Under the watchful eyes of both classes, the Princess Trio remained unfazed, radiating an air of superiority.
Yukino gripped her staff with a cold expression, clearly not taking the fight seriously. Eriri clashed her iron gauntlets together with a smug grin, creating an unexpectedly cute sight, while Kei wore a faint smile, calmly holding a white orb.
The team opposite, representing Class 2E, was nervous and hesitated for a moment before finally launching their attack.
One of the two boys, holding an iron sword, advanced toward Kei, the group's healer. However, Eriri quickly appeared in front of him and landed a punch directly to his stomach.
He barely managed to defend himself and stepped back with trembling hands.
The girl from his team, attempting to help, cast a fireball spell toward Eriri.
Eriri flashed a slight smile and easily dodged the fireball. The boy with the sword rushed again, seeking to land a hit, swinging his blade toward her stomach, but the blonde girl didn't seem to care about defending herself.
Suddenly, the boy felt a chill run through his leg, and when he looked down, his eyes widened as he saw ice covering half of it, restricting his movements.
His other teammate, armed with a bow, fired an arrow at Eriri in an attempt to take her down. However, it was ineffective.
The arrow froze mid-air and fell to the ground, scattering tiny ice fragments.
Eriri then charged forward and delivered a punch to the face of the boy with frozen legs, sending him flying backward.
He crashed into the frightened girl from his own team, whose legs and arms were also frozen.
Seeing that two were down, Eriri glanced at the last remaining member, only to find the boy frozen like a statue, clutching his bow. She then turned to Yukino, who gave her a slight nod.
Kei watched from behind, pleased with their victory. Even though she hadn't done anything, as long as her friends and herself remained unharmed, she felt satisfied.
As the Princess Trio stepped out of the fighting area, Miwa nodded in satisfaction with their results, thinking that maybe there was hope for the new generation. She then signaled for some students from Class 2E to help their fallen classmates.
Once the fighting area was cleared, two more matches ended before Reisou's team was finally called.
"Team Sixteen and Team Four, you know what to do," Miwa said, giving an encouraging smile toward the two teams.
Reisou from Team 16 grabbed a lance from the weapon shelf and walked alongside his two teammates.
His team consisted of a shy pink-haired girl with twintails and red-framed glasses, and a short boy whose left eye was hidden by his bangs, giving him the look of a classic anime introvert.
'Who would've thought I'd be paired with Sakura Airi and a random introvert,' he thought while walking ahead of the two.
The pink-haired girl gripped her staff, trying to say something but was too shy to speak, while the other boy simply followed them in silence, holding a small dagger.
Most of their classmates showed little interest in the match, hardly remembering their names.
Reisou didn't pay it any mind and took the lead position, while Airi and the other boy remained behind him.
"You two, let me go first. If you see I'm struggling, then step in to help," Reisou said, spinning the lance in his hand and taking an attack stance. The two simply nodded nervously.
Their opponents were three guys. The bulky one led the team, wielding a battle axe, while the other two stood behind, each holding a staff and wearing smirks.
"This is a lost battle, but they don't know it yet," a random guy from Class 2C commented, sighing.
"Yep, Handou's gonna destroy those three," a female classmate said, predicting a big defeat.
"Yeah, it's not even worth betting, but hey, our class is guaranteed another match," another person said with a satisfied grin.
*Sshhwee!
As Miwa blew the whistle to start the match, everyone fell silent, and the big guy, Handou, charged toward the trio like an enraged bull.
Sensing the threat, Reisou quickly rolled to the side, avoiding the axe as it swung down, striking the ground.
Though the force was immense, the ground absorbed the impact without a scratch. The fighting area, constructed from rare Devilish Obsidian, could easily withstand missile attacks or even an A-rank Hunter's hit.
Handou, realizing he missed his target, locked his gaze on Reisou, perceiving him as a greater threat than the other two, who were standing frozen, too scared to move.
"You're fast, little guy, so I'll get you first," Handou said with a serious expression.
When Reisou saw his two teammates' horrified expressions, he sighed heavily, knowing he was practically alone in this fight.
Moreover, he saw that the mages hadn't attacked yet, which meant Handou was very confident in his victory.
✫| Armament Haki |✫
'Let me humble you a little, big guy,' Reisou thought with a wicked grin as he coated his lance with Armament Haki.
