34 34 Seven Sword Art Festival (3)

"Get ready, Touka-san. I'm going to come at you." Otto said as he raised his Bokken with one arm, while the other was holding on to the Pendant left by his 'parent/s?' which initially had abandoned him in this world.

"Ready, give me the best shot you have."

Otto slowly approached her with calm movement as each step released Moon Blades below him which raised all around him.

"What is..." Touka was confused as to the amount of those sharp things around him.

"It's called Moon Blades, they're sharp of course. So good luck, and have fun dodging these." He gave a friendly warning.

Each step generated 15 moon blades at maximum, as it only grew more and more with each step he took towards her.

"Fourteenth Form: Midnight Sleepwalker."

"Raikiri." Touka shot a bolt of lightning from her sword, trying to stop the incoming moon blades as she was cut by several of the moon blades already.

Otto abruptly stopped mid-way, after seeing Touka who was covered in wounds.

"Aren't you going to give up? There's no chance for you to win this year's festival. Not while I'm here." Otto coldly said.

"I promised them... That I would win." She showed her resolute stance.

"At this point, you might die."

"I know—"

"So give up. And try again next year." Otto thought that this might be the only year that he'd participate in these kinds of events.

"No... I can't. I promised them."

"They'll be more heartbroken if you were to die here."

Even though this was just a festival that strongly selected people could enter, there was no guarantee that they would leave without losing something. Be it their life or a limb, the participants would use their device's real form so that they could inflict real injuries.

"Then what about you? Why do you want to win?" Touka asked.

'Fuck, don't bounce that question to me!' Otto inwardly cursed as he was just forced to be in here.

"There was a certain man, who lived in Germany long ago. He had an ambition to become the strongest in the world, as he challenged masters in different dojos. Only to be defeated in such a simple manner.

The man had everything. Wealth, Power, and Talent. But his naïve thinking wasted all of those, as he took it all for granted...

Not long after, he gave up on it and kept telling himself that... Being the strongest is nothing more but a word, sentenced by people as they want that exact expectation of a person.

As I realize that, being the strongest was worthless... Losing your life just to satisfy others' expectations to win, isn't honorable at all nor does it truly make you the strongest. I'd say it's nothing more than a dog's death. One's life was more important than anything that one could ever have."

Otto projected his younger self.

"I don't seem to see why that relates to you wanting to win the festival though..." Touka said in confusion.

"..." 'Fuck, just throw that stupid question away!' His real reason was so dumb and too uncool to say it out loud.

"I see, so that's your answer."

"What?"

Otto not wanting to explain it, dashed toward her as Touka tried to use her Raikiri, only for her sword to be stopped by his hand, preventing her from pulling the sword out.

"!!?" He disarmed her in such a quick succession that she failed to see what had already happened.

Touka just processed that she had already been pinned to the ground with Otto's Bokken at her neck.

"I... Concede." She sadly said.

[Oh my lord, our— Prince Inferno and his unbelievably quick speed had surpassed Raikiri and ended the match!]

The crowd cheered at his sudden fast movement, as they thought Touka was much faster in terms of speed.

Hearing the crowds cheer, Otto blushed a little as he felt shy about it and had the urge to crack a smile.

"I know you're going to smile at them... Just smile if you want to, it's attractive too." Brynhildr said.

"I can't... It's too embarrassing." Otto muttered as he left the arena while supporting the limp Touka to the waiting room, showing great sportsmanship to a fellow contestant.

"Thank you, Otto-kun," Touka said while being helped by him.

"No problem. Though you should've given up earlier when you had the chance... You knew you were going to lose against me."

Otto didn't mean to sound arrogant after defeating her but had to just say the fact out of the window.

"I know Otto-kun. I can't just give up like that now could I? I was afraid that I couldn't satisfy you—" She blushed realizing what she had said.

"Oh no... Don't take it the wrong way. I meant your thirst for fighting. You know when you get the first taste of fight, and your blood goes pumping." Quickly correcting herself.

"Do I look like someone who wanted that?" Otto gave her a meaningful look.

"Eh? Am I misunderstanding that this festival was your first fight?"

She was under the impression that it was Otto's second real fight since she hadn't seen nor heard about him fighting anyone.

"No... But yes, what you said was true. I did once long for that feeling back then." He was showing a melancholic expression.

"Then—"

"Yes, I have killed a person before."

"No that's not what I meant—"

Otto didn't let her finish her words as he continued.

"I've never considered myself a good person, since I've taken something precious from someone, who could've used it to protect the world only for my greed for power." As he referred to Issei and Ddraig.

Unbeknownst to him, a certain dragon could feel his regretful emotion inside.

'Broooo— I'm still alive... But I can't seem to communicate with you!!! What's with your soul's composition!?' Ddraig was dying to speak with anyone, as he had been only looking at Otto's perspective like a first-person Movie.

He had already completely abandoned Issei who had very little amount of magic in him, so he thought that Otto was a better host and secretly shifted to him instead.

"Is that so?" Touka didn't know what to reply as she didn't get any context of his words.

"Yes..."

Suddenly...

"Well, what do we have here? Love birds talking is it?" A man with light brown hair with glassed, who look like a typical shounen delinquent, with his half buttoned up shirt and his skull tattoo on his chest.

"Kuraudo, from Donrou Academy..." Touka muttered.

"Hello and good afternoon, Kurashiki-kun." Otto gave a friendly greeting like an NPC dialogue.

"Hmph." Kuraudo scoffed at his greeting as he perceived it as an insult instead.

