s, it would be snapped with a single blow.

However, Nozomu's katana was a work of art that he inherited from his master. The katana was made by a master craftsman, and it was able to meet Nozomu's reckless demands.

A superior weapon and the skill to make the most of it. With those two things, Nozomu was able to go head-to-head with Jihad.

"Haa~!"

"Shi~!"

They slashed at each other without taking a step back. Before one knew it, more than twenty slashes clashed between them.

===================================

Everyone was speechless as the two clashed in the middle of the arena.

"What the hell ....... is this ......."

Someone unintentionally let out a voice that melted into the surrounding air.

But that was also what everyone was thinking. If one looked closely, one could see that even Inda was speechless.

“........”

"N-no way ....... That's impossible! What is this?"

Camilla was also stunned and speechless, and Ken was staring at the battle unfolding in front of him as if he were looking at something impossible.

In the midst of all this, Lisa was also shaken by the sight of Nozomu in front of her.

"Nozomu ..."

His name unintentionally came out of Lisa's mouth. At the same time, something indescribable rose from deep within her chest.

"~...!"

Lisa reflexively put her hand on her chest.

Her heart was stirred. The promise between her and Nozomu echoed in her head. And the feeling of emptiness when she lost everything.

She remembered the back of the man who saved her when she was a child. As if in a flashback, the flashes of light and dark covered Nozomu as he fought with Jihad as if they were overlapped.

"But Nozomu is... Ugh!?"

Lisa frowned at the headache that was pounding in her head.

(Why do I feel such a cracking pain in my head and such a tightness in my chest? He's supposed to be the one who betrayed me...)

Such thoughts welled up in her mind, but at the same time, she felt a warm feeling seeping out from deep in her chest.

It was a heat similar to the one she had once felt when she had made that promise. The one thing that once made her feel incredibly happy and joyful.

The confusion of conflicting thoughts just keeps Lisa confused.

Whether or not Nozomu knew how shaken Lisa was, the man at the other end of her field of vision was just looking straight ahead at the powerful enemy in front of him.

The look in his eyes reminded her of the scene from long ago, which only added to her confusion.

The heat welling up from deep within her heart and the ice arrow that froze her heart. It would only confuse her further.

Irisdina and the others were cheering for Nozomu.

Lisa did her best to ignore their voices. All she could do was keep quiet and watch the battle in front of her.

================================

While everyone around them was fascinated by the battle unfolding in front of them, Nozomu and Jihad continued to cross their blades.

"Certainly, your abilities are extraordinary. But... it's only a matter of time."

"Kuh~!"

Nozomu's face was distorted due to Jihad's words.

Certainly that Nozomu was now facing Jihad head-on. However, he had not been able to break through the storm of Jihad's sword blows.

No, rather, Nozomu had his hands full deflecting Jihad's blows. He wanted to launch an attack somehow, but there was no opportunity to do so.

This equilibrium would not last long. In that case, it would be Nozomu, with his inferior endurance, who would be the first to break. Nozomu himself was well aware of this.

"But you've shown me enough. There is no doubt about your ability. There are not many people in this school who can compete with me to this extent."

A low and calm voice. However, there was pure praise for Nozomu in his tone. When Nozomu heard that praise, he felt joy welling up from the bottom of his heart.

He has persisted to continue to be enrolled in this school. It wasn't that he wanted to be praised by anyone. It wasn't that he wanted to be appreciated by anyone.

He was just trying to keep his promise, and then he turned his back on that promise and just ran away.

The reason why he was able to endure Shino's absurd training was at the core of it all, it was just about running away.

He was well aware that this was not something worthy of praise.

Even so, the honest praise from the most dignified and respected person in this school struck Nozomu's heart.

A feeling of satisfaction filled his heart. But Nozomu shook his head as if to say, "It's not over yet."

"... No, it's not over yet."

Yes, it's not over yet. More importantly, he hadn't used all the techniques he could use yet. And as long as that was the case, it couldn't be over yet.

Nozomu swung his katana with all his might and intercepted the approaching greatsword.

