Albit and I stood facing each other in the auditorium.
Ten meters apart—a distance meaningless to those with [Unique Ether] abilities. Yet, we maintained that distance.
The upcoming battle wouldn't be determined by distance.
“…” “…” Between us was a small box. Albit stared at it with a determined look.
‘She seems to be ready.’
Seeing her resolve, I spoke.
“…Shall we start♪” “…Yes.”
Whoosh—
A crimson holy sword and a dark red longsword. Flames erupted from the two swords Albit was holding, casting flickering shadows all around the auditorium.
Albit began to walk forward. With each step, crimson flames followed. Embers spewed out, rising toward the sky.
She looked every bit the part of a 'hero.'
Albit raised the holy sword in her right hand and lowered the longsword in her left.
As she did, the embers followed, creating a large fiery path.
Shing—
The two swords drew parallel lines, both sharp points aimed at me.
She merely stepped forward and assumed a ready stance, but it was enough to engulf the entire space in flames.
Her determination to win was palpable. There was no hint of hesitation or sentiment between a senior and junior.
‘She’s so diligent, it’s convenient that I don’t have to provoke her.’
Yet, without some penalty, she wouldn’t be able to fight with all her might. That’s why Albit had brought something precious to put in the small box.
It was an expensive cookie, a limited-edition item she had flown to retrieve from the most expensive shop on Golden Street.
Albit, like me, had awakened a cheat-level teleportation ability. She often enjoyed the thrill of splurging on Golden Street.
But even then, it wasn’t a real splurge, just a bit of shopping under 100,000 won by my previous life’s standards.
‘She’s decided she’ll give me one cookie from the box each time I hit her… so she can withstand ten hits.’
She set her own HP to 10… an impressively strict limit.
This diligent junior was serious about her training. Seeing the box filled with determination made me smile.
“…Hehe☆”
As I inhaled a breath along with my laughter…
“An opening—!!”
The two swords targeted my neck, rushing in like a pair of scissors.
The fiery crimson flames traced lines in the air as the swords closed in.
Whoosh—!!!
“Oooh—☆”
The speed was just barely within my perception. The ether flames near my neck were hot enough to evaporate sweat.
Sizzle—!
A single move. So many subtleties were contained in what seemed like a single surprise attack.
Though she controlled flames, she didn’t rely on them. Though she wielded swords, she wasn’t isolated by them.
The surging flames blocked any retreat, a brilliant technique.
‘Excellent… Excellent—! She’s already surpassed where I was in my first year—! She’s grown so much on her own…!’
Living together, I could understand her effort. The word ‘talent’… felt almost inappropriate in the face of her diligence.
Even so, I wanted to call Albit a genius.
A genius who works hard is truly terrifying.
But, Albit, do you realize…?
“Dual-wielding is the icon of defeat—☆”
I've never seen a victor among those who split their swords.
With that declaration, I activated [Bifrost].
“[Bifrost]—☆”
Instant teleportation activated. I moved forward between the two rushing blades and casually picked up a dagger from the floor, gripping it in reverse.
But that was a feint.
With my other hand, I clenched my fist, readying a cutesy punch.
I bet she didn’t expect me to pull out [Pink Lemon Sorbet], the ether flex technique of a girl wielding a weapon—☆
“…!”
Seeing me pull out a Macaron-pick weapon, Albit retreated instead of countering. She focused her strength outward into the blades.
It was as if she was preparing for a great force. It wasn’t a typical reaction to seeing a dagger.
“There’s no way Senior would attack with such a small weapon—!”
Albit’s keen observation skills revealed my intentions.
One of her talents, which I lacked, and something I envied greatly.
‘Sigh… She caught on.’
But since the distance had increased, I decided to test a new application of [Bifrost].
Using [Bifrost], I summoned the bow of [Verdant Great Bow] Anna.
“Reach, [Bifrost]—!”
[Bifrost] connected to the <Holy Alvenheim High School> hundreds of kilometers away and brought the weapon of a friend with whom I had a certain level of affinity.
Flash—!
I could feel the ether imbued in the verdant green bow.
The fate within the weapon searched for its owner, cutely panicking, ‘Huh?! Who, who are you?! Where am I?!’
Imagining it, the bow seemed like a cute elf girl with short green hair.
I activated the mind-control app on Anna’s bow.
Math drill. You are basking in this rainbow light. You understand, right?
No, I… I don’t want to…! Meat font check.
Ah♡ Red bean paste—♡ Mind-control training complete. Serve the disciplinarian tree.
‘Seize complete…!’
I momentarily stole Anna’s ether skill.
…
‘No, we’re just borrowing it as friends.’
I borrowed Anna’s ether skill for a short time.
As I drew the bow and released the string, a verdant green arrow struck the ground.
There, the power of [Vidaril] manifested.
Whoosh—!
Sprouts shot up from the ground.
Rapidly growing yew trees were summoned.
The trees closed in on Albit, trying to trap her like a prison.
“Haa—!”
Albit created wings from her back and soared into the air. But just as she was about to escape, the trees caught her ankle, and she took a hit.
