A purgatory-like world engulfed half the battlefield.
I managed to stay unscathed by continuously releasing my battle energy as a barrier around me.
I hadn’t intended to use this method because of its high consumption, but there’s no way I could endure without it.
If an ordinary person had taken this, they would’ve been reduced to ashes.
“…I’m surprised. How are you unharmed, even though you can’t use magic?”
The genius lady was astonished to see me without a single scratch.
“Did you cover yourself with magic power… no, that’s impossible. Now that I think about it, your movements were abnormal… If it’s not magic, then what? Some other force…?”
She began to mutter to herself, deep in thought.
An unexpected side of her.
It seems the genius lady has a researcher’s temperament.
“Shall we get started?”
“Ah, sorry about that. Let’s resume.”
With those words, I kicked off the ground.
Not straight ahead, but diagonally downward, out of her line of sight.
I swung my sword, aiming to slip into her blind spot.
Clang!
My sword was instantly blocked by a small barrier that formed.
“I’ll return the favor.”
Sensing danger, I jumped hard to the right.
A swirling flame burned through the space where I had just been.
Heat wrapped around my body.
Barely dodging, I breathed in the scorching air, but then the ground trembled beneath me.
“One after another!”
The wide-scale vibrations made it impossible to escape now.
I strengthened my legs with battle energy to their max and leaped with all my might.
The ground tremors ceased.
Then, as before, a field of rock spikes bloomed across the land.
Such a wide area.
For beings living on the surface, this must be an incredibly powerful magic.
But it seemed the spikes, now forming a forest of stone spears, wouldn’t reach where I stood.
“A surprisingly weak spell—!”
Chills.
I threw myself off the rock spire I had landed on.
There was no thought for form or positioning.
I simply acted, spurred by the shiver running down my spine.
It seemed my instincts were spot on—just after I moved, a bolt of lightning struck the spire, shattering it to pieces.
“That was close…”
Breaking out in a cold sweat, I twisted my body midair and landed on another spike.
The lightning had come from directly above me.
Since it was from a blind spot, my reaction had been delayed.
If I let my guard down for even a second, my barrier would be shattered instantly.
I need to be more vigilant.
Before I could even wipe the sweat from my brow, a wind slash flew toward me.
One large slash from each side.
I could block it with my sword, but… for the sake of conserving energy, I dodged both attacks by leaping into the air.
The two wind slashes collided beneath me.
It wouldn’t be wise to stay in one place any longer, so I moved quickly, using the spikes as footholds.
Fortunately, where I was moving, the spikes were densely packed, providing both cover and agility.
This should give me the advantage.
It’s not like her to make such a mistake, I thought—until…
“What…!?”
A thin needle extended from a nearby rock spire, scratching my barrier.
“Everything here is my magic. In other words, you’re in the palm of my hand. Isn’t it a bit foolish to feel safe?”
“Of course…!”
How could I have forgotten?
This entire field of spikes was created by her magic.
In other words, she had full control over my movements and position.
Even if I tried to hide from her sight or move around, it was pointless.
“Looks like you got me there… but so what!”
I infused my sword with battle energy and slashed in every direction.
In one breath, the surrounding rock spires were severed, crumbling with a loud crash.
“Well done! That’s more like it…!”
Needles of rock surged at me from all directions.
I zigzagged to avoid them, somersaulting midair, and occasionally cutting them down with my sword.
“Hahaha! Now this is more like it!”
The thrill of knowing that one wrong move could mean death—nothing beats this feeling.
“I’ll show you everything I’ve got… Don’t you dare die on me!”
“Like I ever would!”
The genius lady stomped her foot on the ground and murmured.
“—Aardragora, Stone Dragon.”
The earth roared.
The field of rock spires vanished, and from the ground emerged a massive dragon made entirely of stone.
“Kakak!”
How wonderful this is.
How far will it entertain me?
“Come on, come on, come on, come on!”
The gigantic rock dragon raised its head and charged at me.
“Hah—”
If I took it head-on, I would definitely die.
I aimed for the—side.
I pushed off the ground—spinning to dodge just before impact—and swung my sword at the same time.
“This is tough!”
With just a bit of battle energy, I could only leave shallow wounds.
However, the rock dragon was not a living creature; it was magic created by the genius lady, so I had plenty of ways to deal with it.
Moreover, the rock dragon was slow.
Its destructive power was tremendous, but its movements were monotonous and sluggish.
“Ten seconds.”
If I hesitated, I would be cornered by the genius lady.
So, I would destroy this thing in ten seconds.
It wasn’t particularly difficult.
Just a bit of a hassle.
“You’re slow.”
I dodged a tail swipe—using the tail as a foothold, I climbed up its body.
“Eight.”
The rock dragon was trying to regain its stance, so I ran and leaped with all my strength.
“Five.”
