CH 6.01

A dark, endless lake.

On the shore of a vast lake filled with faintly glowing water, a boy and a giant dragon were fighting.

"Kuh~ !!"

The forefoot launched by a mountain-like giant dragon struck the bedrock, and a shockwave ran across the ground and hit the boy.

The boy leaped backward so as not to oppose the momentum of the oncoming shock wave. The oncoming shockwave blew the boy's body away like a twig. The boy, Nozomu Bountis, was slammed into the ground and bounced several times, but each time, he was able to repeatedly roll his body and minimize the burden on his body.

No matter how strong a person as a warrior is, if he were to be sent flying with such force, he could not avoid being seriously injured. However, Nozomu used the momentum of being slammed into the ground to leap up, regain his posture, and he was almost unharmed. However, as a result, there was a considerable distance between him and his opponent.

The only weapon Nozomu had was the katana he carried in his hand.

For Nozomu, who had no effective means of attacking from a long distance, there was no chance of winning the battle at this distance.

But with such a gigantic dragon, Tiamat, in front of him, even if he could close the distance, his chances of winning would be like trying to find a grain of gold in the sand.

The first time they fought, Nozomu was not even a threat to Tiamat. Nozomu was the same as an ant crawling on the ground, but because of that, it made Tiamat careless and vulnerable. However, the Tiamat that Nozomu was fighting now was not careless in the slightest.

The scales, which should have been able to be scratched with by [Phantom], bounced off Nozomu's Qi without difficulty, and there were no visible scratches on it.

A swarm of light bullets covering the sky was projected in his field of vision.

"This is……!"

"Gaaaaaaaaaa !!"

Along with Tiamat's roar, the swarm of light bullets it created with spirit magic fell on Nozomu all at once. A swarm of light bullets approached like a moving wall without any gaps.

In the face of such a spectacle, an ordinary person would have been sunk into despair by the unmeasurable difference in power between them and would have given up. And then they would only accept their own approaching death.

"I'm... not going to die...!

However, Nozomu did not give up resisting.

On this shore. The battle between Nozomu and Tiamat took place in the spiritual world.

If he gave up and succumbed to the giant dragon in front of him, Nozomu would definitely disappear and Tiamat would be resurrected. If that happened, the scene that he had seen in his nightmares over and over again would become a reality.

The girls who had accepted him, who he had been unable to tell anything to, who he had only been able to turn away from, everything would be in vain. This was something Nozomu could not tolerate.

That was why he continued to resist.

Nozomu judged it was impossible for him to avoid the light bullets that were raining down on him like a shower. However, continuing to fight at this distance would only consume unnecessary time and strength.

Nozomu focused his Qi on his feet.

When the battle with the giant dragon in front of him began, his Ability Suppression was also released.

With both feet strengthened by the overflowing Qi, he activated his [Instant Move] while stomping on the ground. Nozomu's body, which accelerated in an instant, rushed toward Tiamat like an arrow.

"Ooooo!"

Due to his acceleration, the surrounding scenery stretched out to the edges of his vision. Nozomu focused his attention on the approaching light bullets. The world was filled with gray color for a moment, and all the images projected in front of him were becoming slow.

Under such an extreme concentration, Nozomu readied his katana and scabbard in both hands as the sensation of time being extended many times over.

He slices through the oncoming light bullets with his katana and flicked them away with his scabbard. It had been several minutes since he had released his Ability Suppression. He was already nearing his limit. Every time he moved his legs, his body felt like it was about to crumble, and his arms were about to tear off. His whole body was screaming.

Eventually, the swarm of light bullets Tiamat fired couldn't be completely intercepted. As a result, a light bullet slipped through Nozomu's katana and scabbard he wielded and pierced his body. A piercing pain ran all over his body, and Nozomu's movements slowed down slightly.

As if it had been waiting for that moment, Tiamat opened its mouth.

A light of chaos converged. A huge flame bullet that made the Undead Dragon's light bullet look like a candle.

"Kuh~!!"

Nozomu was still unable to break through the rain of light bullets that were raining down on him. In the meantime, the chaotic light gathering in Tiamat's mouth was gradually growing in size, and an intimidating feeling, which even despair felt warm compared to it, swept over Nozomu.

"Gaaaaaaa !!"

