Chương 113: Chapter 34 Training Duel (Part 2)

"Yuji-kun, a class isn't a weapon. It's an aid that comes with you. Those of you in the close-combat classes, watch carefully and think about this. Here." The electrical sphere crackles as it flies toward Akamine at a leisurely speed. It has neither much power nor much speed, but that's fine for a demonstration. Akamine crushed a fireball before. If that's possible, then as long as he has built up enough imagery, something this simple should be easy.

"Hah!... Piece of cake. It tingled a little, though." Akamine catches the electrical sphere from above as though grabbing a ball, then simply crushes it in his hand. It pops with a light bang and disappears. He shakes his hand, perhaps because the current ran through it. Everyone watching—the close-combat members and the magic users alike—is thinking about what they just saw in their own way. Well, this should be enough for Yuji.

"Akamine-san just did that without holding a weapon. In Akihabara, he even crushed a beam. So the form itself isn't the issue."

"... Yes, sir!" Iguchi returns carrying a shinai. Mochida also takes out her whistle and calmly gets into position. Miyafuji has finished talking with Suguru and raises a hand toward me, so he must be ready as well. I take out my kiseru and take a puff. It doesn't actually need to produce smoke, but it should give them a sense of security. Everyone here knows, at least to some extent, that I once erased a building with smoke.

"All right, everyone, step back a little. Kanzaki-kun and Kizaki-kun are going to have a mock battle. I want you to think of this as a demonstration of how to fight Sweepers. As for the start... the two of you can begin whenever you like." The participants form a circle around the two. Looking around, I notice other Self-Defense Force members watching us from the barracks as well. When I give them a light smile and wave to show that there's nothing to worry about, several of them disappear from sight.

They probably felt reassured and went back to work.

"Hey, Mage. Is your fire about to go out? If not, I'll put it out for you."

"As if my fire could be extinguished by a dull blade. The former Mr. Invincible certainly talks big. Don't you understand how small you really are?" The two face each other from about five meters apart, trading insults. This, too, is part of trying to crush each other's imagery. If you simply say, You can't do it, the other person will naturally push back. So instead, you understand your opponent's class and layer a negative image onto it.

If you do that, their own image starts to choke them, preventing them from doing things they should otherwise be capable of.... At this rate, all Sweepers are going to develop foul mouths.

"You're too slow! Shut your mouth!"

"You're a boar! Simple-minded idiot!" Yuji tries to close the distance in an instant with a charge from a low guard, but Suguru, as expected of someone who knows his partner well, throws up a wall of flames to block his path. Yuji doesn't stop. He cuts through the wall of flames with a sword stroke sweeping from low to middle, then follows through with a thrust. But Suguru has already stepped to the left and is no longer there.

"Come on, dodge it. You'll get burned."

"As if I'd get burned by a sparkler!" A wave of heat suddenly spreads around Suguru, hot enough that even I can feel it from here. But Yuji doesn't pay it any mind. A flame ignites at his exposed left flank. Hmm. Has he managed to establish the image of remote ignition to some degree? I never taught him that, but perhaps Miyafuji is the one who uses it. However, before the newly created flame can flare up, Yuji cuts it away along with his clothing using the blade of his left hand.

His body is left only slightly red. Then, carrying the momentum of that hand-blade strike, he swings the shinai in his right hand in a horizontal slash. The spectators probably think the attack has landed. But that's naïve. Magic doesn't care about distance. As long as the image exists, it can be done.

"Hey, your hand's on fire."

"Come on. It's not burning. I'm making it burn. Swords are made of iron, and iron melts. If that's true, then with a shinai, it should burn right through it, shouldn't it?" Suguru catches the horizontal slash by grabbing the shinai with both hands. But Yuji doesn't stop. He lets go of the shinai, closes the distance even further, and aims a hand-blade strike at Suguru's neck. They're close enough to feel each other's breath.

If you considered only their classes, the advantage would clearly belong to the close-combat fighter. But that's not the issue.

"Pop!" Mochida's whistle rings out as she guards against the explosion that erupts at Yuji's stomach. As expected, that could have caused a fatal injury. A repelling sound rings out. The explosion occurs, but there is no wound. There is, however, an impact. Yuji is blown backward, but he immediately performs a backflip and lands on his feet.

"That was dangerous!"

