Rayish
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Chapter 106
🕑 Added 2025-02-21 08:07:13 +0000 UTCRyuu moved forward again, this time more aggressively. She swung her sword with greater speed, trying to pressure Shirou into making a mistake.
Alright, if he can mimic my techniques, I just need to execute them faster! thought Ryuu, her eyes blazing with determination.
However, every time her sword swung, the replica of Alvs Lumina in Shirou's hand always appeared in the right place to parry it.
Clang! Clack! The sound of wooden swords clashing echoed repeatedly across the dorm field, resonating through the grass.
Ryuu jumped to the side, then spun to attack from an unexpected angle—but Shirou was ready. He tilted his sword at the perfect angle, effortlessly deflecting Ryuu's strike.
Frustration began to creep into Ryuu's chest. This is like fighting my own shadow! No matter how she attacked, Shirou always anticipated it. It was as if she was facing her own reflection in a mirror, except the reflection didn't strike back.
Ryuu gritted her teeth and tried a new tactic. She feinted an attack from the right, then suddenly changed direction with a quick spin to strike from the left. But—
Clang!
Shirou still managed to parry it.
Alright, if normal techniques don't work... Ryuu jumped back, took a deep breath, and then stomped the ground with high speed. She spun in the air and swung her sword in a diagonal slash that was extremely difficult to stop—
Yet once again, Shirou calmly raised his sword and deflected it perfectly.
Ryuu almost wanted to scream. How can he read all my moves like this?!
She tried a combination attack, striking with more erratic and unpredictable movements. However, no matter how she tried to deceive Shirou, the result was the same. Their wooden swords clashed endlessly, and every attack felt futile.
"Argh!" Ryuu jumped back, breathing heavily. She stared at Shirou, who remained calm and composed, his expression flawless.
"So, this is what it feels like to face myself?" Ryuu muttered, half frustrated, half impressed.
Shirou simply smiled faintly. "I'm just defending, you know."
Ryuu took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. This couldn't continue. If Shirou wanted to defend, then she just needed to make it impossible for him to defend! With renewed determination, she tightened her grip on her wooden sword and thought about how to launch her next attack.
Ryuu stood still, weighing her next move. No matter how fast or clever her attacks were, Shirou continued to parry them perfectly.
When Shirou had used Kanshou and Bakuya earlier, he was clearly more relaxed and careless—there were small gaps in his movements that could be exploited. But this time was different; Shirou was much more serious. There was no room for surprise attacks.
With a long sigh, Ryuu finally loosened her grip on the wooden sword and asked, "So, is this all the power you can show?"
Shirou lifted his head slightly, seeming to consider his answer. "For abilities that won't cause a big commotion... maybe, yes," he said, but his expression changed. Something was bothering him.
Ryuu noticed the change in his expression carefully. She could attack now, taking advantage of his wandering thoughts. But her curiosity was greater than her desire to win. "Is there something you haven't shown yet?" she asked, sharpening her gaze.
Shirou remained silent for a moment before finally answering, "There's one thing I've never tried before."
Ryuu raised an eyebrow. "Then show me," she said without hesitation.
However, instead of immediately demonstrating his power, Shirou looked at her with a slightly hesitant expression. "But don't get offended, okay..."
Ryuu frowned, not understanding. "What do you mean?"
Without answering, Shirou took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes. Both hands still held his wooden sword, but now his body seemed more relaxed, though his stance remained firm.
Ryuu stared at him, full of questions. What is he doing?
Shirou remained still as if entering a certain state. Ryuu could feel the atmosphere around them change slightly—not because of the magical aura, but more due to a shift in the intensity of Shirou's posture.
Ryuu gripped her sword tightly. What is this? Her mind began to fill with various speculations. A new technique? A special ability? Or something completely different from before?
Second by second passed in silence, and Ryuu knew one thing for sure—she was about to see something truly different from Shirou.
Seconds passed in an eerie silence. The wind blew softly, rustling the leaves around the dormitory field, but between the two of them, the atmosphere was tense.
Ryuu stood with her wooden sword raised, waiting for something—anything—that Shirou would do. Yet, the man remained motionless. With his eyes closed, his body in a defensive stance, and the projected wooden sword Alvs Lumina still raised in a defensive position.
Several minutes passed, but there was no change. Shirou seemed to have become a living statue.
Finally, Ryuu couldn't take it anymore. With a hint of frustration, she opened her mouth, "What are you actually doing, Shirou?"
Shirou's eyes remained closed, but his expression looked slightly confused as if her question didn't make sense. "I'm waiting for your attack," he replied.
