Part 1
(Ayanokoji POV)
This whole match has been going on for a while now. As of right now, there's 21 Class B students remaining, and only 3 left from our class; those three being myself, Karma, and Koenji. Nearly an hour and 15 minutes have elapsed since the match started, and we were already nearing the climax.
After my brief reunion with Karma, we decided to split up and do our own thing. I was able to take out one person just a little bit before with split off, and now I'm jumping from one tree branch on to another. By this point, many of Class B should be low on ammunition. The reason for that is because Ryuen sent a large number of them to chase me and Yosuke earlier during the first 20 minute. A lot of them used up a lot of bbs from trying to shoot us, but we were able to evade all of them.
I was hoping to also find either Ibuki or Albert while we were trying to outmaneuver everyone, but that didn't happen. From the way I see, Ryuen probably poured a lot of Class B's efforts on the offensive side. My reason for coming to that conclusion is that a lot of students from our class got eliminated, and he sent a lot of people to come at me during the first 20 minutes. My assumption is that he had Ibuki and Albert hide somewhere remote, and made full use of their camouflage in order to blend in the surroundings. The only place I can think of is that one area with a very rouged terrain, which is covered by thick trees. It's also very far off, and I doubt many people would go there.
Had Yosuke not been accompanying me, I might have gone there myself and looked for both of them, but I didn't want him to be put in a compromising position, that would get him eliminated much earlier. While I could have left him to fend for himself, I just didn't want to deal with the hassle of communicating with teammates. Now that it's just us three remaining, my movements aren't as restricted, and I'm more free to do whatever I want.
Right now it's getting a lot tougher to find any Class B students. Because it's now past the first 20 minutes, Ryuen probably had everyone keep their distance from us. This was now a battle of gaining points, instead of having the other class lose points. Had it been anyone else, but us three, Ryuen would probably have his whole class actively hunt us down, but that's not the case right now.
As I traversed the area, I started to feel somewhat thirsty. I remembered a spring not too far from here. As I made my way to the spring, another announcement came through.
"Class B now has 20 people remaining."
Seems the other two have better luck finding people. I have yet to encounter any of Class B's key players; key players being Ryuen, Ishizaki, Ibuki, Albert, and even Hiyori. Chances were low that Hiyori was still in the game, so she's probably got eliminated earlier on, however if she is still around, she might be hiding somewhere, or sticking together with a lot of peoples.
As I arrived at the spring, I one the drones broadcasting the exam was hovering over me, and I sensed the presence of another person. I pulled out my gun and aimed it at the tree as soon as the person came out. He too was holding a gun, and pointed it at me.
"I believe this is the first time we've run in to each other throughout this whole exam. Seems we have the same idea Ayanokoji-boy."
"Seeing as you're here for a drink, I'm assuming there's no one else behind you, right?"
"Yes, and I could probably say the same about you."
I nodded in response. Seeing as there wasn't any threat nearby, we both put down or gun, and started drinking from water from the spring. I had originally planned on leaving as soon as I quenched my thirst, but Koenji decided to make small talk.
"Ayanokoji-boy. Were you the one who got that last elimination?"
Well I don't really have a reason to not talk to him, so I decided to indulge him.
"Uh, no. Since you're asking me, I guess it's safe to say that that was Karma's doing."
"Hmm.. Yes, it does appear so."
Since we were already talking, I decided to ask him something else, not minding the drone hovering over us.
"Say, Koenji. Does this mean you're aiming for first place?"
He smirked, and responded. "Of course. My bet with Horikita-girl is too good to pass up you know."
"I see. Well goodluck then."
As I started to walk away, he called out to me.
"Ayanokoji-boy."
I stopped, and turned to him.
"What is it?"
"It seems that things were going too well for Dragon-boy at the start. Don't you agree?"
"I do. He managed to get the rest of our classmates rather early, and protected his bounties as well."
"Yes, almost too good actually. Almost like he saw through Horikita-girl's plan right from the start."
He said that while giving me a look that said:
'I know we have an traitor among us, and I know who they are, yet Horikita-girl elected to protect them, rather than vote them out.'
Or at least that's how I imagine it. Considering how sharp he is, I'm pretty he's already guessed Kushida's true nature, though maybe not to the fullest extent. Afterall, he did deduce that I was X. Seeing as how the drone above us is also equipped with a mic, we both understood that we can't risk revealing sensitive information.
"I guess you're right. I mean Ryuen did defeat Ichinose's class afterall."
"Hm hm hm. I guess so, but I, the perfect existence, shall out him in his place."
I have always been curious about his whole 'perfect existence' spiel. This was probably one of the few opportunities where I'll be able to have a proper conversation with him, so I decided to ask.
"Can I ask you something? Just this once?"
He put his hand on his chin before responding.
"Very well. I'm in a good mood. What would you like to ask?"
"It's about your whole 'perfect existence' thing. Why are you so fixated on that?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Just curious."
(3rd Person POV)
The whole exchange was being broadcasted on the main lobby's big screen. At first, many were wondering why two of Class D's last students were stopping for a conversation, but now they were intrigued by Ayanokoji's question. All eyes and ears were now glued to the screen, waiting in anticipation for Koenji's answer.
Horikita: 'I too share Ayanokoji-kun's sentiment, and I'm sure many people do as well.'
