"War Race, Final Part" (031)

"ENROKONAI CITY," a vast civilization teeming with Duelists vying for the top spot.

The 'Dueling Systems' itself are the most popular pastime in such a setting.

The Dueling Academy is recognized for producing the best Duelists, with newcomers rising through the ranks to become pros! People learn their essentials at this "School," which is filled by thousands of Duelists, but the most current activities are their training sessions, which are scheduled three times a week.

The Academy is made up of people of many races, with the bulk of them being Humans and a small number of them being Half-Demons. Dueling is a part of their traditional training sessions, often known as the 'War Race' or 'Five Versus Five.'

Despite the fact that the world appears to be in a state of chaos, the Dueling is mostly for entertainment, and no one is murdered. (Thanks to the 'Zero Watches' for casting Spiritual Shields.)

And the majority of Duelists are tasked with eliminating the top three Duelists!

- Number 3 on the leaderboard: whose title is "King" and whose true name is Tsuji Rokuro.

Then there's;

- Number 2 on the leaderboard: whose title is "Devil" and whose real name is Sakata Hisako!

And their top tier duelist, the legend himself and Number 1;

"Silver," whose real name is Takei Shigeo, managed to reach the highest ranking between both "King" and "Devil" for a massive amount of Battle Score.

Their championships are a sign of good luck, as none of them have ever lost to lower-tier ranks.

The three champions are known as the "Dueling Masters," and they battle with one another in order to maintain or lose their reign as champions.

- Enrokonai City (Dueling Academy), Tuesday, 9:36 am -

"One of their teammates has already been eliminated from the competition... Team Alpha has a significant disadvantage currently... And Kiyoshi is very inept when it comes to dealing with Alpha... I'm not sure what the end results will be..." In the midst of her classmates, Masami pondered.

"I'm aware that you like Kiyoshi... But there's no need to be skeptical of him..." Sumiko laughed, her hip clenched. "H-Hey, you already know that's not the case! With Kiyoshi and Shigeru, we've enrolled in this school... I've only recently learned more about him, and based on his current circumstances, there's a slim possibility he'll win..."

"What leads you to believe that? Shigeru appears to have everything under control, despite the fact that he is battling three of them. Kiyoshi may appear to be losing, but his health meter hasn't dropped dangerously low. Take a look." Elliot responded by pointing to Kiyoshi's health bar, which looked to be digitally tallied.

"Have you forgotten about it? Alpha is the school's third-best student! Beating her seems like defeating the school's elite, despite the fact that Kiyoshi is just 12th on the school's scoreboard." Elliot was underwhelmed with Manami.

"The figures don't convey the whole story... If you devised a method to defeat Alpha, he might execute it and eliminate her..." Standing next to Maia, Katsuro explained.

"The words "ranked" and "school" are not interchangeable... If a Duelist from this school defeats a Duelist of a higher rank, they instantly exchange spots, and you know what that implies... From the moment she transferred to our school, Alpha has never lost a War Race or a genuine Duel."

"W-Wait... does it mean she has been in third place since the beginning of the first year? If that's the case, how did she won to the second and first place finishers on the leaderboard?"

While Sho smiled, Elliot decided to ask. "Simple, she didn't..."

And Elliot's astonishment grew exponentially. "Does that mean the top two Duelists are even more difficult?"

"What were your expectations? If she's trapped in third place, it just indicates that the two duelists ahead of her are more challenging. Isn't it logical?" Sho chuckled as he pondered.

("Does that mean Tim's loss the previous time he fought her was proper, and not just him going easy on her?") Elliot became concerned after hearing how good Alpha was, and Tim returned to the referee's room seconds later.

"I apologize for keeping you waiting..." Before Arthur could ask, Tim rushed for the microphone and picked it up. "It took you six minutes..."

"Come on, now. I had no idea how long I'd have to use the restroom! Give me a break once in a while. How's the situation?" Yumi had been standing in front of Team Alpha's base, Tim realized.

"I forgot about Codey's loss..." Tim examined the remaining contestants and noted that, aside from Codey, no one else had been eliminated.

The activity went on and on.

Kiyoshi was battered over the ground with his soles sliding hard before vanishing in crimson darkness and dashing across the ground, cutting sideways, forcing Alpha to step back and collide with her sword forward.

