The Blue Star of Talent
The blue star. The spectator seats, which had been filled with roaring cheers just moments ago, were now completely silent. Every single person was utterly absorbed in the sparring match unfolding inside the arena. Hestia's Holy Sword and Elisha's spear blade traced brilliant, dancing arcs through the air. The slender trails of mana they released became weapons in their own right, streaking toward each other from every corner of the arena. Yet neither of them allowed even a single minor strike to land.
'She hasn't even brushed the threshold of Transcendence, yet she moves like that...!'
Paern, the Transcendent, could scarcely believe his own eyes. The two women moved like twin gusts of wind, and no matter how hard he stared, the sight refused to make sense. Unlike Arie, who had been chosen by the gods in childhood and became the Saintess, he had heard the Hero had only recently become the master of the Holy Sword. Of course, given her unparalleled talent, it was only natural for her growth to operate on an entirely different scale. Even so, the level of skill she displayed in this match was breathtaking.
He had assumed that, aside from the abnormally powerful Saintess, no student could possibly match the Hero. Yet what was this scene unfolding before him...?
The sky-blue-haired student facing the Hero had completely shattered Paern's expectations. If the Hero swung her blade with senses bordering on pure instinct, the student opposing her thrust her spear with precise, calculated combat technique.
'Just who is she, to stand on equal footing with the Hero?'
He had never heard of any Academy student possessing such ability. If someone existed who could keep pace with the Hero's talent, the news would have reached his ears long ago. As a Transcendent, he had eyes and ears across the entire world. No matter how strong the Academy's barrier was, the complete absence of any prior information was strange.
That left two possibilities. Either someone was deliberately concealing the student's identity and nurturing her in secret, or she had grown even faster than the Hero. The latter was almost impossible, but the former was not entirely out of the question.
'So the headmaster is raising a secret weapon.'
With that level of skill and talent, she would undoubtedly reach the realm of Transcendence one day. Paern made a mental note to remember the name Elisha.
The storm of sword and spear whipped forward at blinding speed. Hestia and Elisha were moving so fast that most students couldn't even follow them with their eyes. The truly terrifying part was that this still wasn't their full strength. If they had fought with killing intent, the arena and everything around it would have been reduced to rubble long ago.
Hestia was one thing, but Elisha seemed to have mastered her martial arts far better than he had anticipated. Her power had properly settled into her body; compared to the last time she had charged at him, the awkwardness in her movements had largely vanished.
For a brief moment he even wondered if she might actually defeat Hestia this time, but—
- Thud!
"Ugh!"
As expected, it still wasn't enough. She probably felt it too, but 'incomplete martial arts' simply couldn't bridge the gap. No matter how much of a regressor Elisha was, no matter how outstanding her combat senses, Hestia's talent that covered everything through sheer instinct already stood shoulder-to-shoulder with hers.
Besides, even if Elisha could explosively draw out her energy through her martial arts, maintaining it came with clear physical limitations.
"Haa... haa..."
"Huu..."
Elisha's movements began to slow noticeably as fatigue set in. Hestia was breathing hard as well, but she remained comparatively stable. Still, the match was nearing its time limit. If Elisha simply held on from here, it would likely end in a draw.
"Whew, it's still difficult... But a draw is still an achievement."
"Elisha, you are truly strong. This is the first time I have fought with such intensity... Ah?"
Their conversation reached my ears clearly. Unless one of them revealed their full power, I agreed with Elisha—this spar would most likely end in a draw.
Hestia might not think much of it, but for Elisha this would be a deeply memorable day. They had both shown their best sides; it would be nice if this led to them growing closer.
But... why was Hestia looking in my direction...?
"Although it is our first match... I truly wish to win."
"Huh?"
The moment Elisha faltered at the incomprehensible declaration—!
- Flash!
A powerful light erupted from the Holy Sword.
- KWAAAAAANG!!!
An enormous roar shook the arena as blinding light swallowed everything. Everyone instinctively squeezed their eyes shut at the sudden explosion.
"......!"
Paern watched the center of the light with an even more stunned expression than before. My face probably looked much the same.
Soon the dazzling radiance faded, revealing the outcome of the match for all to see.
A broken spear. Elisha, down on one knee. And standing tall across from her, Hestia, gripping the Holy Sword that burned with golden flames.
Pointing her blade at Elisha, she spoke.
"Will you continue?"
"...My weapon is already broken, what more... Ugh, I surrender..."
Whether from the pain or the shock, Elisha frowned and clutched her arm. With her surrender, the match officially ended.
"Th-the winner is Lady Hestia!!!"
WAAAAAAAAAAH!!!
The referee, who had barely recovered his senses, announced Hestia's victory. A thunderous roar erupted from the stands.
"That's not even close to a student-level match!"
"Who the hell is that sky-blue-haired girl?!"
"Did anyone catch that last attack?!"
The result was exactly what everyone had predicted. No one doubted that the Hero Hestia would win, and the outcome matched those expectations. But the process itself had been utterly shocking.
An opponent had appeared who could fight the Hero on equal terms—an opponent everyone believed would have no proper match against any student except the Saintess. It was a massive shock, and it would become the first spark that drove countless people to seek Elisha's favor in the days to come.
