"All warfare is based on deception." - Unknown
Asterisk City, Japan
April 16th, 2025
Ayato caught it almost by reflex as it fluttered down from the sky.
Appearing to shine brilliantly in the first rays of the early summer sun, looking for an instant so much like a snow-white feather what he grasped in his hand was nothing quite so spectacular; it was just a handkerchief.
Judging from the embroidery of the lovely, yet clumsy flower pattern, it was likely not a manufactured item, but handmade. It seemed a little worn, and closer inspection revealed the vestiges of past repairs.
The deep sentiment its owner held for that handkerchief was clearly conveyed. It was inconceivable that it had been intentionally discarded.
"...Was it stolen by the wind?"
If that was the case, then where on earth did it come from...? Looking around as he thought that, Ayato smiled wryly.
After all, Ayato had only just now arrived at this city - and also only just arrived at Seidoukan Academy. Having arrived a little earlier than expected, he'd gone for a stroll around the school grounds to kill time until his appointment, but the site was so large that he had no sense of his current location. Even if he'd followed the footpath, and thus wasn't lost per se, there was still no way for a newcomer to find the handkerchief's owner.
"It can't be helped; I'll turn it in at the office later."
Anyway, since he would meet with the Student Council President after this, he could hand it over then. Thinking that, Ayato carefully folded the handkerchief and put it in his pocket. The current time would still be regarded as the early morning, and birdsong echoed through the boardwalk surrounded by bright green trees.
Looking at the scenery, so abundantly favored with nature's grace, it was hard to imagine this was an artificial island. Nonetheless, this was just one section of Asterisk City, very well-known throughout the world for what it provided in. It went without saying that no expense had been spared when it came to grounds keeping.
However, Ayato was brought to his senses after hearing a faintly panicked voice from the other side of such trees.
Clear as a bell, and lovely enough not to lose out to the small birds' singing, and yet a voice which revealed a strong will.
"Ahhh! Of all the things that could happen, why at a time like this...!"
But, listening carefully, the content of what he overheard could hardly be referred to as lovely. Turning in the direction of the voice, he looked up at a room with a large, open window. Standing in a location set a little away from the footpath was a building of neat and classic structure.
"Anyway, I'd better go after it before it flies far away...!"
The voice, which floated over from the other side of the fluttering curtain, was filled with urgency.
"... I see."
Ayato turned his gaze to his pocket before looking up once again at the room.
Originally, the young boy was perceptive in combat, while in normal situations he wasn't by any stretch of the imagination, as combat was all the boy knew throughout his very early life, it's all that he lived for.
Nonetheless, if it was, after all, a situation as easy to understand as this, then it was another matter.
"The fourth floor, huh... Well, since there are also footholds, I think there shouldn't be a problem."
Though there was an iron fence about two meters high between the walkway and the building, Ayato jumped over it lightly, without needing a running start. Taking hold of a nearby tree branch, he casually climbed up.
For Ayato, a member of the Genestella, or the Starpulse Generation, such a task was indeed trivial. Add in his own 'personal' training, this only made task like scaling high areas quite easier than it seemed to be.
"Hup...!"
The target room was located further above the trees, but Ayato jumped from a handy branch to the window frame in one go. Arching his body like a cat, he landed almost soundlessly.
"Errr, sorry to just pop in like this. By chance a little while ago, this handkerchief..."
Ayato had chosen the quickest way. Since the voice's owner seemed to have been quite in the hurry, he'd thought that handing it over the sooner the better was best after all.
It was a simple, pure intent. Assuredly. Nevertheless, his good intentions had resulted in problems - and big ones at that - of which there were two.
One was that the building was the High School Girls Dormitory of Seidoukan Academy. And another was that the owner of the room was just in the middle of getting dressed.
"Eh...?"
"Huh...?"
The girl, who was slipping her foot into a skirt, and Ayato stared at one another's faces with altogether dumbfounded expressions.
The girl's age seemed around the same as Ayato's, seventeen or eighteen years old.
With bright blue eyes like young leaves. With the bridge of the nose straight (high straight along the nose), and skin as white as fresh snow. The color of the long hair which flowed down to her waist was not so deep as to be called scarlet, though also too bright red to call pink. If you had to pick a color... it would be rose. Her face was also stunningly beautiful.
Though it was his first time meeting her, Ayato was captivated.
Besides, the girl was now half-naked.
