Chapter 99: Ranking Battle
Boom!
A buzz-cut boy spat blood as he was sent flying backward, tumbling twice on the ground before failing to rise again. Only the faint rise and fall of his chest proved he was still alive.
The student council member in charge of recording marked a score in their notebook, then notified the logistics team to send him to the infirmary.
"Not bad. Good control over the force," Haruto remarked indifferently, retracting his gaze and flexing his fist. "Next."
From the start of the combat test, he had been targeted. If not for the rule allowing only one-on-one fights, a crowd would have likely ganged up on him. This was his fifth opponent defeated. Initially, he had cautiously observed his opponents, but later realized they were all worthless trash.
Those with decent strength could generally tell Haruto hadn't cheated and naturally avoided seeking trouble.
"No one else?" Haruto raised an eyebrow, scanning the surroundings. "Weren't there many who said they'd teach me a lesson? All scared now?"
Boys meeting Haruto's gaze lowered their heads, some even hiding behind the girls.
"If you won't come forward, I'll have to choose myself."
Regardless of others, he had no intention of letting off those who had previously harassed Yukina and her friends. If others could challenge him during the combat test, he could do the same.
"You, yes, you." Haruto pointed at a boy with center-parted green hair. "Stop looking around—I mean you, green-haired turtle."
The named boy's face flushed and paled alternately. He hated being called "green-haired turtle" more than anything; under normal circumstances, he would have rushed to teach the offender a lesson. Stiffly, the green-haired boy stepped forward. "Haruto... I'm weak. I hope you'll go easy on me."
"Don't worry, you won't die."
Whether the boy was truly weak or plotting to ambush him, Haruto didn't care. He launched his attack directly.
A punch, a kick, a left hook, a knee strike...
The green-haired boy couldn't withstand even half of Haruto's strength for more than a few minutes, helplessly beaten to the ground. Under Haruto's deliberate focus, his face was bruised purple and blue, swollen completely into a pig's head. He hadn't been spared punches and kicks elsewhere either; without healing magic, he wouldn't be leaving bed for a month or two.
"Alright, the green-haired turtle is dealt with."
Haruto clapped his hands and turned to a burly boy. "You, yes, exactly—you, big guy. Come on, I'll test you first for Yukina."
The burly boy paled, his legs trembling. "Th-that... I surrender..."
"Surrender is invalid."
"You think this is a match? Surrendering?" Haruto said impatiently, "Hurry up, there are others waiting."
As terrified as he was, the burly boy had no choice but to grit his teeth and face Haruto in combat.
As for his outcome... it was miserable, even worse than the green-haired boy's. By the end of the fight, every part of his body except his eyes was immobilized.
"I see you're not up to it."
Haruto kicked the unconscious burly boy aside and eyed his next target.
"Haruto..." The recording student council member hesitated before reminding him, "Be careful. Too many severely injured, and the academy will have a hard time explaining."
Lethal force was prohibited in combat training and ranking battles, and there were limits on severe injuries. After all, this was an academy—some things differed from the harsh outside world.
"Understood, senior." Haruto nodded. "Just one left."
"Hmm..."
The last one was the blond guy, needless to say, he ended up the worst - Haruto had practically crippled his lower body.
"Haruto, are you participating in the upcoming ranking battle?"
Looking at the barely recognizable blond, Reina asked with a strange tone: "There seem to be a few blond guys among the upperclassmen too..."
"I'll participate, since I'm already here."
Haruto shrugged, "Besides, I want to see how strong the seniors really are."
The commotion here had drawn quite some attention, with many upperclassmen noticing Haruto who had been particularly brutal.
Some upperclassmen who were already jealous of him immediately showed arrogant grins upon hearing this.
"Just a mere freshman, defeating a few trash - do you really think you're something special?"
"Heh, kid! Don't think just because you have the Gremory family backing you, I won't dare to touch you."
"You're nothing but a pretty boy, don't get too cocky. I'll teach you how to respect your seniors later."
...
Haruto glanced at these mocking guys, but unfortunately, the ranking battle would be conducted through random draws, so he might not necessarily encounter them.
