"Oh man... I didn't expect to be up against her so soon..."
"Yeah. You got a bad draw."
Reinforce II and Signum frowned as they looked at the tournament bracket that had just been announced.
"A-a-a-a-a..."
Miura was sweating buckets, flustered and panicking.
The two from the Yagami Dojo had both made it through the qualifiers. The tournament was set to begin tomorrow, and the bracket had just been sent to them.
"Yuki should be fine, but Miura..."
Yuki's opponent, based on their qualifying performance, was unlikely to be a match for her.
The problem was Miura's opponent.
"Mikaya Shevel. Her best performance was a third-place finish in the finals tournament. This is a super strong opponent right off the bat!"
"Hieeeeee!!"
Upon confirming the facts, Miura clutched her head.
"Hehe, nice. If she uses a sword, I would have wanted to fight her."
Seeing Miura's reaction, Yuki laughed as if it were someone else's problem. But she really was disappointed that she wouldn't get to fight a strong opponent.
It was Vita, the "Knight of the Iron Hammer," of the Wolkenritter, who snapped Miura out of her daze.
"She's a tough opponent, for sure, but I won't let you fight with the intention of losing. We've been teaching you. You're not going to lose easily."
"O-o-o-okay! I'll do my best!"
Miura nodded repeatedly.
There wasn't much time until the match. All she could do was rest up and prepare.
---------
Then came the day of the match. While Sho was on a "guard duty" (which was really just a day of sightseeing with a princess), Miura's match against Mikaya was about to begin.
"Ugh, I guess this stage fright of hers is incurable..."
"S-s-s-sorry! I'm trying to c-calm down but..."
"I don't even know what you're saying anymore..."
Vita and Zafira were also at a loss.
Yuki's second was just Signum, but Miura had two seconds for this very reason.
"Whaaaat?!"
She was startled even by a new email notification.
"You're..."
"Uh, um..."
Miura operated her device's display.
"Pffft--hahaha!!"
"Hey..."
"What is it now, Miura?"
Team Nakajima will also do our best!>
Along with the message was a picture of the members of Team Nakajima and Yuki striking various poses.
"Vivio-san is so funny! It really cheers me up!"
"She is certainly a strange girl."
"It would be so fun to fight Vivio-san... Yep, I'll do my best for that!"
"Alright, that's the spirit! Now go on!"
"I'm going!"
Her nervousness completely gone, she stood up.
"Star Saber, set up!"
She put on her Barrier Jacket. It was an inner-type BJ with reinforced armor on her hands and feet for striking, but otherwise a similar streamlined design to Fate's.
She walked the path leading to the ring.
Miura wasn't the only one who received a message of support from Team Nakajima.
Mikaya, her opponent, also received an email in the waiting room opposite Miura's.
Please have fun, too, Mikaya-san!>
This email also came with a photo.
The picture wasn't of them striking funny poses, but seeing her friend Nove surrounded by her students with a shy smile on her face made Mikaya laugh.
"Hehe, really, Nakajima-chan has some cute disciples."
"Oh, to me, you're a cute junior, too."
"That is an honor, my senior disciple."
Mikaya bowed to her second, Kisara.
"Hmm, I'll have to do my best, too."
Mikaya put on her own BJ. She had two swords at her waist. Her outfit was Japanese-style, but the chest area was wide open and she wore a sarashi for ease of movement.
"First, I'll get through this first match. Then it's straight to the finals block!"
She declared, and headed for the ring.
---------
The match consisted of a maximum of four five-minute rounds.
Victory was determined by a surrender, a full life loss, or a judge's decision if all rounds were completed.
The matches were, of course, set to a non-lethal mode and featured "Clash Simulate," which replicated the pain of injuries received.
"Ah~, I'm getting nervous just watching!"
"Right? I hope Miura-san's nervousness is gone."
In the spectator stands were the members of Team Nakajima, whose matches were scheduled for the afternoon, as well as Yuki, Nanoha, and Fate, who had come to cheer them on.
"Where are Hayate and Shamal-sensei?"
"They said they have to finish up some work first."
"I see. I wonder if they'll make it in time for Miura-chan's match..."
As they were talking, a voice announced:
From the main bracket onwards, there was live commentary. The stands were packed with fans eager to see the popular Mikaya fight.
Mikaya was completely unfazed by the crowd's gaze.
She was shadowboxing as she walked, a kind of routine that seemed to have completely erased any sign of nervousness. Her focus was now solely on the match.
A thunderous roar enveloped the two.
Just before the match began, there was a momentary silence.
