Edelweiss.
Rei Ao had to admit that she was a swordsmanship prodigy – by swordsmanship alone, she had become the strongest in the world. Her talent was truly extraordinary.
He was sizing up Edelweiss; Edelweiss was likewise sizing him up.
She couldn't see any weaknesses in him... a true powerhouse. That was her assessment.
Eyes flashing, she lifted her sword and pointed it at Rei Ao.
"You. You interrupted our fight. Therefore, face me in battle."
"Tch, does everyone in this world love to fight or something?"
Rei Ao snorted with laughter. No wonder this world had so many duels; maybe they all just had too much strength and nowhere else to use it, so they dueled day in and day out.
"All right," he replied.
Though he didn't know exactly why this duel had started, he had, in fact, intercede and broken it off. Rei Ao didn't mind giving her a small answer.
"But there's no need for an actual fight," he said. "Take a single move from me, see if you can handle it."
"Huh?"
Such light and casual words – almost smug – caused Edelweiss's gaze to tighten in displeasure. She didn't like being looked down on.
However…
When she saw Rei Ao's movement, her eyes instantly widened in alarm.
He didn't even draw a weapon; it seemed as if he were just casually raising a finger. A simple, no-frills motion.
But Edelweiss, who had fought countless life-and-death battles, felt a primordial dread tense her muscles. Yet even so, she couldn't react in time.
Rei Ao's finger swept through the air.
Clang!
That was a sword's cry.
What was unleashed was sword energy.
Edelweiss could see a genuine blade right then.
Her eyes went wide in shock as she stared at the sword-ki shooting skyward. A primal terror in her body made it impossible to lift her hands; she was overwhelmed by a sense of death she had never felt before. For a moment, it was as though the entire world had gone completely silent.
Like lightning, the sword-ki tore through the air in an instant, carrying an immeasurable force directly at her. Edelweiss wanted to dodge but found herself as though pinned in place, unable to move. Her breathing seized up for the briefest moment, the sword-ki already in her face.
She's going to die!
That's what Edelweiss's body told her in that moment.
Yet Rei Ao had never intended to kill her.
At the instant the sword-ki reached her, it carved through space itself, vanishing and then reappearing behind her – bursting through a rift in the air and shooting up into the sky. Everywhere that sword-ki passed, space was rent apart, opening jagged black fissures. Even the sky was cleaved, revealing a deep, dark void.
"Wh-What is that?!"
Many of the students below raised their heads in horror to see the sky literally split in two. One thought ran through their minds: the end of the world.
"…"
Edelweiss simply stood there, staring blankly while strands of her pale hair drifted down. She was still alive. She looked toward Rei Ao.
"Why?" she asked.
Rei Ao shrugged.
"It was just a duel, right? I wouldn't go so far as to kill you over that."
"We'll leave it at that for today. Hagun Academy belongs to my women, so try not to do more damage here."
Having said that, he vanished with Stella in tow.
"…"
Edelweiss remained where she was, dazed. For the first time, she had encountered a peak she couldn't conquer – true power. Rather than making her feel defeated, it actually sparked a certain fervor in the lonely heart of a top-level fighter.
"Kurono, I'm taking Stella back to rest first. I'll come find you in a bit."
Elsewhere, Rei Ao now stood beside Kurono, speaking so suddenly that Saikyo Nene nearly jumped.
"!!!"
She realized that the man before her was the one who'd nearly cut Edelweiss down and split the sky. What shocked her more was that this incredibly dangerous individual and Kurono apparently knew each other quite well.
No wonder Kurono had been calm while facing Edelweiss – she had this man in reserve.
Studying him in detail, she thought, He's so young.
Saikyo Nene found it unbelievable: maybe he was some ancient monster who merely looked young.
"Thanks," Kurono said, relieved. "If you hadn't come, I really wouldn't have known how to end all this."
Rei Ao responded, "Let me bring Stella back to the dorm first. I'll see you in your office once you've handled things here."
"Got it."
Rei Ao then gave Saikyo Nene a quick once-over.
"…"
Her heart clenched. She had no idea why this strong, mysterious man was looking at her, but she didn't want to end up like Edelweiss, so she stayed silent.
Seeing that, Rei Ao said nothing either, and left.
Only once he was gone did Saikyo Nene exhale and relax her tense shoulders.
"Phew… Kurono, who on earth is that? Hurry up and tell me!"
A being of such catastrophic power showing up out of nowhere – how could she not be curious? Curiosity was natural. In her eyes, Rei Ao was like a meteor that could shake the entire world's power balance, far more terrifying than any meteor she could personally summon.
Kurono gave her an oddly knowing look.
"You want to know about Rei Ao?"
"Uh…"
Saikyo Nene hesitated under the weight of that gaze, as if finding out more about this unknown super-strong man might cost her her life. Carefully, she ventured,
"Uh, maybe... maybe it's that everyone who discovers his identity ends up killed off?"
He might be Kurono's trump card. Even if they had a decent relationship, it was still pretty scary.
"No, not at all," said Kurono, "I promise that won't happen."
"Oh, that's a relief."
She trusted Kurono's words, at least.
After a moment's thought, Saikyo Nene spoke earnestly,
"Kurono, I want to learn more about that person. If he's someone capable of throwing the world into chaos, well, we both know about picking sides."
The world really wasn't at peace; conflict could break out any time. Originally Saikyo Nene had felt confident that she wouldn't be dragged in, being strong enough herself, but seeing that slash from Rei Ao almost kill the planet's strongest swordswoman and split the sky, her perspective changed.
This world was far from safe!
That man could tear the sky with just a finger, no blade at all. Who knew whether the world held other similarly hidden monsters? If it came down to global war, the first to die would be those surface-level strong people like her. She had no intention of dying.
"Later on, I'll talk with him," Kurono said, a small smile on her lips. "Hope we can all become… very good friends."
She had her own small calculation. Noticing how Rei Ao had examined both Edelweiss and Saikyo Nene, she'd guessed he was interested in them. Enough to want them both, perhaps. Once that happened, her school would count them all as allies – who then would the academy have to fear?
"…"
That look and Kurono's words made Saikyo Nene shudder.
"Am I just going to fall into some kind of trap?" she wondered to herself.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 170+ Chapters Ahead of Others!