Gakusen Toshi Asterisk - Volume 14 - Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3 
ROUND FIVE II 
Not even they knew the specifics of how or when they had been born. Even from their earliest memories, they had already been themselves. They had been born to an executive at Elliot-Pound but had been cast aside immediately upon realization of their unique nature, and then they had been entrusted to the care of a facility affiliated with the foundation. When it finally came to light that they were a Dante with a singularly terrifying ability, they had been transferred to a military facility, before eventually winding up in the care of Saint Gallardworth Academy’s intelligence organization, Sinodomius. 
That was the full extent of their personal history. They had always been the cause of problems no matter where they had found themselves and had never been able to fit in. They had neither friends nor guardians nor confidants—nor, for that matter, did they need such people. It was enough just to have themselves. 
There were twelve of them in total—their serious natural-born leader Aigredure, the weak-hearted and quick-to-tears Almace, the blunt yet kind-natured Balisarda, the cool and composed Baptême, the childlike and selfish Florence, the envious and mistrustful Belan, the frivolous and jovial Clarmie, the quiet and languid Floberge, the taciturn and militaristic Glorieuse, the vulgar and short-tempered Goltmale, the flamboyant and hedonistic Murgleys, and the brooding and melancholic Tranchera—and they recognized, respected, and acknowledged each other implicitly, with no one personality dominating the others. 
Of course, there were some personalities that didn’t always get along with each other, and it wasn’t rare for them to quarrel among themselves, but none of them had ever broken their agreed system of letting a different personality rise to the surface with each new day as a way of giving every one of them an equal share of control. They understood just how different they were, how everyone else in the world viewed them—and they understood also that they were the only ones in whom they would ever be able to find comfort. 
That was why, when they had been asked to decide on a single name upon entering Gallardworth, they had decided unanimously not to take the name of any one of them but rather to create a new appellation: the Black Knight. Their individual names had all been taken from tales that they had read long ago, while the title of Black Knight provided them with a feeling of solidarity. 
If there was any one reason why the Black Knight had entered the Lindvolus, it was simply that they had been ordered to do so. They each had their own interests and preferences, but as the Black Knight, there was no one wish they all wanted to have granted. 
That said, if they had to come up with a wish, it would probably be that they could live as they were now forever. That was why the Black Knight fought as instructed—because by doing so, they could guarantee their present state of affairs. 
“Heh-heh-heh… So it’s finally my turn. It’s about time!” 
In their dark prep room at the Canopus Dome, a solitary figure sat muttering to themselves cheerfully on the sofa—but it wasn’t long before their brows knitted in a frown. 
“We get it, Belan. Seriously, can’t you give it a rest? There’s no way we’re going to lose.” 
The figure—the Black Knight—lifted both hands into the air in exasperation, when their lips suddenly twisted into a dark grimace. 
“Quiet! Who are you to talk, Glorieuse?! You can barely even wield a sword! Just watch, I’ll…! Damn it! Murgleys, what the hell are you…?!” 
Only the Black Knight’s voice echoed throughout the prep room. There was no one else. 
They continued their debate until finally the time came for them to go to their match—or rather, until just before they entered the stage. 
“Okay, it’s finally time! First up we’ve got Seidoukan Academy’s number eleven, Lester MacPhail, who has breezed through all his matches thus far with his overwhelming power! And on the other side we’ve got this year’s dark horse, seemingly unconcerned about the penalty he received for his brutal rampage earlier in the tournament, Saint Gallardworth Academy’s Black Knight! Keep your eyes peeled, folks, ’cause only one of them can come out of this match on top!” 
“H-hold on, Christie, calm down…” 
Listening as the commentator, Ren’ya Gotou, attempted to calm the announcer, Christie Baudouin, Lester grasped his favorite Lux, the Bardiche-Leo, in one hand as he sized up the competition. 
His opponent, with his rainbow-colored hair and leather mask, and brandishing a pair of long knife-type Luxes, was the very image of abnormality. 
The Black Knight, huh…? He may be a Dante with multiple personalities, but that’s too shady… 
That ability of his, by which he had clad himself in some kind of dark mud during the preliminaries, did indeed look powerful, but its user had also been particularly reckless. Normally, a contestant who lost his head like that and assaulted his opponent beyond what was necessary would have been disqualified. Gallardworth’s official explanation had tried to brush it aside by claiming that he’d lost all restraint, but that was difficult to believe as well. And the fact that the Executive Committee had taken that account hook, line, and sinker and merely halved his awarded points as a penalty was even harder to accept. 
“Ah? Hey, you! You got something to say to me?!” the Black Knight called angrily, having clearly lost his patience. 
“…Not really.” 
“Damn it, does everyone here think they can look down on me?! I’ll hack you to pieces in no time, just wait!” 
“Right, right, whatever you say,” Lester replied as if brushing away a barking dog, before heading toward his starting position. 
Lester didn’t resent his opponent or anything of that sort. Up until just a short time ago, he, too, had been far from a saint. He had been quick to anger, and when things hadn’t gone his way, he had been the first to find fault. A certain rival of his had always managed to incense him beyond reason, but it was that same rival who had prompted him to take a careful look at his own failings and mend his ways. 
That person was Julis-Alexia von Riessfeld. 
He had challenged her on several occasions in the past, but he knew that their respective levels of ability were beyond compare. After all, she was one of the current title holders of the Phoenix and Gryps. 
He would have been lying if he said he wasn’t jealous of her success. That very success, however, had proved to be an opportunity for him to reevaluate his own weaknesses. Because as long as he couldn’t recognize those faults, he would never be able to win against her. 
And once Lester had realized all that, Xinglou Fan had appeared before him. 
“That brute strength of yours is promising. If you have a barrier you wish to overcome, follow me.” 
That was what Xinglou had said to him when she had invited him to train at her private school, the Liangshan. It was thanks to her that he had made it this far through the Lindvolus. 
If he managed to win this match, if he managed to break through to the next round just as Julis had, he would come face-to-face with her in the quarterfinals. That being the case, he couldn’t afford to lose now. 
“Round 5, Match 3—begin!” 
“Hey, now! Pay attention!” 
By the time Lester returned to his senses, the match had already gotten under way. 
The Black Knight, his head tilted back, flipped his knife-type Luxes around, gripping them underhand as he charged forward. Then, keeping low to the ground, he lashed out diagonally with both weapons. 
As Lester stepped backward to evade the strike, the Black Knight followed through with a rapid succession of additional slashes—but Lester continued to dodge each of them with a minimum of movements. 
“The match has just gotten under way, but the Black Knight has already unleashed a ferocious flurry of attacks! With that flexibility of his, he can really put just about any challenger on the back foot once he gets close enough!” 
There was no denying that those movements were incredibly fast. 
The Black Knight may have been unranked, but in terms of skill and ability, he was certainly on par with other Page Ones. 
But it would amount to nothing. 
“Is that all you’ve got?” 
“What?!” 
“That won’t work. You’re swinging those things around like an amateur relying purely on physical strength and speed. I don’t know what it’s like to have multiple personalities, but whichever one of you was wielding that blade in the second round was much more impressive.” Lester’s voice was filled with disappointment. 
“Argh! H-how dare you! I’ll kill you, damn it!” 
The Black Knight grew incensed, his face turning bright red as he intensified his attacks. Even so, he merely grew even more sloppy, none of his strikes even coming close to reaching their target. 
