16. Thousand Blade Academy and the Big Five Holy Festival [6] – part 1

As soon as Sid-san manifested his soul dress〈Vanargand〉, I immediately noticed something unusual.

(…Did the temperature drop?)

It’s right about daytime now, there’s not a cloud in the sky, and the sun was rising high. Nevertheless, the open air was already cold enough to feel chilly. As I looked closer, his sword was spewing a cloudy, white mist.

(Is that cold air…?)

And when I was analyzing his soul-dress ability,

「Well then, I’ll end it quickly…! -〈Freeze Lance〉!」

A huge spear, as tall as him, appeared in the air. It was a beautiful, transparent ice lance.

(As expected… Is his soul dress a type that manipulates cold air?)

I focused on the ice lance while maintaining Seigan no Kamae.

And the next moment,

「Sora, Dance!」

The ice lance was fired at tremendous speed.

「ーHA!」

I attacked from the front to cut it down.

However,

(H-Hard…! Such ridiculous hardness!)

It’s harder and heavier than iron – it’s clear that this wasn’t any ordinary ice.

「GUUOOOOOOOO!」

Somehow, I managed to parry the lance upwards and launch it into the air.

Then, when I shifted my gaze towards Sid-san again,

「Oi… where are you looking?」

Sid-san was already standing behind me.

「!?」

「Soraa!」

I tried to avoid it by desperately jumping forward right away but,

「Guh…!?」

His sword slashed my back, and at the same time a burning pain seared through my body. I immediately got up and put Sid-san in the center of my sight.

(The wound is… not deep. It’s alright, I can still fight…!)

Due to cheering myself up, as I elevated my head – the second spear was already completed.

「Hey hey, here comes the next one!」

Before the spear was fired, I immediately ran to the right.

(I must not stop running…)

That〈Freeze Lance〉cannot be destroyed with my power. In that case, I should at least move around so as not to become the target.

As I did,

「Don’t keep running!」

Sid-san lined his shoulders with me in one step and immediately fired four consecutive slashes.

「Kuh… Cloud Style – Cirrocumulus!」

I attempted to defend with the Cloud Style from earlier but,

「Kaha…!?」

I failed to knock down the last shot – a strong slash directly tore into my left shoulder. Fortunately, it didn’t reach the bone, and I was still able to hold the sword with both hands.

(Damn, it’s faster than before…!? )

Perhaps due to the ability of〈Vanargand〉, Sid-san’s sword speed has risen remarkably from before. After that, the same sword exchanges was repeated many times, and one by one, the wounds on my body increased.

「HaaHaa… Damn…」

It’s a hopeless situation, but I must never give up.

「Allen! Don’t lose!」

「D-Do your best!」

「Legs! He’s using his legs to toy with you!」

Everyone at Thousand Blade Academy was still loudly cheering me on.

(For everyone, I definitely cannot lose…)

However, I still haven’t found the clue to defeat Sid-san.

(〈Vanargand〉is a terrifying soul dress…)

It manipulates cold air freely and creates an absurdly hard ice lance. In addition, it comes with a bonus that improves the physical abilities of the owner.

(That’s foul play…)

And then,

「Hey you… are you perhaps thinking that I『became faster』?」

Did he read my thoughts?

「That’s not right… That isn’t it…」

Sid-san shook his head while biting down his laughter.

「…What do you mean?」

「Haa, I guess you haven’t realized it after all… That you personally have become『slow』」

Saying that, he pointed at my hand. When I dropped my gaze on both hands,

「T-This is…!?」

I finally realized. My limbs are starting to turn pale purple.

「Yo yo, do you know hypothermia?」

As though disclosing the secret, Sid-san raised〈Vanargand〉that continued to release cold air as we speak.

(Damn, he got me…)

I didn’t notice any changes in my body because I was too conscious of that ice lance and Sid-san’s pressure.

(At first glance, there is no sign that Sid-san is trembling in the cold …)

He, who wields〈Vanargand〉,seems not to be affected by the cold air released from there.