I landed on its back—rushing upward.
“Three.”
I jumped with all my might—my highest point was directly above its neck—falling according to gravity—
“One.”
I cleaved its neck in two.
I landed on the ground with both feet.
A moment later, the dragon’s head fell to the ground.
“I forget what magic it was… but the vital point is the same, right? And you can’t use any other magic while controlling this, can you?”
The decapitated rock dragon lost its strength and collapsed, shattering into pieces.
Exactly ten seconds.
It wasn’t an instant kill, but it was a quick defeat.
“Correct. A splendid deduction. But… do you think I would engage in a sweet battle like a mere reception?”
“No? You must have something planned, right? Bring it on. I’ll take it.”
At my words, the genius lady laughed and snapped her fingers.
Then, countless lightning bolts rained down around us.
“Your strength lies in your mobility. It’s frustrating, but even for me, it’s difficult to hit you with magic in this open space.”
The lightning didn’t come down just once; it fell continuously, connecting the heavens and the ground.
The only space free from the downpour was a straight line between me and the genius lady.
It felt like a prison.
“My goal is to defeat you… I’ll use any means necessary to achieve that. Do you look down on me for it?”
“Not at all. I admire the lack of hesitation in your methods for achieving your goals. I’m the same way.”
The way of fighting is free.
It just so happens that the genius lady and I share the same values.
“Hehe, I figured you’d say that. So… all the magic up to now was for this purpose: to trap you.”
“And what do you intend to do?”
Well, I had a pretty good idea.
“You’re strong, that’s for sure. But… it’s certain that you can’t use magic. That means you can’t defend yourself.”
“I was fine even in the flames, though?”
“That’s true. But… you can’t do that anymore, can you?”
The genius lady spoke with certainty.
I was a bit surprised.
“Well, I can’t, that’s for sure.”
I couldn’t release my battle energy to defend myself after this.
“So, I’ll do this.”
As the genius lady turned her palm toward me, swirling flames erupted in front of her hand.
They roared and blazed; just touching them would shatter my barrier.
“This fire will burn the space in front of me. Of course, you could jump to avoid it once since it won’t reach above… but it’s a linear magic, so if you fall, you’ll be hit. No matter how strange your powers may be, you can’t fly, right?”
The swirling flames grew even larger.
“Your downfall will be the lack of defensive magic. With this—my victory is assured.”
The flame vortex was unleashed from her hand.
As she said, there was no escape.
It made sense that if she sealed my mobility, she could win.
But…
“I was waiting for this!”
No matter how much I remembered my past life or had talent with swords and battle energy, not being able to use magic put me at a severe disadvantage.
Against the genius lady before me, it wouldn’t work.
So what should I do?
I needed to think of something new.
“This is special.”
…When I died in my previous life, I accidentally cut through magic.
Not solid objects like rock, but through flames.
Fire is not a physical object.
Thus, it is commonly believed that it cannot be cut.
However, I broke that common sense.
Believing there was an answer there, I trained for a year.
Finally, it was complete.
“Come to think of it… it didn’t have a name…”
A new possibility born from sword and battle energy.
A powerful technique to challenge a monster with just a sword.
I infused my sword with battle energy, recognizing it as part of my body.
My consciousness extended not just forward but far away.
To the farthest point.
To cut through the world with my slash.
I swung my sword.
Its name was—
“——Kantai!”
The swirling flame that was closing in just ahead.
The scorching heat that made me choke.
All of it—was sliced apart.
“Raaah!”
With that powerful technique, my battle energy reached its limit.
The path to the genius lady was opened.
I pushed off the ground with all my strength.
Faster, faster, as fast as I could.
The residual flames cracked my barrier, but that didn’t matter.
All my focus was on what lay before me.
“What—!?”
The genius lady’s face reflected surprise as her view stretched out before her.
She must have thought she had a perfect plan.
This was unexpected for her.
But this is who I am.
Enthralled by the sword, driven mad by it, devoted to it—this is me.
“I win!”
With all my might, I unleashed a single blow.
The genius lady had no chance to use magic.
Crack!
My sword flash, leaving sound behind, resonated with the sound of victory.
The arena fell silent.
The host and the audience… were left speechless.
Dragging my exhausted body, I turned to face the audience.
Bewilderment… astonishment… shock.
It was as if time had frozen.
… I raised my fist—opened my mouth.
“I win!”
My voice echoed through the silent arena.
An instant later, the entire arena erupted.
The air crackled, and my whole body trembled.
From seasoned adventurers familiar with swords to ordinary citizens and merchants, even magic-obsessed nobles.
Everyone was thrilled, caught up in the fervor.
“Hahaha!”
The host was saying something, but I couldn’t hear it over the audience’s cheers.
Everyone was astonished, all eyes on me.
I felt it.
I had won against that genius lady—and declared victory in this martial arts competition.
