The Vain One (5)
The air screamed as it was viciously sliced apart.
Right after, a single spear came hurtling forward. It was a straight, brutally fast descending strike. I calmly raised the flat of my sword like a shield.
Thud—!
A heavy impact jolted through my fingertips. My body was naturally pushed back. The monstrous strength was hard to believe coming from such a slender frame. While I steadied my stance against the tingling sensation, a taunt flew at me as if it had been waiting.
“You’re holding up better than I expected? I thought you’d go down in one hit.”
Her lips twisted viciously. In the girl’s hand was a spear shaped from ice. It was Emilia’s ability, Frostbind.
“Still, you’re nothing but a bug!!”
Shiiiing—!
The sharp sound of something flying in at high speed came from behind me. I lightly twisted my body to dodge it.
Crunch—!
What embedded itself in the ground was a single arrow. When I turned my head, I saw additional ice shards flying in from my blind spot. A surprise attack aimed at my opening. However, I didn’t panic.
“Oh dear~ This is troublesome.”
Swoosh—!
My leisurely swung blade cut the arrow clean in two. The ice fragments clattered to the floor.
“Tsk…!”
The girl clicked her tongue and retreated. Her blue eyes were filled with thick irritation. Was she shaken? The bubble-headed top student she thought would collapse easily had been fluidly blocking her attacks from the very beginning.
I smiled faintly.
“It seems things aren’t going quite as you planned?”
“Ha…!”
She let out a hollow laugh. Had she never expected to hear such provocation from the bug she’d been ignoring? As expected, her mentality was easily rattled.
“How dare you…!”
“Whoops.”
Creeeaaak!!
A sharp explosive sound burst forth. The emotionally driven spear thrust was swallowed by shadow. For a moment, we locked blades and engaged in a contest of strength. Her wide eyes burned with murderous intent.
Grind… Thud!
I shoved away the girl who was pressing in fiercely. The recoil created a slight distance between us.
“This is disappointing.”
I continued my cheerful trash-talk.
“You spoke with such confidence that I had high expectations… yet thirty minutes have passed and you haven’t even grazed me once.”
“Shut up.”
“At this rate, keeping your top spot will be difficult.”
“I said shut up…!”
Ah, this is bliss. This is what dopamine feels like. Her reactions were excellent, making the provocation all the more satisfying. Even as I deflected the occasional sharp thrusts of her spear, I kept up my cheerful psychological warfare.
“How about trying to at least hit the tip of my foot?”
“I’ll tear you apart. That mouth of yours, without fail…!”
“Oh, I’m looking forward to it~? May I ask when exactly you plan to tear it?”
“How dare you speak to the daughter of House Vanity…!”
“The level of House Vanity is truly revealing. To think their heir is only this capable.”
Clang!Crunch, screech…!
The sharper the noises grew, the more the girl was swept up in her emotions. Before long, the duel had become completely one-sided.
“Haa… haa…!”
Emilia was now breathing heavily, as if exhausted. Her blue hair was drenched in sweat. At this point her legs should have been giving out, yet she still gripped her spear. A venomous one indeed.
“Huu… heuk…!”
“Your skill is certainly impressive… but your opponent was simply too poor a match.”
This was sincere. No matter how enjoyable the trash-talk, I had no intention of deliberately tearing her down. Emilia was undoubtedly one of the greatest geniuses of this generation. Her solid fundamentals, honed through relentless effort. The overwhelming frost magic, followed by spearmanship, sniping, and psychological warfare that had already surpassed the student level. With a bit of exaggeration, two Emilias could probably take on Charlotte. There was no doubt her talent would be recorded in history.
It was well-founded confidence. The girl had every right to it.
Only… her opponent simply wasn’t human.
“Haha~ Attacks like that will never reach me, you know?”
Clang—!
I knocked away another arrow flying in from my blind spot. The frost fragments fell powerlessly. Even among the spectators, murmurs began to spread.
The students couldn’t hide their shock.
Emilia must have heard them too. The whispers of the crowd. The prestige she had built up until now was crumbling, and the stage she had meticulously prepared had become a trap that ensnared her instead. It was the perfect moment to rip open the scars left by her inferiority complex.
