The Absolute Godspeed of Infinite Worlds

"Whoo... ha..."

The morning sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting fragmented patches of light on the cement ground.

The forest was lush and green, filled with the sounds of rustling leaves and the pure, refreshing scent of nature. Being here made it feel as though the soul was being cleansed.

Eiji was doing push-ups, supporting himself with one hand. His muscular torso moved in waves, with sweat dripping down his forehead.

He pushed himself to finish the last set, then collapsed onto the ground with a thud, breathing heavily as his chest rose and fell like a bellows.

"Keep going!"

A scorching gaze paused for a moment before a sports drink was thrown his way.

Eiji caught the bottle with his right hand, which wasn't too sore, opened it, and gulped it down in one go.

After rehydrating, he felt a little better and decided to rest on the ground.

This was a corner of the dense forest at the Hagun Academy.

Because there was a small park here, Eiji had claimed it as his training ground. Every morning, he would come here to exercise his body using Nene's ability.

After returning from the distorted world, his life gradually returned to normal.

"So, what about our date?"

"This is a date, too!"

While exercising together in solitude, this could be counted as a date, by rounding it off.

Nene, naturally, felt a bit deceived. However, once she remembered she could see her little junior's naked torso during the exercise, she immediately felt better and thought it wasn't so bad after all.

"Senior sister, how do you think sword wielders usually deal with reflective-type abilities?"

While lying still on the ground with about twenty times the normal gravity bearing down on him, Eiji asked the question he'd been pondering for days.

"I heard you were attacked a few days ago. Was it because you were scared of your own ability being countered?"

"Do I look scared?"

"As long as you haven't lost your will, it's fine."

Nene lay back in a chair, sipping on a soda, and fanning herself with a folding fan.

"If it were me, I'd use a force that exceeds the opponent's reflection limit to hit them head-on!"

That's very much her style.

"Can you give me a method I can actually use?"

Eiji rolled his eyes.

If I had that kind of power, I wouldn't be worrying about this.

"It's just an example," she waved her fan and then thought for a moment.

"Well… with your abilities and swordsmanship, you would never be able to break a reflective ability head-on. It's an ability that completely counters you."

She thought for a while and then shrugged, showing it was impossible.

Reflective abilities were the most troublesome for Eiji. Other abilities always had weaknesses to exploit, but reflection didn't.

If he couldn't defeat the opponent before they activated the reflection, he wouldn't be able to break through it.

"To defeat a reflective ability, you either need to exhaust the opponent's mana or trick them into canceling the reflection. There's no other way."

Even Nene was so certain about this conclusion.

Eiji's thoughts grew heavy.

"However, it's not absolutely impossible."

Nene suddenly recalled something, her expression becoming serious.

"If your swordsmanship were to reach the level of the world's strongest, you might be able to break through the reflection head-on!"

The world's strongest swordsmanship.

Thinking of that otherworldly sword technique, Nene couldn't help but shiver.

Eiji's eyes gleamed with thought.

"What kind of swordsmanship is that?"

He looked up at Nene.

If a model of that swordsmanship were placed before him, he was confident he could learn it and surpass it in a short time!

Nene recalled what little she knew of it.

Although it was late spring and early summer, she couldn't help but shiver.

A surge of intense fear overwhelmed her.

"I don't understand swordsmanship, so I can't describe it. But… it's something beyond what a human could use!"

From her eyes, Eiji even saw a trace of fear.

It was unbelievable!

Nene, who feared nothing, felt genuine fear just from recalling the world's strongest swordsmanship?

What kind of swordsmanship was that?

Eiji's heart grew excited.

His goal was to become the world's strongest.

So the current world's strongest was the person he would eventually surpass!

He couldn't suppress his curiosity about the swordsmanship of the current strongest, and even felt a surge of determination.

"Hey!"

Eiji sprang up from the ground with a swift motion, then summoned his device, the Bling Blade.

"What are you doing?"

Nene snapped out of her recollection, wiping the unease from her heart, and looked at him curiously.

"I'm going to find a way to counter reflection!"

Eiji gripped his sword tightly, feeling every change in his body.

If his goal was to become the world's strongest, he couldn't afford to slack off even for a moment!

He knew that he wasn't yet in a position to challenge the world's strongest. No matter how talented he was, the time spent training was completely unequal.

The world's strongest swordsman had already made a name for herself over a decade ago, while Eiji had only been practicing for a few months.

But he would take it step by step.

As long as he kept improving steadily and accumulating his foundation bit by bit, his talent would eventually blossom, and he would soon be able to touch the shadow of the world's strongest!

***

"Here it comes! The sixteenth round of the school's internal selection competition! Once again, I'm your commentator, Tsukiyomi! Now, let's introduce the contestants for the ninth match of today!"

The grand arena was packed with people.

Hundreds of teachers and students had gathered, with some even holding banners and glow sticks, turning the serious competition zone into something like a concert.

"First, coming through the blue gate, we have a girl! She ranked seventh on last year's school leaderboard, even higher than her younger sister, Botan Hagure!"

"That's right! She's Botan Hagure's twin sister, Kikyo Hagure, who competed just three days ago! The sisters both ranked on the leaderboard, which is quite the achievement! So far, she's also undefeated! Will she be able to maintain that perfect record today? Let's wait and see!"

A girl who looked identical to Botan Hagure walked out from the blue gate.

Her long hair was tied into a ponytail with a red ribbon, and her face showed a mix of emotions—happiness, excitement, and high fighting spirit.

"Now, on the other side! Oh, here he comes from the red gate!"

"That's right! Anyone from the Hagun Academy will know his name. Even students from other schools are his fans, and there's a massive following in society. He's more of an idol than just a competitor—our academy's pride, the Fallen Angel, Eiji Nangou!"

***

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