The Academy’s Crude Pink-Haired Martial Artist

After crashing onto his buttocks, Ashtar was still wearing a silly expression, so I helped him up.

Even after getting up, Ashtar continued to wear a dazed look for a while, then seemed to come to some sort of understanding, nodding and bowing his head to me.

“Junior, I’m sorry.”

Earlier he said he was sorry for Hurd instead, so what now? Ashtar seems to have a lot to apologize for.

“What are you apologizing for this time?”

“The reason I suggested a spar was actually to discipline you.”

“Discipline me? Why?”

At my question, Eurasia, who had been standing over there, looked at me with eyes saying, “Does she really not know?”

Ashtar’s gaze also wavered slightly as he raised his head.

I don’t know about Ashtar, but if Eurasia looks at me that way, then I must have crossed a line.

I fiddled with my fingers, lost in thought.

…Is it because I insulted Hurd?

It seems that way.

Indeed… Since Hurd is a senior at the Academy, saying such things could be a bit problematic.

I scratched my cheek awkwardly and avoided eye contact.

“Uh… Yeah. About Hurd… What I said to him wasn’t true. I apologize to Senior Hurd for that. But if you’re going to discipline me, shouldn’t you be a little more serious?”

Eurasia’s mouth opened wide.

It felt like she was silently screaming, ‘Don’t say things like that right now!’ But of course, I paid no mind.

“A second-year student council member beaten by a rookie brat… That’s quite a story, isn’t it?”

The Grand Duchess beaten up by a mercenary hero.

Even stories like that circulated 400 years ago.

However, there were more phrases in between.

“The mercenary hero known for beating women got a Grand Duchess beaten in a place she shouldn’t have been hit, and became ‘depraved.’”

It was all slander.

It wasn’t that I was known for beating women; I simply taught well, whether they were young or old… no, I ‘educated’ them.

If a place shouldn’t have been hit? Sure. If we’re talking about the Grand Duchess’s face, then that comment stands. I’ve never hit anywhere else.

As for becoming depraved… that’s slander. I’m innocent.

Did I curse her to be that way? Or did I deliberately control my strength?

I was just trying to teach sincerely.

Whatever happened was her own doing, not my fault.

Anyway, I was innocent.

But no matter how innocent I am… Isn’t it inconvenient for those associated with my rumors?

Of course, since there are no watchful eyes now, if the three of us keep our mouths shut, rumors won’t spread.

But I hate even the idea of such a story emerging. Especially when it’s linked to the van Chaser lineage?

Terrible.

“So shouldn’t you land some effective hits too, Senior? In the Academy… I mean, only the royal family and the Grand Duke’s house can treat me carelessly in this Empire, so I’m counting on you.”

“From what you’re saying… it sounds like you’re sure to win this spar, is it just my imagination?”

“It’s all in the ears of the listener.”

“You seem to be good at fighting, but you’re also quite good at talking.”

“There’s no one pulling out their weapon in front of me, so my tongue has become more agile.”

Ashtar’s eyes widened, and he chuckled softly.

“I think I understand why Hurd held you in such high regard. You really have a similar vibe to the legendary Ronan Luzarack.”

It’s not similar; it’s exactly the same.

“I don’t know what stories the Grand Duke’s house has about Ronan Luzarack, but I’ll take it as a compliment.”

“Since it’s only good stories, it’s high praise.”

With a bright smile, Ashtar stepped back.

“Since you seem to be easygoing, I don’t have to mind my words too much.”

“No hard feelings. I’m not the kind of person who holds a grudge over being hit in a spar.”

“It’s good that there are plenty of potions in the training grounds.”

After that, there was no more conversation.

Ashtar’s mood had changed.

An ominous tension filled the training ground.

Chill ran down my spine, feeling like countless sharp objects were pressing on my nape.

Cold sweat seeped from my tightly clenched fists, and my mouth felt parched.

Eurasia seemed to sense the atmosphere too, swallowing hard as she looked at me.

I smiled brightly to reassure her.

To my surprise, it was surprisingly pure.

There was nothing else mixed in the ideation. It was a remarkably pure ideation. I wondered what sort of form that pure ideation would take.

Hilde van Chaser. Her ideation was simple yet symbolic and beautiful.

A shield defending the Empire, like a great snow-capped mountain befitting the northern van Chaser Grand Duke’s house.

White Snow Sky Fortress.

However, Ashtar seemed like the complete opposite.

“Junior, you can also go all out.”

“All out? Are you sure? If you hit your butt again this time, I won’t catch you.”

“I think your hand… will only touch me once if you do well.”

“One time is enough.”

Ashtar smiled brightly.

That was the signal.

I charged forward.

At the same time, a hazy mist rose behind Ashtar. The smoke began to take shape before I could even take my second step.

Seven weapons in total.

Sword, sword fragment, axe, hammer, mace, shield, bow.

“Whoa…”

They rose behind Ashtar.

As I took my third step and reached to punch Ashtar, they moved.

A shield blocked Ashtar’s body. The sword fragment sliced through the air. The sword raised into the sky fell like a guillotine.

The axe rushed toward my leg like it was chopping wood, while the hammer struck the ground.

