Chapter 40: World Crisis, Time-Space Collapse

The two were about to duel.

In the audience, Stella was growing anxious.

Stella: "What should I do? Rei Ao is going to fight the principal!"

Akame: "A fight?"

Frieren: "Wasn't the trade supposed to resolve things through negotiation? Why did it turn into a fight?"

Stella: "I'm confused too."

Stella: "Rei Ao made a wager with the principal because of me."

Megumi Kato: "What kind of wager?"

Stella: "It's... a slave-like wager."

Mai Sakurajima: "A slave? Stella, are you sure?!"

Stella: "Yes!"

Stella: "They agreed that the loser must completely obey the commands of the winner. What should I do now?"

Mai Sakurajima: "How could Rei Ao agree to such a wager?"

Mai, who had been taking a bath, suddenly stood up from the tub.

Her alluring body was exposed to the air, water droplets trickling down her curves and eventually sliding off.

But Mai didn't care about that.

She was extremely worried about such a risky bet.

"..."

At home, Megumi Kato narrowed her eyes as well.

She believed Rei Ao must have had some compelling reason for his decision.

But she also noticed the shift in how Mai was addressing him, sensing that things might not be simple. It seemed she should take a more active role moving forward.

Saeko Busujima: "Stella, don't worry too much. I believe Rei Ao must be confident if he made such a wager."

Ayame Yomogawa: "I also trust in Rei Ao-sama."

Frieren: "@Stella, instead of talking about it, why not start a live stream?"

Akame: "I'd love to witness a battle between strong opponents."

Stella: "Oh, good idea!"

[Ding! Stella has started a live stream!]

Frieren: "The fight has already started?"

On the screen, the two had already begun.

Kurono Shinguuji was wielding two strange handguns—her Inherent Devices, weapons that were the materialized form of a Blazer's soul. In the past, they were known as "holy swords," "demon bows," "cursed tools," or "noble phantasms." Nowadays, they were referred to as Inherent Devices, tools used to channel a Blazer's magic and execute their techniques.

Bang!

A light bullet shot out from the gun's muzzle. Under Rei Ao's watchful gaze, he noticed that the bullet violated the laws of physics, suddenly accelerating several times over in midair.

Clang!

But Rei Ao was still able to easily track the bullet's path. With a swing of his sword, he released a blade of energy that precisely sliced the bullet in half.

"Was that just normal swordsmanship?"

Kurono Shinguuji was astonished.

That wasn't an ability or a Blazer's secret technique. It was simply a sword swing.

How was he doing this?

It wasn't just Kurono who was puzzled. Ikki Kurogane, a master of swordsmanship in the audience, was even more shocked.

No matter how many times Kurono Shinguuji changed her shooting positions, Rei Ao casually deflected her shots with his sword aura.

Even though he knew this was just her warm-up, Rei Ao was getting annoyed.

"Hey, your time-accelerated bullets don't work on me. Isn't it time to wrap up your warm-up?"

This time, as Rei Ao swung his sword, the cold air formed an icy mist in the wake of his strikes. Blades of ice flew through the air, covering the ground with a layer of frost as they rushed toward Kurono Shinguuji.

Her pupils contracted sharply.

She immediately manipulated time, causing the space around her to distort and twist under the influence of her temporal interference.

The dozens of ice blades approaching her were suddenly shattered into fragments, breaking into several pieces mid-air.

But when Kurono Shinguuji tried to locate Rei Ao again, he had vanished.

Most of the spectators in the arena were equally confused.

"Who's the principal fighting?"

"I don't know. It looks like no one showed up."

Kurono Shinguuji heard these remarks and noticed that Rei Ao's presence in her mind was growing increasingly faint.

"What kind of ability is this?!"

She was certain that some ability was affecting her, but Rei Ao was nowhere to be seen within the arena. Even her memories were becoming blurred.

The eerie situation made her body tense up completely.

"You better use your best techniques, or this is going to end too easily for me."

"!!!"

A cold, bored voice came from behind her, sending chills down her spine.

She spun around quickly.

Rei Ao had somehow appeared behind her without her noticing.

Even he was surprised at how effective his "cognitive disappearance" ability was. After all, Kurono Shinguuji was a formidable level 23 opponent.

"Why not show me your forbidden technique?" Rei Ao said with a smirk.

"..."

Kurono Shinguuji realized she had completely underestimated Rei Ao.

He possessed ice abilities, formidable swordsmanship, and this strange power that allowed him to disappear and blur her memory.

It was unsettling.

"You know about my forbidden technique?"

Her voice was hoarse and low as she spoke.

"Who are you, really?"

"Tsk, so many questions. Once this duel is over and you belong to me, I'll tell you everything."

Rei Ao said impatiently, "Let's not waste any more time. Use your forbidden technique."

"..."

Kurono Shinguuji's eyes grew serious.

"You're confident. Very well, as you wish."

"My forbidden technique is one that even I cannot fully control. Don't die in there."

She stepped back, took a deep breath, and raised her dual handguns, firing two bullets. But strangely, the bullets collided in midair before reaching Rei Ao.

Crack!

At that moment, time began to intertwine and interfere.

Rei Ao glanced around.

The space around them began to fracture, like glass breaking.

This was her forbidden technique, "World Crisis."

'World Crisis: Time-Space Collapse' distorted the fabric of time and space, breaking everything within the target area. Even after the space was destroyed, it couldn't be restored.

Now, with the shattered space surrounding him, Rei Ao's situation appeared precarious.

~~~

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