The two people, for a while, did not move, as if frozen solid. The uniform buttons were undone on her upper body, and even her underwear was exposed. Since her body was bent, her bosom was also completely visible. The swelling of her bosom was modest, but the curves of her body were distinctly feminine, and her waist was slim. Her healthy and flexible legs were nimbly stretching on her toes, and drawing his gaze, shining between her thighs, was lovely, pure white underwear.
This sort of clumsy, half-naked appearance was definitely more sensational than full-on nudity.
The two people, for a while, did not move, as if frozen solid. Since the girl was in a situation where she had one leg raised, one could say that she had an amazing sense of balance.
It was as if time had stopped, but of course, things could not simply continue in this manner.
It was Ayato who came to his senses first.
"So-Sorry! Please don't overreact...I wasn't trying to peep on you by any means..."
Although he somehow tried to explain himself, his words fumbled as they came out. The black-haired teen never hung around the opposite sex very often with what he's been doing these last few years taking up his time. And besides, girls were the last thing he wanted to deal with over there.
Such a place was not fit for the weak, and Ayato knew that very well.
He tried to cover his eyes with both his hands for the time being, but he could perfectly see her charming appearance from the gap between his fingers.
"Wh-wh-wh...!"
The girl, on the other hand, had finally grasped the situation. Her face dyed bright red, she flapped her mouth open and closed.
Was it out of shame, or anger, or both?
Ayato resigned himself for the scream that was inevitably coming. As the girl deeply inhaled while hurriedly covering her body, with tears in the edge of her eyes, she fiercely glared at Ayato.
"Tu-turn the other way!" She said in a low voice with barely repressed emotions.
"Eh?"
"It's fine, just turn around already!"
At that peremptory tone, he obeyed in a hurry. The light sound of clothes rustling came from behind him. In addition to that, there was also a somehow strangely nice smell. Ayato was unable to settle down. Furthermore, he was still situated on the window frame. A moment of carelessness would be all it would take to plunge down below. Almost losing his balance to occasional bursts of wind, he waited for several minutes.
"Phew... O-okay, it's fine."
Finally hearing her voice, Ayato turned his head back and saw a splendidly beautiful girl.
That figure, which was wearing an impeccable uniform, was filled with grace and elegance, to the point that her earlier appearance seemed to be a lie. Though her moody expression and her severe gaze clearly conveyed her bad mood, it still looked somehow lovely.
As Ayato was unintentionally admiring her, the girl cut straight to the point.
"So, the handkerchief?"
"...Yes?"
"Didn't you mention it earlier? Something about a handkerchief."
"Ah, oh yeah! well, it's this isn't it...?"
Ayato took the handkerchief from earlier out of his pocket, and presented it toward the girl, "The wind carried it to me earlier and I picked it up. Here, could this be yours?"
The girl opened her eyes wide for an instant, and soon after breathed deeply as she felt relieved.
"Thank God..."
And after she received the handkerchief from Ayato, she gently held it to her chest.
"...Sorry. It's something very... very precious to me."
Rubbing the back of his neck, quite sheepishly.
"No, I just happened to come across it, totally by accident..."
"Even so, you saved me. I'm really grateful." The girl bowed deeply and politely to Ayato, who scratched his head while being embarrassed.
But...
"Now then, do you think that it's all settled?" With her head still lowered, the girl muttered so.
Her voice was different from that of until now, filled with emotions that could explode at any moment.
"Eh...?"
The face of the girl, who slowly raised her head, was wearing a smile.
But her eyes did not laugh at all. The edge of her lips which drew an arc with a smile was convulsively twitching.
"Then - go to hell!"
The next moment, the whole atmosphere of the room changed. The Star-Power, or Prana as it's called, of the girl increased explosively, and the atmosphere rumbled. A chemical element was converted by the Mana, which given direction, awakened the phenomenon.
'This presence, don't tell me she is...!'
"Come into bloom - Amaryllis Six-Petal Burst Firebloom!"
At that moment, a huge fireball appeared before the girl, and was aimed at Ayato.
"A Strega!?"
Suddenly jumping from the window, he adjusted his posture in the air and landed. A roaring sound echoed almost at the same time. Looking up, a huge firebloom (flame flower) opened its bud in the air. It was a large flower of exploding flame, with overlapping blazing petals.
The air vibrated as the gust of heat rushed past. It showed just how the explosion possessed a tremendous power.
"...No, no, no."
As Ayato was taken aback... Inside the window, where some sparks still poured down, the girl appeared and let her body lightly leap from the opened window. Like Ayato, she gracefully dropped to the ground without any problem from the height of the fourth floor. The girl was a Genestella, or Starpulse Generation. Who possessed a phenomenal physical ability due to her adaptability with Mana - and besides, judging from the ability she used earlier, there was no doubt she would be a Strega, or Witch - whose very existence was especially unique even among their species.