The gong rang.
They moved at the same time.
Mikaya lowered her stance and placed her hand on her sword. She was waiting in her Batto-iai stance.
(Tendo-ryu Batto-iai—Gekurin)
Miura, on the other hand, charged straight ahead in a way that could only be described as reckless.
(I can't possibly dodge a stronger opponent's attacks forever! I have to strengthen my defense and land a hit first...!)
"Idiot! Stop, you idiot!"
"Don't charge in! Stop!"
Vita and Zafira desperately shouted, but Miura didn't stop.
By the time the audience realized what was happening, the sword was drawn and Miura was sent flying into the air by the impact of the blow.
"Ooooh!!"
As she was in the air, a return swing sent her flying again.
(Suigetsu, Niren—)
As Mikaya sheathed her sword, Miura's body crashed to the outside of the ring.
The sheer speed of the exchange left the entire venue in stunned silence.
Just arriving were the "Artillery Commander" Buster Head, otherwise known as Harry Tribeca, and her entourage, as well as the undefeated Siegeline Emelia.
"Ahhh!! It's over because we took so long!"
"Hmm...? No, I think..."
Harry started making a fuss, but Emelia had seen through the exchange.
The count proceeded, but at "4," Miura got back to her feet.
"Huh...?"
"As expected, that girl was able to defend against Mikaya's slashes to some extent."
There was no sign of a "Clash Simulate" having occurred. She had successfully taken a blow that should have severed her in half.
Seeing this, Nove breathed a sigh of relief.
"She just barely managed to hang on... But there's still four and a half minutes left in the round. Can she really do this...?"
"Yeah. Even if she's standing, her spirit might be broken."
"Right. One hit and she lost 90% of her life... She'll have to fight without getting hit even once from now on."
Nanoha and Fate also commented.
"She can do it."
Yuki said without hesitation.
"I've been practicing with her all this time, so I know. If Miura 'draws her sword,' she can still fight."
Mikaya, facing her, also knew that Miura was still determined to fight.
(Considering her remaining life, it's a bit too much for me to just "tap" her out. Perhaps I should play defense and aim for a counter? The problem is, after that exchange, why aren't her eyes dead?)
"Sorry, Star Saber. I'm going to push you a bit, but stay with me!"
(She's ready to go. There's no point in thinking. I've spent the last year training against martial arts, and it was all to defeat that girl...)
Mikaya was thinking about her defeat last year. She lost to Siegeline Emelia without being able to do a thing, and Emelia subsequently withdrew from the tournament.
Since that match, Emelia had been avoiding her, or so it seemed, not even looking her in the eye. Mikaya had thought she wouldn't even participate in the tournament, but that wasn't the case.
(To redeem myself, I can't lose here!)
And Miura was also reminiscing about the past.
(I was a clumsy, inarticulate, and awkward girl who was bad at everything I tried.)
She remembered her old self, an ordinary girl with no special qualities who always walked with her head down, lacking self-confidence.
(That day, the hands that my masters held out to me were my beginning, and they're the reason I'm here!)
She remembered the days when she became more and more devoted to martial arts under the guidance of Signum, Vita, and Zafira.
(So I'm not afraid! I'll just throw my full power at them, no matter what!)
Miura's kick, which closed the distance in an instant, hit Mikaya with an impact that threatened to snap her sword in half.
(What was that kick?!)
Mikaya could only barely block it.
By the time she noticed the numbness in her arm, Miura was already back in her original position.
(That speed to close the distance instantly and this power...!)
She was charging straight ahead, but Mikaya couldn't counter her like she did with the first attack.
The moment she blinked, Miura was already in her guard.
"Hammer Schlag!"
Miura's fist landed squarely in Mikaya's solar plexus.
"~nnn!! (Even her fists are heavy!)"
Mikaya drew her wakizashi and tried to counter with a two-sword style, but her desperate attacks couldn't connect with a pure martial artist who had gotten in so close.
Another fist landed in her solar plexus.
"Gah...! "
The spectators who saw the first attack had expected the match to end quickly. But as it turned out, Mikaya hadn't been able to land a single attack since that first one.
"Mika's movements have gotten a lot slower."
"She prioritizes speed, so her defense isn't great. If she's too close, she can't use her Batto-jutsu."
Mikaya somehow managed to get some distance and catch her breath.
One minute remained in the round.
"Hah, hah... (I mostly understand this girl's strategy! The swift kicks and the explosive fists at close range! She's a pure assault type. She's direct and tough!)"
"Hah, hah... Last minute, let's go, Star Saber!"
