Chapter 6

Led by Nice, Kiri and the others moved to the arena next to the medical center. The arena was spacious, and with the arena seats included, it seemed capable of accommodating tens of thousands of people.

Here and there, students could be seen practicing mock battles and training, and spectators were scattered throughout the arena seats.

In a corner of the arena, Nice stood in front of Kiri and Luna. His followers were leaning forward from the front row of the arena seats, cheering on the scene.

"Do you understand? In the Adamas Imperial Academy, duels are permitted. If you die, you can't complain."

"But didn't you hear? He called me a loser dog!"

"Your boiling point is lower than a elementary school kid's! Just surrender if it gets dangerous."

"Luna, you're a good person. We just met today."

"I just don't want to easily cut ties with people... or rather, why do you carry white gloves around with you?!"

Luna slapped the back of Kiri's head, making a loud sound.

"It's not just the gloves."

Kiri fiddled with his pocket and pulled out a challenge letter, a few spare white gloves, a folding message, and more. Luna looked at them in disbelief, unable to say anything.

"I'm glad you're my first opponent."

Nice, who had been watching the two from a distance, spoke up.

"What do you mean by that?"

"If a more barbaric guy had picked on you, your school life would have ended here. But don't worry, I'll give you a little education for your future."

Nice snapped his fingers and turned his gaze to Luna. This made Luna step back from the two.

"Since you're down there, you can give the start signal and be the judge."

"...Understood."

Luna nodded. Kiri stretched his arms lightly, starting to warm up.

"Are you ready?"

She looked at Kiri with a worried expression.

"Anytime."

Nice, with a confident smile, said,

"OK."

Kiri, who had finished stretching, gave a thumbs-up.

"Then, let's start!"

As Luna called out, Nice picked up a small stone from the ground. Kiri stared at Nice, who didn't move from his spot.

Despite the duel, Nice's calm demeanor showed a solid confidence.

Indeed, he must be quite capable.

His steady center of gravity and the way he maintained his distance proved he was skilled in martial arts. Of course, it was also possible that this was a bluff to make his magic more effective.

"My aptitude is C in magic, S in martial arts, and overall A. My final ranking last year was 22nd."

"Ranking?"

"Every six months, except for the Celestial Students, an optional ranking battle is held to determine the ranking within the school. In simple terms, I'm the 22nd strongest in this vast school."

Playing with the stone, Nice answered the question proudly.

"Wow, that's impressive."

"Alright, how much of a handicap do you need?"

"Don't hold back. Come at me with everything you've got."

"Haha, you can still say that? Then I'll make a prediction for you.

In a few dozen seconds, you'll be crawling on the ground, begging for your life—"

Kiri's motivation skyrocketed at Nice's arrogant words. The more the opponent looked down on him, the better. Since they were facing each other, he could "show" him immediately.

"Nice, don't go too far! But win properly!"

"Freshman, good luck! If you win, you get free lunch for a month! Please, win!"

"What are you betting on?!"

Responding to the heckles from the crowd, Nice took a light step forward. No, it was more like a running start. Stepping lightly on the arena's soil, Nice threw the stone at Kiri.

The stone flew toward Kiri's shoulder at a speed reminiscent of a bullet.

A weapon wrapped in "ki," it was aimed precisely to avoid vital points. If it hit, it would certainly cause serious injury, but with the school's medical facilities, it wouldn't be fatal.

However, just before the stone hit Kiri, it suddenly disappeared.

"What...!?"

Nice was surprised. An unexpected event occurred, and he immediately raised his alert level, finally assuming a "stance." Keeping his center of gravity high, he stood in a half-profile position. He had also deployed his "Resistance."

The crowd, including Nice, seemed to have no idea what had happened.

"What did you just do...?"

"Oh, you didn't see it?"

Kiri raised his fist and opened his palm, revealing the stone Nice had just thrown.

"Huh...? Did you catch it...? I didn't see it at all...""Wow!? Is this a one-in-a-million chance!?"

The crowd murmured.

Kiri had simply caught the thrown stone, but it seemed different to the others. Apparently, he had caught it at a speed that was too fast to see.

"That stance is from the Western Christ school. Good, I've never beaten it before."

Kiri casually threw the stone back to Nice. However, Nice dodged it without catching it. The stone fell to the ground next to him.

"What are you trying to do?"

Nice's eyes were now completely serious, showing no sign of carelessness.

Just one unexpected move from Kiri was enough for him to decide to go all out and abandon his arrogance. This was a testament to the high quality of the school.

One regrettable thing was that his eyes were not well-trained. Nice couldn't gauge Kiri's true strength.

In actual combat, the ability to determine whether an opponent is superior is the most important skill.

"You didn't throw that one seriously, right? Let's do it again."

"No, I don't intend to play anymore."

"I see, that's a shame."

Thinking that he wouldn't see the arrogant Nice from before again, Kiri felt a bit of sadness at the parting.

"By the way, I didn't ask your name. What is it?"

Kiri glanced at the Celestial Palace under the bright sun,

"Kiri Mitsu."

He announced his name.

"Sorry, Kiri. You're not... weak!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Nice closed the distance in an instant. Before Kiri knew it, Nice was in front of him, pulling back his fist, ready to punch. But in the next moment, Nice's figure blurred.

This was a "residual image" created by stopping abruptly after a quick movement, a basic martial arts skill with practical applications.

"Ha!"

Nice was behind him. The approaching fist. Kiri turned his head to catch the sight.

