Swordsmanship Genius Sees the Future

Chapter 039 - Sea of Illusions (2)

The opponent was bad.

"1st Year Class B Aura Event Representative! Froggy Flang! Provisional Aura 2-star!"

"Facing him, 1st Year Class A Aura Event Representative! Tablou Keynes! Provisional Aura 4-star!"

A 2-star aura difference.

No matter how much of a natural-born fighter one is, it's hard to overcome such a gap.

Swoosh!

Froggy's fist made a sound of cutting through the wind.

But that was all.

Clang!

The opponent's fist shattered the stone arena floor, leaving cracks.

Froggy moved deftly and agilely.

On the other hand, the opponent performed a feat of jumping more than twice his height, spinning like a top in mid-air, and showering kicks in all directions.

It wasn't human movement.

When aura reaches 3-star, one can exhibit physical abilities reaching human limits.

And when it reaches 4-star, wondrous acrobatics beyond human limits become possible.

Additionally, one gains enough durability for a club to break first if struck by it, can smash stone with bare fists as just seen, and can run fast enough to catch up to a galloping horse.

An overwhelming difference.

But Froggy didn't give up.

Given the skill difference, it would be an option to just throw one desperate punch and, if it didn't work, cleanly admit defeat.

This wasn't a life-or-death battle, after all.

But Froggy stubbornly endured, waiting for an opening from the opponent.

He endured attacks that were clearly futile.

He kept swaying his body and stepping, inducing the opponent to make missed swings.

He was a natural.

He knew how to fight.

Although it was a fighting style far removed from swordsmanship, he dodged what he could and took the hits he couldn't.

With the least possible damage.

But even that minimal damage was fatal.

"Ugh!"

Froggy, flung away, rolled on the floor.

The referee immediately raised his hand and made the call.

"Match end! The winner is 1st Year Class A Tablou Keynes!"

It was the expected outcome.

The problem wasn't the win or loss.

From the Class A Aura event representative, who was smiling broadly and raising his hand, an familiar scent emanated from his body.

The scent of poison.

It wasn't there from the start.

I detected the faint spread of a hidden poisonous scent as Froggy was fighting.

This feeling, only I could sense it.

Tablou Keynes, the 1st Year Class A Aura event representative, was a Poison King's spy.

What is this?

This is already the third spy in just the first year.

Is this place a kingdom of spies?

Those Poison King guys are really persistent.

However, the nature of the scent was different.

The first and second spies had a rougher feel.

In contrast, the third spy's poisonous scent felt more cleanly refined.

The first and second were from the Poison King Cult.

Could the third one be a spy from the Poison King Family instead of the cult?

"Ugh, ouch. It hurts, it hurts. Sorry, Ray. I lost. Was it unsightly? Hehe."

Froggy returned, staggering and smiling awkwardly.

I immediately shook my head and countered.

"No. It was amazing. You worked hard, Froggy. You did really well. You're the best. You did something truly great."

"Uh, huh? Really? But I lost the match?"

"Of course you lost, but..."

Even though you lost, you endured to the fullest and fought desperately until the end, didn't you?

Thanks to that, the opponent also had no choice but to reveal the traces of being a spy that he was trying to hide.

You did it, Froggy.

You're truly the best.

Of course, these weren't words I could say out loud.

I dodged the topic with irrelevant remarks.

"Even with such a severe aura disparity, you still endured and fought to the very end, didn't you? That alone is incredible. You're an inspiration to all students in Class B and C. It's not easy to show that kind of courage."

"Ah, hehe. So that's what you mean. Ribbit ribbit ribbit!"

Froggy croaked awkwardly and smiled brightly.

"Thank you. I'll be looking forward to yours too. You'll do the same as me, right?"

"Me?"

"The next match, I mean. You're at a huge disadvantage too, aren't you? But you'll do your best until the end, right?"

"Of course."

Of course not.

I have no intention of doing my best or winning in the third round at all.

Because he's not an opponent I can win against.

The opponent is said to be Aura 5-star.

Even now, the audience upstairs is endlessly chattering.

Aura 5-star.

This is a disparity that swordsmanship cannot cover.

Union Sword?

What good would it do if the attack wouldn't even reach him in the first place?

The opponent will move so fast I'll have trouble tracking him with my eyes.

Illusionary Sword?

This might have some effect.

But an illusion is ultimately just an illusion.

 As with Gloria, an individual of direct descendant caliber from one of the Eight Great Main Families would have already completed Illusionary Sword countermeasures training.

Illusionary Sword is like that.

The initial shock is huge, but if you keep getting hit, you eventually adapt.

It's a technique that creates the process for a decisive blow, rather than being the decisive blow itself.

But aura is not like that.

The power of a physical entity, not an illusion.

It's like lightning striking from the sky.

Can one adapt to the shock by continuously being struck by lightning?

It's a miracle if you don't die from the first hit.

"1st Year Class B Comprehensive Event Representative! Ray Granvelle! Provisional Swordsmanship 7-star! Provisional Aura 1-star!"

I was already standing in the arena.

"Facing him, 1st Year Class A Comprehensive Event Representative! Zedebek Black Luna! Provisional Swordsmanship 4-star! Provisional Aura 5-star!"

