Chapter 17 ~ Vs Akira!!
Akira's body drifted backward against his will, drawn precisely toward a muscular, bald man with bronzed skin—one of those who had admired Fayrouz's agility at the beginning of the game.
As Akira closed the distance, the man's right hand shimmered with a nearly colorless aura. His voice was firm, laced with authority, as he prepared to strike with all his might.
"Don't get arrogant just because you're talented!"
[ Ultimate Push!! ]
With a forceful backhand, the bald man swung his glowing hand toward Akira.
Bash!!
A confident grin spread across the man's face; he was certain the blow would land cleanly on Akira's face, securing him a point. But at the last possible moment, Akira moved with lightning speed, crossing his arms to shield himself. The impact crashed against his forearms instead. A searing pain shot through them, signaling the terrifying power behind the strike—this was no ordinary punch, as it made his body fly backwards, thinking while his eyes were serious, his teeth were gritted, and his blue hair was shaking in the air;
'If that had hit my face directly... What is wrong with this guy? Is he trying to kill me?'
Despite the force of the attack, no points were awarded; Akira had successfully blocked it. But..
[Pull! ]
Akira never even had the chance to touch the ground. His body remained suspended in mid-air, his clothes and hair fluttering as if caught in an unseen wind. The unseen force pulled him back toward the bald man.
Yet, unlike before, Akira was not afraid. A smirk tugged at his lips as he pieced it together.
'So that's it... The ability to push and pull. I'm not entirely sure how it works, but now that I know the basics, there's no way I'm losing!'
Electricity crackled around his body, his azure hair spiking as the energy coursed through him. With a determined grin, he rocketed forward like a thunderbolt, his voice carrying over the battlefield.
"If you're so desperate to pull me in, then let me come to you myself!"
Crash!
Akira's fist slammed into the bald man's gut with explosive force, earning him a point and bringing his score to two.
He prepared to strike again, aiming for another point, but before he could follow through—
SWOOSH!
An arrow streaked through the air, embedding itself into the ground at Akira's feet. The sudden attack forced him to halt his momentum. The placement was precise, too deliberate to be a random shot.
Akira snapped his gaze toward the source—thirty meters away stood a young man with golden-blond hair and piercing amber eyes, a bow in his hands and a composed smile on his face.
His voice carried across the battlefield, calm and certain:
"If I were you, I wouldn't take another step forward."
BOOM!
The arrow exploded.
A cloud of thick, black smoke engulfed the area. From within the haze, a blue flash shot out—Akira, leaping backward, his face marked with minor cuts and his clothes torn. His mind raced.
'What the hell just happened? The tip of that arrow glowed yellow before it detonated. What kind of ability is this?'
He landed safely, now at least fifteen meters away from the bald man, convinced he had put himself in a safer position.
But—
[ Minma Zone ~ Molecular Conversion! ]
The ground beneath Akira's feet shifted.
It transformed into golden strands of hair.
Before he could react, the strands writhed to life, curling around his body like serpents.
Ten meters away, a blonde girl with piercing green eyes—Fayrouz's roommate—watched with a satisfied smile.
"Only an idiot would think this is an individual game," she mused. "It was a team battle from the very start. I have two good reasons to help them take you down. First, you're strong—too strong. If I let you run loose, you'd be a direct threat to me in this test. Second... my roommate is logical and kind. If she sees you as an enemy, then so do I."
Everything seemed chaotic, yet there was a pattern.
Despite the free-for-all nature of the game, three people had chosen to focus all their attacks on a single target: Akira.
Why?
Because he had dared to attack, or even kill Fayrouz. The girl who saved them and a lot of people at the start of the game.
As the living strands of golden hair constricted around him, Akira caught sight of the archer—his bow drawn, another arrow nocked. At the same time, the bald man raised his hand, preparing to use his attraction ability once more.
A surge of emotions swelled within Akira: frustration, anger... and a flicker of fear.
Lightning erupted around him.
The sheer force of the discharge incinerated the golden hair to ash. Without hesitation, he launched himself skyward in a streak of blue light, soaring over thirty meters into the air.
'This is bad. Fighting all three at once means certain defeat. I need to get out of here and find other targets to score points from.'
His eyes scanned the battlefield below as he prepared to land, searching for a safe zone.
But—
ZAP!!!
A bolt of lightning shot up from the ground to the sky.
It was Fulan.
Like a shooting star, he ascended at an impossible speed, positioning himself above Akira in mid-air, his body twisting into a perfect arc.
A split-second realization dawned on Akira.
He was defenseless.
This was the second time in his life that he had felt it—the inescapable certainty of an impending hit.
'Ah... this feeling. I remember it. The feeling of defeat, isn't it?'
BASH!
Fulan's foot connected squarely with Akira's head, sending him hurtling toward the ground like a comet.
Before he could crash, the bald man raised his hand once more, his voice triumphant.
"You still owe me a point, you arrogant brat!"
[ Pull! ]
----