Ryuu's forehead wrinkled. "So... this technique is some kind of defensive skill?" she asked, still wary, trying to understand Shirou's meaning.
Shirou nodded slightly. "It's not just about defending. I just got this skill after updating my status, so I wanted to try it out."
Ryuu fell silent for a moment, then her expression changed. "What? So I'm just your guinea pig?" Her voice rose, unable to believe that she was being treated as an experiment.
Shirou, still with his eyes closed, smirked slightly. "Didn't you agree not to get offended earlier?" he teased.
Ryuu let out a long sigh. Her hands trembled slightly, not from fatigue, but from a mix of annoyance and curiosity.
"Alright, if you want to test that skill..." Ryuu lowered her body, tightening her grip on the wooden sword. "Don't blame me if you get hurt."
Shirou remained silent, but the corner of his lips curled up slightly as if challenging her.
And in one breath, Ryuu dashed forward.
Without hesitation, Ryuu seized the opportunity. If Shirou wanted to handicap himself by closing his eyes, then she wouldn't waste this chance.
Silently, she moved through the shadows of the tree, carefully adjusting her steps to avoid making even the slightest sound. She slowed her breathing, slowed her movements, and then approached Shirou's blind spot. In one swift motion, she swung her wooden sword toward his calf, hoping to make him lose his balance.
However, just before the sword hit its target, Shirou suddenly shifted to the side, smoothly dodging the attack.
Ryuu was shocked. "What?" she muttered unconsciously. How could Shirou, with his eyes closed, dodge an attack she made as quietly as possible?
Not wanting to waste the moment, Ryuu attacked again. This time, she changed her attack pattern, thrusting her wooden sword toward his shoulder, then spinning to slash from the side. Yet again, Shirou somehow managed to evade it.
Frustration began to show on Ryuu's face. "What skill are you testing, Shirou?" she asked, holding back her annoyance.
Shirou, still with his eyes closed and in a defensive stance, smiled faintly. "It's called Mind's Eye," he answered calmly. "This skill allows my body to sense danger even without seeing it. My instincts and combat experience help me adjust my movements."
Ryuu furrowed her brows, trying to understand. "So, it's like combat intuition?"
Shirou nodded. "More or less. I don't need to see your attacks to know where they're coming from."
Ryuu clenched her jaw. Then I'll just have to attack faster!
Without further ado, she launched another series of slashes and thrusts, trying to vary her rhythm so Shirou couldn't easily anticipate. Her wooden sword flew from all angles—above, below, sideways—but every time she was sure her attack would hit, Shirou always managed to block it with incredible reflexes.
However, even though Shirou could dodge and parry, Ryuu began to notice something. Shirou's movements were slower compared to when his eyes were open. Not as fast as usual.
So that's his weakness, Ryuu thought.
Her blue eyes narrowed. If she could exploit this... maybe she could finally break through Shirou's defense!
Shirou stood with his eyes closed, fully focused on the waves of danger coming from Ryuu. Every movement that approached him, every shift in the air caused by Ryuu's wooden sword swings, felt like echoes in his mind.
Whoosh!
One attack swept to the side. Shirou tilted his body and dodged the slash.
Tap! Tap!
Ryuu's quick steps approached. Shirou raised the wooden sword in his hand and deflected the vertical strike coming from above.
Clack!
The sound of wooden swords clashing echoed in the air. Shirou remained in his defensive stance, avoiding every attack with his instincts.
But then... everything changed.
Silence.
The air around him, which had been filled with sudden movements, felt empty. Ryuu, who had been attacking relentlessly, suddenly disappeared from his senses.
Shirou frowned. Where is she?
He remained standing in his defensive stance, waiting. However, several seconds passed without any signs of an attack.
"...Ryuu?" Shirou finally called out.
There was no answer.
Shirou's forehead furrowed. Was this part of her strategy? Or—
'Don't tell me she just left me standing here like a fool with my eyes closed?' he thought with slight annoyance.
Sighing, Shirou finally tilted his head slightly, still with his eyes closed. "Where did that girl go...?" he muttered with a grumbling tone.
SWOOSH!
Suddenly, Shirou felt something—a danger approaching from close, very close!
THRUST!
Ryuu's wooden sword shot toward his back at high speed.
"Damn!"
His reflexes took over before his brain could process. In an instant, Shirou activated Projection—and in a split second, a shield appeared on his back.
CLANG!!
Ryuu's attack was blocked. A loud impact echoed in the air.
Ryuu stood just a few inches away from him, a look of shock on her face.
Ryuu was stunned. "What?!"