Including Seidoukan Academy, almost all of the Students of the six Academies present in Asterisk City were Genestella, or Starpulse Generation. Even Ayato, who was almost completely uninterested in the Festa; Star War Festival, knew at least this. And though by adapting the 'Mana', with the abilities of Strega, or Witch and Magician would be Dante, one could even bend the physical laws of this world, he also knew just how rare of an existence they were.
According to a theory, even among the Genestella, or Starpulse Generation , those who revealed talent as Strega or Dante were only a few percent. In the first place, even though there was an increasing tendency, the Genestella themselves were still a rare species. Saying that this girl is a rarity amongst rarities...
This designation could be easily inferred.
Ayato himself had so far actually come in contact with only one Strega, or Witch before.
"Oho... to be able to dodge that, you are pretty good." The girl's anger spread in her voice, even though she offered some admiration.
"Fine then, if that's the case, I will take you a little more seriously."
Sensing the girl's Prana once again rising... Ayato hastily raised both his hands, in an attempt to control the already tense situation before it got any worse than it currently was at the moment.
"Woah, woah, just wait a minute!"
"What? If you would have just stayed still, I could have just cooked you to well done and let you off."
"Are you really overflowing with desire to roast me alive?"
Without even feeling the slightest hesitation to ask such a question to her.
"Or rather, I want to know why you're going for my life..."
"Since you peeped on a maiden changing clothes, it would be only natural to compensate with your life."
The girl calmly declared such a dangerous thing.
"If that's the case, then what was the thanks you gave me earlier...?"
"I'm of course thankful to you for returning the handkerchief. But... this and that are different issues."
"...Couldn't you be a little flexible about this?"
"Unfortunately... I hate the word 'flexible'." While smiling, she drastically discarded this option.
There seemed no way to get along.
"In the first place... There was no need to return it by coming through the window, right? Besides, it's not unreasonable to beat up a pervert who sneaks into the girl's dormitory."
"...Eh? Girl's dormitory?"
Ayato, with a stunned look, slowly compared the girl and building. Sweat quickly appeared and flowed from Ayato's temple.
"Don't tell me... you didn't know?"
"Not knowing or whatever, I'm a stranger who planned to transfer into this Academy today, and besides, I just recently arrived here. I swear it's not a lie."
As Ayato said so, he showed his brand-new uniform, his comprised of a black pants with a white jacket with a black hoodie underneath. Since he had not yet gotten used to wearing the brand-new uniform, both the jacket and the pants were still firm and crispy. The girl stared at Ayato with doubtful eyes for a while, but she soon emitted a deep sigh.
"OK. I'll believe you."
However, at those words, the moment Ayato was about to heave a sigh of relief...
The girl again, said with a smile. "But, after all, this and that are different issues."
Around the smiling girl, fireballs yet again appeared. Though smaller in size compared to that of earlier, this time there were nine in total. Around the smiling girl, fireballs yet again appeared.
"Come into bloom - Dancing Nine-Tower-Flower!"
"Uwah!"
Nine fireballs in the form of a lovely primrose, each with a different orbit, attacked Ayato. As Ayato twisted his body and dodged them, the fireballs that had already hit the ground burst and disappeared along with the dull sound of an explosion.
The concrete pavement, set in the style of cobblestones, now had holes completely gouged out of it. Though it might be preferable to the earlier explosion, this power was also enough to let a chill run down one's spine.
Regarding the body tissues of the Genestella, or Starpulse Generation, the muscles were made stronger than those of ordinary humans; Furthermore, if the PranaStar-Power was concentrated the physical body could raise a defensive force, enough to at least protect against a bullet. Still, if it hit directly, one could not get away unscathed.
Besides, and in addition to all that... The remaining fireballs were still incessantly attacking Ayato from all directions.
"Wa-wa-wah...!"
However, Ayato outdid each of the attacks by a hairsbreadth. Sometimes by leaping vertically, and sometimes by bending his body, he dodged them at the limit. At those movements, the girl was surprised once again and opened her eyes wide.
"I see, you don't seem to be just a pervert."
Ayato, who took in color at the clear praise for that voice, wiped the sweat from his forehead relieved. She seemed once again to revise her opinion of him. Perhaps, this might be somehow manageable after all.
"You're an extraordinary pervert."
Or not.