A huge flame of chaos with power that could destroy Arcazam with a single blow was shot at the boy. Nozomu managed to break through the rain of light bullets, though his body was full of holes. But, the huge flame of chaos was already imminent.

"Take this……!"

It was too late to dodge. There was also no point in defending. Then... there was only one choice left... slash it!

Nozomu desperately supported his own body, which was on the verge of collapsing, and moved his feet again, stepping forward towards the oncoming huge flames of chaos.

At the same time, he released all the power within himself that he had suppressed even after releasing his Ability Suppression. A force as powerful as Tiamat covered his body and converged on his katana.

His heartbeat jumped up at once. Blood rushed through his body like a torrent. It gathered in the capillaries of his eyes and dyed his vision bright red.

As Nozomu had no more strength left, this would be his final blow. But it did not mean that he would be able to defeat Tiamat. Even so, he did not want to turn his back. He raised his katana and swung it down with the intention of slamming all of the power he had left.

"Oooooo!"

A huge flame of chaos collided with a slash that shone in five colors.

However, Nozomu's slash was unable to cut through the giant flame, and the huge flame of chaos engulfed Nozomu's slash like a bottomless swamp. While feeling intense flashes of light all over his body, Nozomu's field of vision was painted white.

"Kuh~!!"

While biting his lip at the difference in power that he couldn't resist, Nozomu glared at the looming flames of chaos without looking away.

At that moment, a strange thing happened. As if a stone had been thrown into the water, ripples spread across Nozomu's field of vision.

"Huh……?"

The ripples reverberated and filled Nozomu's field of vision as if they were resonating, and along with that, the chaotic flames and the giant dragon looming in front of him blurred and disappeared.

===================================

"Nnn……"

Slowly, his consciousness awakened.

Nozomu looked around and touched his body. It was the body given to him by his parents seventeen years ago and there was no doubt that he was in his own room in the dormitory.

"...... I'm back, huh?"

Although shocked, while he muttered to himself, Nozomu was relieved that he was able to return as himself. The sunlight shining through the window was getting stronger day by day, and the season was gradually shifting from spring to early summer.

Nozomu got up from the bed, washed his face, and began to get ready.

He put on his white uniform and picked up his bag containing all his tools.

He heated up the leftover soup from yesterday, transferred it to a plate, threw in some black bread, and stirred it lightly.

As his nose smelled the aroma and his tongue savored the taste of the warm soup along with the lightly baked bread, Nozomu thought about the dream he had just had.

"As I thought, the interval is three to five days,..."

After the battle in the forest, Tiamat had been appearing in Nozomu's dream every few days, challenging him to a fight to break his heart.

Naturally, Nozomu tried to resist, but his opponent was too powerful.

"I'm still uncertain why I was able to come back even though I lost in that world.....~!"

Nozomu felt a slight pain in his head. He was not sure how many times he have been killed in that dreams already.

How could he return to the real world without being taken over by Tiamat?

Nozomu does not know the reason.

But he won't stop resisting.

It was true that he did not know why he was able to return from the spiritual world. And a bad feeling was still swirling in the depth of Nozomu's mind. At the very least, he had a feeling that if he were to give up, he would be swallowed up by him.

Recognizing the anxiety that lingered in his heart, Nozomu slowly finished his meal. After finishing his breakfast and cleaning up his dishes, Nozomu turned his attention to the three katanas on his desk.

The light of the morning sun shining through the window illuminated the katanas in their scabbards gently, yet somehow powerfully.

Nozomu slowly stroked the hilts of the three katanas. Of the three katanas, two had already exhausted their lives.

The blade was already shattered, leaving only a small portion of the blade and hilt. However, those katanas were the greatest emotional support for Nozomu.

The first katana that Nozomu stroked was the katana he had received from his master. It had survived the hellish training of his master along with him and had shattered instead of giving him a chance to wield it again.

The next thing Nozomu stroked was the one he had worn on his waist until just a few weeks ago.

Even though he had received his teacher's thoughts and feelings. Even though he had realized that he had been running away, he had repeatedly hesitated and stepped back. A katana that can be said to be a benefactor who was proof that he had finally taken a step forward and protected the place he could return to

And the last thing he touched was his master's precious katana, which had been used by her for many years and could be said to be half of her body. He had always hesitated to put it on his waist because he lacked the courage to do so. The problems that Nozomu had have not been solved yet. Tiamat, Lisa, the Undead Dragon. He had a feeling that something bad was bound to happen in the future.

