Chapter 90

Thank you very much to 'Ice·Moon Shadow', 'Luo Shaoyu', 'Jie Mie Zhi Qiang', 'c Candy ぐ Sky', 'shan1yang2', 'Qi Guan Xuan Qi', and 'Yan Mie * Hui Fei' for your generous donations!

In a gym of Fairy Tail, Noah is currently facing off against the police officer duo, Rijin Rintaro and Aihara Enju.

Ten minutes ago, Tendo Miki happily went to the main building where the request board and the police officers of Fairy Tail gather and rest.

Rijin Rintaro and Aihara Enju, who were left behind, were called here by Noah, creating this scene.

In front of Noah, Rijin Rintaro has been sighing continuously, looking listless and almost dead, while Aihara Enju is the exact opposite, looking eager and ready to go.

Noah smiled at the stark contrast between the two partners.

"You can attack anytime!"

"Alright!" Enju shouted, but this only elicited a bigger sigh from Rintaro.

"Must we really test it?"

"Let me see how much your skills have improved!" Noah's lips curled up.

"After all, a year ago, I personally taught Enju combat techniques. It's been a year since then, and although Enju comes back every day, I haven't tested her skills again. And you, Rintaro, as Enju's partner, show me what you can do too!"

"Why don't you just spar with Enju? I'll pass." Rintaro shook his head on the spot.

"Someone as weak as me, who doesn't even know where I rank in the IP rankings, how could I possibly be your opponent?"

IP rankings.

Established and issued by the International Initiator Supervisory Organization (IISO), the rankings are determined by the number of Arthropods defeated and the achievements of each existing police officer duo.

Although there are various issues with these rankings, such as the compatibility and strengths of individuals, some being better at fighting humans, others at fighting Arthropods, and some strong individuals not wanting to be too high-profile, or new talents still in the early stages, the rankings provided by the IISO are generally the standard for measuring the fame and strength of a police officer duo.

"If I'm not mistaken, Noah, you've been hunting Arthropods quite a bit over the past year to gather the startup and operating funds for Fairy Tail, right?" Rintaro felt himself breaking out in a sweat and asked with a sense of reverence.

"So, what is your current IP ranking?"

"I haven't hunted Arthropods for nearly half a year, and I've always refused the IISO's attempts to pair me with an Initiator partner. They don't seem to have any plans to raise my ranking." Noah shrugged.

"So, if you ask me what my IP ranking is, I can only tell you that I don't know myself."

"Eh~~~" Enju was the first to voice her dissatisfaction.

"How can they not raise your ranking, President?"

"Ah..." Rintaro covered his head.

"Even so, someone who can teach the Cursed Children combat techniques and is personally acknowledged by Enju as strong, how could I possibly be a match for you?"

"Don't you have Enju as your partner?" Seeing Rintaro dragging his feet, even Noah started to lose patience.

"In any case, don't hold back. Just attack, Rintaro. You can use your gun, and use all your skills!"

"Use a gun?" Rintaro looked at Noah in shock, his face full of uncertainty.

"Really use a gun?"

"Rintaro, you really are indecisive." Noah was exasperated.

"Just do as I say. Do you think I want to commit suicide?"

"But..." Rintaro seemed to want to say more, but this time, Enju, who was also getting impatient, interrupted him.

"Rintaro, underestimating the President will get you into trouble. If you don't want to go, I'll go!"

As she spoke, Enju's eyes instantly turned deep red.

"Enju!" Rintaro was immediately startled.

Eyes turning deep red is a symbol of the Cursed Children releasing the power of the Arthropod virus within them.

So, when the Cursed Children's eyes turn deep red, they can gain strength comparable to, or even far exceeding, that of ordinary Arthropods.

Noah's strength is unknown to Rintaro, but using the power of the Cursed Children against a normal human seems excessive, doesn't it?

"Then..." However, Enju completely ignored Rintaro's cries and didn't have time to stop him. She crouched down.

"I'm going!"

As she spoke, a loud thud echoed.

"Whoosh——!"

With a sharp whistling sound, Enju's small body shot forward like a rocket.

"Whoosh——!"

The sharp sound of breaking air echoed as Enju almost instantly closed the ten-meter gap between her and Noah, appearing in front of him.

"Ha——!"

Immediately, Enju leaped up, turned, and delivered a powerful kick that caused the air to vibrate, aimed at Noah's head.

Judging by the sound, which didn't even have time to create a sonic boom, this kick would likely shatter a steel plate at least a meter thick if it hit.

Let alone a human's fragile head?

However, in the face of Enju's powerful kick, Noah simply leaned slightly to the side.

"Swish——!"

The powerful kick immediately grazed Noah's side and missed.

At this moment, Noah suddenly extended his hand, grabbed Enju's small foot, which was moving forward due to inertia, tightened his grip, and lifted her up.

"Too many openings!"

Leaving these words, Noah directly threw Enju, who was screaming, towards Rintaro. Enju's figure turned into a blur and crashed heavily into Rintaro, who was panicking.

"Bang——!"

In the dull sound of the impact, Enju, like a cannonball, hit Rintaro's abdomen, causing him to scream in pain. Both Enju and Rintaro were thrown back and fell to the ground not far away.

"Ow..." Enju held her head, tears in her eyes.

"So dizzy..."

"Ow..." Rintaro clutched his abdomen, his face turning blue.

"So painful..."

The two struggled to get up from the ground, but their vision suddenly darkened.

"Although the battle was short, I have a good idea of your current levels." Noah sighed.

"As a rabbit-type Initiator, Enju's speed, foot strength, and kicks have improved significantly compared to a year ago, but your combat awareness seems to have declined. It's probably because you've been dealing with low-level Arthropods and haven't faced strong opponents."

"I haven't been slacking off, President!" Enju said indignantly.

"I've been following your instructions and training in speed and kicks all year!"

"I'm not blaming you. With your current strength, as an Initiator, it might be a bit exaggerated to say you can enter the top 100 in the IP rankings, but entering the top 300 should be no problem!" Noah patted Enju's head and glanced at Rintaro, who was sitting on the ground.

"The problem is with me, right?" Rintaro sighed in resignation.

"I know Enju is strong, but it's because I'm too weak that I'm holding her back."

"Are you weak?" Noah looked deeply at Rintaro and smiled slightly.

"Maybe."

For a moment, Rintaro felt as if he had been seen through, making him feel uneasy. He quickly changed the subject.

"By the way, Noah, I didn't expect you to be so strong. Even Enju isn't a match for you. In close combat, you're definitely invincible among all police officers. If you could pair that with a good gun to make up for your weaknesses in long-range combat, you'd be almost unbeatable in the entire Tokyo region!"

Hearing this, Noah fell silent.

"A gun?"