Sakayanagi: 'Fufufu. What an interesting question. I too have also been curious to Koenji-kun's stance on perfection, however no one starts off as perfect. One could say perfection is a lie, but the very definition of the word is standing right in front of him. Even if Ayanokoji-kun isn't considered to be perfect, he is still the masterpiece nonetheless.'
Ayanokoji: "For you to be "perfect", you must at least worked for it. If that's the case, what drives you?"
Sakayanagi: 'A reasonable assumption. Even though Ayanokoji-kun is considered to be the White Room's masterpiece, he still worked for it. It was the same for Akabane-kun as well, hence the name he made for himself in that place.'
The whole lobby was silent. Everyone shared the same thought in mind. Even those who don't like Koenji very much too wondered why he is like that.
Koenji: "I suppose I don't mind answering your question Ayanokoji-boy, however I cannot give you the full details. Maybe I'll tell you at a later time, or you figure the rest of it out on your own. I will give you some information. Consider it a reward from me for making it this far."
Before he can continue, a voice spoke out to them from behind.
"Oh? This exchange seems interesting. Mind if I join in? I too am curious."
Sudo: "Wait, where did he came from?"
Hirata: "Seeing as how they're at a spring, he must've been thirsty like them."
Ayanokoji: "Karma. You thirsty too?"
Karma: "Ahahaha. Yeah, and just as luck would have it, I happened to come at the perfect time, at the perfect moment. Do you mind, Koenji-kun?"
Koenji tilts his head up, and laughs, clearly amused.
Koenji: "HA HA HA HA! Not at all Akabane-boy. Consider it a reward as well for keeping up with me."
Karma: "Thank you. I'll just drink my water. Please, continue."
Koenji: "Very well. It is true I have worked towards perfection. Ever since at a young age, I was given the highest quality education, and the highest quality training. I was taught various things, that were advanced for my age. Various subjects, martial arts, and other skills. Even at a young age, I have defeated many opponents, many of whom were older, and double my size, yet I stood above them through and through."
Many scoffed to this.
Miyamoto: "I can't believe this."
Hirata: "As unbelievable as it is, there is some credibility to his words."
Ike: "What do you mean, Hirata?"
Hirata: "I mean that, even though he doesn't often show it, he does boast amazing feats. I mean, in terms of academics alone, he's top of the class, alongside Yukimura-kun, and Akabane-kun. As for his physical abilities, one example of his excellence in that regard would be his swimming time during PE. He keeps getting 1st place, has a very short swim time, and he even has a great physique. Even in this exam, he doesn't look like he's even the least bit tired, just like the other two with him."
Hashimoto: "Well I guess you have a point, Hirata. Heck, back in the mixed training camp, he even ran so fast, our group ended up getting 2nd place during the relay race."
Yukimura: "Yeah, I remember that too."
Sakayanagi: 'Interesting. When you think about it, it would makes sense for him to receive all that training if he was to ever succeed the Koenji conglomerate. However, I'm certain there's more to it than that.'
Ayanokoji: "Is that so? Well I guess that makes sense, but how would you define being perfect exactly?"
Horikita: 'My, and everyone's thoughts exactly.'
Koenji smirks, and sits on top of a rock. Karma has just finished quenching his thirst, and decides to sit on close by.
Matsushita: "Hold on. Is this really the right moment for them to be talking so out in the open?"
Karuizawa: "Yeah. Like, what if they get spotted?"
Horikita: "I don't think that's a problem they need to be worried about."
Sato: "Really Horikita-san?"
Horikita: "If they're so comfortable talking out in the open, they've probably got their guard up, and are prepared for a counterattack."
Horikita's words were able to keep everyone from asking any more questions.
Koenji: "I define perfect as someone who stands above others. The supreme being no one could oppose."
Karma: "Mind if I ask a question?"
Koenji: "Go ahead."
Karma: "I can get you wanting to stand above others, but what drives you to do so? Surely you must have some sort of motivation. Maybe an end goal, thrill, an idol that inspires you? What is it Koenji-kun?"
Everyone listens intently, waiting for Koenji's response, yet he was taking a while to answer. his arms, and legs crossed as he sat on the rock, in deep thought.
Ayanokoji: "You're taking a while, Koenji."
Koenji: "Hmm? I'm just thinking of the right words to say."
Ayanokoji: 'Right words to say? What is he getting at? Does this mean that there's some things he wouldn't want others to hear? He did say he can't give me the full details. I see. It would be a different story if he said he won't give me the full details, but since he said that he can't I'm guessing this was meant for my ears only. He'll probably just say enough to have me piece everything together. Later.'
Karma: 'Interesting. I wonder where this will go. Considering his family's influence, I can probably make a guess as to what his point is, though I'll wait for him to finish in order to confirm my theory. We should be good. There's no one nearby. Even if there are, they won't be a problem.'
Koenji: "Very well. I'll say this. I do indeed have some sort of motivation. As for an idol, I wouldn't necessarily call them that per se. Hmm. There's this place. A world void of color."
Ayanokoji: 'I see. Given the influence of Sakayanagi's family, and her knowledge of that place, I shouldn't be surprised if someone, whose family has the level of influence as Koenji's does, knows of that place as well.'
Karma: 'It seems I was correct. I've always had my suspicions with influential families, like his and Sakayanagi-san's.'
