Chapter 27

Just after the group of five suddenly visited the Soul Equipment Field.

"V-Very sorry, Principal!"

"Y-You brats! What are you thinking, interrupting class like this!"

The two teachers immediately stepped in to admonish their behavior.

However, the one who called a halt to it was—surprisingly, Ms. Lea.

"Alright! I like those with a lot of spirit. Besides—when I was a first-year, I was also left out of the Great Five Saints Festival. On the day I found out, I challenged one of the participants to a duel at noon and took their place."

"R-Really...?"

"Yes. And... back then, the atmosphere at Senrin Academy was taut! Everywhere you looked, there were mock battles and duels! It was a good old time!"

She said this with a cheerful laugh.

Personally, I’d rather not have too many clashes within the academy.

I want everyone to enjoy themselves and hone their sword skills together.

As I was thinking this, the man at the head of the group already had his sword drawn.

"So! Where is Allen Rodor? Are you too scared to step forward? Huh?"

He scanned all of us in Class A with a provocative tone.

"That guy... he’s the one who uses a curved sword, Raze, right?"

"Is he the Raze Volgan who caused nothing but trouble in the middle school? I didn’t expect him to be here...!"

I could hear the whispers of the Class A students behind me.

(Raze... He doesn’t seem to have a good reputation...)

Raze Volgan.

He has slightly long, maroon hair for a man.

A silver earring in his left ear.

He’s about the same height as me, around 170 centimeters.

If I remained silent, nothing would progress, so I decided to step forward.

"I’m Allen Rodor... What do you want?"

"Hmm..."

The group of five gave me a scrutinizing, lingering look.

"Haha! Why did this bumbling swordsman get selected as a participant in the prestigious Great Five Saints Festival?"

"Did he pay a bribe?"

"Or is it just the atmosphere? It’s kind of fishy, isn’t it...? He’s not very reliable as a swordsman."

"To put it bluntly, he looks weak."

"Anyway, he’s no match for us."

It seemed they didn’t approve of me, and they started to mock me one by one.

"You guys, you’re really saying whatever you want...!"

"...You can’t see talent."

Reia and Rose glared at them sharply.

However, Raze didn’t seem to care and pulled out a sheet of paper from his pocket.

"I did some research, Allen Rodor! A dropout from Gran Sword Academy! Mocked as a 'Failing Swordsman,' with the worst grades since the day you enrolled! You knocked on the doors of various schools, but were turned away due to your lack of talent—thus, you became self-taught! And in your third year, you defeated a swordsman named Dodriel using underhanded means!"

"..."

Indeed, he has done his homework on my time at Gran Sword Academy.

But—what does that matter?

The past is just the past, no matter how you look at it.

Comparing the me from billions of years ago to the me now... I think it’s probably meaningless.

"Do you understand how much of a failing swordsman this Allen Rodor is!? You Class A fools are being deceived by this failing swordsman! Or what? Are you being blackmailed? Or maybe you’re being bribed? Huh?"

Raze barked at us with a harsh tone, and the Class A students responded with derisive laughter.

"Hey, have you guys even seen Allen and Sidon’s battle?"

"I saw it. He lost miserably at first, showed a bit of spirit in the middle, but in the end, he was swallowed by the spirit core and lost by foul play! So what?"

Then their focus shifted from me to Class A.

"Class A, you know... It’s just an evaluation of your skills the moment you enrolled, right?"

"Right. It’s not impressive to brag about that."

"A swordsman’s strength is determined by their Soul Equipment. That’s common sense."

"I can understand Reia Princess because she can use Soul Equipment. But it’s a mystery why a failing swordsman and a dirty bounty hunter were chosen."

"I don’t know what kind of shallow friendship you have, but those who skip Soul Equipment classes and only do boring strength training are not our enemies."

They mocked Class A students one by one.

"..."

"Ugh..."

I couldn’t stay silent after that.

As I and Rose stepped forward,

"Heh. You don’t need to step in for these clowns, Allen. Leave it to me. I’ll turn these octopus bastards into rust with my Zan Tetsu Ryu...!"

The Zan Tetsu Ryu swordsman, Tessa Vermund, stepped to the front.

"What? You’re the first one?"

"Yeah, I’m the first! But, you won’t make it to the second round, I bet!"

Tessa said this with a confident, smug smile.

"Hmm... Interesting. Let’s play. Come on, hurry up."

"Let’s see how long that confidence lasts. Zan Tetsu Ryu—Rust Removal!"

In the next moment, Tessa ran straight and slashed at Raze.

(...That’s a good strike.)

The result of his intense strength training over the past month.

His grip, step, and spirit—all have grown far beyond what they were before.

"It’s over!"

Faced with Tessa’s powerful downward slash, Raze’s face contorted.

"Rise—<Three Small Bone Dragons>!"

At that moment,

"What...!?"

Tessa’s strike was intercepted by three small dragons that suddenly appeared.

The dragons, made of nothing but bones, floated with red light in their eye sockets, laughing "Koro Koro Koro!"

Then, in the next moment,

"Rain of Small Bone Dragons!"

The three dragons broke into small bones and charged at Tessa at incredible speed.

