Chapter 64 – ６４ – Their Respective Debuts: Boys vs. Girls

Debut Match Arc

“And now, for the second duel! From the East, Alrescha! From the West, Blusal! Duel… begin!”

“Masquerade Activation!”

Just as in the first duel, the two appearing on stage were enveloped in light as they activated their Masquerades.

The Masked Form of Aika Ōasari—Alrescha—appeared.

To describe her appearance in a single word: sukeban.

Her mouth was hidden by a plain cloth mask, her blue hair remained in twin-tails, and she wore a sailor uniform with a long skirt, topped with a long coat draped over her shoulders and gloves on both hands.

But that was all.

She carried no visible weapons.

Then, the Masked Form of Makoto Tokuto—Blusal—appeared.

To describe him in a single word: a Sentai Blue.

His head was completely concealed by a monkey-motif helmet, and from the neck down, he wore a full-body tights suit reinforced with protectors in various places, all unified in a base color of blue.

Several spheres of a size suitable for throwing were lined up at his waist, and an assault rifle—which felt entirely mismatched with a Masked Form—was attached to his back.

“No matter how many times I see it, you’re just a Sentai character,” Alrescha remarked.

“And you’re the spitting image of a sukeban. Your weapon… is it your fists?”

“I’ve got no reason to tell you!”

“Fair enough!”

Alrescha dashed toward Blusal.

In response, Blusal swiftly grabbed one of the spheres from his waist—one the size of a baseball—and entered a pitching form with practiced ease… then threw.

It wasn’t a strike; it was a hit-by-pitch, aimed straight for Alrescha’s face, flying with the momentum and spin of a bullet.

“You think I’ll take that!?”

“!? “

However, the ball unnaturally shifted its trajectory in mid-air, whistling past the side of Alrescha’s face.

In that interval, Alrescha had closed the distance. Just as she began to swing her arm in a wide arc, Blusal noticed.

“Threads!”

He saw slender threads extending from the tips of Alrescha’s gloves, shimmering as they reflected the stage lights.

“Can’t help it if you figured it out!”

The threads bundled together, forming something like a bat, and swung toward Blusal.

“Take this!”

“!? “

Alrescha’s thread-bat struck Blusal’s head with a heavy blow.

Blusal didn’t resist the impact; instead, he allowed himself to be blown back to create distance.

“Blusal. Maybe you’re lacking enough killing intent in your balls?”

“Probably. Until middle school, balls weren’t things you threw to hit people. I still can’t quite get over that.”

Blusal stood up and reached for the assault rifle on his back.

As he did, he spoke words that sounded like a declaration that he had yet to fully accept his identity as a Duelist.

“That’s why I’ll use this. Try and stop it with some mere threads.”

“Interesting. I’ll take you on.”

Blusal pulled the trigger.

The gun, set to full auto, unleashed a countless barrage of bullets generated by absorbing Blusal’s magical power.

The sheer number and speed were far beyond what anyone could simply dodge by sight.

Alrescha responded by bundling her threads into a conical arrangement, using them as a shield.

“—————~~!!”

The moment Alrescha’s body was completely hidden behind the threads, Blusal’s swarm of bullets arrived.

The bullets severed a few threads… then stopped, or deflected. Bullets that hit the same spot pushed deeper, but they vanished before they could completely tear through.

“Now I see why my seniors told me to stop using weapons I’m not used to. Dammit.”

“Wouldn’t it be enough against someone lower-ranked? But I’m your equal. Too bad for you.”

The gunfire ceased.

The trigger was still being pulled, but no more bullets emerged.

“Sigh. I’ve got a lot to rethink.”

“Good luck, Blue Monkey.”

Then, Blusal’s form began to fade.

Not because he had suffered a fatal wound, but because he had run out of the magical power required to maintain the Masquerade.

“It’s over! The winner of the second duel is Alrescha!”

“—————~~!!”

The venue was once again engulfed in cheers.

“Moving on to the third duel! From the East, Barany! From the West, Comosdole! Duel… begin!!”

✧

“Masquerade Activation!!”

The next duel began immediately.

The Masked Form of Moe Hitsujiuta—Barany—had her face hidden by a tiara and veil, and from the neck down, she wore a fluffy, voluminous outfit reminiscent of sheep’s wool.

In her hand, she held a staff modeled after sheep horns; she showed no sign of fighting spirit.

The Masked Form of Ken Magariya—Comosdole—wore a green helmet reminiscent of a dog and green full-body tights fitted with several armor plates.

He held a short-handled spear in his right hand and a shield large enough to cover his entire body in his left. Despite his rounded appearance, he was brimming with motivation.

“Here I coooome!!”

Comosdole charged violently toward Barany.

His momentum was such that he didn’t care if there were traps; it was as if he intended to crush any trap he stepped on.

“Barany… doesn’t really… like fighting…”

In contrast, Barany spoke in a sleepy voice, showing no sign of motivation.

She showed no intention of moving from her spot; in fact, it was doubtful if she even recognized Comosdole’s presence.

“That’s why… ‘Sleep’.”

“Ngh!?”

With Barany’s single word, Comosdole collapsed, only to push himself back up onto his knees.

“A Skill… and a status ailment type at that!? I’ve never heard of something like that being registered on an Academy-issued Device!?”

“Apparently… if the compatibility… is exceptionally high… it gets unlocked. So… once more… ‘Sleep’.”

The Skill ‘Sleep’.

Its effect was simple and clear: fire magical power at a target, and upon hitting, force the target into sleep.

However, the effect lasted only a few seconds at most; for many, it was merely a momentary loss of muscle tension throughout the body.

But in a one-on-one duel, losing all strength for even a second is terrifying.

