Chapter 11: Out of the Cave and into Another

The loud cheers of the crowd continued to resonate through the fog caused by the lingering ash. With his throat drying up for continuously breathing in the smoke, Seijurou was losing his stamina fast. Beaten and bruised by blocking Saiki's relentless Earth spells, his Health Points (HPs) were beginning to deplete fast, although little by little. But even being bloodied, there was only one thing in his mind.

Satsuki was about to be pushed out of bounds by someone she could not see, Shoutou in his invisible cloak.

"Download Yoroi No Jumon (armor spell) thirty seven..", instinctively, Seijurou weaved the hand gesture while he dodged an incoming Earth spell. And then, he positioned his left arm as if he was holding a shield, only to swing it out. "Ethereal Shield Bash!"

For a brief moment, the force of Seijurou's spell created a clear path through the ash cloud towards where Satsuki was. It was as if a giant shield smashed towards the ground, but it also knocked Satsuki flat on the floor causing her to lose some HPs. However, it also barely saved her from Shoutou's kick, which was intended to knock her off the fighting stage.

Confused murmurs were heard all over the stadium. Seeing Kinjou Satsuki being bashed to the floor by her teammate was something no one could comprehend. And more fascinatingly, Shoutou suddenly appeared standing next to her out of thin air.

A droplet of sweat rolled on Chizuru's head as she realized what just happened. "That Seijurou.. he could've saved Satsuki in a prettier way."

"Just you wait, otaku. I'll kill you for hurting Satsuki-chan..", growled Jax.

Instead of arguing, Chizuru just stared at his teammate blankly. She thought. "No use arguing with an ape."

Any form of offensive movement pattern undoes the invisibility spell. So, Shoutou immediately backed away towards the smoke before the Heiress got back to her feet. However, the unexpected maneuver surprised everyone and gave Seijurou ample time to run towards Satsuki's aid.

"Erida-kun.. I know I irritate you sometimes, but please be gentle when you hit me..", Satsuki cried with fake tears as she massaged a growing lump on her head.

Seijurou stared at Satsuki blankly. "Uh.. you're welcome?"

Satsuki shot back with a rare glare from her. "This is getting ugly. We need to work better together."

But Seijurou only felt despair in his situation. The original plan was for Satsuki to take the lead, and he would just follow and cover her blind spot. However, the limitations of his armor prevented him from doing so since both Satsuki's and their opponents' movements were too quick. 

"If only there was another way to increase movement speed..", thought Seijurou as he recalled making enough enhancements on his armor and mixing potent potions to give him a boost in quickness. However, even if the armor gave him serious protection from damage, it was just way too heavy.

Standing behind Satsuki while they anticipated for the next attack, Seijurou contemplated on removing the armor, making him able to use his natural speed. But such a risk was too great since his total HP could only take a single shot from the enemy, causing them to either lose, or he would die.

"That's not a bad idea. I could see Mama again..", he thought, but that was not the point. "Let's see here.. what other potions did I mix?"

"Okay. Here's the plan..", whispered Satsuki as Seijurou handed her a healing potion. Seijurou drank one as well since he sustained so much damage.

Just when the battle partners realized something great, a shower of ninja projectiles, like shuriken and kunai, flew towards them relentlessly. It was Takenori Eimi's attack, and it did not look like it was going to stop anytime soon.

Both Satsuki and Seijurou dodged and blocked, and at the same time, tried not to increase the distance between them. However, it was futile once more. Slowly, they were separating again.

The crowd roared as the technique amazed them. From the point of view of the audience, it was literally raining blades. 

"Dammit! How is she doing that?..", Seijurou exclaimed while he dodged helplessly away from the very sharp looking projectiles. "That's a hell of a lot of weapons!"

"Weapons with 'Summoning Wards'. Impressive..", remarked Satsuki as she gracefully evaded everything that went at her. "Stay close at all costs, Erida-kun. Dodge and block in intervals if you must."

Even as the heat of the summer sun literally caused steam to rise up from the ground, the ecstatic spectators cheered on louder. It was as if no matter what the season brought upon them, the duel they were watching was burning hotter. They could not believe that an amazing battle was being fought among first years.

"As expected from our ninja tools specialist, Eimi-chan..", impressed, Chizuru remarked while she watched the fight unfold. "Using 'Warding Magic' in her weaponry is pretty resourceful of her."

