Chapter 15: vs Zahard's Princess (5)
"…What?"
"Um… haha… I was just wondering if you wanted to do this with me. Doesn't it sound fun?"
Maschenny looked at me like I'd just said something insane.
Well, what can I do? I can't just give gifts to everyone except Anna.
"Do you expect me to find any value in teaming up with you?"
Yes. The prize is a present for my little sister.
—But if I say that out loud, she'll reject me instantly. Time to use the speech I prepared.
"Think about it. This is basically a sparring match to see which of us is stronger."
"The tournament's called The Great Shinsu Tournament, right? It's a chance to test our control over Shinsu and our combat ability when we use it to enhance our bodies. Honestly, between you and me, aren't you curious who's stronger?"
"It'll be me, obviously. Already forgot the shock I gave you?"
"And you already forgot how I slashed your arteries—no, wait, whatever. So, are you in or not?"
"Doesn't sound very exciting. I prefer fights that are a little more… bloody."
Wow, for someone that young, she sure says some scary things.
Still, she's kind of innocent in her own warped way… but not easy to fool.
Guess I'll have to bring out the heavy artillery.
"Then how about this? After the festival's over, I'll fight you—whenever and wherever you want."
Her eyes lit up.
Yup, I've seen my share of battle maniacs in the Arie family, but none this bad.
"Think carefully. After this festival, I'll be chosen as a Regular in a week. Who knows when you'll become a Regular yourself? When will you ever run into me again—or get another chance to fight me?"
"Why should I bother with you? The Tower's full of strong people."
Heh, sorry, princess—but simple mind games like that don't work on me.
She's still young—too young to notice she's already stepped right into it.
I could practically feel my lips curl into a smug smile.
"So what, you gonna fight me once in the festival and then end it there?"
There—her eyes wavered.
She might talk big, but there's still that tiny bit of doubt.
Even if she wins, she won't want to miss a rematch against someone like me.
And if she loses? Even better—no way she'd walk away without revenge.
After all, how many chances would she ever get to fight an Arie, one of the most elusive families in the Tower?
She had no choice but to say "yes."
"But—"
"Fine, if you don't want to, whatever. I guess the only place we'll ever see each other again is in the festival.
I'll be going, then."
"W–wait!"
Told you. Still a bit naive—just… in a slightly twisted way.
....
"So, how does this work?"
"You form a Lighthouse, and hit those moving targets over there. You get bonus points if you hit multiple at once, but since you can only make one, forget that part."
Maschenny's prideful tone cut through sharply.
"Ha, and you can make more than one?"
"Yup."
"What?"
"I can make three. Oh—here we go!"
To prove my words, I immediately formed three Shinsu Blades and fired them at the targets the moment the game began.
Each one shot forward at high speed, striking the targets precisely.
Every time one flew out, I created another, maintaining a seamless barrage of continuous fire.
"…?"
After a while, I felt her staring.
When I looked over, Maschenny was just standing there, not even shooting—just staring at me blankly.
"Hey, time's almost up! You gonna start or what?"
"Hm? Oh, right."
Finally, she fired her lightning at the targets, destroying a few—though with only five seconds left.
Seriously? I did great, but with this distracted princess on my team, I was getting nervous.
Beep—Beep—Beep!
The end signal blared, and the scoreboard lit up.
...
Team Name: Arie × Khun Zahard
1st: Arie Hoaquin — 800 pts
2nd: Khun Maschenny Zahard — 80 pts
Total: 880 pts
Current Rank: 🥇 1st Place
Target Match Rankings:
1️⃣ Arie × Khun Zahard — 880 pts
2️⃣ Tu Perie Sisters — 800 pts
3️⃣ Sleep Lovers Club — 790 pts
4️⃣ Ari♥Arie — 740 pts
5️⃣ ZI-Zone Ha — 700 pts
....
Looks like we won.
…Somehow.
"….."
Maschenny fidgeted with her fingers, staring off into the distance.
"Hey, I basically carried that whole round. You totally just hitched a ride o—WAAH!"
Suddenly, lightning crackled violently around us.
"S–Shut up! I was just… distracted for a second, that's all!"
"Funny, you're shooting lightning just fine now. If you'd done that earlier, we'd have hit 1000 po—GAH! Timeout!"
After a brief… minor internal conflict, we moved on to the next event.
....
Event 2: "Punch Punch"
As the name suggests, this one was simple — you hit a Shinsu-powered impact meter with everything you've got.
The stronger your Shinsu-infused strike, the higher your score.
The expression on Maschenny's face had changed — a moment ago she'd been blushing and fuming, but now she looked supremely confident.
Oh? Guess she thinks her physical strength is better than mine.
"Should I go first, or—"
Before I even finished, she was already surging forward, lightning flickering around her body.
