112 - - The Brave Do It at the Opening Ceremony

We have come to the Teito arena to participate in a school competition.

The venue is circular.

The spectators' seats surround the central ground as if looking down on it.

It's full of people!　It looks like garbage!　Can I reap what I sow?"

I'm not going to let you get away with this.

We four schools head for the center of the field.

We line up in four rows.

"I can't believe there are so many spectators ...... wow ......"

Elise looks around.

All the seats were occupied.

"Well!　For us Teito residents, the battle against the school is an annual event!"

Anti, brushing his bangs, says coolly, "I'll be back in a few days.

"The people of the Imperial City enjoy the sight of the powerful Imperial Academy displaying its overwhelming power to the rest of the world!

Anti-Shinjiro smiles wryly.

"What if we lose?　Is that too embarrassing?"

"Lose?　Don't be silly, you. We are proud students of the Imperial Academy, remember?　It is our duty to bring back the cup for our country and the emperor. Isn't that right?"

That's right!　That's what I'm talking about, Mr. Anti, cool!"""""

The representative player of the Imperial Academy looks at Anti with respect.

But Anti, on the other hand, was trembling at the knees.

"It's hard for you, too, isn't it?"

Gaius gives a sympathetic look.

Certainly the audience is expecting an Imperial victory.

The pressure must be enormous.

"I'm surprised you didn't run away. You're amazing."

"Do you think I'm an idiot?　You?"

"No, I genuinely respect you. If I were in your shoes, I would have been crushed under the pressure. It's not easy to do."

"Yes, yes, I see!　Well, of course!　After all, I am the proud son of an emperor!"　

A very good-tempered Anti.

"Gaius, I'm sorry. You'd better try your best not to lose so badly.

Suddenly, Anti extends his hand.

"Thanks. You, too. Well, try not to die.

The brothers hold each other's hands.

I was happy to have made a new friend, but I was also glad that I had learned to respect my enemies.

"Yeah, yeah, you've grown, little brother."

"New friendships ...... new couplings ...... are good."

To the right are a group of students from the Eastern Federation led by Dantalion.

Strangely, they all wore masks and capes.

"Isn't it hot?"

"Don't worry ...... it's useless ...... without it ...... everyone will go wild ...... Shih."

"Hmmm, it's got the magic of concealment and control, doesn't it?"

"As expected of ...... Julius, you have ...... a keen ...... eye."

Dantalion and his five students.

Among them, I saw someone I recognized.

"Why are you here?"

"......!"

One of the students from the Eastern Federation shudders.

He was ......!　And he ran away.

"Since when did he become a student at your school?"

"Well, ...... [she] and I are in different ...... classes ......, so..."

Dantalion looks at me.

"The best ...... cloaking technique ...... to see through it is ...... brilliant."

After a little while.

"Here you go!　The opening ceremony will now take place!

A familiar voice echoes throughout the arena.

"Oh, it's my old brother."

"You must be Lucifer, the chairman of the board of trustees. What are you doing here at ......?"

A skinny man in a slick suit is standing in front of us.

He is standing on the morning assembly table and his voice is strained.

I, Lucifer, the president of the entire school, will preside over the meeting.

I see, not only does he run the Royal Academy, but also several other academies such as the Empire and the Eastern Commonwealth, that old man.

"Well, my lovely students, the battle against the school will be a long one, but I hope you will enjoy it.

Lucifer looks over at us with a wry smile.

"It's true that the competition is a serious game against other schools, but..." he said. But at the same time, it is a rare opportunity to interact with other schools. Instead of hating and fighting, I hope you will find something new in the competition.

"My old brother is saying the right thing. It's so funny.

Lucifer nods yes.

With these words, the opening of the meeting is over. Now let's start the exhibition.

With a snap of his fingers, he snapped his fingers.

A magic circle appears in the center of the ground, creating a cobblestone stage.

One student from each school will be chosen for the exhibition. We'll give you a little time to think about who you're going to send out, so please think carefully and choose well.

We get together and decide who's going to play.

"Well, who do you want, the captain?"

Julius, right? I'm Aniue, and you must be my brother.

"What, me?"

The members nodded in agreement.

"Why me again?"

"It's part of the strategy. If you stand out, you can put pressure on them to think that the other members are as strong as you.