A magic circle appeared at Miura's feet.
"Bakken—!"
The armor on her legs expanded, revealing the internal armor. At the same time, a change occurred on the ring itself.
"(What? What's happening?! The magic is converging on her legs, and the compression is incredible! It's even gathering the residual magic in the air...!)"
Fate had seen that sight before.
"Nanoha, is that...!"
"Yeah. It's a Convergence-type Magic Breaker."
Nanoha's signature attack, the "Starlight Breaker," was considered her strongest technique because it re-converged magic dispersed in the air to use in the attack.
It allowed her to perform attacks that exceeded her own limits.
This was the exact same principle.
Miura was gathering ambient magic, compressing it at high density, and unleashing it with a kick.
"So that's it. A one-shot reversal technique. That's your trump card!"
This was not something anyone could do. It required a certain aptitude. Miura was only 12 years old. At the very least, her mastery of the Convergence-type Magic Breaker was on par with Nanoha's at the same age.
"Hehe, hahahaha! That's why the Inter-Middle is so interesting! Because you can meet a formidable opponent like you in an unexpected place!"
Mikaya had no intention of being so uncivilized as to aim for the charge.
She simply lowered her waist and placed her hand on her sword. She was ready to face her head-on.
"Thank you. I'll give you everything I've got!"
"Don't worry. I'll just cut down whatever attack you throw at me...!"
The tension between the two spread throughout the entire venue.
"Mika has no intention of defending or running away."
"That's just how she is. She always cuts her opponents down with the strongest, fastest strike."
"...I know. She秒殺-byo-satsu'd me with that three years ago..."
"Ah, um... Sorry."
Harry, who was on the verge of tears, was secretly the fragile Artillery Commander Buster Head.
As they spoke, the two fighters' preparations were complete.
Miura moved first.
"Bakken, Hien!"
"Tengetsu, Kasumi!"
The two swords clashed.
"Haaaaaaaah!"
The power and speed were equal.
The two were repelled from each other and created distance.
"I've never taken a blow from a Convergence-type Magic Breaker before, but that was incredible! My blade was chipped from the impact of your slash!"
"...!"
The impact of their full-power attacks clashing drained both of their life bars.
But Miura was in more danger. The initial damage she took was too great. If they clashed again in the same way, she would lose due to a full life bar depletion, even if their power was equal.
However, Miura's will to advance did not waver.
"(That day, I received my wings to fly through my own sky—!)"
She reconverged the magic that had dispersed during the last exchange.
"My sword of stars that will forge my own path!"
This time, Miura's kick truly broke Mikaya's sword.
"Isshin Hittou!"
She unleashed her final attack on the disarmed Mikaya.
"Bakken, Seikoujin!"
The kick from her glowing leg was like a shining sword—
Mikaya, who was slammed against the wall, did not get up.
"...Good job, Miura."
Hayate, who had just managed to arrive, murmured.
Miura Rinaldi had made a sensational debut.
---------
Not only Yuki, but also the members of Team Nakajima, along with the Holy Church's Chante and Lutecia, all won their matches without much trouble.
There was another highly-anticipated match in the first round as well, a clash between two of last year's top players.
In the main block of Group 5, Elsu Tasmin and Harry Tribeca faced off, with the winner going on to fight Rio.
Elsu Tasmin was a student council president at her school, while Harry Tribeca was an outlaw-ish big sister type. The two had never gotten along.
They had also fought in the finals of the main block last year. Harry had ultimately won, but Elsu had been in control for the entire match, so their rivalry was intense.
The two had caused a commotion during the qualifiers, which showed just how focused they were.
Harry's fighting style, as her nickname "Artillery Commander" suggests, was a high-power bombardment with fire magic conversion.
While not as precise as Nanoha's, her rapid-fire capability and power were comparable. A single hit was a devastating attack that could blow away more than half of an opponent's life bar.
Elsu, on the other hand, was a control and endurance fighter who used special handcuff-shaped binds.
In the beginning, Elsu, who had studied Harry's unchanging fighting style from last year, successfully lured her into traps and restrained her.
However, Harry escaped using an unconventional method of blasting the binds with her own attacks, and gradually began to push the momentum in her favor.
From then on, the match became a re-enactment of last year's bout, with Harry on the offensive with her gun and cannon fire, and Elsu on the defensive, waiting for an opening. The back-and-forth continued.
Despite both being injured, Harry's final punch landed and zeroed out Elsu's life bar.
The match ended with a victory for Harry, and Rio's next opponent was decided.
--------------------------------------------
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