ASCC-Chapter 51 Raikiri!

"Boom!"

A sudden clap of thunder echoed through the arena, and golden lightning surged like a tidal wave, sending a jolt of fear through Azuchiyama Michiyuki, causing him to shiver uncontrollably.

"——Raiou!"

The golden lightning arced forward in a powerful slash, resembling a giant bird made of electricity, its enormous beak aimed straight at him. Despite Azuchiyama's full Magic Power defense, the massive beak shattered it effortlessly, sending violent tremors throughout his body.

Lightning-type special abilities were known for their immense power, far more capable of breaking through Magic Power defenses than other types.

In a confrontation between Magic Power slashes and defenses, it essentially became a contest of raw Magic Power. The more Magic Power one possessed, the greater their advantage in magical combat.

This was why leagues ranked Magic Power totals as the most important factor for level evaluations, and why Stella was hailed as a once-in-a-decade genius.

Touka's total Magic Power and control were both rated B, placing her among the very best, with her mastery over lightning far surpassing that of her opponent.

"Whoa——!! Is she really going all out now? Amazing! With one slash, she broke through the defense of one of the top ten students at the academy. This is what we expect from Hagun Academy's strongest! But why did she suddenly get so serious?"

"She must've heard someone cheering for her and couldn't help but want to show her best side. Girls her age can be so simple~!"

Saikyou Nene, sitting at the commentary booth, rolled her eyes as she watched someone in the corner angrily cheering.

In the arena, Azuchiyama Michiyuki's full Magic Power defense crumbled, and his expression turned frantic.

"——Shippu Jinrai!"

In the blink of an eye, the girl, as powerful as a demon, crossed several meters in a flash, her katana returning to its sheath at the same time.

The black scabbard of her treasured blade, Narukami, crackled with visible surges of lightning.

"This is bad...!"

Azuchiyama Michiyuki's pupils dilated in fear.

He recognized that stance.

It had become so famous that it was now synonymous with Toudou Touka's name. You can find it anywhere online. This stance, which gave her absolute control over cross-range combat, was said to even make the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival King tremble — her extraordinarily powerful Noble Art:

"——Raikiri!"

The girl let out a cold, low roar.

In that instant, a dazzling ray of lightning illuminated the entire arena, blinding everyone in a flash.

The lightning plasma scattered, and the brilliant white light scorched the entire field of vision. Overwhelming thermal energy erupted instantly.

In the face of this immense speed, all actions seemed like fleeting illusions, just out of reach.

With just one slash, the outcome was already decided.

"Boom——!"

When the electric light dissipated, the deafening sound of an explosive sonic boom rang out from the battle ring, reverberating throughout the entire arena.

The airflow from the extraordinary electromagnetic slash shattered, transforming into a raging storm that swept across much of the arena, affecting even the audience.

This strange phenomenon caused the audience to fall silent for a moment, only to erupt into frenzied cheers.

— The speed of that strike was far beyond the speed of sound.

This was Toudou Touka's proud Noble Art, Raikiri!

With just one slash, there was no enemy she couldn't defeat, no obstacle she couldn't break!

But with such powerful strength, why had Toudou Touka, in last year's Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival-Art Festival, not only lost to the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival King Moroboshi Yuudai but also failed to make it into the top three?

The footage from that match still circulated online, and Ryoji had seen it long ago.

In fact, last year's Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival King, Moroboshi Yuudai, wielded a spear, which had a larger range than a katana. He kept his distance, staying just outside of Toudou Touka's attack range, and it was only by maintaining that distance that he managed to win.

This proved one fact: Even last year's Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival King feared Toudou Touka's Raikiri, unwilling to face it head-on.

In the subsequent third-place match, Senior Sister Touka didn't participate at all, allowing Asagi Momiji from Bukyoku Academy to claim third place.

It was said that this happened because the director of Wakaba House suffered a heart attack and was urgently hospitalized. Senior Sister Touka immediately lost her focus on the match and rushed back to her hometown in Fukuoka that same day.

This was why Toudou Touka ended up ranking only fourth in the national standings last year... However, she truly had the strength to be at least in the top two nationally.

"With a flash of lightning! Toudou Touka successfully defeats Azuchiyama Michiyuki! The referee raises both hands, signaling the end of the match! The competition is over!"

On the battlefield, Azuchiyama Michiyuki had already collapsed and was unconscious. Toudou Touka quietly sheathed her Spiritual Item, which dissipated from her hand. She then silently turned and gracefully disappeared through the gate.

The audience erupted into cheers, celebrating the victory of the strongest student at the academy.

Ryoji stood up and left his seat.

No wonder.

"No wonder Kanata the rich lady said I'm no match for Senior Sister. She wasn't wrong."

Ryoji felt an immense pressure.

Senior Sister's strength was formidable, and her natural talent was exceptional; otherwise, she wouldn't have been chosen by the Master.

Her physical abilities and Magic Power were far superior to his. Her regular combat prowess left him in the dust, and her killer Noble Art Raikiri, with its Divine Speed, could easily rival his Lightning Flint, which drained all his Magic Power.

After all, the upper limit of the speed he could achieve with his Absolute Divine Speed was determined by his Magic Power. With his current Magic Power, he could only reach supersonic speeds. If he pushed beyond that, his special ability would fail.

This was also why his Blazer level was only E-Rank. Otherwise, he would have long since been upgraded to B-Rank or even A-Rank.

Moreover, upon reflection, Raikiri was probably even stronger.

Because Senior Sister's sword attacks were infused with Magic Power, and Electromancers were famous for their attack capabilities. Her Blazer profile clearly showed her attack power was the highest level of A.

In contrast, Ryoji had no Magic Power infused in his blade because he used all of it for his slashing special ability. Even though his sword speed exceeded the speed of sound, his attack power was still rated as C-Rank. This level of attack power might not even be enough to break through Stella's Empress Dress.

If he were to face Senior Sister now... it would likely be a fight with many losses and few wins.

Even though he had innate intuition and could perceive the weaknesses in every attack with his Insight Eye, and was highly skilled in swordplay, the overwhelming gap in Magic Power and physical ability left him with little chance of turning the tide.

In the end, it was because he had wasted too much of the first fourteen years of his life.

If only he could match Senior Sister in either Magic Power or physical ability, Ryoji was confident that he would never lose.

Training!

He absolutely needed to train!

Regardless of Magic Power, at least in terms of physical ability, he could not afford to remain so weak!

"Oh, Little Junior Brother, you're looking unusually motivated today, huh?"

Saikyou Nene, having just left the commentary booth, spotted Ryoji walking toward her with a determined look on his face. She couldn't help but cover her face with a fan again.

"So, you've come to your senses, huh? How about it? Will you agree to the conditions I proposed this morning? If you do, Jibakujin is yours to use anytime!"

"I've thought it through... but just to be clear, I won't wear women's clothes!"

"…Tch!"

(End of Chapter)

(Translator- Jibakujin ("Earthbind Formation"): One of Nene's Noble Arts, where she uses her gravitational powers to make her targets 20 meters around her 10x heavier making them fall to the ground. She is able to increase it to at least 100x.)

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