"But that doesn't mean I can't do anything. ......"

Even though Nozomu could feel the darkness nesting deep inside his chest, his mind's eye was calmly staring at his own current state of anxiety. It was as if he was looking at himself from the sky.

The fact that he was able to tell Irisdina and the others about his feelings and thoughts in that forest.

At that time, he had to temporarily entrust his companions with the weight that he was carrying too much, which in turn evoked calmness in Nozomu's mind and his willingness to move forward again.

While checking his own anxious mind and realizing the fact that he was able to look at it calmly, Nozomu gripped the last katana that he was touching. The palm of his hand holding the katana feels somewhat warm, not just from the sunlight. Indeed, there was still anxiety. There was still darkness inside his heart. Even so, he was moving forward now. Even if it was slow. One step at a time.

"... Alright, let's go!"

While shouting loudly, Nozomu opened the door of his room and stepped out into a new day.

==========================================

After leaving the dormitory, Nozomu headed for the outer edge of the city. Nozomu's wounds from the battle in the forest had healed, and Irisdina and the others had resumed their training since a few days ago.

"Seya!"

"Oo!"

Currently, Irisdina and Mars were clashing their blades against each other. The two were fighting in a field overgrown with weeds.

Mars swung his greatsword and it approached Irisdina's flank, but she quickly leaped backward, swung her rapier, and deflect the trajectory of the greatsword. However, Mars immediately followed up with another attack. He sent a wind blade on his greatsword by activating the Qi technique [Dust Blade] and rushed toward Irisdina with his dash.

Irisdina, on the other hand, instantly deployed five magic bullets and shot them at Mars. Magic bullets were approaching Mars while tearing through the atmosphere.

Mars' weapon, a greatsword, was not something that can be swung quickly,  so it took time and effort. Mars thought that Irisdina's purpose for shooting a large number of magic bullets was to earn time, so he decided to rush toward Irisdina with his greatsword held in front of him like a shield.

Due to her [Immediate Deployment] ability, Irisdina didn't need to create magic formation or chanting that would normally be required to activate the magic. What's more, she excelled not only in offensive magic but also in restraint and defense magic. It was obvious that the more time was given to her, the more Mars would be attacked by a more variety of magic and he would be at a disadvantage.

Irisdina's magic bullet hit the greatsword Mars held, and a shock ran through Mars' arm. Furthermore, a series of impacts hit the same spot again and again, and Mars almost let go of his own greatsword. He managed to regain his grip and raised the greatsword in front of him once again, but his movement was completely stopped.

"Truly, this magic bullets' power isn't like the one created in a hurry at all."

Mars was surprised at the power of the magic bullets that collided into his greatsword. The power of magic activated by Immediate Deployment depends on how accurately the caster was able to concentrate and form the technique formula. In addition, she had struck multiple magic bullets precisely at the same spot on the greatsword that Mars had raised.

That was why Mars knew how high her magic skills and control were.

"... As expected, Irisdina sure is amazing. But even such Irisdina said that it was difficult to use that combined technique of magic and Qi..."

When Mars had first mentioned the combination of Qi technique and magic, Irisdina had also mentioned the difficulty of it. Even for someone as skilled as her, it was a difficult combination technique to perform.

Even in the case of Nozomu's [Phantom], it was amazing of him that he can formulate such a powerful slash without stagnation under such an extreme strain of actual combat.

Mars glanced over at Nozomu. He could see Nozomu holding Feo's shuriken in his hand and talking about something. A shock ran through Mars' arm again. Looking away, Mars scolded himself for looking away and turned his attention back to the battle in front of him.

While seeing how the wind blade enveloped around the greatsword tore the magic bullets and scattered them in the air. Mars once again concentrated on Irisdina's movement, who can be seen beyond the scattered magic element.

"I can't use that combination technique right now. I'm too lacking in almost everything..."

The mistake he had made during the Special Training came back to Mars' mind. The ability to control magic and Qi technique, and the self-control to calmly assess in any difficult situation. Those were the things that he lacked right now.

"But, I'm not going to leave it as it is ......."