She took a step back with a frustrated expression. Her attack had almost succeeded this time, but Shirou still managed to react in time.
Shirou finally opened his eyes, glancing slightly at Ryuu with a small smirk. "If you call that cheating, then I just used another one of my powers. That's fair, right?" he said casually as the shield faded back into prana.
Ryuu let out a long sigh before wiping her forehead. "Tsk. That should've hit..." she muttered.
However, even as she complained, there was a glimmer of excitement in her eyes. If Shirou could react that quickly even without seeing, then she still had a lot to strive for.
The elf tightened her grip on her wooden sword. "Alright, let's try again. This time, I won't fail."
Shirou snorted, closing his eyes again and preparing in his defensive stance. "Go ahead."
Ryuu continued to stare at Shirou, who remained calm with his eyes closed as if no attack could disturb him. The elf's hand gripped her wooden sword tightly, her mind racing to come up with a strategy to break through her opponent's defense.
However, amidst her racing thoughts, old memories suddenly surfaced.
---Seven years ago.
Amidst the ruins of Rivira, filled with dust and blood, she and her comrades from the Astraea Familia stood in battle formation. Alise, with her red hair fluttering in the wind, stood at the front with a confident expression. Lyra and Kaguya were on either side, while Ryuu herself prepared in the attacking position.
Before them stood a silver-haired woman, wearing an elegant black dress.
The Silent Witch.
Alfia, a mage from the Hera Familia, was a fighter so strong that it felt as if the world itself couldn't match her. She simply stood there, calm... with her eyes closed.
Just like Shirou now.
Back then, they had all reached Level 3, strong enough to face most adventurers in Orario. Yet, in front of Alfia, who was Level 7, they felt like children trying to fight a giant.
The gap in power they felt...
The sense of helplessness that haunted them at that time...
Ryuu unconsciously gritted her teeth.
Now, she was much stronger than she had been in the past. She had reached Level 4. Facing a fighter of her level shouldn't make her feel like she was back in those days.
But---
Why?
Why does it feel the same as when I faced Alfia?
Holding back her unease, Ryuu launched another attack. She spun quickly, swinging her wooden sword at high speed.
"HAAH!"
Clack!
The sound of wooden swords clashing echoed, Shirou blocking it with perfect precision.
Ryuu didn't stop there. She continued to attack, relentlessly, trying various combinations of movements. Yet, no matter how she tried to deceive Shirou, the result was the same. Their wooden swords clashed endlessly, and every attack was effortlessly deflected or dodged by Shirou with minimal movement.
"Damn it..."
Ryuu grew more frustrated.
It wasn't just Shirou's demeanor that reminded her of Alfia, but also his combat skills.
Like Alfia, Shirou could cast powerful short-chant spells.
Like Alfia, Shirou could mimic others' sword techniques.
And most annoyingly---
Like Alfia, Shirou could irritate others with his calm demeanor, as if everything was already in his grasp.
Why do I have to face someone like this again...? she thought as she launched her final attack.
Yet once again, Shirou managed to parry it without issue.
Ryuu let out a sharp breath.
No matter how fast she attacked, Shirou was always one step ahead.
The sound of wooden swords clashing echoed in the air as Ryuu and Shirou continued to exchange blows. However, this time, something was different.
Ryuu's attacks, which had been sharp and precise, began to lose their accuracy. Her strikes became rougher, wilder—as if she wasn't just attacking Shirou, but something much deeper.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
Shirou remained steadfast in his stable stance, his wooden sword moving with perfect efficiency. Without opening his eyes, he could sense the change in his opponent's rhythm.
Hmm... her attacks are heavier now.
He felt a stronger push with each clash. It was as if Ryuu wasn't just trying to find an opening in his defense, but was instead trying to overwhelm him with raw strength.
Did she change her strategy?
The increasingly brutal attacks, the growing pressure—it wasn't just because Ryuu wanted to win. There was something else. Shirou didn't know what, but something was bothering the elf.
However, Ryuu herself knew exactly what was clouding her mind.
Right now, she wasn't fighting Shirou.
In her eyes, in her mind—what she saw wasn't the red-haired young man wielding a wooden sword.
What she saw was Alfia.
The woman who stood before them, expressionless, emotionless.
The woman who crushed their pride by closing her eyes and remaining untouched.
I won't let that happen again.
That determination burned in her chest.
Ryuu gritted her teeth, her muscles tensing as she accelerated her attacks.
I'll shatter your calm.
Just like back then—just like when the Astraea Familia finally broke Alfia's Silence, when they forced the mage to open her eyes and acknowledge them as a threat.