"It seems that a mutual understanding will be difficult..." Ayato, unintentionally, raised the complaint.
"Hmph, it's a joke."
Then the girl, while glaring at Ayato with half-opened eyes, flicked back her hair.
"It seems to be a fact that you were returning the handkerchief to me with good intentions, my, um... S- Seeing me changing, too, w-well, I can believe it wasn't on purpose, in a sense. B-But, only in a sense!"
"...Really?"
He tried asking prudently, because he so far has repeatedly rejoiced prematurely. The girl, while nodding, reluctantly continued speaking.
"However, not confirming what building it was, was your mistake, the attitude of suddenly coming in from the window, you understand that not everything can be forgiven just because you didn't do it on purpose, right?"
"That's... quite right."
There were no words of rebuttal.
"You have made your point, but it doesn't settle my anger. And so, we will follow the rules of this city. Fortunately, since you seem to be talented in your own way, you won't complain... Right?"
The girl said this, and stared straight at Ayato's face.
"What is your name?"
"Amagiri Ayato."
"I see. I'm Julis. Ranked fifth in Seidoukan Academy, Julis-Alexia van Riessfeld."
The girl, who named herself Julis, raised her right hand to the Seidoukan Academy's school badge, a stylized 'red lotus', adorning her chest.
"In the name of the red lotus serving as proof of the inflexible, I, Julis-Alexia van Riessfeld hereby challenged you, Ayato Amagiri, to a duel!"
"Duel? Are fucking kidding me?"
To Ayato's surprise the school badge on his chest started emitting a red light in response. When petitioning for a duel, the decision whether to accept or reject it must be requested.
"If you win, I'll quietly withdraw my complaint. But if I win, you'll do whatever I want you to do."
Saying so as if it was natural, Julis grinned and laughed.
"W-Wait a minute. I can't just..."
"Since you have transferred here, no matter what, you do know at least of the duel, right?"
He was peremptorily asked. "...Well, I did hear something about it but..."
Thinking it through completely, one might say that all the students who lived in this Asterisk were gathered here in order to fight. The world's largest battle entertainment Festa. Here was the stage, since the students of each Academy were all player candidates.
"Then, hurry up and accept it. There is even a crowd forming."
Ayato looked around after being told this, and realized that the two of them had certainly become the center of attention. They probably heard the commotion and came. Though most were likely female students from the girl's dormitory, there were also the figures of male students here and there watching from the distant circle formed by the crowd.
Of all the things that Ayato needed was attention, and the last few years proved that even more to him.
"Hey, hey, what, what?"
"The Petalblaze Witch seems to want a duel!"
"Seriously!? Isn't she a Page One and one of the Top Twelve? They can't overlook that!"
"So, who is the opponent and where does he come from?"
"I don't know. I haven't seen his face before... How about the net?"
"I'm looking now... But, he doesn't appear in the Named Chart Battle Omnicon."
"Is he not on the list? Well it's a courageous challenger again."
"How long will he last? That 'Princess' doesn't have it in her nature to go easy on her opponents."
"Three minutes."
"One minute."
"Wait wait, the odds of the net will come out very soon... Well, within three minutes, it's the double."
"There is a bookmaker who is already opened. You guys are being quick-eared as always."
"The journalism club is already providing live commentary. Hey, here or there?"
While listening to the voices of such outfield, Ayato frowned, and was troubled. He disliked being the center of attention as he was used to being in shadows, doing what was needed and avoided attention like it was a plague itself.
"Why is this getting such attention...?"
"There are two reasons. The first one is the collection of data on key students in this case, my data. I may look like this, but I am one of the Page One and Top Twelve of this Academy, if there is even a chance, there are a lot of people who aim to defeat others."
"Page One?...and...Top Twelve?"
"Must I explain it from the beginning?"
Julis stared at Ayato with dubious eyes. Seeing that the boy wasn't entirely informed on the school's ranking system, something that many would know about even before being accepted into this school.
"Fine then, you know that each academy of Asterisk has a ranking system, right? Although the rules differ from one academy to another, each academy has a ranking list that clarifies who sits at the top of each academy; they become the Named Cards Battle Omnicon. There is a limit of 72 names in each academy's book. The top twelve among them who have their names appear on the first page of the list are commonly known as Page One Top Twelve."
'I see.'
"And the second reason is simple and clear, all the guys here are just fools who are dying to watch a match here."
'...Are you seriously kidding me?'
"Well, if you don't want to fight no matter what, then it can't be helped. You also have the right to refuse the duel. But, in that case, I'm going to hand it over to the vigilance committee of the girl's dormitory."
