Chapter 8

As I stood at the classroom door, I took a deep breath and tightly gripped the letter containing the secret that my mother had given me.

---

While I was staring at her soul armor with a mix of envy and jealousy,

"Hey, what are you spacing out for? You should show me your soul armor too."

She said something completely outrageous as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"H-ha... Sorry, but I can't do such an amazing trick."

I shrugged and shook my head, and she widened her eyes.

"...Eh? Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

Unfortunately, I can't summon soul armor.

I've never even seen real soul armor before, let alone now.

Then,

"Ha... ha ha ha ha ha! H-ha ha... My... My stomach... It hurts..."

She clutched her stomach and laughed as if she was really enjoying herself.

"Ha... ha... ha... ha... A novice who can't even summon soul armor trying to fight me, the 'Black and White Princess'... How unpleasant."

After laughing for a while, she suddenly glared at me.

(What an expressive princess...)

I bet every day is fun for her.

And one more thing—I didn't volunteer for this duel. She forced me into it.

But I figured that arguing here would only make things more complicated, so I decided to keep quiet.

"Alright, I'll give you credit for your courage and audacity. --Hehe, don't think it'll be over in a second? I'll simmer you slowly... sizzle, sizzle!"

Despite her elegant appearance, she seems to have a pretty good personality.

The gentle and dignified demeanor I saw at the opening ceremony was probably just an act.

(...Indeed, I can't summon soul armor.)

But that doesn't mean I'll lose immediately.

There are ways to fight even without soul armor.

"---Let's go, Reia?"

I asked without a moment's hesitation, maintaining a proper stance.

"Sure, go ahead."

She was completely at ease.

She let go of her sword with one hand and taunted me with her fingers.

...I'm a swordsman too.

I'm not the kind of person who can stand by when someone is this disrespectful.

"First strike—Flying Shadow!"

Faster than usual.

Stronger than usual.

I launched a feint.

"What, a flying slash...!?"

She was momentarily surprised but quickly regained her composure and prepared to defend.

"---White Dragon's Scale!"

White flames formed a large shield, burning the Flying Shadow to ashes.

"Hmm... This might be a bit more fun...!"

I used her shield as a distraction and closed the distance in an instant.

Once inside the shield, I immediately delivered the next strike.

"Eightth strike—Eightfold Crow!"

"Eight at once...!?"

Reia froze for a moment at the eight approaching slashes,

"Ugh—Black Dragon's Breath!"

but she immediately burned all the slashes to ashes with black flames.

(...She's really powerful.)

The adaptability of her soul armor, the "Primordial Dragon King," far exceeded my expectations.

After confirming that all the slashes had been deflected, I tried to close the distance for another attack.

"Stay back! ---Dragon's Fury!"

She spread a mix of black and white flames over a wide area.

Faced with an unpredictable area attack, I had no choice but to back off.

A large distance opened up between us, and the situation became somewhat stale.

"You... What was that technique just now...?"

"I don't know which one you're talking about, but both are techniques I came up with."

"...I see. So you have the potential to be recognized by Reia... at least to some extent."

She glanced at Reia-sensei and muttered.

"Anyway—Your serious approach to swordsmanship and the considerable time you've spent training are evident from the exchange just now."

It took me... well, let's just say an incredibly long time.

"Alright, I'll specially recognize you as a 'decent swordsman.'"

"...Thank you."

I'll take it as a compliment.

It's better to think positively about everything.

"---But, the fact that you can't use soul armor means that no matter how much you hone your swordsmanship, it's meaningless. I'll show you that now. The insurmountable wall of talent that no amount of effort can reach!"

She charged straight at me with a straightforward and honest approach.

(She should be at a disadvantage in raw strength... What is she thinking...?)

I want to avoid getting hit by a flame counterattack if I dodge carelessly.

It's annoying to play along with her provocation, but... there's no other choice.

I'll take the hit head-on.

