The lives of mortals may be as brief as morning dew.
However…
It is precisely because of that brief life that they can, within their limited time, erupt with a radiance enough to make even the gods look twice.
Even the weakest ant, when swinging its blade in a desperate struggle for survival, is still filled with unpredictable variables.
Because of this, when a mortal surpasses their own limits for the sake of protecting their companions, or simply for pure ambition, and creates a great feat even the gods did not foresee…
That moment, that spark called the unknown…
To gods drowning in eternal loneliness, it is the sweetest wine in the world and the most dazzling light.
This is not merely the gods’ twisted amusement in observing the Lower World.
It is also a resonance between both sides in their search for the essence of life.
Gods envy the potential of mortals.
Mortals yearn for the power of gods.
That is the core contract of that world.
An epic game in which both sides willingly wager their lives and glory.
“So…”
“That is the place I want to take you.”
“A world without a ceiling, only endless challenges.”
“A world where, even if you die, you can die magnificently instead of rotting away in the boredom of one identical day after another.”
As Heimer’s words fell, the gymnasium sank into deathly silence.
Only the occasional sound of wind outside the windows and the slightly quickened breathing of everyone present intertwined in the air.
But this was not fear.
It was a throbbing they had never felt before.
It was like an eagle imprisoned for far too long seeing the blue sky called freedom through the gaps of its cage for the first time.
That shudder that came from deep within their souls made even their fingertips tingle slightly.
“Heh…”
Amou Kirukiru raised a hand and casually brushed away a strand of black hair that had fallen beside her ear.
Her black eyes, which were always filled with arrogance, now burned like dry grass set ablaze.
Within them was a fire almost close to obsession.
She looked at Heimer with blazing eyes.
It was as if she were looking at the salvation that had finally arrived after her long wait.
For this Empress, who had already stood at the top of the academy, the world Heimer described was practically a paradise tailor-made for her.
“A place like that… is where I truly belong.”
Amou did not hide her desire in the slightest.
If such a world truly existed, then even dying in the next second would be ten thousand times better than rotting away here.
In response, Heimer nodded slightly and turned his gaze toward the others.
Mozunono Nono had already shrunk her neck and instinctively hid behind Onigawara Rin, clearly frightened.
But Onigawara and Inaba Tsukuyo fell silent.
Although they did not immediately state their intentions like Amou, the light in their eyes could not lie.
After all…
Who did not have such thoughts?
As martial artists, as people who held sharp blades in their hands…
Who would not long for a stage where the sword in their hands could truly display its worth?
Who would be willing to remain confined within this narrow campus until graduation, only to disappear into the crowd as an ordinary person?
…
Just as the atmosphere was growing intense…
“Bang!”
A sudden loud noise rang out from the ventilation window above the gymnasium, completely ruining the mood.
Everyone turned toward the sound.
At the high ventilation window of the gymnasium, there came the clanging sound of something heavy hitting a metal duct, along with the low growl of some startled beast.
“Aieee! That hurts!”
“Are you an idiot?! How do you slip at a time like this?!”
Amid a burst of flying dust, everyone left the gymnasium and looked outside.
There…
Two figures—no, to be precise, two people and two bears—were sprawled awkwardly beneath the high ventilation window.
The first to draw attention was a girl with brilliant golden hair, the ends of which curled into waves like baguettes.
She wore a modified school uniform and still clutched a thick dictionary tightly in her hand.
Kikakujou Mary.
One of the Five Supreme Swords—Kikakujou Mary.
She was one of the members of the Five Supreme Swords, and she was also a famous user of Western swordsmanship within this academy.
…
“This is far too inelegant!”
“This is absolutely that stupid bear’s fault!”
Kikakujou Mary dusted off her uniform while gripping the thick dictionary with her uninjured hand, her face full of anger.
The culprit behind this commotion clearly was not her.
Beside her was a petite blonde girl who looked like she was still in elementary school.
Hanasaka Warabi.
She was also one of the Five Supreme Swords.
Although she looked young on the outside, she was actually the oldest among them.
However, with that almost loli-like appearance, she truly did not look convincing at all.
“Honestly! This is all your fault!”
“You failed me at the critical moment! You made me lose all face!”
At this moment, Hanasaka Warabi was clutching her swollen instep while glaring at the giant bear lying on the ground with an expression of frustrated disappointment.
Yes.
A giant bear!
A genuine black bear wearing a collar!
One of the Five Supreme Swords—Hanasaka Warabi.
This black bear seemed to be Hanasaka Warabi’s pet.
Because it had overheard Heimer’s speech about the gods and was frightened weak in the legs by that faint divine pressure, it had stumbled and fallen, causing their supposedly perfect infiltration to completely collapse.
“Honestly… I told you to practice your balance more, but you never listened!”
Hanasaka Warabi angrily scolded the giant bear, which was now hugging its head and trembling.
Then…
She seemed to realize something.
She turned her head and happened to meet several pairs of eyes that looked as if they were smiling but not quite smiling.
“Uh…”
Hanasaka Warabi froze on the spot.
…
Faced with Hanasaka Warabi’s instantly stiff expression, and Kikakujou Mary’s attempt to hide her face with a dictionary as if that would make her invisible, the atmosphere in the air immediately became rather subtle.
“You were actually eavesdropping…”
A low murmur finally broke the awkwardness.
The one who spoke was Onigawara Rin, whose emotions had only just settled down a little.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
The gaze that had been somewhat evasive due to shame instantly became sharp again.
For Onigawara, everything that had just happened—her mask being shattered, her true face being exposed, and that psychological dissection that had been almost like a public execution—was the darkest history she least wanted outsiders to know in her entire life.
Amou Kirukiru, an old rival who already knew her well, was one thing.
It was also unavoidable that Inaba Tsukuyo had heard it.
But if Kikakujou Mary and Hanasaka Warabi, two people who usually did not get along with her, had watched the whole thing from beginning to end…
“As members of the Five Supreme Swords, you actually did something as shameful as hiding in the shadows and spying like rats.”
“Do you not feel ashamed?”
Onigawara suddenly stepped forward.
Although her face was still red, the katana in her hand had already been drawn half an inch, its cold light gleaming.
“Hah?!”
After being called out by Onigawara, Kikakujou Mary immediately bristled.
Her golden curls bounced with her movements.
She snapped the thick dictionary in her hand shut, and her delicate half-foreign face flushed bright red as she loudly retorted.
“W-who was eavesdropping?!”
“This is called strategic reconnaissance! Strategic reconnaissance, do you understand?!”
“An intruder capable of causing that terrifying phenomenon suddenly appeared in the academy. As members of the Five Swords responsible for maintaining order, of course we had to come immediately and confirm the situation!”
“Exactly, exactly!”
Beside her, Hanasaka Warabi no longer cared about the pain in her foot and quickly waved the wooden club in her hand, echoing her like a puffed-up kitten.
“I came here specifically to provide support!”
“If someone hadn’t failed us at the critical moment, we would have made a magnificent entrance long ago!”
The two of them echoed each other, trying to use the volume of their voices to hide their lack of confidence.
However…
Their mutually guilty and wandering eyes still betrayed the truth.
They had clearly arrived long ago and had already been watching the show from above with great interest for quite some time.