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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Vine
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What did it feel like to have a finger shoved into your skull? I’d heard the brain itself didn’t have pain receptors, but it still seemed… unpleasant. The vice-captain whimpered, as I wiggled my finger.
“S-stop…!”
Whether it was the demonic energy, or the sheer terror of having his skull violated, he fainted, foaming at the mouth. I withdrew my finger. It was clean. No blood. There should have been a hole in his skull, but there wasn’t.
‘They allow pressure point attacks? Is that how the buff works?’
I had only threatened him, I didn’t use any force. If I had, and he was truly a demon, the exchange would be cancelled. And I couldn’t let that happen. I needed to deal with Margaret.
‘I’ll deal with him later.’
It would be over before he woke up.
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The next match was… predictable.
The captain lasted two moves. The exchange was nearing its end. Margaret, the Clover Academy’s captain, approached, her steps confident, but her face… betrayed her anxiety. They hadn’t just lost. They had been humiliated. And she, as captain, was responsible.
“Did you have to do that…? I admit you’re strong. We brought our best, but… did you have to humiliate us like this?”
Her voice trembled.
“If you’re that strong… you could have been more… lenient… it’s just a friendly exchange…!”
“You were the ones who were disrespectful.”
“I… was? I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“Yesterday. Remember?”
She paused, then scoffed. “Hah… so that’s it… you were with… her… weren’t you…?”
She seemed amused, almost mocking. “So that’s how you seduced him… you’re quite skilled, aren’t you? And you… are you her… lapdog? Protecting your master’s honor…?”
“…You want to die, don’t you?”
I had intended to end this quickly, but… she was pushing me.
“Those are my words…!”
Her Aura Blade ignited, a vibrant, intense flame, far stronger than the others. An Expert-level aura. This wasn’t a student anymore.
“The plan hasn’t changed…! I’ll defeat them all!”
She was confident, she must have thought she was the only one capable of fighting me. And she was strong. Expert-level. But she wasn’t stronger than Andy.
“Haaaaaaaaah!”
She charged, her Aura Blade blazing. If I engaged her directly, it would be over quickly. But I wasn’t using Aura Blade. It was a different technique, a martial art that turned the body itself into a weapon. I saw her move, her aura flaring. She was planning a wide-area attack, to prevent me from dodging. I decided to take the initiative.
I moved. She lost sight of me. I had been holding back before, matching their speed. But now…
She turned, searching for me. I was already there.
“You’re slow.”
-Thud!
My finger struck her arm, and her sword clattered to the ground. She glared at me, realizing that the hit was intended to disarm her. She tried to retrieve her sword, but I kicked it away. She wanted to chase it, but she couldn’t turn her back on me. She gave up, which was wise.
So why was she so eager to make me angry? I was getting annoyed by her antics.
“Pick up your sword.”
“You think I’ll fall for that?!”
“If you want to fight unarmed, I don’t mind.”
“I can do that too!”
A blue aura enveloped her hand. It was easier to channel aura into the body than into a weapon. She assumed I was using a weaker version of Aura Blade. “You think that will work?”
“Gah…!”
She had tried to copy me, using her hand as a weapon. She was on the ground, covered in dirt, her leg twisted, her back arched. I had struck her multiple times: her shoulder, her thigh, her ribs, her solar plexus, her collarbone, her back. Some of my strikes had bypassed the buff, hitting pressure points, paralyzing the affected limbs. I had realized, during my fight with the vice-captain, that the buff didn’t work on precise strikes. Pressure points didn’t cause visible injuries.
Her Aura Blade flickered, about to vanish. She couldn’t move her left arm or leg, and her ribs were paralyzed, preventing her from standing straight. She should have collapsed, but she didn’t. She glared at me, her eyes filled with defiance.
“You’re… toying with me… aren’t you?”
“If you don’t like it, just give up.”
She relaxed, her body slumped, her eyes fixed on the VIP lounge, on the Sword Saint. What was she thinking? She seemed… resigned.
“Ha… haha…”
She laughed, a hollow, empty sound. “No… it’s fine. We’re… done anyway.”
She reached into her pocket, not for a weapon, but for something… else. She clutched it, her smile widening. “Let’s all die together.”
“What?”
A black mist erupted from her body, filling the arena. And just like before, something was different.
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The Sword Saint, watching from the VIP lounge, was displeased. His students were being defeated, one after another. They had seemed confident, but… it wasn’t enough.
‘That student… Linda warned me about him.’ Defeating Aura Blade users with a finger… it reminded him of Linda.
“I’ll be back.” He stood up, his patience wearing thin.
Margaret, the captain, was on the verge of losing. He needed to… intervene.
“Are you going to the waiting room again? Why not leave them be, it’s just an exchange.”
The Headmaster was aware that the Sword Saint had been visiting the Clover Academy’s side.
He was likely pressuring them to win. It was understandable. Losing like this would affect their morale. The Headmaster, having faced the Sword Saint in his youth, knew how intimidating he could be. He wanted to dissuade him, but… it was pointless. “Haha, it’s nothing like that. Even Masters have… bodily functions.”
He smiled, his expression innocent. “I’ll be back soon.”
The Headmaster had a bad feeling about this. ‘He must be feeling frustrated.’
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