“Wouldn’t it be better to forfeit now?”
“…….”
I returned the exact words the girl had spoken before the duel began. Since I had decided to take this seriously, I intended to trample her until she was nothing but rags. Of course, it seemed the girl couldn’t accept that.
After steadying her breathing for a moment, she clenched her fists and glared at me.
“……Who do you think you are.”
A sticky killing intent radiated from her. How persistent. It looked like she intended to see this through to the end.
Emilia discarded the ice spear she was holding and brought her hands together, beginning to draw out her power. Her once clear blue eyes had already grown cloudy.
“I will never lose to someone like you… I absolutely… cannot lose.”
Crackle, snap—!
Blue sparks flew. The mana within her body began to explode. She was forcing the remaining mana to collide, creating an artificial ‘Mana Overload’ state through millions of frictions. It was an insane application that would be impossible with ordinary control.
Within the turbulent flow, her red lips began to chant.
“O cruel winter.”
Before records were ever written. O Meribel, who once made frost flowers bloom across an innocent world. Hear the call of me, the rightful heir of the snow. I seek your magnificent slaughter. Gathering the tears of fallen witches to build a tower of sorrow.
“Erase everything.”
Emilia Ryu — Frost Magic Secret Art
『Frostbite』
The moment the chant ended, the temperature around us plummeted in an instant. Pure white frost began to form at the girl’s feet, and clear breaths puffed from her lips. Behind Emilia, massive chunks of glacial ice had risen into the air.
“Haa…….”
Ten thousand ice spears filled the sky. I took in the spectacular sight and twisted my lips into a smirk.
She had finally brought out her ultimate technique.
It was always something I had only seen through a screen in the game. Facing it directly like this felt strangely fresh.
Shrrrrrk—!
The pressure was no joke. It felt instinctively overwhelming. Even the noisy students in the stands had fallen silent.
“…….”
“…….”
Our gazes met for a brief moment. Neither of our eyes held any trace of defeat. Only the venomous resolve or absolute certainty that each of us would win remained.
A fleeting standoff.
“Winter.”
The fragile peace shattered.
Her red lips completed the final phrase.
“Rage.”
At the same time.
The ten thousand spears that had decorated the sky all came pouring down at once. Like a downpour of pale blue.
Shwaaaaaaaa—!!
The fierce rain of spears was naturally aimed at the spot where I stood. A waterfall of spears promising utter despair.
But.
“Heh heh.”
Even in such a situation, I laughed. As if I couldn’t contain how much fun I was having.
“Beautiful.”
Since my opponent had shown me something wonderful first, it was my turn to show her something now.
I slowly extended my hand. Rippling black mist. I calmly condensed a Lie.
Shwaaaaaack—!!
A noise that tore through the surrounding atmosphere. I formed a gun with my index finger and aimed it at the pouring rain of spears. The shadows writhed.
“Heh heh.”
There was no need for anything as grandiose as what I had done with Charlotte. It was simply a difference in rank. I would crush her with pure output.
The power gathered at my fingertips. Like pulling a trigger, I murmured the chant.
“Shatter.”
Click.
The next instant, the entire arena was dyed pitch black.
Lie — Shatter
The students were all buzzing with excitement.
The duel between the bubble top student and the villainous young lady.
Though they didn’t express it as openly as Emilia, many students had secretly questioned the results of the class placement exam. For them, this duel was bound to be interesting. It was finally a chance to properly witness the boy’s true ability—the one they hadn’t been able to see last time because of Charlotte’s barrier.
“Who do you think will win?”
“Obviously Lady Vanity, right?”
“I thought so.”
“She’s just that outstanding. If it weren’t for Her Highness the Princess, she would have taken the top spot long ago.”
“They say no one her age can match her in frost magic.”
No one was expecting an upset. Everyone knew the weight behind the name ‘Emilia.’
“I’m betting Lady Vanity wins within one minute.”
“Then I’ll go with thirty seconds!”
“Aren’t you all underestimating her too much…? I think five seconds.”
The students in the stands each made their predictions. The top student’s defeat was considered certain.
However.
Contrary to what the students who thought it would be one-sided had predicted, the fight turned into a fierce, close battle.
