The Absolute Speed of a Certain Comic'

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The third training ground was the closest to the academy's main gate.

At this moment, about ten spectators were sitting on the bleachers, watching the fiery battle in the arena below and exchanging sarcastic remarks.

"How could he win by challenging an A-class knight to a duel? He's only an F-class knight."

"Exactly, and he is a repeater student, he hasn't even participated in real combat training!"

Such mocking voices echoed from the tribune, openly expressing their contempt.

"You all said the same thing yesterday."

The girl holding the camera looked disdainfully at the people behind her.

"Yesterday? What happened?"

"Yesterday, that guy was still somewhat capable, but today's opponent is completely different. The Kouhai must be new here, so they don't know, but this guy is notorious for being useless!"

Ryoji entered the training area and appeared at the lowest level of the stands. As soon as he entered, he overheard these conversations.

He glanced at the group of spectators before his gaze immediately shifted to the battle ring.

The 100-meter diameter ring had once again become the stage for two Blazers to engage in a fierce battle. Unlike the previous confrontation between Ryoji and Shinguuji Kurono, today's battle was much more spectacular and violent.

Shinguuji Kurono stood at the side of the ring, seemingly acting as a referee, her eyes fixed on the two fighters.

Since they were using Illusionary Form and their Spiritual Items (Devices), neither fighter was in any real danger. However, Kurono seemed to be more interested in the course of the fight.

Ryoji's eyes followed the two fighters.

One of them was a familiar face - just over an hour ago, he had met Kurogane Ikki near the school gate. At that moment, he was holding a blade, a deep black katana-type Spiritual Item (Device), struggling under the attacks of his opponent, constantly dodging and barely staying on his feet.

On the other side was a girl in the Hagun Academy student uniform, her fiery red twin-tailed hair flowing behind her. 

Crimson Princess (the original heroine).

Although she was a girl, she was as fierce as a Tyrannosaurus.

She held a golden, dazzling great sword in both hands and swung it with the power of a hurricane. The sword itself was almost as tall as she was, and as she coated it with blazing flames, a single strike sent shockwaves through the ground, making the entire training ground tremble.

This wasn't just figurative speach - the earth was literally shaking!

The ferocity of her attack was so overwhelming that even Kurogane Ikki, whose physical strength was ten times greater than Ryoji's, could only keep retreating, unable to mount any counterattacks. Any attempt to block would have been disastrous as the sheer force of her blow would have shattered him instantly.

This girl possessed such a terrifying power.

The fiery-haired girl continued her relentless attack, pushing Kurogane Ikki further back with each strike, showing no sign of him even being able to retaliate, resulting in a one-sided, crushing battle.

"It's not that her power is incredibly strong; it's the massive difference in Magic Power."

While Ryoji was not a master of dynamic vision like Kazuma, he was still skilled enough among the Student Knights to clearly see the situation unfolding on the field.

The girl fighting Kurogane Ikki had a Magic Power that far exceeded the average person's, her every move radiating incredible heat, with phosphorescent light flickering around her, a clear sign that her Magic Power was overwhelming.

Blazers like Ryoji, whose Magic Power is rated F, have very little to work with. Every bit of their Magic Power must be used perfectly, without wasting any, and they can rarely afford to release it into the environment.

However, Blazers with Magic Power rated B or, more impressively, Magic Power A can freely unleash their Magic Power, without worrying about wastage or how much remains. Their only concern is using all of it to overwhelm and defeat their opponent.

"Of course!" 

The girl, holding the camera and happily recording the scene, heard Ryoji's muttering and sighed with envy and jealousy.

"That girl's name is Stella Vermillion. She's the Second Princess of the small Nordic country of Vermillion, and her total Magic Power is recognized as the world's strongest!"

Stella Vermillion.

Just as Ryoji remembered Kurogane Ikki's name, he certainly remembered hers. After all, she was the heroine, destined to rise to the peak eventually.

Kurogane Ikki's match against Stella was the beginning of the entire story, and Ryoji hadn't expected their first battle to take place today.

Thinking about it like that made him feel a little uneasy.

He had even talked with Kurogane Ikki this morning, and if their encounter— Ikki meeting Stella— was disrupted by his small butterfly wings, it would be his fault.

What? Is he worried about the plot changing?

Realistically, only someone who suddenly crosses over and remembers the plot would worry about such things. For someone like him, a reincarnated transmigrator who had been here for over a decade and had mostly forgotten the plot, there was no need to worry about it.

Back to the main point, just like the camera girl had said, Stella's total Magic Power was recognized as the world's strongest by the International Magic Knight League.

In other words, no Blazer in the world could surpass Stella in total Magic Power.

From another perspective, Stella also possessed the strongest Magic Power burst and the strongest Magic Power defense— both of which depend on the total amount of Magic Power. A single attack that shook the earth was just her usual move.

"Just as expected of Princess Stella, her opponent is completely suppressed. At this rate, it won't take long for a winner to be decided."

The camera girl sighed heavily, "A miracle like yesterday's won't happen again. Too bad, my second issue's theme is ruined."

The first issue's theme had already been decided as '"The Sudden Defeat of the World's Third Rank! The Shocking Newcomer Black Horse!"'

"Not necessarily."

Ah, he had been wanting to say that line for a while!

A voice suddenly came from the side, drawing the girl's attention. The speaker's tone seemed filled with confidence.

"Look carefully at the field. Although Kurogane Ikki is completely suppressed, Stella Vermillion hasn't even touched a single hair on him. In other words, the battle is still in a stalemate."

Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be true.

The camera girl quickly focused on the battle. Her dynamic vision couldn't match Ryoji's, but she could tell that the black-haired boy was dodging with ease and hadn't sustained a single injury.

"Wow, it really is!"

The camera girl gasped in surprise, quickly lifting her head to look in the direction of the voice.

The fact that the battle was still in a stalemate showed that the person who made the observation must have a sharp eye, likely one of the top experts at Hagun Academy—certainly not like the previous amateurs who made quick judgments.

"Woah! A super new black horse!"

"?"

Hearing the surprised cheers from the girl next to him, Ryoji raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Hmm, upon closer inspection, this girl seemed quite coincidentally familiar! 

(End of Chapter)