The swords clashed, and the moment we were in a lock, Reia smiled.

"Overlord Style—Power Strike!"

At that moment, an incredible shock, far beyond what a woman should be capable of, hit my arms.

"What...!?"

What kind of brute strength does she have...?

"Ha... ha... ha... ha...!"

"Gr... ooooh...!"

I mobilized all my muscles—legs, waist, abdomen, and arms—to counter.

However,

(Damn... I can't stop it...!)

Overwhelmed by her explosive strength, I was knocked back, and my sword was deflected, leaving my abdomen exposed.

"Opening!"

Her powerful kick struck me.

"Ugh!?"

I deliberately jumped back to absorb the impact and managed to avoid major damage.

At the same time, I retrieved my fallen sword and prepared for the next attack.

(Damn... What a troublesome power...)

The secret to this ridiculous strength is the flames burning behind her.

She ignites the flames behind her at the moment the swords clash, giving her explosive power.

Reia, who had landed a decisive blow, looked at me with a pitying gaze.

"Comparing swordsmanship alone, you are at a higher level than me. ...It's annoying, but that's the truth. However, my swordsmanship, enhanced by soul armor, is something you can never beat with just your superficial techniques. Do you understand now? The absolute power of soul armor?"

The combination of swordsmanship and soul armor... Honestly, it's impressive.

(But... she's too complacent.)

From the strikes I've seen, it's clear.

She relies too much on her overwhelming soul armor, and her swordsmanship is sloppy.

Add to that her overconfidence and complacency—there's a good chance of victory.

(...Should I use that?)

The technique I came up with during the first loop in the prison—never in my dreams did I think I'd use a technique I created half in jest in a real battle.

(Alright, first, I need to accurately predict Reia's movements.)

I replayed the exchanges with her in my mind.

First move, when she saw Flying Shadow, she deployed a wide shield of white flames.

Second move, when faced with the approaching Eightfold Crow, she calmly controlled the black flames and accurately deflected all the strikes.

Third move, when I tried to close the distance for a follow-up attack, she calmly deployed a wide area attack without panicking.

(...Reia has consistently made reasonable and conservative choices.)

And now, with a clear effective move against me, I can predict her next action.

After analyzing, I determined the optimal point to set up my strike based on our positions.

I subtly passed the tip of my sword through that point without her noticing.

(...Alright, everything is set.)

If she moves as I expect, it will explode.

"Hehe, I'll finish you this time."

She seems to be confident of victory.

Reia, with a sadistic smile, doesn't seem to have noticed my setup.

"Alright, be prepared!"

She charged at me again, closing the distance in an instant and raising her crimson sword high.

"Overlord Style—Power Strike!"

Our gazes met, both confident of victory.

(As expected... the game is over.)

I sheathed the sword in my hand and turned around.

"Second strike—Phantom Moon."

The next moment,

"How...!?"

An invisible slash struck her from chest to abdomen.

Caught off guard by the counterattack from an unexpected direction, she lost consciousness easily.

Second strike—Phantom Moon.

This is a pre-set slash.

You predict the point where the opponent will pass and set up the slash in advance.

It automatically detonates the moment the opponent passes through.

It's extremely difficult to hit, but if it does, it's a sure kill.

"Hmm, as expected..."

Reia-sensei confirmed that Reia was completely unconscious,

"Reia Vestaria is unable to fight! Therefore, Allen Roder wins!"

She declared the result of the duel loudly.

"Phew..."

Finally released from the tension, I exhaled deeply.

...She was a tough opponent.

But fighting someone who uses soul armor was a great experience.

"You're strong, Allen. You lived up to my expectations."

Reia-sensei nodded proudly, as if saying, "I knew it!"

"Thank you..."

I don't know when or where she saw my potential, but I'm not complaining about the compliment.

"More importantly... We need to take Reia to the infirmary quickly."

Approaching the unconscious Reia, Reia-sensei shook her head.

