Showdown at the Entrance Hall

The atrium entrance hall was wrapped in an eerie silence.

Dim light filtered through the glass dome in the ceiling, illuminating the cracked marble floor.

The orc and me.

Distance: approximately ten meters.

Above our heads, along the second and third floor galleries, students who hadn't escaped in time lined the railings, watching this scene unfold.

Some trembled in fear. Some clasped their hands in prayer. Others watched mesmerized by this surreal "duel."

It was like a colosseum.

The peaceful school building had instantly transformed into an ancient arena.

(Better not show my face.)

I pulled my hoodie down deeper.

My classmates probably already knew, but exposing my face to the entire student body was too risky. Being treated as a hero or getting on the government's radar would just be a hassle at this stage.

Bumooooo…

The orc let out a low growl, exhaling rough steam from its nose.

Its nose burned by ammonia, its muscles shocked by electricity.

It should have been in terrible shape, but its fighting spirit hadn't diminished. If anything, it was boiling over with rage.

It started swinging the road sign post—that iron mass—around in circles.

"Here it comes."

I assumed a middle guard stance with the rebar and lowered my center of gravity.

Body Strengthening, output 45%.

My muscles heated up, veins bulging. This was the absolute limit my current body could handle. Any higher and my body would break down before I could defeat the enemy.

DOOON!!

The orc kicked off the floor.

Explosive power that belied its massive frame.

It closed the distance in an instant and swung the iron post in a horizontal sweep with its log-like arm.

A murderous gale with enough wind pressure alone to cut skin.

(Don't block it. Deflect it.)

I didn't retreat a single step, but I didn't take it head-on either.

At the moment of impact, I angled the rebar diagonally and let the force slide off.

A sliding parry.

GYARIRIRIRI!!

Iron ground against iron, violent sparks flying.

The orc's arm strength passed over my head and pulverized the wall behind me.

Concrete crumbled and collapsed.

I stepped into its wide-open flank.

"Too slow."

I drove the butt end of the rebar precisely into its liver.

DOSU!!

GUOO!?

The orc let out a pained groan and staggered.

An application of "penetrating force," transmitting shock to its internal organs even through that thick layer of fat.

But as expected of a D-rank. It didn't go down.

BUUN!

A backhand came flying.

I ducked, dodging with minimal movement.

Close enough for the wind pressure to tear off a few strands of hair.

Dodge, strike.

Deflect, thrust.

The orc's attacks were wild swings with tremendous power, but the wind-up was too large.

For someone with S-rank dynamic vision like me, it was like dancing in sync with slow-motion footage.

 

*

 

"… Wh-what is that…"

A female student watching from the third floor gallery murmured in a trembling voice.

To them, the battle below appeared as incomprehensible footage.

A massive monster swinging arms powerful enough to destroy the building.

Facing it, a small hooded man.

A size difference that should have reduced him to mincemeat in one hit.

And yet, the man wasn't getting hit.

Dodging by paper-thin margins, deflecting with showers of sparks, counterattacking at blinding speed.

"He's too fast… I can't follow him with my eyes…"

"A movie…? No, that's video game movement."

The male students held their breath.

At some point, their fear had transformed into awe and excitement.

A primal admiration for overwhelming violence.

They were unconsciously gripping the railings and leaning forward.

"Get him! Take him down!"

Someone shouted.

That voice spread like ripples, bringing fervor to the previously silent hall.

"Kill it! Kill that thing!"

"Don't lose, hoodie guy!"

Cheers. Roars. Prayers.

The gazes and emotions of hundreds of people focused on the two shadows dancing in the center of the hall.

 

*

 

(Geez, the audience is loud.)

With the cheers raining down as background noise, I calmly worked to shatter the orc's knees.

Having a gallery wasn't bad.

By showing them this battle, I could imprint on them the fact that "monsters can be killed."

That would help suppress fear-driven panic and improve their survival rates going forward.

GAKIN!

The iron post and rebar clashed again.

A numbing sensation ran through my wrist.

(Tch… almost at its limit.)

Not my body.

The weapon.

Construction material from a home improvement store was, at the end of the day, just an iron rod.

Even reinforced with mana, it was never meant to repeatedly deflect heavy blows from a D-rank monster.

Looking at it, the central portion of the rebar was starting to bend into a V-shape.

Fine cracks ran across its surface, and the magical light flickered unstably.

One more hit.

No, two at most.

Beyond that, this partner of mine would shatter.

BUMOOOOOOO!!

The orc reared back dramatically.

Every muscle in its body bulged, blood vessels looking ready to burst as it gathered power.

A big attack was coming.

An all-out strike that would sweep away a wide area, permitting neither defense nor evasion.

"… Fine by me."

I switched to a forward grip on the rebar.

I could evade if I ran.

But that wouldn't give the watching crowd the impression of "victory."

What I needed here was an overwhelming victory.

I poured every last drop of mana from my dantian through my right arm and into the rebar.

BACHIBACHI!!

Unable to withstand the excessive mana, the rebar glowed red-hot and scattered blue-white plasma-like sparks.

Critical point. Moments from melting.

Would it break first, or would I pierce through first?

"I'll end this in one strike."

I stepped in deep. Deeper.

The orc's powerful arm swung down at the exact moment I charged in.

A single instant of intersection.

The outcome of the battle vanished into a flash of light.