“Ready.”

Once the auditorium was sufficiently empty, the first soldier who seemed to be the commander of the platoon gave his command.

By Momo’s instruction, Saki and Asa, and a number of other people, were hiding in the corridor behind door 1-L1 in fear of ricocheting stray bullets.

“They aren’t going to shoot at Takumi and Jun, right Saki?”

Asked Asa out of worry. Saki couldn’t answer her, she was silently peeking her head out to see. Her face was riddled with anxiety.

At that distance and angle, even if they didn’t aim at him, a stray bullet could very well hit Takumi and Jun.

With the soldiers having guns aimed at Daniel, their commander raised his megaphone and spoke into it.

“Daniel Mitchell. You committed an unauthorized entry into a Japanese military base. This is your only and final warning. Slowly step away from the EXP zone, otherwise we have the full rights to open fire.”

“T-Takumi, we should get away from here,” suggested Jun, intimidated by the threat from the soldier. He was pulling Takumi by the arm and headed towards the right wing stage.

Takumi, however, refused to let Daniel out of his sight. He found it odd that Daniel looked completely calm even in this situation.

As Jun was pulling Takumi, who was still looking at Daniel, towards the right wing stage — his head bumped into something invisible in front of him.

“Ow! Eh, what? A wall?”

Jun reached the space in front of him. While he couldn’t see it, there was definitely something that was stopping his hands from going further. However, it was not a solid wall either, as he felt like his palms were sinking in just a little bit.

Meanwhile, Daniel raised the katana in his right hand. For a moment, it looked like it glowed in golden light, before he quickly swung it down.

Vwoom!

Seeing the approaching flying slash, Takumi quickly grabbed Jun and leaped backwards, knocking Jun down.

“Ouch! What’s with you, Taku—?!!”

Jun wanted to protest, but when he saw the large, gaping hole on the floor where he was before, he gulped the rest of his words.

Seeing Daniel attacking, the commander opened his mouth.

“Fire!”

“No!” Saki screamed, but Momo held her body, preventing her from going forward. Asa turned her head around and closed her eyes shut, not daring to see.

Despite Saki’s protests, the soldiers opened fire as per their commander’s command. The dry, loud gunshots echoed throughout the auditorium, and the smell of gunpowder wafted in the air, followed with the clink and clank of empty bullet shells hitting the ground.

However, almost as if expected — the conventional weapon had no effect. Daniel was completely safe and unhurt. He didn’t even bat an eye on them.

“Stop,” the commander stopped his platoon. Any more than this and it’d be just a waste of bullets.

What wasn’t expected however, was where the bullets the soldiers fired ended up.

“The bullets!”

“They stopped in midair?!”

Saki and Asa let out a surprised scream.

“Tsk! This is why EXP zones are such a hassle,” the commander spat out.

Seeing this phenomenon, Momo mumbled under her breath.

“It’s not a rigid wall since the bullets didn’t ricochet, and Daniel isn’t hurt so it’s not his projection. A second esper? Is it him? If so, then it’s a space related ability…”

After quickly figuring out the nature of the barrier, Momo pulled out her phone and called fast-dial.

“Who are you calling, Momo-chan?”

Asked the blue haired girl.

“The strongest help there is.”

Momo answered.

♤♠♤♠♤

Meanwhile, on the center stage EXP zone.

As if not minding the situation outside the barrier whatsoever, Daniel showed his katana then began his explanation.

“You see, Koh. I lost to you because my weapon was weak. However, not anymore. This blade that I am holding, this is the sword of selection. Only the rightful ruler of Britain, the King of Knights, can wield this sword. This is the sword of the most powerful servant, Saber. This is — Excalibur.”

He said, whilst holding the obviously Japanese katana.

“Uh, Takumi, where do I start to retort?”

Asked Jun, trying to lighten the tension. Takumi stayed silent, his mind was busy trying to plot a scheme to escape this situation.

Daniel opened his mouth to gloat once again.

“With Excalibur, there is nothing I cannot cut!”

Vwoom!

Screaming, Daniel once again swung his sword down, diagonally this time. Just like before, the sword glowed in a golden color, and that golden color was transferred to the flying slash that was fast approaching Takumi and Jun.

Both Takumi and Jun had no trouble evading the flying slash, as they were both athletic in their respective ways. They leaped forward and landed on their hands and feet.

However, Takumi knew they couldn’t keep evading forever. While he couldn’t work out how the golden flying slashes work, Daniel probably wasn’t bluffing when he said that it could cut everything. In both times, the black floor of the stage was cut through clean all the way to its steel foundations.

