Chapter 16.1 - Thousand Blade Academy and the Big Five Holy Festival [6] – part 1 (1/2)
16. Thousand Blade Academy and the Big Five Holy Festival [6] – part 1
As soon as Sid-san manifested his soul dress〈Vanargand〉, I immediately noticed something unusual.
(…Did the temperature drop?)
It’s right about daytime now, there’s not a cloud in the sky, and the sun was rising high. Nevertheless, the open air was already cold enough to feel chilly. As I looked closer, his sword was spewing a cloudy, white mist.
(Is that cold air…?)
And when I was analyzing his soul-dress ability,
「Well then, I’ll end it quickly…! -〈Freeze Lance〉!」
A huge spear, as tall as him, appeared in the air. It was a beautiful, transparent ice lance.
(As expected… Is his soul dress a type that manipulates cold air?)
I focused on the ice lance while maintaining Seigan no Kamae.
And the next moment,
「Sora, Dance!」
The ice lance was fired at tremendous speed.
「ーHA!」
I attacked from the front to cut it down.
However,
(H-Hard…! Such ridiculous hardness!)
It’s harder and heavier than iron – it’s clear that this wasn’t any ordinary ice.
「GUUOOOOOOOO!」
Somehow, I managed to parry the lance upwards and launch it into the air.
Then, when I shifted my gaze towards Sid-san again,
「Oi… where are you looking?」
Sid-san was already standing behind me.
「!?」
「Soraa!」
I tried to avoid it by desperately jumping forward right away but,
「Guh…!?」
His sword slashed my back, and at the same time a burning pain seared through my body. I immediately got up and put Sid-san in the center of my sight.
(The wound is… not deep. It’s alright, I can still fight…!)
Due to cheering myself up, as I elevated my head – the second spear was already completed.
「Hey hey, here comes the next one!」
Before the spear was fired, I immediately ran to the right.
(I must not stop running…)
That〈Freeze Lance〉cannot be destroyed with my power. In that case, I should at least move around so as not to become the target.
As I did,
「Don’t keep running!」
Sid-san lined his shoulders with me in one step and immediately fired four consecutive slashes.
「Kuh… Cloud Style – Cirrocumulus!」
I attempted to defend with the Cloud Style from earlier but,
「Kaha…!?」
I failed to knock down the last shot – a strong slash directly tore into my left shoulder. Fortunately, it didn’t reach the bone, and I was still able to hold the sword with both hands.
(Damn, it’s faster than before…!? )
Perhaps due to the ability of〈Vanargand〉, Sid-san’s sword speed has risen remarkably from before. After that, the same sword exchanges was repeated many times, and one by one, the wounds on my body increased.
「HaaHaa… Damn…」
It’s a hopeless situation, but I must never give up.
「Allen! Don’t lose!」
「D-Do your best!」
「Legs! He’s using his legs to toy with you!」
Everyone at Thousand Blade Academy was still loudly cheering me on.
(For everyone, I definitely cannot lose…)
However, I still haven’t found the clue to defeat Sid-san.
(〈Vanargand〉is a terrifying soul dress…)
It manipulates cold air freely and creates an absurdly hard ice lance. In addition, it comes with a bonus that improves the physical abilities of the owner.
(That’s foul play…)
And then,
「Hey you… are you perhaps thinking that I『became faster』?」
Did he read my thoughts?
「That’s not right… That isn’t it…」
Sid-san shook his head while biting down his laughter.
「…What do you mean?」
「Haa, I guess you haven’t realized it after all… That you personally have become『slow』」
Saying that, he pointed at my hand. When I dropped my gaze on both hands,
「T-This is…!?」
I finally realized. My limbs are starting to turn pale purple.
「Yo yo, do you know hypothermia?」
As though disclosing the secret, Sid-san raised〈Vanargand〉that continued to release cold air as we speak.
(Damn, he got me…)
I didn’t notice any changes in my body because I was too conscious of that ice lance and Sid-san’s pressure.
(At first glance, there is no sign that Sid-san is trembling in the cold …)
He, who wields〈Vanargand〉,seems not to be affected by the cold air released from there.