"I see. We're not as strong as Julius and the others yet, but the other schools and the audience don't know what's going on inside.

"That's what I mean. I'll be happy if they get scared and destroy themselves. So, brother, please."

Hmm. You got it, captain.

The other schools have finished their selections, and the members who will participate in the exhibition gather in the center.

"Hello, Julius!　I knew it was you who came out!"

The Holy Empire was Kazuma.

"Are you sure, the captain of the Imperial Kingdom showing his hand in front of so many people?"

"Of course!　It's not in my nature to keep my cards close at hand!"

"Well, then, I'd like to see the other spirits you have with you, except for the Fire God General (Asura)."

Kazuma rolls his eyes.

Then he smiles.

"What, you saw right through me!　That's great!　But it's an impossible proposition!"

"Oh, why?"

"This one's power is [sealed]!　I can't use it on my own!　I'm sorry!"

As I thought, Kazuma has some other power besides that of the Fire God General.

Sealed, huh?

That's some serious power.

So the Empire is against you. You're a captain too.

"Well, I don't blame you!　The other members don't know what a monster you are!　It would be a pity if we let them stand here without knowing what they're doing!"

He seems like a nice guy after all.

So, the Eastern Federation is the new ......?

I'm Kazuma!　Who are you?

The hood completely covers his body and he wears a mask, making it difficult to tell who he is.

Not really.

If you strain your eyes, you can see what's underneath.

But it's rude to stare at a woman.

"......>$"}L#$""

"I see!　You must be foreign!　I get it!"

"No, no, no!　What are you talking about, Ikimi?　It was clearly not a human voice!　You're not from this world, are you?

You're right!　Me too!"

"Oh, you've got it all figured out."

"I've had it with this convention!"

Lucifer comes before us.

"Let the exhibition begin!　The event is [Crystal Splitting]!

A magic circle appears and a slab of crystal appears in front of us.

The plate is 5 meters high and about 1 meter thick.

"I want you all to destroy it. But with your bare hands.

"No, wait a minute!"

The only ones who raised their voices in protest were the antagonists.

"Ri, Chancellor!　Are you insane!　How can a human being break something like this?

"Yes, but what about ...... you guys?"

The chancellor looks at us.

"I can break it!"

"What, that's not normal?"

"......L#{"L`$"

"Since when did the battle against school become a festival for outsiders?

The president of the school says with a smirk and a laugh.

I'll accept your resignation.　It's an exhibition, and it doesn't count for points."

"Don't be silly!　If I run away, I won't be doing my team or my country any favors!"

The antagonist grits his teeth.

Still, the flame of his fighting spirit had not been quenched.

I like a guy like this, a guy who works hard.

Besides, he's a friend of my brother's.

"Anti! Why don't you punch him in the lower right corner?

"What?　What's the matter with you all of a sudden?

"Well, well, well, just listen to what he says."

With his head tilted back, Anti stands in front of the crystal board.

"...... Don't run away, don't run away, don't run away, don't run away!　I have a lot of things on my shoulders!"

"Then let's start with you, Mr. Anti, from the Imperial Academy!　Go ahead!"

"If this happens, I'm burned!　Woah woah woah!"

I clench my fists and hit him right where I said I would.

......petching.

"Is that a heck of a punch?　Is that it?"

"No, that's ......"

Baki, baki, baki!

"Heh?"

Bak-bak-bak-bak-bak-bak!

Cracks appear in the crystalline plate, centered on the spot where Anti hit.

And then it shattered.

"What the hell?

""""Woah woah woah!"""

The anti-hero who had hit him was more surprised than anyone else.

The crowd cheered.

"That's just what Anti did!" He's our dependable leader after all!"

"Ha,ha,ha...... what do you mean?"

Kazuma, on the other hand, nods his head.

"Brilliant!　I can't believe you hit the dragon hole!"

"What's that, ......?"

"Everything always has a central point where the vital energy gathers!　If you hit the weak point, it will break, and that is the dragon hole!　But you have to be a martial arts master to see it!　So, Mr. Anti, you must be a great martial artist!"

"No, no, no, no!　I don't know what that is!

"Don't be modest!　Mm!　I knew it!　It's not so simple!"

"I've been misunderstood... oh, oh, oh!

On the other hand, I look at Lucifer and say.

"Does this count as cheating?"

"No way, okay, I have something important to say..."