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A sword that could cut everything, and an ability to send out flying slashes. The worst combination ever had just been born.

“Takumi, what do we do?”

Asked Jun, apparently the tension finally got to him. Takumi decided to fill him in with their current situation.

“I don’t know how it works, but it’s safe to assume that we’re boxed in within this EXP zone behind some kind of barrier and cannot escape. Meanwhile, Daniel can endlessly attack us from a distance, and a single attack can result in our immediate death if it connects. We can only evade it.”

“So we’re fish in a barrel…huh?”

“That’s not necessarily true.”

Jun was about to be despaired, but Takumi indicated a glance at Daniel. The American man was looking at his katana with a grin on his lips whilst swinging it around, like a kid who just found a new toy.

Looking at him, Jun caught on what Takumi was trying to say.

“I see, if you can defeat Daniel, then we might be able to get out. Got it, I’ll try not to be in your way.”

“Actually, Jun, it’s a bit risky, but there’s something only you can do…”

As Takumi and Jun were having a battle conference, Daniel chimed in impatiently.

“KOH! Enough talking, and get yourself ready! This is a Battle to regain my honor!”

“…I don’t care about your honor.”

Answered Takumi coldly as he stood up from his squatting position.

“Takumi, good luck!” Jun gave Takumi a thumbs-up before Takumi turned him invisible.

“Yeah,” Takumi answered as he spread his right hand out, summoning the Dark Sword — Gelap to his hand.

And with that, Takumi and Daniel were facing each other in an EXP zone for the second time.

—Daniel Mitchell aka Kurosaki Zero vs Kurogane Takumi aka Kou, second Battle started.

“Excalibur!”

“Holoclones!”

Daniel immediately unleashed a golden flying slash to hit Takumi. However, Takumi had changed places with a hologram and was no longer there.

Takumi’s four other holoclones were spread out on the stage, each one holding their own sword. Meanwhile, Daniel’s position was at the back end of the stage near the left wing.

Unlike the warehouse EXP zone, the center stage of Tokyo Metropolitan Theater’s playhouse was a square space the size approximately 15 meter by 15 meter. With their current position, Daniel was practically being cornered by four of Takumi’s holoclones.

However—

“I’ve seen that trick! Excalibur!”

Vwoom!

Daniel swung his katana in a huge arc, resulting in a horizontal flying slash wide enough to engulf three of Takumi’s four holoclones.

Those holoclones were instantly snuffed.

Even Takumi was forced to undo his invisibility as he jumped over the horizontal flying slash and crashed onto the floor, unable to land properly.

“Found you!”

Exclaimed Daniel as he swung his katana at the fallen Takumi as though he was swinging down a hammer.

Takumi didn’t even need to look at Daniel to guess that the flying slash was coming his way.

Vwoom!

The golden flying slash gouged out the floor where Takumi was, whilst Takumi only managed to evade by a hair’s breadth by rolling.

However, he had to keep moving since Daniel could pump out his attacks at a rapid rate.

What followed after that was a series of close-call evasions by Takumi. The golden flying slash was fast, much faster than Daniel’s usual yoruga-tensho, that oftentimes relying on visual cues alone were not enough. It was a mixture of instinct and dumb luck that Takumi managed to stay mostly unhurt.

Takumi didn’t use his precognition ability, as that would require every bit of his concentration. Doing so would undid the invisibility he put on Jun. Meaning, he couldn’t use the First Step and the Second Step at the same time.

However, there was only so much space for Takumi to evade. Before he knew it, Takumi had hit the corner.

“?!”

Takumi looked behind him. He saw the worried faces of Saki and Asa. If it wasn’t for the barrier, he’d be able to exit the EXP zone.

But now, Takumi was cornered, and Daniel took advantage of that.

“Excalibur!”

Vwoom!

Golden flying slash flew towards Takumi’s head.

As he saw the approaching death, Takumi had no other choice but buckle his knees and fell to his butt.

The flying slash didn’t hit him, but now he was truly cornered. His only range of movement was forward, and Daniel could unleash his attack faster than Takumi could escape the corner.

Takumi’s mind was racing, trying to figure out a way to make an evasion from his position. However, he couldn’t come up with anything.

If Daniel attacked him now, Takumi would certainly be killed. There was no doubt about it.

—However, the attack didn’t come.

Seeing Takumi was on the floor, huffing heavily trying to catch his breath, Daniel propped his katana on his shoulder and opened his mouth.

“Stand up. I don’t bully the weak.”

