WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Irevi
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◈ I Became the Academy's Turn-Based Swordsman ◈
Chapter 102: A Game of Chicken
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A few days after the celebration banquet ended, the special practical training officially concluded, and the final evaluations began immediately afterward.
The final evaluations took the form of joint sparring matches among all three classes.
First, the total scores from the classes completed during the first semester and the practical evaluation scores were added together. Then, after deductions such as penalty points, the students were divided into three broad brackets based on their scores.
Students within the same bracket would then fight three randomly assigned sparring matches.
Unlike friendly spars, it was a true contest where Abyss Cores, Shards, weapons, and even Arts could all be used.
The final evaluations began under the instructors' supervision.
My opponents were Richard, Eugene, and Senia.
"I won't go easy on you!"
"Just what I wanted."
My first opponent was Richard.
Richard charged at me relentlessly, moving as though he had adapted the Reygal Imperial Sword into a spear style.
His weapon was the Shattering Spear I had given him.
I could see the damaged keychain still hanging from its shaft.
Thanks to steadily trading with me and stubbornly increasing his Shards, most of the Shards Richard equipped were Tier III. Except for Special Shards, they were similar to mine.
Richard's spearwork was fast and fierce. Fast enough that I missed the timing for Just Guard several times.
But Richard was no match for me, and I ultimately won the spar.
"Kh... I gave it my all for an entire semester... and I still couldn't reach you?"
"Good work."
"...I've lost to you twice. And I even made such a fool of myself at the celebration banquet. Do you still think highly of me?"
Instead of answering, I held out the hand that had received his attacks.
The hand gripping my sword hilt was trembling.
"...Thank you."
That seemed to be a satisfactory answer. Richard stepped back with a bitter smile.
After losing to me, Richard swept through the following two spars with unstoppable momentum.
My next opponent was Eugene.
I was his final opponent, and he stood before me without a single wound after facing the first two.
"It's been a while since we faced each other properly."
The look in his eyes had returned to how it had been during the entrance exam.
"The result will be different from then."
"Will it?"
"I didn't have this back then."
A one-handed shield in Eugene's left hand.
The aura of purified demonic energy. Dungeon-made equipment. Judging by its design, it seemed to be the General Shield from the Orc Dungeon.
'Right. That's Eugene.'
Even in the original story, Eugene's fundamental build had been using a one-handed sword and shield together.
The original illustrations had also depicted him wielding a rapier and shield at once.
He meant to give it everything he had.
"Aegis."
As soon as the spar began, Eugene activated Aegis.
But Aegis was no longer the dome-shaped barrier it had been before.
Three inverted triangular shields orbited him like satellites.
[Abyss Core - Aegis grows.]
Aegis's growth form, Trinity.
In addition to Aegis's existing abilities, as long as even one shield remained, its damage reduction and Super Armor effects would persist.
And because those shields followed their user, the effects would not vanish just because Eugene left the barrier.
Naturally, it was impossible to carve a weak point with Carving Sword.
'He's grown.'
Eugene had repeatedly cleared Tier III Upper Dungeons with Senia.
That meant he was at least at Aren Bright's current level.
That was why I had not actively looked after Eugene all this time.
With his disposition, he would grow just fine on his own.
My first strike was blocked by Trinity and came to nothing. When Eugene's turn came, he raised his sword straight up.
"Sovereign Stance."
Sovereign Stance, a Level 27 Art that taunted and drew aggro.
It had been an indispensable, reliable skill whenever I used Eugene in the original story.
"This is my answer, Halibal Velder."
I had always wondered what it felt like to be on the receiving end of a taunt. The moment Eugene raised his sword, my field of vision narrowed, and I could no longer see anything around me except Eugene.
'So this is what being taunted feels like.'
In this state, it would be difficult to prepare for ambushes from blind spots.
Richard had pressured me with sheer desperation, but Eugene pressured me with orthodox swordsmanship.
Whenever I aimed for the side, the side shield reacted before Eugene's sword and blocked me. Whenever I aimed low, the lower shield did the same.
Meanwhile, Eugene attacked only from my blind spots.
With my vision blurred, I let several attacks through.
Eugene's swordsmanship had improved dramatically over the semester too. Even though I had done nothing for him.