(This is bad…)

The longer this match lasts, the more body temperature I lose. Which will put me at a disadvantage.

(It is getting worse and worse…)

Now that my body is still listening to me, I have to settle it as soon as possible. Impatiently, I immediately ran towards Sid-san.

「Eighth Sword – Yatagarasu!」

Yatagarasu, which should’ve been able to unleash eight slashes – ended up with only six slashes.

「Gyahahahahaha! What happened!? There is only『six』,you know!?」

With a laugh, Sid-san easily shot down the six slashes.

「Guh…」

With a body that has decreased functions to this extent…… There is no longer a chance to win from going head-to-head.

(If so, I just have to go for his rear…)

Then I inserted「Second Sword – Hazy Moon」in various places, exchanging blows with him so as not to seem unnatural.

After that,

「HaaHaa…」

「Nnー, reached your limit already?」

Sid-san, who was convinced of victory, slowly headed towards me with his sword resting on his shoulder.

(…Positioning is perfect)

After that, if he comes here as is, Hazy Moon will burst.

(No matter how fast the reaction rate is… A blow from the blind spot is absolutely inevitable…)

And when I was holding on to Seigan no Kamae so that I wouldn’t seem unnatural – he paused.

And then,

「…Oi Oi Oi, what is this easy to see trap? 」

He passed the sword through the space where I inserted Hazy Moon. In response to the movement, Hazy Moon cut the air in vain.

「Kukuku, how can an obvious trap like this work? At best, only a second-rate swordsman will get caught in this.」

Saying that, he closed the distance with me in an instant,

「Soraa!」

A strong front kick struck my abdomen.

「Ga-haa…!」

I heard a detestable bone-breaking sound, and rolled across the ground like a ball.

「…*cough* *cough*!」

Perhaps the broken bone had damaged the internal organs, as I was spewing out blood.

「Oi Oi that’s filthy! Who do you think will clean it up later!?…Oops my bad, even I don’t know!」

Then Sid-san stepped on my face mercilessly and laughed loudly,「Hahahahahahahaha!」

「H-Hey, that’s going too far!」

「Don’t get too cocky…」

Ria and Rose glared at Sid-san murderously. Then, he scratched his cheek with a complicated expression.

「Aa-… sorry. Certainly, that was going too far… Un, I’ll quickly kill him.」

And he thrust〈Vanargand〉at me.

Under the rules of the Big Five Holy Festival, the act of killing the other party is prohibited. However, he does not care about such a thing, and will kill without any hesitation.

「Don’t joke around!」

「R-Referee! Stop him!」

「Contestant Sid, stop it!」

Ria and Rose turned pale and the referee jumped onto the stage. However, it is utterly impossible to make it in time, at this distance.

(Shit, is this my end…)

Due to the severe frostbite, my body doesn’t move properly anymore. No, it is impossible to move in the first place because Sid-san is stepping on my stomach.

「Haha! I’m going to make a corpse that makes me laugh!」

And then,

「-〈Vanal Thrust〉!」

Tremendous amount of cold air was released from〈Vanargand〉, and the thrust that gained explosive propulsion approached my throat.

If it reaches me – I will die helplessly.

(Is this it for me…?)

I swung my sword every day

I trained harder than anyone else.

I spent more time on swordsmanship than anyone else.

I earnestly swung the sword for more than a billion years.

But ultimately – I was no good.

I lost in the face of absolute talent.

(Ria, Rose, Leia-sensei, Paula-san, and mother… sorry)

Without a doubt, I’m going to lose my life here today.

My body can no longer move a single finger.

My sword has already been blown off somewhere.

But still – my heart was not broken.

In front of my impending death – I suddenly opened my eyes wide.

I can’t close my eyes here.

Until the moment of death, cling on to『life』.

Contrary to the body that did not move, the turbid flow of emotion was swirling in my mind.

(I’m frustrated, I don’t want to die, I don’t want to lose – I want to beat this genius!)

At that time, there was something deep in my heart – something like a『soul』, whispered.

【As usual, you’re a jerk…Allen】

At that moment, my consciousness was swallowed by darkness.

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