The Absolute Speed of a Certain Comic'

As these words reached her ears, Shinguuji Kurono's gaze was locked onto Ryoji's aggressive, pitch-black eyes.

His eyes seemed to penetrate through illusions, revealing the essence of everything, creating an illusion as if she were under a truth-revealing mirror where every flaw and falsehood was laid bare.

Previously, another student had challenged her to a duel.

In that duel, the boy had also demonstrated an extraordinary sword technique and exceptional insight.

However, that boy had merely surprised her, while Ryoji's eyes instilled in her a sense of apprehension, as though no strategy could remain hidden from those eyes.

In this world, there is a certain type of person.

They possess unparalleled authority in their gaze, an unassailable domain around them, and an inconceivable nature that transcends common sense. Some of the most proficient among them can even break the constraints of physical laws and surpass human limits.

Such people are known as——**Swordsmen**.

"…Interesting. It has been many years since anyone has spoken to me like this."

Shinguuji Kurono suppressed the slight unease in her heart and raised a proud smile.

"If you think you can do it, then give it a try!"

Determined, she was ready to get serious.

If she didn't get serious now, she might actually lose to this kid. Losing to a mere newcomer would undermine her authority as the new Director before it even had a chance to be established.

As evidence, she extended her right hand, and under the swirling, deep black Magic Power, a pitch-black handgun appeared in her hand.

A Spiritual Item (Device)——**Propator**.

The handgun-type Spiritual Item (Device) was also a medium through which she utilized her Blazer special ability.

With her time-manipulation special ability, she could accelerate, decelerate, or even pause everything in her surroundings. As long as the bullets hit their target, victory was assured.

It was with this special ability that she achieved third place in the global rankings at such a young age!

But the precondition was——

Her bullets must hit Ryoji.

Who was standing across from her.

Ryoji gathered all his strength and assumed the most power-conserving stance in swordsmanship, which was the thrusting position.

Then, he made no further movements, only closing his eyes gently.

He shut off all external senses— sight, hearing, touch— losing all perception of the world at that moment. He couldn't even sense Shinguuji Kurono's reactions or the faintest sound of the wind.

He concentrated his mind and energy to an astonishing degree, dedicating all his senses to his sixth sense.

The sixth sense.

In other words, instinct or— intuition.

Then, at a certain moment—

Ryoji followed his instinct completely, his right foot pushed off the ground, and he shot into the air in an instant.

In the next millisecond, Shinguuji Kurono moved her finger, pulling the trigger.

No.

She couldn't pull the trigger.

"Clang——!"

At that moment, the world seemed to lose its color, turning into a space of black and white.

A sharp, piercing sound broke through the atmosphere from the beautiful katana.

"——Lightning Flint!"

In a daze, Shinguuji Kurono seemed to hear a whisper.

A flash of silver light streaked by.

With unparalleled speed, carrying immense force, it passed through her body in less than the blink of an eye.

"Boom——!!"

Immediately afterward, a massive shockwave surged, sweeping across the entire battle ring and even reaching the distant spectator stands. The enormous roar echoed throughout the training ground!

The terrifying sound and commotion stunned everyone present.

Including Shinguuji Kurono and Toudou Touka, everyone was left stunned.

No one expected that Ryoji's decisive strike would result in such a breathtaking reaction, it looked like a thunderclap from a clear sky, overwhelming everyone's senses.

It was incredibly astounding, a shock to the extreme.

Three seconds later.

The whirlwind in the arena dissipated, and tranquility returned.

**"Gulp!"**

In the audience stands, the sound of people swallowing their saliva was distinctly audible.

"...Hey, what happened?"

A trembling voice asked.

"...Just look at the arena."

Came the vague response.

Inside the battle ring.

The two combatants had disappeared from the arena.

Shinguuji Kurono was outside the battle ring, having crashed into the iron barrier, embedding herself deeply into it. The nearby grass was torn away in large chunks, blown away by the enormous shock wave.

In the center of her chest was a sword glowing with rippling silver light.

The blade had deeply penetrated her chest, embedding itself into the iron barrier behind her, with only the hilt remaining outside, held in the hand of the black-haired boy.

After a while, Shinguuji Kurono slowly came to her senses.

At that moment, it was as if she had been struck head-on by a high-speed train, leaving her confused and unable to hold onto the Spiritual Item (Device) she was gripping, unable to pull the trigger.

And this was merely a byproduct of Ryoji's Blazer special ability.

"Is it... not Casualty manipulation, but Causation Manipulation?"

Shinguuji Kurono slumped against the wall, feeling her dire situation, and couldn't help but bitterly smile.

It was only after being struck directly by that sword that she truly understood the nature of Ryoji's Blazer special ability.

It was not merely about controlling speed.

His special ability was far beyond that.

If she was right, then his special ability was—

**Absolutely faster than the opponent.**

The faster the opponent, the faster he becomes!

The stronger you are, the stronger he becomes; it's an unreasonable ability of this nature.

In that fleeting moment, he must have used this ability to set her as his surpassing target, thus achieving an absolute Divine Speed that exceeded her reaction limit within a single strike!

——**Lightning Flint**.

A truly decisive blow!

In this world, there are very few who could block such a strike.

At least, she failed.

Shinguuji Kurono shook her head with a wry smile.

As a new Director, her authority had been essentially shattered.

However, correspondingly, she felt a certain anticipation.

What kind of performance could this newcomer from the God of War, with such an unimaginably powerful special ability, showcase at Hagun Academy, and even in the annual nationwide Student Knight competition—**Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival**?

Struck by the Illusionary Form's Spiritual Item (Device), Shinguuji Kurono's chest bore no visible injuries, but it felt as if all her strength had been drained, leaving her utterly exhausted.

"Where did this blood come from?"

Suddenly, a vivid scarlet pool of blood caught her peripheral vision, causing her to pause and look at the boy in her arms.

Her pupils contracted sharply—

The boy in her arms was already unconscious.

His muscles were torn apart, bones shattered beyond count, blood vessels ruptured extensively, and his clothes were drenched in blood, staining the earth. He was clearly in a critical state, with more air going out than coming in.

"Isn't this almost a death sentence!?"

**(End of Chapter)**