Chapter 109

– [ …Starts!!! ]

As the host’s voice ends, Nisia kicks off the ground.

‘Looks like she’s going with close combat after all.’

The victory conditions for Round 2 are the same as Round 1.

To either knock the opponent out of the arena or destroy more than 10 barriers assigned to each person.

Though there’s a difference with the addition of gears, there’s no major change otherwise.

‘Then—’

I pull the trigger aimed at Nisia while holding a nightmare shaped like a rifle.

Paaang—

The rifle bullet is fired with a loud sound.

A decent aim, but that’s enough.

“Ugh!”

Nisia twists her body to evade the attack.

The path of the rifle bullet just misses her and embeds itself in the ground.

Quick movements.

However, in avoiding the attack, Nisia’s speed significantly decreased, which was exactly what I aimed for.

I need to buy time for the summoning.

“Summon, Hand Glider. Armament is COMP-A1(S)!”

A squadron of gliders appears around me in an instant.

“Charge!”

The rear propellers spin rapidly.

The small white gliders scatter in unison and then dash toward Nisia with a time delay.

“…Hoo.”

Taking a deep breath, Nisia charges forward.

Just before colliding with the gliders, she slightly bends her knees and kicks off the ground.

Clang!

A ringing metallic sound echoes.

The glider that was struck by the wing flails and ultimately crashes to the ground.

Puaaang!!

A burst of black flames erupts.

Amongst it, several shining sword-like figures are drawn, followed by consecutive explosions.

Puaang! Kwaang!!

The gliders flying low are caught up in the explosion rising from the ground, and their numbers quickly dwindle.

‘She’s intercepting them in mid-air.’

Truly extraordinary physical ability.

But without a moment to spare, Nisia, having incapacitated the squad of hand gliders, lands on the ground.

Wiping her cheek to clear the soot from her face, she smiles joyfully.

For some reason, I find myself smiling as well.

“Humanoid Summon, Marionette!”

With my shout, Nisia begins to close in again.

As she lunges forward to deliver a blow with her gear, the Marionette is summoned.

Kaang!

A metallic sound reverberates.

A voice from outside the dome of the arena can be heard.

– [ Ah! Edu’s first permitted attack! ]

As stated, a sword-type gear pushes in right up to my face.

However, the attack barely scrapes my barrier and comes to a stop in mid-air.

Griii-

The friction of two metals rub against each other.

The Marionette standing before me crosses its arms in an X shape to block the attack.

To push Nisia back, the Marionette slightly pulls its arm and then pushes hard.

Before the attack connects, Nisia takes a step back.

“Quite fierce.”

“Is that something you should be saying after blocking all of that?”

“Maybe you’re right?”

A brief moment of catching my breath.

As Nisia kicks off the ground again, she summons another Marionette.

“Humanoid Summon, Marionette! Armed with KM16A1 5.56mm assault rifle, micro KUZI, infantry set!”

Two Marionettes are summoned beside me.

As the KM16A1 rifle is aimed at Nisia, her feet come to a halt.

Gripping the gear backwards, Nisia drags it across the ground.

Kagaang—

Dark marks are etched into the ground with dirt flying up.

As Nisia’s left hand sweeps the ground, the rifle spits fire.

Tatadadang!

Bullets pierce the air.

But Nisia was already beyond that point.

Veering sharply to the left while charging mana into her hand, Nisia throws it with all her might.

Whoosh— Thud.

A clump of dirt hits the armed Marionette’s visual sensor directly.

Taking advantage of that brief moment, Nisia closes in.

“Haaah!”

With a shout, she swings the gear in two-handed fashion.

Kaaang!

With a dull noise, the Marionette is hit and rolls across the ground.

Spinning around, Nisia focuses mana into her right leg.

With her body enhanced, she extends her foot and kicks the opposing Marionette aside.

Kang!

The Marionette is pushed back with a loud noise.

‘Her sense is good, as expected.’

While it might be easy to cut through equipment that’s thin like a hand glider, it’s not simple to slice through a body made of thick iron like a Marionette.

So, she must have swung the gear like a medieval great sword art.

“Bungbung, let’s fall back!”

[ Beep! /⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝]

Bungbungi quickly slides back to create some distance.

Nisia tries to follow us again, but an unarmed Marionette stands in her way.

“Tch.”

Clicking her tongue, she steadies herself and takes the chance to overpower the unarmed Marionette.

But that fleeting moment decides victory.

“Armored Summon, Colossus! Type is Firepower Module!!”

The escaping mana forms a sphere in mid-air.

In response to my shout, the iron giant makes its appearance.

With a heavy thud, the 6-meter giant stands firmly on the ground.

– [ Ah!! Edu’s trump card is coming out! ]

The host’s sharp exclamation.

I feel a bit guilty about it, but I can’t miss out on a free experience points event.

Watching Nisia charge at me, I give the command to Colossus.

“Colossus, fire!!”

All armaments are aimed at Nisia.

A merciless storm of destruction pours down upon her.

‘Huh?’

But for some reason, she doesn’t slow down.

Then, the bombardments and missile showers explode around her.

Puveang, Kwaaaang!!

A massive explosion.

Nisia completely disappears from view.

– [ Ah! Direct hit!! Direct hit!! ]

The host’s voice sounds faintly.

A cloud of explosions billows upwards.

‘Did I win?’

That thought crossed my mind, but on the other hand, Nisia’s earlier actions weigh on my mind.

She probably wouldn’t have escaped unscathed, but with the physical abilities she had shown earlier, evasion wasn’t impossible.

Yet Nisia chose to charge right through it.

