This time, Noah couldn't react in time.
He felt a gust of wind sweep past him, followed by several shallow cuts appearing on his cheek and numerous tiny wounds across his body.
Yet, the water magic healed these injuries within just two seconds.
Seeing this, the commentators fell silent.
Ninety-nine percent of the audience had never witnessed such a fierce battle in real life.
And when they saw Kanata's desperate attacks nullified, a wave of despair washed over them.
'That guy...'
'The Calamity really is invincible.'
'His Ability is just too broken!'
'Kanata-senpai has already give it her all.'
"Heh."
Kanata, lying on the ground, began to laugh.
Noah looked at her in confusion, then felt a searing pain in his heart, as if it were being stabbed.
It was a literal sensation, not a metaphor.
"Cough."
Noah clutched his mouth, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Crimson fluid seeped through his fingers.
He stared at the girl at his feet, who explained it with a smile, "My Francesca is so microscopic that it can enter the human body through the respiratory system without being detected."
'Could it be?!'
Noah felt a searing pain in his organs, followed by a wave of weakness.
He collapsed to his knees.
'The attack just now... it wasn't a desperate struggle, but a way to get her fragmented Device inside my body?!'
'When did she start planning this...?'
'Did she prepare this from the moment she recognized my ability?'
'She's still smiling.'
'This woman is a mad!'
Seeing Noah weakened and kneeling, Kanata struggled to her feet and lunged at him, knocking him to the ground.
'Wait.'
The soft weight of her body pressed down on Noah, but he was too preoccupied to care.
'Is she trying to trap me with her body?'
Noah stood up and lifted her off him, disregarding any sense of propriety.
The intense battle devolved into a crude brawl, making the scene between a handsome young man and a rare beauty look absurd.
When Stella saw Noah's hand encircling Kanata's waist, she couldn't contain herself.
She leaped to her feet and shouted, "Noah, what are you doing? Stop groping other girls!"
"Pfft."
Noah spat out a mouthful of blood.
'Groping? What groping?'
The sensation was pleasant, but he wasn't brawling with her for that reason.
The tiny blades tearing through his body made it impossible to focus, rendering his magic useless!
He clamped his arm around Kanata's throat, attempting to choke her into submission.
Kanata's body proved flexible.
She wrapped her long legs around his head mid-air, trapping him in a vise-like grip.
Noah never expected that beneath the pure white dress of this girl lay black lace.
'This girl's true nature is rebellious!'
Noah had no time to admire it.
Unable to break free from the leg lock, he grabbed her long hair and yanked, trying to pull her down, but the effect was minimal.
'Tch.'
'That hurts.'
'My stomach feels like it's about to split open.'
'Every breath burns in my lungs.'
'Gah.'
'Even my heart is struggling to beat!'
'Damn it!'
Noah thrust his face forward.
Kanata's face flushed crimson, and her legs went limp.
Seizing the opportunity, Noah shoved her off him.
Just as she was about to crash to the ground, Noah reached out and grabbed her arm.
The entire crowd stared in stunned silence.
'He was just beating her senseless, and now he's acting like a gentleman?'
But a glint flashed in Noah's eyes.
In a flash, he circled behind Kanata, wrapped his arm around her waist, and locked his hands together in a reverse grip, securing her.
'Hah!'
He executed a perfect bridging back suplex.
After a soft groan, Kanata's head slammed against the ground, cracking the concrete floor.
She was out!
Her body twitched twice before collapsing.
Noah spat out another mouthful of blood.
But at that moment, he felt the foreign objects within him vanish.
With its master unconscious, her Device dissipated.
Clutching his chest, he began to recover and his complexion improving.
'Damn it.'
This had been the most dangerous battle he'd ever faced, no contest.
"A... a back suplex?" Kagami, the commentator, was stunned.
"This guy used a back suplex on such a beautiful young lady!"
"The winner is... Noah! But seriously, you bastard, are you a demon?!"
"Boooooooooooooooooo!"
The entire arena erupted in boos.
Noah wanted to curse them all.
'Damn it.'
These idiots clearly didn't understand what had just happened!
He'd nearly been killed!
Forget a back suplex—he nearly transformed his weapon into a pistol and shot her.
'Crimson Lady?'
'This woman is nothing but a pervert, a lunatic!'
The moment he froze the Sword of Stardust, he sensed her battle intent plummet.
He'd assumed the fight was over, only to be met with a chilling, murderous aura.
The shift caught him off guard, leaving him stunned.
But every move she made afterward defied all logic, even his own predictions, leaving him battered and half-dead.
He staggered to his feet, noticing the medical team hadn't arrived yet. He stripped off his shirt and draped it over Kanata's body.
This girl had given him a harsh lesson today.
She'd shaken him awake.
Perhaps he'd grown complacent in this comfortable environment. His adventurer's instincts had become naive.
It was time for him to wake up.
He'd set the date for after the selection battles.
Kanata's injuries were far more severe than his own.
Not only did she suffer extensive burns across her body, but she had also been wounded by her own techniques.
A gash on her head bled profusely.
If not for the medical regeneration pods in this world, which could repair any external injury, her life would have been ruined.
"You too, student, come over here."
"No, thank you. I've already treated myself," Noah replied, demonstrating his water magic to show he was healed.
For a body composed of seventy percent water, water magic could heal almost any wound, even internal organ damage.
He noticed his hand was trembling, the tremor so subtle it would go unnoticed by the medical personnel.
'Am I... afraid?'
Perhaps "aftershock" would be a more accurate term.
It was only natural.
He had just survived a life-or-death struggle.
Had his willpower faltered, he might already be dead.
He had always thought he was the type to recoil from pain.
But when the pain struck, he had no energy left for such thoughts, focusing solely on retaliating.
Only when he regained his senses did he realize his opponent had already fallen.