CHAPTER 34: CRYSTAL

But it was far from over.

Akira was a Shinobi King who had fought in countless battles and won almost every single one of them.

He was not about to let a seductress foil his burning desire to gain justice for his mother!

A chill crept into Akira’s thoughts as his killing intent ignited.

How dare the little punk insult his beloved mother as a slut and a whore?

"He would feel a world of pain before he finally shrieked his final breath in an overwhelming wail of regret!" Akira swore to himself and instantly dashed forward towards Shirogane.

That simple move brought him farther away from Professor Tsunaka and closer to his target, allowing his attacks to reach Shirogane faster.

At that brief instant, Akira was slightly too far for Professor Tsunaka to be able to intercept his attack easily.

Like a newborn calf completely unaware that he was looking at a charging tiger that was about to completely end his life right there and then, Shirogane merely laughed at Akira scornfully.

"You weakling. Your slut of a mother didn’t teach you not to attack your seniors? Was she too busy screwing all of your neighbours to have time to teach you manners? Ha!" Shirogane shouted viciously. He was actually quite proud of himself.

"Whoa. My trash talking this time is seriously good. I’m on fire! That cocky bastard is completely riled up! Defeating him would be a piece of cake now." He thought to himself in ignorant satisfaction.

The situation was actually extremely dangerous for everybody.

If Akira killed Shirogane there, he would probably lose all qualifications to enter the Royal Academy of Japan. He would be on trial for murder, and would most probably be convicted.

Professor Tsunaka was also in danger. She would definitely get fired if she allowed one of her students to get killed right under her nose! It would be instant goodbye to her multi million bonus!

And Shirogane was, obviously, about to die a miserable, pathetic death.

Professor Tsunaka was taken by surprise at just how quickly Akira launched another attack.

She had thought that Akira would be shocked at the failure of his attack, and would be all flustered and shocked.

Never in her wildest dream that she thought Akira would instantly launch another more powerful and more difficult to neutralize attack!

"Fuck!" Professor Tsunaka shouted in horror as she realized that she would not be able to block Akira’s strike on time.

Kabooom!!!

An explosion ripped through the training field just a meter short of Shirogane, the force so violent that it kicked up dust, ice shards, and a wave of mana that shook the floor under everyone’s feet.

The crowd gasped.

The sheer power of the explosion was definitely far above Class D power.

It was definitely Class C, and most probably even near the top of Class C!

"Holy shieeeettt!!" Shirogane shrieked, dropping flat on his butt in full panic. His limbs flailed helplessly as the shockwave blew back his hair.

Something had stepped in at the last second and intercepted Akira’s strike.

The bulk of the Ice Energy had been blocked, but a sliver of it slipped through and slammed into Shirogane’s forearms.

The result was immediate.

Frostbite.

His arms turned pale blue in seconds. A thin mist of cold rose from his sleeves as the veins beneath his skin crystallized. His fingers curled, blackened at the edges.

The verdict was vicious and clear.

Amputation.

His future in elemental combat was finished.

From the ground, a tiny pffffft noise escaped his trousers.

The students around the ring recoiled.

"Did he...?"

"...Yeah. He did."

"Shit. Look at his arms."

"That’s Ice Type damage, for certain. But damn! Such a vicious Ice Type energy! It looks like Shirogane-san will lose both arms."

"What the hell? That’s bad! And what on earth is that thing? It’s... pretty."

In front of Shirogane was a shining crystalline being which had blocked most of Akira’s tremendously powerful strike and had effectively saved his life.

It was Shiina.

Her body was cloaked in angular, translucent crystal armor, every joint gleaming with precise geometric symmetry.

Her shoulders, arms, and boots were laced with pale gold lines of light circuiting, humming with quiet, concentrated power.

"Shiina-san?!" It was Akira’s turn to be shocked.

"What element is that? Crystal?! There is no such element!" Akira thought, dumbfounded.

But he soon received the answer to his questions.

"That’s Shiina-san’s Signature Transformation Spell which is only accessable at the Peak of Class C... The Resplendent Crystal General!"

"Oh my God. Crystal Element! It’s a rare destructive combination of Earth and Fire!"

"She is so cool! I love her. I am going to confess my undying love for her later today!"

"... Idiot."

"Crystal. I see. Shiina-san, please step aside. I need to kill this young man to protect my Royal Mother’s good name." Akira said politely to her as though he was just asking her to make room for him to pass by.

"Akira-kun. You are not allowed to kill." Shiina-san said very simply and quietly. "You’ve already caused enough trouble as it is."

Her words were calm, but there was weight behind them. It was solid and immovable, like the very crystal armor that still shimmered across her frame.

As the one who had taken the full force of Akira’s attack, Shiina understood exactly what had been unleashed.

And in truth, she was still reeling inside.

Her body was fine. There were no cracks or injuries, but that wasn’t the issue.

"That strike... I used my strongest defensive skill." She thought silently. "And it still pierced through? Even just a little?"

Her Crystal Armor, a hybrid Earth–Fire spell, was renowned across the academy for its durability. It was one of the strongest defensive spells in existence at the Class C level.

She had used her signature move, the same one that had blocked Class B-level assaults during cross-school tournaments.

And yet Akira’s ice had pierced it.

Even if only a sliver made it through, the fact that anything did was astonishing.

She glanced sideways at Shirogane’s scorched arms, already greying and brittle, and then back at Akira.

"He’s not a Class D. That kind of penetration power... it’s C at minimum. Possibly even higher."

Outwardly, she remained composed.

But inside, she was unsettled.

Akira was turning out to be much, much stronger than she had imagined.

And at the same time, much, much more alike Lord Valtier than she could ever dream of.

"He is just like the main character of a NovelBin." Shiina couldn’t help but think to herself. "So full of surprises and so full of... Charisma. Kya..."

At that moment, a scorching heat suddenly descended upon the training field.

Crack!

A fearsome flame tornado appeared in front of Akira and surged forward to attack him!

"BASTARD! You dare cripple the Young Master! Die for me, right now!!"