Because, while using a Masquerade, it is not difficult to close the distance in that instant and deliver a fatal blow.

“‘Impact Absorber’!”

“Hmm…”

However, if one knows they are about to be put to sleep, there is a way to deal with it.

Comosdole braced himself with his shield and activated ‘Impact Absorber’ on his entire body.

As the name suggests, the Skill ‘Impact Absorber’ softens the impact received by the target for a set period after activation.

Furthermore, once activated, the effect persists even if the user falls asleep.

Consequently, even when Barany struck the limp Comosdole with all her might, she dealt virtually no damage.

It was a strategic victory for Comosdole, who had bet on the fact that Barany’s weapon was either a Skill or the staff.

“This… is… impossible… Barany… surrenders…”

“Huh?”

“…”

That said, Barany’s subsequent action was unexpected to everyone.

Barany declared her surrender, it was accepted, and she strolled off the stage… as if she were the victor.

“I-It’s over! The winner of the third duel is Comosdole!!”

“I-I won?”

Normally, in a duel, one struggles until a clear conclusion is reached, even if there is no chance of victory.

This is not only because of the safety net—that even if the Masked Form is destroyed, the original body remains unscathed.

It is because accidents happen: the opponent’s Magic Capacity might have already reached its limit without the user realizing it, a malfunction in the Device might deactivate the Masquerade, or a lucky punch might actually land.

Barany had discarded all those possibilities and surrendered.

Normally, such an act would be worthy of criticism.

But no one could do it.

Not even the winner, Comosdole.

This was because the attitude Barany displayed as she departed was far too dignified… as if she were saying that, from the start, today’s stage was not a place for her to shine.

Her serene presence had completely swallowed the atmosphere of the venue.

The winner of the duel was Comosdole.

Yet, it was a duel that left everyone wondering who the true winner actually was.

✧

“Alright, yes. Preparations are complete. Moving to the fourth duel! From the East, Sadalsuud! From the West, Red Sacker! Now, duel… begin!!”

✧

“Masquerade Activation!!”

The fourth duel began while the atmosphere in the venue remained unsettled.

The Masked Form of Sachi Kamei—Sadalsuud—was a full set of armor with a porcelain-like texture, carrying a massive water jar with chains on her shoulder.

The mouth of the jar was already aimed at her opponent.

In contrast, the Masked Form of Kinji Tōsaka—Red Sacker—wore a chicken-motif helmet with a magnificent comb and red full-body tights.

Feathers grew from his arms like wings, and sharp talons were equipped on both feet.

“There’s a difference in Magic Capacity between you and me. Sorry, but I’m going to end this quickly.”

“Cock-a-doodle-doo, cock-a-doodle!”

“!? “

The moment light leaked from Sadalsuud’s jar, a mass of water was launched.

However, just before firing, she instinctively reacted to Red Sacker’s sudden crowing. Her aim shifted slightly, and the mass of water hit the floor beside Red Sacker and exploded.

A spray of water and mist scattered across the area.

“Hey now, don’t let something like that distract you.”

When the mist cleared, Red Sacker was no longer on the ground; his voice came from above.

There he was, flapping his arms gently to stay aloft, looking down at Sadalsuud.

“No, wait, that was way too cheap!”

“Cock-a-doodle-doo! Calling that ‘cheap’ with such poor rhetoric—are you mocking the nature of dueling?”

“I mean… well, yes, but still!”

Sadalsuud fired another mass of water.

But the distance was greater than before, and since the attack was launched upward, its speed had dropped. Red Sacker evaded the attack with ease.

“And so, here I come!!”

“!? “

Seizing the opening immediately after the attack ended, Red Sacker dove.

Aiming his talons at Sadalsuud, he fell faster than a natural drop, delivering a strike fueled by that speed.

“Ugh…”

“Tough… I barely managed to leave a crack.”

Having landed the hit, Red Sacker kicked off Sadalsuud’s body and returned to the sky.

Sadalsuud, protecting her cracked armor, once again took a firing stance.

✧

After that, Red Sacker repeated his diving attacks numerous times, while Sadalsuud attempted to fight back, mixing her artillery with counters that utilized the hardness of her armor.

As a trade-off for his flight ability, Red Sacker’s defensive capabilities were extremely low; it was unclear what would happen if he took a single clean hit.

Sadalsuud possessed powerful artillery and solid defense, but because her Magic Capacity was insufficient, repeating wasteful attacks would put her at a disadvantage.

The offensive and defensive struggle continued for a while…

“Take this!!”

“Kuh…”

Ultimately, Red Sacker narrowly dodged Sadalsuud’s blast and closed in. His talons pierced through Sadalsuud’s armor, exposing her empty interior to the crowd before she vanished.

“It’s over! The winner of the fourth duel is Red Sacker!!”

“—————~~!!”

“Cock-a-doodle… that was brutal… but I won, so it’s all good! Cock-a-doodle-doo!!”

As the winner, Red Sacker struck a pose to show off his physique while basking in the cheers of the audience.

✧

With that, the first through fourth duels had concluded successfully.

✧

And now, the main event of the day was about to begin.

On one side, a new student of this year, ranked second in Magic Capacity and the top overall academic performer upon admission.

The heiress of the Morikuni Family, a girl who had been trained from a young age and had continued to demonstrate her talent: Tomoe Morikuni.

On the other side, a new student of this year, ranked first in Magic Capacity, yet a man who had shown an absurd Masked Form at the Unveiling Ceremony.

His Magic Capacity could only be described as a mutation, yet his ability to fight had already been proven in the recent incident with Gold Bullet: Naruki Midorikawa.

A duel that carried hidden agendas—including what would become of the engagement between the two—was now about to begin.