Another sound of swords colliding reverberated, and Alpha slammed her blade on Kiyoshi's blade, unleashing a larger power that easily drove Kiyoshi back, and he flipped to fall on the ground as a result.

After making the third stride and disappearing in vibration, Alpha leaned forward and raced full speed, reaching onto her back while swinging both of her blades in the air and then holding her third.

She sprinted as soon as two Spirits appeared behind her, grabbing the swords and surprising everyone else.

She spiritualized her body and rushed straight through Kiyoshi's body, stunning him on the spot, before both spirits stabbed him from the sides, criss-cross slicing him and both spirits, together with Alpha, tumbled to the floor.

Alpha quickly raised her sword, aiming the tip forward and conjuring a powerful wave that went right through Kiyoshi's body, pushing him forward, until one of the Spirits raced forward and leaped, slashing through Kiyoshi's shield.

And both Spirits rotated, one above his head and one in front of him when sliced with their swords, the second Spirit raced past the front of Kiyoshi's stomach and cut.

Alpha sliced sideways, causing a long slice of deeper color to crash into Kiyoshi's back, knocking him forward, onto his stomach, and rolling him away, his health bar one percentage away from breaking.

"Is that even legal?" Tim inquired, gesturing to the two Spirits.

"What do you mean?"

"Is it okay that there's Alpha herself and two Spirits?"

"It stems from her talent, therefore it's absolutely permissible." Tim moved back to face Alpha following verification, where her Spirits stood behind her, brandishing a sword.

Kiyoshi was getting back up, despite the fact that he was incredibly weak from the several blows he had taken.

"I had forgotten how tenacious you were with your sword skills... I didn't understand how your ability worked the first time I battled you, but now I do... Spiritualizing your body, slashing, or summoning those two spirits are all necessary for your complete range of abilities... This is why the majority of your attacks are phase-possible towards your opponent or us cutting into you..."

Alpha snapped her finger, causing both Spirits to vanish, leaving the swords behind. She then swung the longest sword to the front of her face after resheathing them in her scabbards.

Alpha threw it behind her back at that precise moment, unleashing a darker force that was cold yet hot enough to burn the opponent.

The energy she was charging emitted from the point of her sword, which dug into the earth, shattering it and bursting balloons all around them.

Kiyoshi seized the sword with both hands and pointed it away, ready to run into the assault, but the minute he did, Alpha's right eye flashed red, and she sliced her blade forward, releasing the redness.

When Kiyoshi yelled and unleashed his crimson energy, a smaller and longer wave began to race through the earth, cutting through Alpha's onslaught, which was progressively enveloping his entire body.

He ended by slicing forward and unleashing a tremendous long slice that flew through Alpha's assault, and just as it was about to strike her, she vanished.

Kiyoshi was caught off guard, and Alpha appeared crouching behind Kiyoshi's back in under two seconds, slicing through Kiyoshi's back with a single cut, breaking his shield into particles, before his body froze on the place.

He stayed motionless as his blade vanished, and despite the fact that he knew he had lost, there was nothing he could do.

"Of course... who would've guessed... I lost to you... There's nothing I can do to stop you, I guess... there's nothing I can do... meaning that you and Yumi will rush for our base, team up against Nina, and win?" Kiyoshi spoke, but Alpha closed her eyes instead of confirming it.

"..."

Alpha immediately raised her arm above her head, causing Kiyoshi to turn around. "W-What in the world are you up to?! You're the one who's lighting the match!" Kiyoshi wondered as he straightened his body.

"... I have motives..." Alpha completely stretched her hand and surrendered as a result of it. "... If I win and then surrender, my combat score doesn't get affected much... and believe me, I would go for the base, but I made an agreement..."

The students who were watching the display were taken aback. "She's... giving up?" Elliot was perplexed as he pondered. "Why? She must realize that in pair she has a better chance of defeating the base defense, so why to give up now?!" While others remained silent, Manami pondered.

"Now, get your ass to the spectator seats." When Tim clicked the button, both Kiyoshi and Alpha's symbols broke on the screen, indicating that they had been eliminated.

Yumi, on the other hand, appeared in front of Team Alpha's base with only 1% of her health bar remaining.

"... Damn... I'm not sure I'll be able to pull this off... My shield will be entirely destroyed by a single moderate strike... And who'd have guessed... Nina is their protector... She doesn't even have to try very hard to knock me out... And why would Alpha give up after she had won for what fricking reason?"

