Chapter 138: Shiina and Saeko’s Crushing Victory

The panicked expressions of the students were exactly what Rito Tsukimi had hoped to see. The oppressive atmosphere in the classroom delighted her, and as she rested her chin on her hands, she said, "To avoid a miserable expulsion, let's dive straight into combat training starting next period!"

"Oh, right! Since Saeko Busujima and Shiina have arrived, they can help me teach! To help the new students integrate into the academy more quickly, Teacher Rito feels it is absolutely necessary to conduct an unforgettable... educational experience!" To everyone else, Rito Tsukimi still wore her usual cute smile, yet a chill rippled through the room.

...

"There’s a forest and an open field, and the weather is nice and cool—it’s absolutely perfect!" Upon reaching a forested area, Rito Tsukimi surveyed the surroundings, nodded in satisfaction, and declared, "I have found the venue for this lesson. The boundaries are this clearing and that forest over there. You must not leave this area, or Teacher Rito will be very angry!"

Having changed into comfortable athletic gear, the group waited for Rito Tsukimi to announce the content of the lesson.

"The objective of this lesson is to hold out against attacks from Busujima and Shiina until the end of the period! You are permitted to use your Blaze. Of course, if you have the ability, you are welcome to defeat them! However, Teacher Rito would like to remind you that although they only arrived a year before you, they have already reached Level 4! So, I think it would be better for you to just give up!"

Rito Tsukimi’s 'kind' warning did not weigh heavily on the new students. In their eyes, Saeko Busujima and Shiina had merely studied combat techniques for one year longer than they had. Even if their Blaze rank was significantly higher, the two of them could not possibly be a match for the combined strength of all the freshmen.

Observing their expressions, Rito Tsukimi flashed a smirk of triumph. Saeko Busujima and Shiina, realizing the trouble Rito had stirred up for them, cast her an annoyed glance. Rito simply pretended not to notice and ran off to the shade of a tree to cool down.

"That’s that! Begin!" Rito Tsukimi shouted toward the sky, clenching her fists.

"Blaze!" With few exceptions, most of the students manifested their Blazes and charged toward Saeko Busujima and Shiina, hoping to use their numerical advantage to overwhelm them.

"Yes, we cannot win." Julie’s calm voice sounded as if she were merely stating a fact.

"That is certain. Sometimes numbers can determine victory, but that is definitely not the case here." Yexing seemed to have no intention of joining the fray, nor did he hide in the small forest like the others; instead, he lay down under a tree.

"Is it really okay to just lie there? Yexing, since we are in class, you should take it seriously! Aren't you afraid they will suddenly come over and defeat you?" Tachibana Tomoe, who already had a poor impression of Yexing from the earlier incident in the cafeteria, immediately rebuked him.

"It is fine. Saeko and Shiina will not attack us." Kanade Tachibana, the quintessential model student, followed the academy rules. Unlike Yexing, she did not lie down, but simply stood to the side and explained softly.

"Ugh, why are you two so relaxed during class! Miyabi, let's go! Blaze!" Calling out to her bond-partner, Tachibana Tomoe released her Blaze—a pair of iron chains—and swung one of them in a few circles above her head before hurling it. Unable to spot Shiina, she chose to target Saeko Busujima.

Facing the assault of dozens of students, Saeko Busujima remained relaxed and composed. Her Blaze, shaped like a wooden sword, knocked one student aside, and she backflipped to dodge a massive axe swung by another. Before she even landed, she noticed a chain with a sharp, bladed tip flying toward her.

"A very well-seized opportunity, but as your senior, I won't be defeated so easily!" With a subtle twist of her wooden sword, she caught the chain on the blade. With a sharp tug, she sent Tachibana Tomoe stumbling forward. Saeko then used the tension of the chain to swing it around, and as it pulled taut, over a dozen nearby students were sent flying.

Seeing her Blaze being used by Saeko to strike others, Tachibana Tomoe quickly steadied herself, trying desperately to restrain Saeko with the chains, but to little effect. Elsewhere in the crowd, Shiina’s figure flickered in and out of sight. Many students were knocked unconscious without ever catching a glimpse of her. Compared to Saeko’s side, the area around Shiina was even more chaotic.

Shiina, who hadn't had a single hair on her head touched from the start, casually struck a student on the back of the neck, knocking him out. Less than half the period had passed, and the number of attacking students had already dropped by more than half. The survivors began to consider retreating into the forest to stall until time ran out.

Soon, only a few remained to fight Saeko, and they were in a state where they could be dealt with at any moment. Shiina and Saeko exchanged a glance; the rapport built over a year of working together allowed them to instantly understand each other’s intentions.

No longer wasting time, Saeko Busujima easily released the chain from her blade. Her seemingly simple movements left several afterimages in her wake. As several sword flashes flickered, the remaining students were sent flying into the sky before they could even realize what had happened.

After finishing off those students, Saeko headed straight into the forest. They would not attack Yexing and his group, and the remaining students were not worth the effort of a coordinated strike with Shiina. As for Tachibana Tomoe and the others, they were left for Shiina to handle.

While it seemed Saeko still had a certain number of students to track down, Shiina’s task was far more arduous. They knew Yexing and Baiji would not participate, but Kanade Tachibana, who always followed the rules, was certain to join in.

After Saeko left, Shiina reappeared. Without hiding her astonishing speed, she burst forward. The chains in her hands were impossible to track. Tachibana Tomoe used her chains to unleash a wide-range attack in front of her, calling out to her bond-partner.

"Miyabi!"

"Whoa, ah?! I know!" Spurred by Tomoe's reminder, Miyabi Hotaka finally realized that she was one of the targets, not just a spectator. She immediately summoned her Blaze—a lance that felt a bit too large for her—and charged forward with great effort.

Like an elf in the darkness, Shiina moved with a supple body, spinning along the path of the chains. The iron links brushed past her, and her beautiful blue hair fluttered with every movement. Miyabi’s long-prepared charge was closing in on Shiina; the sheer size of the lance should have made it easy to hit the target.

With no intention of dodging, Shiina utilized an assassin-style of combat, yet she was no slouch in direct confrontation. As the two closed in and before Miyabi could thrust her lance, Shiina stepped onto the blade of the spear with her left foot. Vaulting over Miyabi, she kicked her in the back, then accelerated once more to close in on her final target: Tachibana Tomoe.