Before he knew it, the escape route had completely disappeared.
"Ah, but you know, I don't carry a weapon."
Even so, he tried to struggle until the bitter end. It seemed that some students enrolled with their own weapon-armaments, but most people were basically using customized supplies from the Academy. Due to Ayato's recent years, he was used to carrying around a weapon to defend himself.
But when he was asked to join this school by the council, he was also asked to leave his weapons behind...for the time being, as they told him.
'They better get it to me soon if they want to make sure it happens...'
Ayato's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the girl in front of him start talking.
"You're not a Dante, right? What weapon do you use?"
"...A sword."
"Could someone lend him a weapon? A sword is fine."
After Julis asked the spectators, a reaction came back immediately.
"All right, he can use this."
With those words, something was thrown towards Ayato from the crowd. What he received was a short rod-shaped apparatus. Fitting perfectly in one hand, there was an emerald green crystal at the tip - a 'Mana Dite' was inserted.
It was an activation tool for the Lux Shining Type Armament.
"If you don't know how to use it, I'm not going to tell you."
Julis saying so fearlessly smiled.
"Don't worry about me...I know my way around combat..."
As Ayato deeply sighed, he activated the Lux Shining Type Armament in his hand. The element pattern stored by the Mana Dite was reconstructed, and a mechanical "guard" instantly appeared at an acute angle from nowhere. Furthermore, when shifting from standby mode to the activation state, a dazzling light blade of concentrated Mana grew in the empty space. The length of the blade was about one and a half meter. Since appropriate adjustments had hardly been carried out, it was a normal Lux Shining Type Armament.
Seeing that, Julis also took out her activation tool from the holder at the waist of her uniform, and activated her Lux Shining Type Armament.
In fact, unlike Ayato's, it was a rapier of a thin flexible light.
"Well, are you ready?"
While elegantly posing her fine sword, Julis' eyes fixed upon Ayato. In reality, the Lux Shining Type Armament was too light for Ayato's preference, but as they had come this far... he had no choice.
"...I, Amagiri Ayato accept the duel request of Julis."
Ayato held up his hand to the chest school badge, and muttered so with a sigh. As proof of acceptance, Ayato's school badge once again shone red.
Hardline
Chapter 1: A New Journey
21st Century
At the beginning of the 21st century, few individuals could imagine the conflagration sparked by a myriad of local flashpoints spanning every corner of the globe.
Europe was overwhelmed by refugees, tens of millions fleeing from conflicts fueled by anger, greed and years of financial crisis and stagnation which started in the least stable regions of the world like the Middle East and inexorably spread.
Greece's final complete economic collapse triggered a chain reaction that threw Europe into chaos. Bulgaria took the worst of it – as the Bulgarian Greek-owned banks collapsed alongside with Greece.
The entire region was swept into a maelstrom of havoc, ruining countless lives and destroying any semblance of a status quo, but providing opportunities for those unscrupulous enough to exploit the situation. The remnants of the European Union were paralyzed by the growing gap between the governments and their people, and violent anti-government protests became commonplace, giving birth to numerous anarchist movements throughout all of Europe.
Weapon caches from the crumbling governments of the third-world became the armories of the insurgencies.
In the Middle East, the Syrian crisis spilled into the entire region, shattering Syria into multiple warring regions with Kurdish militias attempting to carve their own territories out of the chaos, frequently clashing with Turkish forces in a conflict that rapidly became a full-blown civil war within a few weeks time.
As Europe reeled from these devastating blows, the newly elected American president by the name of Kenneth Phoenix decided to turn towards isolationism by bringing home most of the troops serving abroad in other nations, fearing 'another Iraq' would happen if the American soldiers were further involved in the conflicts that riddled the Middle East.
This was supported by new technologies that allowed the USA to be energy independent from the rest of the world. The new American strategy of providing military support to U.S. friendly countries relied heavily on the use of American-backed PMC's, as demonstrated by the 2018 War of the Precipice between Israel and its neighbors. This strategy had major repercussions, leading to the loss of direct influence in many parts of the world, especially South America.
This in turn led to the rise of the Alianza de Sangre, a multi-national criminal drug cartel that gradually gained direct control over a large part of Mexico and Central America. The cartel funded guerrillas all across South America, starting multiple civil wars and profiting immensely from the turmoil amongst nations.
South American governments were powerless to stop this well-funded criminal organization without assistance, and lawlessness south of the American border gave rise to many American nationalist militias that gradually gained influence across the South.
