Anime, Girlfriend Shokuhou Misaki.

The wind once again graced this meadow.

However, it is no longer appropriate to call this place a meadow.

Just moments ago, the lawn was man-made and perfectly tidy; now, not a single blade of grass remains.

Yes, only because of the charred remains after the flames burned, and the earth that has become riddled with holes.

However, what is truly shocking is not this.

Instead, it was a knife mark that seemed to have completely cleaved the earth, traversing a diameter of 500 meters, like an abyss.

This knife mark is truly shocking and terrifying.

At the end of the knife mark was a human body that had been split in two.

"Kid, you've caused such a commotion, and now you're making this old man clean up your mess? Are you deliberately making things difficult for this old man?"

Standing behind Haramura Makoto, Nango Hikojiro's face fell.

Putting everything else aside, restoring this 500-meter-long crack to its original state would be a very troublesome task.

"I believe in my master's abilities."

"Also, in order to avoid being noticed by others, I will leave first."

Without lingering for even a minute longer, Haramura Makoto vanished without a trace, using the footwork taught to him by Nango Hikojiro.

"This brat."

Looking at the mess in front of him and the departing figure of Haramura Makoto, Nango Hikojiro laughed and cursed.

He felt that his disciple had already mastered about 70% of his shamelessness.

But then he fell silent.

"This kid is a bit too strong now. I wonder if he's reached that door yet."

"If this doesn't even get you to the door, then that kid will probably have a very hard time getting to it."

Nango Hikojiro sighed softly, but the worry on his face only lasted for a second before he pulled out his cell phone from his pocket.

"Hey, hey, Kuroko, I have something urgent to tell you, come over here..."

……

Time quickly moved to the third day, the start of the second round of the competition.

"How's the recovery going? Do you feel like you can give it your all?"

This time, this isn't the audience seating area on stage, but rather a rest area prepared for the athletes.

The room is about 40 to 50 square meters in size and is equipped with a sofa and a large screen for watching the game live.

Each school has a player lounge like this, which is more than enough to accommodate five or six people.

"No problem, it has been fully recovered."

Faced with Makoto Haramura's question, Ikki Kurogane clenched his fist, but his face was full of guilt.

"I'm sorry, Shizuku and Kiriko."

Just like he said at the hospital bedside, the regeneration pod alone is not enough for Ikki Kurogane to catch up with the match.

Therefore, Kurogane Shizuku gave up all of her magic power, plus about 60% of Yakushi Kiriko's primal magic power.

As a result, the current situation is that Shizuku Kurogane is lying in the hospital bed in place of Ikki Kurogane.

Because Yakushi Kiriko didn't have time to recover her magic and mental strength, her once sure victory has now become uncertain.

"If you can defeat Black Iron King, that will be the best way to repay them."

Makoto Haramura glanced briefly at Ikki Kurogane.

Kurogane Shizuku wants to see Kurogane Ikki fulfill his wish, while Yakushi Kiriko wants to fulfill her responsibility as a doctor and let her patients use their full strength.

The favors these two people bestowed upon Ikki Kurogane were immense.

To this favor of weight, Ikki Kurogane could only reply with one sentence.

"I won't say I'm sure I'll win."

"But I will fight with all my might in the battles to come."

Such a resounding and powerful answer was enough to demonstrate Ikki Kurogane's determination.

"We are now interrupting with an emergency broadcast."

The discussion about Makoto Haramura and Ikki Kurogane had just ended, and on the screen where it was being broadcast, the voice of the female commentator from the day before yesterday suddenly rang out.

"During this year's Seven Star Sword Dance Festival, Shinomiya Amane of Akatsuki Academy was confirmed dead yesterday. The investigation into the cause of death is ongoing, and we hope to find out the cause of death as soon as possible..."

The astonishing news completely stunned everyone who heard it.

Not only the spectators in the stands, but also Toudou Touka and Takatokuhara Kanata, who were sitting in the players' lounge at that moment, felt the same way.

Only Makoto Haramura and Stella exchanged a glance.

That’s right, Tianyin Shinomiya is dead.

There is absolutely no way to save it.

He was cut in half at the waist, his body split in two, and his brainwaves had completely disappeared. Even if Yakushi Kiriko came in person, she could only revive him within the golden ten minutes of emergency treatment.

The only solution now is probably a miracle of time reversal.

Also, are you looking for traces of Shinomiya Amane's death?

Not at all.

The next day, under the pretext of visiting Ikki Kurogane, Makoto Haramura went to take another look at the scene.

Everything was restored to exactly the same as it was at the beginning, without the slightest change.