As Jihad was about to swing his greatsword again, a black shadow was approaching his eyes.

"Mmm!?"

Jihad raised his shield to block the approaching shadow. It was the scabbard that Nozomu had on his waist.

The butt of the scabbard that was thrust into the air made a high-pitched sound and was easily blocked by Jihad's tower shield.

But that was to be expected. It was a move that was originally intended to be blocked.

Nozomu raised his katana and sent his Qi into it, then thrust the blade in with all his might. His target was the scabbard he just slammed.

Qi technique [Breaking Strike]

The impact of the inserted katana combined with the explosion of Qi spread to Jihad's tower shield.

"Hmm!?"

Jihad's eyes widened at the shock that ran through his shield. Not only his shield but also the numbness that seemed to reverberate from the core of his arm.

Classified as a penetrating strike, the [Breaking Strike] originally would cause serious internal destruction to the opponent, even if it was blocked. However, Jihad had quickly channeled his Qi into his shield to cancel out most of the impact.

Even so, the numbness that remained in his arm slowed him down for a few seconds. That was enough for Nozomu.

"Haaa!"

Nozomu used the momentum of the strike to rotate his body while keeping his katana in its sheath.

After sending his Qi into the blade again and sharpening it to the extreme, Nozomu took a step forward without killing the momentum of the rotation while wielding his sheathed katana.

With his shield raised, Jihad sent more Qi into the tower shield than before. The figure of Jihad with his shield raised speaks eloquently of his intentions. It was as if he spoke, "Come!".

Nozomu's blade was pulled out. He sprinted in a straight line towards Jihad, accompanied by a trail of light.

Qi technique [Phantom]

Nozomu's most reliable technique was released.

The extremely compressed blade of Qi carved a line of scratch on the tower shield.

"Mm~!?"

Jihad frowned.

He glanced at the impact that ran on his arm earlier. Certainly, he had sent more than enough Qi into his shield to prevent even an A-rank attack. However, the shield had been scratched.

That fact was enough to amaze Jihad.

"Seei!"

Furthermore, Nozomu overturned the blade. The extremely compressed blade of Qi that was swung diagonally scratched the shield again.

Jihad raised the greatsword in his right hand as he watched the tower shield make a high-pitched sound along with dancing sparks.

If this goes on, Nozomu's attack would cut through Jihad's shield. But it would take a few more blows. And for Jihad, that much was enough to defeat the powerful enemy in front of him.

The advantage of a shield was that it allowed him to switch between offense and defense in an instant.

Jihad's aim was to withstand the next blow and swung his greatsword the moment his opponent swung the blade at him.

No matter how well Nozomu swung his katana, he would be defenseless right after he launched an attack, so there was no way for him to dodge the next attack.

Jihad raised his tower shield and prepared for the approaching Nozomu's slash. The next moment, however, Jihad let out a surprised voice at the raising Qi he felt behind the shield.

“What the heck is this?”

What Jihad saw from behind the shield was Nozomu, who was pointing the tip of his katana at him. It was as if he was wielding a crossbow.

Nozomu's sharp eyes caught Jihad's figure behind the tower shield, and he sent his deadly intent into his Qi and slammed it into the katana.

A chill ran down Jihad's back. It was a feeling that he hadn't felt since he came to this school, but he had felt that on a daily basis ten years ago.

It was the defensive instinct of living beings that was sensed when they were in danger.

"Kuh~!"

The Qi blade, drawn like a siege bow, was unleashed.

It came towards the tower shield in a straight line.

Jihad immediately threw his shield at Nozomu and raised his greatsword to interrupt the trajectory of Nozomu's blade.

Nozomu perceived the center of the shield and pointed the Qi blade at it, and at the same time, the Qi blade, sharpened to the limit, was released.

Qi technique [Core Piercing]

The released Qi blade pierced the shield in an instant, and at the same time, it exploded into countless blades.

A large hole was drilled in the shield that was floating in the air while sending countless pieces of metal flying around, and the exploding countless blades struck straight towards Jihad.