Nina was squiggly-eyed and shook on the spot. "Hi..."

Yumi glanced at her and put her palm on her hip as she gasped. "So, take a look at this... You're their base defender, I guess... So, don't be too depressed when I-"

Nina, on the other hand, struck a posture with her mouth forming an "O."

"I'll have you know I have the reflexes of the cat..., and a speed of a mongoose!"

Throw it..."

Yumi glanced at Nina, puzzled, with a question mark over her head, seeing her in a karate posture.

"... I dare ya ..." Nina added, with crickets singing around.

"... Uh ..."

"... I'm ready ... So... throw it."

"..."

Ayuka was worried about two things: first, losing the War Race, and second, Nina being wounded.

"I assume if Nina fails, it'll be up to me to fight four of you..." Shigeru twisted the dagger and prepared it, casting a shadow over Ayuka's eyes.

"So... you're not going to return to assist...? Observing that a colleague may be in danger?" Junya and Usagi remained still, staring at Ayuka.

"What exactly are you talking about? We're not here to assist them; we're here to defeat them..." Usagi retorted, irritated. "Nina is capable of defending herself! There's no reason to be concerned!"

Ayuka, on the other hand, expelled a chilly breath. "... I know better... If only I could be there for her when she really needed me..."

Junya, too, sank into a state of calm and apprehension. ("... You've all got it backward... I've figured out why Nina was trembling at the outset of the War Race... It's quite simple and straightforward to understand her... She wasn't worried... she was scared... she had no talents, which I realized the instant I saw her.")

After recalling the day when Tim and Nina collided, Ayuka began to understand. ("... I've known about it since the beginning... She was confused by the Academy... she was questioning the most fundamental aspects of Dueling... She had no idea she wasn't required to wear the uniform... A girl like her is just misplaced, and no one seems to notice but me.")

"... I'm only doing this for her..." Ayuka lifted her arm gently above her head.

A thin, white aura began to whirl from Ayuka's blade, extending above her head and waving, while Shigeru looked perplexed. Tim, on the other hand, was well aware of what Ayuka was about to do.

"I see..." Tim claimed, When Arthur stared at him and clicked the button, Tim took a step back and smiled. "Exit the battlefield, everyone on the spectating seats." Everyone was astonished by his loud message over the microphone.

"W-What's going on?" Sho grabbed and pulled him after him, even after Elliot asked. "You heard 'em..." Even Alpha and Kiyoshi left the battlefield, and Codey was thankfully already receiving care.

"Before it's too late, make sure to hurry..." Tim dashed through the door, Arthur trailing behind him, puzzled.

"H-Huh?" Yumi and Nina were concerned. "Wait, why?" Nina murmured, examining the area until Ayuka opened her eyes.

As she gently wrapped the sword around her body, Ayuka's eyes sparkled and turned silver, her hair untied from the ponytail, and her skin grew softer and cleaner.

After everyone had made it outside, Ayuka exhaled one last time, and the frost beneath her floor finally spread, the frozen icebergs, forming huge spikes, began to expand in a circle from the center of Ayuka's position, surprising everyone.

The iceberg spikes stretched all the way to the roof, penetrating it and easily flinging everyone away.

"I didn't know electricity allowed me to fly! I'm going to heaven!" Junya loudly yelled, making poses even after flying through the air.

Their shields shattered, and Nina shielded her eyes as she seemed afraid of being caught in the ice, and nothing occurred in the end.

The battleground, walls, and ceilings froze and smashed into bits when the enormous field was dominated by ice and frost.

Nina remained uninjured and with a full health bar on the field after everyone was captured in the onslaught; Shigeru, Junya, Usagi, and Yumi...

All four symbols shattered in an instant, leaving Nina and Ayuka as the only two survivors in the War Race... but then everything changed...

Ayuka grew weak as her sword vanished and her eyes returned to blue, she slumped on the floor, her long loosened hair resting on her back.

And as she collided, her shield and symbol broke, leaving Nina the sole one on the field and allowing her to defeat Team Alpha.

Nina's eyes opened, and she took notice of everything, shocked that she was the only one left in the field.

But what she saw was lunacy; cold, ice, and carnage were everywhere.

To be continued...