It reminded me of when I had entered the Doll Dungeon to get Sun Shine for Aren Bright.
Maybe even if I hadn't gone, she would have obtained it on her own, just like them.
Perhaps that was why I could not stop the corners of my lips from rising, even though I was being pushed back.
I stepped back and adjusted my grip on my sword.
Unfortunately for him, I knew Trinity's weakness far too well.
Aegis's barrier Health was distributed among three shields, making it vulnerable to consecutive strikes.
And I happened to have Gale's Path.
Rat-a-tat-tat!
Gale's Path's consecutive strikes split Trinity's shields apart and shattered the barrier.
The moment the final decisive blow rushed toward Eugene...
"Imperial Judgment!"
'...He's Level 36 too?'
Imperial Judgment, a Level 36 Art.
A counter Art that parried attacks.
I had not expected Eugene to have reached Level 36.
No wonder his expression had not changed even after all his shields were destroyed.
He had been waiting for a decisive strike.
The flashing sword light drew a silver trail as it crossed the ashen gale.
Claaang!
A moment later, Eugene and I stood at opposite ends of the sparring ground, our backs facing each other.
Eugene's rapier fell to the ground, and he dropped to one knee.
Imperial Judgment was optimal for countering a single attack. Something like the Ashen Light he had suffered during the entrance exam.
But it was insufficient to withstand consecutive strikes like Gale's Path. Of Gale's Path's seven strikes, two remained even after shattering the barrier.
The final strike decided the match.
"...My defeat. I didn't expect the gap to be this great."
"No. That was an excellent counter. If you had known my Arts, the outcome would have been different."
"...Is that so?"
Eugene took my hand and rose.
I had hoped that would settle something neatly between us, but fighting spirit still burned in his eyes.
"But next time will be different."
'Sigh.'
This was a complete rival flag.
Sighing inwardly, I returned his fallen shield.
"I'll look forward to it."
Eugene accepted the shield without replying and stepped down from the sparring ground with an expressionless face.
My final opponent was Senia.
"Everyone has been working hard. It seems they were all determined to get revenge for the entrance exam."
"What about you?"
"Hehe. Of course, I'm the same. And..."
Thud!
Senia drove the Shattering Greatsword on her back into the sparring ground, causing a light tremor.
"I have something I need to take back too."
Senia had completely transformed into a greatsword freak in the meantime.
I had heard that she had even returned Azure Night, the one-handed sword she used before, to her family.
"Sorry, but I can't give it back. Self-Love has saved my life many times."
"Then I need to take it back all the more, don't I? With the value of those lives added as interest."
Soon, two pairs of ice wings began to unfold behind her.
"Lapis Lazuli."
Ice crystals blossomed beneath her feet.
As its user grew, Lapis Lazuli could gain up to four pairs of wings, increasing its additional elemental damage in proportion. Its chance of freezing had probably increased too.
Seeing that she had two pairs of wings, I realized this spar would be tougher than I had imagined.
There had not been a single notable greatsword specialist in the original story.
That meant her Arts and fighting style were completely unknown.
I had never thought I would have such a thought about a person.
But this time, I would only know after trying it.
Senia swung the greatsword one-handed as though it were a pair of chopsticks, then raised it behind her back and took a stance.
The instructors and students let out cries of shock and admiration.
After Cecilia's Doll Dungeon clear, people had come to believe that the gap between Cecilia and Senia had narrowed significantly.
Back then, Senia had received a low score because of the trouble she caused with Luna.
To the point that it was now common to hear people say that Cecilia had surpassed Senia.
But Senia's current appearance seemed to say that all those public evaluations were complete nonsense.
Wielding a greatsword like that with one hand meant she was simply born monstrously strong. Even Adeline would struggle with that.
Now I understood why Cecilia had said that only Senia could use a greatsword.
My turn.
From the very first turn, I unloaded the greatest damage I could inflict.
My strongest combo excluding Deathblow Reverse.
I poured Chrono Dive, Carving Sword, Gale's Path, and Halibal Break into Senia as she held her stance.
Kra-ka-boom!
I had expected her to block or deflect as much of the attack as she could.
My attacks always hit, but blocking should have been able to mitigate some of the damage.
But that was not what happened.
"...!"
