✫| Enhancement |✫
Reisou activated his Enhancement technique and advanced toward Ken.
*Crash!
Ken met the attack head-on, and the grinding clash of metal echoed through the arena.
Reisou tried to create an opening by kicking at Ken's left leg.
The red-haired boy reacted quickly, stepping back and narrowly dodging the blow. This made him scowl and charge forward, swinging his mace to strike Reisou.
None of his strikes landed, as Reisou deflected them all.
Then, while creating distance, Reisou felt a dangerous sensation at his side and leapt back just in time to dodge a sneaky incoming attack.
A huge ball of water shot past him, bursting violently nearby.
Turning to the culprit, he spotted Hachiman casting another spell to support Ken. Their goal was to take him down, as he was the most dangerous individual there, having single-handedly defeated the other teams.
Ken seized the opportunity and rushed forward again, using Nano to increase his speed.
A fierce exchange of blows between Reisou and Ken began, with both sides evenly matched.
"Ayanokōji-san, go help Sudō-san. I'll stay here providing support," Hachiman said wearily.
Kiyotaka, who was near his side, nodded and rushed to assist his teammate.
Reisou frowned as he realized all three were targeting him, so he decided to use a skill to gain the upper hand.
But before making his move, he waited for Kiyotaka to get closer. As Kiyotaka approached, Reisou deactivated his Enhancement to conserve energy and activated his Intimidation skill to test its effect on them.
✢| Intimidation |✢
Hachiman was the first to feel the effects of Intimidation, causing him to drop his staff.
When he looked ahead, his already trembling body shook even more as a fireball suddenly flew toward him.
He forced himself to move, stumbling backward and falling to the ground in an attempt to dodge it.
Ken was about to strike Reisou with his mace but froze as a sudden wave of unnatural fear washed over him, causing his body to lose control briefly.
Beside him, Kiyotaka felt the same oppressive force but managed to withstand it better than the others.
'Innate Skill!' The three thought at the same time, assuming the sudden sensation was Reisou's Innate Skill.
"Good job, Airi! Now, Taiki, go take down the mage. I'll hold off those two!" Reisou shouted to the short boy from his team, who rushed forward to fight Hachiman.
"Hmph, what a cheap trick. Ayanokōji, go assist him. I don't need your help," Ken said arrogantly, having already shaken off the effect of Intimidation.
Kiyotaka simply nodded and stepped back, letting Ken face Reisou alone.
However, Reisou didn't allow Kiyotaka to retreat and swung his spear toward the expressionless boy. Sensing the danger, Kiyotaka swiftly dodged by stepping aside.
Reisou exchanged a few blows with Kiyotaka and Ken until his Enhancement technique's cooldown ended.
He smirked and signaled to Airi, who swiftly began preparing a Fireball spell.
✫| Armament Haki |✫
✫| Enhancement |✫
Reisou coated his spear with Armament Haki and activated Enhancement again, gaining the upper hand in his 2v1 confrontation.
Once Airi finished casting the spell, she launched the fireball in the direction of Hachiman.
At the same time, Reisou gathered some distance from his opponents and threw his spear forward with force.
"I see," Kiyotaka said calmly, already guessing what would happen.
Hachiman, fighting against an already tired Taiki, noticed another fireball coming his way and dodged.
He then tried to cast a Water Bomb spell, but before he could finish, Reisou's spear shot toward him like a bullet, striking his side and making him cry out in pain.
"AAARRGH!"
Taiki, already knowing what to do, used his dagger to stab Hachiman in the abdomen, causing the poor, lazy boy to collapse to the ground, unconscious.
Even with his mage defeated, Ken remained unfazed and tried to continue his assault, convinced that Reisou would struggle without his weapon.
But just as Ken charged forward, Reisou decided it was time to use his trump card.
✢| Fury |✢
Combining Armament Haki, Enhancement, and Fury, Reisou unleashed a terrifying presence akin to Intimidation. Ken attempted to stop his attack mid-motion, however in the blink of an eye, Reisou appeared before him, landing a rapid series of punches and kicks.
