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ResetWe were teleported into the forest.
Though it goes without saying now, Shouko’s phantom beasts weren’t summoned to the white void.
Since they’re present when the match begins, I assume they’re being transported separately from us.
However, these phantom beasts carried me, Chiyu, and Shouko on their backs—specifically, atop Black Dragon Micron.
Mashiro looked at Shouko with a puzzled expression.
Until now, it had always been her who rode them.
"We’re going with this strategy for this match, Mashiro. Please handle it."
Shouko said that and then explained the plan.
After hearing out the explanation, Mashiro nodded in agreement.
While entrusting base defense to Fukaho and Genchu, we rushed toward the enemy base.
Just like in the previous two battles, Mashiro tracked the scent of people, so we didn’t get lost.
And then, it came suddenly.
With a short bark, Mashiro leaped to the side. In the exact space where his head had been a moment before, something passed through at an incredible speed.
"Right."
"Ayahime, get ready."
I gave Chiyu a brief instruction.
She chanted 『Might Enhancement』, and my body was enveloped in white light.
What had shot past was——an arrow.
He had possessed a bow even during the negotiation——it must be Hayate's power.
Since the archer was invisible, it seemed to have been fired from a considerable distance.
It was likely something based on an ability.
That conjecture quickly turned into certainty.
Mashiro barked again, turning his neck to look behind him.
Prompted by that, I glanced back. The arrow I should have dodged moments ago was heading straight toward me.
Moreover, it wasn't targeting Mashiro. It was aiming at me.
"Yo—!"
Thanks to 『Might Enhancement』, I managed to brush it away from the side.
The arrow snapped in two and fell to the ground, never to move again.
——So it has homing capabilities… Is the release condition destruction?
Or does it require contact with the target?
"Arrows and bullets that track enemies no matter how far they flee, abilities like the manifestation of a man's fantasies."
Senju murmured from behind me.
"Don't say it out loud. I do love it, though."
It was threatening, but with our comrades' power, it wasn't impossible to deal with.
The arrows were not just a single shot; they fired in rapid succession.
We pressed forward, sidestepping and destroying the threats as needed.
Then a sudden gust of wind swept through.
—No... that's not it!
Mashiro turned to look over her shoulder once again.
Not only that, Mashiro made a sharp U-turn and headed back toward our base. "Chiguru!" "Yeah. 'Muscle Enhancement'."
Faint light enveloped Mashiro's body, and he accelerated sharply.
It was super-acceleration, achieved by combining Chiguru's magic with the phantom beast that Yukiko had summoned.
There were enemies in the direction Mashiro was heading.
The sudden gust earlier had been caused by a member of the opposing team sprinting past.
Mashiro pursuing them was proof of that.
We identified the candidates on the enemy team and shared information about their members.
Besides the archers from the Archery Club, there were also girls from the Track and Field Club.
If you were an Archer, it wasn't unnatural to choose a skill that enhanced your marksmanship for securing prey or repelling enemies.
Something like 'Archery Enhancement' or 'Hundred Shot Hundred Hit,' perhaps.
So what about the Track and Field Club members?
It was equally natural for them to select abilities that maximized their proud leg strength.
Whether escaping from enemies, chasing down prey, or traveling along uncharted terrain, it wasn't easy. Such skills were also useful for alleviating the inconveniences of life on this desert island.
An ability to strengthen one's legs had been listed as one of the candidates.
And in fact, Mashirosu, who reacted to the scent of someone passing by at high speed, went after them.
Had anyone else appeared with such incredible mobility, I had already decided to have him chase them down just like before.
Leaving the fast enemies for Mashirosu, we pressed on.
Just as in our second battle, we successfully located the enemy base shortly thereafter.
Rather than approaching from ground level, we secured a position above the enemy camp.
Besides the archer aiming at us from a nearby tree, three female students attempted to intercept us.
"Fenrir's not here..."
The archer muttered with obvious regret.
Mashiro's absence must have tipped them off, leading the agile members of the enemy side to believe they were being hunted.
I used my Placement ability to rain down countless fist-sized rocks onto the enemy base.
It took only three such impacts for a base to crumble.
"W-wait..."
The one showing visible panic was a girl with two braids dangling in front of her shoulders.
She was on the Library Committee, a group I had also been part of during my first year.
As if mirroring her emotions, shadows writhed into existence, instantly enveloping the enemy base.