Mars quietly talked to himself, and suddenly raised his Qi and sent it into his greatsword. The wind blade enveloping the greatsword gained momentum, and the wind that fluttered around it went wild.

"Then, I have to do what I can do now ..."

Nozomu did not reach the realm of being able to form that phantom blade in a single step. He was able to reach that level because he had spent years of training that literally to the point of death. Mars didn't seem to be aware of it at the moment, but because he couldn't reach it in a flash, then he had to move forward little by little. With that in mind, Mars unleashed the blade of wind that had gained momentum toward the front.

The Qi technique [Dust Hammer] rushed toward Irisdina while digging deep into the ground.

"I knew you would counterattack."

However, Irisdina had already predicted that. Her hand was already holding a dark-colored spear.

"Haa!"

With her fighting spirit, Irisdina threw the spear in her hand at the approaching [Dust Hammer]. The [Spear of Abyss] that flew while tearing through the wind collided with the approaching [Dust Hammer] from the front and exploded. While spreading blast waves and clouds of dust to the surroundings, the explosion released all the power that resided in those attacks.

Iris Dina lost sight of Mars due to the billowing cloud of dust, but she quickly created multiple magic bullets in the air so that she can respond immediately if Mars were to attack her. With her abundant magic and high magical power, she had the advantage in long-distance combat. Surely Mars would try to make her fight in close-quarter combat.

She stared at the billowing cloud of dust so as not to miss even the slightest hint. She was moderately relaxed and ready to take any action immediately.

“…………”

For a brief moment, silence dominated the area.

It was only a few seconds, but it felt like minutes because she was so focused on her concentration.

Then, the situation suddenly changed.

*Boom!*

An explosive sound echoed, and something rushed towards her by tearing apart the cloud of dust.

"Haa~!"

Irisdina immediately fired the magic bullet, that she had prepared beforehand, at the rushing object. Since Mars had no means of long-range attack, he rushed towards Irisdina as soon as he shot the wind blade that had enveloped his greatsword. However, the rushing magic bullet approached Mars and defeated him... No, it was supposed to defeat him ...

"Wha~!?"

The magic bullet landed and exploded. However, Mars was not there.

It was a mass of wind, which was Irisdina felt the magic power from, that was speeding towards her.

Earlier, her eyes caught the figure of Mars with his left arm outstretched just before the cloud of dust rose up. When they could no longer see each other due to the cloud of dust, Mars immediately chanted as he increased his own magic power and released all of his power into his attack. Instead of a Qi technique, he shot magic at Irisdina. The magic that was cast by him was [Driving Mass of Wind]. Irisdina mistook the [Driving Mass of Wind], that ran along the same path as the [Dust Hammer], as Mars. And she had released all the magic bullets that she had been saving for. Mars immediately raised his whole body's Qi and sent it towards his greatsword. As a blade of wind enveloped his greatsword, he activated [Dust Hammer] while dashing towards Irisdina.

"Oooo!!"

Mars rushed to Irisdina at once, using dash and the opening created by the wind mass as the driving force.

"Kuh~!!"

However, Irisdina won't be defeated either. She quickly applied body-strengthening magic before her body was struck by Mars' blade. In addition to this, since her rapier was not able to receive Mars' full power slash, she also sent her magical power into her weapon.

The high-pitched sound of a greatsword and a rapier battling against each other echoed to the surroundings.

In the next moment, Mars's violent swordsmanship and Irisdina's sword dance collided.

========================================

On the other hand, Nozomu and the others were watching from a short distance as Mars and Irisdina exchanged blades.

"Hee~. As expected, the two of them are amazing. Not only Irisdina but also Mars, who can keep up with her movements, is also amazing!

Mimuru was praising Mars and Irisdina fighting in front of her in a relaxed tone of voice. Surely, Irisdina's fluid movements are wonderful, but Mars was by no means inferior to her. With the momentum of his swinging greatsword and the wind blades enveloped on his blade, he stirred the air around him and barely keeping Irisdina's rapier at bay.

Occasionally, Irisdina's rapier attacked him, sneaking between his slashes, but Mars managed to dodge her attacks by shifting his upper body and parrying her attack with the back of his hand.

"But that Mars' guy is fighting very calmly. If it was the past him, he would have attacked single-mindedly and would have been quickly caught off-guard by the black-haired princess..."

