Bel and Suzu glared at each other, poised for battle. At first glance, it seemed like an unarmed fight, but that was a grave mistake. Bel wore the famed Black Silver Demon on her legs, and Suzu exuded an aura of countless hidden weapons. Only Bel, confronting her directly, would know this on the Lumiest side.
“Hee, are the hidden weapons a trait from Ange? Aren’t you heavy with so much packed on you?”
“Ah, are we still continuing this pointless conversation? Bel, you’re more leisurely than I thought. I assumed you’d be more short-tempered. I apologize for my misunderstanding— Oh?”
The conversation suddenly cut off. Faster than Suzu’s half-smirked reply could land, Bel launched a new attack. She closed the distance in an instant, and Suzu narrowly dodged a powerful kick aimed at her face by narrowly tilting her body backward. However, Bel’s kick wasn’t a single strike; a barrage of attacks continued.
“Am I misunderstanding again? No, it’s the same as my first impression?”
“You seem to be all talk and quick movements. I want you to show me your true strength while I’m holding back? You’re not serious, are you?”
“That’s what I’d say, you know!”
As if to sever both the attacks and the verbal spar, Suzu pulled something from her person and swung it at Bel. It was a fleeting strike, launched by weaving through an opening in Bel’s assault. Hitting the air with a unique flexibility, it was something even the sharp-eyed Bel couldn’t clearly track.
(A whip? No, the way it bends is slightly different… Ah, I see, it’s a three-section staff. You use a rare weapon.)
Bel’s focus shifted from Suzu to the mysterious weapon. She imbued her raised leg with wind and blew away everything in front of her. Suzu, along with the mysterious weapon she wielded, the three-section staff, was blown backward off the stage.
“O-Oh my! What an intense start to the match! I can barely keep up! Instructor Milky, what are your thoughts on commentary?”
“Eh? Do you need commentary already? If your eyesight is bad, perhaps you should wear glasses?”
“A reprimand from an unexpected direction!?”
“Isn’t there something more noteworthy… Look. The stage is still undamaged!”
” ” ” Ooooh! ” ” ”
Setting aside the uneven commentary, the venue was greatly excited by the breathless development. Meanwhile, a certain master and his disciples were inexplicably striking powerful poses and high-fiving each other.
“What a powerful gust of wind…! But you’ve incorporated magic into your martial arts. Do you respect me a little now? In the sense that fighting only with martial arts is tough.”
“Who knows. Your agility is passable, but if a gust of wind this size can blow you away, it’s a bit disappointing. Ah, but I am mildly interested in that three-section staff. Though, mainly because the user is rare.”
“Eeeh! Bel, you’re interested in this ‘Fuuraito’!? What discerning taste! This is a family heirloom gifted to me by Master Kelvin, and it’s truly, truly amazing! It’s the only three-section staff in the world made just for me! Ah, Master Kelvin’s thoughts blend into my mind and hands, they truly blend!”
“W-Why are you suddenly saying…?”
Bel intended it as a verbal jab, but for some reason, Suzu’s eyes suddenly sparkled, and she began to rejoice like a child whose treasured possession had been praised. Bel was taken aback, recoiling as if she didn’t understand.
(This… this isn’t acting, is it? It’s genuine emotion. The battle-maniac look from before is a lie… Or rather, aren’t their emotions too volatile? It’s not exactly the same as Delamis’s shrine maiden, but I feel a similar atmosphere.)
(They praised me, they praised me! They’re interested in Master Kelvin’s gift! I have to show them how much I’ve grown so Master Kelvin’s fame spreads even further! Heh, hehehehe…)
However, she was as astute as expected; her intuition was indeed formidable.
(And speaking of which, what is that thing called? ‘Fuuraito’? What a strange name, it must be Kelvin’s naming sense.)
Though, she did make a slight miscalculation. Incidentally, Kelvin mentioned that the naming was set by herself.
“Ah, excuse me. When Master Kelvin is mentioned, I tend to lose control of my emotions. Shall we continue? The Demonic Battle, wasn’t it? I heard about it from Sera. I’ll show you something good so you’ll use it next time.”
“…Quite a fine resolve.”
Suzu shifted back to her grim reaper smile, met with a slight twitch of irritation on Bel’s forehead. The next instant, their figures vanished from their spots, and they raced across the stage, colliding their leg guards and three-section staff.
(Hee, you live up to your reputation. You’re still keeping up with me even though I’m faster than before. Or rather, are you incorporating strange techniques? Even if I visually confirm a hit, I don’t actually feel it. How should I put it, is your position subtly shifting? You’re becoming an even rarer technique user.)
(Waaah, you’re targeting all the precise weak points! Even though you seem angry on the surface, you’re extremely calm internally…! I’m barely holding on with ‘Willow,’ but it’s also extremely close…!)
During her training under Kelvin, Suzu had grown at an unbelievable speed. However, even so, she didn’t remotely believe she had reached a level where she could fight Bel as an equal. The current exchange, which appeared to be even, was only possible because Bel was holding back to a suitable degree.
(But this is the battle with someone superior! The paradise Master Kelvin always desired! As his loyal servant, I can’t possibly not savor it! I welcome the hold-back, and I’ll seize that opening to bite them down!)
Overjoyed, her lips curled into a distorted smile. Yes, for Suzu, who yearned for Kelvin, this ideal adversity was nothing less than a reward, much like it was for a certain grim reaper. Walking the path the grim reaper once trod, and leaving her own footprints beside his— for Suzu, there was no greater honor in this world.
“Here, I’ll blast you away again. Now, what will you do?”
A gale, powerful enough to engulf the entire stage, erupted from Bel’s leg guards. It was superior in both power and range to the previous gust. If she didn’t somehow respond, she wouldn’t just be blown away next time.
“Sss…”
In response, Suzu gripped the chain connecting the segments of her three-section staff and began swinging one of the segments around herself. In terms of posture, it was similar to swinging the weight of a kusarigama. Bel couldn’t decipher Suzu’s intent in doing so, but she understood that she was trying to do something.
The three-section staff Kelvin gifted Suzu for this day, the ‘Fuuraito,’ was a weapon that, as its name suggested, housed the powers of wind and lightning. The three separated segments could be freely detached due to a special magnetic force, and though it required practice, it could be used to strike as a single staff at times, and swung like nunchaku at others. Suzu seemed to be trying to break through Bel’s attacks using the Fuuraito.
Meanwhile, what was the master who had trained her, facing his beloved disciple who was now attempting to overcome a great difficulty?
“Amazing. Honestly, I never expected this.”
“Yes, Bel hasn’t shown her full power yet, but even so, this growth is incredible…!”
“Ah, I never imagined it would turn out like this… This stage isn’t breaking at all! Amazing!”
…They were moved by the sturdiness of the specially made stage, which still maintained its form.
