Ch. 29 - The Way of the Sword

It was a habit I had been maintaining without fail.

If asked about it, I would unhesitatingly answer: the way of the sword.

Of course, I also diligently trained in magic and devoted myself to it, but kendo was a different matter.

Kendo was already a part of my body.

Therefore, when Felter said he wanted to fight, I faced him with a wooden sword.

Felter was bare-handed.

"You may use a weapon."

"… I already have one." He raised his fists.

It was brass knuckles. I thought a long weapon would be more advantageous, but was it alright to start like this?

Felter glared at me with a ferocious smile. "They are made with mithril that has broken swords and spears. Are you sure you want to fight with just a wooden sword?"

"This is more than enough for me."

"Then, there's no problem."

With mutual consent, the match began.

Without waiting for any signal, Felter took his stance. "Here I come."

"Go ahead."

Felter kicked off the ground.

He skillfully chanted while swinging his fists. Instead of directly blocking, I deflected his punches with my wooden sword.

"[Leg Enhancement, Leg Force]."

With a brief pause, Felter cast a spell. He punched me one last time, kicked the ground, and disappeared from my sight.

Low rumbles echoed throughout the arena. Felter left footprints at least three centimeters deep on the surface of the arena.

Distracted by the footprints, I sensed an attack from the left.

"Hmph!"

Exhaling sharply, I deflected Felter's punch and kicked him in the abdomen as he attacked.

"Ugh?!" Felter gasped as he was sent flying backward. "… Body enhancement, huh? I didn't notice the faint glow, but you enhanced your leg strength, didn't you?"

"I'm enhancing my leg strength, defense, and arm strength," I murmured while moving towards Felter.

The footwork I had become able to use instinctively became incredibly fast due to the leg strengthening spell.

In the blink of an eye, I closed the distance, and Felter jumped sideways with his eyes opened slightly.

I immediately chased after him and swung my wooden sword horizontally.

Felter barely managed to block the blow with his knuckles and took a few steps back to disperse the impact.

He had impressive instincts.

I wanted to praise Felter's combat talent.

However, Felter seemed dissatisfied with our current exchange. He quickly distanced himself and began chanting.

He would use only one spell. "[Strength Enhancement, Power Force]!"

With his strength enhanced, Felter took a low stance.

"That's the correct choice. If you can't win with speed or skill, then overpowering with sheer physical strength is a sensible tactic."

After I read Felter's thoughts, I saw a stern expression directed at me.

"Come at me if you're not afraid of a counterattack."

A poor taunt. It was so clumsy I almost laughed, but retreating here would give Felter a mental escape.

Felter believed that strength was everything, so he needed to be completely overpowered.

As such, I had to face him head-on. Smiling, I stepped towards Felter.

Felter, absolutely confident in his strength, challenged me head-on.

With a beast-like roar, Felter swung his fist at me.

I received it with the hilt of my wooden sword.

The terrifying roar echoed as my feet sank slightly into the ground. Despite much of the impact being neutralizing, the force was still considerably destructive.

However, it stopped. Now, Felter could only attack wildly.

I countered with my sword, sending Felter flying like a ball.

Felter staggered to his feet, unable to hide his agitation for the first time. "Im-impossible!"

He roared and punched the ground. With a bang, the ground cracked, and he bent over.

Then he lifted a rock larger than his head and threw it at me. "Take this!"

He threw the large rock at a frightening speed.

I swung my wooden sword downward, splitting the rock with a sharp, high-pitched sound.

Felter was stunned. "W-what are you?"

Despite his panic, Felter continued his relentless attacks, while I continued to advance and slashed through all of them.

"… You’re relying on long-range attacks, aren’t you? Do you realize it? You're at your weakest right now," I said with two meters left between us.

Felter bared his teeth and raised both hands to strike down at my head.

I discarded my wooden sword and caught his attack.

Felter's attack, devoid of any martial technique, was all about raw power.

But my magic reflected it.

"[Physical Reflection, Material Reflect]," I whispered softly and stopped Felter's attack with my palms.

Immediately after, Felter's body was thrown into the air as though he had been hit by a large truck.

He landed on his back a short distance away and couldn't move.

The audience, who had been cheering and gasping in surprise, fell silent at Felter's battered appearance.

After a second or two, Strass and Eliza snapped back to their senses and moved in a hurry.

"Anyone who can heal, gather here immediately!"

"Are you okay, Felter-kun?!"

Several students ran over.

Well, Felter was a tough guy, so he should be fine. He might have a concussion and some fractures, but I knew from the impact that his life wasn’t in danger.

I looked around and saw Shenley looking worried.

I approached her and said, "Let's go back. Shall we have dinner together?"

"Eh? U-um, is Felter-senpai okay?"

"He'll be fine. It’s no problem."

Shenley looked relieved and nodded. "So, can we talk later?"

I shook my head. "No. After such a crushing defeat, he probably doesn't want anyone talking to him. Trust me. When you lose at something you're good at, it hits you hard. Let's avoid seeing Felter-kun for a week."

"Aoi-sensei, even you have lost before?"

"Yes, many times. Do you want to hear about it?"

"Yes! I'd love to hear it!"

While chatting, we left the scene.

As a result of this incident, my status as a witch became even stronger and made me more feared.

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