On the bus back, Noah stared at the red marks on his arm, his brow furrowed as he recalled the events of the past few days.
Torajiro seemed to have noticed that Noah's physical abilities had reached a bottleneck, and thus demanded that he train in martial arts.
This was the result.
These were all left by the old man using his Device.
Torajiro's innate Device was a sword cane.
However, when dealing with student knights, he didn't need to use his full strength, so he had never drawn the blade from within his cane.
If it were Ikki, he probably would have had more in common with the old man.
But he and Ikki were not cut from the same cloth.
In terms of pure swordsmanship, Noah was inferior to Ikki.
This was an indisputable fact.
The only reason he could gain the upper hand in their duels was that Ikki, without activating Ittou Shura, couldn't break through his magical defense.
Furthermore, a sword is a close-combat weapon, so its attack range is naturally limited to the length of the blade and the user's arm span.
In other words, it could never exceed five meters.
To engage in close combat, one had to enter Noah's domain.
Having oxygen suddenly sucked away or being crushed by gravity were unavoidable consequences.
But Torajiro, under the pretext of physical training, had forbidden him from using his magic.
The result was that he got completely thrashed.
Admittedly, Torajiro had over a century of swordsmanship experience, but he wasn't a grandmaster who had immersed himself in a single art for a hundred years, he was a hodgepodge of different sword styles.
Noah had intentionally left these red marks on his arm without healing them. I
t was to make it easier to recall the strange techniques the old man used.
Like Nene, there was Nukiashi, which allowed one to hide in a person's subconscious and make them overlook one's presence, and Oto-giri, which instantly accelerated a sword strike.
As if she could read his thoughts, Tohka sat down beside him.
"Still troubled that you can't figure out Master's techniques?"
"Not really."
Come to think of it, Tohka's Raikiri was born from combining Torajiro's Oto-giri with her own lightning ability.
Among student knights, those who could counter this move head-on were few and far between.
Even Yudai Moroboshi, the Star of Naniwa who won the title of Seven Stars Sword King last year, wouldn't dare take it head-on.
If not for their poor compatibility, she might have become the Seven Stars Sword King last year.
To polish one's mind, body, and technique separately and finally merge them into one—that was Raikiri.
She was a lightning user, which wasn't particularly rare, but her strength was deeply ingrained in people's minds because of her extraordinary willpower.
"I wouldn't say troubled. My physical swordsmanship is just lacking."
Once he returned to Orario, he would take on more jobs—a whole bunch of them. When he had mastered the combat techniques of a high-level adventurer, he wouldn't be easily schooled like this again.
His abilities couldn't be used to their full potential in this world.
A Blazer's weapon was their own soul, and although he had the ability to manipulate souls, he couldn't just go up to people and say, "Let me fix your soul for you."
"Hey, how about we all go for yakiniku tonight?"
"That sounds great!"
"Does everyone agree?"
"I'm in!"
"Me too!"
Vice President Utakata Misogi's proposal was met with unanimous approval.
Noah suspected he might have secretly used his ability to change the outcome of "going for yakiniku" to a 100% probability.
Considering his personality and cheat-like ability, the possibility wasn't low.
"Great, then let's go straight to a super high-end yakiniku place in Tokyo! I want Kobe beef!"
'This is getting ridiculous...'
Just as Noah felt a bit speechless, Alice's expression changed.
He stood up and said in his delicate tone, "Sorry, everyone, but could we head back to the academy first?"
"Huh?" Utakata looked at him. "What's wrong, Alice? Do you have something urgent?"
"Yes, just a little something."
"Is that so?" Utakata wore a hesitant expression.
At this point, Alice was already regretting that his reply hadn't been more decisive.
'The plan had already begun.'
'If these people took a detour to Tokyo, the eve of the festival would only be a half success!'
He watched Utakata nervously, but Utakata didn't give an answer.
Seeing that the bus was about to reach the fork in the road, he was burning with anxiety.
Just then, Tohka landed a karate chop on Utakata's head.
"Uta, don't give me any crazy suggestions. We're going back to school first."
Alice let out a sigh of relief.
Saved.
He couldn't let these people get away during this mission!
"Hey, look in the direction of the school. Isn't something strange?"
"Hmm?"
"What's wrong?"
As the bus made its way up the mountain, the group saw a strange phenomenon emanating from the summit.
