[570] Reaction and Response (2)
As Kaiden's body blurred, Shirone's eyes registered the empty training hall.
It was a speed no one could match without Armand's neural enhancement.
'Was he this strong?'
In the graduating class he hadn't even known how to hold a sword.
And the moment Kaiden took a blade in hand, he was far superior to Kaiden the mage.
'He's just a swordsman!'
A veil of frenzy spread, but Kaiden pierced it and swung his sword.
"Die!"
The blade that grazed Shirone's throat disappeared again.
Shirone used Shotgun Movement, scattering into eight flashes as he shifted position, but Kaiden was already there waiting.
Kaiden seized Shirone's head and, with brutal force, drove it into a tree stump.
"Die! Die!"
He hauled Shirone in with all his strength and thrust his arm as if determined to smash his skull.
"Dieeee!"
Bang!
The stump cracked and shattered, and Shirone's forehead slammed into it—his eyes flaring with light.
'Sibulsang Pokmae!'
One second earlier.
"Dieeee!"
As the stump lunged forward, Shirone compressed photons in his hand and swung his arm.
With a pop, the middle of the stump split apart.
"What…!"
When Kaiden's center of gravity pitched forward, Shirone twisted his body and drove a single Photon Cannon into Kaiden's abdomen.
"Ugh!"
Feeling as if struck by a hammer, Kaiden's body flew to the center of the training hall.
Shirone wiped the blood trickling from his brow, rolled backward several times, then planted his sword in the ground and glared at the crouched Kaiden.
"You bastard…! Ugh!"
Kaiden's eyes went unfocused, then blood spurted from his mouth.
'Damn it! What the hell happened?'
More unbelievable than the impact was the strange doubt blooming in Shirone's mind.
'There wasn't any odd sensation.'
The fight had unfolded naturally, so the result should have been acceptable.
'That's the problem. It felt natural.'
He'd thought victory was sealed, yet somehow he was the one hurt.
'There must have been some shock to his head.'
If the orthodox way for a swordsman to fight a mage is to disrupt concentration, the best target is the head.
To mount a counterattack after multiple shocks to the brain meant one of two things: either absurd mental durability, or some ability.
Normally he'd favor the former, but Kaiden's instincts couldn't ignore the second.
'What on earth is that?'
Light shimmered around Shirone's body.
* * *
"Third scramble has been summoned."
"Coordinates…?"
Iruki skimmed the readout once and stored the image in his mind like a snapshot.
'Training Hall Two Thousand.'
That was the closest coordinate.
But before he could teleport, Iruki planted his feet and looked up at the sky.
"…"
Sometimes you have to make a choice even when you aren't sure.
'Once you get hit, you can't undo it.'
Iruki flipped through his Master Card display and checked the status of all participants.
Most, like Shirone, had collected two random cards.
Picking random is standard when your hand value is low, but a few had chosen white as their second card instead of random.
'They're banking on the third phase, or maybe watching until the fourth.'
That made sense—until he saw this.
Eden's hand was ○○ (Saint).
It might be premature to judge, but she was the only one who didn't take random and had collected another white card.
'Maybe she plans to go for a Tri-Council.'
Iruki cast teleport.
'No way.'
He wasn't heading for the scramble he would claim; he was going where Eden was likely to be.
'This is no time to be hoarding scrambles.'
Because each collected card is logged on the Master Card and the coordinate vanishes, Iruki could roughly guess Eden's location.
'She might not be there. But it's worth the risk.'
Eden would try to collect another white card.
The strongest Scramble Royal hand is ○○○○○○ (Infinity).
Their plan was to gather all six white cards today, then from tomorrow start destroying the opponents' scrambles.
'If we follow the plan, even breaking just one per round means our opponents would lose thirty-six cards over the next six days.'
This strategy worked because Eden was a defense-magic specialist with zero attack power.
'She thinks she can hold out until the last day. She's a pacifist anyway, so she won't need to Kang.'
That was the alliance team's big picture.
They had to stop Eden from collecting six cards and gaining a free roll.
'There it is.'
The scramble glittered at the center of the iron bar spanning the impassable bridge.
At the same moment, Eden materialized on the far side by teleportation.
'Bingo!'
From such a distance they couldn't meet eyes, but the situation's tension carried through the air.
'Speed contest!'
Two flashes shot up and arced toward the bridge's center.
'Atomic Bomb.'
Iruki detonated around the scramble on arrival; Eden cast a defensive spell.
'Saint Barrier.'
The Spirit Zone radiated white light and pushed back the explosion's flames.
'Damn, instant cast won't do it, huh?'
As a servant, Iruki computed detonation equations faster than most, but breaking Eden's barrier would require raw power he had to consider carefully.
Eden stood on the bridge's bar with her knees together and spoke, arms spread.
"You didn't collect the scramble."
"Other people's scrambles always look bigger, you know."
Iruki said it as a joke, but Eden's expression went colder.