"Keep that nice guy attitude to yourself. Weirdo." He meanly walked passed by him.

"Well... That's just how he is. Touka-san. But deep inside, we know he's a respectful warrior at heart." Otto said sarcastically.

"Right..." Touka could hardly see it in him, as he always cussed all the time and caused fights whenever he got the chance.

"I will go now Touka-san, see you later." He waved as Touka had put on her glasses.

...

Meanwhile, flashback when Otto was fighting against Touka in the semi-finals...

-Ikki and Shizuku pov-

"Are you still, trying to fight him, brother?" Shizuku said worryingly after witnessing what Otto had done in his first match.

"I'm... Not even sure I would stand a chance..."

Ikki had been diligently training most of the time, trying to catch up with Otto whom he viewed as the strongest, the moment Otto announced that when he fought with his grandfather.

'Even our Older Brother, Ouma Kurogane won't stand against him... I can't even see Otto's noble art when he simply presented it all during his match.' Ikki felt a huge inferiority towards Otto as he realized what kind of path he was trying to catch up.

"Don't worry my dear brother, I promise I will beat him for you in the future." She said sweetly fully as she didn't want to see her brother get hurt since he was already suffering enough from their family problems.

"Haha— is that so? Then thank you. But this is my fight Shizuku..."

Ikki had already set Otto as a hit goal to reach, even if Otto doesn't see him in that way.

"But brother..." Shizuku hugged her brother thinking he would someday disappear from her world...

"Don't push yourself too hard."

"Haha, I won't. I promise." He smiled wryly.

'I'm sorry Shizuku, but. I might break that promise.' He thought.

'Damn, that Otto... I'll kill you with my own hands one day for making trouble in my brother's mind, whom I rarely see these days.' Shizuku cursed Otto for killing their grandfather in front of them as it affected Ikki.

...

-At the Vermillion Empire-

A 14-year-old girl, who was one of the main heroines of the Chivalry of a failed. Stella Vermillion watched Otto who became famous after turning the entire arena into an oven.

"Hmmm... Is he going to use that fire noble art in his next round?"

She muttered as this was the first time she saw another genius other than her, that could instantly generate scorching flames.

"Are you interested in him?" Her father Sirius Vermillion said, as he hardly saw her daughter take interest in anyone.

Due to her being "superior" to anyone she had met.

"A little... But I wonder how hot his flames compared to mine."

"Hahaha, of course, my sweetheart's flames are hotter!" Like a supportive father, he glazed on her capability trying to boost her confidence.

"Mmmm, stop it." Stella had already got tired of her father's exaggerated praises.

"Alright, alright.."

"Would you like to meet him? Without authority, I think we can request that."

"Really?" Her eyes sparkled, as she was excited to meet another genius like her who controls the fire element.

"Yes, but you would go after your 15th birthday next month. As you would also start to go abroad."

Sirius wanted Stella to broaden her horizons during that time, as he was worried that if his daughter were to stay in the empire it would trouble him someday. The enemy's territory has getting aggressive these past few years.

"Then, I'll patiently wait for that day to come."

...

-Issei in the Kuoh-

"Oh my god, he's on the TV!!! The weirdo that me and Irina met a few years ago." Issei excitedly stated while watching Otto.

"If I greet him now... Would he even still remember me after all these years?"

Other than watching anime, hentai, and boobs. Issei was also a fan of Blazers which he tried to follow... But sadly his magic was too little even for an F-rank blazer, and it was too dangerous for him to participate in. So his mother forbade him to enter a blazer academy after discovering his trashy potential.

"Yeah, right... No way a loser like you would be remembered by the Prince Inferno."

Matsuda, one of Issei's friends, made fun of him for meeting Otto. Who they clearly hated for being too handsome and was popular with the girls.

...

-Hero's Village-

"Bismarck, have you heard the recent news?" Jin said to the drunkard.

"Huh—?" Oblivious as to what he had heard.

"Otto I mean. He became famous."

"Who?" Bismarck joked.

"Aww come on, don't be like that... Look at this." Jin showed a newspaper of Otto turning an arena upside down.

"Is this real???"

"Yup. He might just win this year's festival." Jin was impressed by Otto's accomplishment, meanwhile, he wondered if he should let Basara enter into a Blazer Academy as well.

"I mean, it's already a given that Otto was strong..." Bismarck didn't seem to show any interest in that matter.

" *sigh* At least show some kind of enthusiasm about it. I mean he is your adopted son..." Jin stated and wondered if Bismarck was right in his mind.

"Whatever..." Bismarck was already running out of time as he didn't know what to do and didn't tell anyone about his condition.

'You're reaching it... Otto...' But he was of course, secretly happy for Otto's achievement as his prediction was right of him reaching the top.

...

-Back to Otto-

"What do you want now!?" He was once again getting pestered by Nene in the Cafe shop who wore a matching outfit like him. Giving the impression that the two were dating.

"Owww, why?"

"I have already had a girlfriend... That's why."

He pulled out the "I have a girlfriend" card, as it would mostly make others lose interest in him.

It did work in past life after all.

"Really? Where?" Nene mischievously questioned as she didn't see his "Imaginary" girlfriend who he randomly talked.

"This." Otto summoned Brynhildr's blue flame apparition, which confused Nene.

"That?" Not get what he's trying to show as it was just a flame that Otto might just be controlling.

"Yeah..."

"Haaah— right!" Nene giggled as she clung to him even more.

"..."

'This is not considered as cheating... If she knows right?' Otto thought as Brynhildr tried scorching Nene.

...

-Chapter End-