"Eh? Wards?..", Jax looked at Chizuru in confusion. "Isn't that used to 'ward off' evil spirits in small towns?"

Chizuru giggled sheepishly. "Of course that brain of yours wouldn't understand."

Jax scowled at Chizuru after that remark. "Oi! That's mean, Taneda-chan."

"Until recently, Warding Magic was thought of only as a means to project protective magic against hostile NPCs by imbuing it in items that are scattered around the area to be protected..", Chizuru noted while she squinted as if she was lecturing. "It turns out, you can charm any form of magic in those items.. including conjuration."

"Right..", Jax pretended to understand, but his face turned blankly dark with question marks popping out of him. He turned his attention back to the duel shortly after.

However, Chizuru continued. "All the weapons that Eimi-chan's throwing at them are 'conjuration wards'. Then, more conjuration wards are summoned and so on.. increasing the number of deadly projectiles exponentially."

Going back to the battle, the situation has not changed. Eventually, Seijurou had an idea. "But her weapons should be conjured from somewhere, right?"

"Meaning, she'll eventually run out of ammunition..", complemented Satsuki while successfully dodging a kunai by a hair. "And when that's close to happening, Saiki will begin attacking to separate us again. That's our cue."

"No, Kinjou.. change of plans."

"Eh?"

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A few minutes previously, Seijurou and Satsuki concocted a plan to counter their opponents strategy. They pondered on many scenarios with their backs against each other as they watched for a surprise attack coming from the ash cloud. But however they looked at it, essentially, it was all the same. 

"No matter what, they will try to separate us, Erida-kun..", whispered Satsuki while peering through the smoke.

"And they will always target you..", replied Seijurou as he saw some shadows moving about.

"Then.. underestimating me will be their biggest regret."

"It's not that, Kinjou..", rebutted Seijurou. "It's because I can see through their 'Illusion magic'.. invisibility, quiet casting, and all."

"It leaves us no choice then..", Satsuki argued. "I'll be bait. When we're close to the edge, use that bashing spell again.. but sideways this time to knock him off."

However, Seijurou was reluctant about this plan. In the first place, being separated from the lead defeated the purpose of him being a "support player character"; and it would be too predictable. The enemy might also find ways to divert his attention as they try to knock Satsuki out.

"I must warn you that I'm not good at aiming..", Seijurou said as he sensed the enemy making a move. "I might hit you again too.. and what if they divert me efficiently?"

"I can take a hit, Erida-kun. Don't belittle me too much..", Satsuki said with a smug look, which caused Seijurou to flush a little. "We've got no time.. let's go."

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The similarity of ninja weaponry raining down on them a few minutes ago, and the one in the present, brought the two back to the current situation. However, it was apparent that the number of projectiles were beginning to decrease. 

"Kinjou, can you run on violent earthquakes?..", asked Seijurou as he caught a kunai with his hand and threw it away. 

The thought weirdly and somehow, made Satsuki smile. "I've never done it.. but I'd love to try someday."

"Then.. today is your lucky day."

Right on cue, Saiki's quietly casted Earth spells ran amuck towards the two with the obvious intent to split them apart. 

"Unlike Takenori-san's strategy, Earth spells can only be casted with the caster holding the ground..", Seijurou said as he observed the direction where the surging rock was coming from. "Which means that irritating stealth idiot unintentionally revealed his position."

"What about you, Erida-kun?..", asked Satsuki as the spell went closer.

"I have to watch your back right? So.. I'm coming with you."

Satsuki blushed, but at the same time, worried about her partner. "Are you sure? The armor hasn't been doing much for you when it comes to moving.."

"Don't worry. I think I still have an 'ace under my arm-guards'."

The lame remark would have been cause for droplets of sweat to roll on everyone's head, but to Satsuki, it was enough to make her give off a carefree laugh. 

But there was no time left for comedic antics. Saiki's "Earth Wave" was about to crush them. And just as planned, Satsuki hopped on the violently moving floor like it was some steady rope bridge. Seijurou followed as well like it was nothing, which shocked everyone. 

Suddenly, Seijurou was running behind Satsuki towards Saiki on the raging quake-like ground with so much ease. Not only that, he was also continuously dodging every single attack from both Eimi's and Saiki's spells like it was natural to him.

