Souji, like Kazuma, was not at a student’s level.
“Now then, sorry about this, but let’s finish this before Kazuma arrives.”
“It won’t be that easy…!”
“Sorry to interrupt your admirable effort, but you shouldn’t forget that I’m here too.”
“Dam—”
The enemy wasn’t just Souji.
Hayato was still with the old student council.
By the time she realized, it was too late.
Hayato’s Threads wrapped around Kaede’s slender neck and sliced clean through.
Hayato confirmed Kaede was unable to fight and approached Souji.
At that moment, the Danger Prediction Souji had Copied activated, and after warning Hayato, he fled from the spot.
“Run, Hayato!”
“Eh—”
The next moment, an arrow pierced Hayato’s temple, and he was judged unable to fight, disappearing from the Virtual Space.
“Damn it all! To think he had a bow and arrow!”
Souji punched the ground, glaring in the direction the arrow had come from.
In that direction, there were only rows of trees tens of meters tall, and Kazuma’s figure was nowhere to be seen.