The chairman of the board answers with a smirk.

"If you are found to be cheating in this tournament, you will be eliminated.

What are you talking about?

The antagonist says with a puzzled look on his face.

"No, no. Anti, this is what he is saying. He says, "It doesn't matter what I do as long as I don't get caught.

If you can't provide clear evidence of wrongdoing, then it is considered righteous.

"Moreover, the chairman of the board of trustees is the judge of whether or not it's fraudulent. It's a very rough judgment.

Well, I'll leave it to your interpretation. Well!　Next, Kazuma of the Holy Empire!

"Mm!"

Pow!　Kazuma throws off his jacket and strips naked.

His well-developed muscles are revealed.

"What an amazing body!　It's like steel!

Kazuma clenches his fists and stands in front of the crystal.

"Huh!　Hmmm!"

A pure thrust, taking no dragon holes into consideration.

Doga!

"What, it's not shattered ......, eh eh!　What the heck is this?

In the center of the thick crystal is a fist-sized hole.

It went all the way through to the other side.

"Just by punching it, you can smash through a plate this thick. Nice."

"Thank you, Julius!"

"Whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!　I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying!　Even if I had to fight him with my bare hands, I would never do it with him.

Next to Kazuma, a student from the Eastern Federation stands in front of the crystal.

"Next, [Baal] from the Eastern Federation!

"Baal, huh? He's a demon, too."

The devil himself was still there.

"You're going to destroy it with a bang anyway, aren't you!　I know that, you know!"

"......

The baal touches the surface.

That was it.

Drolly, the thick crystals melted and evaporated.

"Whoooaaaaaat!　Melted aaaaah!　Magic?

"No, no. I think it's a constitution."

I point to Baal's hand.

"It's a poison hand. His hand secretes a poison so powerful that it can completely obliterate anyone it touches.

"Oh, Julius!　You're a brilliant analyst!"

"Oh, no!　No, I'm scared!　What are you laughing at, are you crazy?

Baal turns around and walks off the stage.

The audience, on the other hand, was puzzled.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's going on this year?"

"Are the Holy Empire and the Eastern Commonwealth different this year?"

"Oh, calm down ...... those two schools are just in trouble anyway. The royal schools are always soaked. They're supposed to be weak. ......

It was my turn to be the last one to leave as the people of the Imperial City looked on.

"Brother, you know what I mean!"

"Oh, I know, I know."

Anti says with a blue face.

"You, my brother," he says, "take it easy on me!　Don't destroy the historic arena!"

"What are you talking about?　Gaius isn't asking you to go easy on him, is he?"

Anti-Shinjuku rolls his eyes.

I clench my fists and jump up.

"Just as you ordered, no more or less!"

He slammed his fist into the crystal plate from directly above.

Dogaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!

The crystals are completely shattered, splitting the arena ground in half.

Causing the ground to crack, the shockwave penetrates not only the surface of the ground but also the bedrock, reaching the center of the star, before piercing the bedrock and the surface on the opposite side.

"What the hell is this?

The antagonist turns his eyes and shouts.

Unaware of what was happening, the audience and the members of the Imperial Academy were stunned, some of them fainting.

"Oh, wonderful!　I can't believe you smashed through this star to the other side with your bare hands!"

"What, not just this star?　I've smashed through a straight line of satellites, stars, and whatnot."

"That's ridiculous. ......!　There is no such thing!"

But Kazuma and Baal murmured in admiration.

"Brilliant, Julius!"

"......

"Thanks a lot. Oh, I'll heal you with magic.

Using his creation magic, he heals everything he has broken.

The audience has finally come to their senses.

"What was that ......?"

"Dream?　Real?"

"One thing is for sure, the level of this year's competition is ridiculously high!"

Wooooooooooooooooo!　The audience erupted.

"Oh, Julius!　Very nice!　I know how to get the crowd going!"

The chairman of the board of trustees puts his shoulder on my arm.

He whispers in my ear.

"I hope you can keep up the good work and destroy everything. You, the Destroyer?

I guess he is referring to the prophecy, not the metaphor.

Baal, a female student of the Eastern Federation, looked at me and the chairman and murmured in a whisper.

"......Luci x Yuri. ...... Julius is also a good receiver. ...... report to your sister."

Thus, the exhibition was over.

The school matches opened, and the main competition began.