The silent and baffled audience slowly began cheering on Seijurou and Satsuki. As the partners inched closer, the crowd roared. No one would have expected to see such a spectacle on that day as two first years easily trotted over such a powerful spell.

"What the hell did that otaku do?!..", surprised, Jax asked a smug looking Chizuru. "And why the hell do you look so proud as if you were the one doing that?!"

A prideful laugh came out of Chizuru as the battle went on. "I have no idea what Seijurou did.. but he really figures things out all the time."

Resounding all over the vicinity of the Octagon, a loud clang was heard as steel clashed on steel. Shoutou attempted to take Satsuki down with his ninjato, but Seijurou was able to block it without taking damage. It was due to Seijurou's more efficient movements that he was able to deflect the strike with the correct angle.

"I see you.. Terumi Shoutou..", taunted Seijurou while he continued to cover for Satsuki. 

After that, Shoutou immediately backed away and hid himself in the ash. Waiting for another chance to strike, he signaled to his teammates to abort the offensive. However, it was already too late. The dust was beginning to settle, and they were gradually being revealed. And what was worse for them, Illusion magic did not seem to work on Seijurou.

"This is bad. Looks like we can't avoid direct confrontation..", Shoutou calmed himself. "What in the world did Erida do?"

Bakudou Saiki was already in sight. As he continued to use his Earth spell, hoping that it could still divert the enemies, his two teammates then engaged in a melee combat with Satsuki and Seijurou. 

However, Satsuki only focused on holding the hilt of her katana to unleash a final blow later on. Because Seijurou was taking all the hits with his iron tight defense and nimble mobility. 

As the duo closed in on Saiki, the "Trinity" aborted the attacks altogether and tried to flee in different directions. But Seijurou had something else in mind.

"Oh, no you don't!..", out of nowhere, Seijurou weaved an "upload hand gesture", which stopped everyone in their tracks in shock. 

"Hey! Erida-kun, are you sure about that?..", asked Satsuki with some reluctance in her tone.

"Not at all..", stoically said Seijurou while they strode closer to their fleeing targets. "I think I can only do this once.. and I'm doing this because I can't aim. Don't waste it, Kinjou.. you ready?"

"Wow, that's reassuring..", Satsuki smirked awkwardly as she prepared to strike. "Let's go!"

"Upload Ho No Jumon (Fire spell)..", a wild blaze engulfed Seijurou's arms, but it did not burn him. The moment he stopped, he stood squarely and held his palms in front. "Hi No Kabe (Fire wall)."

A massive wall of flames the size of an enormous tidal wave suddenly appeared between Seijurou and their opponents. It was so large that the teachers who were present had to interfere at the sides to prevent it from reaching the mix of panicking and cheering spectators. 

"Again, baka-jurou!..", Chizuru thundered in the stands as she covered her eyes from the bright blaze. "Can't you do something more subtle?!"

Seijurou's intention was to block all escape routes, but it seemed like he overdid it. However, Satsuki was already nowhere to be found, which meant she pressed through.

And then, Seijurou clapped his hands, effectively undoing the spell. At the same time, the fire seemed to have eaten all of the ash cloud as it revealed everything on the Octagon clearly.

It was a complete mess. The platform was broken in many ways, all thanks to Saiki's spells. There were ninja tools scattered around enough to fill an entire warehouse. And there were three stunned first year ninjas in between Seijurou, who was desperately catching his breath, and Satsuki, who just walked past them. 

While still holding the hilt of her partially unsheathed sword, Satsuki stopped walking and sheathed her weapon completely. "Buki No Jutsu (Weapon art).. Blunt-side slash."

The calmness of the Heiress of the Swordmaiden's incantation was undoubtedly a complete irony of what came after. A seemingly loud and invisible force knocked Terumi Shoutou, Bakudou Saiki and Takenori Eimi flying out of the Octagon. 

They were near the middle of the platform before that. It was that powerful. And it was also so fast that no one even saw Satsuki draw her blade.

The next thing Seijurou knew was that he fell on his knees in complete exhaustion as the entirety of the stadium erupted in ecstasy. He realized that he depleted both of his MPs and SPs in that last spell. Due to that, even if he was conscious, it felt so right to lay on his back in the middle of the platform as he did. As he rested, he looked to the side and saw Satsuki's back while she waved to the crowd in victory. 

