Multiverse Academy with a Naughty System

As Basara kept his arm up, holding Brynhildr, the buzz grew around the stage.

"This is crazy... Of course, this isn't Sacred Gear. Not by a long shot. Do you feel that aura?"

"Yes. That sword is like a stormy gale, while Issei's Sacred Gear feels like a roar about to explode."

"Sacred Gear or not, that sword emanates great power."

"And they're still first-years?!"

However, Basara's attention was largely directed towards Issei, whose smug grin had faded upon Basara's disclosure of his magical weapon.

However, Basara wanted to clear up a few doubts before the battle really began. "Let me get this straight, Issei-san. This power of yours... is it necessary to accumulate something like a 'boost' to increase your strength over the course of the fight?"

'Did he understand how Sacred Gear works just from my silly explanation? Damn...' thought Issei, frowning before saying, "Hmph... that's about it."

Basara shrugged, adjusting Brynhildr's grip. "In that case, I'll give you as much time as you need to build up your impulses. Well use it."

The crowd murmured in astonishment and shock, a wave of indistinct sounds rising like a tide around them. Some spectators' eyes widened, while others exchanged perplexed glances, perhaps questioning Basara's sanity. It wasn't a common thing to hear, giving your opponent a time advantage, especially when it came to a cumulative power like Issei's. But for Basara, this wasn't the case. But for Basara, it made no difference; what he wanted was an opportunity to test his new abilities.

Issei still looked stunned, not knowing whether to be grateful for the advantage or angry at Basara's dismissive tone. He narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

"I see, Basara-san..." he muttered, controlling his irritation. "If that's the way you want it, I won't back down."

Issei's fists ceased, and he starts to concentrate all the power of the Boosted Gear as he raised it. The emerald-colored gem in the center of the back of his right hand glowed.

"Boost!" a thick voice from inside the gem suddenly said.

At that moment, the gem glowed brightly for an instant.

"Boost!" Again, the same voice.

With a swiftness that took everyone by surprise, Issei's power escalated in rapid waves, each doubling his previous strength. Time after time, that voice from inside the Boosted Gear echoed around the stage.

The people in the front row could feel the power emanating from Issei increasing more and more, and his face contorted to sustain all this power. The red gauntlet in Issei's right hand was exuding dense, powerful mana.

On the other side of the stage, Basara was watching with a calm expression. However, he was curious and getting more and more excited with each boost of power provided by the Boosted Gear for Issei.

At one point, Basara raised his eyebrows slightly, noticing the expression of effort marked on his face. The brown-haired boy with the perverted look seemed to suppress a storm inside him.

When the surrounding glow emitted by the Boosted Gear gem seemed to have reached its maximum, Basara asked:

"Ready to begin?"

Issei, slightly bent forward from holding so much power, raised his head and replied with a penetrating look and a nod.

For a second, the two remained motionless, staring at each other, while the spectators knew what was coming. Then Basara and Issei, as if they could understand each other without saying anything, began the simultaneous countdown to the start of the battle.

"Three..." said Basara, and a glimmer of magical aura began to flow through him.

"Two..." replied Issei, in a guttural tone as the flow of his aura became even more overwhelming. The ground around Issei seemed to vibrate.

"Um..." The whisper came from Basara.

At that moment, Basara's magical aura increased exponentially and took on such a monstrous form that each person in the audience on that platform saw a different creature. Some saw a dragon, others saw a white tiger, while others saw a hooded figure with a scythe in his hand, death itself.

"WHAT IS THAT ENERGY?!"

"Who's that guy?!"

"Is that power really coming from a first-year boy?! He even looks like a real magic knight!"

Even the audience felt the pressure of Basara's power like a vortex.

In the next instant, like a bolt of lightning, Issei lunged forward. His feet barely touched the ground, and he became a blur of energy. The first step brought him half the distance between him and Basara, the second brought him even closer, until he finally reached out with the Boosted Gear to grab Basara.

'I can't use my most powerful attacks from a distance so as not to risk hurting someone watching, but, if I grab you, I could unleash all the Boosted's energy on you!' Issei thought with a smile on his face, seeing Basara standing in front of him.

But, to his amazement, when he closed his right hand, his fingers grasped only air. Issei's gaze froze. For a moment, he stood there, holding nothing, while trying to find something to justify Basara's absence. Then he heard the low sound of a sigh — something that made his skin crawl in a second. His eyes moved, in an almost animal reflex, to the left, until he glimpsed a sharp glint.

Silent but terrifyingly deadly, the Brynhildr was already a centimeter from Issei's neck.

Basara, who kept his gaze unwavering, holding Brynhildr on the opposite side as if it were a dagger, stood back to back with Issei.

"This is over," declared Basara in a serious tone.

Issei was paralyzed, his body still seized by the Boosted Gear's energy, but his mind was in shock, unable to process the speed that Basara had to possess to overcome ten Boosts of Boosted Gear so easily. It was humiliating, but at the same time, he knew he had faced someone whose power was beyond his imagination.

The surrounding crowd erupted in murmurs and exclamations. Some stared in astonishment, others in disbelief, and some were even suspicious of what they had seen. After all, how could Basara have moved so fast that no one saw him? Was it teleportation magic?

Issei lowered the Boosted Gear and fell to his knees, unable to bear all those Boosts any longer. Basara pulled the Brynhildr away from Issei's neck and put it away too. Just like that, both their right arms were back to normal.

"You're really impressive, Basara-san." Issei said, head down.

Basara gave a slight smile, put his hands in his pockets, and started walking towards the stage stairs. "With the right training and that power of yours, you can surpass me."

As Basara neared the end of the stairs, the crowd seemed to awaken, plucking up the courage to approach him and try to understand who he really was. Murmurs turned into questions, and some, bolder, raised their voices:

"Hey, are you going to fight again?" shouted one student in front.

"Basara-san, where did that power come from? That was... how did you do that?! Was it the sword?!"

Basara stopped, briefly looking away from the crowd. With a faint smile, he replied:

"Tomorrow." He exclaimed, his voice overpowering the sound of the crowd. "Tomorrow, at this same time, I'll be here. If there's anyone who thinks they're strong enough to take me on, let them show up. I'll accept the challenge from the strongest person who comes forward."