Scharlach Frau (Revision)

"Proceed to your stations and get ready!"

The referee, standing between the two participants, gave simultaneous instructions to both.

The referee was a woman in a suit with black hair tied back.

"Is the director herself acting as the referee?"

A faint voice of surprise came from the surroundings.

Shinguji Kurono shrugged.

She hadn't planned on coming, but she couldn't refuse a direct request from her friend, so she took on the responsibility of refereeing this match.

She understood what Nene meant, which was to use her time suspension powers to save Hoshiharu in case of a life-threatening situation. Ordinary teachers couldn't save him as efficiently as she could.

On the field.

Hoshiharu and Kanata stood about twenty meters apart from each other.

Under Kurono's instructions, Hoshiharu extended his hand. In a flash of light, a silver sword appeared in his grasp.

"Along with me leads the way, Francesca."

Kanata lightly parted her lips.

Under a wave of light like shining stars, a rapier formed from thin air. Its blade was as thin as a cicada's wing, light and translucent, resembling an exquisitely crafted glass artifact.

This was Kanata's Device, a rapier named Francesca.

She held the rapier in her right hand, horizontally across her chest.

Then, she extended her left hand and rested it on the rapier's blade.

But the rapier's blade was too fragile. Before it could penetrate Kanata's palm, it shattered into countless fragments like stars, merging with the surrounding air and flickering.

This was Scharlach Frau's combat technique.

Kurono watched Kanata shatter the rapier into pieces, her eyes narrowing warily, but seeing no violation, she remained silent and raised her hand.

Then she swung it down forcefully.

"—The match begins!"

At that moment.

Hoshiharu suddenly took a step and raised the silver sword in his hand. The strength of his entire body was condensed into a single force, and his dark eyes showed a heroic determination as if he were ready to die.

"Lightning Flint? Are you planning to use it right at the start?"

Kurono retreated to the edge of the arena, not taking her eyes off the two in the battle circle.

She herself had faced this technique.

The sudden burst of speed took people by surprise, and Hoshiharu had a very strong killing power at first glance. If the opponent was unaware of his superpower, they might be defeated without any precautions.

Against such a technique, the only way to counter it was to immediately leap aside when Hoshiharu took his stance and before he could activate his ability, preventing him from aiming at the opponent.

At that time, since Kurono hadn't seen Hoshiharu's Noble Art, she thought to attack him head-on, but she was struck in the face and became one of his achievements, causing her to lose face.

"Since I know the opponent's ability to restrain myself, I plan to attack quickly at the start, but—"

Kurono shook her head silently.

This move wouldn't work.

This distance is just right!

When Hoshiharu took his stance, his intuition also sent a signal to him.

Because people's reaction abilities varied, he would use his intuition to judge at what distance it was most appropriate to use Lightning Flint.

During his battle with Kurono, he felt that he should use the technique within a five-meter distance, and during his fight with Kanata, Hoshiharu felt that even at a twenty-meter distance, it was enough to unleash it.

Kanata wasn't a physical Knight; her strength heavily relied on her Noble Art. Her reaction abilities hadn't been specially trained and were far lower than Kurono's.

As Hoshiharu expected, when he took the Lightning Flint stance, the opponent on the other side didn't even react to the instructions to start the match.

This attack was enough to determine the outcome!

Hoshiharu gathered all his strength and poured magic power from his body, planning to use Lightning Flint to decide the outcome right at the start.

But just as he was about to execute the technique.

*BUZZ*

In his mind, his intuition suddenly issued a severe warning!

He will die!

He will definitely die!

There was no way he could survive if he rushed in like that!

The step he had taken suddenly stopped like braking, and the raised sword also halted in mid-air, unable to advance any further.

Hoshiharu instinctively sensed the danger of death, abruptly stopped, and froze in place with his sword raised.

"Wise judgment."

Kurono silently sighed in relief and released her Device.

If Hoshiharu had actually used Lightning Flint now, the best outcome would be dying together.

Kanata would be pulverized by the supersonic sword, but Hoshiharu would also be cut into a bloody mist, with not even a single body remaining.

If Hoshiharu had actually used Lightning Flint, Kurono would have had to stop the match early.

A worrying boy.

"...You seemed to want to do something, why not continue?"

Kanata hadn't reacted until then.

But even though she lagged behind, there wasn't a trace of panic in her expression. Instead, she was still very calm, but her tone became much more serious, entirely different from her previous elegant demeanor.

This was because she had entered a combat situation. She had experience in direct combat with terrorists, and her reactions in the match were completely different from those of an ordinary Student Knight.

"Since you don't plan on doing anything, allow me to take the first move."

She spoke calmly.

After saying this, she did nothing.

Francesca didn't re-form the rapier or make any attack posture. She still stood there gracefully, and she didn't even remove the umbrella from her head.

But suddenly.

*Jingle*

Hoshiharu's scalp suddenly felt numb.

As if an evil ghost stood before him, he was like a cat with bristling fur. Driven by instinct, he retreated with a massive reaction.

Only after they were more than thirty meters apart did the lingering sense of crisis in his heart slowly disappear, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief.

But at the same time, his mentality became even tenser.

"...You are very perceptive."

Kanata fell silent for a moment, feeling a bit surprised that Hoshiharu managed to avoid the attack she had just launched.

"If you hadn't dodged in time just now, you would have already lost."

Not knowing.

There was no trace of the attack visible at all.

Even Hoshiharu's eyes couldn't catch the trajectory of her strike at all, and he could only rely on his intuition to avoid the crisis of defeat.

"However, even though you escaped the first strike, your situation hasn't improved at all."

Kanata stepped forward gracefully and walked towards the center of the battle circle.

"Didn't you say that before you make an effort, you won't compromise your fate? Then let me see if you can escape from the palm of my fate."

Kanata compared her fate to herself and regarded Hoshiharu as a puppet in her palm, as if she could manipulate him at will.

At this moment.

Hoshiharu seemed to see a sea of blood gushing from Kanata's body, bringing a pungent smell of blood, and flowing towards his face.

This was the aura Kanata had cultivated as a knight, mixed with unconscious killing intent, as if her hands had been stained by countless lives.

This was Totokubara Kanata.

This was precisely Scharlach Frau!