The ranking battle would have many groups competing simultaneously, with winners advancing to the next round until the strongest one was determined.
Giving them an international gesture, Haruto provoked: "It's not that I'm arrogant, but you're just too trash. I hope you won't dare to step onto the stage later."
After his trash talk, he wrapped his left arm around Yukina and held Yuki with his right, kissing Reina once, then kissing Ruri, acting intimately as if no one else was around.
This display was far more effective than any trash talk. The upperclassmen who had previously looked down on Haruto were now red-eyed with rage, but could only watch while muttering things like "hope I meet you later" and similar threats.
Simply put, it was impotent rage.
"Haruto-kun, I'm Hitomi Morita from Class C, first year."
A cute, large-breasted girl with a ponytail approached Haruto. Seeing the intimate foursome, she blushed slightly.
"I was wondering if Haruto-kun has time tonight... I could be like Reina and the others..."
Haruto looked her over - not bad looking, youthful face with ample bosom.
Just then, Reina whispered in his ear: "Haruto, this girl has a boyfriend, though he seems to be just an ordinary person."
"Is that so..."
Haruto pondered, "Leave your contact information. After you break up with your boyfriend, I'll contact you when I have time."
Stealing others' partners did have a different kind of thrill - he'd watched plenty of that kind of content before, which was how he recognized various blond guys and "cuckolders."
But now Haruto only wanted to be a good person. Unless they were already married women, there was no need to create more suffering men in this world.
Unless... that suffering man had provoked him first.
Then he wouldn't be a suffering man, but an enemy.
The thought of turning the woman an enemy liked into his own shape right in front of him - just imagining that scene made little Haruto start to rise.
"Okay, Haruto-kun."
The youthful-faced, large-breasted Hitomi Morita blushed as she left her phone number and LINE account. Her moist eyes lingered on Haruto reluctantly before she slowly walked away.
Morita's actions seemed to open the floodgates, as more and more girls actively approached him.
Ignoring the disgusted looks from other boys and girls, disregarding the muttered "sluts" and "bitches," they proactively left their contact information for Haruto.
Haruto never refused any offer—such opportunities to acquire talents that came knocking were not to be wasted.
Reina and the others cast increasingly resentful glances. Though they were well aware of Haruto's bulldozer-like nature, being "NTR-ed" right before their eyes still left a sour taste in their hearts.
"All participants for the ranking battle, assemble here."
Hearing the call, Haruto released his hold and said to the newly arrived girls, "Alright, I need to join the ranking battle now. If any of you still need something, you can leave your contact information with Reina and the others."
As for whether Reina would actually pass along those contact details to him, he couldn't care less.
After all, he never held high hopes of actually obtaining any talents from the start.
Among the first-year students participating in the ranking battle, Haruto was the only one. Compared to the upperclassmen, freshmen were indeed at a disadvantage.
For a freshman, reaching C-rank was already considered outstanding. However, after one or two years of training, the average level of upperclassmen was C-rank.
Among the third-year students, many had B-rank strength, and there were even A-rank students.
If it weren't for the confirmation that A-rank students wouldn't appear here, Haruto wouldn't have been so reckless earlier.
The ranking battle officially began, and Haruto's first opponent was a senior female student, also with B-rank strength.
After a few exchanges, Haruto easily defeated her.
Then came the second round, the third round... all the way to the finals.
During this time, he encountered one or two of the guys who had mocked him before. Admittedly, they did have some skill.
So, under Haruto's special attention, their injuries were more severe than the previous opponents'.
Peak B-rank was the strongest here. Even his opponent in the finals was slightly lacking.
Thinking about it, it made sense. Students at this level were busy breaking through and had no time to participate in such tests.
If Haruto hadn't missed all the previous tests, Rias wouldn't have even considered letting him participate.
Rules are rigid, but people are flexible.
Once someone breaks through to A-rank, even if they miss ten tests, they would still be a star student at Kuoh Academy.
The finals began, and Haruto faced off against a blue-haired, aloof beauty.
The blue-haired beauty had a pair of smooth, slender, and straight legs, with an elegant figure.