The hail of stones was deflected by the shadows, none managing to strike the base directly.
"No way."
"Manipulating shadows... that's the superpower So-kuun wanted when he was in fifth grade."
"Don't say things like that, you."
My childhood friend knew everything about me.
But it’s a cool power, so why not?
Honestly, it still ranks among my most desired abilities today.
However, the immediate problem was that my attack had been blocked.
Even as we hesitated, arrows kept flying relentlessly from Maruha's bow.
"Suusuke! Mikron says he can break through that level of defense himself!"
"Mikron, you're amazing! Alright then, I'll draw their attention and create an opening. You've got this!"
I dropped several boulders onto the tree where Tsubasa was standing.
"Kyaa..."
I'm sorry about that, but please cut me some slack this time.
In this event, you don't actually sustain physical injuries. She knew that, which is why she dared to shoot arrows at us. We're even.
While her balance was disrupted and she fell from the tree, I dropped stone cages onto the remaining three enemies.
The girl from the library committee was briefly trapped, but she lifted herself out using a shadow that had gained physical form.
Of the two remaining, one was a female member of the Kendo club, wielding a wooden sword.
"Si—ch!"
As the girl swung her wooden sword at the approaching stone cage, it was cleanly sliced in two.
—Enhanced Swordsmanship? Or maybe something like 'Cut Two Things with One Stroke'?
It was a magnificent yet utterly unrealistic scene.
"The swordsman who can split rocks. That's the one Kuu has loved since he was in kindergarten."
«The boys all love swords, you know.»
Seeing moves that look like fiction actually happen in real life really is incredibly cool.
Maybe I should have chosen a combat-oriented ability, the kind you see in battle stories.
Nah, but since my 『Craft Ability』is so damn handy, I probably would have picked it again even if I could start over.
The last guy was simply trapped in a stone cage, but the kendo club girl carved through the stone surface and cut him out to escape.
――Since you're on the main team, you can't possibly be an ability-less person, right?
While answering my childhood friend's quips, I was pondering how to win this one.
«I need to verify two things. Chiayu, I'm counting on you for support.»
"Mm. I'll heal your injuries, and make sure you never run out of [Bone-Marrow Strengthening]."
"Good luck, Sou."
"I know."
I jumped down from the Micron and kicked between the surrounding trees to land on the ground, facing off against the three girls standing in front of the base.
Rest assured, there's no title fraud here.
The girls who appeared this time might also become close with Sousuke, depending on how things develop.
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We were transported to the forest.
It's a bit late to mention this, but the summoned beasts of Shouko were not called out to the white space.
They must have been transported separately, since they were there at the start of the match.
But the three of us—me, Chiyu, and Shouko—are riding on the back of the black dragon, Mikuron.
Mashiro looked at Shouko curiously.
That's because she usually rode one of them.
"This match, we'll go with this plan, so Mashiro, please."
Shouko said that and explained the strategy.
After listening to her, Mashiro nodded in agreement.
We entrusted the defense of our base to Shinho and Genju and rushed towards the enemy base.
Just like in the previous two battles, Mashiro tracked the scent of humans, so we didn't get lost.
And then, it suddenly happened.
Marshi barked briefly and jumped to the side, and something had passed through the space where Marshi’s head had been just a moment ago at an incredible speed. "Sōkun." "Yeah, I’ll get ready." She briefly gave me instructions.
She chanted "Strength Enhancement," and my body was enveloped in a white light.
What had passed through was— an arrow.
She had been carrying a bow during the negotiations—this must be the power of Yumihaya Konomi.
Since the archer was not visible, it seemed to have been shot from quite far away. Probably, it was due to her ability.
Such a guess quickly turned into certainty.
Marshi barked again and turned her head behind her.
Following her, I turned around, and the arrow that I had dodged earlier was coming toward me.
Moreover, it was not aimed at Marshi, but at me. "Uoh...!"
Thanks to her "Strength Enhancement," I managed to deflect it sideways.
The broken arrow fell to the ground and never moved again.
—It had tracking capabilities... The condition for deactivation was destruction? Or was it contact with the target?
「Arrows and bullets that relentlessly pursue their targets, abilities that seem to embody a man’s fantasies,” Chiyou murmurs behind me.
“Don’t say it. I do like it a lot, though.”
It’s threatening, but with the strength of our allies, it’s not impossible to deal with.
