Chapter 143

Bonus chapter thanks to '@Botjudy' for subscription to 'Sword Lacquer' tier on Ko-fi.

The Match Between Baltan and Gurk.

The strongest representatives of each grade duking it out.

I had thought that it would be the best strategy for Baltan to take on Gurk, but I hadn't expected it to actually happen.

It was certainly not a bad turn of events.

If Baltan could just hold Gurk back, we would only need to defeat one more person in the next round to secure our victory.

"This is getting exciting already."

Baltan rose from his seat with a smirk on his face.

It seemed like he wanted to get to his duel with Gurk as quickly as possible.

Anyway

I didn't have any information on Gurk either, so there was no other advice I could give him.

I could only hope that Baltan would defeat Gurk and return.

"I hope you win."

"Don't worry about it."

Baltan patted me on the shoulder.

Looking at his confident face, I couldn't picture Baltan losing.

Who was worrying about who, anyway?

Baltan was a character who would grow to be as strong as Diana in the original story.

There was no way he would lose here.

Creak-

With that, Baltan opened the door to the waiting room and waved.

"Well then, I'll be back."

Thud-

Soon, the door to the waiting room closed.

And then, the image of Baltan entering the arena appeared on the screen.

Baltan, his crimson hair fluttering brilliantly.

It was a moment that made me feel strangely reassured.

'Just how...'

How strong had Baltan become?

As I gained more combat experience, I was beginning to realize just how powerful Baltan was.

Perhaps Baltan would be the first to reach the next realm beyond fighting spirit.

Of course, he would die without ever fully realizing his talent, killed by one of the members of the Imperial Academy's Student Council.

'...This time will be different, though.'

I had succeeded in saving the Class A students, including Samuel and Fron.

So I can save Baltan from the jaws of death too.

The difficulty would undoubtedly be unimaginable, but I had to do it.

That was what I was thinking when

"The student who will face the strongest first year, Gurk, the undisputed strongest of the second years, please step forward!"

Soon, towards the arena

Clank, clank-

Gurk, exuding a ferocious aura, walked out confidently, his hair swaying.

His body, with his white hair contrasting with his tanned skin, was like a weapon, his massive muscles twitching.

But I couldn't help but look at Gurk with cold eyes.

'...Why is he shirtless?'

He was shirtless.

He had been wearing his uniform when we first met.

But now, what?

He was walking out wearing only his pants, shirtless.

Baltan's laughter echoed, as if he thought Gurk's appearance was funny.

"You came here without clothes? Are you out of your mind?"

"This garment is invisible to the weak, but visible to the strong."

"Ah, I can see it now. I see... it's a really cool outfit."

Gurk and Baltan exchanged unexpected words.

Their conversation was childish, unlike the powerful aura emanating from their bodies.

Well, it's understandable, as this competition is mainly a friendly match.

They had no reason to hold any ill will towards each other, apart from their burning desire to win.

If they had fought with only ill will, the instructors and the Headmaster wouldn't have liked it.

Like Ares, who gave Rene a displeased look.

'He repeatedly emphasized that commanders don't need to fight each other.'

Unless it's a necessary argument.

There's no need to cause conflict in these kinds of situations.

'They're smart to think that far.'

As I was thinking that,

"Begin."

Guwar shouted, and

Thump-.

Gurk and Baltan collided.

Baltan's spear was imbued with Fighting Spirit that distorted space, and Gurk's fist was also imbued with Fighting Spirit and reinforced with magic power.

"Aaagh! The wind......! I got dust in my eyes!"

A single clash.

As their fists collided, the enormous gust of wind that was created left the battleground and began to cause damage to the audience seats.

Some of the students who were nearby were even desperately holding on to keep their bodies from flying away.

The intense heat was so strong that it reached me in the waiting room.

I wasn't actually swept away by the wind, to be clear.

One,

Two, three, four.......

But it was true that the vibrations could be felt even here.

The earth's axis was shaking because of Baltan and Gurk's fierce battle.

Their spear and fist continued to collide without any sign of stopping.

"......Impressive."

Guwar, who had been watching the whole thing, let out a gasp of admiration.

I nodded my head in agreement.

Who could possibly look down on those two's fight?

The two of them handled their fighting spirit freely.

It wasn't a skill that ordinary students could display.

Among the instructors there, how many of them would have had the same level of skill as Baltan at his age?

Well.