As Handou charged again, swinging his axe downward toward his head, Reisou swiftly parried the attack.
The impact sent a shockwave through the air, and with a well-placed deflection, Handou's weapon was knocked clean out of his hands, flying across the arena.
Before Handou could even process what had happened, Reisou thrust his lance into the bulky guy's stomach, sending him flying three meters backward. He crashed onto the ground, unconscious, leaving the entire arena in stunned silence.
"H-he defeated Handou!?" a guy stammered, blinking rapidly as if trying to process the sight before him.
"What the fuck... this is bullshit!" another student blurted out, unable to believe what just happened.
Although Handou wasn't the strongest, he was no pushover. He even held a decent position on the Kiroku List, and his aggressive style combined with his tough body made him a difficult opponent to face.
Seeing the two mages' bewildered faces, Reisou wasted no time and dashed forward, gripping his lance tightly. The weapon, still coated in Armament Haki, struck one mage in the face, knocking him out instantly.
The remaining mage quickly cast a Wind Dart spell, but Reisou skillfully dodged it, executing a fluid leap over the attack.
With great speed, he closed the gap and kicked the mage's left leg, causing him to stumble. Then, he enveloped his right leg in Armament Haki and delivered a precise kick to the guy's liver, ending the fight.
Reisou was somewhat surprised at how effortlessly he could now use the inherited fighting style from the original body owner, a stark contrast to the day he explored the Gate. It was as if his mind had fully synchronized with everything.
'Thankfully, the original owner of this body was just an introvert, but he trained relentlessly to improve his combat style,' he thought, wiping the sweat from his forehead and walking toward his teammates.
Airi and the boy from his team regarded him warily for a moment, but then their eyes sparkled with admiration for him handling the battle alone.
"Let's go," Reisou said, snapping the duo awake. They followed him from behind, their heads lowered in slight embarrassment for not having done anything to help.
Meanwhile, Miwa typed something on her tablet and nodded, satisfied with Reisou's decisiveness.
She was curious to know what kind of technique he used to deliver such a heavy blow, as she knew that Enhancement technique alone wasn't enough to knock out a tough guy like Handou almost instantly.
As she was deep in thought, a group of students from Class 2E shamelessly gathered around Reisou, showering him with praise for managing to defeat Handou so easily.
The boy, slightly flustered by all the attention, simply shrugged it off, saying it was just a basic Enhancement technique combined with good timing.
- - -
A few hours passed, and Miwa displayed the four teams that had qualified for the semifinals.
Teams 5, 9, 12, and 16 were the ones who had made it through, with Team 16, Reisou's team, surprising the onlookers as Reisou alone decided all the matches.
Reisou's team was set to face Team 5, which included his classmates Ken, Kiyotaka, and Hachiman.
This surprised him greatly and sparked his curiosity.
'Is Kiyotaka pretending to be weak? His performance so far has been merely average,' he thought, not out of arrogance but from observing Team 5's matches. 'Still, I won't let my guard down. This guy is dangerous.'
From what he could tell, only Ken and Hachiman were actively fighting well, though the latter didn't seem particularly concerned about winning.
Putting the matter aside for the moment, Reisou approached Airi and the other boy from his team, Taiki.
"You two, come here. We need to talk," he said, calling them over.
Some students glanced briefly in their direction before returning to watch the match between Team 9 and Team 12.
Since his victory against Handou and the other teams, Reisou's reputation grew slightly, while his two unused teammates felt increasingly ashamed with each fight, realizing that he didn't need their help at all.
Reisou neither minded nor judged them; in fact, this was actually a good thing for now.
Five minutes later, the match between Team 9 and Team 12 concluded with Team 9 winning effortlessly.
The next fight would determine which team would represent Class 2E against Class 2C.
Class 2C already expected an easy victory, while Class 2E was hoping Ken's team would win, wanting a less humiliating defeat. They knew that depending only on Reisou would likely end poorly against the Princess Trio.
When Miwa called to initiate the match, Reisou and his teammates stepped into the fighting area.
He glanced at the opposing team and saw Ken gripping his mace with a scowl, Hachiman holding his staff with a tired expression, and Kiyotaka standing calmly, holding his sword.
None of them said a word and waited for Miwa to start the match, eager for it to end quickly.
*Sshhwee!
With the sound of the whistle, both teams sprang into action.