"You were the one who came for my neck!" Yuji glares at Suguru and shouts, while Suguru throws the shinai aside and shouts back. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. The shinai is gone, but Yuji raises his hand-blades. Suguru, meanwhile, begins floating fireballs around himself. But that's only a distraction. A pillar of flame erupts from beneath Yuji's feet. Perhaps he senses it from the heat. Yuji leaps backward and dodges it. Then he swings his arm.

The pillar of flame is severed, and an invisible blade immediately flies toward Suguru.

"It's getting heated."

"Should we stop them soon?" Suguru had already begun moving the moment he created the pillar, so all he suffers is a shallow cut to his jersey. Apparently, the blade grazed his flank, because a thin line of blood is visible beneath the skin. Mochida apparently couldn't think of a sound with which to counter the flying blade. Her whistle doesn't sound, so I wrap the blade in smoke and disperse it. I glance at Mochida. She looks frustrated.

"Let's end it with the next exchange. We've shown that both close-combat and magic users can fight at any distance."

"Understood. And... it's about time." The mock battle enters its final stage. Suguru sends the fireballs he created flying around Yuji like funnels, but Yuji cuts them down one after another. This is where physical ability matters. If Suguru has to manipulate the fireballs, then he has an intention about where he wants each one to hit. There are certainly a lot of them, but Yuji runs, jumps, dodges, and cuts them down. He does take some hits.

But he absolutely refuses to let his legs get hit, prioritizing their protection even over his upper body.

"Why don't you take a break?"

"Unfortunately, nobody's told me to take one!" Neither of them stops. They maintain their distance, test each other's range, throw in feints, and search for an opening. Yuji has taken more damage. In terms of pure physical ability, Suguru is inferior. But distance doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is how to finish the fight. Create distance? Don't be ridiculous. Yuji, a swordsman, has no reason to give up his range.

And Suguru, a mage who can ignite things even when someone closes in on him, has no reason to retreat either.

"Damn it! Stay back, Mage!"

"Shut up, vanguard! Go hide and sleep!" It's a good fight, but this is only a mock battle. They're getting too heated. Just as I am about to stop them, Miyafuji taps me on the shoulder. He gives me a smile as he looks up at me, then takes a small pouch from his ring.

"I'm on the lecturing side too, so I suppose I can do a little something... Burn away, solidify the earth, and become a shackle. Bind." He tosses the pouch. White powder—probably lime or ash—scatters through the air. It clings to the feet of the two as they step forward. The two stumble, lose their balance, and their foreheads collide before they fall flat on their backs. There is no sound, but that looks painful...

"That's enough. It's a draw. Chloe-san, is that all right?"

"That's fine. Anything beyond that would be a fight to the death.

"Now, everyone has seen it. Fighting a Sweeper means fighting against absurdity.

"We don't know whether the Sweepers of today can fight like those two. They might be stronger. They might be weaker.

"But one thing I can say is that with enough accumulation and the right opportunity, some people will make a leap forward." I wonder what the participants who watched the mock battle were thinking. At the very least, people at the level of these two will gradually begin appearing from this point onward. Once they enter a gate and venture deeper, they'll have no choice but to pursue greater strength. This training is also meant to prepare them to stand against such people. So I want them to do their best.

"Yes. If I fought everyone here, would I be able to grasp something?"

"Hmm, Oda-san. You can fight them, but it wouldn't have much meaning. I think you'd become stronger, though."

"Meaning?" The petite Oda raises her hand energetically. An earthquake is happening in her chest. Would fighting other people make her stronger? She could certainly train that way, but it wouldn't have much meaning. If we were going to do it, once or twice would be enough. When it comes to fighting through imagery, everyone is different. Ten people have ten different colors, and there are thousands upon thousands of different attacks and defenses. We happen to have two Fire Mages here, so let's ask them.

"Miyafuji-san, Suguru-kun. You're both Mage: Fire. Suguru-kun, can you create that shackle? And conversely, Miyafuji-san, can you set yourself on fire?"

"I can't. That looks way too hot. I could probably do it if I built up the image, but the direction of my imagery is different."

"Same here. Even though I'm a fire mage, I don't have an image of manipulating ash. More importantly, how can you even do that?" Miyafuji, who is standing beside me, and Suguru, who has been given some medicine by Mochida and has gotten back on his feet, answer. The result is only natural. Their imagery is different, so the direction of what they can do is different as well. Similar imagery can reinforce each other, but it will never be exactly the same.