Sakayanagi: 'Fufufu. I get the feeling he's only telling them this, because he'd been looking forward to gauge their capabilities.'
Horikita: 'World void of color? What does that mean? I can hear various murmurs going on behind me. Everyone was probably thinking the same thing.'
Koenji: "The place's location is obscure, and only a select few have heard of it. It's a place where monsters were cultivated. Children with unparalleled abilities, unrivaled by anyone anywhere else."
Hoshinomiya-sensei: "What? Like... some sort of special school?"
The teachers were normally quiet, doing their best to remain as observers, yet their interests too have been piqued by Koenji's words.
Mashima: "A school that produces monsters is what he's probably getting at. Still, I can't quite imagine something like that."
Ichinose: "I'm more so curious as to what he meant by 'monsters'. Does he mean in nature, or abilities."
Kanzaki: "Guess we'll have to see."
Listening in to their conversation, Sakayanagi silently chuckles at their ignorance. Little did they know, that the person, or persons that Koenji has been talking about, are the very people he's speaking to right now.
Ayanokoji: "You're meaning to say that this place produces monsters?"
Koenji: "Correct."
Karma: "From the way you described it, it's probably safe to assume that the place you're talking about is no conventional school."
Koenji's smile grew to Karma's statement.
Koenji: "Correct again."
With a smile that gives an all knowing look, Karma then asks a risky, and dangerous question.
Karma: "Whether this is real or not, it's almost like the place in question is some sort secret facility. Am I wrong?"
Ayanokoji stared at Koenji, waiting for an answer, but he didn't respond. He simply closed his eyes, then looked at them again with a smile as an answer to Karma's question. This was all they needed. Although the drone was close enough to the them that it was able to pick up their conversation, Koenji's head was tilted low enough that it couldn't pick up the facial expression he made, but it was up just enough for Ayanokoji, and Karma to get the memo.
Ayanokoji: 'Guess I shouldn't be surprised. His parents must have be acquaintances with that man, and at a young age, he visited the White Room, and saw me. From the look he gave Karma, he probably saw him back then as well. No wonder he payed attention to us all this time, though I don't know whether to feel honored or not about him basically idolizing us.'
Karma: 'Teehee. That look pretty much confirms it. If he's visited that place before, it's safe to say that he saw us. His motivation is probably to best us in every way, proving that he is "perfect" in his own way. Perfection is a lie though. That was probably one of the biggest lessons taught to me. One could achieve greatness, but to be perfect, one must be void of any and all flaws.
Kiyotaka may be the White Room's Masterpiece, but even he has his own flaws. Only few, myself included, are probably aware of his flaws. Whether he realizes this or not is up for debate. '
Sakayanagi: 'Fufufu. So I was right afterall. Ahh.. Akabane-kun's words bring back memories. I still remember touring the facility with my father that day. It was what gotten me in to chess, hoping I would be able to defeat them one day, and it seems Koenji-kun came to a similar resolve.'
Horikita: 'Akabane-kun's words seemed absurd. A facility that cultivates monsters? It seemed like it was something out of a work of fiction, yet Koenji-kun isn't denying it. Whether that place is real or not seemed to not matter to Koenji-kun. It was still his drive to "perfection".'
Koenji: "That's enough for now. I'll let you decide whether you believe it or not."
With that, he got up from the rock and stood up, but he didn't walk away.
Karma: "You're right. Maybe we can discuss this some other time. It seems we've got company."
Karma eyes the woods around them, and both Ayanokoji, and Koenji do the same. Their cover busted, the hidden Class B students all come out of their hiding places.
Ichinose: "Uh oh."
Katsuragi: "Seems like they're in trouble."
Sakayanagi: "Seems that Dragon-boy-san took this opportunity to do a meet up. Fufufu."
Part 2
(Ayanokoji POV)
5, 10, 12, 15, 20.
It's every class B student remaining, and they've all got us surrounded. They probably saw us talking, and decided to have everyone gather for an all-out last attack, instead of just charging in, most likely under Ryuen's orders. Speaking of which, the man of the hour finally decided to step forward.
"Kukukuku. You three have made quite the show. I really gotta hand it to ya. To think you alone were able to dwindle our numbers this much."
"Eheheheh. Well what can I say, Dragon-boy? I did tell you before we started that we won't make things easy."
Ryuen irked at Karma's insult, but quickly cooled himself off, meanwhile Koenji was laughing at Karma's words. Ryuen knew better than to let anger get the better of him here, so he pulled himself together.
"You sure got a knack for irritating people."
"Believe me, he does." I added.
"Aw, thank you. I've been practicing."
I sighed at Karma's acceptance. He knows what he's doing, and he enjoys doing it.
"Listen, you three may have proven to be tough nuts to crack, but you're up against all twenty of us. You're outnumbered. All we have to do is land a hit on you once, and you're out."
It's true. not only are we outnumbered, but we're also surrounded. Though a lot of them were low on ammo, there are still a couple that have a lot of ammunition to spare. On top of that, many of the people remaining are all of Class B's top fighters, and athletes. The situation looked dire for us. I can see Ishizaki, Albert, and Ibuki looking like they're ready to come charging at us.