That was to be expected. Over the past year, Lester had been at the receiving end of much harsher attacks during the course of his training. 
“Damn you, damn you, damn you! I’ll end you!” 
The Black Knight, having flown into a rage, adjusted his grip on the knife in his right hand, lunging forward in an attempt to drive it straight into his chest. Lester, however, spun around, casually grabbing his opponent by his outstretched arm and hurling him across the stage. 
“Wh-what?!” 
Lester didn’t waste a moment before leaping after him and bringing the Leo down with all his strength. “It’s over!” 
Even if he focused his prana in an attempt to withstand the attack, the Black Knight wouldn’t be able to escape this move unscathed, nor would his school crest survive intact. 
“Auuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh!” 
The Black Knight crashed to the ground about ten meters away from him, before rolling into a ball and tumbling across the stage. 
“Whoa! Is it over already?!” 
If the Black Knight’s battle ability depended on the dominant personality at any given moment, then Lester looked to have hit the jackpot. There was no point waiting to confirm his opponent’s state—he would settle the match now. 
Or so he thought. 
“…Well, I didn’t think it would go that smoothly.” With a bitter smile, he rested his weapon atop his shoulder. 
This was the main tournament of the Lindvolus—the fiercest arena in the whole world. No matter who his opponent was, things weren’t going to be too easy. 
“N-no, wait! The Black Knight is still raring to go!” 
“D-damn you!” The Black Knight’s eyes burned with rage as he rose to his feet, a mudlike blackish substance welling at his chest. Within moments, that substance began to spread over his whole body. 
“Listen up, you…! I swear, I’ll finish you one of these days—” 
But before he could finish speaking, the dark mud engulfed him. It began to take the shape of a suit of Western-style armor, with twin horns sprouting from its helmet and a gigantic broadsword in its hand. This was the demonic creature that had risen to the fore during the preliminaries. 
The only thing that had Lester somewhat concerned was the fact that the Black Knight’s prana had seemed to start fluctuating the moment that mudlike substance had appeared. 
“Here it is, here it is! The Black Knight’s ability that caused such a fuss in the preliminaries! Gallardworth’s student council president called it invincibility, but I wonder just how true that is?” 
“Hmph, there’s no such thing as invincibility…” 
No matter how strong a Dante’s abilities, no one was undefeatable. There was always a way, if you only knew how to find and capitalize on it. 
“Hraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarh!” 
That cry, like a beast roaring, came flying toward him. 
“Take this!” Lester dropped back, rotating his body as he again swung the Leo with all his strength. 
The weapon’s blade, capable of shearing through its target with ease, made direct contact with the Knight’s left arm—and yet, instead of sending the limb flying as Lester had expected, his weapon came to a sudden halt with a force he had never before experienced. His opponent hadn’t bothered to avoid his attack—he had simply stopped it. 
“Tch…!” 
Lester attempted to fall back to escape the reach of the oncoming sword—but the tip tore a shallow cut in his arm, causing blood to spatter across the ground. Fortunately, the wound wasn’t deep. 
He’s completely different now, everything down to his swordsmanship and movements, and his speed, too… His fighting style might be a bit rough, but he knows what he’s doing. Not that I can’t handle him, though… 
The old Lester probably wouldn’t have had the skills to withstand the Knight, but Xinglou hadn’t given him her highest ranking at the Liangshan for nothing. At the very least, he wasn’t about to let his opponent get the better of him in close combat. 
The problem was that his own attacks didn’t seem to affect his opponent at all. He knew that the Black Knight’s defenses were strong, given that Amphisbaena had been unable to land a successful blow during her match against him, but he hadn’t expected him to be this good. Far from being thrown across the stage, his body refused to move so much as an inch. Lester clearly had the stronger physique—he was confident that his physical strength was the highest among the entrants still remaining in the tournament—and his Bardiche-Leo was specially designed to maximize his attack power. No matter how robust that glimmering black suit of armor might be, the shock of the impact should have reached through it. 
The only possible explanation was that the suit of armor had completely cut its wearer off from everything around him. 
In that case, I’ll just have to keep looking for an opening… 
If his foe’s school crest were visible, he could try aiming for that, but it, too, was totally encased. 
“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrah!” 
As he blocked the Black Knight’s next downward assault with the Bardiche-Leo, he felt his arms growing numb from the force of the heavy impact—but he wasn’t going to let that affect his defense. 
When he tried to fall back once more, his opponent, unwilling to let him go, stuck close, keeping up his assault—no doubt meaning to prevent him from escaping between each exchange of their weapons. 
“Tch! Have you completely lost your head?! That’s a pretty dirty way of fighting!” 
“Hrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” 
Normally, Lester would have been able to pull himself out of this kind of situation through brute force alone, but that wasn’t working against this opponent. With no other option, he lashed out with the weapon grasped in his right hand while activating his second Bardiche-Leo in his left. 
“Whoo! Neither contestant is giving any more ground! Just watch them cross blades! See how the Black Knight’s sword is getting pushed back, how Kornephoros’s huge battle-axes are literally groaning through the air?!” 
Continuing to defend himself against his opponent’s endless sequence of strikes with his two battle-axes, Lester, finally finding an opening, launched into a counterattack. With one weapon, he pushed back against his foe’s blade as it came flying from overhead, before using the other to drive a powerful strike into his opponent’s torso—and having made contact, sidestepped away and struck once more into his foe’s back. Next, he bent backward to dodge the Black Knight’s attempt to mow him down, the blow barely missing his head, before bringing both of his weapons down simultaneously to catch his foe in a pincer strike. 
Even so, the Black Knight didn’t stop. No matter how many blows Lester managed to land on him, his opponent didn’t seem to suffer even the slightest bit of damage, nor was he beginning to falter. 
“Hmm… If it keeps going like this, I think it’s fair to say that Contestant MacPhail is the one at a disadvantage here. He’s done well to dodge the Black Knight’s blows this far, but at this rate…” 
As Ren’ya observed, Lester was beginning to weaken, his opponent’s black blade continuously biting at his arms and legs and leaving a myriad of shallow cuts. Even taking the contestants’ respective strengths and weaknesses out of the equation, the rate of their attacks was simply too different. That was perhaps to be expected, seeing as the Black Knight didn’t seem to be devoting any thought to defense. 
“Guh…!” 
If they kept exchanging blows like this, Lester knew his wounds would likely continue to get worse. He hadn’t sustained a fatal injury just yet, but it was likely only a matter of time until he did. 
I think I’m starting to get it… 
The abilities of Dantes and Stregas depended on two factors. 
The first was their amount of prana. If the Black Knight had a seemingly inexhaustible amount of prana, like Orphelia Landlufen, or Hilda Jane Rowlands, who had single-handedly destroyed the urm-manadite core of an Orga Lux earlier in the tournament, that might explain his extraordinary strength. But from what Lester could tell, his opponent didn’t exhibit that level of prana, and he didn’t seem to be trying to conceal any vast reservoir of it, either. Indeed, the amount of prana Lester could sense in his foe was nothing if not average. And no matter how many personalities his opponent might have, he still only had one body, so that shouldn’t have affected his total amount of prana, either. 

 

That being the case, this so-called invincibility of his had to be based on the other factor—in other words, his strength of will. The abilities of all Dantes and Stregas were strongly affected by their user’s willpower and mental state. If those twelve personalities had each poured their own thoughts and mental fortitude into the Black Knight, then it made sense that their shared ability might be so strong. That would also explain why his foe’s prana seemed to be constantly fluctuating. 
“Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar!” 
The Black Knight’s attacks continued to grow more intense. At this rate, Lester realized, he would have to give up on countering and focus exclusively on defense. As capable as he might be at parrying his opponent, if he couldn’t unleash any attacks of his own, he wouldn’t be able to take him down—and of course, he wouldn’t be able to score victory, either. 
If he’d just let me fall back, I’d at least be able to shore up my battle posture…! 
Lester mentally cursed his opponent—but at that moment, his foe’s blade came crashing down, and he felt a hot impact course through his right thigh. 
“Wha—?!” 
From the Black Knight’s left arm, a spearlike needle of black mud shot forth, piercing Lester’s leg. 
His foe’s eyes at the back of his helmet narrowed in mirth. 
What’s with this guy…?! No, more importantly, was he waiting for me to try to counter…?! 
Realizing that he had fallen into a trap, Lester moved to leap backward but was a second too late. 
“Kreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” 
With an earsplitting howl, countless thornlike needles erupted from the Black Knight’s body and came flying straight toward him. 
“Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” 
Lester raised his arms to protect his school crest and vitals but, landing on the ground, found himself unable to support his weight and was forced to use the Bardiche-Leo grasped in his right hand to stop himself from collapsing. Blood was oozing from the wounds that crisscrossed his whole body, and his vision was growing blurred. The gash in his leg was particularly bad and would probably prevent him from dodging any more of his opponent’s attacks. 
The Black Knight continued to pursue him without mercy. If he managed to get close, he would no doubt end the match then and there. Lester had to find some way to stop him before that… 
“Oh! Right!” he cried, before driving his free Bardiche-Leo directly into the path of the oncoming Black Knight’s feet. 
“Gyah?!” 
The weapon’s glowing blade broke into the ground, causing the Black Knight to lose his balance and pitch forward. He might have been able to withstand Lester’s attacks, but if he lost his footing, he would find himself in a bind. Rolling past him, the Black Knight quickly rose to his feet—but not before Lester could pour his prana into the Bardiche-Leo in his right hand. 
“MacPhail is using Meteor Arts! That battle-ax was already huge, but he’s making it swell to more than twice its original size! Will he be able to break through the Black Knight’s invincibility?!” 
“With the rate he’s bleeding, he won’t last long. He’s probably going to risk an all-or-nothing attack.” 
Indeed. Now that it had come to this, there was nothing to be gained by drawing out the battle. 
Now it was simply a question of which was stronger: the Black Knight’s ability or Lester’s power. 
“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrmm…!” 
For the first time, the Black Knight seemed to show a hint of caution. All of a sudden, more of that blackish mudlike substance appeared out of nowhere, wrapping itself around his blade and causing it to grow longer. By the looks of it, his opponent, too, was willing to risk leaving himself open at close range in an attempt to bring the match to a close. 
“…All right, let’s see what you’ve got!” 
“Kraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” 
The Black Knight let out an earsplitting howl, lunging toward Lester at his fastest speed yet. 
Lester held the Bardiche-Leo out horizontally, and bracing himself to strike— 
“Burst Nemea!” 
—he brought the weapon down with all his strength. 
But as he had feared, it still didn’t break through the Black Knight’s armor—it didn’t even seem to leave so much as a scratch. 
“Guh…!” 
And a moment later, the Black Knight’s long sword dug deep into his flank. 
“Whoa! I-is it over?!” 
What the hell is that supposed to mean…? 
Lester tightened his grip on the Bardiche-Leo, bringing it down on the Black Knight’s chest once again, and again, and again. 
“Gyahr?! Graaaaahhhhh?!” 
His opponent cried out in confusion, but Lester didn’t relent. 
The Black Knight’s ability was held together by the collective will of twelve individuals. However, Lester had failed to detect any sense of passion in his opponent’s style of combat. It was as if the Black Knight were fighting simply to defeat him—as if he were possessed of the most absolute sense of egoism imaginable. As far as the Black Knight was concerned, no one else was worth a second glance. 
Lester wasn’t about to let himself lose to someone like that. 
“Look at me…! This is the face of someone who’s willing to put their life on the line!” 
If he could just break through the collective will of those twelve personalities… 
He brought his ax down for a fourth, a fifth, and a sixth blow. 
Out of nowhere came the sound of something cracking. 
As it did, Xinglou’s voice echoed in the back of his head: 
“Good, Lester. Your power is indeed formidable—but by itself, it isn’t enough to overcome your barriers. You still haven’t mastered how to use that power. When you strike at your opponent with your ax, you strike at the whole—focus not on that, but on a single point. Concentrate your brute force on that one point. Once you can freely shift between targeting the whole and a single point, only then will you—” 
“Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!” 
Lester raised the Bardiche-Leo in his left hand—the one that he had been using to prop himself up—paying no heed to his opponent’s oncoming blade as he drove home into his target. 
“Gruh?!” 
With that, the Black Knight’s glistening armor burst open—and with an unnatural shriek, Lester’s foe went flying across the stage. 
The Black Knight rolled all the way into the center of the arena, until coming to a stop flat on his back, unmoving. 
“…Incredible! Absolutely incredible! MacPhail’s battle-ax has finally broken through the Black Knight’s armor! What an exhilarating outcome!” 
“…To think that such a powerful ability could be so completely demolished through sheer brute force…” 
The mudlike substance covering the Black Knight began to ooze away, and then— 
“Black Knight—Unconscious.” 
“End of battle! Winner: Lester MacPhail!” 
Lester waited until the automated announcement had fully rung out before letting his body fall limp to the ground. 
“Heh… Heh-heh…! I’ve done it…!” 
With the cold earth pressing against his cheeks, he broke into a weak laugh as he slipped into unconsciousness. 
 
“Haah… Haah…!” 
“I doubt I need to tell you this, but you will only be able to use that technique once in a setting like the Festa. Be sure to do so wisely.” 
They were in a boundless, infinite space. 
Julis, her breath faint, was sitting across from Xinglou. 
Xinglou, for her part, stood with arms folded, her clothes scorched dark here and there. 
“But will you be able to master it before then…? There isn’t much time before the opening of the Lindvolus.” 
“…You don’t need to worry about that. I’ll perfect it before then, I promise you. And afterward, I’ll wipe away that composure of yours, too.” So saying, Julis placed her hands on her knees and used her remaining strength to push herself to her feet. 
“Hmm! You’re very confident for someone who’s already spent their energy and willpower.” Xinglou chuckled. 
Fully aware that she couldn’t deny it, Julis merely glared back at her. 
The Queen of the Night—a technique designed specifically for defeating Orphelia Landlufen, one that pushed her Strega abilities to their absolute limit. Julis still hadn’t managed to fully bring it under control, but she was confident she would be able to master it before too long. So that wasn’t a problem. No, what bothered her was the fact that she would only have one chance to use it. 
The technique involved pushing her physical strength, her mental resolve, and her prana as far as they could go. And having used it, she wouldn’t be able to recover in just a day or two. Once she put it to use, she would be unlikely even to make it to her next match, let alone compete in it. 