The lawn was lush and green, and the streetlights were in good working order.

It was as if time had truly reversed; if Makoto Haramura hadn't been so clear about what he had done, he probably would have doubted himself.

How can you find evidence of Makoto Haramura's crime when there isn't a single trace left at the scene?

He didn't know how the old man had managed to do it.

In short, he made the right choice in asking the old man for help.

"Therefore, because of the death of Shinomiya Amane, the match between Akatsuki Academy's Shinomiya Amane and Hagun Academy's Katorihara Kanata, which was originally scheduled for the first round of the C venue today, will be directly advanced by Katorihara Kanata."

"Also, similarly, news has come from the Pojun Academy that Kurogane Shizuku has over-exploded her magic power."

"Therefore, the match between Kurashiki Kurato of Tanlang Academy and Kurogane Shizuku of Pojun Academy, which was originally scheduled for the second round of the competition at venue A today, will be directly advanced by Kurashiki Kurato."

She found it; without a doubt, she found it.

"Congratulations to the vice president on successfully advancing to the round of 16."

Chapter 122 Entertainment Program

Why do we say congratulations?

After all, Kanata Katori could never beat Amane Shinomiya, and she had originally planned to forfeit today. Unexpectedly, she has now made it into the round of 16.

"Then I'll go in first."

The bell rang in the lounge, urging Makoto Haramura to enter.

"Let's take the victory, Makoto."

Stella placed a gentle kiss on his face.

"Of course."

Makoto Haramura also leaned down and gave Stella a light kiss on her oval face.

"It will be over soon."

……

"Now let's begin the second round of the competition, the first match in Zone A."

"The first player we can see is the super popular player coming out from the east passage, Makoto Haramura from the Pojun Academy."

The female commentator's voice was playing from the loudspeaker.

The atmosphere at the scene was stirred up at this moment, with countless young people even standing up and shouting.

"Time freezes, time freezes—"

Especially the sharp screams mixed in with the shouts; if this weren't a competition venue, one might even mistake it for a gathering place of some cult.

Their fervent demeanor suggested they had found their faith.

Some enthusiastic fans were even prepared to break through the protective shields and rush onto the field.

Under the spotlight, Makoto Haramura strode confidently to his rightful place.

At that moment, it seemed as if the eyes of the world were focused on him.

"Wow, you're really popular, junior brother."

As the voice rang out, a girl with a ponytail, long black hair, and a band-aid on her face, wearing the uniform of the Musou Academy and looking very energetic, waved her hand and ran towards Haramura Makoto.

"Ok?"

A question mark appeared above Haramura Makoto's head, and he gave him a "Who are you?" look.

"Eh?"

"Didn't your master tell you about me? This is really too much."

"I'm your senior sister."

The girl was devastated, and her straight ponytail drooped down.

"Now entering the arena is his opponent, 'Onibi' Momiji Asagi from Muko Academy."

"Of course, the most noteworthy thing is that both of them are disciples of the God of War, which means that a battle between fellow disciples will be staged here."

The host's voice rang out again.

"I'm sorry, senior sister."

“My master definitely didn’t tell me.”

Makoto Haramura seemed to realize something for a moment, then offered a clearly insincere apology.

Nango Hikojiro is already ninety years old this year.

From the moment he became famous, he was actually teaching many swordsmen in his own country, some as his personal disciples and others as his nominal disciples.

So many years have passed, if Nango Hikojiro were to carefully count how many apprentices he had taken on, he probably wouldn't even have a recollection of it.

Of course, that is precisely why the name "God of War" is so influential.

It represents not only that Nango Hikojiro is currently the strongest in Japan, but also the Fighting God lineage that has spread throughout the Japanese sword-wielding community.

"Wow--"

It was like a heavy hammer hitting Asagi Momiji on the head, leaving her dizzy and disoriented.

"I thought today was going to be a dramatic meeting, but my master is just too awful..."

"Shall we begin?"

Makoto Haramura scratched his head and turned to ask Kurono Shinguji.

"Both sides prepare, the match begins."

The moment the start of the match was announced and the command was given, Shinomiya Kurono immediately withdrew from the battle.

Asagi Momiji summoned her spirit dress and pouted angrily, seemingly about to teach her disobedient junior brother, Haramura Makoto, a lesson.

Blazing flames swirled around her sword-shaped spirit armor. Asagi Momiji was determined to cause trouble for her junior brother, so she charged forward with her sword in hand.

But at the very moment she launched her attack.

Haramura Makoto simply vanished right before her eyes.

She didn't even blink, nor did she notice any trace of her foot being pulled away.