I'm pretty sure Ishizaki wouldn't necessarily want a rematch, but I was as hell sure Ibuki and Albert would. Ibuki probably also wanted to get back at me for what happened the day after the rooftop incident, and Albert probably wanted to have a rematch with me and Karma; me for the rooftop incident, and Karma for what happened during training.
Their top fighters and athletes readied their knives and katanas, meanwhile the less athletic ones took aim with their guns.
"So what will it be, you three? You want to just surrender right now to avoid dragging this out any longer, or do you want to do this? I've been meaning to get back at you for what you did that day, Akabane."
As Ryuen said that, he also eyes me for a few seconds, as if saying 'Oh and not to mention you. I'll crush you both right here and now', before shifting his gaze to the others.
Before anyone could do or say anything, Koenji started laughing maniacally.
"HA HA HA HA HA HA! You seemed to have misunderstood something Dragon-boy."
"Oh? And what's that Koenji?"
Koenji readies his stance, knife in right hand, and air gun on his left.
"I have no intention of losing here. I, the perfect existence, shall squash all of you vermin."
Ryuen laughs, but not in a mocking manner. He knew who he was up against, and that we have no intention of making this easy for him. He too readies his stance, a knife on each hand.
"Kukukuku. I've been itching for this all day. I have to admit, although I have never once underestimated you, you still exceeded my expectations."
"Oh? I never thought you had such a low opinion on me Dragon-boy. Perhaps I'll show you the clear difference between an insect and a perfect being."
While I started to cringe at his words, I also started to feel a rush of excitement. I instinctively grabbed the hilt of my katana with my right hand, and readied my stance. Karma proceeded to do the same, and readied his stance.
(A/N: Kinda like this)
(A/N: Pretty much like this, but he's still wearing the full camo uniform, and is holding two knives.)
"
I take it that three want to do this then?"
Ryuen's other classmates begin to ready themselves, their guns aimed at us, and their other weapons ready on hand.
"You may have us outnumbered, but" Karma's grin widened "we have you outmatched!" With that, Karma begins charging forth with his knives at inhuman speed.
Koenji and I broke away from where we stood, and dashed forth at the other students as well. Ryuen's classmates started shooting at us with their air guns, but we dodged each airborne bb with ease. Unlike in the White Room, where we had to train with real guns, this was nothing. No matter how many were shot at us, none could land a hit.
I prolonged this scenario until they all ran out of bbs, and they had to refill, but before they could I started to dash at them. Seeing how fast I came running, they stopped trying to refill, and ended up dropping their guns trying to get away. To protect the none combatants, three of them came charging at me with their blades, but I overwhelmed them with ease.
<A/N: Just imagine Yato as Kiyo, minus the actual killing or something. Also Noragami Season 3 where?>
"Class B now has 17 people remaining."
As I tried advancing forward, I was met by Ishizaki and Ibuki, who teamed up on me with their knives. I was able to block them, and backed away for a bit, not wanting to get inked. Unlike the others, these two are good at hand-to-hand combat, so I can't afford to be risky.
Ishizaki signaled for his other classmates to go help deal with Koenji and Karma, and now the three of us stood in place as their other classmates went. I looked over to Karma's location, and he was taking his sweet time dodging each shot fired at him, as well as avoided being hit by Ryuen and Albert.
I then looked over the others headed for Koenji's location. He's handling things on his end with ease. Many of the opposing class fired their air guns at the same time, but each shot of theirs was dodged or deflected. They were slowly running out of ammunition, until they started to back away. Others came charging at Koenji with their blades, but were met by his.
Pretty much everyone ran out of ammunition, and it was now a battle of blades.
"Ayanokoji-san." Ishizaki called out to me.
"I didn't know you were so awesome with a sword!" Ishizaki perked up saying that, almost like he were praising me or something.
"It's not particularly a skill I'm too fond of." I replied.
"Really? I totally think you should show it off more."
"Well it's not like the opportunity often presents itself."
We were making small talk while Karma and Koenji had their dealing from behind me. I didn't particularly mind, but I have to watch out for one thing to make sure things go exactly how we want them to.
"Hey, Ayanokoji-san. You actually managed to avoid elimination until the very end. I expected nothing less from you!" He was beaming while complimenting my performance. I can see Ibuki scowling, obviously detested by his words.
"It's really nothing special."
"Seriously? You and that Akabane-san guy held out for so long until now, even with so many of us coming at you. That's not something you know."
I suppose managing to avoid elimination while being hunted down by an entire class was no easy feat to accomplish afterall. Not to mention the massive disadvantage we had from the very beginning.
"I mean, you guys managed to protect both Ibuki and Albert as well. That's actually something worth praising too. If I had to guess, you took advantage of the camouflage function of the suit, and had them hide somewhere in a far off area."
Ibuki clicked her tongue, not liking I figured out Ryuen's strategy.
"Yeah, we did. Ryuen-san made sure to-"
I cut him off, not wanting to waste any more second as the others were already in the middle of their matches.
"Ishizaki, if you're gonna tell me, do it later. Let's settle things here first."
I readied my stance, and so did they.
"Ahahaha. I guess you're right." He turned to Ibuki, and asked her a question.
"You ready Ibuki?"
"Tch. Whatever. At least I can finally get back at you from what happened at the mall."