《Clang! Grind…! Thud!》
At first, both seemed to be fighting with everything they had.
“What? He’s holding on longer than I thought?”
“His movements are clean, and his footwork isn’t bad… Didn’t they call him a bubble?”
“Yeah, he’s on a high level.”
“In the end Lady Vanity will win, but… huh?”
As time passed, the atmosphere grew strange. The flow began tilting heavily to one side. A clear gap was forming.
Emilia was starting to show signs of exhaustion, while the boy continued to dodge with ease. He hadn’t attacked even once.
“W-wait… what the hell are we even watching?”
“Lady Vanity can’t even put up any resistance? Is she feeling unwell…?”
“The bubble top student is fighting way too well.”
It looks like he’s completely dominating her.
“He’s been deliberately only defending this whole time. It’s like he’s… toying with Lady Vanity.”
The villainous young lady was visibly being pushed back. The stands were filled with confusion. It had already been shocking that he could keep up with Emilia, but now he had gone beyond that and was overwhelming her. The unexpected development delivered a powerful shock.
What on earth was happening?
According to the rumors, he was supposed to be nothing more than an ordinary talent. Then what exactly were they seeing right now?
“This can’t be.”
“Lady Vanity is being toyed with…?”
One hypothesis flashed through their minds. The class placement exam that had caused such a huge backlash. Charlotte, who had forfeited. Could it be that she hadn’t given up on a whim, but because she genuinely couldn’t win against him?
It was an absurd thought.
“No way that could be true……”
The air grew chaotic. And at that very moment.
The duel finally raced toward its climax.
《Winter.》
The cornered girl looked more precarious than ever. It was as if she were walking on a razor’s edge. Yet she did not retreat. Forcing the last of her mana to explode, she drew out the maximum output she could muster. Deep blue ice covered the sky.
“Oh my god… what the hell is that?”
“I knew she was one of the greatest geniuses, but to think she had reached this level…?”
“The entire arena is going to get destroyed.”
“Isn’t someone going to die from this?”
“The supervisors should stop this…!?”
They urgently looked for the professors, but the instructors merely watched in silence. And finally.
The girl’s lips finished the chant. The ten thousand spears that had densely filled the sky like stars began to move.
《Rage.》
Kwaaaaaaaa—!
A roar that pierced the eardrums. The fiercely raging winter descended with the momentum to swallow everything in the world. It truly looked like a scene of destruction.
“Kyaaaaah!”
“What do we do!”
“No matter how strong the top student is, if he gets swept up in those spears he’ll at least be seriously injured…!”
The children stepped back, expecting a catastrophe.
But.
The boy was different. The snake who had been quietly chuckling alone remained standing in place. Then he raised a finger and pointed it at the sky.
Was he insane? The situation called for immediate retreat, yet he stood frozen. The students screamed.
Regardless, the boy moved his lips.
《Shatter.》
For the briefest moment, his previously narrowed eyes opened. Transparent, shining white pupils. It felt as if time had stopped.
Right after.
A single handful of shadow shot from his fingertips. It pierced through the rain of spears, then rapidly spread in all directions. The sky was dyed pitch black.
《Crunch, cruuuunch—!》
In an instant, they were coated. The ice spears whose surfaces had been covered in jet black froze in midair. Dripping shadows.
Snap—!
Then the boy flicked his finger. Elegantly.
The next moment.
《Clink-claaang!!》
Ten thousand spears of ice. All shattered at once. The ferocious winter scattered into countless fragments. They broke and broke again into tiny pieces.
Whiiiish—.
Black snow fell. Following the gently blowing wind, the black snowflakes danced with graceful beauty. Like a snowfield drenched in night.
It was alien, yet beautiful. The spectators’ eyes were naturally drawn to the soft layers piling up on the arena floor. A mesmerizing sight that glowed faintly.
“…….”
The stands had fallen into complete silence. The students stared blankly at the winter mixed with shadow, even forgetting the chaos from moments before.
Crunch, crunch—.
A scene resembling a handful of dreams. Within the dreamlike landscape, a single boy walked alone. The snake asked generously.
《Do you still wish to continue?》
It was a whisper that could enchant a person’s soul.