I Was the Strongest Sword God in My Past Life

part 37

But…

“KUOOK!”

Rakuma’s reign ended today.

“Party leader, why a man of all things? He’s only ranked ninth.”

The boy with blue bobbed hair moved his gloved hand, and soft water droplets enveloped Rakuma’s paw.

The black-haired girl slashed at Rakuma’s front paw, which had slowed significantly in speed and destructive power, with her silver sword.

“I’ve seen that student’s test footage. Exceptional swordsmanship and judgment. Skills hard to believe for a student.”

“For the party leader to say as much. Hmm! He must be strong indeed.”

The boy flashed a fresh smile and moved his hand again.

Pfwash-

Suddenly, a spray of water burst from the ground, engulfing Rakuma.

Rakuma staggered and was pushed back.

“Kuooh!!”

Despite the threatening roar, none of the three students were frightened.

Instead, they formed a formation around the black-haired girl called the party leader, handling the situation adeptly.

“Kua, lay down the Water Liquid on the floor. Demona, Mega Crush.”

“It’s laid out.”

“……”

The boy’s gloves spread liquid on the ground. Rakuma slipped and staggered, and in that moment, the girl with bleached white hair struck Rakuma’s front paw with a 2-meter-long halberd.

“Kwaohk!”

The rocky front paw shattered, and Rakuma writhed in pain.

Flash!

A momentary flash.

The silver sword, imbued with mana, pierced Rakuma’s heart precisely.

An advanced level of teamwork, unbelievable for students.

“Good work.”

Celia’s pride, Lucia Elquines.

Rare black hair proving the blood of heroes and her restrained speech.

Her always cool demeanor was why she was called an emperor rather than an empress. She had been first since her admission, and so had her party. The members totaled three.

“Hmm~ Still, surprises are surprises. I actually thought you would choose Croa Academina Aither.”

The cheerful Kua, and

“……”

The taciturn Demona.

“Moreover, rumors say she took down a level 4 boss all by herself.”

Lucia said as she sheathed her sword.

Despite the praise, her expression was notably unimpressed.

“Ah, that’s nothing. Even the party leader could do it easily, right?”

Aqua, dematerializing the magical glove artifact.

“……”

Demona quietly nodded in agreement, as if to say she concurred.

“Celia’s victory is a given… but what I want is a perfect and overwhelming first place.”

Overwhelming first place.

Lucia’s goal wasn’t just to win. It was to prove her strength to everyone and to solidify her position as the successor. The Elquiness family had a rule up until now.

The sun and the moon.

Men would take the official successor’s position of the sun, handling the family’s external affairs, while women would strengthen the family’s internal foundation, taking the unfair role of the moon. Lucia detested that rule.

The sun shines on its own, but the moon does not. It merely receives the light of the sun, unable to shine by itself.

‘I will become the sun.’

And so, Lucia became stronger than anyone else.

From a very young age, she never showed weakness.

Mature and precocious.

In truth, she simply wanted to choose her own path. Not to be like the moon, reflecting someone else’s light, but to shine on her own like the sun.

“Just leave it to us. Both Demona and I will work hard! Right, Demona?”

Kua, with a bright smile, sought agreement with a giggle, while Demona turned her head away with an indifferent face.

“……”

“Demona agrees too.”

Kua concluded on her own.

Lucia looked out at the sun outside the cave. Her eyes stung, but she did not look away. To Lucia, the sun was truly dazzlingly beautiful.

* * *

Guns.

Sabers shun them.

Unlike bows that can infuse arrows with mana by hand, and hidden weapons, bullets are fired through guns, causing severe mana loss—enough to reduce a level 4 to the power of a level 3. A fatal flaw for a saber. But what if the gun itself was a magical artifact made of mana?

Bang!

The sniper rifle spat fire.

The bullet, imbued with mana, traced a straight line.

Like a meteor, mana scattered along the bullet’s trajectory, forming a tail.

Without any loss of mana or resistance, the bullet was fired at a fierce speed.

“6km success… Well done. It’s surpassed it.”

The woman who removed her earpiece spoke.

She was Timothy, the sparring instructor at Croa Academy.

“Thank you.”

The man who fired the gun was Timothy’s beloved disciple, Ichev.

Swoosh.

Ichev’s stigma shone, and the sniper rifle disappeared.

He was the first to have a sniper rifle that was a magical tool, the Saber.

“Only a few days left for the event, huh?”

“Yes.”

“How about it, do you think you’ll win the Battle Survival?”

To those who knew her true nature, her voice was so tender it could make one shiver.

Ichev, with an expressionless face, only lifted the corners of his mouth.

“As long as I’m participating…”

The hem of his long coat fluttered in the plains’ wind.

Ichev let out a ‘pfft’ sound, as if he found it all laughable.

