The body of Saji’s kouhai shook just a little. Her eyes also seemed to be swimming just a bit. Did she receive damage from the shockwave of Koneko-chan’s fist? Koneko-chan didn’t miss the opening! She clad her fist in a pale white aura and drove it into her opponent’s chest! Bang! A good-sounding noise rang through the surroundings. At that instant, Saji’s kouhai dropped to her knees! “…I drove a fist clad with spirit energy into you. Since damage was also dealt to the blood vessels flowing inside you at the time, you won’t be able to build up magic anymore. Furthermore, the damage also pierced through your insides…You can’t move anymore.”
So said Koneko-chan! Sensei had said this before. [Koneko’s true fighting style, which mixes senjutsu and hand-to-hand combat, will certainly become a weapon. An attack that not only deals damage to the opponent’s body, but also their blood vessels that circulate within their body will break the enemy’s aura from its foundation. However, if she becomes consumed by power, she must stop using it immediately. Senjutsu can read and handle spirit energy, but it also takes in the malice and ill will that floats in the world. Koneko’s sister became like that because she absorbed too much malice as well.] This was Koneko-chan’s fist shot! She fired a blow filled with spirit energy. It dealt external damage, of course, but its main destructive power was—the damage it dealt within the body! It sent spirit energy that was charged within her fist into the opponent’s body and dealt damage to their internal organs! Even if the damage from the punch itself didn’t penetrate, as long as the fired spirit energy destroyed their interior—the effect was enormous! So I saw in some book. I wasn’t trained in internal organs! A punch that dealt damage to the interior! So this was the attack that Koneko-chan had sealed. If she uses it well, she may be the servant with the most effective attack among us. “…Saji-senpai, I’m sorry.”
After she let just those few words leak out, the kouhai’s shone and she disappeared from here. She had retired and been transferred away because she had sustained serious damage. [One of Sona Sitri-sama’s “Pawns”, retired.] We heard another announcement. With this, each team had lost one person. “…I have become a hellcat. I won’t lose!”
Now then, since Koneko-chan has decided while looking cool, I have to exert myself as a senpai as well! However, I was having a hard time with just dodging Saji’s magic bullets. I would receive considerable damage if those even grazed my body. With that much magic power loaded into them, it was quite considerable stuff. It was literally with his spirit and soul! “Haahaa…Haahaa…”
But, Saji’s exhaustion from repeatedly firing that magic was also quite severe. He won’t be able to keep it up! “…Ise-senpai, I’ll help.”
Koneko-chan tried to come over. “No, Koneko-chan. Please let me do this just between me and Saji.”
When I refused her help, Koneko-chan shook her head. “That’s no good. This is a team battle. Let’s work together.”
“Yeah, it’s just as you say, Koneko-chan. But, while he was fighting against me, Saji didn’t make any direct attacks on Koneko-chan. If he wanted to, he could have attached the line to Koneko-chan and sucked up your power. Why do you think he didn’t do that even so?”
Koneko-chan couldn’t answer my question, but Saji answered it while giving a complacent smile. “…Sorry, Toujou Koneko-chan. I want to win against Hyoudou, against the Sekiryuutei one-on-one. Didn’t I tell you? Our dream is serious. We will build a school. We will construct a school without discrimination in the Underworld. And I will become a teacher…That is my dream…This battle is being broadcasted across the entire Underworld. That’s why this has meaning. I, a [Pawn]! Will win against the same [Pawn], Sekiryuutei Hyoudou Issei!! I will defeat the Sekiryuutei! I’ll win and say it boldly! That I will become a teacher!”
Saji was serious. His gaze was strong and had neither shadow nor gloom anywhere in it. I also spoke to Koneko-chan. “And that’s how it is. If I just run away from his challenge, I’d be uncool, right? If I don’t do it—. That’s why, I have to do it. Because I’m his friend, I have no choice but to fight him seriously. I have to do it! Otherwise, I won’t be able to show my face to Buchou!”
Yes, we were similar. From head to toe, we were similar. —We’re both unskilled idiots. After hearing that, Koneko-chan put away her fist and got some distance away from us. ““Thank you.””
Me and Saji thanked Koneko-chan at the same time. But, why did Saji connect a line to not only my Sacred Gear, but also me directly on my right arm? [He wants to prevent your Sacred Gear’s doubling ability from being restored and then flowing into him at the same time as he sucks away your own power. He knows that, if he sucks away both your own power and the Sacred Gear’s power at the same time, his body won’t be able to take it and will blow up. He plans to stop the Balance Breaker countdown and return you to your normal form instead.] What a complex Sacred Gear! “—This is going nowhere, huh.”
As Saji sighed, he gathered a mass of magic power unlike anything until now between his hands! What size! It will affect the entire surroundings! As I felt that, that magic power was compressed and shrunk. Then, a magic bullet the size of a softball was created between Saji’s hands. “With this, it won’t affect the surrounding area, and it will completely destroy just your body.”
Having made that, Saji—was already breathing heavily. An attack filled with all his might. That was what he had created. He intended to kill me with that. Saji smiled a bit. “I was jealous of you. The pride of your master and senpai. The Sekiryuutei. Everyone knows about you. But, even though I’m the same [Pawn] as you, I have nothing. Nothing! That’s why, I obtained pride and self-confidence. I will kill you, the Sekiryuutei! !”
That was Saji’s yell. I didn’t know. To think that he saw me like that…
But, I—will overcome your dream! I had my own, Buchou had her own dream! For the sake of fulfilling, we will risk our lives, together! Tooon! Saji finally shot the attack filled with all his might! I tried to avoid it, but—. Saji released the line that was attached to my Boosted Gear on his end and then fired it towards my foot! My Boosted Gear and the floor at my foot were tied to each other by the line! I tried to pull it off, but the line was too firm and hard, and I couldn’t get the Booster Gear free from the floor! This is bad! At this rate, I won’t be able to avoid the approaching magic bullet! Balance Breaker would activate in just a little more, but it still wouldn’t be in time! I had no choice but to resolve myself! The magic bullet hit me! Doooooooooooooooooooooooooon! The moment it hit, the magic bullet burst open and its aura spread throughout the surroundings! At that instant. [Divide!] A white gauntlet appeared on my right arm and caught Saji’s attack.