Feo was admiring Mars' movements as he muttered to himself.

Certainly, as he said, Mars' fighting style up until now had been too much on the offensive, which had often turned against himself if he were to fight against calm opponents like Irisdina and Feo.

When he was on the attack, his momentum was unparalleled among the other students, but once he was stopped, he would be defeated as his vulnerability was exposed.

Of course, there were only a few students in the third year who could block such powerful Mars' attack head-on. However, if looked at it the other way around, it means that a few students were capable of defeating him. Those few students are Irisdina and Feo.

However, although the current Mars was certainly more aggressive, there seemed to be no sign of him going out of control as he had in the past. The most possible reason for this was his outburst at the Special Training and the series of events that followed after that.

Those were certainly a series of walk on a tightrope incidents, but the experience due to those was certainly engraved in his mind and body.

"By the way, what have you been doing since a while ago, Nozomu-kun?

Tom, who was next to Mimuru, called out to Nozomu. Beyond his line of sight, Nozomu was wielding Feo's shuriken and staring at it.

"Well, I wondered if I should always carry a shuriken like this one. You know, I have almost don't have any long-range attacks."

Tom was tilting his head at Nozomu's words but then nodded as if he had noticed something.

"I see, by the way, is it true that you can hardly use any magic, Nozomu-kun?"

"I'm almost couldn't use it at all. I don't even have the magic power to activate beginner-level magic, so I can't do anything in long-range battles..."

Nozomu's magic power is almost non-existent due to the effects of his ability suppression. He doesn't have the magical power to even cast beginner magic and can do almost nothing in practical magic classes.

Until now, Nozomu, who had often acted alone and could only find a way out in close quarters combat, was most weak if he were to fight against an area of effect attacks from a long distance.

He couldn't use defensive magic, and he only had a small amount of Qi, so the number of times he can use long-distance attacks such as [Phantom] was limited. Of course, it was strictly forbidden for him to use [Light of Extinction] that consumed an extreme amount of Qi.

For Nozomu, a shuriken that didn't consume Qi and could attack at some distance was a good option to use during battle.

"However, it's quite bulky as luggage and these weapons are basically disposable. It's just that I'm considering it as an option. After all, the one I can trust the most is this thing."

With a bitter smile, Nozomu tapped the handle of the katana on his waist.

No matter how powerful magic he can use, no matter how powerful his weapons were, there was nothing that Nozomu would entrust with his life to other than the katana on his waist and the katana technique he inherited from his master. The other options were just a stepping stone to increase the number of moves he can use and make the best use of his katana technique.

"However, there will be times when a means other than swordsmanship is absolutely necessary."

Nozomu knew very well that if he neglected that strategy, not only will he be defeated, but his life may be at stake. He was made aware of it while being chased around by demon beasts in the forest. That was why he had set traps in the forest.

"If you want, I can teach you about the shuriken technique."

"Are you sure?

"Yeah, I have nothing to lose."

Feo asked Nozomu if he wanted to be taught how to throw a shuriken.

Feo seemed to have no complaints about teaching him.

"It's just that, the contents of your wallet seem to be dwindling..."

"You're noisy!"

Feo responded to Shīna's teasing, who was standing beside him, in desperation. His eyes were getting strangely moist.

Looked like, his lack of money hadn't improved yet. If others take a closer look, the normally shiny golden fur of his tail was now looked a bit dull.

At that moment, Irisdina and Mars, who had been crossing swords at a distance, came over to Nozomu and the others. It seemed that they have ended their training.

"Hmm. As I thought, I still have a long way to go in switching between magic and Qi. I need to be faster and more accurate."

"I think your point of view is good, Mars. I think that improving the accuracy of your magic is essential to mastering your combined techniques. It's just a matter of getting used to it."

It seemed that the mock battle earlier ended in victory for Irisdina. From the flow of the conversation, it seemed that Mars took a lot of time switching between Qi and magic, and he was defeated in that gap.

"So, what are you guys talking about?"

"I'd like Feo to teach me a little about his shuriken technique. Please, just teach me the basics and I'll buy you lunch today."

Nozomu responded to Irisdina's question. Feo reacted to the word "buy" and his face lit up at once. Indeed, it seemed that his food situation was as tight as ever.

"OK, leave it to me!"