It would be fine if she could face Orphelia early on in the tournament, but she couldn’t bank on that hope. If she had to wait until the main tournament, she would likely come head-to-head with those Xinglou liked to say had overcome their barriers—people like Ayato, Xiaohui, and Sylvia. Before finally being paired with Orphelia, she had to be ready to face at least one of them, and possibly all three. 
In that case… 
“Ban’yuu Tenra, let me ask you something.” 
“And what would that be?” 
“Without the Queen of the Night…would I stand a chance of defeating them?” Julis asked, her expression deathly serious. 
Xinglou, however, brushed aside her student’s graveness with a light chuckle: “Hmm, I think not.” 
“…I see. But… No, it’s fine. I thought as much,” Julis replied, her shoulders slumping. 
She had always known that would be the case. 
That was why she had prepared such an excessive double-edged weapon. 
“Oh-ho! Come now, I meant that in jest. With you, there’s always a chance.” 
“Huh?! Really?!” Julis suddenly looked up, grasping Xinglou by the shoulder. 
“As I told you before, you’ve already maximized your potential. There’s nowhere else for you to go. Your physical qualities and battle techniques are certainly beyond proficient, but they don’t compare to those of competitors who have overcome their barriers. Your best hope for attempting to compete with them lies in your control over your prana—although you still won’t be a good match. You’re likely to lose ten out of ten matches, a hundred out of a hundred—and win, perhaps, one out of a thousand.” 
“…I thought so.” 
“But then you went and showed off that new technique of yours,” Xinglou continued with a smile. “Do you understand what I’m saying? You have talent. Talent that I failed to recognize.” 
“No, I mean, I’m talking about my chances if I don’t use the Queen of the Night—” 
“Tsk, tsk… You still don’t understand. Your talent lies in your ability to produce new possibilities. You are a first-class Strega. And what lies behind that? Your amount of prana? Your firepower? No. Your strength as a Strega lies precisely in your diverse abilities. And behind those abilities, your skill at imagining them.” 
“My skill at imagining them…?” 
Certainly, Julis herself was well aware of the versatility of her abilities, and yet… 
“But will that be enough to overcome the distance between them and me?” 
“Of course not.” 
Julis was left stunned by the bluntness of Xinglou’s answer. “Why would you…” She stopped there, glaring. 
“That’s why I said you have a chance,” Xinglou continued calmly. “That doesn’t mean you will be able to match them. It’s precisely because you can’t match them that you’ve developed as many techniques as you have, no? And if you keep developing your skill to imagine things…if you reach out with all your might, you very well may succeed in touching the edge of that barrier of yours. And if you keep going, your odds might even come close to one in a hundred.” 
“If I keep developing my imagination…” 
Finally, Julis understood what Xinglou was trying to tell her. 
“However, that is something that I cannot train. You must forge it yourself, develop it, and extend it, building upon what you already have, piece by piece. It will not be easy. Indeed, it is something that you can only do for yourself.” 
“Hmph, that’s fine with me.” 
She would do whatever she had to. 
In any case, she was already determined to do the impossible. 
“I’ll win, no matter who I’m up against. I have to!” she murmured, as if trying to convince herself. 
Several months had passed since this meeting, and now… 
“Allll right! Making her way through the east gate is Seidoukan Academy’s number five, the champion of both the Phoenix and Gryps, aiming, along with Contestant Ayato Amagiri, to achieve this tournament’s second-ever Grand Slam…the Witch of Resplendent Flames, the Glühen Rose, Julis-Alexia von Riessfeld!” 
The somewhat languid voice belonged to the announcer, ABC’s Domitila Cruz Fanoris, a former student of Le Wolfe Black Institute. 
“As a Strega, she’s at the top of her class, and she can stand shoulder to shoulder with Sigrdrífa, Contestant Sylvia Lyyneheym. There’s no mistaking that long-range combat is her specialty, but her masterful control over her Rect Lux should allow her to put up a good fight at close and medium ranges, too. You might even say she’s the most well-rounded contestant still standing.” 
The commentator, Maeve Kelly, a former student of Saint Gallardworth Academy, normally worked for Asterisk’s government administration. She frequently provided commentary at the Phoenix, Gryps, and Lindvolus—so much so that she was often jokingly referred to as the Festa’s jack-of-all-trades. 
Well, not that I’m bothered by having a serious commentary or anything, but still… 
As Julis made her way through the gate and down the bridge leading onto the stage, she was surprised that she would even pay attention to commentary. Whether she was feeling relaxed or on edge, she didn’t know. 
She leaped down onto the stage, took a deep breath as she eyed the warrior standing across from her, and called out: “It’s been a while, Hagun Seikun. I don’t think we’ve come face-to-face since the Gryps. I heard you took a leave of absence to focus on your training?” 
“Indeed. It was a worthwhile journey. You will see the results for yourself, Glühen Rose.” 
“…I think you’ve already demonstrated them well enough,” Julis said with a wry smile. 
Xiaohui had finished each of his matches in the preliminaries in a single blow. Even his fourth-round match against Seidoukan’s number six, Azumachi Ibara, had been an extremely one-sided affair. 
Ibara had maintained his position as one of Seidoukan’s Page Ones for a long time—although strictly speaking, the only real change that had taken place in the rankings over the past year was Lester, who had fallen to number eleven after failing to enter a sufficient number of matches—and no one in their right mind would question his level of ability. He was terribly proficient in aiki juujutsu, the first fighting style to be associated specifically with Genestella. It was said that he could destroy his opponent’s joints with barely one touch. The destructive potential of his throwing techniques, boosted by his considerable prana, were nothing to make light of, either. Julis knew also that he had once viewed Kirin as a sort of kindred spirit due to the fact that she, like him, didn’t rely on any specialized abilities in combat—but since she had received her Orga Lux, he seemed to have become highly critical of her. 
Xiaohui, however, had broken through those techniques of his single-handedly and had finished their match with a single strike to his abdomen. Compared to Ibara, Julis’s present opponent was on a whole other plane of existence. 
“I’ve heard that my master has been training you, too, Glühen Rose.” 
“Yeah. Her thirst for battle has been a great help.” 
“Hah… My master knows no limits… Or rather, she’ll keep pushing you right up to the very end,” Xiaohui replied, his stern expression loosening somewhat. 
“…You’ve changed, Hagun Seikun.” 
While Julis’s team had fought against Xiaohui’s during the Gryps, she had never exchanged blows with him directly. Still, his aura seemed to have softened since she had seen him last time—or perhaps he was simply allowing himself to show a more human side. 
“Is that so…? I wouldn’t know one way or another…but the Keen-Edged Tempest did say something like that the other day. I suppose it must be true.” 
“Kirin did…?” 
The statement left Julis feeling somewhat uneasy, but the match was about to get under way. 
She removed the body of her Rect Lux from the holder at her waist, activating it. Xiaohui, on the other hand, showed no sign of readying any weapons. He had used a staff during the Gryps, but given that he had fought empty-handed throughout the Lindvolus thus far, his battle style looked to have changed as well. 
“It doesn’t matter. Anyway, I don’t intend to surrender this match to you. No matter how strong you are.” 
“…Just what I was hoping, Glühen Rose.” 
The two of them exchanged unyielding looks for a long moment, before heading toward their respective starting positions. 
“Round 5, Match 4—begin!” 
“Pò!” 
No sooner did the automated voice ring out than the center of the stage was engulfed in a sudden explosion. 
The shock gouged a long gash through the ground and sent cracks running in every direction. 
