Surviving After Death

Because it was impossible to penetrate her defense without sustaining any damage, there was only one option left.

Endure a fatal attack and survive!

To change the speed of his body's deformation, he had indeed used all the magic power in his body, and the wounds on his body couldn't be faked.

However, becoming so grievously injured was a situation he had predicted from the beginning.

The true decisive strike was still hidden behind this!

Hoshiharu used the skill he learned from Ikki, using the pain throughout his body to actively stimulate more of his potential, shattering his survival instinct, and extracting more physical and magic power from his body.

He was limited in fighting methods, and all other talents leaned towards swordsmanship, but breaking the survival instinct was not one of those fighting methods.

Due to the limitations of the survival instinct, the power one could use under normal circumstances was only about half of one's full capacity.

But if one could ignore the body's and mind's cries with an exceptionally strong will, and shatter their survival instinct with super control over their body, they could use their normal strength up to its limits, which is twice the usual amount!

Hoshiharu changed his grip to a thrust and pinned the Nameless Sword against the transparent shield.

Then, all the magic power gushing from the depths of his soul was injected into the Device, adjusting the speed beyond the other party's reaction limits, giving it the maximum speed Hoshiharu could achieve so far!

*BOOM*

An unexpected roar echoed throughout the battle circle.

The loud noise caused by the sonic boom at zero distance sent Hoshiharu flying.

On the other side, Kanata was also helpless.

She thought the battle was over, but she didn't expect Hoshiharu to fire a bomb like that in the final moments!

The sonic boom from the Nameless Sword at zero distance directly shattered the transparent shield in front of her.

The terrifying sound swept through the arena, causing many people to stop talking and stare at the battle circle with wide eyes. Their hearts were filled with nervousness, afraid to miss any detail.

On the field.

Hoshiharu rolled on the ground more than ten times before finally stopping.

He subconsciously tried to stand up on the ground, but as his right hand landed on the ground, he suddenly felt excruciating pain, causing his face to turn pale.

At the very least, it was a shattered fracture, and the palm might even be cracked.

But he ignored this slight pain and instead stared in the opposite direction, so nervous that he even forgot to breathe.

Did he win?

This was truly his final trump card. There was no doubt that he would try his best again, then he would have no choice but to give up.

In front.

The strong wind disappeared, and Kanata's figure appeared in Hoshiharu's eyes.

She was half-kneeling on the ground and hadn't regained consciousness until now, her face full of lingering astonishment.

And in the middle of her chest, there was a shining silver sword inserted at that moment.

"I lost?"

A tremendous thought crossed her mind. But at this moment, she felt slightly relaxed in her heart.

Then, her consciousness gradually faded, and finally, her vision went dark.

*Thud*

Kanata fell sideways to the ground.

Just before she fainted, what caught her attention was the satisfied smile of the boy across from her.

"—The winner is Nangou Hoshiharu!"

Kurono walked quickly, confirmed Kanata's status, looked at Hoshiharu in amazement, and swiftly announced the game's result.

"Finally won..."

Hoshiharu couldn't help but sit on the ground, a tired but satisfied smile on his face.

This was the battle he wanted to fight!

This was the victory he wanted to achieve!

He only wanted to win an exhilarating fight where he could bounce back in the face of adversity!

This could give him more growth.

As he relaxed, severe pain surged from his body, and the exhaustion caused by breaking the survival instinct assaulted his brain simultaneously.

His vision went dark, and he quickly fell to the ground and fainted.

Soon after, two stretchers were brought together, carrying the winner and the loser together.

"In an instant, the result was reversed! The winner of this match is E-Rank Knight Nangou Hoshiharu from the First Year! He was like a dark horse, in an extremely unfavorable condition with extreme control, and defeated the B-Rank Knight, the second strongest in the academy! Let's support him!"

"Great job~"

Nene's voice became frivolous again.

Among the audience.

"I didn't expect Kanata to actually lose."

Ikazuchi and the others were still in disbelief until now.

They all believed Kanata had a huge advantage. The gap between them was so great that it was almost impossible to reverse.

The gap was something so strong it couldn't be easily bridged.

If anyone could easily cross it, there would be no difference between geniuses and humans in this world.

However, Hoshiharu eventually forcibly crossed the domain of the sword, shattering their illusions with an impossible technique.

"I never thought Junior Brother would lose from the beginning!"

Only Touka showed a proud smile.

"...You're just showing favoritism."

Some people looked at each other and could only respond with a bitter smile.

❀❀❀

Hospital.

Hoshiharu woke up from a deep sleep in a daze and saw the familiar ceiling.

"So tired..."

When he woke up, the first thought that came to his mind was this.

His whole body felt like it had been run over by a wheel, and there was pain everywhere, and it seemed there wasn't even a bit of strength left in his muscles.

This was the consequence of the survival instinct being shattered and forcibly suppressing the body's potential. Physical energy was overused, causing the body to fall into a state of exhaustion, requiring at least one day of rest before it could recover.

Hoshiharu struggled to sit up from the bed, leaning against the headboard, lowered his head, and looked at his body.

The clothes on his body had changed into hospital attire, and the school uniform he was wearing before had turned into a striped gown... No, it would be more accurate to say it was shattered against Kanata, leaving him almost naked.

The fracture in his right hand had fully healed, and the beehive-like scars on his body initially scratched by the sword field had disappeared without a trace.

"The Healing Capsule is amazing!"

Hoshiharu couldn't help but praise.

If he was treated with the Healing Capsule, he would be able to recover from any injury, and he would be revived from the brink of death. He wouldn't be able to die even if he wanted to.

However, although the Healing Capsule could heal injuries, it had no effect on physical fatigue, in which case, one still needed to recuperate and recover.

Hoshiharu raised his head and looked at the electronic clock hanging on the wall.

"It's three in the afternoon, which means I was unconscious for about two hours."

When thinking about his victory over Kanata, he felt extremely satisfied.

He had never been this happy even when he defeated Kurono.

Because the nature of the two was very different from him.

"Junior Brother, I'm coming in."

Touka's voice came from outside the door.

Shortly after, the door opened, and a girl with three-strand chestnut braids entered the hospital carrying a plastic bag of fruit.

"It seems you're recovering well."

Touka looked at him from top to bottom, and when she saw his usual expression, she couldn't help but laugh.

"Senior Sister, aren't you angry?"

Seeing Touka not blaming him, Hoshiharu felt a bit uncomfortable and cautiously asked.

"Compared to the injuries you've suffered in the past, this time is considered light."

Touka was a bit displeased.

She should have blamed Hoshiharu for being so careless with his body, but when she thought about how he was only slightly injured this time, she couldn't help but feel happy.

She was very displeased with herself for starting to compromise like this.