She sprinted, lowered her stance, and launched herself high into the air with explosive momentum.
Ugh, that's the same technique she used on me before. Great, I'm getting flashbacks.
Her fist, crackling with electricity, slammed into the meter with a thunderous boom!
A shockwave burst outward, and the screen blinked to life, displaying her score.
Khun Maschenny Zahard — 4000 pts
Maschenny smiled, clearly pleased with herself, and turned toward me with that insufferable smirk.
"Ah, right. You don't have your sword, do you? If you had it, your total might've passed 5000 points. What a shame."
She said it with a face that couldn't look less "sympathetic."
Man, this girl really holds a grudge. I haven't even gone yet!
"Even without a sword, you don't think I can break 1000? I am from the so-called 'strongest' of the Ten Families, the Arie."
"Hmph. Then go ahead, Mr. 'Strongest.' If you can outscore me — a direct descendant of the Khun family and a bearer of King Zahard's blood —I'll be very impressed. I'll even cheer for you."
Wow. What a smug little gremlin.
…Honestly, if it's just about punching the thing, I probably can't win.
They say Zahard's princesses are built like Rankers — how am I supposed to beat that?
My physical-enhancement training's only been going for, what, two years?
But…
Maschenny seems to have forgotten something:
No one said I had to hit it with my fist.
Time for hypothesis testing.
"Hey, quick question. Do we have to* strike* it directly? Can I use a Lighthouse attack instead?"
"Ah, yes, that's allowed. But only one Lighthouse blast per person, please."
Perfect. Verified.
Now, time to celebrate victory in advance.
"Well, punching's not really my thing, so I'll just fire a blast. You sure one's enough?"
"Ha! You sound so confident. Go ahead, I'll be watching, 'Prince.'"
"Heh, then enjoy the show, Princess."
....
I summoned a single Shinsu Blade.
Just one.
Then, I began pouring every drop of Shinsu I had into that one blade — concentrating it, compressing it, refining it.
The blade started to swell, its surface glowing brighter and denser by the second.
The air hummed under the weight of its pressure.
"Uh…?"
Maschenny made a small, uncertain noise.
Her face, once full of arrogance, was now shifting into confusion —and maybe, just maybe, a hint of unease.
....
Ha. I can see it.
Well then—while I'm gathering Shinsu, I might as well give a little lecture.
"Princess, when it comes to Shinsu manipulation, there are four main units of measurement: Bang, Myeon, Su, and Jangryeok. You probably already know what a Bang is~"
"Myeon refers to the size of the Bang — the larger it is, the greater the maximum amount of Shinsu it can contain."
"Su is the Shinsu density inside the Bang. The higher the density, the more powerful and effective it becomes."
"And lastly, Jangryeok — this is the most important one. It's the ability to increase the internal pressure of the Bang, allowing it to contain immense power."
"Su and Jangryeok are directly proportional to a Bang's overall destructive potential. So basically, what I'm saying is—"
I gathered Shinsu up to the very limit of what I could control, compressing it into a single massive Shinsu Blade. Not only was it huge, but the concentration and density inside it were incredible — the Shinsu within roared violently.
Ugh, I really want to see Maschenny's face right now. Maybe I'll take a peek.
I turned my head slightly and caught her blank, stunned expression before continuing casually:
"What I'm saying is — even with just one Bang, you can pull off something like this."
I thrust my hand forward.
The enormous Shinsu Blade shot straight ahead.
....
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-BOOM—!!
The explosion that followed was several times louder than Maschenny's earlier strike, and the Shinsu in the area went berserk, swirling like a storm.
I swept the whirlpool of Shinsu away to clear my vision, then glanced up at the scoreboard.
....
Arie Hoaquin — 5000 pts
Team Total — 9000 pts
Overall Score — 9880 pts
Overall Rank — 🥇 1st Place
Current Rankings:
1️⃣ Arie × Khun Zahard — 9880 pts
2️⃣ ZI-Zone Ha — 5200 pts
3️⃣ Sleep Lovers Club — 4990 pts
4️⃣ Ari♥Arie — 4980 pts
5️⃣ Tu Perie Sisters — 4700 pts
....
"Hahaha! If I'd just added a little more power, maybe I could've hit 10,000 points. What a shame."
Maschenny's cheeks flushed red as her fists trembled furiously.
Wow. With that pretty face of hers, the pout actually looks kind of cute.
Maybe I'll tease her a bit more.
"…Do it again."
"Hm? What was that? Can't hear you — maybe your Shinsu pressure was too low?"
KRA-KOOOM—!
That day, I said goodbye to several million points' worth of brand-new clothes… reduced to ashes.
Still—
I secured Anna's gift.
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