Spoke Daniel, a smug smile on his lips.

That was, word for word, the line that Takumi said after beating him down in their first Battle.

For Takumi, this was a Battle with his and Jun’s lives at stake, but for Daniel, this was just an excuse to be petty.

However, if pettiness could save his life, then so be it.

“…You’re the weak one, Zero. You’re just a coward who only dares to attack from a distance because you’re afraid to get hurt.”

“What did you say?”

As Takumi was getting back on his feet, he taunted Daniel, drawing Daniel’s ire.

Asa, who watched the Battle happening from outside the barrier, opened her mouth in frustration.

“That Takumi! Why is he provoking him further?!”

“Well, I’m sure Takumi-kun has a plan.”

Answered Saki who also watched it unfold.

“He better,” Asa mumbled in frustration.

Once he was firmly back on his feet, Takumi resummoned Dark Sword — Gelap.

“Face it. You don’t have what it takes to face me head on, all you can do is make excuses.”

“Shut up! Shut up shut up shut up!”

Daniel raised his katana high, it glowed in an intense golden light. Seeing that, Takumi gulped. Sweat trickled down his back.

—but then, the glow died down, and Daniel lowered the katana back without swinging it.

“…I know what you’re doing, Koh. You want me to shoot Excalibur to prove yourself right. Your goal is to humiliate me to make yourself feel superior. But, you’re wrong! I am strong, I’m the strongest Grim Reaper, Kurosaki Zero!”

Daniel whipped the sword to the side theatrically, perhaps imitating an anime character.

“Come at me, Koh! Fight me one-on-one, I’ll show you that I’m undefeatable with Excalibur!”

Daniel challenged, his katana was aimed at Takumi.

‘Jackpot!’ Takumi thought to himself as he kept his cool face and walked closer to Daniel.

Once both Fighters were within 5 meters of each other, Takumi stopped. Darkness spilled from the Dark Sword — Gelap that Takumi was holding. In contrast, Daniel’s Excalibur was shining in golden light.

“Come at me with your everything, Koh,” provoked Daniel.

“You don’t need to tell me to,” responded Takumi.

Takumi readied his sword, before he made a mad dash towards Daniel in front of him.

At that, Daniel swung his katana down at Takumi. Takumi tried to defend it with his sword, but Daniel’s Excalibur cut through Takumi’s Dark Sword — Gelap like a hot knife to butter.

As Takumi was anticlimactically dissected in half from head down…he disappeared, as it was merely a holoclone, whilst the real Takumi hadn’t moved from his spot.

“Is this all you’ve got?”

“As if. There’s more where it comes from.”

True to his word, Takumi created more and more holoclones.

One after another, Takumi’s clones dashed towards Daniel, only to be mowed down by Daniel’s Excalibur in a single swing.

Takumi tried to diversify his clones and attack Daniel from two different directions, but it only took a single strike from Excalibur to snuff out the clones.

Daniel didn’t even need to be a master in swordsmanship. He only needed to flail his Excalibur around wildly to create a perfect guard around himself.

“You’re weak Koh! You’re just a coward who only dares to attack from a distance because you’re afraid to get hurt!”

Spoke Daniel in exhilaration as he swung down his sword like whack-a-mole. Once again, he used Takumi’s own words against him.

Takumi, however, didn’t say anything back as he looked at the only holoclone that didn’t carry a sword, silently making its way towards Daniel.

As Daniel swung down his Excalibur at that particular hologram clone—

“—what?!”

The shining Excalibur was caught in the hands of that hologram, much to the surprise of Daniel.

“Seems like your Excalibur can’t cut my telekinesis,” claimed the hologram as it pulled on the katana.

Daniel held on to the grip in panic, but his now outstretched arm was vulnerable to the attack of Takumi’s other holoclones.

Dark Sword — Gelap was swung down at Daniel’s gripping arm. The hologram sword passed through the hand, but for a fraction of a second, it was tangible.

Much like with what happened with Redhawk, sometimes Takumi’s hologram could interact with the physical world for a fraction of a second. Takumi didn’t have much time and opportunity to experiment on it, and so far, the result was that it was based purely off of luck.

And today, Takumi’s luck was on the roll.

As the attack connected, Daniel was forced to let go of his katana. The hologram who had taken the katana from him immediately distanced himself away.

As the hologram that encased his body fizzled out, the real figure inside Takumi’s holoclone was revealed.

“The one who took your sword wasn’t Takumi. It was me, Jun!”

Spoke Jun, his thumb pointing to himself.