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"Crack—"
With a soft, brittle sound, the defensive barrier shattered, Blue fragments of light scattered through the air like fading sparks.
"Whoosh—"
Anos's holy blade stopped just short of Kuroka's throat.
At this moment, he was the perfect assassin.
With Ittō Shura amplifying his physical capabilities to the extreme, combined with his precise predictive analysis, he could calculate nearly every possible countermeasure before his opponent even acted.
With Ittō Shura, he became a lethal striker.
With Sacred Overdrive Mode, he was an all-around spellcaster.
Different enemies required different methods.
Against the remnant soul of an Evil Dragon, charging in with brute force would have been suicide.
Against Kuroka, a direct spell duel would have been foolish.
Against a caster—
You used an assassin's blade.
"Tszz—"
The heat of the holy sword singed a small hole into Kuroka's clothing.
She stared at the blade hovering at her neck, still processing what had just happened.
She had… lost?
Without even a moment to properly react?
Kuroka did not deny defeat.
In that brief exchange, she had done everything she could.
And Anos had not ambushed her.
He had warned her before striking.
She had been defeated—
Openly.
Cleanly.
By a man she had underestimated from the beginning.
For once, Kuroka found herself speechless.
"I told you, One strike."
Anos smiled lightly.
And then—
Almost absentmindedly—
He reached out and stroked her cat ears.
Ahem!
It was purely for comparison purposes.
Scientific curiosity.
[Ding]
[Green Treasure Chest opened]
[Reward obtained — Senjutsu Circulation System]
[Allows races previously incapable of cultivating Senjutsu to do so. During cultivation, the system automatically adapts into the optimal framework for the user]
A refreshing sensation flowed through Anos' body.
Something subtle took root within him.
At the same time, a vast amount of knowledge flooded his mind—
The origin of Senjutsu.
Its operational principles.
Its destructive effects on one's foundation.
Its interaction with life force itself.
A complete system.
Meanwhile—
After being petted like an actual cat for several seconds, Kuroka finally snapped back to reality.
"One strike is one strike but why are you rubbing my ears?!"
She protested indignantly.
Though notably, she did not move.
The blade was still at her throat.
"So, Miss Kuroka," Anos said calmly, lowering his hand, "are you conceding?"
"In this situation, I don't exactly have the luxury of refusing, meow."
Kuroka sighed.
The sword was at her neck.
What else was there to say?
She was not like Bikou, whose body could endure absurd punishment.
A caster's true body was fragile.
"Did… did we just win?"
Koneko stood frozen.
The entire exchange had lasted barely an instant.
By the time she and the others reacted, Anos already had the blade at Kuroka's throat and Kuroka had conceded.
"…Looks that way."
Le Fay murmured, cheeks still faintly red.
"Anos-kun actually has this kind of strength?"
Rias understood exactly how powerful Kuroka was.
Even if she and Sona's entire peerage fought together, they would struggle just to hold their own.
Kuroka was easily at the peak of Ultimate-Class.
And yet—
"One strike…"
"Sona," Rias said quietly, glancing sideways. "Judging by your reaction, you didn't know about Anos-kun's strength either?"
A small part of her relaxed.
So Sona had not known either.
Perhaps their relationship was not as close as she had imagined.
"Indeed," Sona replied calmly. "If I had known, I wouldn't have put so much effort into contracting defensive measures for the Student Council."
There was the faintest trace of something like regret in her tone.
But more than that—
She felt reassured.
If Anos possessed such strength, then at least Kuoh had one more pillar of stability.
"If Anos-kun has that kind of power…"
A thought suddenly struck Rias.
"Rias, I advise you not to get carried away," Sona said immediately.
"Oh? You know what I'm thinking?"
Rias smiled faintly.
"I've been observing as well, Tell me, why do you think he emphasized 'one strike'?"
Sona's eyes were sharp.
"Because…"
Rias frowned slightly.
"Because there's a high probability he cannot sustain that level of power, It's a short burst."
Sona answered plainly.
"And Riser Phenex excels at prolonged battles."
Rias pressed her lips together.
She understood.
How had she overlooked something so simple?
Her composure and analytical thinking still lagged behind Sona's.
"…We'll think about it later."
Rias exhaled softly.
Of course she wanted Anos to help her solve her problem But even if he agreed, there were conditions.
First, Riser would have to consent.
Then both families would need approval.
Only after that would the question of whether Anos could actually defeat Riser even matter.
"But you still have another path to victory," Sona added.
"Hm?"
Rias blinked.
"You're forgetting something," Sona said evenly. "Koneko resolved her inner conflict today, Now that she knows the truth behind her sister's actions, she won't resist her own power anymore."
"If she begins training her Senjutsu from now on… its ability to erode an opponent's life force and foundation might be able to counter the regenerative immortality of a Phoenix."
Rias' eyes lit up.
"That's right…"
Koneko.
If it was her—
There was a real possibility.
If her closest friend was already thinking this far ahead for her sake—
How could she give up halfway?
And not far away—
Anos quietly absorbed the knowledge of Senjutsu.
Absolute Dichotomy had already begun calculating new possibilities.
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