It was no more than an earth-shattering leg pound, but likely only a handful of the nearly one hundred thousand spectators would have realized that—and it was unlikely that any of them would have been able to follow Xiaohui’s every movement. Julis couldn’t help but wonder how many of those watching remotely—and indeed, how many ranked students from the other schools—had been able to do so. 
Out of the cloud of dust emerged her opponent, fists ready. 
“I unleashed my full power in that first shot…but it seems you were able to evade it.” 
“I don’t mind the praise, but this is still just— Ugh!” 
Julis gripped her hanging right arm, doing the best she could to endure the pain. Given how it was swelling, it was probably broken. 
As far as attacks went, Xiaohui’s were incredibly straightforward—he had simply scored a strike on her, albeit not perfectly. That was all—but if he had managed to score a direct hit, the match would undoubtedly have been over then and there. 
Still…while it was barely in the nick of time, I did dodge it. And if Xiaohui was telling the truth, he put everything he had into that. 
In that case, there was still hope. 
“Oh dear… The match has only just begun, but Contestant Wu has already struck a particularly destructive blow. Contestant Riessfeld looks to have dodged a direct hit, but she’s sustained considerable damage. The match might be over before we know it…” 
“I wouldn’t necessarily say that. Wu certainly has a significant advantage with that raw power of his, but the fact that Riessfeld was able to pull through it at all is proof of her abilities and skill.” 
“Meaning…?” 
“Take a look at her footing.” 
Following Maeve’s comment, Julis felt the weight of the crowd’s gaze on her feet. 
Indeed, countless small, palm-sized wings of flame had emerged from her ankles, fluttering back and forth. 
“I see… That must be an acceleration ability,” Xiaohui murmured as he saw them for himself. 
“It’s practically impossible for someone like me to pull off a feat like your Tenka Musou in a short space of time—but this is much more manageable.” 
Julis’s technique was called the Strelitzia Minor—a limited application of her Strelitzia flight ability. While the Strelitzia ability could certainly build up speed, it took considerable time to do so and didn’t allow for tight turns or adjustments. The Strelitzia Minor was designed specifically to overcome those shortcomings while consuming very little prana. 
“Interesting!” Xiaohui exclaimed as he launched into a second attack. In less than a second, he had emerged from the crater at the epicenter of his first attack and circled around to her left-hand side, plunging his right fist toward her. 
“Guh…!” 
Julis raised the six units of her Rect Lux to defend herself against the oncoming blow, but her opponent sent them all flying with one strike—then, pushing through the now-cleared space in front of him, he aimed for her school crest. 
Julis, however, was a second faster, using her winged feet to fall back and put as much distance between herself and her opponent as she could. After all, it would mean certain defeat to try to face Xiaohui in close combat. 
Yes… It shouldn’t be impossible to keep dodging these kinds of attacks. 
In the back of her mind, she recalled something Xinglou had said to her sometime prior: “Julis. Just what do you think it is that is so different between those who have overcome their boundaries and those who haven’t, like yourself…? Physical ability? Combat techniques? No, no, no. Those are mere trivialities. The real difference between you and them lies in your reaction speed. The world in which they fight moves at a different pace. Which means that you will be completely helpless against them. And there is only so far you can go, training your reaction speed by yourself. You need to experience that world firsthand. So how about it? Do you understand what I’m telling you? Why the training that we do here at the Liangshan resembles actual combat?” 
Right now, Julis had a clear sense of what Xinglou had meant. 
It was difficult to put into words, but it was thanks to sparring with Xinglou that she had been able to respond to Xiaohui’s attacks, just as it was thanks to her that she had been able to drag herself to the edge of this world beyond barriers. In other words, her body knew how to react to a speed even greater than Xiaohui’s. 
Regardless, that didn’t change the fact that she was completely on the defensive against her opponent’s overwhelming power. The best she could hope to do was keep falling back while attacking from a distance. To that end, she stabbed the Nova Spina into the ground, pushing it in with her left hand and summoning a huge magic circle atop the stage. 
“Burst into bloom—Grevillea!” 
As she cried out, numerous pillars of flame, each more than ten meters in height, suddenly erupted around her opponent. Then, with a wave of her left hand, those columns of fire began to slide across the earth, heading straight for Xiaohui. 

“…I saw you use this technique at the Gryps, Glühen Rose,” he said softly, scattering the oncoming pillars of flame with a single backhand strike. 
“Wha—?!” 
She hadn’t expected this. 
“Shì!” 
Xiaohui swung his hand horizontally like a blade, causing a powerful gale to whip across the stage, extinguishing each of the remaining columns simultaneously. 
“…” 
“…” 
Julis was left speechless. 
And it wasn’t just her—Maeve Kelly and the audience were also left in eerie silence. 
“Um, er… What was that…?” stammered Domitila. 
“Wu probably just… No, he did do it… The power of his last attack completely destroyed Riessfeld’s ability…” 
“Guh…! Why are you always so over-the-top?!” 
She had hoped he would at least need to use a spell charm to avoid it, but instead he had just brushed it aside empty-handed, leaving her wondering what on earth she was supposed to try next. 
No…hold on… It only lasted a second, but there was something going on with the prana around his fist… 
She was struck by a strange, discomforting feeling. It was prana, and yet at the same time, it wasn’t… 
She stopped herself there, quickly turning her attention back to the here and now. If she was going to stand a chance of pulling through, she couldn’t afford to let down her guard. 
“Burst into bloom—Ixora Chinensis!” 
With a swing of the Nova Spina, she summoned up dozens of fist-sized balls of fire. 
“Go!” 
With that command, the balls of fire swept toward their target like a barrage of bulletlike hornets, flying toward him at irregular speeds and trajectories. With their sheer number, coupled with the randomness of their movements, evading them wouldn’t be easy. 
“Hmm…” 
Xiaohui broke into a quizzical frown but, with a sweep of his right hand, began to brush them away. As he did so, they erupted into a small explosion—but from the very beginning, they hadn’t been particularly powerful. 
That’s it…! 
At that moment, Julis brought the remaining balls of fire crashing toward the point of impact. 
“Ngh…!” 
Dancing through the air, they slammed into Xiaohui’s fist one after the other, each one adding to the conflagration. Individually, they didn’t possess much power—but with this many of them, there was no way he would be able to escape unscathed. At the very least, they would tie him down long enough for her to begin her next move. 
“Burst into bloom—Gaillardia!” 
As she raised the Nova Spina into the air, a circle of fire easily ten times the size of one of her Livingstone Daisies emerged overhead. She sent it spinning at incredible speed toward her opponent, when— 
“I don’t think so!” Xiaohui called out, somehow managing to hold it back with his left hand. 
“Impossible!” 
No matter how incredible he was, no matter how much his strength transcended the limits of other Genestella, withstanding a technique of that magnitude should have required a practically inexhaustible amount of prana, like that which only Orphelia possessed. 
“Zhan!” 
“Wha—?!” 
But shockingly, Xiaohui then used the same right hand that had been engulfed by Julis’s Ixora Chinensis technique to cut right through the huge burning disc. 
That’s it! The quality of the prana in his left and right hands is different…! But how is that— 
“Got you!” 
“Augh!” 
Xiaohui took advantage of her momentary lapse of focus to draw uncomfortably close—and then, with a flash of his right hand, cut straight through her school crest… 
Or so it appeared. 
“Huh?!” 
