Chapter 734 - Ignition of Battle
“—And just like that, with no time to breathe, it’s back to the main stage…”
“Heh heh, you must be exhausted. …But you looked quite used to it by now, didn’t you?”
“If that’s how I’m coming across, then I suppose that’s a good thing…”
The semifinals of the [Triangle Duo] were scheduled to proceed in two thirty-minute blocks—ten minutes for the match, and twenty for the replay analysis with guest commentators. And so, at 5:30 PM sharp, the second semifinal match was about to begin.
Despite the presence of one quiet participant, we had survived the “intermission,” which had been whipped into a frenzy rivaling the energy of ten people, led by the boisterous MC… and now we had arrived at our fourth stage.
Seriously? Has it only been a little over seven hours since the first program started? The thought made a strange laugh bubble up inside me as I recalled the sheer density of the event. But the true finale, where I could finally let my guard down, was still nowhere in sight.
And so, here we were, in our third battle, having somehow fought our way through one match after another.
“—Alright, alright, it’s our turn! Sorry to keep you all waiting! Let’s get loud!!!”
“—Mmm… hmph…”
We were bathed in a thunderous roar from the crowd, just as deafening as it was in our first match. Across the stage from us were two small figures—one bouncing around energetically, the other stretching with a languid air.
This was the second semifinal match. Our [Acrobat & Scorching Gaze] tag team was facing the renowned “Arcadia’s Strongest Artillery Cannons,” the famed Eastern Wings. As I’d mentioned during our earlier meeting…
“What are we supposed to do here…?”
“Hee hee… Just do what you want to do. I’ve got your back.”
My partner’s encouragement was incredibly reassuring, but honestly, I had never been so clueless about how to win. These two were already “anything goes,” “chaotic,” and “utterly insane.” I couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of strategy they’d cook up when facing me as an enemy.
I’m fully aware of the irony of me saying that, but it’s precisely because our builds are so unconventional that I have absolutely no idea how this match will unfold.
Will they try to seize the pace from the very beginning, thinking they can’t let me run wild?
Or will they play it cool and observe, showing off the余裕 of being the “great seniors”?
Then again, they might just come out swinging, trying to kill me from the start with unreasonably high expectations.
My opponents are magic users who can do anything… No matter how much I stretch my imagination, every possibility seems plausible, so a clear path—
“Hey! Onii-san, you look scared!”
“Thinking carefully is a good thing.”
—a clear path is impossible to pin down…
“Whatever, just charge in with some spirit! C’mon, c’mon, c’mon!”
“From the front, the side, the back, or even from above is fine.”
I can’t… pin it down…
“We’re totally ready over here!”
“Don’t worry about any ‘what ifs.’”
“We’re your true great seniors, after all!”
“We can take anything you throw at us.”
…………
Ah, yes, I see. It seems the opening move has been entrusted to me.
Okay, okay…
“Hinayo-san, if by some one-in-a-billion chance I get into an accident right at the start, I’m leaving the rest to you.”
“That would be a bit of a problem…!”
Still, after being taunted this much, I have no choice but to go.
With brush-pens held in each hand, they assume a battle stance with carefree expressions. Their domain, their canvas, must already be established. Just as they said, the two runts are ready and waiting for me.
Very well, then.
“Suuuuu… Alright, I’m going.”
“Yes, whenever you’re ready.”
Outer Force Output ‘Spin’—Critical Convergence.
Watch this, you younger, smaller great seniors. Just as I, having never personally experienced your firepower, can’t quite imagine what you’re capable of… by that same token, you two…
“Four Winds One-Sword, First Strike—”
“Uh, oh, this is bad.”
“Did we taunt him too much?”
…have never experienced the speed of an [Acrobat], right?
“《Hayate》.”
The blade in my right hand held in a standard grip, the one in my left in a reverse grip. The rigidly fixed swords carve an arc through the air, closing the distance and striking in an instant.
Leaving the tens of thousands of eyes and voices in the audience behind… the blade I delivered, so fast that even the sound of it cutting through the air couldn’t keep up, now produces a reverberation as the sky itself remains oblivious to being sundered.
In other words, that sound and the indescribable feedback traveling up my arm tell me one thing—
“Whoa, that was a SHOCK!! So fast! So scary!?”
“…Couldn’t see it at all.”
My jade blade, moving faster than sound, had been stopped head-on by a wall of light. A translucent magic barrier had completely protected my two opponents, leaving them unharmed.
Judging by their reactions, I succeeded in startling them as planned, but… wait, hold on, they don’t look all that surprised—?!
“—KABOOM!”
“—kaboom.”
The instant my eyes met theirs—one pair burning crimson, the other a cool aqua, both pupils dyed with a similar emotion—their high-tension and low-tension voices echoed, and the stage was engulfed in a storm of explosions.
My instantaneous [Rocket] escape was just in time. But the flames that grazed my cheek and my HP bar were no mere illusion like the one I saw that day. This was an inferno that seemed to steal the thunder of [Scorching Gaze]… no, it was precisely because they had stolen her thunder that they held their high rank. This was otherworldly magic, raging and illuminating the world.
“…Hee hee, isn’t it just unbearable?”
“Oh, it really is…”
I reset after a full retreat. I had instinctively returned to her side, thinking I might need to become her legs if they pressed their attack, but fortunately, the flames had stopped after consuming the other half of the stage.
And from beside me came the voice of Hinayo-san—the [Scorching Gaze] who had surrendered her title as the strongest long-range firepower with the rise of the [Eastern Wings]—her tone laced with a mix of emotions.
There was no hint of darkness in her feelings, but the frustration was palpable.
Today, sharing the stage with her, I came to a deep understanding. This woman was truly a member of Istia. For her, those who stood above were nothing less than a source of motivation.
Therefore,
“Alright… let’s do our best, Haru-kun. Honestly, this is a rare opportunity. Let’s show those little ones what we’re made of, shall we?”
Even when she throws such a playful remark at me with a smile, I’m no longer surprised. Very well, I’ll brace myself and join the dance.
“[Trance]—Hinayo-san.”
“Yes, leave it to me.”
My voice shifted, deepening as I called her name, and her reply was immediate. From one of the muzzles of the twin pistols she drew from their holsters, [Nova Rescellerate, Mirror Illuminating Six Stars].
“[First Bullet, Awakening Blink].”
Along with me, who had stepped in front of her, a crimson cannon blast erupted in a brilliant flash.
From there, three anomalies occurred in sequence. First, as the flame tore through the existing inferno, a colossal wall of metal instantly erected itself in its path. Second, just as the wall melted while blocking the heat ray, a massive tornado materialized, sucking up and scattering all the flames—friend and foe alike—up into the air.
And finally…
“These guys are seriously insane…”
“I don’t want to hear that from someone who’s committing actual friendly fire!!”
“…So that’s a valid way to use it.”
There was me, a lone “ember” on the stage, unswayed by the roaring wind. Or rather, a single burning idiot who had nonchalantly survived the aforementioned heat ray.
—[Hellgread Ignis (Crimson Red Hellfire Seed)] Awakened Form, Ver. [Scorching Gaze].
Now then, with not just my spirit but my body physically warmed up,
“Okay… there’ll be no misfires, so feel free to do as you please.”
“Of course. I’m going to let loose and run wild.”
Together with my partner, let the war against the mages begin.