Cough!
Roar!
Meanwhile, on another battlefield, Charlotte Cordé coughed up a mouthful of blood. Her face was deathly pale as she collapsed to the ground. Beside her lay a lethargic black lion, its entire body enveloped in streams of water and completely drained of its combat capabilities.
Kazamatsuri Rinna was trembling violently and had been cornered against a wall when Kurogane Shizuku knocked her unconscious with a single water bullet.
"This one's so weak!"
Kurogane Shizuku glared fiercely at the unconscious, pink-haired girl. She had blocked her from rescuing Arisuin Nagi. She wondered how he was faring now and whether he had been saved.
"Her ability is pet control," Kurogane Ikki said, his expression utterly predictable. "It's no surprise she's so weak herself."
Intelligence reports indicated that Kazamatsuri Rinna's title was 'Devil Beast Master.' Her Spiritual Item, the Subordination Collar, possessed the ability to dominate other living beings. By placing the collar around an animal's neck, she could transform it into her weapon and even turn ordinary people into Blazers, each with their own unique special ability.
The black lion, for example, gained its 'stillness' ability through the collar around its neck, and the same source powered Charlotte Cordé's abilities.
Thus, while her maid and lion were incredibly powerful, Rinna herself remained remarkably weak, essentially just an ordinary person with magical powers.
"The real problem lies elsewhere," Kurogane Ikki said, turning his gaze toward the other battlefields.
The remaining members regrouped.
The remaining three members of Akatsuki Academy stood shoulder to shoulder.
Of these three, Kurogane Ouma possessed unimaginable strength; Shinomiya Amane's ability was utterly bizarre; and Sara's Blazer-creation ability could conjure terrifying formations.
"I never expected them to be much help anyway," Shinomiya Amane remarked while glancing indifferently at the defeated Tatara Yui and Kazamatsuri Rinna lying on the ground in the distance.
Of all the Akatsuki Academy members, it was this trio that formed the true main force, while the others were merely there to make up the numbers. This trio stood in a league of their own at Akatsuki Academy, surpassing Tatara Yui and Kazamatsuri Rinna in more than just strength.
"Junior Brother, what's the plan?"
Toudou Touka retreated to Ryoji's side, her expression hardening as she spotted Totokubara Kanata's figure in the distance.
"These three are incredibly strong!"
Kurogane Ikki's expression also turned grave. He glanced at the unconscious Stella in the distance, his gaze deepening.
In contrast, on Hagun Academy's side, both Stella and Totokubara Kanata were unconscious, while Saijou Ikazuchi had collapsed unnoticed. Only Ryoji, Toudou Touka, Kurogane Ikki, and Kurogane Shizuku were still on their feet.
Amidst the towering flames, a total of seven Blazers from both sides faced off.
The tension between the two groups was now far greater than before; their imposing standoff was enough to make any onlooker's heart pound and breath catch in their throat.
"This is going to be troublesome..." Ryoji muttered under his breath.
Honestly, winning with this lineup would be extremely difficult.
Had either Shinguuji Kurono or the legal loli stayed at Hagun Academy, their chances of victory would have been significantly higher. But now, even achieving a draw seemed almost impossible.
"No choice," Ryoji muttered, taking a step back.
"Don't look back!"
The others instinctively glanced at him, startled by his shout. They froze mid-turn and refocused on the enemy.
As their junior brother, lover, friend, rival, and the savior of their elder brother, they all placed absolute trust in Ryoji.
"Hmm?" Shinomiya Amane tilted his head.
Puzzled by Ryoji's sudden actions, he watched him with growing interest. Kurogane, Ouma, and Sara also focused their attention on Ryoji's unusual behavior.
A perfect opportunity!
Ryoji's psychic energy surged as he prepared to activate his Charm ability.
If he could defeat his opponent with his own blade, he would never resort to using Charm.
However, since victory through conventional means was impossible, he decided to abandon such scruples.
"Turn them all into my dogs!"
Boom!
Suddenly, a massive shadow loomed over the group.
Everyone's gaze shifted upwards in unison.
The faculty building, which had been standing directly opposite them, had snapped in two for no apparent reason and was now collapsing towards them.
Ryoji frowned.
Could the earlier clash between Stella and Kurogane Ouma have caused this?
In any case, his perfect opportunity to activate Charm had disappeared.
For Charm to work most effectively, the opponent's gaze had to be fixed on him directly. If their gaze weren't fixed on him, the effect would be drastically reduced to less than ten percent, rendering it impossible to turn them into his dogs.
Faced with the collapsing building, the group scattered in all directions.
With a deafening roar, the building crumbled into ruins, sending plumes of dust billowing into the air.
"Hmm... It looks like they're planning to use some kind of trump card," Shinomiya Amane mused, watching the wreckage thoughtfully.
"And one with enough power to take down all three of us in one fell swoop!"
"He still retains such formidable power?"
Hearing this, Kurogane Ouma broke into an intrigued smile.
"Judging by his reaction, it must be a double-edged technique. I can't wait for our next one-on-one duel."
"Don't get your hopes up for that. Let's finish this quickly!'
Kurogane Ouma raised his ōdachi once more, a raging gale swirling around the blade.
"Very well."
Sara raised her paintbrush too, her expression turning serious.
"Heh, either way, they're already destined to lose."
Shinomiya Amane casually flicked his rapier.
As his words faded, the trio charged forward again.
"Stop them!" Ryoji shouted.
In order to use his Charm safely, he couldn't risk getting mixed up with Senior Sister and the others. Otherwise, he might harm his allies. Senior Sister would be fine, but turning the Kurogane siblings into his dogs would be awkward!
Even before he had finished speaking, Toudou Touka and the other two had moved to intercept the attacking trio.
Toudou Touka clashed with Kurogane Ōma, their lightning and gale-force winds intertwining in a furious storm.
Meanwhile, Kurogane Ikki fixed his gaze on Shinomiya Amane, cautiously observing his every move.
Meanwhile, Kurogane Shizuku charged towards Sara, relentlessly bombarding her with water projectiles in an attempt to drown her.
Perfect timing!
Senior Sister Touka and her companions had their backs turned to Ryoji while the Kurogane Ōma trio faced him directly.
Ryoji steeled his resolve and attempted to channel his Charm power once more.
Boom!
But just then...
A violent gust of wind erupted, churning up thick clouds of dust and obscuring Ryoji from his three opponents.
This was the aftershock of the clash between Kurogane Ōma and Toudou Touka.
What impeccable timing!
Ryoji emerged from the dust cloud, his body covered in grey grime.
A perfect opportunity... Kurogane Shizuku, why are you turning around?!
Damn it! Their silhouettes are overlapping again.
An utterly bizarre phenomenon unfolded before his eyes.
(End of Chapter)
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