She wanted to make Shirou do the same.
But---
Why... why is he still holding on like this?
Shirou, despite being attacked more aggressively, remained calm. Like a rock being hit by waves, he didn't budge.
With his eyes closed, he parried every attack without difficulty.
As if all of this was just a minor disturbance to him.
As if Ryuu wasn't strong enough to force him to change.
Damn it... damn it... damn it!
The harder Ryuu tried to shatter Shirou's calm, the more she lost control of herself.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
Shirou continued to parry every slash Ryuu unleashed. Attack after attack hit his defense relentlessly, like an unending storm.
Why is she still doing this?
Shirou wondered in his mind. Ryuu must have realized that this strategy wasn't effective. Even with increasingly wild and powerful attacks, Shirou could still block them easily.
Yet, Ryuu didn't stop.
No, on the contrary—she only grew more intense, more forceful, more desperate to break through Shirou's defense.
What's going on with her? This isn't how Ryuu usually fights...
With his eyes closed, Shirou couldn't see Ryuu's expression. But with his heightened senses, he could hear Ryuu's increasingly heavy breathing. He could feel the tension in the air—as if Ryuu was fighting something more than just him.
And then...
Hhmm...
A scent slipped into his awareness.
The scent of winter flowers with a unique divine touch.
A very familiar scent.
"Syr!?"
Shirou immediately became alert.
From outside the dormitory, he could smell that scent. It had to be her.
Why is she here?!
Shirou's thoughts immediately raced. If Syr was around and saw him fighting, it could be a big problem. Shirou had been very careful not to reveal his true strength to anyone outside the Loki Familia. If Syr saw him fighting on par with Ryuu, a Level 4 fighter, she would immediately realize that Shirou's power was far greater than he let others know.
And that was something that couldn't happen.
Shirou had to make this fight seem like he was still at a lower level.
There's no other choice.
I have to lose.
Shirou began to weaken his defense gradually. He deliberately let some of Ryuu's attacks almost hit him, and then---
"Tch---!"
Ryuu finally managed to hit his stomach with her wooden sword.
"Got you!" Ryuu exclaimed with a voice full of satisfaction.
But Ryuu didn't stop there.
The momentum she gained seemed to reignite her fighting spirit. Her attacks became wilder, harder—no longer just a training match, but as if she was settling something that had been buried deep within her.
"Guh!" Shirou coughed as another attack landed on his shoulder.
He let it happen.
Ryuu, now immersed in her fighting spirit, didn't realize that Shirou was intentionally taking those hits.
No, to her, this was proof that she could finally defeat the enemy from her past.
Alfia... I finally managed to hit—
Ryuu didn't realize that she had been swept away by nostalgia.
Her attacks continued, and Shirou kept taking them, enduring the pain while remaining vigilant of Syr's presence around them.
Ryuu kept raining down attacks on Shirou.
Whack! Her wooden sword struck Shirou's head.
Thud! A slash jerked his chest.
Smack! Another swing hit his arm.
Crack! The final attack swept Shirou's legs, making his balance falter.
Each attack landed with merciless precision, adding more bruises to Shirou's body.
Yet, he didn't fight back. He didn't parry. He didn't dodge.
Shirou just took it all.
Ryuu didn't realize how serious this was. She was too lost in her memories of the past, in the anger and frustration mixed with bitter nostalgia.
This isn't enough... I'm not satisfied yet... I have to destroy that calmness!
With a final push, Ryuu jumped and swung her sword with all her might.
"HAAAAAAH!!"
BOOM!
Her strongest attack landed squarely on Shirou's chest, hitting him with enough force to send his body flying backward, slamming hard against the dormitory wall.
Bugh!
Dust scattered as Shirou's body crashed, then slumped down, gasping for breath. Bruises and minor wounds now covered his entire body.
Ryuu stood in place, her breathing ragged. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, sweat dripping from her temples.
No way... Is Shirou this weak?
She gripped her sword tightly, her heart filled with confusion. Something felt off. Shirou should have been able to parry her attacks. He should have been able to hold out longer. But why—
Clatter!
The sound of something falling to the ground.
Suddenly, a scream broke the silence.
"SHIROU!!"
Syr.
Ryuu's eyes widened as she saw the girl running toward Shirou with a panicked expression, almost tripping in her haste.
Nearby, a small basket lay on the ground, its contents—perhaps food or items she had brought—scattered in all directions. But Syr didn't care.
All she could think about was Shirou, now slumped against the wall, his body covered in wounds and bruises.
"What have I done...?"
Ryuu stared at her own hand, feeling a cold chill envelop her chest.