"Servant Iruki. I'll admit your quick judgment, but can you push me aside?"
The Saint Barrier's glow intensified.
'This is definitely tricky.'
Defense mages normally have a variety of counters by attribute and technique, but Eden the cleric had only Saint Barrier.
To block all kinds of attacks with one defense also meant vulnerability to the right counter.
But as the Yor Church's foremost believer, Eden's omnipotence made a difference.
She spread her arms as if inviting him and said, "So what will you do? Fight me? Or why don't you try Kang?"
Iruki gave a bitter smile.
"No. I won't. You wouldn't accept anyway."
He had no reason to hide a random card when he planned to counter any Kang with Pao.
'Eden's attack is zero. There's no reason to Kang and reveal my random card.'
As Iruki hesitated, Eden took a slow step toward the scramble.
"Then the scramble's mine—"
"Don't move."
Eden stopped.
'Of course she's wary.'
Eden's plan looked perfect, but there was a way to pry it open.
Cancellation.
No matter how powerful a defensive spell, canceling its precondition leaves it exposed.
Hersy would have hesitated between Cancellation and Armand, but Fermi, pulling the strings behind the scenes, chose Armand.
Even if Eden's plan suffered a small hitch, disabling Armand's combat power was the priority.
'It's a bit of a bruised pride thing.'
Eden still stood her ground, but her mouth was sharp.
"You think you can do it? I can grab the scramble in one second. You'll have to analyze my mental signature in that time."
"One second, huh. I could take a trip around the world inside my head in that time."
Tension tightened—and a flash curved in to land precisely behind Eden.
That alone spoke to the challenger's skill.
"You're late."
Eden didn't turn as Prings rose and said, "Sorry. The distance was quite far."
Iruki's smile burned on the inside.
'Damn it.'
With graduating-class third-ranked Prings and defense mage Eden, the odds of stealing the scramble were extremely low.
Eden, her expression easing from before, asked, "So? Can you still do it?"
'This was the predicted play.'
Hersy's calculation assumed Iruki would read it early and act.
Still, they couldn't let Eden collect more white cards.
Among six-tier hands, Saint (○○) and Religion (○○○) feel completely different.
As Iruki pondered, a teleportation noise came from behind him and Amy landed.
Iruki realized she had the same thought and lifted a corner of his mouth.
"You're late."
"Not late."
Prings watched Amy get to her feet with a sneer. "You picked the wrong helper. If it were Flame Amy, I—Ice Prings—"
Amy cut him off and held up her Master Card.
"Prings, Kang."
An electric signal flashed through Prings' head.
"Amy has called Kang."
Faced with a one-second decision—Kang or Pao, or your cards are revealed—his brain spun fast.
Amy's hand Iruki had checked on arrival was ⓡⓡ○; Prings' hand was ●○● (Republic).
'If she called Kang confidently, does she have Tri-Council? Can't be sure. Maybe she's baiting me to call Pao. It's a mind game.'
A thousand impressions compressed into a single block in his brain.
'Amy has a 33.3% chance of Tri-Council. Even a draw favors us.'
The raw probabilities made the play reasonable.
"Kang."
Their Kangs collided and Amy's random card on the Master Card was revealed.
○●○ (Tri-Council).
"..."
Ruru's signal came through.
"You lost at Kang. Your held cards are revealed. Until the next scramble summon, Amy cannot be harmed."
Silence held. Prings brought his index and middle fingers to his temple and made a decision.
"Then I'll be—"
"Don't you stand there, you bastard!"
Prings teleported away and Amy immediately pursued.
Iruki checked the direction they went.
'The movement duel will be tight; taking their Master Card will be difficult.'
Amy was Shirone's team's striker, but Prings was no pushover.
"Anyway, it's back to the two of us. Shall we see whose movement is faster, or whose thought is quicker?"
Eden pressed her lips together.
-If you meet Iruki early—
Hersy's advice echoed in her ears.
-Give up one card. It's best not to have contact with Iruki for seven days. One card isn't worth having your mental signature analyzed.
Eden took a slow step back.
"Fine. I'll concede. But will the second one be so easy to take?"
'Probably not.'
If Iruki moved, the alliance would weave more complicated routes.
In the worst case they might never meet Eden at all.
'But the alliance would pay for it in total travel distance. That's where we find the exploit.'
When Eden teleported away, Iruki approached the scramble.
He'd currently collected two random cards; the open result was ○●—a useless null hand, but choosing white here would complete a Tri-Council.
'Even if I pick random, the chance of Tri-Council from here isn't even fifty percent. And I can completely hide my hand.'
Iruki converted the scramble into a random card and opened it immediately; a black card came up, completing ●○● (Republic).
"Sigh. Smart head, terrible luck."
Since it wasn't time to fight, he let go of his regrets and cast Shining three times into the sky.
'It's the rally signal!'
Everyone from Shirone's team scattered across the campus looked up and launched themselves.