She's probably referring to when I beat her up in a closed store, and we both ended up getting stuck. She also probably did not like that I called her by her first name that time, and wants to kill me for that. Ishizaki looked confused, but didn't probe further as Ibuki came charging at me full speed.
She swung both knives, each one I kept blocking with my katana. Ishizaki then came to assist to Ibuki, and he to repeatedly struck me with his blades. While I may have beaten them both in the past, this kind of fight was different. One wrong move and I might just get inked.
Ishizaki may have Ibuki beat when it comes to raw physical strength, but Ibuki was far more agile. Both of those combined, as well as their experience in fighting was already giving me a tougher time to deal with than the others.
Their attacks did not lack ferocity. They knew how strong I was, at least to certain extent, and they were seriously not pulling any punches in this one. Attack after attacks was met by my own; blocked, and/or dodged everytime. I didn't want to leave any openings for them to exploit, and neither were they.
As we clashed blades, Ibuki did something I certainly did not expect. As she flipped over, a blade extended from the tip of one of her shoes, and directed it on top of my head. I dodged it just barely, and stepped back as she came after me. Of course the blade was non lethal, but in this match, it might as well be.
<A/N: Pretty much this, but the blade is just plastic/rubber.>
"Seems you've got more tricks up your sleeve Ibuki."
She smiled at me smugly, amused that she was able to surprise me. She then did the same with her other shoe, this time directing her kick towards my chest. I blocked that one as well, and she continued her barrages of kicks at me.
She was moving more swiftly, with more precision. This was the fighting style she was more comfortable with, and it just made her even more dangerous. Ishizaki too kept swinging his knives at me, while I continued to block and dodge each attack.
I looked over to Karma's and later Koenji's fight, and they were just about done. Seeing as how they were just about wrapped up, I too finished my fight with my next attacks. As they came charging at me, I swung my katana at them with full force, knocking both of Ishizaki's knives right off his hands, and making Ibuki losing her balance.
Then I swung at them both, slashing Ishizaki by the chest, and Ibuki by the neck, inking them both. They were now out.
"Class B now has 15 people remaining."
Both of them fell to the ground with their butts in order to catch their breath, exhausted from our confrontation.
"Damn. I knew we couldn't win against you, but damn." Says Ishizaki.
"No. You two gave me quite the harder time than anyone else here. I was especially surprised by Ibuki's modification to her footwear. I did not see that coming."
"Tch!" She scowled.
"Well whatever. At least I was able to surprise you with that little trick I pulled off."
"Yeah, you almost got me, but not quite."
As I said that, Ishizaki chuckled, while Ibuki looked at me with fury in her eyes.
"TCH! I'll get you some day, but since I'm not allowed to just challenge, I suppose I'll wait for another exam like this one."
"You're welcome to try."
I turned around and walked away from them.
"Class B now has 8 people remaining."
I observed Koenji's fight, and he was just about to wrap things up. There was only one person remaining, and they tried to run away from them. Koenji tried shooting them with his gun, but he ran out of ammo, and instead chased after them.
"Class B now has 2 people remaining."
Seems Karma was just about done as well. Looks like he saved Ryuen for last. Seeing as how I won't let this opportunity slide, I adjusted my breathing and dashed full speed at the other Class B student, outpacing Koenji. As I closed the distance, they tried to strike me first, but were too slow, and I slashed them by the neck.
"Class B now has 1 person remaining."
Koenji turned to me, looking at me like I had just stolen something precious from him.
"Ayanokoji-boy, is this the kind of player you're like?"
"I don't know what you're talking about Koenji. I'm just lending a hand."
Part 3
(Karma POV)
Ryuen faced me with 6 other of his classmates, one of them being Albert Yamada, and the other being Komiya Kyogo. Both were highly athletic, and very strong, while the others, minus Ryuen, weren't that much of a problem. He probably set this up, as he wants to take me on himself, while Ibuki-san, and Ishizaki-kun handled Kiyo.
It was seven to one. While they had the advantage in numbers, I wasn't at all worried.
"Kukuku, you have us outmatched huh? While I'd hate to agree with you, it's not like you can't back up your words!"
Ryuen charged at me, followed by Komiya-kun, and Albert. I dodged each attack of theirs, while also continuing to evade the bbs fired at me by his other classmates. It wasn't going to be that simple landing a hit on Ryuen and the others, so I'll have to bide my time.
Ryuen, Komiya-kun, and Albert continued to swing their knives at me, each time I blocked them using my own knife Dealing with my three assailants was one thing, but having to be careful to not get shot at was something else entirely.
I could probably eliminate these three right here and now, but where's the fun in that? In a fight, one has to savor the moment. As the three of them readied themselves to launch even more attacks, I switched targets and made B line for their marksmen.
The shooters fired their bbs at me, each one I dodged, blocked, and/or deflected. Two of them were near each other, and probably did not felt the need to move from their spots, confident that one of their shots would take me out.
How wrong they were.
As I closed the distance, they now realized the depravity of their situation, but before they could react, I unleashed all my bloodlust at them and they were overcome by fear. This got them running, and they ran towards the direction of another shooter.
Just what I wanted.
As they closed in on the shooter, he started firing in a frenzy. Each one of his shots, I dodged without a problem, and I too gave him a feel of my bloodlust. His shooting hastened, but they were to no avail. I called out to them with a low "hey", and they turned around and looked at me. I looked at them straight in the eyes with all my killing intent, and all I saw from them was fear; fear of being killed.
