Fantasy Libary 39

Title: The Aspiring Champions

Seidoukan Academy Multipurpose Arena – Rest Area

After the duel concluded, Ark was once again sent to rest in a designated room within the arena.

However, this time, he wasn’t alone.

“This time, you’ve truly done something extraordinary.”

Julis leaned against the wall, gazing at Ark, who was seated in a chair. Her expression was complex, and it was unclear what she was feeling as she spoke.

“Yeah, I’m still a little surprised myself.” Ayato added with a smile, standing beside Julis.

Besides the two of them, Claudia was also present. She appeared excited, glancing at several virtual windows in front of her while speaking.

“As expected, the news about Ark-kun inviting Toudou-san to be her partner for the Phoenix Festa has spread widely across the internet.”

With a wave of her hand, Claudia shifted the floating windows to the side, allowing the others to see their contents.

The headlines covered Ark’s recent victory over Kirin, which earned him the title of the new number one ranked student at Seidoukan Academy. However, the bigger news, without a doubt, was the announcement that the two would be teaming up to participate in the Phoenix Festa.

“It spread this quickly?” Ayato blinked in surprise.

“Of course.” Julis replied calmly. “A new champion and a former champion teaming up for the Phoenix Festa? That’s the hottest topic imaginable.”

The Festa is a world-renowned competition and always attracts attention. Any news about it carries significant weight.

The top-ranked students of the academy are already the center of attention for many fans. And now, the new and former number one ranked students of Seidoukan Academy are forming a team for the Phoenix Festa. It’s no wonder this has sparked a storm of discussion and attention.

In fact, if the group hadn’t left the stage immediately after the duel, Ark would have been swarmed by the academy’s media clubs, unable to escape.

“This duo will undoubtedly make every other participant in the Phoenix Festa feel the pressure.” Claudia said with her usual mischievous smile.

“The number one ranked students are already the strongest in their respective academies.” She continued. “Even in the Festa, which brings together the best of the Six Academies, the number one ranked students are the undeniable star players—favorites to win and the center of attention.”

“In every Festa, whether it’s the two-person Phoenix Festa, the five-person Gryps Festa, or the one-person Lindwurm Festa, the number one ranked participants from each academy always receive the highest level of support.”

“And now, the new and former champions of Seidoukan Academy are forming a team for the Phoenix Festa. It’s easy to imagine the level of excitement, support, and fear this will generate.”

Claudia glanced playfully at Julis and Ayato, as if trying to stir things up.

“As actual participants in the Phoenix Festa, what are your thoughts?”

Julis shot her a sharp glare, though she couldn’t completely hide the faint seriousness in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Ayato answered candidly.

“Toudou-san is already incredibly strong. She’s not just a former number one, but also the heir to the Toudou Style and has mastered the Renzuru technique. Honestly, the thought of facing someone like her is a bit intimidating.”

Although Ayato didn’t feel despair about his chances, he had to admit that Kirin’s swordsmanship surpassed his own.

Even if he fought her at full strength, his chances of winning would likely be no more than fifty-fifty.

And that was an optimistic estimate.

Ayato was acutely aware of his own limitations. His strength was unstable, and if he couldn’t win within a set time frame, he wouldn’t stand a chance against Kirin—even with his Orga Lux.

Without that weapon, his chances of defeating her would probably drop below thirty percent.

“And now her partner is someone who just defeated her in a fair duel—the new number one.” Julis admitted reluctantly. “That’s every Phoenix Festa participant’s worst nightmare.”

Her words made it clear just how significant the news of Ark and Kirin’s partnership was.

The academy media wouldn’t let a story like this go to waste, and once confirmed, even the betting odds at gambling houses would likely change drastically.

“With this partnership, the two of you are now the most likely team to win the Phoenix Festa.” Claudia said with a knowing smile. “As the Student Council President of Seidoukan, I’m genuinely thrilled by this development. I hope the two of you bring home the championship.”

“That way, Seidoukan’s overall performance this season might not look so bleak anymore.”

Hearing Claudia’s words, Ark, who had just finished browsing through online reports, closed the window in front of him and smiled.

“Well, let’s hope everything goes that smoothly.”

Ark’s straightforward response made Julis grumble in dissatisfaction.

“It won’t be that easy! Don’t think we’ll let you win so easily.” She turned to Ayato, clearly annoyed. “Say something! You’re always so indifferent. Anyone would think you don’t care about winning the championship.”

“Alright…” Ayato put on his usual relaxed expression. “Honestly, I don’t mind. But since I’ve already decided to help you win, I’m not going to give up so easily.”

As he spoke, Ayato placed his hand on the sword at his waist and glanced at Ark.

“Besides, my partner seems really eager to face you and Ser-Veresta. If I hold back, she might get angry.”

As soon as he said this, a vibration came from Ayato’s sword scabbard.

*BUZZ!*

At the same time, Ark’s scabbard also began to vibrate, and the dormant Ser-Veresta reacted intensely, as if it had just sensed something important.

At that moment, Mana began to gather around Ark and Ayato, causing the others in the room to tense up.

However, before anyone could react further, Ark spoke calmly.

“Calm down.”

With those words, the vibrations from Ark’s scabbard immediately stopped.

This left Ayato, who was still holding his vibrating scabbard, momentarily stunned.

“You really are in sync with your sword.” Ayato said, his tone a mix of admiration and envy. “My sword doesn’t listen to me as well.”

Ark didn’t respond to Ayato’s comment. Instead, he glanced at the scabbard at Ayato’s waist, pondering silently.

‘From the looks of it, Ayato really did get another Demon Sword, huh?’

Since he had been focused on preparing for the Official Ranking Battle, Ark hadn’t paid much attention to Ayato’s recent developments. So, he hadn’t seen any reports about Ayato obtaining an Orga Lux.

‘As expected of the original protagonist. Even if it’s not Ser-Veresta, he still passed the compatibility test and became another top-tier Orga Lux user—one of the Four Bewitched Swords.’

Ark couldn’t help but speculate.

‘So, which sword did he get?’

It wasn’t hard to make a reasonable guess.

Based on Ark’s knowledge of the original story, three of the Four Bewitched Swords, including Ser-Veresta, already had users.

Given that, the sword Ayato obtained was likely the only one left.

That sword had never appeared in the original story, making it the most mysterious of the Four Bewitched Swords.

The thought that Ayato possessed such a mysterious weapon filled Ark with a wave of anticipation.

‘Between the two of us now, who’s stronger?’

Ark found himself curious about the answer to that question.