Black Iron Magician

The fireworks that signal the start of the match went up into the sky brilliantly. The sky was dyed in red, blue, yellow, and green, and the people of the town were watching the fireworks, excited as if it was a festival. However, the people at the ceremony are different. They are not paying attention to the fireworks at all, they are just staring ahead.

Everyone is looking at the stage. Even though it’s just an event, the ones who will fight are those who are stronger than your ordinary Demon Kings. The pressure of the two that’s emanating from the stage caught the interest of the stronger ones, while the others are gazing at them while gulping.

「Haruna, don’t think that I’m the same as the past me. I mean, you will be in trouble.」

「I don’t think that way. I can see that you’ve been working hard, Touko-chan. Also, I can see that you’ve become even kinder than before. I mean, you went out of your way to warn me.」

「…… Haa, it seems that you haven’t changed. Now, show me those eyes. Today, I’m going to surpass you!」

Along with the shout of Touko, invisible pressure began to gather in her hands. At the same time, Haruna also switched mode, focusing only on Touko.

「Lily-san, what’s that? I can’t see it, but I can feel that it’s something dangerous.」

「It’s boring if I tell you now, isn’t it? Chinatsu, think of it as a real battle and try to guess Touko’s power.

「I-I see….」

「But, I can at least give you a hint.」

‘Wow, she’s better at teaching than Shishō,’ Chinatsu thought so.

「You see, Touko has been training in the name of serving customers in the red-light district where I rule. It’s not a bad thing to live with your instinct, but you can call it your power if you can control it freely. Living by instinct like a beast is what allows you to remove your limiter. But, you can increase your survival rate and use a better strategy if you have your reason. You see, both are possible for the current Touko. She has learned to be considerate after all!」

「Considerate…? Um, more importantly, about that red-light district――」

「――Look, it seems that they’ve started to move! Watch closely!」

「Yes, desuwa!」

「Yes….」

Before she knew it, Therese and Weerel joined the conversation and were watching the match next to Chinatsu. As the class president, the words red-light district is unacceptable for Chinatsu. She decided that she will ask about it later.

「Here I go, Touko-chan!」

「Bring it on!」

Haruna strongly stepped on the stage and closed the distance at once. Touko’s power is still unknown, but Haruna is not afraid of that. If she doesn’t know about it, just charge. If it’s dangerous, just avoid it before it hits. With the belief of not giving up even if it seems impossible, Haruna raised her Doggan Staff and aimed at Touko.

「Oh! Even though Haruna-san strongly stepped on the stage, it didn’t break desuwa! It’s completely unscathed, it’s amazing desuwa!」

「Amazing…! This should apply for a patent…!」

「Eh, that’s what you are surprised about?」

At the same time, some of the spectators cheered. As if aiming for that reaction, Zex’s laughter and Alezel’s product explanation were taking place elsewhere and they caught the audience’s attention in a different way.

「Hah!」

First, Haruna swung down the Doggan Staff directly above Touko’s head. Even though it’s just a match, being cut off is inevitable if she defends against the blade barehanded. Even if Touko attacks the Doggan Staff while using Berserk, she won’t be able to avoid injury.

「――!?」

「Hehe, I’ve always wanted to see that surprised look!」

However, Touko repelled Haruna’s Doggan Staff without making any sound. Of course, her arms aren’t equipped with anything and there’s no hidden weapon. She genuinely defended against it barehanded. Haruna immediately overworks her brain and thinks at high speed.

(It felt like hitting a gummy. I can’t see it, but is there something around her arms? Is it the strange pressure that I felt from Touko’s hands a while ago? I guess I should think of it as a weapon and armor. It can stop the Doggan Staff. If so, I have to attack with more power.)

The time between the Doggan Staff was repelled and Touko began to talk was in an instant. Only in battle, Haruna seems to be able to master 『Calculation』 Skill as good as Chinatsu. However, Haruna has an opening now. Then, Touko immediately released her defense and pushed out her fist. Realizing that it’s different from when defending, Haruna, who lost her balance, kicked the air and barely avoided the fist.

「Tch, you also have acquired 『Air Kick』, huh. It would have been a good score if it hit.」

Touko happily talks to Haruna, who took a distance from her after rotating once in the air. Rather than being disappointed, she’s happy that Haruna avoided it.

「Touko-chan’s technique is quite mysterious, huh. It’s going to take a little more ingenuity to break it.」

「I know, right? But, don’t think that I’ve shown you everything. For me, even this distance――」

「………」

Haruna felt an unpleasant feeling again. Touko is gathering the pressure on her arm again.

「――is meaningless!」

Touko pushes out her arm magnificently while making the sound of cutting the wind. The straight punch was launched with a perfect movement that could serve as a model for the karateka. However, there’s still a distance between Haruna and Touko, and it’s a distance where the fist won’t reach Haruna.

(Even so, it will reach me!)

Haruna’s intuition told her that the attack would reach her. Believing her intuition, Haruna decided to defend the attack to confirm the identity of the technique directly instead of avoiding it. Then, she puts the Doggan Staff in front of her and strengthens her defense.

「Ugh…!」

There was an impact. It was a strong impact that could have blown her away in an instant if she wasn’t careful. Haruna thrusts the Doggan Staff on the stage and endures it while moving backward little by little. It was a momentary thing that took less than a few seconds. But for Haruna, it felt quite long.

「Haa. You took it directly but only moved back a few meters, huh…. The durability of that staff is strange, but you are quite a monster yourself, Haruna.」

Haruna survived the mysterious attack of Touko just before she touched the barrier behind her.

「No, it worked pretty well. It felt like the fist came flying at me while having the effect of Berserk on it, I guess? If I didn’t defend it with my Doggan Staff, I would have been knocked out in one shot.」

「It’s vexing that you could analyze it that much with just one shot. Still, you sure are cunning, huh. How dare you shoot this black spear from my blind spot. It almost pierced my flank.」

Touko threw the black spear in her left hand on the stage. It was Haruna’s Crime Lance that she created in the confusion of the moment and shot from the blind spot of Touko. Touko’s abdomen is slightly bloody, and it could be guessed that she grabbed the spear at the last minute.

「Seeing that you panicked, it seems that your technique can’t be used for attack and defense at the same time? Or maybe it can only be used on some part, not the whole body?」

「Hey, don’t sound out my weaknesses in front of such a crowd of people. Also, you already have some idea of what it is, right?」

「…… 『Ki Arts』, was it? I just remembered that Touko-chan mentioned something about it at the girls-only gathering we did before.」

「Eh, seriously? Did I say something like that? But well, you are right!」

The girls-only gathering was held at the Batten’s mansion before the graduation festival began. There, they were discussing about Skills they would pick in the future. And as Haruna said, the Skill that Touko was talking about at that time was Ki Arts.

「E-Err, Lily-san?」

「I told you, didn’t I? She has learned to use ki.」

「You meant that!?」

It’s a wordplay.

Ki wo tsukau – pay attention, be considerate, etc. And literally, it means using ki.

Learned to be considerate

Learned to use ki.