“It’s just… a one-sided hunt.”

Ichev, with his hands in his pockets, left the place with a look of cool indifference.

Timothy, with a face as if she had bitten into something bitter, shouted.

“Huh, who on earth is he imitating now?”

Goosebumps sprouted on her forearms.

Timothy, with a sad face, reminisced about the early days of Ichev.

Ichev, who used to follow her around like a leech, adding ‘really?’ at the end of every cute sentence…

‘Those were the days when teaching was enjoyable…’

But after watching a bunch of noir films from District 1, Ichev had been in that state ever since. Timothy sighed, longing for her once adorable disciple.

“Ah, well. His skills have improved tremendously, though.”

Now, only Celia and Arcana pose a challenge.

Unlike other academies, Kroa has kept their secret weapon, Eichef, well hidden.

‘A gun that’s a magical tool? If we play our cards right with the terrain, first place is possible.’

Then, Arcana’s elimination is also possible.

‘Was it… Gian?’

Timothy wasn’t particularly interested in Arcana as a competitor.

It was where Romina, his rival since school days, resided. And Timothy never really took a liking to Arcana, which prided itself as a prestigious academy.

“Let’s see them crash and burn.”

* * *

Saturday morning, 10 AM, at the dueling arena.

A one-on-one duel with magical tools allowed unfolded. The contenders were Chris and Dayven.

Despite being a weekend, the stands were filled with students who came to watch. Those who thought there’d be plenty of seats were left in awe.

“So many people on a weekend?”

“Wow, must be over a hundred.”

“Who came for the duel? Everyone’s here for ‘that party.'”

The students’ interest wasn’t in the duel.

Though a duel with magical tools was a rare spectacle.

“Will he show up too?”

Their interest was in Gian and his party.

Gian, who went from last to number one overnight, became a celebrity in Arcana through the tower incident and participation in the battle survival.

The students’ interest grew, but Gian, busy and absent from classes, unintentionally cultivated a mystique.

Chris was a member of Gian’s party. The enigmatic celebrity and his party members. The students murmured amongst themselves.

“Stuck between the top two, he must be skilled, right?”

“Hey, but does it make sense for someone who’s not a number one to represent the school?”

“Is Gian here too?”

“There he is! Over there!”

Among the professors seated in the stands, including Romina, Kashen, and Selfis, was Gian.

It was just a student duel, but the attendance was too grand. Students who thought about striking up a conversation turned away.

“Ho-ho! With so much free time~ Only those professors who really wanted to watch were supposed to come, but look, everyone’s here. Arcana really is well-united.”

Selfis looked pleased, unlike the professors, whose expressions were less than thrilled.

The professors at Celia Academy did not want to be in the bad graces of Selfis, who was already on edge due to the academy’s provocations.

Moreover, if it had been Zien’s duel, there might have been some interest, but this duel was Chris’s match, ranked 97th in the school year.

Acting professor Jerome looked at Zien with displeasure.

‘How much can one improve in such a short time, and how much can one teach! They should have just followed the principal’s words and included a number one! What a waste of time over the weekend.’

Of course, there were professors like Kashen who were genuinely curious and attended.

‘It’s nearly impossible for Chris to win against the combat magical artifact, Dayben. That Zien made such a proposal…’

Kashen did not doubt Zien’s abilities.

But he could find nothing special in Chris.

‘…Or was it that they needed a suitable reason to expel Chris?’

If the proposal from Selfis was not rejected and this was made to expel Chris and get a number one…

‘What are you thinking, Zien?’

Kashen looked at Zien with a bitter face.

Zien was looking at Chris with anticipation. The full confidence on his face was not one that wished for Chris’s defeat.

‘Really, it’s unfathomable…’

Then, Zien casually said to Selfis, who was sitting next to him,

“Principal. Chris will win.”

Selfis laughed with a ‘ho-ho’ sound. Though his mouth smiled, his eyes narrowed with doubt.

“I know our student Zien is strong, but… being strong and teaching to become strong are entirely different matters.”

Romina asked Zien with a look of pity,

“Do you know the criteria for classifying magical artifacts into combat and non-combat types in Stigma Studies?”

It’s simple.

Like Isabelle’s gauntlet and Zien’s sword, if you fight with a magical artifact, it’s combat type. Otherwise, it’s non-combat type. Since Chris fights with a dagger made by the Tower, he can be considered to have a non-combat magical artifact. The dagger made by the Tower for Chris and the greatsword summoned by Dayben with a stigma were of a completely different class.

“I’m not sure about the gate, but in the dueling arena, Dayben will win.”

As Romina spoke with certainty, Jerome chuckled loudly as if to make sure everyone heard.

“How about Amy among the principal’s number ones?”