The next day after school.
Just like yesterday, a student from another school appeared and challenged Ao to a duel.
And just like a replaying tape, Ao couldn't escape—cornered until he had no choice but to accept.
Worse, the battlefield was the same park as before.
Having lost his metal bat, Ao had no weapon left—only his bare fists.
"3—
2—
1—
Begin!!"
Ao dashed forward instantly, throwing a straight punch at his opponent's chest.
But—
Nothing.
"What—?!"
"Stone Shell!!"
The boy's body began to fuse with shards of rock, forming a thick stone armor around him.
Ao unleashed a flurry of punches, but they barely left scratches.
The opponent counterattacked and sent Ao flying.
The moment Ao regained balance, pain shot through his arm so sharply that he had to look down.
His entire forearm had turned purple, swelling rapidly. He tried clenching his fist—
It didn't budge.
A scream broke out between clenched teeth as the pain stabbed into him.
"Damn…"
His face tightened.
He turned back to the fight—only to find the stone-armored boy already at close range.
"Yaaa!!!"
The boy slammed his fist down, kicking up clouds of dust.
Ao narrowly rolled through the gap under his opponent's bulky arm. Behind him—he saw it.
A section of the boy's back wasn't covered in stone.
"So that's it… your weak point—for mobility."
Ao retreated as far as possible, but the boy spun around and fired a spell.
"Pebble Shot!!"
Rocks blasted into Ao's shoulder, staggering him—but he had already reached what he needed.
He grabbed a nearby bench and hurled it with all his strength.
CRASH!!
A deep crack spread across the stone armor on impact.
"Hey!! That's dirty!!"
"You didn't set any rules!!!"
Ao rushed in, dodging a punch by a hair, then jumped onto the boy's back—locking his arms in a grappling hold.
He squeezed with all his strength, trying to break the stone shell. Cracks formed, but his power wasn't enough.
The armored boy lifted Ao effortlessly and slammed him into the ground dozens of times.
Ao was forced to let go.
He collapsed, coughing blood onto the dirt.
But the boy didn't give him even a second's rest.
A punch smashed into the ground where Ao had been—he rolled away just in time. Then—
Stone spikes erupted from the ground, crashing into Ao's body and sending him flying again.
He hit the dirt hard and skidded across it. When he tried to rise, a stabbing pain in his ribs nearly stopped his breath.
He clutched his side, trembling, watching the boy emerge from the cloud of dust.
The boy swung a stone-covered hook punch—aiming straight for Ao's skull.
Ao ducked at the last instant.
The impact behind him was massive— A tree exploded into splinters.
Ao kicked at him with all his strength— But it didn't even make the boy flinch.
His expression twisted in frustration. Then—
UPPERCUT.
Ao was thrown into the air, crashing down again.
He groaned, struggling to get up, but he took too long.
The boy closed the distance.
Ao looked up, panic flickering in his eyes—
A heavy kick smashed into him.
Everything went dark.
His body lay limp. He still had a sliver of consciousness, but not even a finger could move.
He could only lie there, breathing faintly, as cheering voices echoed around him… until the world faded.
Ao lost by knockout.
Ribs fractured. Bones in his arm and hand cracked. Internal injuries. Head trauma.
When he opened his eyes again—
He was staring at a hospital ceiling.
He slowly sat up, hands wrapped in fresh bandages, still trembling.
I… lost…?
His hands shook harder.
And I didn't just lose… I was completely crushed…
Ao slapped his own cheeks hard—echoing across the room.
Come on!! Don't fall apart now!! Maybe it was just a bad matchup! I can figure out how to beat him someday! Don't give up!!
Remember your goal!! He was a mage!
If I break down every time I lose to magic, I'll never get strong enough to punch my father in the face!!
Ao, you idiot—focus! Train! Get stronger! Defeat everyone who beats you!!
The next evening
Wrapped in bandages like a mummy, Ao was challenged again.
He refused—but as always, it didn't matter.
Replay tape, round three.
He lost again.
And came home with even more injuries.
The next morning
After being carried to the hospital the night before, Ao returned to school.
The classroom buzzed with chatter— Until he walked in.
His black gakuran had been stitched up with rough white thread. His sleeves puffed from layers of bandages. His face bruised, one eye barely opening.
He sat quietly and reached for his pencil.
His hand trembled so violently the pencil almost slipped.
Whispers filled the room.
"Mad Dog lost again? I heard he got hauled to the hospital yesterday."
"Serves him right. Always picking fights."
"Heh… he's just another loser."
Ao paused. His eyes flickered— But he lowered his head and pretended not to hear.
He tried writing a magic formula.
The line came out crooked, shaky, unreadable.
My hand… It's shaking this badly? I can't even write properly…?
He clenched his fist— Then immediately released it as pain shot through the bandages.
What the hell…? I've spent my whole life trying to overcome magic… So why is it that all I find are walls?
He looked up at the clock. The second hand moved painfully slow—as if mocking him.
Days passed. Nearly two weeks.
Every day, someone new challenged him. Every day, he fought. Every day, he added another layer of bandages.
He won some—but only barely.
And he lost a lot more.
Ao walked home with fresh bandages, head down.
He stared at his wrapped hands blankly.
When… did I start losing to magic like this…? Or is it because the magic I've faced lately completely outclasses physical strength…?
Did my body—the one I've trained for years— finally reach its limit against magic…?
Feels like… everything I've worked for was pointless…
And what about beating my father…?
Ao stumbled into his home, expression empty, thoughts spiraling.
The internet said my father was a Red-Cloak mage before he disappeared.
That's a high-ranking professional mage.
So I trained my body. I learned basic combat.
Weapon techniques.
Everything I could to replace magic with pure strength.
All so that one day… if I ever found him… I could defeat him.
But today… I met someone I barely survived against.
As if my body couldn't keep up anymore.
As if I'll never overcome stronger magic…
And I still have no clues about him. All records just say he vanished—then nothing.
Should I… give up? Live a normal life…?
Normal?
A normal life…? Can I even go back to that?
No.
He'd gone too far.
My whole life runs on resentment toward my father.That's why I wanted to be a mage.
Why I trained. Why I fought. Why I studied.
Everything looped back to that one moment.
So can I ever be normal?
The answer was obvious.
I exist for one thing: to punch my father in the face.
And when that day comes…
what will be left of me?
A Fragment of Memory
From the earliest moment he could remember—
Ao stood before his father, Renzo.
But the memory was hazy, like a photo soaked in water until the ink bled away.
"I'm leaving now, Ao. Take care of your mother while I'm gone."
The door slammed shut.
And Renzo never came back.
From that day, every night, Ao heard his mother crying in her room.
"Why did you leave me…?"
Hearing those words as a child… He understood instantly.
His father was never coming home.
He was gone.
Ao was left with only his mother— and the man who hurt her the most was the one who abandoned them.
Sadness hardened into hatred, little by little. He couldn't forgive him. He wanted to make him pay.
Yet—
All memories of his father were blurry.
Faces, expressions—gone. Everything except that single scene at the door.
Everything else was washed away. Like an image soaked until only faint colors remained.