"...! Gah...!"

Struck by the rain of bones, Tessa was blown away and lost consciousness.

"Tessa!?"

"Are you okay, man!?"

"Someone, get the infirmary!"

Seeing the commotion in Class A, Raze laughed loudly.

"Haha! Weak, weak! What’s wrong, is Class A just a bunch of low-level losers!?"

He clapped his hands and laughed, and the four behind him also mocked Tessa.

(...Tessa)

Probably, in terms of simple swordsmanship, Tessa was far superior.

(But, as a 'swordsman'... Raze is currently the better one.)

The difference between the two is just one thing—whether they have Soul Equipment.

Whether a swordsman can manifest Soul Equipment or not is... a very significant issue.

In fact, it determines whether one can become a high-level Holy Knight.

That’s how important Soul Equipment is.

As we were grieving over Tessa’s defeat,

"Crush—<Kongou Maru>!"

"Wrap—<Sara Shingi>!"

"Play—<Children of Fire>!"

"Pierce—<Thousand Sheets Piercer>!"

The remaining four simultaneously manifested their Soul Equipment.

"Seriously...!?"

"These guys... they got Soul Equipment in just one month!?"

"Damn, they’re not just talk...!"

Class A was in an uproar at the unexpected turn of events.

Amidst this, I quietly drew my sword and stood in front of them.

"Allen, I’ll help you!"

"Me too..."

Reia and Rose immediately stood beside me.

"Sorry. Can I handle this alone this time?"

"A-Allen!? They’re five Soul Equipment users!?"

"One-on-one is tough, I know..."

But my resolve didn’t waver.

"Sorry. I really want to do this alone this time."

"...Alright, I understand. But, don’t overdo it, okay?"

"...If it gets too tough, back off immediately."

"Thanks."

Reia and Rose reluctantly left the situation to me.

Then, I glared at the five in front of me.

(...It’s fine if it’s just me. Raze is right, I was called a failing swordsman in middle school, and no school would accept me. It’s understandable that people see me as a failure.)

But, I can’t forgive them for mocking Rose and the rest of Class A...

Rose isn’t a dirty bounty hunter.

Earning bounties isn’t a bad thing, and everyone needs money to live.

Class A isn’t weak.

They’ve been doing intense, boring strength training for a month—geniuses who work hard aren’t weak.

(I have to make Raze and the others understand that they were wrong...)

The best way to do that is this.

(If five of them lose to a 'failing swordsman' like me... they won’t be able to make any excuses.)

No matter how they struggle, they’ll have to admit they were wrong.

For Rose, my important friend.

For Class A, who interrupted their Soul Equipment class for me.

(I can’t lose this match!)

With that strong resolve, I felt a heat in the center of my body, and power surged through me.

(...So, this is 'resolve'?)

I somehow understood what he meant.

The determination not to lose.

The resolve to fight for everyone.

The pressure of representing Class A.

These things strengthen the heart and open the path to Soul Equipment!

As I felt the mysterious power overflowing,

"Heh, you finally show up, failing swordsman?"

"Hehe, I’ll let you off if you cry and apologize?"

"Seriously, you’re going to do this alone?"

"Pretty reckless... It’s bullying the weak..."

"You don’t even understand the gap in our skills... It’s ridiculous."

They laughed smugly, their Soul Equipment at the ready.

Their faces were full of confidence.

But... standing in front of them, I realized something.

(I don’t feel any 'pressure' from Raze and the others’ Soul Equipment...)

There’s no overwhelming pressure like when I faced him.

I took a stance and said one thing.

"Then... let’s begin."

"Sure, go ahead."

"Then—"

In the next moment, I closed the distance in an instant and shattered the three dragons with a single strike.

Raze’s feet clattered with bones, and the five fell silent.

"...Huh?"

With his defenses broken, I struck his neck with a peak strike.

"No way...!?"

Struck in the neck, he fell to the ground, eyes rolling back.

"—Do you know? Spirit cores have a 'rank' apparently."

Probably, their Soul Equipment is all duds.

Or, due to their immaturity, they can’t fully draw out the power from their spirit cores.

"Powder Bone Shock!"

"Double Tree Bind!"

"Firecracker!"

"Great Piercing!"

The four, their faces red with anger, unleashed their Soul Equipment’s power and launched a simultaneous attack.

In response, I said,

"Eight Blades—Yatagarasu."

I unleashed eight strikes, shattering their Soul Equipment to pieces.

"Wh-What...!?"

"No way...!"

"Impossible...!"

"Unbelievable...!?"

Seeing their Soul Equipment vanish, they muttered in shock.

"Indeed... Soul Equipment is a powerful force. But, if the user is inexperienced, its full potential isn’t realized."

Sidon’s <Lonely Ice Wolf> is a good example.

It’s only deadly because of his overwhelming physical abilities.

Even if Raze had <Lonely Ice Wolf>, it probably wouldn’t be much of a threat.

As I sheathed my sword, they all collapsed on the spot.

They probably didn’t even realize I had struck all their necks right after Yatagarasu.

"In short, you’re simply—undertrained."

And that’s how I brushed off the sudden trouble.