Chapter 724 - The Selfish White Who Smiles on the Silver Screen, Part Eight
「A sword not blessed by the light—」
Despite all their grumbling, my good-natured senpai stepped forward without a hint of hesitation or doubt, just as I did, as we each began to sing our own selfish tune.
「—nor a sword that celebrates the darkness!」
In terms of absolute speed, I had a massive advantage, putting eighty percent of the offensive in my hands. And yet, to relentlessly force the pace and still have them casually counter was the epitome of the Eastern Faction.
「Plead for water—」
The clash of fist and staff—I’d lost count of how many times. But I was learning, too.
「Yearn for water—」
Their habits were already committed to memory. I spun with the momentum of my strike, and as they tried to deflect and dissipate the impact, I swung my right leg like a whip, clipping the back of their knee.
Their deflection thwarted, their posture crumbled. A mere fraction of a second before a click of the tongue, I saw the look on Screen-san's face… and from my upside-down position, I thrust forth the massive, crystal-coated red cannon.
Scarlet-Thread Linkage 24-Style Armor-Piercing Warhead: Woodpecker—[Mayhem Bunny] Trigger.
「Urgh… —Hear the voice of the water!」
I fired the armor-piercing round, certain it was indefensible, and used the immense recoil to simultaneously fire from point-blank range and get away. I then activated [Flash Traveler], a skill that moved my body while ignoring my previous momentum, allowing me to both brake and eliminate any opening.
「The watery gloom of the abyss sits in the outer heavens—」
I looked up to see the conductor, still standing on stage as if it were perfectly normal, despite having lost an arm.
Seriously? How in the world did they deal with that? a sense of exasperation washed over me, but it was mixed with a trust that knew no surprise, no matter what absurdity they pulled… and then,
「—and harbors in its mantle a longing for a starlit dream.」
Even with that bored expression on their face,
I was, without a doubt, moved by the brilliance that would surely captivate the world.
「If the scepter is to be mine…—」
And that’s why, with the words I spun, with the surging waves of water spears and rings I aimed,
with no trace of hesitation, with no thought of retreat,
I would show this person before me the faith I had in none other than myself.
「—then there is no need to bow your head.」
Bring it on, senpai. I'm not gonna lose.
◇◆◇◆◇
「Vast through eternity, swallowing rebirth, the abyss—」
Despite all their incessant, annoying chatter, my damnably cheeky junior stepped forward without a hint of hesitation or doubt, just as I did, as we each began to sing our own selfish tune.
「—Thus its names number thirty-six!」
In terms of absolute speed, they had a massive advantage, putting eighty percent of the offensive in their hands. It was utterly infuriating, being forced to play along with this simple-minded fool who wore an innocent look the entire time.
「Embrace the nascent ambition of the red you created—」
We crossed paths for the nth time, but as expected of the Acrobat, they leaped past the immediate past into the now. My reaction, even with my greatly enhanced thought acceleration, couldn't keep up with their hazy movements. My weapon was caught, and by the time I realized it, a gun barrel was right in front of my face.
Impossible to evade. So, I wouldn't.
「Ugh—Embrace the yearning of the blue that guided you!」
I mobilized all my defensive skills. Offering my left arm, now harder than steel, surpassing even diamond, I took the exploding crimson light and used the impact to shift my body.
And so, my arm torn off to the bicep,
「The starlight of the canopy bows in the heavens, casting down voices that envy life's brilliance.」
I rode the recoil far away and glared at the clown, who once again wore that irritating expression.
Annoying, infuriating, maddening—but what I couldn't stand most of all was that I couldn't understand why these feelings were now endlessly welling up inside me.
I couldn't comprehend why my own voice was trembling with genuine anger that went beyond mere irritation.
And if I didn't hide behind those sophistries and avert my eyes from my transparent true feelings,
then all the more,
「Come if you dare, O stars—!」
That person smiling before me, who had surpassed the self that I should have found most loathsome, was now the most loathsome of all.
「—This body is one that calls forth envy!」
If that's the case, there's only one thing left to do. With a shout, with the resounding roar of the earth that met them.
Though I wavered, though I retreated,
With the meaning of the self I had cherished until now,
「[Starlight]」
I would smash my worthless pride against the glittering star that seared all eyes.
◇◆◇◆◇
A vast, yet cramped stage. What manifested were the miracles of water and earth.
One was a sword—though it appeared small compared to the waterfall from before, its form was that of a greatsword easily surpassing the already tiny stature of its caster.
One was stars—countless and colossal even compared to the earth-shattering roars from before, they rained down from the heavens as if they knew nothing of a canopy to block their path.
Serenity and ruin. At that moment, all who watched were certain that if neither moved, the tyranny of the descending stars would wipe everything from the stage.
But shouldering expectations that surpassed even that certainty, the white that yearned for a dream swung its sword.
And the sword—the scepter—that would show the world its selfishness, its stubbornness, its will,
「—[Laevateinn]!!!」
in a single moment, severed everything reflected in its master's eyes… and brought the sound of a bell to the stage.
The curtain fell with a single move from the Clown who had shredded the stars, slashed what was before them, and sundered their own convictions.
「…………………………Can this just be my final match...?」
A truly burnt-out egoist collapsed, looking up at the light of the scattered stars.
Triangle Duo, C-Block, Round Two.
The winners—Acrobat & Heat Gaze.
I kept my word (I'm not gonna lose).
And with that, Chapter Five, Section Two, comes to a close. Let's get fired up for Section Three, along with the manga serialization that starts tomorrow.
Oh, and the manga is apparently starting. Sora is so cute!!!