As they got closer, their eyes widened, their expressions gradually turning to horror.
'That is! How could it be?'
"Is the school on fire?"
Looking from afar, they saw Hagun Academy's administration building engulfed in roaring flames, like a giant bonfire.
It was summer vacation, so there weren't many people in the administration building, only a few teachers on duty.
They didn't have to worry about mass casualties.
However, it was strange that such a large fire hadn't been stopped in time.
What happened to the indoor fire suppression system? Why hadn't it extinguished the flames, instead allowing the entire building to burn?
"Please, speed up!"
The bus crashed its way onto the academy grounds, and everyone got off quickly, rushing to the front of the administration building.
Suddenly, two figures lying on the ground came into view.
"That's... Oreki-sensei!"
"And Ayase-senpai!"
Ikki picked up Ayase and called out urgently, "Shizuku, Noah, I'm counting on you!"
Noah nodded and stepped forward to check their injuries.
He found no external wounds, but they wouldn't wake up.
He said in a low voice, "These two were defeated in combat. The opponent must have used a Device in its illusion form to drain their stamina."
Ikki was shocked. "Who would do something like this?"
This was Hagun Academy!
It was both a cradle for knights and a symbol of authority.
A teacher and a senior student being defeated here meant this fire was no accident, but a targeted attack!
Clap—clap, clap.
Sudden applause came from above them.
Everyone looked up and saw a person standing on top of the burning administration building.
Unaffected by the heat, he wore an extravagant clown costume and a mask, looking down on them from his perch.
"A... clown?"
"Who are you!"
The clown jumped down, landing calmly on the ground.
Tohka stared at him. "Wait, this person... I recognize him."
"Hoh?" The clown was surprised. "The great Raikiri actually knows of a nobody like me?"
Tohka questioned him sharply. "You're Reisui Hiraga from Akatsuki Academy, aren't you?"
Although it was a question, her tone was certain. She had seen this person in the intelligence gathered by Kagami.
With such an exaggerated outfit, it was hard to forget.
"Narukami!"
Tohka summoned her Device, her expression cold as she stared at him. "I will give you one chance to answer. What are you doing here, and is this your doing?!"
The clown tilted his head.
"Something's not right," he said, raising his arms in an exaggerated fashion before spreading them wide, as if presenting something.
The next second, several figures appeared at once, standing in a line with him.
A full seven people, plus a ferocious beast!
Tohka's hand tightened on her sword hilt.
She felt an extraordinary aura from these people.
Every single one was a formidable powerhouse. Although her side didn't seem to be at a numerical disadvantage, but...
Her gaze fell on a long, black-haired man with an indifferent expression.
He wore traditional Japanese clothing and had a vicious scar on his face.
Although he looked slightly different from his past photos, that face was definitely his.
"Ouma Kurogane!"
The only A-Rank knight among all the students in the country!
"Why are you people from Akatsuki Academy here? Did you attack our school?!"
As she questioned him, she broke out in a cold sweat.
It wasn't just his reputation, but the soul-shaking spirit she felt from him.
From this physical pressure alone, she knew she was no match.
Ouma completely ignored her question.
Ikki stepped forward, looking at the man in astonishment. "Big Brother, can you please explain why you're doing this?!"
Ouma was the older brother of Ikki and Shizuku, the eldest son of the Kurogane Clan's patriarch, Itsuki Kurogane!
Faced with his younger brother's question, Ouma's iciness intensified.
He snapped in a warning tone, "Shut up! I have severed all ties with the Kurogane Clan. Don't act familiar with me."
Seeing his reaction, the clown grinned. "So cold."
He faced the crowd, seemingly about to start a speech.
But in an instant, his vision was obscured by countless blooming crimson lotuses.
Almost simultaneously, the expressions of all seven people changed as they focused their attention on the attack before them.
Ouma took a step forward, standing directly in front of the group.
His gaze pierced through the flames and met Noah's.
Their eyes clashed in mid-air like lightning.
Hundreds of fireballs were shot out in a single second.
Noah manipulated the elements and covered the clown's party with a barrage of several hundred fireballs per second.
Watching his merciless bombardment, even his allies swallowed hard.
"There it is, a magical attack like a natural disaster... It's terrifying. This isn't the kind of firepower you use on humans. He's not planning to blow up the school along with them, is he?!"
The endless barrage of fireballs swept down like rain from the sky!
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