Chapter 242 - Defeated
"Don't you know who I am? I was the third-ranked Knight in the world. Do you seriously not know what my ultimate Noble Art is?"
Kurono gave Roy an annoyed look.
Roy laughed dryly. He wasn't a native of this world, so he hadn't memorized Kurono Shinguuji's entire biography.
At most, he had browsed the general information about the new Chairwoman of Hagun Academy online.
Besides, specific details about the trump cards of top-tier Blazers were state secrets; they wouldn't be published on a public forum.
"The Chairwoman's ultimate Noble Art is Space-Time Fracture. It is listed as a Forbidden Art by the League of Mage-Knight Nations," Ayase explained from the sidelines, her voice trembling slightly at the mention of it.
"Space-Time Fracture?" Roy couldn't help but be amazed. The name alone exuded destructive power.
Ayase went on to explain the specific circumstances of this move and why the League had banned it.
Years ago, during the KOK competition that cemented her ranking as World No. 3, Kurono met an evenly matched opponent.
That opponent used a gravity-based Noble Art to summon a meteorite from outer space, an attack capable of wiping out a small country.
To counter it, Kurono used her time manipulation to such an extreme that she shattered the fabric of space-time itself, erasing the meteorite from existence.
However, the result was catastrophic. The arena was completely annihilated, and the space within it was permanently broken, rendering it unrecoverable.
To this day, that location remains a restricted zone where the laws of physics no longer apply.
Because the damage caused by this technique is irreversible, the League strictly forbade Kurono from using it again.
Naturally, she couldn't use a country destroying technique in a duel with a student. If she did, the Board of Directors would have her head on a platter.
"Looking at your expression... don't tell me you have a way to restrain even that?"
Kurono stared at Roy's face, reading the lack of fear in his eyes, and couldn't help but blurt out the question.
"Maybe..." Roy said uncertainly, though his tone suggested otherwise.
"Seriously?!" Kurono's expression twisted in disbelief.
In a duel with Kurono, Roy had held back several of his own trump cards, specifically the power of Envy.
Using the sealing power of Envy could potentially nullify Kurono's ability to manipulate time, or at least disrupt it enough to prevent the fracture.
"What a monster..."
Kurono shook her head helplessly, using that descriptor again.
At first, she had comforted herself with the fact that she lost because she couldn't use her strongest move.
But she hadn't expected Roy to be hiding capabilities that could potentially counter even her Forbidden Art.
In that sense, she had lost this battle completely.
"You two go to my office and wait. I need to go to the infirmary to treat these burns."
Kurono reached into her pocket for a cigarette, only to find that the pack had been incinerated by the explosion of Fusillade Fallarica.
"Tsk." She touched the wound on her waist awkwardly, silently blaming Roy for being so ruthless.
Under Kurono's order, Roy and Ayase didn't linger in the arena. They turned and walked back toward the Administration Building.
Watching Roy's retreating back, Kurono couldn't help but spiral into thought.
"If this guy participates in the Seven Star Sword Art Festival, I'm afraid no one will be able to stand against him."
Roy's strength was leagues beyond the immature student knights of this generation.
Even the champion of the previous festival wouldn't be able to make waves in front of Roy; they would be dealt with easily.
In Kurono's estimation, Roy's current strength would rank him in the Top 5 of the KOK A-League. And that was a conservative estimate.
Unless a miracle occurred, the championship of this year's Seven Star Sword Art Festival was already Roy's.
"Is this the second time I've been defeated by a student?"
Kurono, walking toward the infirmary, smiled bitterly.
She was truly unlucky. Before the school year had even officially started, she had been bested by students twice.
The first time could be called an accident. When she faced that student, she hadn't been serious. She had held back significantly, allowing him to find an opening and defeat her in one fell swoop using his Noble Art, Ittou Shura.
But this time, there were no excuses.
She had gotten serious. She had used Clock Crisis. And she had still been suppressed and defeated.
"Am I being a little too strict with Ikki Kurogane?"
Kurono suddenly had a heavy thought.
Ikki Kurogane, the Worst One, was the student who had defeated her before Roy. Due to his low mana capacity, he had been forced to repeat a grade and was on the verge of expulsion due to political pressure from the Kurogane family.
To save his academic career, Ikki had demanded a duel with Kurono when she took office. He won, securing his place at Hagun Academy. However, Kurono had set a harsh condition:
If Ikki Kurogane wants to graduate, he must win the Seven Star Sword Art Festival.
Before meeting Roy, Kurono believed Ikki had a fighting chance. His technique was flawless, and his determination was terrifying.
But now, Roy had appeared.
This kind of monster-like strength wasn't something Ikki could deal with.
Roy crushed him in every aspect. Speed, strength, magic power, and even swordsmanship.
Placing the condition of Champion or Expulsion on Ikki now seemed like a death sentence.
Before leaving the arena completely, Kurono turned around. She raised Propator and fired a single shot into the air above the training ground.
Noble Art: World Clock (Reverse).
The arena, which had been turned into a cratered wasteland, began to rewind. Debris flew backward, floor tiles reassembled, and the scorched earth turned pristine.
In an instant, the arena was restored to its original state, as if the battle had never happened.
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