The opponent was a tall boy.

No, I don't know if I can even call him a boy.

A solidly muscular body, a solemn, statuesque expression, and tanned skin from a lot of outdoor activity.

From any angle, he looked like a seasoned 4th-year senior.

Even among seniors, someone like him is quite rare.

To put it nicely, he's mature; to put it badly, he's aged prematurely.

Then the referee made an unexpected announcement.

"There's an announcement before the match. Ray Granvelle?"

"Yes, Professor."

"An announcement has come down from the tournament organizers. From now on, using Union Sword in the inter-class competition is prohibited."

"What?"

"That is to say..."

The referee's gaze turned to me.

When our eyes met, he turned his head away.

"...Union Sword is a technique that cannot be controlled at the referee's discretion. There's a risk of immediate decapitation or limb severance. Therefore, it is prohibited."

"Yes, Professor. Understood." I silently nodded.

I was momentarily flustered, but it's fine.

It's a natural measure, if you think about it.

In a tournament where we fight with wooden swords, I alone am wielding a sword sharper than a real one.

Anyway, there's no point regretting it since I can't win even if I use Union Sword.

This fight is no different from a rabbit fighting a hawk.

What good are a rabbit's sharp claws if the opponent is a hawk soaring through the sky?

I've seen it with my own eyes before.

Rajiks is Aura 5-star.

I've seen him train using his full aura.

It was an insane speed.

Not just speed, his strength was also insane.

Beyond just smashing rocks with his bare hands, he could break rocks held in both hands as if splitting an apple.

This time, I would be that apple.

Just a light touch would tear my flesh and crush my bones.

Perhaps it would even penetrate beyond crushing.

I have no aura at all.

Therefore, my durability is at a normal person's level.

I read in a book that if an Aura 3-star human punches a normal person in the chest, the ribs don't break; a fist-sized hole is punched through the chest.

Haa...

These insane superhumans.

What?

Union Sword is dangerous?

Don't talk nonsense.

You guys are far more dangerous.

In the first place, are the wooden swords they wield weaker than my Union Sword?

Do you really think so, tournament organizers?

Are you serious?

I'll really flip everything over!

At this rate, it'd be better to just contaminate all the ley lines and create a world where no one can handle aura...

"...Phew."

I've gone too far.

Dirty reality doesn't matter anyway.

I had no intention of winning this match from the start.

Then the Rajiks inside me screamed.

-No!

-Win!

-You have to win!

-Win no matter what!

-Everyone is watching! Everyone is cheering for you!

-If you win, you can become a hero! You can elevate the family name!

No.

No, brother.

No matter what you say, some things just can't be done.

Even for an outsider who knows nothing about swordsmanship, it's hard to win against Aura 5-star.

And the opponent's swordsmanship is even 4-star.

What can I do?

I can't use Poison Enhancement in front of everyone, can I?

If I do that, everything ends here.

So, for now, let's just let it go.

Anyway, in a few seconds, when the match starts, whatever I do will be decided in an instant.

But...

Why?

Those few seconds didn't pass.

"..."

Time stopped.

Or perhaps reality stopped.

Instead of reality, an illusion began to fill the whole world.

A future illusion.

In a moment, the instant of my defeat appears before my eyes.

The opponent, with dazzling movements transcending human limits, toyed with me for a long time before bringing me down.

Hey.

What's wrong with you?

Why are you needlessly wasting time and making a fuss?

You could subdue me in an instant, so why are you tormenting a weak person?

Hmm.

Still, I'm grateful he went easy on the final blow.

I fell, but it doesn't seem like a major injury.

But what happened next was the problem.

Starting from the defeat, the future illusion began to flow in an uncontrollable direction.

I see knights in black armor.

They are the Black Knight Order, the Black Luna family's knight order.

Dozens, no, hundreds of Black Knights swarm into the academy and begin a massacre.

Of students.

Of professors.

They annihilate everyone who resists.

Why?

We're on the same side, aren't we?

Why are we fighting each other?

Why are they killing my friends?

I couldn't stand it.

In an instant, I absorbed the sphere and transformed into a poison human.

In the middle of the academy, in front of everyone, I revealed my identity.

I engaged in a fierce battle, spraying chaotic poisonous gas against hundreds of swarming knights.

Like the Poison King.

No...

Why on earth?

What on earth leads to such a future?

What intermediate events were omitted?

Why would the Black Luna family attack the academy?

I lost the match, didn't I?

If I had won, perhaps, but I lost, so why would the Black Knight Order attack the academy?

Unless they held a grudge over their family's young master suffering humiliation by losing in a trivial inter-class competition and were seeking revenge...

No, that doesn't make sense either.

It can't be explained with words.

The Black Luna is a family at the pinnacle of the Eight Great Sword King Main Families.

There's no reason for such a family to unleash private soldiers and attack the academy, which could be called the cradle of the Sword King family, just because of an inter-class competition.

I don't know.

I can't know.

I want to somehow confirm the hazy, omitted intermediate process.

If I concentrate all my senses, I might be able to get a slight hint.

But even that was a gamble.

Would I truly know the truth?

And what would change if I knew the truth?

Wouldn't it be better to find a way to win instead?

If I just win, wouldn't that incomprehensible future also disappear?