Julis’s figure shimmered in the air, before disappearing entirely. For the first time, her opponent’s expression was one of surprise. 
Oncidium Shirley. 
Like the seisenjutsu techniques used by the Li twins that had once so flustered her, this was an illusion technique—one she had used to circle around her opponent. 
And then— 
“Bloom—Gomphrena!” 
She activated her trap. 
“—!” 
Petals of flame erupted from under Xiaohui’s feet, enveloping him completely. The shape and deep-red color of those petals were modeled on the globe amaranth. Unlike her previous techniques, it did not end in an explosion but rather confined its target to the middle of that great flower, dealing continued damage through powerful waves of heat. 
And yet— 
“I see. Impressive,” came a voice echoing from within that cage. 
“Come on now, don’t tell me…” 
With a cross-shaped flash of light, the petals holding him in split open—and then, emerging slowly from within, was Xiaohui. He looked largely uninjured, though his skin was drenched in sweat. 
“All that, and all it did was make you break out into a sweat…?” 
“…Not at all. You took me by surprise there, to be honest. Your capacity to apply and imagine each of your abilities is outstanding. Worthy of admiration, even,” Xiaohui replied. 
There was no mistaking it—his right arm was clad in a highly unusual type of prana. 
“What’s impressive is that prana of ours. Just what is that?” she demanded. 
“Al-Najmiya.” Xiaohui’s response was simple. “A means of improving the quality of one’s prana.” 
“…I thought so.” 
She had never before heard of such a thing, but seeing him do it right in front of her eyes, she could not doubt the truth behind those words. 
“Compared to the one who taught me, what I have achieved is mere child’s play. However, using it to adjust my prana for defense, it allows me to withstand your abilities—and adjusting for offense, it lets me go head-to-head with an Orga Lux unarmed.” Xiaohui paused there, spreading his feet wide and lowering his center of gravity as he readied himself to launch yet another attack. “And…combining this Al-Najmiya with the martial arts my master has trained me in, I, Xiaohui Wu, have developed my own fighting style!” 
“Well now, this is a surprise…” 
Madiath, watching Julis’s and Xiaohui’s match through an air-window in his special viewing lounge next to the Executive Committee headquarters, found himself startling but soon regained his composure. After all, numerous top executives from each of the Integrated Enterprise Foundations were also present in the same room. It wasn’t a particularly unusual remark, but it was best to refrain from saying anything careless here. 
He cast a glance around the room, but nobody seemed to be paying him any attention. 
However… It’s hard to say for sure, but that technique has come remarkably close to my own domain. The Ban’yuu Tenra’s top disciple truly is possessed of exceptional wit. 
Thanks to the effects of his savage fighting style, Madiath could shift his prana into a particularly dense state in combat. That was only achievable thanks to his fierce, intense force of will and was the result of long years of cultivation. In fact, he had heard of cases similar to his own—people who were able to adjust their prana through force of will or emotion—but most were unable to demonstrate or reproduce that ability when directly called upon. Indeed, at first, even Madiath himself hadn’t recognized what he was doing. 
And so, the obvious question came bubbling up inside him: Xiaohui Wu…just where did you pick up that technique? 
It wouldn’t have been difficult to accept if the Ban’yuu Tenra herself had taught it to him. Anyone who had lived for as long as she had was bound to pick up more than a few inexplicable skills. 
However, neither the first- nor the second-generation Ban’yuu Tenra had ever publicly demonstrated such an ability herself. It wasn’t impossible that she regarded it as the most hidden of hidden techniques, but then why would she divulge it now, and to a disciple, no less? The more likely scenario was that Xiaohui had learned it from someone else. After all, he clearly hadn’t developed it himself. 
And of course, he had spent the past year training away from Asterisk. 
The world must be a bigger place than I thought… 
Surprised that he had been so struck with wonder, he turned his gaze back to the match. 
In any event, Riessfeld isn’t going to have an easy time of it… 
“A-amazing! Elder Disciple is overwhelming!” 
Hufeng rose to his feet in Jie Long Seventh Institute’s special viewing lounge at the Capella Dome, clenching his fists in excitement. 
He had already heard about Xiaohui’s newfound ability to manipulate his prana, but since it hadn’t been necessary during the preliminaries, this was the first time he was seeing it for himself. 
“His martial arts have improved as well… That power is incredible… Well, on behalf of the Water sect, I’m a little disappointed that his use of seisenjutsu has decreased, but still…” 
Cecily was clearly similarly struck by amazement. 
It was certainly true that Xiaohui had used a greater proportion of seisenjutsu in the past to supplement his close-combat skills. In temperament, though, he had always been more of a martial artist than a daoshi. That inclination, it seemed, had only increased now that he had returned from his journey. 
Compared to his present level of skill, however, those past techniques were little more than trifles. 
“He’ll be able to face down even Erenshkigal! Don’t you think so, Master?” Hufeng asked. 
When he turned to her, however, she looked unusually sullen. 
“Master…?” he repeated uncertainly, stooping down and peering at her face. 
“—!” 
“Heh-heh… Ha-ha… Ha-ha-ha-ha! Let’s see what you can do, you two…! Good, good…!” 
Xinglou’s eyes were burning with intensity, her countenance consumed by a ferocious grin. 
“Uh…Master? Please don’t get angry at me for saying this, but please, I hope you’re not planning to barge in there…?” 
Cecily, sweat breaking out on her forehead, attempted to mollify their master—but by the looks of it, Xinglou wasn’t listening. 
No matter how difficult their master could be, she wouldn’t do anything too extreme… 
Or so Hufeng hoped. 
“…” 
He exchanged a wordless glance with Cecily, the two of them nodding to indicate that they were both ready to move quickly should it prove necessary—although if Xinglou really had worked herself up as much as she appeared to have, it was unlikely that anything they could do would be able to stop her. 
“Burst into bloom—Honeysuckle!” 
Julis fluttered through the air with the help of two radiant, burning wings. Innumerable magic circles opened up beneath her, sending lances of flame flying into the air like rockets. 
Xiaohui, however, was using spell charms that he had placed all over the stage to leap around her techniques. Not only was he dodging each of her attacks, but he was also drawing ever closer to her. His movements, too, went far beyond the norm. He wasn’t exactly flying through the air, as she was, but rather seemed to be racing across the ground. That said, what he was doing was by no means inferior to Zhao Hufeng’s Orga Lux, the Tongtianzu. 
“Ugh! How can he be this fast…?!” 
Unless she could take him by surprise, Julis knew, it wouldn’t be easy for her to land another hit on her opponent. On top of that, given the way he was controlling his prana, it would be even more difficult for her to do any damage. 
“Jí jí rú l? lìng, chì!” 
Julis fell back, trying to escape, when Xiaohui hurled a purple thundercloud of spell charms her way. 
“Guh…!” 
With her escape route blocked, Julis quickly changed her trajectory, using her Rect Lux to tear through the nearest spells to rob her opponent of his footholds. At the very least, this would force him to take a different route before reaching her. 
“Burst into bloom—Impatiens!” 
Julis launched into her next attack, summoning up another magic circle behind her opponent. From the circle emerged a huge flock of fiery creatures, bearing down on him. The move was intended to kill three birds with one stone, as in addition to laying into an attack, they also served to block Xiaohui’s vision and burn away his charms. 
“Impressive, Glühen Rose! However— Bào!” 
