Anime, Girlfriend Shokuhou Misaki

Both were poised, awaiting the referee's starting command.

"I guess no one really has high hopes for me."

"Actually, I don't think my chances of winning are great."

Holding her short sword horizontally in front of her, assuming the starting stance for a thrust, Kurogane Shizuku suddenly spoke to Sara.

"In that case, are you going to concede?"

Sara, similarly, had her brush poised above the paint, ready to start drawing the moment the referee gave the order.

"I think I'll pass on that."

Kurogane Shizuku took a long breath.

"It's not that I'm obsessed with the 'Seven Star Sword King,' or even with victory."

"I only entered the Seven Star Sword Dance Festival to accompany my brother."

"But, I still owe Haramura Makoto quite a few favors."

Her spirit was more focused than ever, concentrated and locked onto Sara.

"If you lose here, it'll be like losing Haramura Makoto's bet."

Kurogane Shizuku's lips curved into a smile.

"Besides, I know your weakness."

Chapter 115: The Match Begins

"First match! -- Let's go ahead!"

The referee, a beautiful woman in a black suit, walked onto the arena and waved her hand.

"I was wondering where that woman disappeared to; turns out she's the referee."

Haramura Makoto narrowed his eyes, offering an unsparing critique.

"Well, Shizuku's abilities are perfect for being a referee."

Suddenly, a charming voice rang out directly above Haramura Makoto.

Dark lines immediately appeared on Haramura Makoto's forehead.

In a flash, a figure lightly descended from the sky.

A large red kimono, red ribbon hair ornaments, a sturdy iron fan in her hand, and a petite lolita figure—all clearly indicated her identity.

"Also, you remembered that Shizuku wasn't coming but completely forgot about me; you need to be punished."

"Little apprentice brother—"

Before he could react, the light body had already squeezed onto his lap, and Nishikyou None was looking up at him, their bodies only an inch apart.

Haramura Makoto's eyelids drooped.

"I remember very clearly, and get off me."

...

"--'Scarlet Water Blade'!"

The moment Shinguuji Kurono gave the command, Kurogane Shizuku vanished as if a drop of water had fallen onto a vast lake.

Instantly, alarm bells rang in Sara's mind.

It wasn't about anything else, just her judgment of the environment and her belief in her premonition.

"--'Guidance of Pure White'!"

Sara unleashed the fastest hand speed of her life, dipping her brush directly into the white paint, her focus incredibly intense; the speed of her brushstrokes was even comparable to Haramura Makoto's sword speed in his normal state.

"The white field of rejection, I know it."

"I've seen it once, but I'm faster."

A calm voice without the slightest inflection sounded, accompanied by the snow-white blade.

The snow-white blade pierced the last millimeter of the gap in the white lines drawn by the brush, stabbing straight toward Sara.

"Tear--"

Blood splattered in the air, and Sara's body slammed into the arena floor.

"Too shallow a stab."

Kurogane Shizuku, who had successfully landed a hit, frowned as she looked at Sara's left shoulder, where blood was constantly seeping from the wound.

Sara's ability was undoubtedly powerful.

No one could deny that.

However, in a formal tournament format, Sara's ability had a fatal weakness.

That was, it was too slow to activate at full power; no matter how fast she was, it took time to finish drawing from the moment she put the brush down.

Kurogane Shizuku knew this deeply, so she chose to launch a quick attack at the start.

Using her fastest attack mode, she aimed to completely disable Sara at the beginning, or at least disable her drawing hand, preventing her from wielding her brush.

But she miscalculated.

She miscalculated Sara's speed just now, allowing her to almost complete the absolute field of defense.

There was no choice; she could only barely stab at the last gap.

As for now?

It was no longer necessary; looking at the circle of white lines surrounding Sara, it was no longer a defense that she, as an assassin, could break through instantly.

To break through this defense, she needed to brew a stronger attack.

After all, she wasn't Stella, that violent dragon girl, whose casual normal attacks were equivalent to others' ultimate moves.

"--'Seal of Emerald Green'!"

Having suffered such a serious injury for the first time, Sara felt like she was about to faint from the pain.