Hestia sheathed her Holy Sword, while Elisha rose to her feet holding her broken spear. Medical staff immediately rushed onto the arena to check on her, but Elisha waved them off, exchanged a few words with Hestia, and left the arena on her own.
Until that moment, every eye—including Paern's—remained fixed on Elisha. In this match, she had been every bit as much the protagonist as Hestia.
Watching the two of them return to the stands after refusing treatment, I thought to myself:
Hestia's final attack... She had clearly drawn upon the full power of the Holy Sword and faced the match with genuine intent. When I saw that blade burning like fire, I genuinely wondered for a second if the woman had lost her mind.
If Elisha hadn't sacrificed her weapon to block it, she might have been seriously injured. Sigh... Hestia really... Why did she suddenly get so worked up?
Even someone who usually seemed indifferent to everything apparently hated losing.
Once the arena had been somewhat cleared, the referee called the next match.
"Next up is..."
Finally, my turn. I picked up the reasonably priced sword I'd bought at the forge and stepped into the arena. From the opposite side, a young man with a somewhat gloomy expression—Pascal Myers—was walking forward. In his hand he held a dagger radiating ominous energy...
As expected, nothing had changed from the previous round. The Myers family still planned to cause that incident. Well, Elisha would handle that matter herself. My job was simply to clean up the aftermath cleanly later. For now, I needed to focus on the match.
When I glanced toward the stands, my eyes met Elisha's. She gave me a small smile and waved. I pretended not to notice and deliberately looked away.
Hestia and Arie were also seated in the stands, watching me. Good. Everyone was in position. It would have been troublesome if Elisha had been dragged off to the infirmary after Hestia's attack.
"I am Pascal Myers."
The deep voice came from ahead of me. Pascal took his stance, dagger raised. I offered no reply and simply drew my sword.
"......Huh?"
Taking my silence as provocation, Pascal's expression twisted slightly. It hadn't been intentional, but if he came at me seriously, it would actually make things easier.
"Are you prepared?"
The referee's voice carried zero anticipation. After a brief moment of finding the situation ridiculous, Pascal nodded at the referee's words. I took a loose stance and nodded as well.
"Begin!"
At the signal, ominous mana surged from Pascal's dagger. It was supposedly the family's treasured heirloom, so it really wasn't an ordinary weapon. The energy flowing from that blade was... practically malice bordering on a curse.
That guy was doomed to a short life too... When the Myers family head eventually caused a major incident at the Academy, this boy would be remembered by everyone as the one who had been thoroughly used and then discarded. It was unfortunate, but there was nothing to be done. He had brought it upon himself.
- Clang!
Before I could even finish the thought, Pascal moved. Just before his blade could reach me, I twisted my sword at the last moment and deflected it. The attack was fairly fast, but it was nowhere near the level of Hestia or Elisha. It surpassed the average student, but only by that much.
I blocked every single one of his strikes without much emotion. Before long, the arena echoed only with the sound of blade meeting blade.
Pascal tried everything to find an opening—throwing kicks, hurling his dagger, even attempting to overpower me in a contest of strength. But every attack was stopped cold by my single sword, and impatience gradually crept into his expression.
He shouldn't be getting tired already. I was deliberately avoiding any decisive blows. At this rate the match would end as pointlessly as it had in the previous rounds.
If I wanted to show something meaningful, Pascal needed to come at me with real killing intent. Was there a good way to make that happen?
After thinking for a moment, I decided to provoke him and let the chips fall where they may.
"Hey."
"......?"
"You're boring."
"What...?"
"Fighting a goblin would probably be more fun than this."
"What the hell are you—"
"Since it's no fun, just surrender quickly and get off the stage."
"......"
The effect was spectacular.
"Y-you damn bastard!!!"
Pascal's face flushed bright red with genuine rage. The guy who had only used his dagger until now began pulling out the weapons he'd hidden in his clothes one after another—small daggers, needles, strange explosives. Every single one was a tool perfectly suited for real combat.
I put on a slightly flustered expression and darted around the arena.
- Boom!
Explosions erupted from every direction. I subtly glanced toward the stands.
Hestia, the Hero, watching with a worried frown. Arie, the Saintess, observing with a calm, trusting expression. And Elisha, the regressor, watching Pascal with a completely blank face.
...Why is she expressionless?
Regardless, a sufficiently flashy stage had been set. Time to begin in earnest.
I lowered the sword in my right hand and slowly raised my left. Sensing danger in the sudden movement, Pascal quickly retreated. It was the optimal decision given the circumstances, but it only made my task easier.
- Thump!
The sky grew dark. Light vanished, replaced by a pitch-black space that resembled the night sky itself.
I stretched my arm toward the heavens.
The Five Stars Rise
The Academy's sky was dyed in five beautiful, radiant colors. While everyone stared in awe, I reached out toward one of them. The star containing blue light shone with powerful brilliance, wrapping me in a warm embrace.
Preparation was complete. If one possessed only outstanding talent and the proper eyes, anyone would attain enlightenment.