The arrows aren’t just one shot, but a continuous barrage.
We dodge and destroy them as we advance. Then, a gust of wind blows. –No, that’s not it…! Mashiro turns to look behind her again.
Not only that, she makes a sharp turn and heads back toward our base. “Chiyou!” “Yeah. ‘Strength Enhancement’.”
A faint light envelops Mashiro’s body, and he accelerates sharply.
It’s super acceleration achieved by combining Chiyou’s magic with the summoned beast Shouji called out.
Mashiro is heading toward the enemy.
The gust of wind earlier was caused by a member of the enemy team running past.
Mashiro’s pursuit is proof of that.
We’ve figured out the enemy team’s candidate and shared information about the member.
Besides Ittoba from the archery club, there were also girls from the track and field team.
Ittoba would naturally choose an ability related to archery, such as enhanced archery or perfect accuracy, since it would be useful for securing prey or repelling enemies.
Would it be something like "enhanced archery" or "perfect accuracy"? Then, what about the track and field team?
Choosing an ability that would make their prideful leg strength even more effective wouldn't be unnatural either.
When fleeing from an enemy or chasing after prey, it's not easy to travel on unprepared paths. Such an ability would be useful for resolving the inconveniences of life on a desert island.
Enhancing leg strength was one of the potential candidates.
And in fact, Mashiro, who reacted to the scent of someone who had passed by quickly, started chasing after someone.
I had decided to have her chase after whoever had such an incredible speed.
I left the swift enemy to Mashiro and we proceeded.
As in the second battle, we soon discovered the enemy's base.
We did not approach from the ground but secured the area above the enemy's base.
In addition to Ittoba, who was aiming at us from a nearby tree, three other girls were trying to confront us. "…Fenrir isn't here," Ittoba muttered bitterly.
Without Mashiro, they must have sensed that their fast members were being chased.
Using my placement function, I make countless fist-sized rocks fall toward the enemy base.
Even this level of impact will cause the base to collapse after three hits. "Ah, wa-wa!"
The one showing signs of panic is a girl with two braids hanging in front of her shoulders.
She's a library committee member, and I used to be on the same committee in my first year.
As if responding to her emotions, I thought I saw the shadows move, and in an instant— they enveloped the enemy base.
All the pebbles were deflected by the shadows and couldn't touch the enemy base directly. "Really?"
"The ability to control shadows... the special power that Sou-kun wanted when he was in fifth grade." "Don't say that." My childhood friend knows everything.
What's wrong with that? It's cool.
In fact, it's still one of my top desired abilities.
But now, the problem is that my attack was blocked.
Meanwhile, more and more arrows are flying from Tachibana.
「Sousuke! Mikuron says, 'I can break through that level of defense!'」
「Wow, Mikuron! Okay, I'll create an opening for you!」
I dropped several rocks onto the tree where Kiba was standing. 「Kyaa...」
I'm sorry, but I'll have to pass on this one.
In this event, no one actually gets hurt, and she knows that's why she shot the arrow, so it's mutual.
While she's falling from the tree, I drop a stone cage on the remaining three enemies.
The student from the library committee was trapped for a moment, but she lifted herself out with the corporeal shadow.
Of the remaining two, one was a girl from the kendo club, who had a wooden sword. 「Shi...!」
When the girl swung her wooden sword at the approaching stone cage, it was cleanly cut in two.
――Is it 'enhanced sword technique'? Or 'one strike, two kills'?
It was a magnificent and unbelievable sight.
"A swordsman who can cut through rocks. That's what you liked since you were in kindergarten."
「All the guys love swords.」
Seeing such fictional movements in real life is really cool.
Maybe I should have picked a battle ability.
No, I think I would still pick the ‘Craft Ability’ because it’s incredibly convenient.
The last person was normally locked in a stone cage, but the girl from the kendo club cut through the stone and freed her.
――I’m part of the main team, so I can’t be a nobody, right?
While responding to my childhood friend’s teasing, I was also thinking about how to win.
“I want to confirm two things. Senyuu, I need your support. ”
“Sure. I’ll heal you, and I won’t run out of ‘Strength Enhancement’. ” “Soji, do your best.” “Yeah. ”
I jumped down from the micron and landed on the ground by kicking between the trees, facing the three girls in front of the base.
Don’t worry, it’s not a false advertisement.
The girls that appeared this time might become close to Soji depending on how things develop.
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