Bullet Deflected!!
-The bullet!!
-He deflected the bullet!!
Vernon's booming commentary echoed through the speakers. But Timothy, the instructor from Croa Academy, couldn't hear a word.
When shock hits too hard, people lose their voices. That's exactly what had happened to Timothy right now.
"Buh, bullet, bullet……."
He mumbled with his mouth hanging open.
Suddenly, Timothy whipped his head toward Romina beside him.
"How the hell do you deflect a bullet with a sword?! This is cheating, right?!"
A rifle bullet clocks in at 800 meters per second.
Ichef's magic tool bullet was at least twice that speed.
It was practically lightspeed—end to end across a massive bridge in under a second.
"This is cheating……."
Timothy wailed in despair.
He spat the words out like a machine gun, even spraying saliva. But Romina endured all his rudeness.
The reason? Arcana had just crushed Croa, obviously. Savoring the winner's leisure, Romina smirked with one corner of her mouth.
"Aww~ Doesn't Croa teach that?"
"……What?"
"As soon as the freshmen arrive at Arcana, Karsen drills it into them first. Deflecting bullets with a sword."
Romina teased him shamelessly, and Timothy's face turned beet red.
"Th-that! They're really first-years? It's gotta be ringers! I knew something was off since that cave!"
"Them? You wanna say that to my prized pupil?"
Romina's eyes narrowed.
Frustrated, Timothy clamped his lips shut and let out a groan.
"Ughhh……."
It was a total rout.
If Zien hadn't joined, Croa Academy might've actually contended for the win, just as Timothy predicted.
But they drew the short straw.
"You can't judge Zien by normal standards. Didn't you see him hold off Desire all by himself?"
Romina bragged like a proud parent.
Shrinking under her smug demeanor, Timothy cowered.
"Still, how does he…… block a bullet……."
His voice grew smaller and smaller.
She knew it too. A teacher's pride shines through their students. With Zien's victory, today was Romina's total domination.
Just then, Roman and Ichef were ejected from the virtual gate. Timothy headed out to greet his students. Romina watched her dejected rival's back with triumphant glee.
"Heh heh, feels like a weight's lifted off my chest."
"Tch, you two get along? Or hate each other?"
"Hmph, obviously hate."
Romina snapped back at Karsen's question, then slyly glanced at his face. Karsen gazed contentedly at Zien on the screen. At his expression, Romina gave a faint smile.
"You're not playing favorites too much?"
"It's not favoritism. It's support."
"Support?"
"……You know about that interview I had with Zien before?"
Karsen spoke while still watching the screen.
"Ah, with Daven?"
"That's when I felt it. Zien's got real poise."
Poise.
The unexpected word piqued Romina's curiosity. It didn't seem tied to skill.
"Poise?"
Unable to hold back, Romina asked, and Karsen continued in his low, deliberate rumble.
"How does a normal person react to a surprise attack?"
"Mm…… They'd be startled?"
"What if they break the rules and pull out a weapon?"
"They'd get pissed."
"Yeah, that's normal."
When Daven broke the rules and summoned his magic tool, Zien hadn't flinched.
That was within reason, sure.
Even a student with top-tier skill wouldn't panic against Daven.
But facing someone threatening your life with total detachment? Not easy.
Yet in the interview, Zien showed no real emotional shift.
No fear, not even the usual anger—just calm as a still lake.
That's more vital than strength in a gate where anything can happen.
A quality honed over a lifetime.
"Zien's got a big vessel. He's not meant to be boxed in by the academy. He needs to soar higher."
That's why Karsen had quietly backed Zien all along.
"Now it's just Celia Academy left, huh?"
Romina mused.
If Zien beat Lucia and Arcana took the crown, what changes would sweep the school? To her, it was minor stuff.
For starters, Arcana's image would shine brighter on broadcast. Good news for teacher Romina. Plus, the staff wouldn't have to tiptoe around Principal Selphis anymore.
"He better win. Then the principal won't throw his tantrums……."
But Romina had her own reason for rooting for Zien's victory.
"Yeah, he has to win."
Because no one wanted Arcana's triumph more than Karsen.
On the second floor of the fortified school building.
Lucia Elquenes stared out the window at the sky.
