“Wh-What the?!”
“Holy shit! Did you see how far he launched her?! It’s like I’m watching a shonen manga battle in real life!”
“Th-That was insane. Do you think she’s okay?”
The people who’d been watching the battle from outside the arena looked worriedly over at Stella as she came to a halt in the square. Those inside the arena were watching on with bated breath as well.
“Wh-What a blow! Not only is Stella out of the ring, she’s out of the Dome! I’ve been a commentator for A-league matches for over a decade now, and even I’ve only seen something like this once before! I never thought my second time seeing it would be at a student tournament! A battle between Rank A Blazers is really something else! It’s on a completely different level! And it looks like the referee’s begun the countdown! Will Stella be able to make it back in time?!”
The audience started shouting excitedly to each other after the commentator broke the silence. As Stella listened to their distant voices, she looked up at the sky.
I felt that one, all right... Her senses were still numb from the impact of the blow. That was the hardest hit she’d ever taken. He’s really something else...
Ouma hadn’t been wrong to try to forcibly evolve his body. The history of all living creatures was a history of evolution, after all. All living beings had originally lived in the sea, and it was only after they’d tried to live on land that they’d developed limbs. As their environment had changed, their skeletal structure had changed to adapt. It was only by putting themselves in a new and hostile environment that they’d been able to gain a new strength that they otherwise never would have.
Even on a small scale, however, evolution was a process that normally took centuries to accomplish. And Ouma had managed to do it in just a few years. Since he’d been creating his adverse environment using his own power, he could have stopped torturing himself whenever he’d wanted, but his drive to grow stronger had let him ignore that temptation. Through sheer willpower, he’d defied the natural order and reforged his body. That was a level of self-discipline that bordered on insanity.
He’s...really strong. Stella had to respect his way of life, which brooked no compromise whatsoever. But still...
“Huh?”
“N-No way... Is she smiling?”
As the crowd had noticed, Stella was indeed smiling.
I can’t see myself losing this!
✦ ✦ ✦
“Five! Six!”
Ouma wasn’t even paying attention to the referee’s countdown. He knew better than anyone he wasn’t going to win by ring out. Stella was a Rank A Blazer just like him. She was one of the chosen ones, handpicked by fate for a great destiny. There was no way she’d fall so easily.
“You told me yesterday that you’d crush my full might. Well, as you requested, I’m going all out. Let’s see you crush this, Crimson Princess,” Ouma said, looking up at the sky. As expected, Stella was there.
“Th-There she is! Stella’s looking down at the ring from atop the floodlights! That was an insane blow, but aside from her clothes being a little messed up, she’s unscathed!”
“I can’t imagine blasting through the Dome could’ve caused her any damage. With how much mana she’s protected by, only a direct hit from Ryuuzume can really do anything. Don’t forget, Stella-chan has the world’s largest mana pool.”
“And now, she’s stepped back into the ring!”
The audience burst out in amazed cheers after seeing Stella’s triumphant return to the ring. As the referee signaled for the match to resume, Ouma raised Ryuuzume to eye level and pointed it at Stella. But she didn’t bother taking up a stance in response.
“Ouma, there’s one thing I want to ask you before we resume,” she said in a surprisingly friendly voice.
“What’s that?” Ouma asked, not dropping his stance.
“Why do you want to reach the pinnacle of strength so badly?”
She was curious what was driving him to strive for such lofty heights.
Ouma closed his eyes and fell silent for a few seconds before finally saying, “It’s a trivial reason, honestly. When I was a child, there was a small tournament held at our estate. Winning that made me really happy, so I thought, ’how much happier would I feel if I managed to become the strongest person in the world?’ When it comes down to it, that’s all there is to my motivation.”
It wasn’t something worth talking about from Ouma’s point of view. Stella, however, thought differently.
“You’re amazing,” she said sincerely.
As royalty, Stella had a duty to her people. It was that duty that had supported her through all the harsh training she’d undergone to control her power. Ouma was different, though. He wanted strength for a selfish, childish reason. But that simple reason had kept him going even after he’d seen how large the world was and experienced true despair. His unwavering determination reminded her of the person she loved most in this world.
“You’re the second opponent I truly respect from the bottom of my heart, Ouma. Which is why I’ll show you Crimson Princess Stella Vermillion’s true strength!”
There was no need to hold back anymore. She no longer hated Ouma for attacking her school. It was her pride as a knight, as a martial artist, that made her want to beat him now. She raised Lævateinn up high and...stabbed it into her own stomach.
“Dragon Spirit!”
A second later, a wave of heat and light engulfed the entire stadium.