“Minus 1 point—☆” “Graaah!!”
Albit made a U-turn in midair like a roller coaster, and with both swords raised like an eagle’s talons, she charged at me.
Whoosh—!
We collided, thrusting our weapons at each other.
Clang!
At the same time, shockwaves rippled through the auditorium.
Albit, from her advantageous position in the air, pressed down on me.
“Senior! Please don’t use that whenever you want! I don’t want to get complaint calls again!” “Friends can borrow each other’s weapons, can’t they—☆”
The ultimate technique of Ping-chang style [Bifrost].
Its name: [Weapon Location Swap].
This was the result of my sparring with Albit.
Though [Bifrost] and [Find the Pink-Pink Vision☆] were already pretty overpowered, [Weapon Location Swap] was on a different level.
To think I could borrow someone else’s ether skill just based on affinity… Even I couldn’t help but curse at how broken it was.
‘Why do I even have two name-release skills?’
I didn’t know.
But since glitches are free, I might as well use them.
I needed to take advantage before the game devs patched it.
Albit, the one on the receiving end, was also fuming.
“You’ve awakened such a weird skill—!” “Reach, [Bifrost]—☆”
This time, I grabbed my sweet honey’s weapon.
Instead of the bow that had returned to its original owner, I picked up the handle of [Gungnir]. The remaining ether responded weakly, creating lightning.
Lara, I love you. Darling’s feelings came through.
Lifting the handle high, I shouted.
“I love you too!! [Gungnir]—☆”
Boom—!
It wasn’t the dozens of lightning strikes Hilde once summoned in her prime, just one weak bolt. But it shot toward Albit in an instant.
“Graaah?!”
I continued to alternate between Eir’s and Anna’s weapons, using them repeatedly. During the 10-minute sparring session, Albit used up all 10 points.
Then she handed over the cookies she had bought as a dungeon gate reward.
“Nom nom nom—☆” “Grrr… I shouldn’t have taught you swordsmanship when you were a fool with no weapons at the beginning of the semester…! This damn school, I should’ve known…!” “Thanks for teaching me~☆” “Ugh…!”
The cookies my junior offered were delicious.
And since I borrowed the weapons with consideration of the situation, the owners didn’t even know I had used them.
“…” Albit clutched her head and lamented…
But did she realize the significance of enduring a fight against the strongest third-year student in the academy city, excluding future prediction and all other broken abilities, for 10 minutes?
After whining for a while, Albit’s spirit dampened.
“…But, will this really help me win the Combat Festival?”
What was she saying? She had withstood the overpowered Ping-chang skills for 10 minutes.
【6☆ Clara Bifrost — [Saint of Sacrifice] (Limited Edition)】 If this character were implemented, players would protest and lie down en masse… Honestly, this is a bug-level character.
I tilted my head at Albit’s incomprehensible words.
“Even though you were so amazing in your first year, Senior, there were still people as strong as the ‘Five Colors’ who appeared… I’ve grown stronger because of my fate as a hero, but… I still don’t think I’m anything special…”
“…” “Can I really fight properly against those outstanding second and third-years?” “…” “Can I, not you, really protect the name of <Central Prism Academy>…?”
Uh… Hmm…
Right now, those guys are nothing compared to you.
“…” But I couldn’t just come out and say something that crass.
So, I spoke with a more serious tone.
“Well—☆ Who knows? You won’t know until you fight.” “…That’s true.” “But~♪ I told you on the first day, didn’t I?”
I picked up a bucket that was lying on the floor and put it on my head.
“That…”
Albit’s eyes widened slightly, as if recalling the memory of that first day, which felt like a long time ago, even though it was only a short while ago.
Clang…
With the bucket playfully on my head, I spoke.
“The girl who chose to step forward and protect others is special—☆ I’m sure you can do it~♪” “…” And at that moment, we heard Lota and Kara returning from a distance.
Lota walked in, twitching her orange cat ears.
“I’m back~”
Kara sighed as she carried dozens of poles on her back.
“I’m back… Ugh… Just looking at these flags makes me sick now. If this wasn’t important, I’d quit on the spot.”
Then Biyaki approached, scolding her.
“Piiik—! It’s important work finding the [Regalia] equipment! So, buck up! Piiik!” “I know, I know…”
We watched them for a moment, then stood up, laughing.
“That’s enough for today—☆” “Haha… Thank you for your hard work.”
And so, another day passed, one week before the Combat Festival.
On the day of the Combat Festival.
Albit mumbled in disbelief, her eyes wide.
Around her feet, countless students lay trembling.
“…This is… really different from what I expected.”
From a distance, the head of the <Unified Student Council>’s broadcast department, Herr, perked up his elf ears, grabbed the microphone, and shouted at the top of his lungs.
[The legend of <Central Prism Academy> is once again—! Starting now!! This student won a fight with 100:1 odds in the preliminaries!! And she is—!! Albit—!! Albit has quickly advanced to the finals—!!]
Waaaah—!! “…” This… this is way too easy.