[49] The Beginning of the Selection Battles

The Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival selection battles at Hagun Academy officially began in the second week.

It must be said that Eiji had drawn a bad lot. Perhaps due to his usual streak of luck, he ended up facing Kanata Totokubara, the second strongest student in the academy, in his very first match.

However, it could also be considered good luck that he didn't have to face his senior sister in the first round… Maybe it really was good luck?

In any case, his luck always seemed to be in a Schrödinger-like state—whether it was good or bad was hard to determine.

"But Kanata is also incredibly strong. I can't afford to let my guard down," Eiji reminded himself inwardly, knowing he couldn't afford to be careless.

Although his ability was powerful, it was limited by his mana and physical stamina. Many of the tricks he could pull off with his Absolute GodSpeed were out of reach in normal combat, and while his potential was high, it came at the cost of near-death.

Fortunately, the rules of the selection battles were somewhat in his favor.

To prevent students from dying accidentally, each arena was equipped with several regeneration pods, and teachers were on standby throughout the matches. If anything went wrong, the match would be stopped immediately, and the critically injured student would be placed in a regeneration pod.

Therefore, Eiji could use his Absolute GodSpeed without hesitation during the matches, without worrying about whether he would be saved if he fell into a near-death state.

In a normal battle, Eiji couldn't use his Absolute GodSpeed recklessly, but in formal competitions like this, there were no such restrictions.

However, he couldn't afford to underestimate his opponents. Staying humble was crucial.

After all, a Blazer's ability was like a treasure chest—you never knew what kind of incredible, special ability your opponent might have until it was revealed.

If an opponent's ability completely countered his own, or if the compatibility was extremely poor, Eiji could easily end up losing.

Absolute GodSpeed was far from an invincible ability. Just off the top of his head, Eiji could think of several abilities that could counter it, such as Hyper Regeneration or Absolute Defense.

Abilities like these naturally countered his Absolute GodSpeed. No matter how fast he was, it wouldn't matter if he couldn't break through his opponent's defenses or if his opponent simply couldn't be killed.

***

Monday.

There was a mandatory class in the morning—Mana Control—but Eiji skipped it entirely. He only showed up at the arena in the afternoon, just as the matches were about to begin.

During the selection battles, classes at Hagun Academy were only held in the mornings. The afternoons and evenings were reserved for the battles, and students without matches were free to do as they pleased.

Eiji didn't have a match today.

His match against Kanata was scheduled for Wednesday, but his senior sister Touka, Stella, Nagi Arisuin, and Kurogane Shizuku all had matches today.

While he didn't care much about the others, he absolutely had to watch his senior sister's match.

"Good, I'm not late."

Eiji jogged into the ninth training ground, relieved to see that the match hadn't started yet.

His jet-black hair still had a few droplets of water, and he carried the faint scent of shampoo. Clearly, he had just taken a shower and rushed over without even drying his hair properly.

Eiji stretched his shoulders, feeling the lingering soreness throughout his body, and couldn't help but twitch his lips.

"That damn legal l0li, couldn't she have gone easier on me?"

Although he had visited the infirmary and had a healing teacher remove all the bruises, the exhaustion from overexertion still lingered in his muscles.

He muttered to himself as he walked into the spacious training ground.

In truth, this level of pain was nothing new to him, but he liked to complain as a way of expressing his frustration with the legal loli.

It was noon.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the steel structure of the arena, and the overhead lights were fully focused on the combat ring. The bowl-shaped spectator stands, capable of holding thousands of people, were already filled with hundreds of spectators.

"The second match has concluded! Next up is the third match of the day! As expected, the student council president's popularity is through the roof!"

"Hello, everyone! I'm Tsukuyomi from the Broadcasting Club, and joining me for commentary is none other than Nene Saikyo-sensei! Please say hello, Saikyo-sensei!"

"Ossu~"

"Not very enthusiastic, are we…? Well, let's introduce the highly anticipated competitors! First, representing the third years, we have a C-Rank knight who defeated the representative of Tonrou Academy in last year's exchange match! A master of dual swords and one of the top ten strongest students in the academy—Azuchiyama Michizuki-senpai!"

"Strong, huh~"

"Stop with the monotone! Can't you show a little more enthusiasm?"

The excited voice of the announcer and the bored commentary of Nene echoed throughout the arena.

"The match just started. Perfect timing."

Eiji emerged from the passageway and made his way to the spectator stands.

The arena was vast. Even if every student at Hagun Academy gathered here, they wouldn't fill a tenth of the seats. With everyone's attention focused on the combat ring, Eiji slipped into a dimly lit corner without drawing any attention.

In the 100-meter-wide combat ring.

A third-year senior emerged from the red gate. His face was tense, and beads of sweat dripped from his forehead. It was clear that he was under immense pressure and extremely nervous.

"And now, from the blue gate! The student council president and the current top-ranked student in the academy! She has finally arrived!"

The announcer, though a young girl, spoke with fervor and excitement, as if just seeing this girl filled her with pride.

"Last year, she stormed through the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival, making it all the way to the semifinals! Unfortunately, she was defeated by last year's Sword King, Yudai Moroboshi, falling just short of the pinnacle! But this year, she's back, ready to fight for the top once more! Has her unparalleled blade been honed even sharper than last year? Let's wait and see!"

As the announcement continued, the blue gate on the other side of the ring slowly opened.

A girl with chestnut-colored long hair stepped out.

Unlike her usual gentle demeanor, Touka had shed all her softness. Her large glasses were gone, and her eyes were sharp, with what seemed like electric sparks flickering within them.

She exuded the full aura of a swordsman, surrounded by an intimidating presence. To her opponent, she looked like a fierce demon, radiating overwhelming aggression.

"Senior sister is so cool!"

Eiji had to admit, he was completely captivated.

***

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