While in Asia, things weren't any better as problems arose across the massive continent...
Asia's largest superpower, China, entered the late 2010's with a series of economic spasms caused by currency fluctuations, oil shortages and increased separatist tendencies in several of its regions. China put policies in place that bordered on martial law, with extensive crackdowns and brutal methods of control, and managed to keep the situation in hand, but just barely.
In Europe, NATO, now in decline, was put to test for the first time in years as nationalist guerrillas appeared in Estonia. The entire Baltic region was soon plummeted into conflict and the chronically underfunded NATO was petitioned to respond with any kind of force.
Due to the lack of resources, lack of American backing and fear of starting another global war without any real military support from one of the superpowers, armed response was vetoed and NATO for all intents and purposes ceased to exist as an effective structure by the early months of 2020.
The global tensions also spurred violence on the Indian-Pakistani border.
Amidst the chaos, five nuclear warheads were stolen from the Pakistani complex at Khushab and one of them was detonated in the Indian city of Hyderabad, leading to the death of millions and to staggering economic losses.
The world held its breath, waiting for someone to step forward and announce they were responsible for the attack.
This announcement never happened, and the unexplained, senseless violence of this heinous crime served as the final wake-up call for the nations to act.
Weakened by insurgency and internal strife, the world's powers of China, the European Union, Russia and the United States, came together to discuss how to fight the new multi-national threats. After the extensive negotiations, a treaty was signed that would change the world forever.
The treaty stipulated that the internal affairs of all the countries participating in the talks would be left to their own militaries, but major threats to entire regions or continents would be handled by a newly formed independent international body: the International Security Department.
The ISD would use Private Military Companies, freely formed according to the principle of exterritoriality. The ISD would dictate the operations of the PMCs but in return would support them both logistically and politically in order to operate in that area or nation.
Each PMC would be established with its own rules (ranging from ragtag bands of mercenaries to private armies equipped with modern weaponry) but they all would have to adhere to the ISD code, lest they become branded as renegades and prosecuted (de facto by other PMCs).
The size of the PMC s could vary from small bands of mercenaries to entire brigades or divisions and their equipment was just as varied from antiquated vehicles mothballed even by third world militaries to cutting edge machines, purchased from those arms dealers approved by the ISD. For these dealers the contract with the ISD was very beneficial: for their promise not to supply anyone considered to be the enemy of the ISD, the authorities tended to look the other way when it came to the means the dealers employed when 'acquiring' their stock.
The most successful of these dealers signed exclusive contracts with the largest private forces, making them some of the richest men and women on Earth.
Unfortunately this system brought its own pitfalls with it.
Cases of mercenary units going rogue or switching sides were not uncommon, and for years it took the combined might of the ISD and the loyalists to crush such rebels completely and to make examples of them. Nevertheless, the system has proven effective and by early 2020s the PMC s were already the dominant and, in reality, only force capable of dealing with major crises in contested regions.
As humans approach the middle of the 21st century it is no longer in question, the world is on fire. The combined strength of the loyal PMCs is now the only hope for keeping the earth from returning to another dark age like centuries ago. Whether they will be successful remains to be seen...
However, the rest of the world continued to move forward from the problems of others. People who simply didn't care about the situation of their world, and those that didn't realize about the world outside of them, had made advances in technology like none before it and with an event occurring that would forever change the world as well.
With a new city that would change how humanity viewed itself...
The Artificial Water City - Rikka, which floated on a huge crater-lake located in North Kanto, was the stage known as Asterisk held once a year; the students from each of the six Academies wielded weapons in an extreme competition for supremacy.
The Festa, or the Star War Festival was a type of battle entertainment, boasting the world's largest fan population.
Of course this did not mean that it was a fight to the death.
In accordance with these rules, it was stipulated in the agreement called Stella Star Wars Charter, but long story short, it said that 'the person who destroys the school badge of their opponent wins'. Although intentional cruelty was prohibited, if there was the purpose of weakening an opponent's combat efficiency, attacks to any place other than the school badge was permitted, and since weapons were used, there would naturally be injured people.
There were occasionally also cases when it didn't end with just injuries.
Nonetheless, that young people still came from all over the world to this city was due to the fact that it was only here that they could hope to fulfill their wish.
And, the opportunity for them to fight was not only in the Festa.
If hot-blooded young men and women confident in their ability gathered in the same place, quite a few troubles would be expected to occur. In such cases, private wars (personal struggles) in conformity with rules were permitted in Asterisk.