"I like that scenery..", Seijurou said to himself. "Following her lead does feel good."

Satsuki approached Seijurou after a while and was back to her sheepish giggling. "You were amazing! How did you make yourself move like that?"

"I did tell you I had something under my arm-guards..", Seijurou forced a smug look. "Since the armor was heavy.. I should've realized it earlier."

"What?"

"Instead of helplessly enhancing my quickness, I drank a vial of a strength potion I made..", Seijurou took more deep breaths to recover. "After that.. the armor felt light, and I got to move more naturally."

Suddenly, Seijurou's console command glowed. He opened it to see a new achievement. "Oh. Even my strength skill leveled up due to getting EXPs from that."

Satsuki laughed out loud before she helped Seijurou up. "Come on.. stand up. It's your win too. Wave at them."

Seijurou stood behind Satsuki as they both waved towards the audience. It was something Seijurou had never experienced before. It was so surreal for him, especially that he realized he had been holed up in a cave for so long. The feeling of being acknowledged by many was new to him, but it was truly great. 

'The crowd cheering for our names and wanting to see more..', thought Seijurou as he looked at Satsuki's small back. 'And seeing her from the back.. so happily waving at them.. to leave something in their hearts and minds.. this is life changing.. it makes sense for everyone to want acknowledgement.. she wants it.. she breathes it.. and somehow.. I do too..'

"Kinjou..", called Seijurou, which immediately caused Satsuki's cheerfully childlike face to look back. "It's been fun having your back, supporting you, and protecting you."

Suddenly, Satsuki's expression turned unusually sour, and she pulled Seijurou towards her. She did not let go and raised both of their hands up, which caused the spectators to cheer more. 

"You went through this with me, so stand beside me..", they both bowed at ninety degrees after that. But Satsuki kept her gaze at Seijurou as she smiled endearingly with tears beginning to fall from her eyes. "I swear that I will never ever forget this even beyond death. You have my deepest thanks, Erida Seijurou-kun."

The gesture made Seijurou's eyes widen in surprise. He blushed a little with the prolonged eye contact, but the meaning of it intrigued him more. Sure he knew that Satsuki loved to showcase her skill to the public, but to this much extent, it amazed him. 

His views of her changed forever on that day. That something she left with the crowd earlier, somehow reached him as well. The passion that he lost along with his mother was beginning to be reignited by Kinjou Satsuki.

"Judging by the way you fought today..", a mood interrupting Shirohige appeared out of nowhere, which confused the two. "I believe you already have the answer to my question."

Satsuki looked more confused because she did not know what the sensei was talking about. However, Seijurou gave her a nod indicating that he was talking to him. Satsuki just flashed an eyeless smile at Seijurou and walked towards the Underforge while she gave the crowd one more wave.

Seijurou gave Shirohige a stern look after having a deep sigh. "I think so.. sensei."

"And? Let's hear it..", Shirohige smiled like an old man asking what his grandchild wanted for Christmas.

"I've been hiding in my own world since I lost my mother..", Seijurou answered straight. "It doesn't make sense that there's nothing outside since I've experienced it first hand. But it actually doesn't matter because I will make more sense out of it with my own unique perception of things."

The old man nodded and smiled at the same time. "A very straightforward answer. Magnificent, to say the least."

After that, Shirohige placed his hands on Seijurou's shoulders briefly and walked past him. But as he walked away, he said one more thing to challenge the boy. "If you're ready to get out of the cave and enter another.. come see me sometime. But it seems that your real motivations are not of the secrets of this world. It's really just about your mother, isn't it?"

Seijurou was never a fan of the old man's riddles, but he would still take that; and the tall old man was spot on again. His denial of this world was primarily because of not accepting the loss of his mother. Hopefully, with his teacher's help, he could come to terms with his real objective that he was yet to understand.

Shortly after, a very tired Seijurou decided to forego what his sensei just said for another day. He was too exhausted that he did not even want to do research and homework. However, one thing was still clear. He wanted to catch up to the girl he just fought along with. 

Once again, Satsuki's deceivingly frail looking back was just in front of him. Even with tired legs, Seijurou did his best to catch up and walk side by side with her. 

But right before she reached the end of the corridor leading to the Underforge, Satsuki collapsed.