Chapter 32 – ３２ – Duel in Progress: VS Fuchibeni Yoshio

Entrance Ceremony Arc

“That… that’s impossible! How can this be happening!!”

Along with Fuchibeni’s scream, six more golden bullets were fired from the revolver.

“Hmph.”

The bullets struck Naru’s shield, but this time they only left small cracks, which vanished almost instantly.

“!?”

“…”

At this point, both Fuchibeni and the audience understood.

To break Naru’s shield with Fuchibeni’s revolver, at least seven bullets were required. However, Fuchibeni’s revolver could only hold six rounds, and the shield would repair itself during the reload.

In other words, it was impossible for Fuchibeni’s revolver to blast through Naru’s shield from the front.

Such was the merciless reality.

But the truly cruel truth lay elsewhere.

“I’ll mention this while I’m at it. Unlike you, I’m fuel-efficient. Just standing here like this actually allows my magical power to recover. Repairing the shield doesn’t consume that much either. Now, I wonder how it is for you? Whether you’re just standing there or firing, your magical power is being drained. And that’s although I have a higher absolute amount to begin with.”

In a standard Masquerade, the magical power consumed to maintain a Masked Form typically outweighs the natural recovery rate, meaning the time one can maintain the form decreases even while standing still. This is especially true if one is projecting something made of magical power, such as the bullets from Fuchibeni’s revolver.

It would be no exaggeration to call this one of the common-sense rules of the Masquerade.

However, that common sense did not apply to Naru.

His base Masked Form was the ultimate in simplicity—essentially naked. Even with a shield and clothes, he remained extremely lightly equipped for a Masked Form. Combined with a magical nature that improved fuel efficiency and a massive amount of magical power refining capacity based on his overwhelming Magic Capacity, the relationship between consumption and recovery was inverted.

He was an abnormal, cruel existence who actually recovered power while idling.

That was Naru.

“!?”

“What!?”

Fuchibeni could not hide his agitation at this fact. It was now certain that the more time passed, the more unilaterally disadvantaged he would become.

“In that case, I’ll just blast you to hell before time runs out!”

However, Naru’s declaration also served to push Fuchibeni to a decision. Since it was certain he couldn’t win by stalling, the only way to victory was to attack. It was a simple but correct answer.

“Oraaa!”

“Well, I figured you’d do that.”

Fuchibeni charged toward Naru, firing his revolver in rapid succession. As he closed the distance, he reloaded while leaping left and right, or switching the revolver between hands, attempting to hit Naru’s body hiding behind the shield. He gradually drew closer, knowing that feints are more effective at short range.

In response, Naru didn’t just move the shield to match Fuchibeni’s movements; he occasionally moved his own body to evade the bullets. His movement, always keeping the shield between himself and the enemy, looked almost like a dance.

While moving… Naru closed the distance slightly, without Fuchibeni noticing.

“At this range…”

Fuchibeni had completely flanked Naru.

“My kick will reach.”

“!? “

Immediately after, Naru’s full-power kick—a Toe Kick—slammed into Fuchibeni’s stomach. A cracking sound echoed all the way to the spectator seats.

Fuchibeni’s body was blown back, and his desperate shots flew off in the wrong direction. He tumbled across the stage…

“…”

“Haha, hahahahaha!”

As Fuchibeni’s laughter rang out, Naru’s expression turned bitter.

“This! Now this is a clear weakness! Midorikawa! That kick was so light it’s almost funny! If that’s all you’ve got, you’d probably deal more damage if you weren’t in a Masked Form!”

“Sigh… lack of attack power really is my main issue.”

Fuchibeni stood up as if he had taken no damage at all.

Yes, this was a glaring flaw in Naru’s Masked Form. For reasons unclear, Naru’s offensive capabilities were low. He could kick or punch an opponent to push them away, but he could barely deal any actual damage. Even after recreating boots with a hard core in the toes, the result was the same. The lack of attack power was undeniably Naru’s weakness.

“That said, Fuchibeni, what’s the problem with that? I can’t deal any proper damage to you, and you can’t deal any to me. That means this is guaranteed to become a war of attrition, and when that happens, you’re the one who loses.”

“!? I know that without you telling me, you exhibitionist!”

Still, it was also certain that this wasn’t a problem in the current situation. Naru calmly held up his shield and began to close in on Fuchibeni. Fuchibeni, meanwhile, tried to maintain as much distance as possible while pondering how to break through Naru’s defense.

“Now, if kicking doesn’t work, how about this!”

“!? “

Unexpectedly, Naru was the one to move first. Keeping his body hidden behind the shield, he launched a sudden charge—an attack known as a Shield Charge. Because the distance had already been closed, Fuchibeni couldn’t fully evade the charge and was sent flying after taking a glancing blow.

“Guh…”

“Seems this works a bit better.”

Fuchibeni tumbled across the stage. Unlike the previous kick, he had taken clear damage, and it took him a moment to stand up.

