I left the two people who had stunned faces and already hurried to another place close to Tanaka-sensei, he looked at me with a raised eyebrow, but I paid him no mind and just stared at Haimura Moroha who was currently using his Prana to evade getting freezed, I couldn't help but chuckle at this scene, but I suddenly felt a tug on my clothes .
As if someone was trying to catch my attention, I turned and saw that it was Satsuki who was trying to do so, she still had a blank expression and empty eyes as she said :
Do you ever have the feeling of not recognizing yourself ? .
Her sudden question caught me off guard, but her troubled face made me certain that this might be quite the serious conversation, something that was troubling her dearly, so I decided to help her out by saying :
" Actually if you look at our existence as a Saviors, you would be able to see that we are born out of the concept of being someone else, don't you think so .
At my words she first nodded her head, then she began shocking her head directly right after, I was taken aback by the weird reaction, but I then heard her say :
I'm not talking about our past lives, or maybe I'm, I'm confused, can a person already having an identity in his past lives find that he had another one, he don't remember anything of it other than a few broken dreams, can that be possible .
I heard these words and couldn't help but fall into deep thought, her question indeed caught my utmost attention, her way of putting the question made my mind for some reason began to think back of the memories I had of all the people that I get the chance to meet and bond again with, but then I was also reminded of how difficult was it for me to accept things like these at first .
The struggle to accept that all of this was quite and stared at girl in front of me while thinking of those that I had lost before as well, the girl in front of me was having the same struggle, but her talking about another identity was what baffled me, could it be possible that she too was an Ancient Dragon, the probability was there, but she mentioned that they were nothing but dreams, making it exactly look nothing more than that a broken dreams .
" So did you ask for Haimura's advice on this ? .
I found myself involuntarily asking this question, she with a blank expression nodded her head and said that he told her to not worry much as they maybe nothing but dreams, I nodded my head and couldn't help but find it weird, I also couldn't help but ask why was she asking for my opinion out of all other people, so I said :
" Is there a particular reason that you wish to ask my opinion on this sort of thing ? .
I saw that she was about to say something, but then a sudden loud whistle sounded and disturbed the harmonious atmosphere that we had, that whistle was from Tanaka-sensei declaring that time was up for the mock battle, I wanted to tell her that we can still talk, but she just shook her head and seemed to be still down, then she stepped out of the ring shaped training ground in the center, as per Tanaka-sensei words, those who wish to compete will be the ones who decided to stay in that circle .
Those who don't will get out, she and all of the girls stepped out of the circle, leaving only 8 guys, but that wasn't the final number, just as Haimura Moroha stepped inside the circle, out of the original 8, only one remained and that was me .
Seeing this kind of development, the sensei shook his head and sighed then he asked both of us to take our places and for both of us to get ready .
He then asked all the other people to go out of the way, but the teacher seemed to be a bit exaggerating, he asked people to go a bit distance away from the ring, me and Haimura saw this and smiled wryly at one another then we both shook our heads .
He summoned his weapon a sword who had a name its name was Salatiga, as I heard him calling it by name, I felt the dissatisfaction of the blade in my hand on it still being unamed blade, I couldn't help but sigh, even though that sword was with me for quite some time in my past life and the current ones, I was still unable to recall what name it used to go by with .
I still flicked the edge of the sword a few times as to appease it a little, the red colored edge began to flicker a little in response, it was still dissatisfied, but it was now a bit more calm about it, I affectionately began to fiddle with the hilt unintentionally as if marveling about the uniqueness of the blade in hand, but then I heard a coughing sound followed by the voice of Tanaka-sensei saying :
If you finished what you are doing shall I gave the signal to start this mock battle, already ? .
I woke up from the state I was in and nodded at the teacher and as before with my fight with the captain, I took my carefree stance and looked at the focused opponent in front of me who was for some reason imitating my stance as well .
The teacher then gave the signal to start, we both began charging at one another, I opened my Prana Gates and slashed at the guy waist, but he slashed at my neck, we both looked at each other and smiled as we both got the advantage over the other, meaning that our first move led this battle to a tie, we both retreated back a little and it seemed that he was surprised at something and said :
Did you also went solo On the battlefield ? .
Recalling the scenes in my memories it seemed that this was indeed the case, but my skill was more refined than the current and so was my body as well, I nodded at him and took notice of him saying also which meant that he was fighting like this as well .
I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if I were to use Fixed Period on myself, will my body too become what it was used to be back in my previous life like what happened with Kushina-san or what will exactly happen .
Seeing me nodding, he said :
I guess we have that in common, should we start the real battle now .
That exchange just now was nothing but a test, we were testing each other, we both hadn't used any Light Arts in that attacks, we attacked each other using swordsmanship, plain and pure swordsmanship, we both turned to be equal at least that what our exchange seemed to imply, but now we will start fighting for real .
I clenched my sword a bit more tighly and nodded my head, the moment I did he vanished from my sight, I didn't falter from him doing this, I closed my eyes and put my sword behind me, standing in a sword drawing stance while still closing my eyes as to hear and listen effectively to the sound of his steps on the ground .