With one swift motion, I slashed them by the throats with both my knives, effectively eliminating them from the match.
<A/N: Basically this, minus the blood squirting out of their necks thing.>
I turned back to face them, and they were staggering as they felt around their necks hoping to stop any sort of bleeding from me "cutting" them by the throat. Of course as these blades were plastic, there was no cut made, but just seeing their necks cover in red paint from my blade was enough to get them thinking that they were going to die. Watching them panic in fear of their own deaths due to my actions was pretty funny. This was such a nifty skill to have.
I need to thank Nagisa for helping me master this, as well as Tanaka and Tadaka for being my guinea pigs.
I started laughing hysterically, but the three of them were too pre-occupied to notice. I noticed the last shooter. He was mortified at what I did, and tried to shoot me as well. Before he could though, I looked at him with all my killing intent, and threw my knife right at him. The tip of the blade landed on his forehead, and for a second, he probably thought it pierced right through his skull. It didn't help that there was red paint dripping from his forehead.
I started laughing to this as well, and pointed my finger at his foot. He looked down, and saw that the knife was right by his feet. He picked it up, trembling while doing so. After inspecting if it were an actual knife or not, he sighed in relief, knowing he wasn't gonna die.
All four shooter walked away, still trembling from what just happened, and I bid them a farewell. They shivered from hearing my voice, but kept on going. I kept laughing, but decided to pull myself together, as I was now facing their combatants.
My eyes met theirs, and both Komiya-kun, and Albert look afraid. I can tell Ryuen was contemplating a bit, but pulled himself together, remembering that the blades were just rubber and plastic. No actual cuts were made.
"You're really enjoying this, huh?" Says Ryuen.
"Teehee. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't."
"Kukuku. You're quite the comedian. Scaring my classmates before taking them out."
"I'd like to think of it as savoring the moment before going in for the kill."
"Going in for the kill, huh? you know, if I didn't know any better, I would've thought that you were an actual killer."
I laughed. Well he wasn't particularly off the mark.
"I guess I can't blame you for thinking that. So, what will you do now?"
The three of them stared at me as I said what I said. They then looked on over to the battle going on with Koenji-kun, and Kiyo. Seeing as how they can't let us do as we please, they strengthened their resolve and readied their stance. I grinned at this.
"Now that's more like it!"
With that, I dashed forward to them, and they too came at me full speed. They simultaneously swing their knives at me, but I dodged them each time. Ryuen tried launching a kick at my abdomen, by blocked, and deflected it. Albert and Komiya-kun came at me from both my left, and right side, their knives aimed at my head.
I ducked in time. Ryuen thrusts his knife forward, but I grabbed Komiya-kun's arm, and pulled him front of me, taking the blow from Ryuen's attack. Although the knives were rubber, Ryuen still thrusted it forward, not lacking ferocity. The impact was great enough that Komiya-kun winced in pain as it made contact at him stomach. Once that was over, I slashed Komiya-kun's back with my knife, eliminating him from the match.
It was now between myself, Ryuen, and Albert. Both of them get in to fighting position, as did I. Ryuen was the first to charge in; Albert followed him. Ryuen swung his knife to my face, I dodged them each time. Albert grabbed my arms with both of his hands, restraining me from making any movements. Of course, I wouldn't actually let him do this if it were an actual threat.
Taking advantage of my predicament, Ryuen dashed toward me, thrusting his knife to my chest. Not wanting to get inked, let alone stabbed. I spun myself and Albert around, letting him take the blow instead. I swiftly wriggled myself out of Albert's grasp, and kicked both his knees. As he writhed on the ground in agony, I jumped at him with my knife. Ryuen was able to pull him away just in time, and my attack missed.
However, I wasn't about to give them any breathing room. I immediately charged at them, and tackled them both to the ground. This caused them both to drop their knives. Not wanting to give them any opportunities, I kicked away both their knives.
As Albert was getting up, I tackled him again, grabbed his shoulder, and kneed him on the stomach. I released him from my grip, and he staggered backwards in pain. I approached him slowly, as Ryuen charged at me from my left, and punched me in the face.
He expected me to dodge that, but I didn't. The punch did hurt, but it wasn't enough to make me flinch. I looked at him with a smile, and he looked surprised. he then started throwing punches at me, each one I dodged with ease.
"Where the hell did you get this much strength? This isn't normal!"
True. Although I've been MIA from the White Room for a good while, all the fights I keep getting in to, my assassination training from my time in Class E, as well as all my training with Karasuma-sensei after graduating actually helped me maintain my physique. It wasn't enough to compete with someone like Kiyo, but it at least was enough to make sure my strength didn't deteriorate too much. Compared to a normal high schooler though, my strength definitely isn't normal.
"Hehe. If you want to find out, you'll have to beat me first!"
I then grabbed his arm, pulled him, swung him around, and released him towards Albert. They were both knocked over, and I took my sweet time getting to them. As I closed the distance, they both got up, and charged at me, I hurried my pace, and charged at them as well. They both launched a punch at me full force, but I didn't want to take that kind of force, so dodged it.