"Hmm? Oh, she's abnormally tough, so it's fine to leave her. She'll regain consciousness in two or three minutes."

"Is that so...?"

But even if she's tough, isn't it wrong to leave someone unconscious...?

"Yeah, just watch and see."

Since Reia-sensei seems to know Reia well, I decided to follow her advice and leave her for a while.

About two minutes later,

"...Huh!?"

As Reia-sensei predicted, Reia suddenly sat up as if nothing had happened.

"Ah, what...? I... What...?"

"Sorry, but you lost the duel just now, Reia."

"...Duel? ...!"

Her hazy consciousness and memory finally cleared, and she immediately stood up and approached me.

"What do you mean!? Why did I lose!? What did you do to me!?"

In a panic, I explained the effect of Phantom Moon to her in detail.

"That's cheating! It's unfair, unfair!"

Dissatisfied with my explanation, her complaints overflowed.

"Well, that's... true..."

Phantom Moon wasn't originally created for real combat.

It's impossible to use in real combat unless the opponent, like Reia, has predictable thinking.

From a practical standpoint, it's far inferior to techniques like Flying Shadow or Eightfold Crow.

First, it has many weaknesses.

The slash set in space isn't completely invisible; if you look closely, you can see a slight distortion in the air—a seam.

It's also very difficult to set up the slash without the opponent noticing.

(Still... I won this time thanks to her overconfidence in her soul armor...)

The next time we fight, it will definitely be a tougher battle.

(I need to train more...)

As I resolved to train harder,

"Cough—Anyway, the duel ended with Allen's victory... What are you going to do, Reia?"

Reia-sensei opened her mouth with a mischievous smile.

"What do you mean... What are you talking about?"

She probably genuinely forgot.

She tilted her head in confusion.

"Come on, you know. I won't let you forget... The agreement before the duel."

"The agreement before the duel...!?"

Reia's face turned pale in an instant.

(She really forgot the conditions of the duel...)

She seems to be surprisingly forgetful.

"Ah, you remember now? That's right, 'the loser becomes the winner's slave.'"

For some reason, it was Reia-sensei, the witness, who was pushing Reia into a corner.

"Um... That 'slave' thing... It was just a figure of speech..."

She started to flail her hands, clearly flustered.

Her gaze darted around, clearly suspicious.

"Well, technically, this duel wasn't officially recognized, so I could just ignore it."

To my surprise, Reia-sensei offered a way out.

"Reia...!"

Reia looked at Reia-sensei as if she were a god.

(...For me, this is a relief from the trouble.)

Honestly, I'd be in trouble if she said she'd be my slave.

After all, she's the princess of the Vestaria Kingdom.

If that were to get out, it would be a big problem.

(At least this is settled...)

As I stretched,

"But... Are you really okay with that?"

Reia-sensei asked Reia seriously.

"What do you mean...?"

"Well... The proud princess of the Vestaria Kingdom lost a fight she initiated and is now trying to back out of the penalty she proposed. If you're okay with that, that's fine... I was just a bit concerned. Yeah, don't worry about it."

Just when things were about to be settled... this person...

I can confidently say that Reia-sensei has a bad personality. Very bad.

She's clearly toying with Reia.

(...I should avoid getting involved with her.)

As I thought this, Reia finally started to groan.

"Ugh... Fine! I get it, I get it! I'll keep the promise, okay!?"

She shouted loudly, half in frustration.

Reia-sensei shrugged exaggeratedly.

"Hey, don't make it sound like I'm forcing you. This is your problem. You either keep the promise and become a slave or break it and run away. You need to make a decision with your own will."

"Mmm...!"

She made a sound that wasn't quite a word and glared at me.

And then—

"Um, I'm... I'm not very good, but... please take care of me... Master..."

Reia, her face red, bit her lip, trembling with shame, and bowed her head.

"Um... Sure..."

Exhausted by everything, I bowed my head and decided to end the situation for now.