That was the duel.
Though victory or defeat was decided by destroying the school badge as in the Festa, the reinforced school badge also contained the data processing functions, performed the duel application negotiation, the combat data transfer, and so on with the host computer.
Especially in a duel between students belonging to the same Academy, given that the rank would change depending on the result (victory or defeat), there was a meaning beyond just a private battle.
~o0o~
Present Day
Julis herself fought successfully through many duels and had obtained the position of fifth ranked.
But for Julis, the young boy in front of her - she could not determine the ability of Amagiri Ayato at all. It was like, he was hiding his abilities for no one to find out.
"Come into bloom - Longiflorum White Firebloom of the Sharp Spear!"
When Julis swung the fine sword like a baton, spears of huge pale flames manifested along the arc. The flames which carried the shape of the trumpet lily were flying, just like that, to pierce through Ayato with the momentum of a rocket.
"Argh!"
Though Ayato somehow parried it with the sword as a shield, the shock didn't seem to have affected him, if not at all. Julis hid her shock as she saw the violet eyes of his weren't filled with the innocence of someone inexperienced towards combat, but that of someone who's killed others...
More than anyone, and that did strike some fear into her...
'Who is this boy? But why...'
Although he barely took a defensive position, his breathing didn't seem to change in any way.
"Oho, that newcomer isn't bad at all."
"He endures the flames of that Princess well. Well, his skill is so so."
"Hmm, I think that he's fairly skilled."
"He's not so bad. But he's not so good, either."
"Isn't the Princess going easy on him?"
Julis slightly frowned at the voices of such a gallery. She was not going easy on him at all. But that didn't also mean she was fighting at full strength; she was seriously fighting her opponent. In fact, from the outside, no matter how one looked at it, Julis was the predominant fighter.
On the other hand, Ayato, who was on the defense since the beginning, couldn't even get decently close to her.
Since it was Julis's basic tactic to suppress her opponent with overwhelming firepower, while keeping her distance, one could only say it was all according to the plan. This fine sword, Aspera Spina, was at its bitter end for defensive counters when it came to close range combat.
However, Julis felt a strong sense of incongruity. She did not know what it was. She just knew that something did not feel right.
It might be a fact that she had the upper hand, but his response was somehow dull. And Ayato, even if barely, fully dodged all of Julis' attacks. For an instant, she thought that Ayato might be going easy on her, but seeing his figure, which showed that he was clearly in shape from the even breathing.
She was feeling a sense of incongruity, and yet at the same time her interest was perked, even if only a little. Surveying his figure again, there wasn't an ounce of innocence on his face and she could she that there were some scars, even she could see his skin was subjected to the sun...quite often.
Though he had a somewhat muscular physique, looking at his agility, she understood that he was well trained. Even though they were fighting, his violet eyes were calm, and Ayato wore an atmosphere, not that of a student, but that of someone who's seen death, destruction, and committed terrible atrocities himself.
One might say that he was an experienced fighter and a monster of the highest caliber.
"Errr, Julis...? Will you soon forgive me?"
While finally catching his breath and lowering his eyebrows, Ayato raised both his hands.
"Since you're fine. So, may I take that as a declaration of surrendering intentionally?"
"Well, that is... No, to begin with, I had no intention of fighting."
"Well, I don't mind, but in that case, do you want to be slowly and carefully roasted as a pervert by me, or do you after all want to hand it to the vigilance committee of the girl's dormitory? By the way, the underwear thief who was caught by the vigilance committee the other day was hardly able to speak about the result of the 'Punishment', and after leaving the room also seemed to suffer from a mental condition."
"...I think I will do my best a bit longer."
Ayato set up the sword again while having a stiff smile.
It's fine like this. At this rate, even Julis won't be satisfied with this.
'I must ascertain the real nature of that sense of incongruity at all costs.'
Making up her mind, Julis concentrated her Prana.
The Prana was the root of the power of the Genestella. It was something like an invisible aura, but one could raise his offensive or defensive abilities by concentrating it. And for the Strega or Dante like Julis, it was also an energy necessary for the activation of their ability.
In fact, due to the nature of their ability, Strega or Dante must use their Prana in their ability, the ratio of the Prana to invest in defense by all means would lower, and in hand-to-hand combat, that also tended to become a weak point and thus disadvantageous.
But, such a thing, unless one got closer, was a resolved problem.
"Come into bloom - Amaryllis Six-Petal Burst Firebloom!"
'I won't miss this time!'