Seeing this, Naru performed another Shield Charge to follow up.

“Don’t underestimate me!”

In a desperate attempt to slow Naru down, the fallen Fuchibeni fired his revolver. The bullet flew low, skimming the floor of the stage…

“!? “

“Yah…”

The bullet slipped through the gap between the shield and the floor, piercing the toe of Naru’s boot just as he was about to push off for his next step.

“Sorry, Fuchibeni.”

The bullet caused Naru to stumble for a single step, then it popped harmlessly.

“Huh?”

“Currently, my body is tougher than the shield.”

“———!?”

Holding the shield to the side and crouching low in a posture akin to a low-altitude tackle, Naru and Fuchibeni collided head-on.

The sound of the impact reverberated through the venue. Fuchibeni’s body was violently blasted backward, slamming into the Barrier surrounding the stage with a loud crash.

“Guh… gah…”

Fuchibeni’s body slid across the floor, and he fell to his knees. To any observer, he looked to be on the verge of death. If not for the characteristic of the Masquerade where damage to the Masked Form does not affect the original body, the duel would have been called immediately.

“…”

Normally, this would be the time to deliver the finishing blow. However, Naru deliberately refrained from moving, simply keeping his shield ready.

He remembered the words he had heard before the duel: that the Goddess had permitted the duel because both sides had a possibility of winning. There might still be something left in the tank, even in this state.

Judging it so, Naru continued to hold his shield without letting his guard down.

And that judgment was correct.

“Don’t… underestimate me… I am strong, strong! Strong!! I am a chosen one! I was granted the innate talent to handle the gift from the Goddess known as magical power! I have put in the effort to use that talent! Despite that, there is no way a piece of trash like you, who only has magical capacity, should be more recognized than I am!!”

“The trump card, then.”

Black magical power erupted from Fuchibeni’s body. It was a power that felt like distilled jealousy toward Naru, an incomprehensible force that seemed forcibly dragged from somewhere else.

“I’ll kill you! I’ll crush that pretty face of yours! I’ll cut off your future! I… I will prove that I am the strongest! That I am the most superior existence, and I will become a hero! This bullet is the first step! The vanguard! I’ll put everything I have into this… and blast right through you!!”

“Fine then… if that’s how it is…”

The black magical power turned into a bullet and was loaded into the revolver. Fuchibibeni pointed the revolver straight at Naru’s forehead and squeezed the trigger.

“I’ll take it head-on. So, aim carefully. It would be a real letdown if you missed now.”

Seeing this, Naru stood his ground, boldly holding his shield. He flooded his entire body with magical power and stared straight into Fuchibeni’s revolver.

“Even at this stage… stop screwing around!!”

Fuchibeni pulled the trigger, the hammer fell, and a pitch-black bullet was unleashed with an explosion unlike any before. The bullet tore across the stage at an imperceptible speed and collided head-on with Naru’s shield.

The bullet, propelled by a spiral rotation, smashed through the shield—trading a significant amount of its velocity for the breakthrough—and continued forward.

Naru saw the entire scene clearly. His intuition told him that if he moved his head instinctively, he could avoid it.

Understanding this… he kept his eyes wide open and took the bullet directly to the forehead.

“…”

The sound of the gunshot finally echoed through the venue.

“Haa… haa… ah, guh… my body… won’t move…”

Fuchibeni, sounding completely spent, collapsed on the spot, the revolver slipping from his hand.

“…”

And Naru…

✧

“That was a good shot, but it seems my forehead was harder.”

He remained standing, though blood flowed from his brow.

“Now then…”

Naru stepped forward with a steady gait.

“I’ll tell you this, though it’s a bit late.”

He caught the pitch-black bullet that had fallen from the wound on his forehead in his right hand and approached the fallen Fuchibeni.

“I don’t mind if you call me an exhibitionist, an idiot, or say I only have magical capacity. To be honest, those are just facts. It would be foolish to get angry about it.”

He stood before Fuchibeni and looked down at him, his face already healed of its wounds.

“…”

“But. I have no intention of allowing someone who mocks and tries to eliminate people like Suzu—who entered the academy through honest effort—to get away with it. I will not tolerate injustice toward the people around me.”

Naru grabbed Fuchibeni by the collar with his left hand and lifted him up. Simultaneously, as if unable to withstand Naru’s magical power, his clothes burst apart, and the air around his right hand shimmered with gathered power.

“Grit your teeth. This one’s to beat some sense into you.”

“!?”

Naru’s fist slammed into Fuchibeni’s face, and the impact shattered Fuchibeni’s Masked Form. Fuchibeni’s body was blown out of the ring, and as he lost consciousness, he collapsed completely.

“The match is over! The winner!! Midorikawa Naruki!!”

“—————!!”

In the next instant, the announcement of Naru’s victory rang out, and the venue erupted in cheers.

Incidentally, at this moment, Naru was wearing nothing but his boots.

✧