The legend of the Crimson Demon clan started from Suqing.

Chapter 148: Training Hall at Four in the Morning
From that day on, Ayatsuji Ayase avoided me.

Until the night before the competition, she still did not appear in front of Zun Zun.

"In the end, she still didn't show up... Zun Zun, didn't she even reply to the text message?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

There was a calm smile on Arisuin Nagi's lips, but there was a hint of temptation in her eyes.

"Are you doubting me?"

He didn't say it explicitly, but his expression showed it.

"Hey, hey, I'm no match for her. If there's anyone who's worried, it should be that person, right?"

"really."

Zun Zun and Arisuin Nagi looked at Ikki Kurogane who was playing with his student handbook across from them.

“You guys are really sharp.”

After being stared at by the two, Ikki Kurogane threw the student handbook in his hand over. The screen showed a text message, and the sender was Ayase Ayase.

The content is——

[I have something very important to discuss with Kurotsuchi-san, and only you can help me with this. I hope you can help me. I will wait for you on the roof of the main school building at 3 a.m. tomorrow.]

"Without a doubt..."

"It's a trap."

Zun Zun and Arisuin Nagi sang in unison.

There are too many doubts.

First of all, sending such a message at such a critical moment is already very suspicious, not to mention that he only told Kurogane Ikki and asked him to meet at the school building at three in the morning.

If there is nothing wrong with it, no fool would believe it.

Even if Kurogane Ikki chose to believe it, Zun Zun knew that he chose to believe his friend rather than the text message.

"What are you going to do?"

"I will go see her."

"Ah, really?"

Ikki Kurogane answered without any hesitation. When Nagi Arisuin hesitated to speak, he turned around, waved his hand and left the training ground.

He knew that no matter what he said, Kurogane Ikki would go to see Ayatsuji Ayase, so what he had to do next was -

late at night.

Zun Zun did not fall asleep, but came to the sixth training hall.

There is no human presence here, and the silence makes people feel isolated from the world. Even if the bright moonlight shines on them, it cannot bring a trace of warmth.

He lowered his head and fell silent.

——Damn it, why doesn't this academy have a piano? Even in a knight academy, cultural subjects are important! Is such a great opportunity going to slip away?

Zun Zun is complaining.

If he had a piano, he could also pretend to be like Lord Shadow.

Unfortunately, no.

Just then, his student handbook made a dinging sound. When he opened it, he saw that it was a text message from Stella.

The content is——

[Ikki used the sword Shura and is now in a deep sleep. We sent him to the infirmary. ]

A meaningless message.

But Zun Zun reacted immediately.

This must be Ayase Ayase's plan.

Ikki's One Sword Shura is very powerful, but its disadvantages are short duration and long cooldown time.

So the best way to defeat him is to force him to use this move before that, so that he cannot exert his full strength in the battle.

No wonder the meeting time was three in the morning.

The timing is really accurate.

He glanced at the time.

It shows 4: AM.

Although Zun Zun has never seen Los Angeles at 4 a.m., the training hall at 4 a.m. is unexpectedly deserted. He quickly put away the student handbook and turned off the power. If he was interrupted while filling the cup, it would be embarrassing.

Then she sat down under the battle circle, the moonlight pouring on her black hair. She lowered her head slightly and hid her face in the darkness. Only her eyes, glowing red, were full of mystery.

Soon the door of the venue was opened.

A figure walked in slowly.

The white bathrobe she was wearing was wet, with her chest wide open and extremely transparent, clinging to her slender and perfect curves, and her expression was filled with sadness.

But when he saw Zun Zun sitting on the steps of the battle circle, there was obvious surprise in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared.

Ayase Ayase didn't dare to look at those red eyes. She lowered her head as if she didn't see Zun Zun. She stepped onto the steps of the battle circle step by step. Her heavy steps were like walking towards destruction.

When the two people crossed.

"May I?"

"..."

"You have abandoned your pride as a swordsman, your pride as a swordsman, and even your pride as a human being. Can you really be proud of this? Can you hold your head high and face your achievements?"

"This has nothing to do with classmate Zun Zun."

Ayase Ayatsuji ignored him and walked forward.

She began to swing in the battle circle, and the bright red sword continued to tear through the space, leaving slashes in this space.

This is the ability of her inherent spiritual equipment - tearing wounds, which allows the slash to stay and be released when needed.

"……I have a question."

"What is it?"

When she heard the question, her movements paused slightly.

"Did you really deceive us?"

"I cheated. Are you angry?"

"how to say?"

Zun Zun raised his head, looked up at the sky and said slowly: "I can clearly distinguish between those who are important to me and those who are not important."

Such an answer seemed to surprise Ayatsuji Ayase. She turned around and silently looked at Zun Zun who was looking up at the moonlight.

"As we get older, we all have more important things. We have friends, lovers, and work... But for me, I'm reducing them, and in the end, there are only things that I can't give up. So, other things are actually irrelevant."

"You mean it doesn't matter what happens between Kurogane-san and me?"

"Who knows? But—"

Zun Zun's answer was ambiguous.

He stood up, looked at the gloomy Ayase Ayase, and slowly said: "Even if I knew it was a trap, knew it was an exploit, and allowed you to do small tricks at the venue, there is only one reason why I didn't stop you - that is, even so, you still can't beat Ikki, that's all."

"Well!"

Ayatsuji Ayase's eyes widened.

Having legitimacy without results is nothing but a joke. Just like "If you lose, everything is wrong, but if you win, there will be great scholars to debate for you."

She had been deceiving and paralyzing herself, dirtying her own hands, tarnishing the noble soul of a swordsman, and taking advantage of Kurogane Ikki's kindness, and finally came to this point.

Obviously, all the prerequisites are the same as expected, and victory is only one step away, but Zun Zun still does not think highly of himself.

“I want to win.”

Ayase Ayatsuji closed her heart again, and with a sneer on her lips, she waved her inherent spiritual outfit again.

"No matter what means I use, I will definitely defeat my opponent completely!"

"Really? Then... I wish you good luck in martial arts."

Zun Zun nodded slightly at her.

After saying that, he slowly walked out of the venue.

Ayase Ayatsuji looked at his departing back, tears streaming down her eyes.

"You threw our dignity to the ground and trampled on it, and even threw away your own self-esteem. Even if you get something like that back in the end, can you really be proud of it!?"

Ikki Kurogane's sorrowful question still echoes in her ears.

"I am really... a hopeless woman."

A faint sigh was heard in the darkness.

(End of this chapter)