I Was Sent to an All-Female Frontline Unit to Get Rid of Some of the Trouble, but the Most Beautiful Girls Who Are Rumored to Hate Men Love Me So Much That I Have a Hard Time at Night

Chapter 72: Battle With Narcissus (2)

“You don’t intend to lose even if I get serious?”

“Yes.”

I nodded without hesitation when asked again.

I rarely said such things to people.

But I couldn’t back down now.

As I thought this, Narcissus spoke with a burdened expression.

“To think someone would say that to me… Is ignorance this terrifying!? But that’s why! I’ll show you I don’t need to get serious to defeat you!”

He spoke grandly, raised his right hand toward me dramatically.

“Let’s see how long you can keep saying that!”

Narcissus continued firing magic at me.

I caught all of them with my hands precisely.

Perhaps realizing his attacks weren’t working, Narcissus stopped his hand.

“I see… You’re indeed exceptionally talented for a trainee.”

“If you think so, will you get serious now?”

“Heh, I said earlier, didn’t I? I don’t need to get serious to defeat you! Feel my brilliance with your body! Shine for me! Flash!!”

Narcissus shouted loudly and released light from his hand.

I closed my eyes quickly to avoid dizziness.

But my vision was still blocked.

“Heh, my magic is intense, right? Flash is a spell most with light magic aptitude can use, but I’ve never seen anyone cast it more dazzlingly than me… Do you know what that means?”

“Yes. Your mana quantity and quality surpass those you’ve met—”

“No need to ask! It’s because I’m more splendid than anyone! My brilliance creates the most intense light!”

Norn’s Charm magic relied heavily on the user’s charm.

But Flash depended only on mana quantity and quality.

The user’s charm was irrelevant.

Explaining that here would be pointless, so I stayed silent.

“Now… My brilliance has robbed your vision, making it hard to catch attacks like before. What will you do? If you retract your earlier words—”

“No, my stance hasn’t changed. I won’t attack until you get serious, and I don’t intend to lose even then.”

“! I see… Then I’ll take you down before these tens of thousands!”

Catching attacks with blocked vision was riskier than dodging.

If it were Elena’s attacks, maybe not, but I thought I could handle Narcissus’s current attacks.

Still, seeing was safer for catching.

But—

“Flame Ball!”

Humans have hearing, smell, and more besides sight.

Above all, mana detection was useful when fighting with blocked vision.

But with magic fired so close and directly, detection wasn’t needed.

From earlier, Narcissus seemed to have increased his mana slightly, but I dodged it with minimal movement.

I heard Narcissus’s magic hit the barrier behind me.

Since Flash was still active, I kept my eyes closed.

“What…!? You dodged my attack with your eyes closed…!?”

“At this distance, it’s not that hard.”

If it were Elena or the white-haired assassin, it wouldn’t be so easy.

But I couldn’t fall behind Narcissus.

Especially a holding-back Narcissus.

“Heh, just because you dodged by chance, you talk big— Can you dodge this too?”

Immediately, he fired multiple magic spells at me.

I dodged them all.

“No matter how many you fire, it’s the same. These attacks won’t hit me.”

I said this, and Narcissus stopped casting.

He also canceled Flash, so I opened my eyes.

“You’re good at dodging… You have the greatest ability a weakling should. Thanks to you, the audience is thrilled.”

Narcissus glanced at the audience, and I did too.

The barrier muffled it, but listening closely—

“Hey! That’s a trainee? No way…!?”

“He dodged those fast balls with his eyes closed…!”

“That’s insane…!”

The audience cheered loudly.

Among tens of thousands, I heard—

“So cool…! You’re awesome, Finn!!”

“Go, Tera~!!”

“Dodging with eyes closed is too good…!!”

The frontline unit’s voices reached me.

Their voices warmed my heart.

Narcissus turned to me.

“This isn’t the outcome I expected, but it’ll work as a show if I get a bit serious… Be grateful you’ll feel a fraction of my power, the next top force of the Luvankrum Empire’s military.”

“The next top force of the Luvankrum Empire’s military…”

“Yes, I’ll soon rival… no, surpass them, becoming the top force! I’ll show my power here! And take everything!”

Elena and the others grew strong by caring for their comrades.

That led them to become the top force of the Luvankrum Empire’s military.

Yet this man…

“Narcissus, I— as a member of the frontline unit, the strongest of the Luvankrum Empire’s military— will definitely defeat you.”

I declared this quietly.

Narcissus looked confused.

“Defeat me? As a frontline unit member?”

“Yes.”

“Heh… Hahaha! A mere commoner… Fine. I retract my earlier words. From now, I’ll fight seriously.”

Seriously…

That meant I could fight seriously now too.

I didn’t know how serious Narcissus would get, but I’d move cautiously.

As I thought this, Narcissus noticed the sword at my waist.

“Hm…? I don’t recall you having a sword before. What’s that?”

“I received it yesterday. I confirmed it doesn’t violate tournament rules if unused.”

“Received yesterday…? I see, Sephia Chevalier… I don’t know why she gave a mere commoner such a thing— It’s unfit for you! I’ll destroy that sword first!”

The moment Narcissus raised his hand toward me, I raised mine faster.

“Convergence Ray.”

I fired a high-powered, focused light magic beam straight.

It nearly pierced Narcissus without time for him to react.

But I remembered this was a tournament and this spell could kill him.

I twisted the light’s direction quickly.

The magic hit the barrier directly—

“What…!?”

Cracks formed in the barrier, and it shattered seconds later.

A rain of mana covered the arena.

“What was that magic—”

I ignored it.