He was using the Godspeed Link a light art that gave a huge boost in speed, but it didn't remove the sound of one's footsteps, I was able to notice that he seemed quite experience in fighting as well, seeing my stance and me closing my eyes, he chose to mislead me by moving around the area in a confusing manner first before attacking me .
His footsteps suddenly disappeared and I directly swung my sword in a horizontal cut at his waist, but my sword clashed with his and I was the one who retreated from the aftershock of our swords colluding, I then opened my eyes and saw that his face was pale as if he had seen something scary .
I took back 3 steps back before I used Herculean Strength Link to steady my foot on the ground and discard the shockwave that was still trying to affect me, I recalled what happened just now, that guy's aim wasn't to slash at me, him using Titan Strength Link to jump just now as to not give me the chance to hear his footsteps, was what made me certain that he just slashed out of instinct to block my attack after he sensed my attack pattern, the horizontal cut was a decoy, I was lowering my body posture on purpose to deliver an Ascending slash aiming at his chest in a swift motion .
But he seemed to have realized my intention the moment I moved so he instead choose to confront my attack with his own, due to how dangerous mine was, him using Titan Strength was what made me took a few steps back and almost throw me off balance .
But he didn't wait for me to reposition and I wouldn't have asked him to before he continue to assault me with sword attacks, the assault began with horizontal cut aiming at my neck but I Intercepted a second before it succeed, using the advantage in strength Herculean Strength gave me, I stepped forward and used a flick thrust to caught the guy on front me by surprise .
The plan succeed and I was able to almost disarm him, but his sword suddenly began to glow white as he seemed to try and engage me in a competition over whose thrust was stronge, he was using his sword as a moving force and using the Prana he seemed to have induced into the sword we both once again came to a stalemate .
I side stepped and broke the stalemate much to his surprise and in a direct thrusting manner I now aimed at his chest, he too suddenly side stepped as to parry the attack, but his face was even more surprised when he saw my thrust suddenly turn into a vertical slice, forcing him to counter a full attack head on, he tried to block by using both hands on the sword hilt and getting into a fixed guard position, but using a special technique, he suddenly sensed that I in front of him suddenly split into four and they were all aiming at him from different angles, with different kinds of slashes, he suddenly slipped and lost his balance .
My attack was already on him, what he was affected with was a technique that I was able to recall it wasn't a Dark Art, but a technique that allowed me to make use of my killing intent to disrupt the balance of my enemies or opponents, it was the same exact technique that kept on being used by me unconsciously before .
It was also related to the blood storm that appeard in my last vision, both were originated from making use of my killing intent, but the exact way to execute them was different, it was a unique technique that I hadn't seen anyone use back in my past life nor the current .
Back to the battle at hand, as he lost his tight grip at such a crucial moment his sword was thrown away from his hand violently and due to the huge strength used in that last attack and his unsteady positioning, the shockwave throw him off the ground and sent him flying in the air .
As he crashed on the ground, I tried to cast Paradox out of habit, but then I was suddenly assaulted by a painful headache, one that almost made me think that my head was about to explode, I was forced to give that thought a rest and instead focused the Prana on my legs and kicked the ground .
It was my first time using Godspeed, it wasn't that difficult to grasp but it it was for an amateur like myself quite difficult to control, I crashed into a wall in the direction I tried to move and if not for stop using it in time, I might have broken this one as well, it seem that I will need a bit of practice with it .
Unlike Paradox where I'm moving in much a faster speed than what my opponent can perceive or even react to if he hadn't had already anticipated my movements and waited for that fraction of second when I will suddenly came to a stop which might have allowed him to parry or even counter .
In Godspeed me and my opponent perceive the same time and speed, I was now moving at high speed without perceiving the right time to stop or even the distance I was covering, which created a problem in controlling that Light Art, luckily it did got me close to my opponent, I held the sword at his neck and he was already disarmed and with that the winner was decided .
At least that was how it should be, but after both me and Haimura waited in this position for like 10 to 20 seconds there was no reaction from the teacher nor the people watching whatsoever, I sheathed the sword and pulled up the guy who was raising his hand in resignation on the ground and I then saw that the crowds including the teacher were looking at with a gaping expressions on all their faces .
Seeing us looking at him, he suddenly remembered what his role was and declared me as the winner, as the guys who were watching us heard the teacher words, they seemed to have finally woken up and began to cheer for both of us .
About the Light Art you used lastly ? .
I heard him having a question about it and was about to reply when I felt my phone vibrating, I received a message, I looked up at who sent me that message and saw that it was from an unknown number, I couldn't help but frown, the guy next to me noticed this and leaned on and intrude and I was a bit thankful to his intrusion .
Oh this is Maya's number she gave it to me after you left so that we can be in touch .
Hearing this I opened the message immediately and saw that the message inside was quite short, in the message she said :
Ryuu-san, the target is here .
Seeing these words were enough to make me completely disregard of the class cheering and the awkward change that one of them will have with me leaving, not that I would have any idea about it happening in the first place .
I excused myself by telling the teacher the same lame excuse that I used with Shizuno, I told him that something came up and directly slipped away without waiting for his approval, for now I had only one thing in mind and that was to go and finally meet Regina .