Just as Xiaohui began to advance toward his spells, his feet were consumed by a fresh explosion. 
“What…?!” 
The force of the blast was enough to send him breaking through the dense flock, heading right for Julis. 
“Ah! Burst into bloom—Anthurium Multifluus!” 
She hurried to summon up a wall of shields to defend herself, but Xiaohui used his momentum to kick his way right through them, before scoring a direct hit on her chest. 
“Gah…!” 
She could feel her bones creaking under the pressure as she was thrown straight into the ground like a falling meteor. For a second, she found herself unable to breathe—and during that moment, her wings of fire were suddenly extinguished. In all likelihood, she had probably broken two or three ribs. 
Xiaohui, landing in front of her, moved to deal the final blow—but as he did so, Julis, enduring the pain of her injuries, recalled the units of her Rect Lux to hold him back. 
“Now! Burst into bloom—Erythrina!” 
Staggering to her feet, her voice ragged, she summoned up close to a dozen blades of burning flame, sending them careening toward her opponent. Factoring in the units of her Rect Lux, the attack involved close to twenty individual weapons. 
“Shì!” 
Xiaohui, however, dispersed them all with a single swing of his arm. Judging by his actions so far, unless she resorted to a particularly large-scale technique, she wouldn’t even be able to so much as hold him back. 
Nonetheless, she used the brief window of opportunity she had wrested from him to employ her Strelitzia Minor technique once more, sliding backward across the stage in retreat. 
“This is impressive. You can’t afford to take your eyes away from this contest of offense and defense for even a moment.” 
“Contestant Wu might be completely on the offense here, but Contestant Riessfeld is putting up a hell of a fight—probably right up to the bitter end.” 
“Haah… Haah…!” 
Julis raced to steady her breathing as she made a mental calculation of her remaining prana. 
Damn it…! I don’t have much left…! 
She had been using her abilities extensively throughout the match. If not for that, she wouldn’t have stood a chance of evading Xiaohui’s attacks—but it did mean that she would inevitably deplete her prana sooner rather than later. On top of that, she had broken her arm and several ribs, not to mention received countless blows and lacerations. It wasn’t just her prana that was in trouble—at this rate, she risked falling victim to physical exhaustion, too. 
Her opponent, on the other hand, was still unscathed. 
“Very impressive, Glühen Rose. I looked through your data prior to the match, but this is my first time seeing your techniques apart from your shields of fire.” 
Xiaohui’s voice was filled with unbridled admiration. He undoubtedly meant every word he said. 
“…I can’t afford to use a known technique against someone like you, so I have no choice but to exhaust my new ones.” 
“Oh? How many do you have left?” 
“What makes you think I’d tell you that?” 
“Hah, indeed. It was a foolish question. Forgive me.” Xiaohui flashed her a wry smile as he corrected his fighting posture. “I’ll find out for myself!” 
And with that, he leaped straight for her. 
The truth of the matter was that she had already exhausted her stock of new moves. 
With the exception of the traps she had already laid, she had no other techniques left that she could be sure that her opponent had never seen before. Of course, given the rich variety of her techniques, there were undoubtedly countless permutations and combinations she could attempt. But that, she knew, wouldn’t be enough. Her situation was growing more dire by the second. 
Given that he had successfully evaded and defended against every single one of her moves thus far, if she tried one he already knew, it would only give him another opportunity to demonstrate his own strength. After all, it was chiefly because she was responding to his overwhelming power with unseen skills that she had held out so far. Without them, he would corner her in an instant. 
What, then, was she supposed to do? 
“Pò!” 
“Ugh…!” 
Xiaohui pushed through the six units of her Rect Lux as he came toward her. 
Julis reflexively moved to evade, knowing instinctively that even if she managed to dodge his first strike, the second would be unavoidable. 
But at that moment, a scene from the distant past rose before her. 
The greenhouse at the orphanage in Lieseltania. A young girl wearing a warm, gentle smile—and beside her, covered in mud and in clear distress, herself. Surrounding them, an armada of flowers in every color imaginable stood guard. Beneath their feet as they ran together toward the nearby plain, a sea of green. The small faces of cute buds peeking out from amid the verdure. The girl happily pointing at one thing or another in the local flower shop, or explaining something she had found in an old encyclopedia. And the name of that girl… 
…Orphelia! 
As she twisted her body, shrinking from Xiaohui’s outstretched palm, Julis picked a motif from deep in her mind, constructed a mental picture, worked out the details, and let her prana flow. 
“Bloom…” 
At the exact same moment, she lifted the Nova Spina into the air. 
“Spiranthes!” 
“Wha—?!” 
As the ability took form, Xiaohui drove his elbow into the pit of her stomach. 
“Gah…!” 
She was thrown backward, blood spewing from her mouth—but in the meantime, six cones of rotating flame had fallen upon her opponent. 
“Ngh…!” 
Using both arms, Xiaohui was able to brush four of them aside, but the remaining two slipped through his defenses, scoring direct hits on his abdomen and right leg. 
The burning drills picked up speed, hoping to cut through their target’s defensive prana—but they still weren’t powerful enough. 
“P?n!” 
Xiaohui pounded the ground once more, easily extinguishing the last of the fiery cones. 
“Argh…! I suppose they weren’t detailed enough…” 
Julis rose to her feet, wiping the blood from the corners of her lips with the back of her hand. 
Spiranthes. A perennial of the orchid family, possessing a tall, narrow stem surrounded by a helix of small, pale-pink flowers. 
“Glühen Rose, this time—” 
But before he could finish what he was saying, Xiaohui’s eyes opened wide in shock. 
“Now then…” 
Julis was undeniably growing weak, but she flashed him a defiant grin. 
It went without saying, but Xiaohui must have realized it as well—she had created that last ability on the spot. 
Right. If she had exhausted her inventory of techniques, she would just have to create new ones. It was as simple as that. 
“…Heh, ha-ha-ha-ha! Astounding, Glühen Rose!” Xiaohui exclaimed, breaking into laughter. 
“You look like you’re having a good time…Hagun Seikun.” 
He seemed like a completely different person than the Xiaohui she had met during the Gryps. 
Almost like— 
“Almost like the Ban’yuu Tenra.” 
At Julis’s remark, Xiaohui appeared stunned for a split second but quickly nodded back to her in joy. “There can be no higher praise.” 
And with that, he raised his fists once more, preparing to resume his attack. 
Julis, on the other hand, was already close to her limit just keeping herself upright. Her vision had grown hazy, and every single muscle in her body seemed to be screaming in agony. 
And yet, in spite of that, her thoughts were remarkably calm. 
Xiaohui was currently standing in the exact same position she herself had occupied just a moment prior. 
And she had already finished laying her trap. 
“Bloom—Phlox Subulata!” 
“Huh?!” 
At that instant, a blanket of small, sweet blossoms of flame erupted beneath his feet, completely consuming the ground around him for dozens of meters in every possible direction. Naturally, the earth beneath Julis’s feet was also consumed by those flames, but as she was able to resist her own abilities, that didn’t pose a problem. 
“Tch!” 
Xiaohui leaped into the air, trying to avoid using the spell charms still dotted around the stage—but Julis had expected this as well. She wasn’t about to let him escape that way again. 
“Bloom—Dicentra!” 
As she activated the ability, a torrent of short blades of fire appeared above her opponent’s head. 
“Two trap abilities…! I already know this one, though!” Xiaohui called out as the blades came flying toward him. 