As a huge fire ball appeared before Julis, the gallery stirred. It was the same technique she used to kick out Ayato from her room, but it was twice as big this time.
"That's not good! It's her best move!"
"Wai-, it s not a joke!"
"Retreat, retreat!"
Even if one was caught and injured, it would be of course at their own risk. The gallery hastily retreated further. Julis, without looking at such curious onlookers, instantly calculated the most optimal trajectory and released the fire ball. Though Ayato bent his waist and stood ready, just before he dodged, Julis tightly clenched her fist.
"Explode!"
Upon command, the fireball exploded in front of Ayato's eyes.
Even if it was difficult to make it hit directly, it would be impossible to completely dodge it if the explosion occurred at this distance. If caught in this explosion at point-blank range, Genestella or not, he would not be able to move for a while.
The visibility was lost due to the raging flames. While protecting her face from the thunderous blast, Julis was convinced of her victory.
However.
"Amagiri Dragon Arts First Sword Fighting Skill - Twin Water Dragons!"
As what one would think looked like a sword slash flashed, the flame petals were torn up crosswise.
"Wha-... don't tell me, the Meteor Arts Falling Stars Arts?"
The Meteor Arts Falling Stars Arts was a skill which temporarily raised the output of the Lux Shining Type Armament by pouring the Prana Star-Power into the Mana Dite. It was officially known as 'over-excitation total response phenomenon', but it was not something that could be learned in a day.
A suitable training, and above all thorough adjustments of the Lux Shining Type Armament were required. If it was pulled off with just a borrowed Lux Shining Type Armament - The next moment when Julis felt something close to a shiver, a black shadow which appeared from the break of the flame closed the distance in one breath.
Once she recognized that the shadow was Ayato, he had already jumped into her bosom. It was an incredible speed. It was in another league compared to his movements up to now.
For an instant, Ayato had a feeling that something like spark of light was scattered around him, but he could not be concerned with that.
"Y-You!"
Julis who reflexively tried to attack, was struck by Ayato's sharp voice.
"Get down!"
Before Julis understood what was going on, she was pushed down. Ayato's face was within a hair's breadth and her heart leapt. The light that dwelt in those eyes was earnest, as if it was a different person.
"Y-You, what are you...!"
Still, raising her voice in protest - she unintentionally opened her eyes wide.
There was a shining arrow stuck in the ground where Julis had been standing until now. It was not a physical item. It was something created by a Lux Shining Type Armament.
The Lux Shining Type Armament temporarily concentrated Mana, and generated a blade or a bullet. The maintained weapon did not have any problem keeping it's shape within the activation tool, like a sword; however a ranged weapon could not maintain it's form for long once fired. It became particles of light and faded away before her eyes.
"What are you doing?"
It was obviously an attack aimed at Julis.
It was probably a planned surprise attack under the cover of the explosion. In fact, whatever had been shooting from wherever, it must not have been noticed by anyone at the time. Though extremely reluctant admit this, if Ayato hadn't saved her, it would have completely succeeded.
"What am I doing?...I don't want to hear that from the person who was shooting fire and flames at me."
Ayato answered, just as troubled.
"Not that! What exactly with my..."
As she spoke up to that point, realization struck. Someone s hand had grabbed Julis' developing bulges with all his might. In fact, it was not just anyone. Since at this point it could not just be anyone, but Ayato who bent over as he tightly hugged Julis, he would inevitably be the owner of that hand. As soon as she realized it, Julis's face dimly dyed red.
"...Ah."
Ayato who then also realized, hurriedly jumped back and lowered his head.
"So-Sorry! No, errr, I didn't have such an intention at all."
It was a deja vu.
"Oh! What that bastard, he pushed down the princess!"
"Hugh! He has guts!"
"It s a passionate approach."
The gallery who came back without anyone noticing got excited at its own convenience. That again inflamed Julis' anger.
"Y-Y-Y-You...!"
In response to Julis' anger, flame flowed around her. She could not control her Prana Star-Power because of excessive anger. Ayato without being able to voice his defense, was only able to frantically shake his head.
And.
"Yes, yes, we will leave it at that."
Together with a calm, profound voice, a dry slap rang out.
I'm bored, that's all I have to say about this!
So I decided to create a new story around Gakusen Toshi Asterick, an anime that I had watched. It was interesting to say the least...
Now that we got that out of the way...what about his canon powers...well that is a concept I have been working around and I actually like the mystery behind it since I have some ideas for it.
But I must say this, for what he is in this story...he will be quite frightening to say the least
That'll be it for now guys in terms of info.