──── How did it come to this?

“Whoa!!”

The familiar phrase flashed through my mind as I barely dodged the blade that came dangerously close.

I had come to sell myself to Calamity-senpai’s faction, the most promising candidate for this year’s Pentagram, but I hadn’t anticipated this situation. Normally, in these customary trials—duels under the guise of tests—the lowest-ranking member of the faction would be the opponent. Yet, for some reason, the faction leader himself, looking utterly furious, had stepped forward to personally take me on.

──── Seriously, why???

No, I knew the reason. He simply didn’t like my transparent intentions. And who could blame him? Appearing out of nowhere and saying, “Your comrades are weak, so why not add me instead?” would naturally make someone think, “Who the hell is this guy?” His anger was entirely justified.

──── I shouldn't have said that!!

My instincts had been right after all. Even if it made me seem untrustworthy, I should never have said something so reckless. Lately, I’d really been losing my mind.

“You think you can replace my greatest comrade? Don’t be ridiculous!!”

And despite his rough demeanor, he turned out to be ridiculously loyal to his comrades. What kind of gap moe was this?

“I’m really sorry!!”

Dodging the relentless storm of sword strikes, I practically screamed my apology. When you do something wrong, you apologize immediately. That’s a fundamental rule of life.

“I won’t forgive you!!”

Even as I desperately tried to show sincerity, Jade Calamity-senpai showed not the slightest sign of relenting. A clean-cut rejection—well, that was expected.

Honestly, I was lucky I had unconsciously activated Blood Flow Manipulation. If I had been in an unactivated state, I would’ve been killed in the first strike. This wasn’t a duel in name only—it was a straight-up battle to the death. Even if I didn’t intend to kill, my opponent certainly did.

At this point, I no longer cared about getting into this faction, negotiating successfully, or selling myself. Everything was ruined. My plan had failed, and it was obvious. Now, my only concern was how to end this situation and survive.

──── This really isn’t like me…

“Oraaaah!!”

“Oh, crap…!!”

On top of that, my opponent was an unknown powerhouse. I had no clue what fighting style or magic he used, or how skilled he really was. All I knew, from every bit of experience I had accumulated in life, was that this man was strong.

It was rare for me to fight such an opponent without any prior information. In my first shitty life, I had avoided fights that made my blood boil, and even in this second life, opportunities like this were rare.

Honestly, if I ignored all the circumstances────

“Ha… Haha────!!”

I was incredibly excited.

Before I knew it, I was covered in countless cuts. Even when I thought I had dodged his slashes, I was just a step too slow, always caught in the end. My thoughts and my body’s movements were becoming disconnected. At this point, I was simply dodging his attacks on reflex.

──── This attack is bad. If I don’t dodge, it’ll be fatal. Oh, in this moment, I can land a counter. Wait… Did my movement speed just increase for a split second…?

My wounds healed as naturally as breathing. My Blood Flow Manipulation and mana were running at full capacity, constantly replenishing lost blood. My mind was rapidly processing countless thoughts.

Simply put────

“Aaaaaah, nothing about today is like me at all… But, even though it’s not like me, it’s weirdly fun…!”

My blood was boiling.

“────I feel the same…!!”

Apparently, the powerhouse in front of me shared the sentiment. His voice was unusually lively. All unnecessary emotions had been stripped away. There were only two fools, completely engrossed in this moment of battle.

The intensity escalated rapidly.

From here on, there was no need to waste time healing minor wounds or using mana for tricks. It wouldn’t matter anyway—this man wouldn’t fall no matter how many small tricks I used. And defeating him was out of the question. He was coming at me with the full intent to kill. In that case, I had to respond in kind.

This match had begun unexpectedly, completely out of my control. But if I were to be honest, the moment I stepped onto this rooftop and saw him, my blood had been itching for a fight.

“You can still go on, right!?”

“Of course!!”

Normally, this kind of uncontrollable impulse would never happen. But now, I truly wanted to fight this man with everything I had.

The rapid exchange of sword strikes was dazzling. His blade seemed to split into countless fragments, each carving deep wounds into me. But I didn’t back down. Wielding the blood sword that had somehow appeared in my hand, I struck back, aiming to kill.

If I was wounded, I would just deal him twice as many wounds in return.

Simple. The one who takes more wounds, the one who loses more blood first, will reach their limit and die.

It was madness. A fight to the death wasn’t something that should start so casually. Yet, here we were. And the absurdity of it all made me laugh.

“…Ha! This is just like some crazy battle maniac, isn’t it!?”

Maybe I had been influenced without realizing it, just from constantly being around that noisy person. But once I acknowledged it, it felt oddly satisfying. Holding myself back seemed ridiculous now.

There was no stopping this. Right now, I was having the time of my life. It might even be the first time I’d ever felt this way.

“Ha, haha────”

It wasn’t my usual bad habit acting up. It wasn’t some bloodthirsty, foolish version of myself taking over.

“────Kuhahahahaha!!!!”

This was unmistakably my true self—Claym Bradley’s true feelings.

“Ahahahaha!!!!”

Before I knew it, I couldn’t stop laughing. And neither could the senpai who had been raging at me moments ago. He, too, was genuinely enjoying this fight just as much as I was.

“Ugh…”

“They’ve completely flipped the switch…”

In the corner of my vision, I caught a glimpse of his faction members watching with exasperation. That alone told me what kind of person he normally was.

But none of that mattered. There was no need to consider or analyze the man in front of me. The blade swinging toward me already told me everything I needed to know. Right now, all that mattered was devoting every fiber of my being to this ceaseless clash of swords.

However, we both understood this wouldn’t last long.

The rooftop of the old school building wasn’t meant for such intense battles. The sheer destruction we had wrought had significantly damaged the structure.

Simply put, the building was about to collapse.

What started as a simple duel between students had escalated into something far beyond that.

“Ah, what a shame…”

The lingering excitement, the reluctance to stop. Even as we continued to weave through the countless threads of death, we both sensed the fight was coming to an end.

“Yeah… I didn’t expect much, but fighting you is truly exhilarating──── but you can’t join my faction.”

“────Yeah… I don’t think I’ll be joining, either.”

My priorities had completely changed. After this battle, a new, deeply personal desire had taken root in me.

“Then let’s cross swords again──── Claym Bradley.”

“Yeah. Next time, with everything we’ve got──── Jade Calamity.”

We grinned at each other.

We raised our swords like a firm handshake, pouring every last drop of our magic into them.

──── I want to defeat this man!!

And in the next instant────

“Oraaah!!”

“Tch!!”

With a massive shockwave, the old school building collapsed.

And the next day, the academy was abuzz with a rumor:

“Jade, the Tempest Thunder, and Claym, the Beheader, destroyed an entire school building with a single strike.”