The combination of techniques wasn’t radically different from one she had employed during the Phoenix, so it was little wonder that Xiaohui had been anticipating something like this. Indeed, he managed to dodge the oncoming maelstrom without letting so much as a single projectile reach him, leaping through the air from one foothold to the next, before landing outside the range of the Phlox Subulata. 
“Ah, I thought you would be expecting it.” 
Which was precisely why she had already launched into her next strike. 
“Wha—?!” 
The next moment, the units of her Rect Lux closed in around him—and, channeling her prana through those units, she immediately laid another trap. In other words, it was a three-tiered combination of techniques. 
“Bloom—” 
This was another technique she had put together on the spur of the moment. A sharp pain was tearing through the back of her chest, but right now she had no choice but to grit her teeth. 
“Lycoris Radiata!” 
As she pierced the ground in front of her with the Nova Spina, an uncanny conflagration shaped like a red spider lily erupted beneath Xiaohui’s feet. 
“You’ll need to do better than that!” 
With a bright flash, the offensive prana in Xiaohui’s right arm tore through the Lycoris Radiata, reducing it to a cloud of red embers. His Al-Najmiya technique was truly formidable. 
And yet— 
“Guh…! Wh-what’s happening…?!” 
For the first time during the whole match, Xiaohui shuddered, his face writhing in pain. 
“Sorry about this…but I had no choice. I need to win this match.” 
The Lycoris radiata, the red spider lily, was a famously toxic plant. When Julis had imagined her technique, it wasn’t just its shape that she had in mind, but that quality. After all, a Strega’s abilities depended on her strength of will and her skill at imaging her various moves, so as long as she made the motif as strong as possible, it shouldn’t have been impossible to do what she just had. 
That was what she believed. 
I wonder if this brings me closer to where you are, Orphelia? But no…this was just a deceit, I suppose… 
Julis cast aside her sentimentality, readying the Nova Spina. 
“Let’s finish this, Hagun Seikun.” 
“Poison… I see… It looks like I underestimated you…” 
Judging by his tone of voice, Xiaohui sounded like he was in considerable pain. The poison of the red spider lily may have paled in comparison to that of Orphelia or the Serpent Blade Ororomunt, but it was enough to leave the defenseless Xiaohui short of breath. That meant his ability to focus his prana was in all likelihood severely impaired. 
Or at least, it should have been. 
“Ha…ha-ha-ha-ha! Don’t underestimate me, either, Glühen Rose! I am Xiaohui Wu! Jie Long Seventh Institute’s number two, the Celestial Warrior, and the Ban’yuu Tenra Xinglou Fan’s highest disciple!” 
Xiaohui pressed his hands against his knees as he rose to his feet, his gaze burning with passion. 
“What…?!” Julis exclaimed. 
His right hand swung down, tearing through the Phlox subulata that coated the ground and forging a path leading straight for her. 
“I’m coming for you…!” he cried as he began to soar down the path. 
“Ngh…! Come on…!” Julis answered, swinging the Nova Spina to meet him. 
She concentrated what prana she had left, imagined her next move—and let it loose. 
“Burst into bloom—Nerium Oleander!” 
A giant double-flowered blossom spread open beneath her opponent, swallowing him whole and erupting in a powerful explosion. 
And yet, though his uniform was left scorched in a few places, and though he had sustained a few burns, he emerged straight through the other side, still flying toward her. 
“Raaaaaaaaaaaaahh!” 
With a tremendous roar, he slammed the palm of his hand straight into her chest. 
“Ugh!” 
The tremendous force of the shock tore right through Julis’s body, pushing her to the edge of unconsciousness for a split second. 
“G-gurhf!” 
She was only able to withstand that blow—insofar as she had withstood it—thanks to the fact that Xiaohui was still reeling from the effects of her poison. 
The double-flowered blossom he had broken through was an oleander. It, too, was poisonous, and it should have inflicted some amount of damage on him. 
But even so, Xiaohui’s movements were still a level above her own. He quickly spun around, aiming a roundhouse kick straight for the right side of her head. 
“Pò!” 
“Guh…!” 
She managed, albeit barely, to escape the full thrust of that attack, but it nonetheless left a trail of blood dripping down her head, rendering her barely able to see through her right eye. Her strength leaving her, she collapsed to the ground, unable even to raise her left arm to protect her school crest. 
Her consciousness was fading, but she knew that Xiaohui’s right fist was still coming straight for her. 
It would only take him a second to smash through her badge. 
But at that moment, a simple handkerchief fluttering through the air landed softly on her head, embroidered in one corner with a rough approximation of a garland. 
“You know, Julis, your hair is such a beautiful color. Almost like a—” 
At the sound of that voice echoing softly in her heart, Julis’s eyes snapped wide open. 
“Burst…into…bloom—Rose Odysseia…!” 
“Ah?!” 
A small rose appeared between her and her opponent, spreading its bright-red petals and opening up into a powerful explosion. 
That hellfire wrapped itself around Xiaohui, searing through his school crest—just as, at almost precisely the same moment, his fist tore through hers. 
“Xiaohui Wu—crest broken.” 
“Julis-Alexia von Riessfeld—crest broken.” 
The two automated voices echoed on top of one another. 
However, in the Festa, there was no such thing as a tie. Especially when it came to the destruction of one’s school crest, even a fraction of a second could make all the difference. 
“End of battle! Winner: Julis-Alexia von Riessfeld!” 
As the announcement resounded throughout the stadium, both Julis and Xiaohui collapsed flat on their backs, their breathing ragged. Julis, for her part, didn’t even have enough strength left to push herself up. 
“I-it’s over! Contestant Riessfeld has overcome one of the fiercest contestants in living memory to snatch victory from the claws of defeat!” 
“It would be easy to put Contestant Riessfeld’s victory here down to her refusal to surrender, her dogged persistence right up to the very end, but I think the way she kept pushing through the huge difference in raw power between herself and Contestant Wu was the key factor here.” 
“Ha-ha! You mean her indomitable spirit?” 
Despite their words of praise, the voices of the announcer and commentator barely reached Julis. 
If she were to let her mind wander, she knew, she would in all likelihood lose consciousness. 
“I prepared these new techniques hoping to secure a comeback…but I see now that it isn’t just the Keen-Edged Tempest—I keep losing to all of you.” 
Xiaohui, wearing a bitter smile, approached Julis’s side. The effects of her two poisonous techniques should still have been taking their toll, but he was evidently still able to walk. That alone was proof of the huge gulf between them. 
“Stop complaining. I was just lucky,” Julis returned, her voice hoarse. 
There was no mistaking that Kirin’s victory over Xiaohui during the Gryps had been based on merit. 
The same couldn’t be said about this match. For Julis, in an extraordinary stroke of luck, the pieces had just happened to fit together perfectly. It was unfair to Kirin to put the two of them on the same level. 
“I wonder… But if that’s what the winner believes, then I have no right to object. Still, being the vanquished here, let me say this: I shall repay this debt one day,” he said, breaking into a broad smile. 
“…You really have changed, Hagun Seikun… No, Xiaohui Wu.” 
“Well, my score with Kirin Toudou comes first, but after that… I’ll be looking forward to our next encounter, Julis-Alexia von Riessfeld.” 
It was her turn to flash him a wry grin. “No, I think I’ll refrain from ever fighting you again.”