Reisou struck Ken in the stomach, legs, face, and ribs with powerful blows, leaving the fiery-haired boy struggling to breathe.
Within ten seconds, Ken dropped unconscious to the ground, leaving Kiyotaka standing alone.
"I surrender," Kiyotaka said flatly, as continuing the fight seemed pointless to him.
The bystanders watching from the sidelines were stunned, especially the students from Class 2E.
They knew how fierce Ken was and had assumed that Reisou, alone, wouldn't last more than two minutes.
Now, not only had Reisou lasted longer than that, but he also emerged victorious without sustaining any significant damage.
"Phew... Good job, you two," Reisou congratulated his teammates for taking care of Hachiman. The two introverts shyly nodded their heads, accepting the praise.
Taiki stole a few glances at him, gathered some courage, and retorted, "Y-You did almost everything on your own, Aragaki-san. W-We only helped a little."
"I know, but still, you two helped."
With a smile, Reisou picked up his spear from the ground and walked out of the fighting area.
Airi and Taiki exchanged looks before following him.
As soon as Reisou rejoined his classmates, they erupted in excitement, praising and bombarding him with questions about whether that was his Innate Skill. He only gave vague answers, looking slightly helpless under their relentless curiosity.
Perceiving his struggle, Miwa decided to lend a hand.
"Alright, everyone, let him rest for now. He has an important match in ten minutes," she said, helping Reisou avoid the questioning.
Finally free from his excited classmates, Reisou sat on a nearby bench, taking a moment to catch his breath and conserve his energy for the upcoming match against the Princess Trio.
While thinking about what to do, he noticed Airi sitting beside him, hesitating as if she wanted to say something.
He turned to face the girl, who quickly lowered her head, shyly avoiding his gaze.
"Is there something you want to say, Sakura-san?" he asked gently, finding her shy reaction a little cute.
The pink-haired girl flinched at his words. After a moment of hesitation, she took a deep breath and finally managed to respond.
"I-I want to apologize f-for not h-helping. I know I'm w-weak."
She felt both sad and embarrassed as she recalled how she had missed two fireballs during the fight.
"Don't worry about it. The most important thing is that we took down the target. As long as we achieved our goal, it doesn't matter whether you hit or not," Reisou said, attempting to comfort the cute girl by his side.
When she heard what he said, her eyes met his, causing the pink-haired girl's face to flush bright red.
With this, their conversation took a new direction. This time, he gave her instructions on how to act during the upcoming fight. Now that she and Taiki had made their move, they would also become targets.
Since their second match, Reisou had told them to hold back, as others would see them as harmless cowards.
However, during the fight against Team 5, they finally managed to execute a plan he had come up with just moments before—a strategy to distract and take down their support.
Although the strategy had somehow worked, the Princess Trio was different from Team 5, and they wouldn't be so easily deceived.
Taiki, who had been watching Airi and Reisou from afar, approached to ask what he planned to do next.
Reisou explained his strategy, and the boy's eyes widened at how absurd the plan sounded.
Airi, already knowing what he was going to do, couldn't help but feel nervous. he noticed the tension in their expression and reassured them that everything would be fine.
Both of them decided to trust him, as he was strong and confident enough to overwhelm the two introverts with his speech.
As the ten-minute break came to an end, Miwa announced the final fight of the day between Team 9 and Team 16, each representing a different class.
The students from both classes reacted differently, with Class 2C staying confident in their victory, while Class 2E cheered for Team 16, hoping they could at least take down one opponent.
Reisou, accompanied by his two teammates, stepped into the fighting area with his spear in hand. The Princess Trio did the same, and both teams stood face to face, ready for battle.
He noticed the cold, fierce gaze of Yukino directed at him, as if he owed her money. Eriri wore a smug smile, exuding confidence in her strength, while Kei offered a simple smile from behind the other two.
Just by observing their formation, Reisou realized they weren't underestimating him, causing the boy to smile in appreciation.
'Where's the cliché of them being arrogant enough to give me an easy win? Real life is really disappointing,' Reisou thought, spinning his spear and shifting into an attack stance.
*Sshhwee!
Once again, at the sound of a whistle, an intense fight began.