I don't think there would be any.

'......If I were Baltan.'

I stared at the screen showing Baltan and Gurk's battle, lost in thought.

If I had been there, would I have been able to defeat Gurk?

For some reason, a sense of pressure washed over me.

Among the second years, I had come to learn of an unexpectedly powerful student.

I don't know why he didn't appear in the original story, since I didn't describe him properly.

Like Gurk, there must be someone among the third-years who possesses fighting spirit.

Of course, I can't be sure.

When I looked around the conference room with my senses, there was no one who had such a strong aura.

......But what if they were hiding their aura with their sensory abilities?

In the case of the Headmaster, it would be to that extent.

'......This is a pain in the neck.'

It gave me a headache, as I had to earn additional points.

And all of this was gradually becoming intertwined with the principal's criteria for additional points that I had deduced.

The moment I sighed in frustration.

"Oh, the two players! They're preparing something big!"

Whether Baltan and Gurk thought that they wouldn't be able to decide the winner or loser at this rate, they stopped fighting for a moment.

Then they began to maximize their fighting spirit.

Soon,

Baltan's spear grew larger.

'......No.'

But it wasn't actually larger. It was just an optical illusion.

Baltan had maximized his sharp will, creating an illusion.

This was a skill that only those who were close to the peak of fighting spirit could use.

On the other hand,

'Gurk is lacking compared to Baltan.'

The fighting spirit that Gurk released was overwhelmingly inferior to Baltan's.

It wasn't that I had seen it wrong, it was actually like that.

"Baltan will win."

Ares, who was watching the fight with Idea, nodded in agreement.

He said it was a fact, and his expression was indeed serious.

But then.

"Uh......?"

The crack on Baltan's spear began to spread, and then...

The spear shattered into pieces.

"......."

"......."

Ares, who had predicted Baltan's victory, looked at Idea with a stunned expression.

Both of them were having a hard time accepting the situation.

Not just them, but the spectators in the stands were also struggling to comprehend what had happened.

Only Baltan's triumphant laughter echoed throughout the arena.

"Ahahah...... It's over."

"......If you want, I'll give you another chance to get a new spear."

Gurk, seemingly upset that he hadn't been able to finish the fight, left a parting remark for Baltan.

But...

"Can you do as you please?! Who's deciding things around here?!"

Idea's retort made Baltan awkwardly scratch his head and leave the arena.

And so, the winner was determined.

The disappointing result left me and the others in the waiting room sighing in dismay.

"Well, it looks like it's going to be tough."

[It looks like we're 1-on-1, thanks to your master's victory, right?]

"...That's true, though."

Since we each took one point, the outcome of the match was still unclear.

But with the uncertain card, Baltan's defeat, the variables increased, and we couldn't afford to be careless.

"......Two of us need to win to advance to the next match."

Among those who hadn't been called yet were me, Guwar, and Aeron.

If one of us loses, the remaining two must win in the match.

......But our situation wasn't good.

After Baltan returned to the waiting room, the subsequent battles...

......But after that, our situation took a turn for the worse.

Right after Baltan returned to the waiting room, the battles continued.

"The winner of this battle is Aeron! Another 1st year has defeated a 2nd year!"

We managed to secure our first victory point.

Thanks to Aeron, who had always complained of fatigue, unexpectedly performing well, we earned a victory point.

However.

"Oh, Student Guwar. He has lost. With this, the 1st and 2nd years have each earned two victory points!"

With Guwar's defeat to a 2nd year, it was a tie once again.

In the end, I had to participate in the last match myself and secure a victory.

......My hands were trembling, and I felt a cold sweat rising up my esophagus.

"Now that only the last match remains, the pressure must be immense, wouldn't you say?"

......I agree.

But I wish they would hurry up and get on with it.

The more time passed, the more my anxiety grew.

"From the 2nd year, Student Hose will be appearing! And from the 1st years, the only half-Demon among the students participating in this year's grade competition!"

Half-Demon.

With those words, the audience began to stir.

"......A half-Demon here?"

"What, did he bribe someone?"

The students gossiped about me and questioned my qualifications.

Thud-.

Ares slammed his foot on the ground and spoke.

"This student was appointed as a participant in the grade competition by the head instructors of Sytan after a fair examination. Do you dare question it?"

"......."

The audience fell silent at Ares' words.

But my anxiety only grew.

Can I really do this?

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