Immediately after, Nice's powerful punch hit Kiri's jaw.

—Thud.

However, the sound was surprisingly anticlimactic for a punch that had connected.

Kiri was thrown back slightly, but he didn't take any damage. He had adjusted the strength of his "Resistance" to cushion the impact of Nice's punch.

"No way...!?"

"Resistance" is highly effective as a defensive ability, but when used offensively in martial arts, it is effective to concentrate it on the part that will make contact with the opponent.

However, this means that other parts of the "Resistance" are neglected, and for a master, this moment is a very brief opportunity. As expected, Nice was still concentrating his "Resistance" on his fist, leaving the rest vulnerable.

Kiri wouldn't miss this chance.

"—Mitsu Style, Oni Tsukai."

—Bang!

A cloud of dust spread out in a ripple from the two of them.

Kiri had stepped on Nice's toes with his heel, piercing through Nice's weak "Resistance" and shattering the bones in his toes.

"Ugh, aaaaah!!"

Unable to withstand it, Nice collapsed.

Mitsu Style "Oni Tsukai"

This technique involves stepping on the opponent's toes with the heel. Despite its grand name, it is derived from a story where one of Kiri's ancestors, when facing a demon, stepped on its toes, causing it to kneel and cry out in pain.

"You're not G-rank...!!"

Kiri leaped back and swept the dust away with the hem of his coat.

"Nice is losing...?""Who is he...?""What's going on, a duel? Nice and who?"

The crowd was in an uproar. The impact of "Oni Tsukai" had also drawn the attention of other spectators.

Luna, too, was visibly surprised, her eyes wide.

"Can you still fight?"

Kiri asked the groaning Nice.

Without answering, Nice, with a determined look in his eyes, struggled to stand up. Kiri's lips curled up.

"Nice one."

Indeed, he was used to fighting against stronger opponents.

Nice himself must have had experiences of being beaten one-sidedly, trying to teach the harshness of the school. He didn't seem to be intimidated by an opponent he couldn't match.

This spirit was likely influenced by the Christ school, a clean and proud martial art despite its appearance.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. To sharpen his mind and release some of his pain, he used the skill "Insensibility," which is difficult to master but practical in martial arts.

Although he was vulnerable, Kiri refrained from interfering to ensure a fair fight.

Nice exhaled. Along with "Insensibility," he also seemed to use "Liberation" to explosively enhance his physical abilities.

"Let's go! Kiri!"

Receiving the signal to start again, Kiri activated his spell.

A spell is a mechanism powered by magic. It can take various forms, such as a magical array, a chant, or a medium like a wand. The examples are endless.

The phenomenon caused by infusing magic into a spell is called magic.

Magic and ki are the same, but they are handled differently. Ki is used directly, while magic is the energy used to activate spells.

This time, Kiri had used the dust cloud as his spell. When he swept the dust away, the spell was already complete and ready to activate at any time.

"Chains"

The moment Nice tried to run, Kiri infused magic into the spell and activated it.

The dust on the ground, which still retained the function of the spell, glowed faintly due to the magic.

"No way... When did you set up the spell...?"

Luna's face was filled with shock.

Two hands of earth emerged from the arena floor, grabbing Nice's left ankle, which was his pivot. Naturally, Nice lost his balance, and Kiri took the opportunity to trip him, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground.

"Damn it!"

"Shackles"

Nice tried to get up immediately, but Kiri wasn't about to give him that chance. New hands of earth appeared in front of him, firmly grabbing his hand that was on the ground.

"Chains and Shackles"

With "Liberation," Nice could have broken free with all his might. However, to prevent this, Kiri used magic in succession, resulting in countless hands binding him to the ground.

"No way! Nice!?""For real...?""Lunch is on the house!"

"Is it my win?"

At this point, there was nothing more to be done. Kiri looked down at Nice, asking if he still had the will to fight.

"Your magic... is also top-notch..."

"Is it my win?"

He asked again, urging him. Kiri's victory was obvious to everyone, but he sometimes prioritized whether the opponent acknowledged his win over the judgment of the crowd. This was one of those times.

"Retract what you said about me being a loser dog."

The reason was Nice's words. Kiri was pathologically competitive and extremely sensitive to words related to defeat.

However, he respected the concept of "defeat" that contradicted victory. Once he won, everything, including being called a loser dog, became a spice in his victory.

"I'll... retract it. You... win."

"Crush!"

Clasping his hands, Kiri leaned forward and expressed his emotions to the ground.

The crowd was stunned.

"Eh, um... Kiri wins...?"

Luna's hesitant declaration concluded the duel.

After being released from the "Chains and Shackles," Nice slowly stood up, turned his back without a word, and left the arena. Although his face couldn't be seen, the sudden silence from his followers revealed his disappointment.

"Nice!"

Kiri called out to Nice, who stopped in his tracks but didn't turn around.

"Revenge, retaliation, vendetta. I welcome them anytime, anywhere. I'll be waiting."

Kiri said, looking at Nice's followers in the arena seats.

"By the way, my room number is 2... oof!"

"Hey!"

Luna quickly covered his mouth when he tried to reveal personal information.

If Kiri's room number was leaked, it could also cause trouble for Luna, who was in the next room. However, that was Luna's fate for choosing the room next to Kiri. Despite Luna's hand over his mouth, Kiri mumbled the room number.

"Sorry, we're leaving now..."

Kiri was forcefully dragged away by Luna, leaving the arena.