Does that mean…?

– [ Ah! ]

As soon as my thoughts align with the truth, the host’s voice rings out.

Piercing through the explosion, Nisia accelerates toward me.

She flies between Colossus’s legs like a bullet.

“Wha—!?”

Did she really withstand that bombardment?

But there’s no time to think, as Nisia thrusts her sword-type gear forward.

“Yahh!”

Her loud war cry echoes.

In this desperate situation, I raise my voice too.

“Summon! Hand Glider! Armed with COMP-A1(S)!!!”

A glider appears between Nisia and me.

Just before the blade of the gear touches my barrier, I shout one more time.

“Self-destruct!”

A flash erupts.

Moments later, a massive explosion occurs between us.

Puaaaang!!

– [ …. ]

“““….”””

The arena falls silent.

As time passes, the smoke slowly clears, revealing the two girls sprawled on the ground.

[ Beep?! / ٩(๑º ﾛ º๑)۶]

Bungbungi flits between us, unsure of what to do.

“It’s okay, Bungbung.”

I pull my arms forward and rise swiftly.

“Ugh….”

Nisia stands up following my lead.

Unlike my barrier, which is still blue, Nisia is surrounded by a red barrier.

That can only mean one thing.

My victory.

– [ Ah! The conclusion has been reached!! The winner is Edu! After a heated battle, Edu secures the victory!! ]

The host’s voice echoes.

Honestly, I don’t know how she withstood Colossus’s bombardment, but if the glider’s self-destruct had been just a second late, it would have ended in a draw or I would have lost.

“…Ugh, I lost.”

Nisia lets out a small sigh.

I shift my gaze to Nisia and express my honest feelings.

“It was so close; I thought I was going to lose too.”

“Really?”

She questions back.

“Yeah, did it look like I planned to self-destruct the glider at the end?”

“That’s… not really.”

Nisia shakes her head.

“That’s how it is; you can have confidence in yourself.”

“Hehe, maybe I’ve grown a little, huh?”

“Of course.”

Just a little?

Even just having a newbie run into a veteran is impressive, but Nisia went beyond that and almost won.

As expected, the protagonist is different in every aspect.

While I’m having those thoughts, the earlier situation suddenly comes to mind.

“By the way, Nisia, how did you block Colossus’s attack just now?”

“Oh, that? It’s my ability that I wanted to mention last time but couldn’t.”

“Ah.”

Now that I think about it, there was that incident last time.

Nisia’s ability, which I didn’t hear about because of the no-good trio, seems to have been the reason she blocked Colossus’s bombardment.

“I’m not really sure, but it seems like a defensive ability?”

“Right, it’s a power called the Shield of Faith.”

“The Shield of Faith?”

“Yeah, it’s said I manifest my faith to block attacks… But I’m not really sure.”

As I recall the abilities of AOE, I wonder if there was something like that, but I remember that Nisia is indeed the protagonist in this world.

Also, since defensive abilities are rare, seeing her block the bombardment from the firepower module Colossus suggests it will be a big help going forward.

“Well, can’t we just take our time figuring it out?”

“Uh-huh.”

At that moment, something comes into view from a distance.

Claritza, holding Seoli, waves her hand at us.

Seoli also seems to be stretching out her small hand toward us.

Her expression is teary, giving off an air that she might burst into tears at any moment.

“Shall we head back soon?”

“Yeah!”

….

The deans overlook the scene of Edu and Nisia heading to the waiting room in good spirits.

“Both girls are amazing. If they already have this level of skill, they have a bright future ahead of them.”

The dean of Room 11 expresses pure admiration.

“I share the same sentiment. They’re bound to become great pillars supporting humanity, which is like a candle in the wind.”

“They truly are children like the sun.”

As other deans express similar sentiments, Ryuje’s shoulders swell slightly with pride.

“That’s true, they’re remarkable kids.”

As he replies, Ryuje’s red eyes shine.

He has made a great resolution.

“Therefore, I will take on all the burdens regarding future tasks.”

The atmosphere settles heavy with the weight of those words.

The three deans nod solemnly, reflecting on the weighty decision that Ryuje made after days of contemplation.

“…So, when will you start?”

“First, I need to coordinate with Freya. Even if I exclude the Second Corps, I must establish contact with the Fifth Corps.”

Guidelines are laid out efficiently.

“Understood. What should we prepare?”

The dean of Room 5 questions, and Ryuje thinks for a moment before speaking.

“That is—”

Suddenly, a door opens as if interrupting Ryuje’s words.

Everyone’s gaze reflexively turns to the direction of the noise as someone walks into the room through the dark corridor.

“Oh my, you all gathered here? It looks dreary.”

A captivating yet chilling tone.

The large long coat draped over her shoulders gleams with golden insignia, and reptilian scales vividly contrast on her cheeks and hands.

With a feminine form accentuated, her body is attractively curvy in all the right places.

The red of her cap symbolizes the First Corps, and she adjusts her dark sunglasses slightly as she flicks her forked tongue while sitting on the table.

“By the way, while my valuable students are putting on their best show, what secretive conversations might you be having in such a place?”

A bold action.

The faces of the deans confronting her harden.

Simonia Halret.

The only daughter of the First Corps commander, Moss Halret, and the woman leading the First Corps.

“Oh, I came to pay a visit and you don’t seem particularly pleased to see me?”

Her flicking tongue.

“How strange; typically, such responses indicate one of two things.”

Peeking over her slightly lifted sunglasses, a chilling golden eye with a slit reveals itself.

“Either you have a bad relationship with the visitor… or you were discussing something you shouldn’t let that person hear.”