The mace blocked my path, and the bow was aimed at me from far behind.

What Ashtar held in his hand, once a wooden sword, had already become a spear. It was overwhelmingly long. About 1 jang (5 feet) or around 3 meters.

The tip looked gruesome. It looked like it would dig into flesh and shred everything when pulled out after a single jab.

It’s not the first time seeing it. It feels strangely familiar.

It resembles a blade made to handle the strong monsters from the north.

So how will I counter this?

In that split second, countless calculations ran through my mind.

Would its form change? It’s not being wielded by a human hand. There are countless paths. I shouldn’t predict but observe and react.

Is it difficult? Not at all.

Seven, no, eight.

I’m not going to say “what a lot.”

While each weapon has a high density, they’re not that hard to counter.

400 years ago, there was a person known as the Thousand Swords. Although he didn’t actually wield a thousand swords, he wielded at least 300.

How did I defeat him again?

I might not remember it consciously, but my body does.

Perhaps it’s easier now that we’re both unarmed. No, it’s easy.

As my third step landed, and my fourth step fell, a sword approached me.

But I didn’t fix my gaze on the sword.

What I need to focus on is the sword fragment.

At first, it moves slowly, but it gets faster towards the end.

And that accelerating moment is now.

Thud – I reached my fourth step.

I extended my magically reinforced hand to snag the sword fragment’s grip. I twisted it outward. A strong resistance was felt. My left arm, which gripped the handle, tensed painfully. However, that wouldn’t stop my movement. I hurled the sword fragment away.

Next up, the sword.

Seemingly unable to react to my previous movements, it once again dropped straight down.

It was still within the limits of the 6th rank.

Holding onto the insights in my mind, I extended my right arm.

Grab – I easily caught the sword handle. With it, I jumped into the air.

The massive axe swept through the spot where I had previously stood. Right beside it, the hammer that had been pounding the ground shot up.

A human without wings cannot change direction in mid-air. Ashtar seemed to be targeting that. But if there was a foothold, I could change my direction.

What’s my foothold? The hammer.

I concentrated mana in my leg. After alleviating the shock to the maximum to lighten my weight, I lightly thud – stepped on the hammer to change my direction.

Ashtar’s eyes widened. I heard the air being sliced by the sword fragment behind me. I threw the sword in my right hand toward the sword fragment. Clang – in a chilling sound, the sword fragment’s direction was deflected again.

What attack was coming next? The arrow and spear.

I checked both. Thud – my foot, which landed earlier than scheduled, moved swiftly.

Seeing my movement, a flustered Ashtar quickly regained his composure and set his stance.

The spear’s tip aims at me. Creak – the bowstring was drawn. Both are dangerous.

But the real threat isn’t the bow or spear; it’s the axe.

This isn’t something a person swings. Therefore, there’s no recoil or anticipation. Ideation moves as a person thinks and wishes.

So, it shouldn’t be calculated with common sense.

I knew that already.

Fifth, sixth, seventh steps.

The axe touches my ankle. At that moment, a flash – pink mana burst forth. My left foot, which had been on the ground, was lifted up.

Skipping the process by utilizing a deity.

Ashtar didn’t even realize it. At that second, I added propulsion to my right foot. My waist twisted, my shoulder turned, and the mana surged through the open blood path.

At that moment, when it condensed into my left leg, I aggressively extended my bent leg.

Counter Attack.

The counter I altered based on what Arisa had left unfolded. Kwah-aaa!, a deafening roar echoed as the axe smashed into Ashtar’s shield.

“…Huh?”

A bewildered sigh escaped Ashtar’s mouth. At the same time, the shield shattered to pieces.

No shield left. Only offense remains. Seeming to think that, Ashtar’s intensity sharpened further. Veins bulged in the hand gripping the spear. A twang sound echoed from the taut bow.

An arrow was released. What about the spear? It approached, aiming for my right shoulder.

Aside from the axe, which was embedded in the ground, the sword, sword fragment, and hammer were also lunging at me madly.

But I was already there.

Thud.

I reached right before Ashtar, who had lost his shield.

My fingertips aimed at Ashtar’s belly button.
The face… well, I hesitated to hit because it reminded me of Hilde.
The chest… um, it’s a bit too big, so that’s awkward.
The solar plexus? That could be fatal if I miss.
I couldn’t finish with just one blow on the limbs.

If I wait any longer, I might lose.

So, I aimed for the torso as much as possible.

The belly button. I touched the area around it with my fingertips.

Both legs were firmly grounded. I relaxed my waist. Tensing my shoulders, I stabilized my wrist, and gathered my mana.

Using full force in a spar is too much.

Ashtar used ideation, but this is a vastly junior… descendant, so I don’t have to do that.

A light mana is enough.

“Uh…?”

I chuckled softly at Ashtar, who let out a dumbfounded voice.

“I did say once would be enough, right?”

My spread hand turned into a fist, and I pulled the trigger.

Unlike before, this was now a perfected small-form attack.

No, more than that, it was an improved version I created to compensate for my indecisiveness.

Falling Blossom.

Thwooom—

Like a falling flower, Ashtar’s body gently collapsed.

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