Senia received every one of my attacks without even crying out, standing firmly in place.
Why wasn't this over?
Ah, right. She was an all-defense tank build.
I had thought she might have changed her build in the meantime, but she had not.
She was still an all-defense tank build.
As my Attack Power had increased, her Defense had also become sturdier through Tier III or higher Shards.
"...It's my turn now, isn't it?"
Senia's turn.
Whooom.
Senia thrust the greatsword she had raised behind her back toward me.
It was slow. But unfortunately, I could not dodge the attack.
'It's not off-beat like Ice-White Sword Dance. I can block it easily with Just Guard.'
I raised my sword at an angle to block the attack.
But then...
Crack!
"?"
The moment the greatsword's blade touched my sword.
I heard the sound of some bone joint in my body breaking.
"Secret Sword of the Ren Sword Style. Ice Seal."
'What the fuck is that...?'
Craaaash!
My consciousness flickered in an instant from the follow-up strike. When I came to my senses, I was sprawled flat on the ground.
'Where am I? Wasn't this the sparring ground?'
It was.
It was just that Senia's strike had destroyed the sparring ground so thoroughly that it was hard to recognize its original shape.
And that strike had broken through my Just Guard and knocked me down.
Destructive power like this only appeared near the very end of the original story.
By then, mountains crumbled and seas split apart with a single slash. It was complete madness.
But it already had this much power?
When I came to my senses, Senia was frozen in the same pose, with her greatsword driven into the ground across from me.
Spiderweb-like cracks spread across the floor of the sparring ground, centered on where her greatsword had struck.
She had split the ground itself in a single blow.
Insane.
"Kh...!"
When I forced myself up, agonizing pain shot through my leg.
My right leg bone had broken because it could not withstand the greatsword's weight. Should I be glad it had not been my arm?
Wrapped around my arm were the Lich's Bracers.
I had received them after the celebration banquet through negotiations with Aren Bright.
If I had not had these, my arm would have gone too.
"You blocked my attack. I gave it my all, in my own way... Should I say that is to be expected of Halibal?"
'That counted as blocking it?'
I wanted to ask what would have happened if I had failed to block it.
But there was a familiar feeling in her attack.
A fighting style that received attacks rather than dodging or deflecting them.
I had seen that somewhere before.
"This is, perhaps...?"
"Yes, that's right. Halibal, you created a new Art after seeing my Ice-White Sword Dance, didn't you? I'm the same."
Bullshit.
"Ice Seal is an Art that adds the damage received from an opponent to my own power and returns it. The stronger Halibal's attack, the greater the damage I return. However..."
A streak of blood ran from the corner of Senia's mouth.
"It has the drawback that I must receive all of the attacks too."
Thanks, Senia Speedwagon.
Only then did I realize it. Ice Seal was an Art she had created herself.
After seeing me, no less.
The reason she maintained an all-defense tank build was to endure the opponent's attacks with her toughness, then return all the damage in a single blow.
'Why did it have to be a berserker style...?'
Right. I understood now. This was apparently how greatsword attacks worked.
That meant the Shattering Sword's Fluidity penalty did not matter either. It might even be more advantageous to take the later turn.
A brutally simple fighting style. At the same time, a fighting style more incompatible with my turn-based combat than anything else.
What a shitty way to play the game.
But that was not the problem right now.
[Weak!]
A weak point had burst from that attack.
I did not know where I had been hit, but judging by how my entire body ached, I must have been struck somewhere vital.
Even blocking it had resulted in this much damage, so like Carving Sword, it was probably safe to assume a weak point would burst every time I was hit.
If Senia's follow-up strike had this much power, I was not confident I could win.
Yet for some reason, Senia showed no sign of moving.
As I watched, the red gem above her head disappeared, and my turn returned.
"Haa... haa..."
Her ragged breathing escaped her lips.
'Does this... have recoil too?'
Right. It had such insane power that, in fairness, it needed some recoil.
Now the direction of the battle was clear.
I would strike once, then Senia would strike once.
Then whoever could no longer endure would lose.
The game of chicken had begun.
Footnotes:
"Thanks, Senia Speedwagon" parodies a JoJo's Bizarre Adventure meme invoking Speedwagon as an explanatory narrator.
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