Chapter 65 – ６５ – Their Respective Debuts: Naru vs. Tomoe – Part １

Debut Match Arc

“And now, let us proceed to today’s final duel!”

“—————~~!!!”

As the voice of the student acting as master of ceremonies echoed through the great hall, a portion of the crowd erupted in cheers, heightening the excitement.

“Appearing from the East… Tomoe!”

“—————~~!!!”

Tomoe Morikuni appeared, wearing a hood and Device to conceal her face.

There was no fear or hesitation in her stride, nor was there any sign of carelessness or contempt. Despite being a newcomer, Morikuni walked onto the stage with the poise of a seasoned veteran.

“And opposing her from the West… Narcissus!”

“—————~~!!!”

Naru appeared, also wearing a hood and Device just like Morikuni.

His stride was steady, fluid, and brimming with confidence. He, too, moved toward the stage with a dignified gait that belied his status as a rookie.

“The time has come! We shall now begin the countdown to the start of the duel! Three… two… one…”

A Barrier deployed, enclosing the stage.

The moment the countdown began, both Morikuni and Naru pressed their right hands to their respective Devices. However, while Morikuni lowered her center of gravity slightly, assuming a ready stance, Naru remained standing straight.

“Zero! Begin the duel!!”

“Masquerade Activation! Come at me… Tomoe!”

“Masquerade Activation! Behold, Narcissus!”

✧

At the signal to begin, the two activated their Masquerades.

Flames erupted from Morikuni’s Device. Most of the fire scattered around her, acting like a curtain to hide her body from the eyes of the audience. Some of the flames crawled across her skin, and wherever they passed, crimson armor—resembling the color of fire—manifested.

Eventually, she appeared in full crimson armor… a female warrior clad in what was known as tosei-gusoku, her face completely hidden behind a sturdy mask. In her hand, she gripped a naginata; though it lacked flashy ornamentation, its solid craftsmanship was evident.

Fluttering in the breeze through the gaps of her helmet was long, black hair, as pure and dark as charcoal cleansed by fire. The next generation’s ace, a thoroughbred produced by the Morikuni Family—a magnificent Duelist whose striking appearance and mere presence proved her strength.

In contrast, Naru emitted light not only from his Device but from his entire body. At first, he became a sphere of light, which soon shifted into a human form. However, it was not the form of a man, but that of a woman—a silhouette so captivating it could only be described as alluring.

As the light subsided, the figure that emerged from the fingertips was something the audience had never imagined… she was wearing the girls’ uniform of the Duel Academy.

Of course, strictly speaking, it was not identical to the academy uniform. She wore rugged black boots, and on her back was a large shield made of reinforced plastic, partially transparent.

But other than that, the similarities were absolute. There was no mask to hide her beauty. This form was so vastly different from a typical Masked Form that it seemed as if he hadn’t activated the Masquerade at all. As her silver hair fluttered, the crowd let out not cheers, but gasps of admiration that sounded like sighs.

A mutation, a broadcast accident, a heretic—a beautiful Duelist appeared, whose true strength was beyond the comprehension of others.

✧

“Well, win or lose, no hard feelings,” Naru said.

“Yes, quite. Let us both give our all so that neither of us has any regrets,” Tomoe replied.

Having completed their Masquerade activations, Naru and Tomoe slowly closed the distance between them. Naturally, Naru already had his shield raised in his right hand, and Tomoe held her naginata with both hands, ready to swing it as she pleased.

“However… yes, there is one thing I must say.”

“What is it?”

As the distance closed, Tomoe began to make minute adjustments to her position and range using sliding steps. Naru stopped his advance and slowly shifted his body to ensure the shield remained firmly between himself and Tomoe.

A staring contest ensued for a few seconds…

“Please, for heaven’s sake, do not show me a pathetic display by collapsing in a single blow… alright!”

Tomoe moved.

In a single leap, she closed the gap and swung the naginata down toward Naru, putting all her momentum into the strike.

“You don’t have to tell me twice!”

Naru reacted swiftly. He raised and thrust the shield forward, catching Tomoe’s naginata head-on.

“—————~~!!!”

“…”

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, the blade of Tomoe’s naginata created a crack on the surface of Naru’s shield, the edge biting inward. However, the blade would not penetrate any further; no matter how much strength Tomoe poured into the handle to push it through, the shield did not budge.

“In that case…”

“Here you come…”

Seeing this, Tomoe pulled the blade back from the clash and retreated two steps. Naru did not pursue, continuing to hold his guard.

“Seiyaaa!!”

“…”

What followed was a series of rapid thrusts, utilizing the momentum of her run. The thrusts struck Naru’s shield two, three times, scraping the surface and dulling its luster.

However…

“Is this not working either?”

“Of course it isn’t.”

That was the limit. Far from breaking Naru’s shield, Tomoe hadn’t even managed to push him back a single step with the impact. Naru himself had taken absolutely no damage.

“My shield can stop a revolver bullet head-on. It’s not going to break that easily.”

“It seems you’ve also devised a way to ensure I don’t hit the same spot twice.”

Tomoe pulled back once more. In the brief moments they exchanged words, the shield—infused with magical power from Naru—began to repair itself, the scratches vanishing while its strength increased to better handle Tomoe’s attacks.

“Giving up?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

Understanding this, Tomoe charged at Naru for a third time.

“Haaaaah!”

She unleashed a horizontal slash, riding the momentum of her sprint. From there, she flowed seamlessly into a kicking technique, a strike with the shaft of the naginata, another horizontal slash, an upward swing, and finally a downward cut.

With this torrential barrage of continuous attacks, Tomoe sought to break Naru’s posture and his shield defense.

The moment Naru’s body wavered slightly, Tomoe used the previous attacks as a feint. She moved swiftly to Naru’s flank—toward the left side where he held no shield—and swung the reversed blade of the naginata down.

“Phew… I feel like this is about as far as it goes.”

“Does this still not get through?!”

But, as if to say it didn’t matter which hand held the shield, Naru switched it from his right to his left while simultaneously shifting his body laterally behind the shield, catching Tomoe’s naginata head-on.

The shield… was, of course, not broken. In fact, the repairs had already begun.

“Now… take this!”

“!?”

Naru thrust the shield forward. Tomoe quickly kicked off the shield as if it were a stepping stone, using it to vault herself away and create distance.

“So, what now? As you know, due to Magic Capacity and fuel efficiency, you’re definitely the one who’s going to run out of breath first. If you have no way to break my defense, this is just going to be a game of tag where the winner is already decided.”

Even as he spoke, Naru did not drop his guard. He remained vigilant, keeping his gaze fixed on Tomoe as if refusing to miss a single movement.

“Rest assured. I have come prepared with countermeasures for the event that the raw physical abilities of a Masked Form were not enough to push through.”

Tomoe took her stance. It was a posture that made it obvious to everyone that she intended to attack by swinging the naginata down, just as she had at the start.

Then, Tomoe charged…

“Enchant Flame.”

With Tomoe’s words, fire ignited upon the blade of the naginata.

“Vertical Down.”

“!?”

With those next words, Tomoe’s body moved as if manipulated by someone else, and the naginata was swung down.