Chapter 51: Undercurrents surge! The committee's murderous intentions begin to emerge!
Fourth Arena.
In the dense forest, scorching flames transformed into a wheel of death, charging forward ferociously!
Sun Breathing: Sixth Form: Burning Bone, Scorching Sun!
Wherever it passed, hard wooden stakes shattered, and charred debris flew everywhere!
Kirihara Shizuya, with no way to evade, even threw away his bow and arrow Device, desperately rolling on the ground, crying out with all his might.
"Wait! Stop! Please stop! I'm going to die!"
"Don't come near me! I'm afraid of pain!"
Thud!
Kurogane Ikki cleanly knocked out Kirihara Shizuya with the back of his sword.
His chest rose and fell slightly as he tried to calm his increasingly chaotic Magic Conduction, his eyes gleaming with uncontrollable joy.
Undoubtedly, he had grown stronger.
Even without relying on the life-risking Ittoshura, the sword techniques taught by Arthur alone were enough to defeat his former strong enemy.
With this thought, he couldn't help but look up into the distance—
That was the direction of the other arenas.
Compared to himself, who lacked Magic Knight talent, what kind of earth-shattering power would Arthur's Ittoshura unleash?
Uh—speaking of which, is there really anyone in this academy who could push that guy to the point of needing to use Ittoshura to fight for his life?
…
Second Arena.
Arthur's opponent was a lively and cheerful student council executive.
Unlike the duel between Kurogane Ikki and Kirihara Shizuya, which was filled with intense personal grudges.
Their match was more like a friendly match, or rather, a one-sided performance, aimed at showcasing the main representatives' strength.
Rabbit-Maru Renren, nicknamed "Speed Addict," moved with the wind under her feet, her figure darting like lightning, not daring to stop for a moment.
However, her face, which always wore a confident smile, was now filled with horror.
In her perception, it felt as if what was chasing her was not a human, but a ferocious beast preying on humans!
Her proud Blazefield Art: Extreme Desire, allowed her speed to continuously stack!
As long as she wasn't intercepted by an enemy midway, at her peak charge, she was even confident in dodging Toudou Touka's ultimate drawing slash, known as "Raikiri"!
But at this moment, even though Rabbit-Maru Renren's speed had reached its limit, the terrifying oppressive feeling behind her remained like a shadow, pressing in like a dragon's fangs!
Cannot stop, absolutely cannot stop, once I stop, I will instantly lose!
"It seems this is your limit of speed?"
A calm voice suddenly sounded in her ear.
Rabbit-Maru Renren, who had long given up on the idea of winning and was only relying on her indomitable will to desperately hold on, hoping to delay a little longer, suddenly froze.
Arthur, who had been relentlessly pursuing her, had somehow caught up and was now running alongside her, even sporting a light, carefree smile on his face.
Rabbit-Maru Renren: (ó﹏ò｡)
I'm tired, let's just get it over with, quickly.
Thunder Style: Light Fang!
A brilliant bolt of lightning ripped through the sky, and Rabbit-Maru Renren felt a jolt throughout her body, collapsing to the ground limply, gasping for breath.
"I… I surrender!"
"So… is this the desperate feeling those people had when they fought me on a daily basis? This is… too awful."
Arthur raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of playfulness in his tone, and suggested.
"Actually, you could consider studying the internal Magic Conduction."
"It can effectively compensate for your shortcomings in attack. Relying solely on speed won't win against truly strong enemies."
Upon hearing this, Rabbit-Maru Renren showed a thoughtful expression and lowered her head in contemplation.
Arthur, meanwhile, cast his gaze around the arena, observing the battle situations of the others.
Indeed, because the Second Arena was more spacious, Stella and the others were also here, facing continuous attacks from various challengers.
The result, naturally, was an undisputed victory for all of them.
Aside from Nagi Arisuin, who faced a C-rank Knight and had some dust on his uniform, looking a bit disheveled, the others hadn't even broken a sweat.
'Honestly, I'm starting to admire your acting skills, Arisouin-kun.'
Arthur narrowed his eyes, his gaze subtly sweeping over Nagi Arisuin, while also listening to the rising and falling discussions among the students in the stands.