Albert, still in pain from my earlier onslaught of attacks, tried to distract me while Ryuen gathered their knives. While I wasn't bothered by this, I needed to wrap this up asap. I can see that Kiyo is just about done, and so is Koenji-kun. I'd rather not have either of them steal my kills.
Albert came at me with a punch, but I ducked, and launched a kick right at his stomach. This knocked him back. He was definitely still feeling my attack from earlier, so the pain he felt was even more than that. He fell on his knees, and I calmly walked over to him with a smile, and knife in hand. The closer I got, the more of my bloodlust I let him feel. He looked at me, and he was shivering and sweating in fear.
I extended my knife and slashed his neck, as I continued to pass him. I could hear him quivering, probably thinking I actually sliced his neck or something. Seriously, people need to remember these are made of rubber. I really do need to thank Nagisa for this skill. It's so much fun scaring people like this. I'll have Ritsu send him a message later.
It was now down to me and Ryuen. The whole time, he saw what I did to Albert, but did nothing to prevent it. I guess he knows there's no use helping him, given his predicament.
"So, you still want to do this?" I asked him, checking to see if he was gonna chicken out or not.
"Kuku. And what? Just give you the victory like that? Don't make me laugh."
"Didn't you just did?"
"Tch! Even if I don't win here, I'm still gonna wipe that smug look off your face. You make my blood boil in a different way than that monster."
His eyes wander over to Kiyo, letting me know what he meant.
"Before we do this, I'll just one thing."
"Go ahead."
He took a peak at the drone for a bit. It was far enough that it won't pick up any of our voices, but still allowed for the spectators to have a clear view of the fight. Seeing as how there was no risk of revealing Kiyo as the class's true mastermind, asked away.
"Who's stronger between you two?"
I closed my eyes, and thought for a moment. Thinking of what to say next. I opened my eyes and widened my grin.
"Who do you think it is?"
He recoiled to this, but decided not to complain.
"I've experienced first hand having my ass handed to me by you two. Both of you are strong. No. Strong is probably an understatement. Still, your strength levels are ridiculous. It's difficult to say which among you two is stronger."
I guess that was understandable.
"Hm... Let's just say, my confidence in beating others is undying, except when it comes to him."
This could be interpreted in many ways, but I phrased it in a way that would hint him enough to his answer. If this were four years ago, we'd be at equal footing. However, even with all the training I received recently, as well as all the fights I get in to, none of it was enough to match him.
That's not to say he's invincible though. Everyone has a weakness. It's just that some people have weaknesses that are a lot harder to exploit than others. I could probably still hold my own against him, but I would have to be VERY careful, and not waste all that I have at my disposal.
Ryuen's eyes, and grin widened at my response.
"Kukuku. Is that so? How very interesting. Even with all your big talk, you really do know when to know your place."
I believe people call this humility? I blame that Octopus. I can hear him laughing in my head.
'Nurufufufufufufufu'
Damn him. Kayano's sister better be giving him a good lecture on the other side.
"Well I know his strength, and I know mine. Anyway, that's enough talk. Shall we?"
He didn't say anything more. He just readied his stance, and in seconds we charged at each other.
We exchanged blows, clashed blades, but his stamina and strength were wavering. He sustained strenuous injuries, and his stamina is spent. Still, his fighting spirit never wavered, and he continued to attack me relentlessly. Seeing as how Kiyo had just finished off Ishizaki-kun, and Ibuki-san, I no longer wanted to prolong this fight any further.
With his final swing from his knife, he aimed it at my head, but I grabbed his arm, twisted it, and flipped him over on his back to the ground. I held my knife in my hand, spun it around, and held it above him. Once again, I released all of my killing intent, and his eyes widened.
"Sorry Ryuen, but if you are to defeat me, train for a million years."
I plunged it down on to his chest. He actually gasped from that.
So that's your face when you experience fear, huh?
Part 4
(Ayanokoji POV)
I didn't know what Koenji meant when he said that. I remember Ike calling the Professor a kill stealer, because he keeps stealing his kills in their games. Is that what he mean? Before we could say anything else though, Agent Karasuma made an announcement.
"All of Class B have been eliminated! Class D has three people remaining, therefore the winning of this match is Class D!"
Karma walked over to us, looking satisfied with himself. Class D won, and we three were the only ones remaining. I was right, he did leave Ryuen for last.
We made our way back to the main building, where we were met by our classmates, and students from other classmates. Each one of our classmates congratulated us for our victory. Horikita came forward, and looked at all three of us.
"You three really outdid yourselves." She smiled for a bit, then returned to having a straight face.
"Is this your way of praising us?" I asked.
"Take it as you will."
"You know there's nothing wrong with showing genuine appreciation right?" Says Karma.
"Well..... whatever." She gave up, not having any form of counters to my arguments. She then turned to Koenji.
"You really have done it, Koenji-kun."
"Ha Ha Ha! How lowly of you to doubt me, Horikita-girl. Now, I believe our deal is in order."
"About that-"
Before she could continue, Agent Karasuma called out to everyone.
"May I have everyone's attention please?"
All the chattering came to a halt, and all of our attention was now on him. I guess this is the part where the victor's are celebrated. Everyone assembled, according to their class, in the main lobby.