The difference becomes more pronounced as they build themselves up through the middle and higher ranks. Their paths will never truly intersect. The path each person walks belongs to that person alone. They can walk alongside each other, but essentially, every person stands alone. That's why I need them to reach their own destinations by themselves.

"Suguru, you don't have any burns?"

"Nope. There's no way I'd get burned by my own fire. Though that one comes from the Smoke Dog's image. A hero transforms, right? What about you? You took quite a few hits to your arms and body."

"As expected of Red-sama. I'm fine. It hurts, but if magic can be crushed, then it can be cut with a sword. And even if it hits my body, it won't cause any serious injuries, right?" The two continue talking, and as expected, both of them have good instincts. Whether it's the recklessness of youth or the flexibility of their thinking, I don't know. But one thing is certain. Youth means potential for growth.

"As you just heard, even people in the same class can differ depending on their imagery. In that case, rather than fighting the same person over and over, it's better to defeat monsters and reinforce your own imagery." I say that decisively, then check the time. It's already 16: 00. We've taken more time than I expected. Still, this mock battle must have given everyone quite a lot to think about. They can reflect on it individually. The rest can wait until tomorrow morning.

"Well then, Miyafuji-san. It's a little early, but shall we call it a day? Some people have to commute, and more importantly, everyone's probably feeling uncomfortable from the sweat."

"Sure. Our curriculum isn't based on the Self-Defense Forces' schedule anyway. We can send the information through the group LINE, so that shouldn't be a problem. I'll invite you later, so make sure you join."

"Understood. Everyone, we're finished for today. Reflect on the training individually, and if you have anything to ask, I'll hear it tomorrow. You're dismissed." I announce the end of the session to the gathered participants, and everyone goes their separate ways. Yuji and Suguru, who fought the mock battle, are being approached by various people, so this should help them fit in a little better. Now, I should change and head home too.

"Kaori, let's go home."

"Ugh... I couldn't defend against Yuji-kun's attack... My imagery...!" Mochida holds her head and groans. Well, it's no wonder. An invisible attack is the sort of thing you'd normally only see in games. And trying to respond to one out of nowhere would obviously be difficult. That's why it's better to watch anime, game footage, movies, and other things that depict things that don't exist, and increase the sounds available to her.

"For now, why don't we watch some anime, game videos, or movies? We're done for today, so let's go home."

"Ugh... Are you really going home just like that?"

"Well, of course. I didn't sweat." This strange body certainly is convenient. I can run without getting out of breath, and I don't sweat. I don't even need to use the bathroom, and I don't gain weight. At my age, if delayed-onset muscle soreness hits two days later, recovery is slow, you know.

"But you ran, didn't you? You got dirty, didn't you? Let's go take a bath."

"No. That's not happening." There was that surprise attack—the accident at the Metropolitan Police Department. But that was something that happened outside both our awareness. Mochida knows who I really am, and there may be other women who know as well. Obviously, that would be bad. I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable. And besides, it would be unfair to my wife. A husband going into the women's bath would make her uncomfortable, wouldn't it...?

"Now, now, First-san. I hear you're staying at a hotel. Why don't you relax in a nice, large bath before you go?" Someone grabs my left shoulder. I look up. It's the prince-like Natsume.

"That's right. Getting naked together is important." Someone grabs my right shoulder. I look up. It's the female-samurai-like Shimizu.

"I'll wash your back for you~." Someone grabs my right hand. My gaze drops lower than it does with the two women on either side, but I still have to look up at the large-breasted Oda.

"Your skin is beautiful. Please teach us your beauty secrets." Someone grabs my left hand. Iguchi, the modest-looking woman with glasses, smiles at me as she speaks. I don't know anything about beauty routines... I smoke. I drink. And I haven't done anything different with my body care than I did when I was a man.

"K-Kaori!"

"Chloe, look at this..." My wife has sent a message. The smartphone screen she holds out shows the text. Thank goodness. Surely this will be enough to get everyone to let me go. My wife doesn't like it, so we'll take separate baths. Good. With this, I can leave without causing any friction.

"... I want to go to the hot springs together, so please get used to it. Your way of washing is terrible, so make sure you learn how to do it properly... Hey!"

"Then shall we go? We'll wash you properly and teach you, so don't worry." I'm surrounded by five women. They're all taller than me, so the sense of pressure is overwhelming. Wife, why did you approve this?!... You want to go to the hot springs together...? A family bath would be perfectly fine... She mentioned something about how I wash before, but who cares about that... The five women look ridiculously happy. Am I going to be okay...?