"As expected, the main representatives are indeed the main representatives; they're not so easily shaken."
"Exactly, even the student council executives all lost; they're ridiculously strong."
"Did you hear? In the Fourth Arena, that Fallen Knight won, and it was a complete victory!"
"That can't be true, can it? Kiriya-kun was a representative student last year, wasn't he?"
"Why would I lie to you? The news club is already itching to make this the top campus headline and publicize it widely!"
Upon hearing this, Arthur's lips curved into a cold arc, and he muttered softly.
"The news has spread. I hope those short-sighted guys don't interfere with my plan."
…
Chairwoman's Office.
Shinguuji Kurono, forcing herself to be energetic, saw off the old foxes from the committee, wearily took half a puff of a cigarette, then fiercely snuffed it out.
Bang!
She slammed her hands on the desk, looking as if she wanted to flip it over, but then hesitated, considering the trouble of cleaning up afterward, feeling utterly frustrated.
"Damn it, I'm so fed up!"
"Back when I was dominating the KOK League, which bastard dared to tell me what to do?"
"Now I'm stuck as this damn Chairwoman, having to argue with a bunch of fat-bellied politicians every day!"
"I'll argue your motherfucking ass off!"
After venting her profanity, Shinguuji Kurono managed to calm her turbulent emotions.
She took two deep breaths, tidied up the scattered documents on her desk, and opened her computer's email.
A new email from the student council.
"Main representative slots remain unchanged; all successfully defended their positions."
Seeing this brief message, Shinguuji Kurono's gloomy expression finally eased a bit, making all her hard work during this period worthwhile.
Creak—!
The office door was pushed open, and Saikyō Nene, wearing wooden clogs, walked in with graceful sway.
"Little Kuro~ You kept such an interesting thing from me?"
Shinguuji Kurono let out an exhausted sigh, leaned back in her office chair, and raised a hand to her forehead.
"I'm begging you, just be quiet for a while. I don't have the energy to play with you right now."
Saikyō Nene unfolded her fan, chuckled lightly, and teased.
"What a pity. If I could record this disheveled appearance of the International Alliance's third-ranked, Lord World Clock, it would surely fetch a good price."
Shinguuji Kurono pouted dismissively, scoffing coldly.
"I retired a long time ago. The current third-ranked is you, Miss Yasha Princess."
After an exchange of routine teasing, Saikyō Nene dropped her playful demeanor, her expression turned serious, and she said in a deep voice.
"What you are doing now is tantamount to dancing on the edge of a cliff."
Shinguuji Kurono lit another cigarette, the swirling smoke blurring her expression, and her voice became somewhat indistinct.
"The original plan was to announce it a month before the Seven Star Sword Art Festival began. However—"
"An unmanageable troublemaker completely disrupted my plans and openly pushed that Kurogane Ikki boy to the forefront."
"I hope the Kurogane family doesn't go too far. Because right now, I also have a belly full of anger with nowhere to vent!"
…
International Alliance Izumo Branch.
Kurogane Gen, who was always serious and stern, put down the documents he had just finished reviewing.
He looked up at Akaza, who was across from him, corpulent and with an oily smile.
"You're saying Kurogane Ikki has become a main representative of Hagun Academy?"
Akaza nodded and bowed profusely: "That is indeed the case. I just received a confidential message from within Hagun Academy."
"Although I don't know what that Shinguuji Kurono woman is planning, Kurogane Ikki, he…"
"No need to say more."
Kurogane Gen raised a hand to stop Akaza from continuing, then crossed his hands, assuming a classic superior's posture, and ordered in a voice devoid of any emotion.
"Go tell the Chairwoman of Hagun Academy to remove Kurogane Ikki from the representative team. Tell her it's my order."
Akaza's eyes darted around, and he feigned difficulty, saying.
"This… I'm afraid it might be inappropriate."
"News from the committee indicates that Shinguuji Kurono seems to have delegated the final decision-making power for the selection to a new student."
"A new student?"
Kurogane Gen frowned slightly, then relaxed, his tone resolute and allowing no room for argument.
"It doesn't matter who it is; deal with them both, along with Kurogane Ikki."
"Yes!"