Saturday night.
The fateful moment … no, the duel was about to begin.
In the living room, Seiji was playing shogi with Hitaka now that he was wearing his combat uniform.
The red-haired girl's dress was basically the same as the one she wore during the duel last time, except that there were more pieces of armor on it, making it look like light armor.
She quietly stared at the chessboard, and after some consideration, she picked up a piece named Osmanthus between her index and middle fingers and gently placed it down.
Her elegant movements and serious expression were both moving and beautiful.
Seiji admired this beauty as he played.
On the other side, Summer Night was wearing the same tight-fitting outfit as the one she wore during the duel last time. She was gently stroking Rona's head as she rested her head on her lap.
Rana had now transformed into a large cat girl. She was wearing a black dress with dark-red armor. Her cat ears were drooping softly, and her furry tail was wagging as she meowed comfortably from time to time.
This scene was incredibly alluring, but Seiji was too embarrassed to stare at her, so he could only sneak a few glances.
The scene was quiet and harmonious. Just looking at this scene, it seemed more like they were about to participate in a cosplay event than a duel.
Time ticked by. It seemed to pass very slowly, but when it was finally time, it seemed to pass very quickly.
"Let's continue," Seiji said as he stood up.
"Yeah." Hitaka nodded slightly and stood up as well.
"Meow ~ ~" Rona stretched lazily after she got up from Summer Night's lap. Her different-colored eyes were shining brightly.
"Let's go," Summer Night said calmly as she stood up.
They saw Mai before they left the room.
"May your martial arts be prosperous." The maid bowed in greeting.
With a smile as a response, Seiji, Summer Night, and the others left the room together and headed for the duel.
…
The moment had finally arrived.
Akatsuki Mitarai, who was sitting in his car, looked out the window with a devilish smile on his handsome face.
As long as he won the duel, he would be able to obtain what he had wanted for a long time, and it would come with considerable benefits.
As for losing? He had never thought of this possibility, because it was simply impossible.
The duel this time would end with one side surrendering or all of them collapsing. There were no bullsh * t game rules such as losing upon stepping out of bounds!
During the Winter Snow Festival, Akira Mitarai admitted that he had been careless and underestimated Haruta Seiji, which led to his humiliating defeat.
This time, other than ensuring that the winner could not be decided by petty tricks, he had also greatly increased the estimation of Haruta Seiji's strength. He had even taken into account the possibility that Haruta Seiji was actually stronger than Summer Night.
Although the possibility of this happening was very small, Akira Mitarai had already predicted the worst. Above that, he was still sure that he would win. There was no doubt about it!
"Let me see how far you can struggle." He smiled, his eyes cold. "Don't make me feel unexpectedly bored."
It was boring for the prey that had fallen into the trap to not put up any decent struggle. Only when the prey showed an expression of complete despair at the very last moment was the most interesting.
…
Seiji saw a black luxury car enter the school grounds and stop.
The car door opened.
The first to exit the car was Naruo Yashuu, a dark-purple short-haired boy who wore a dark-purple bodysuit.
Next, a red-haired girl wearing a platinum dress stepped out from the backseat. Her name was Koogi Koogi.
At the same time, Shinobu Miaki, a silver-haired "girl" who wore a blood-red short skirt and Sakura Island attire, also stepped out from the backseat.
The last to exit the car was a handsome boy wearing blue and white hunting attire, Akira Mitarai.
The four of them walked up to Seiji and the others and stood facing them.
The black luxury car turned around and left the school grounds.
"Good evening, Summer Night, as well as everyone else." Akira Mitarai smiled in greeting.
"Good evening, Mitarai-san," Summer Night responded calmly. "Please don't call me by my name."
"Heh heh … after tonight, you probably won't say that again."
"That's right, after tonight, I won't need to say it again … but right now, I still want to express that your attitude disgusts me."
While the two of them were conversing in a seemingly natural manner, Seiji unsheathed his black longsword and a white shield that had a pentagram spell formation engraved on it.
Yashuu, who was directly across from him, had his hands transformed into purple-red claws. His face was covered by a long-horned demon mask.
Hitaka unsheathed her red longsword and raised her cursed pistol.
Koogi, who was directly across from her, raised a pair of golden-red pistols. Both pistols were equipped with sharp blades.
Rona revealed her sharp cat claws.
Shinobu, who was directly across from her, raised her long and short swords.
Right after, a firework exploded near the school, emitting a bright red glow.
This was the referee's signal for the duel to begin!
"Let's watch fireworks together this summer," Akira Mitarai spoke in a gentle tone.
"I will, but definitely not with you," Summer Night stated coldly.
Yashuu suddenly erupted with a purple-red glow and charged forward!
Seiji instantly transformed into his golden form and met Shinobu's attack head on with his shield!
The two of them clashed fiercely as the vanguards. With a loud boom, an invisible shockwave swept up a large amount of dust!
Koogi leapt into the air and shot at Seiji!
Hitaka shot at her and leapt towards her!
Shinobu wielded her dual swords and charged at Summer Night!
Rona blinked and attacked from Shinobu's side!
Summer Night spread her hands and activated the school's spell formation!
Akira Mitarai raised his hands and summoned four black pillars!
* Smack! *
The spells from both sides clashed head-on, causing an explosion that was even more blinding than the fireworks earlier!!
"Oh … this is a nice opening."
The female referee, Ayami Himiki, sighed in praise upon seeing this scene.
As usual, she was accompanied by her husky Spirit-branded Retainer as she watched the duel.
The previous duel between the Wanhua Family's Grand Mistress and the Okubo Family's young master had left a deep impression on her. That was why she was more than happy to accept this task. She even gave the referee a discount on her fee.
Although she knew that it would be foolish to hope for another legendary duel like Shutendoji against Minamoto no Raiko, as a referee, she still had to have some expectations. Perhaps there really would be an astonishing scene this time.
So far, the opening had been spectacular. It was a 4v4 mixed battle!
A mixed battle was completely different from a 1v1 battle. Teamwork between companions was incredibly important. Sometimes, excellent teamwork could determine victory. Conversely, a single terrible mistake could lead to a crushing defeat.
Ayami had witnessed both positive and negative examples before. She deeply understood that this type of duel was far more exciting than a 1v1 duel. Sometimes, victory and defeat could be decided in an instant. Someone who didn't have a clear mind might lose without even realizing what happened.
As a young yet excellent referee, she had the ability to clearly observe the actions of both sides in a mixed battle of eight people. She also had the luxury of paying attention to specific individuals.
A handsome guy wearing a trench coat on the red team (the Wanhua Family's Grand Mistress)!
The handsome guy who seemed like a newbie in the previous duel didn't seem rusty at all this time. He was a qualified temporary Spirit-branded Retainer … no way!
Ayami was astonished by how much this guy's power had increased.
How long had it been!? His Spiritual Power had increased by so much. That was amazing!
Could it be that he had gone to a Spirit World to cultivate? Or perhaps he had eaten or used something good?
No matter what, this level of power couldn't be viewed as a "temporary Spirit-branded Retainer." This was his main combat strength! Not to mention, the transformation from last time …
'But my bonded spirit doesn't seem to be Minamoto no Raiko anymore. A golden spell … what could it be?'
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