She dipped her brush in green paint and gently stroked it over the wound on her left shoulder.

The wound that was originally bleeding instantly sealed.

This wasn't a complete healing, but rather a feeling that the wound was sealed.

"Swish!"

Sara didn't say much, nor did she respond; all that could be heard was the rapid sound of the air being whipped around.

The empty space was quickly stained with various paints, and the outline of a human body was born in just a few seconds, entering the eyes of all the spectators.

Sara concentrated on wielding the paint, her expression extremely focused.

But similarly.

Kurogane Shizuku wasn't doing nothing either; a cloud of pure white smoke directly enveloped Kurogane Shizuku's surroundings.

"Whoosh--"

Finally, Sara completed the final touch, the dragon's eye.

The next second.

"Hah...hah...!"

Sara's heavy breathing rang out.

But the person born from her hand also seemed to have come to life from the paper.

The same face, the same attire, the same spirit armor as if reflected in a mirror.

"It's 'Time-Space Freeze'! Sara has chosen to imitate Haramura Makoto of Hagun Academy!"

The host shouted enthusiastically.

Originally, it was a battle between Akatsuki Academy and Hagun Academy, but now, under Sara's ability, it had turned into an internal war within Hagun Academy.

In fact, not only the audience, but even the commentators responsible for explaining the match felt that the tension was too high.

"Go!"

Sara, who could barely maintain her standing posture, staggered and almost fell.

The A-level magic power was almost entirely consumed after manifesting Haramura Makoto.

But undoubtedly, the result was pleasing to her.

Actually, she really didn't mean to provoke anyone intentionally.

On that day, Kurogane Ouma lost in the battle between Haramura Makoto and Kurogane Ouma.

So in her eyes, Haramura Makoto was now the strongest Blader she could imitate.

Since Haramura Makoto had made a promise to her, she had to strive for victory in every match and use all her strength.

The fake "Haramura Makoto," after receiving Sara's command, immediately stomped on the ground.

All the strength was twisted into a single force, released from the heel, instantly completing the maximum acceleration, and arrived in front of Kurogane Shizuku in the blink of an eye, slashing a sword at Kurogane Shizuku.

Not only the appearance, but even the way of exerting force was exactly the same.

Facing this sword, Kurogane Shizuku had no fear, not even any resistance.

She just stood there blankly, as if she had been frightened by Haramura Makoto's phantom.

Only to see Kurogane Shizuku's vermilion lips slightly open.

"--'Azure Water Cycle'!"

The phantom directly cut off Kurogane Shizuku's body.

But strangely, not even a drop of blood flowed out of Kurogane Shizuku's body.

The snow-white blade felt like it had split through smoke; Shizuku's body only separated briefly, but immediately returned to its original state.

Her figure was illusory and hazy in the smoke, appearing and disappearing, but she did appear completely unharmed in front of everyone.

"You are indeed very strong, but you can't hurt me now."

...

"Your sister is too reckless, Ikki."

Seeing the scene on the field, Haramura Makoto clicked his tongue, somewhat admiring.

To be honest, the scene just now not only shocked the other spectators, but even Stella and the others in the VIP seats were equally shocked.

"You saw through it, Makoto--"

Kurogane Ikki looked at Haramura Makoto with some emotion.

He was once again impressed by Haramura Makoto's vision.

"What, what's going on?"

"What exactly is happening?"

Stella immediately exerted her curious baby traits, questioning the two of them.

"Kurogane's sister has vaporized herself."

"She has vaporized all the parts of her body that make up the human body, including her bones, flesh, muscles, organs, and viscera."

Gently fanning the iron fan in her hand, Nishikyou None also made an accurate comment with her sharp eyes.

"That's right, 'Azure Water Cycle' is such a move."

Kurogane Ikki nodded, giving an affirmative answer.

"Shizuku was actually thinking about it during joint practice; although her fighting skills are very flexible, she lacks decisive power."

"She was forced to the limit of her body and ultimately suffered a fatal injury."

"So in the end, we came to the conclusion that because she has a body, she will be injured, and if she doesn't have a body, there will be no such trouble."

"This move was born as a result."