While saying so, he took out his shuriken from his pocket and faced a nearby tree.

"The basic idea is to swing it down from above, just like a sword. Keep the midline in mind and hold it between the palm of your hand and your thumb."

The shuriken that Feo casually threw pierced the trunk of the tree deeply.

Feo looked at Nozomu as if to say, "Try it". This time, Nozomu stepped forward to replace him. He held up the shuriken and threw it at the target tree, just as Feo did.

"Ah……"

However, the shuriken thrown by Nozomu made a dull noise and was bounced back by the tree trunk. He picked up the shuriken that had fallen to the ground and kept throwing it several times, but it still didn't work well.

"Nozomu, the basics are the same as swinging down your katana. It doesn't really matter how fast you swing your arm. If you throw with the right motion, the shuriken you throw will naturally pierce the opponent."

Feo pulls out a shuriken from his pocket and threw it at the tree again.

The shuriken flew away and pierced the tree trunk again with a piercing sound. Nozomu looked at the shuriken he picked up and once again faced the target tree.

"Same as a katana... Same as a katana..."

Nozomu was repeating Feo's words as if to tell himself so. He focused his attention on the shuriken in the palm and his hand. The first thing he did was to step forward. He moved his center of gravity smoothly forward with his feet. Then, he raised the shuriken and swung his arm down as if he was swinging a katana while keeping in mind the midline. When his arm reached a certain point in the trajectory, he released the shuriken. The released shuriken spin while flying and pierced its blade at the target. A high-pitched sound echoed. The shuriken released by Nozomu was deeply pierced into the trunk of the tree, similar to Feo's shuriken.

"……I did it"

"Hee, I didn't think you would succeed. What a perfect concentration."

Even though he had given Nozomu some advice, Feo was still surprised that Nozomu was able to hit the target in such a short amount of time. Normally, it would take a considerable amount of training to be able to hit the target.

"But it's still not good enough. It's quite bulky even if I only carry a few. I guess I need more time and training to use it in actual combat.

"That's true. As Nozomu said, you can't bring too many of these weapons, and you have to keep improving your accuracy.

"That's right. I also can't neglect my katana technique training, so I have to do it little by little. ......ugh~!

It was still necessary to continue training. When he came to this conclusion, Nozomu felt the headache coming back again.

As he frowned at the sudden headache, Nozomu's mind recalled the dream that he had had this morning. As expected, the battle of Tiamat in his dream must have put a tremendous strain on Nozomu's mind. Even though his body was asleep, but his brain and mind couldn't get enough rest.

"... Nozomu, did you have that dream again?"

"Yeah..."

Nozomu nodded and answered Irisdina's question.

The dream he had today. Nozomu had told his friends about his battle with Tiamat in the spirit world.

Irisdina's worried voice reached Nozomu's ears.

It was not just Irisdina, but the rest of the group as well, looking at him with a worried expression.

"Do you want to get some rest?"

"No, it's okay. It's not an unbearable headache, and the morning assembly is about to begin, so let's head to the school."

Irisdina suggested that Nozomu should take a rest, but he didn't have much time, so he couldn't stay here any longer than this. Nozomu gently declined Irisdina's suggestion while smiling as if to say to not be worried.

"Are you sure you're okay? I think you shouldn't push yourself too hard..."

"'I know. If it gets unbearable, I'll go to the infirmary right away. Norn-sensei should be there."

This time, Shīna called out to him, but Nozomu already understood that he shouldn't push himself too hard. If they were too worried about various things and were too tense, they would really lose it when the time comes.

In fact, a few weeks ago, it had caused quite the commotion.

Norn-sensei already knew about Nozomu's circumstances, so surely he'll be fine if he were to skip classes and say that he was not feeling well.

"... Alright! Then, let's go!"

The atmosphere became a little heavy, but Mars shouted as if to divert the mood. His words were too blatant and obvious. But the clumsiness of his words blew away the sinking air. Mars must have understood that Nozomu didn't want the atmosphere to become like this.

Even though it was a blunt statement, Nozomu was more than pleased to hear his concern.

As if prompted by Mars' shout, Nozomu and his friends started walking towards Solminati Academy. Their steps were surprisingly light compared to the time when they had been unable to say anything about each other's anxiety and had hidden it in the depth of their hearts.