The blood moon had set, giving way to a clear sky with the sun rising high. She yearned for that eternally dazzling orb.
Why didn't you choose me, Family Head……?
Lucia thought of someone.
The current family head.
The 'Sun' of House Elquenes.
Gellua Elquenes.
With black hair like Lucia's, she was the one Lucia admired and followed above all.
So why wasn't she the sun Gellua had chosen? Lucia possessed talent unmatched in family history. If she wanted it, claiming heir status would be child's play.
But Lucia didn't crave the family's position. Without Gellua's acknowledgment, the sun's throne meant nothing.
Yet today, Gellua sat in the VIP seats at Central Dome.
Waves of swirling, crashing thoughts. A voice called her back.
"One hour left, Party Leader."
Kua gazed at Lucia from the side.
The uninhabited island crumbled from the edges inward. At this rate, the whole thing would sink in an hour. Like it or not, the participants had to fight.
"So it seems."
Proof: six parties were linking up on the school grounds below. Everyone except Arcana Party. Lucia looked down at them with icy composure.
An oppressive aura befitting her 'Emperor' moniker.
"The weak band together. To drag down the strong."
Just as his brilliant exploits drew envy, so too did they make him a target. Rebels unite the masses to topple tyrants.
"A familiar tale."
Lucia simply drew her sword.
Numbers meant nothing to someone of her caliber.
Zien, drained to his limits.
Chris, reeling from magic art backlash.
Isabel, relatively unscathed.
Arcana Party was resting up in an old restaurant.
"This building won't collapse on us, right?"
Isabel glanced at the ceiling.
Whoosh.
Powder sifted down right on cue.
No human touch in ages—dust blanketed the tables, chairs creaked like in a haunted ruin.
"Still, spots this prime are rare."
As Zien said, facilities were rundown, but the restaurant sat apart from other buildings.
Any intruder would expose themselves bare to reach it.
"But hanging out like this? Your outfits look hilarious."
Chris snickered.
Arcana Party's costumes were all over the place. Zien in Zone 3 black martial robes, Isabel in Zone 4 red robes, Chris in Zone 1 black suit.
Each a design team's masterpiece for the party—but together? Total mismatch.
"What, like some game characters in this getup……."
"Nah, they suit you. All red like a tomato."
Isabel bristled with killing intent, but the bolder Chris ignored it and chugged a mana drink.
"You guys are insane, though. How'd you hoard all these items?"
S-rank artifact to oust Ichef. Knight's Oath buffs on food. Thirty mana drinks. No wonder Chris was stunned.
"I burned through most fighting."
Truth was, aside from mana drinks, Zien had soloed the rest. That's how they dropped Ichef. Golden box supplies refilled mana and sated hunger too.
Tournament late-stage, but Arcana was in solid shape.
"Weird, though—no other participants in sight?"
The restaurant sat central in what should've been bustling urban core. Yet Isabel spotted zero contestants en route.
"Yeah, something's off. No people, not even ants."
Mana flickered in Chris's eyes.
Condition improving—he could manage Truth Eye now.
Even with x-ray vision layered on, just empty buildings.
Zien got it instantly from Amy's message. Invisible contestants. powerhouse champ Celia in battle. Obvious answer.
"……An alliance?"
Celia was the foe, after all.
If the rest truly allied, they'd have a shot at beating Celia.
At least nine, factory-style. Or maybe……
How many went for Celia? Who won? Zien's curiosity didn't last. The system provided answers.
Current Survivors: 6
Of 33 parties, only 2 remain.
Only one other party left besides Arcana.
"Guess Celia won."
Chris drew his dagger.
Black suit and blue dagger oozed unbalanced charm.
Final Rule: Tournament.
30 seconds until Circular Arena entry.
"And it's a tournament?"
Isabel smoothed her disheveled red hair into a single braid. Her robe-like costume paired seamlessly with her glove magic tool.
Tournament.
Survival game till now. Tournament? Pure power clash—paradise for combat magic tools.
Victory hinged on variables, but no shock.
As Amy said, predicted. Isabel and Chris were Zien's special training comrades.
Zien trusted his party most of all.
"Everyone ready?"
Zien gripped his pitch-black sword and stood.
The grand finale.
Time to end it—and begin.
My Previous Life was the Strongest Sword God