Chapter 125: Stalker!
A deathly silence spread through the audience seats.
A C-Rank knight could already be considered a mainstay in the League. Most student knights were still wandering between D-Rank and F-Rank.
An attack that could crush a C-Rank knight in one blow meant it could also crush most of the audience in one blow. Shiro's exaggerated performance made even the spectators who had looked down on him click their tongues.
"One slap! Shiro broke Azuchiyama's attack rhythm with only one slap! Yuuri-sensei, what exactly happened?!"
The Broadcasting Club student acting as host reacted first and questioned Oreki Yuuri, who was responsible for explaining student abilities beside him.
"...Cough, cough. Teacher still doesn't know Shiro-san's ability. But his entrance report says he has good resistance against many Blazer abilities."
Yuuri took out a handkerchief, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and replied.
"In other words..."
"Shiro-san did indeed receive the lightning with his bare body. Cough, cough..."
"Uwaa, Yuuri-sensei, that's your second time coughing blood today. Are you really okay?"
"I'm fine. Teacher is already used to it."
"Please don't get used to something like that!"
Abnormal Resistance.
This was the Development Ability Shiro obtained after leveling up. After leaving the Dungeon, he basically had no place where he needed to use it.
That did not mean this Development Ability was useless. On the contrary, in a situation like this, Abnormal Resistance was already comparable to some student knights' abilities.
Thud—
Shiro's fist, filled with magic power, ignored the paralysis effect of the lightning and collided with Azuchiyama's twin swords.
In that instant, Azuchiyama suddenly felt an irresistible force surge through his blades. The swords in his hands were sent flying.
Immediately afterward—
Boom—!
Shiro struck Azuchiyama in the stomach with another punch.
The overwhelming force twisted Azuchiyama's face. Thanks to Shiro deliberately holding back, he merely rolled his eyes and collapsed outside the field, unconscious.
"The match is over! Victory goes to Year One's Torajirou Shiro!"
"One slap and two punches! Shiro won the match in only three moves without even using his Device! Let's cheer for him!"
"Ooooooooooh!!!" × N
Along with the announcer's shout from the commentary booth, cheers that seemed to cover the sky filled every corner of the training field.
Although none were as exaggerated as Shiro's side, similar scenes kept appearing in Stella and the others' matches too. Even F-Rank Ikki, after training these past few days, easily defeated an opponent whose ability slightly countered him.
With that, the first day of the Seven Star Sword Art Festival selections came to an end.
...
"Hey, that's [Crimson Princess], right? There's [Lorelei] and [Worst One] too."
"Eh! The legendary [Demon King] is there too! Run! Be careful or he'll punch you flying."
"Hah? [Demon King] wouldn't bully the weak outside a match. He's our hope this year!"
"Yeah. Just the first-years already have so many strong people. Maybe our school really can win the Seven Star Sword Art Festival this year."
After defeating today's opponents, Shiro and the others gathered at the training field entrance and followed the stone path back to the dorm. Along the way, students kept pointing and whispering about them.
The representative selections had already continued for over a month, yet Shiro's group still maintained a dazzling undefeated record.
Among them, Shiro and Ikki drew the most attention because of their special circumstances.
When Shiro fought students, he had never even drawn his Device. Basically, each opponent went down with one punch.
That made the title [Demon King] settle even more firmly among the student knights.
Some students had even started treating it as an honor to withstand three punches from Shiro and spread the feat among their friends.
As for Ikki, he became famous for defeating many people with excellent abilities as an F-Rank knight. The rumor that he had entered Hagun through backdoor means also collapsed on its own.
Because Ikki could instantly see through other people's movements and had studied many kinds of martial arts, students from the same year specially cleared out a classroom and let him act as a student instructor there.
"Shiro, have you felt someone behind us lately...?"
Ikki asked Shiro, who had finished his selection match early and even bought ice cream while waiting for them.
"Hm? Isn't that someone you know?"
Shiro looked at Ikki in surprise.
"Why would you think that person is someone I know?!"
"Because they only show up when you're here."
Stella looked at Ikki, who had somehow fallen into despair, and asked strangely,
"What exactly are you talking about?"
"Actually... I think someone has been following me recently."
"Following you?! You mean the kind of person who secretly follows someone all day, breaks into their home, and stuffs razors into their mailbox?!"
Since her friend was experiencing something she had only seen in the news, Stella cried out in surprise.
"Um, Stella, normally it's razor blades that get put in mailboxes..."
"I think I've been followed for about a week now. At first, I thought maybe they'd leave on their own if I ignored them, but..."
"Did you anger someone recently?"
Stella continued questioning him.
"Recently, I've either been training with you or participating in selection matches. I don't think I've done anything that would make someone resent me."
Ikki shook his head and denied Stella's guess.
"Aren't most stalkers following someone because they like them? Maybe they're your fan~"
Alice offered the opposite guess from Stella.
These days, Ikki had been winning again and again, and student knights had even supported him in creating a martial arts classroom. He had already gained quite a bit of fame in Hagun Academy.
It would not be strange for some fan to secretly follow him. Ikki was also poor at dealing with passionate fans, so he could only escape by trying to ignore them.
"I don't think that's it either."
Ikki smiled bitterly.
If it were a fan, being ignored for a week should have already exhausted their patience.
Also, unlike before, the gaze Ikki felt this week held neither "malice" nor "goodwill." It felt like pure observation.
As if the stalker was not a person, but a camera with no feelings.
"Then just ask them directly."
Shiro crumpled the ice cream wrapper in his hand into a ball and threw it toward a bush behind them under everyone's gaze.
"Ow."
A woman's voice came from the bush. Then came a rustling sound, and the crumpled ice cream wrapper was thrown back out from inside.
Seemingly noticing that Shiro's group was all looking in her direction, the person inside let out a small "eh" before going silent again.
"Um... she seems to think she's hiding really well right now..."
…
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