"Firstly, I would like to commend both Classes B and D for a job well done in their performance. The exam ended much quicker than we anticipated, but it just goes to show how well they did in this exam. I especially would like to congratulate Class D on a job well done today. You managed to comeback from this, despite starting off with a 10 student disadvantage. That is not an easy feat to accomplish. Your performance not just impressed me, but everyone watching."
Before he continued, he bowed his head.
"I would also like to apologize to Class D for the problem before the exam. At their request, they asked to not investigate, but we will at least take extra precautions, to make sure that this won't happen again, especially to the next classes who will be partaking in this exam tomorrow."
While not all of my classmates were on board with this, they didn't say anything more, as Horikita was able to control their outrage. It also helped that we ended up winning, so they were more willing to let the whole incident go, rather than keep holding on to it.
"Now then. With all that said, I will now announce the winners of this exam."
All of my classmates perked up, while Class B looked on in somber, not liking that they lost, even with all their preparations. A lot of them are also probably traumatized from Karma. Albert especially looked pretty shaken up still. I looked at Karma, and he wasn't paying any mind to it, even though he's very well aware of what he'd done.
"The victor between Classes B and D, is Class D. As such, they will be awarded with 100 class points."
Class D cheered on, while Class B had a dark atmosphere swirling above them.
"With that, I shall announce the individuals who took up the top three spots."
Here it comes. I sighed.
"In third place..." There was a brief pause before he continued. "Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, with a total number of 8 eliminations, one of them being Ibuki, who had a private point value of 1 Million. You will be receiving you prize as soon as this program is over."
My classmates cheered me on. It seems my reputation is improving thanks to these recent events. Seems I can no longer keep my whole recluse persona going forever.
"As for 2nd place, as well as first place, those are yet to be determined."
Murmurs could be heard all throughout. Everyone knew where this was going.
"Akabane Karma, and Koenji Rokusuke both tied for a total number of eliminations, being 12."
I could hear my classmates whispering, 'a tie?', 'what now?'
Horikita turned to them, and asked them to save their questions after program. With that, they all stopped. I looked over to Koenji and Karma, and neither have lost their composure. On the contrary, Koenji had a hint of excitement in his eyes. Karma was grinning, obviously liking how this is going.
"It is stated in the rules that if there were ever a tie in eliminations, both individuals will have a duel for he top spot. Of course, the points they earned will not be negated, but they won't gain anymore points either. This is just to settle who's gonna be in the top spot."
Everyone, students from other classes included, started murmuring amongst themselves. They've seen how Karma and Koenji performed in this exam. To sum up what everyone's saying, they were all looking forward to a duel between the two. I can see that even Ryuen was grinning, probably thinking that Karma and I orchestrated this whole ordeal, and was looking forward to their match.
I looked over to Koenji, and he looked very pleased. By anything, it looked like he was excited to get this duel underway. He was obviously excited by the prospect of dueling Karma. If it had been anyone else, he may have just brushed them off, and get the match done for the sake of just getting it over with. This time though, he was dueling Karma. I looked at Karma, and he was chuckling, obviously liking how everything went the way we planned it.
Agent Karasuma asked both contestants to step outside at the quadrangle. They were both given knives laced with their team color; red. They were asked to stay several feet away from each other. To ensure that no one interferes, we were all asked to stay inside the lobby. While we couldn't watch them in person, the drone was still broadcasting them on the big screen.
Everyone was making their bets on who would win. As for me, I only have one premonition. Still, this should be an interesting match.
A demon of the fourth versus 'the perfect existence'.
Who will win? Guess we'll see if my prediction's correct. Regardless of what the outcome would be, I can't help but feel excited.
<Author's Note>
Phew. I actually managed to release two chapters in one week this time. Dunno if I could keep that consistent though. Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. I tried to structure it well as best as I could, and hopefully it came out alright. I even threw in a couple of references to make things more interesting. Hope you understood some of them.
I also started a new fic called: "Horimiya Collections", which would be a collection of stories from Horimiya; ranging from 'what ifs', 'to incorrect quotes', and even short storied I'd like to see happen.
Some time this week, I'll be releasing the first story chapter, which is a what if scenario where Miyamura's secret side was discovered by his other classmates. I've already started working on it, and am about halfway done.
I'm also thinking about postponing a lot of my previous ideas that I shared last chapter, and instead want to work on a Bungo Stray Dogs reaction fic, where the Armed Detective Agency will be reacting to the light novels. Well.... at least the ones I could access anyway.
Now, speaking of Bungo Stray Dogs, since Bones is working on a season 4, where tf is Noragami season 3? Please let it happen. Also, pog Konosuba seaon 3 is happening.
Anyway, enough with that. Back to this story. This was actually my end game for this arc, and now I'm excited that it's finally gonna happen. While I'm excited that this arc is reaching it's climax, it also means that the first, I guess "volume?" of this fic is almost complete.
I do still plan to work on this moving forward, but I'll need some time to think about the 2nd Island Exam arc. I also need to reread both year 2 volumes 3 and 4 just to get a better understanding of the rules. I'm actually not a big fan of reading the rules for special exams, which is probably gonna land me a failing score and grade in real life, because I'm more there for the action, and dialog.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thank you again for picking this up I did not expect this story to get a lot of traction when I first made it, so all of your feedbacks mean a lot to me. Anyway, see you next chapter, and please give my Horimiya work a read. A new chapter of that will be coming out later this week, so look forward to that.
See ya!