Haruki's blunt words left Ikki Kurogane in a heavy silence.

  Ikki understood the logic, but it was still difficult to fully accept. After all, those born into a peaceful era find it hard to truly grasp how life and death can be decided in a single heartbeat.

  Haruki, though also from a peaceful era, had already forged his resolve. He had used his bde to cut down those who deserved to die many times before; he felt no lingering sentiment or regret over it.

  After the chaos at the mall subsided, Haruki returned to his routine at the Hagun Academy training grounds, sinking into deep meditation to process his gains.

  The members of the Rebellion organization had been mostly trash. Their leader, "Smile," felt no stronger than a D-Rank Bzer at best. Consequently, while Haruki had cut down many enemies, the experience gained by his Sword Saint Evolution System was meager.

  However, "meager" was still far better than the total stagnation he had faced in his home world.

  Though the thought was somewhat inhumane, Haruki almost found himself wishing for more terrorist attacks. If they kept coming, he could farm experience points and level up without any moral ambiguity.

  But the Rebellion wasn't going to strike every day. For the most part, this world remained in a state of retive peace. The only real opportunity to level up would be the Seven Star Sword Art Festival.

  According to the schedule, the first-round match assignments were due to be sent via text to the Student Handbooks this afternoon. Haruki was genuinely looking forward to seeing what kind of opponent he would draw.

  As he was training, a figure walked into the training hall. It was his roommate, Shizuku Kurogane.

  "Um... about what happened at the mall... thank you," Shizuku said, her voice small and a bit reluctant.

  She still had a bit of an edge to her attitude, but it was clear her perspective had shifted. After witnessing the sughter at the mall, she had begrudgingly acknowledged that Haruki was on a level she couldn't yet comprehend. She had caught glimpses of his strikes, and the sheer perfection of his swordpy had left her shaken.

  Haruki, however, didn't care much for her gratitude. He hadn't saved her specifically because she was Shizuku; he had simply stepped in to eliminate criminals.

  But since she had offered her thanks, he decided to capitalize on it. "If you want to show gratitude, words aren't enough."

  "What? You... you're not going to try something weird, are you?" Shizuku instinctively covered her chest—which was notably smaller than average for her age—and shot him a look as if he were a total creep.

  Haruki gave her a ft look. "Rest assured, I have no interest in underdeveloped children. I simply believe that if you want to show gratitude, you should do so through action."

  "Action?"

  "Yes. Like I asked before: help me train."

  Haruki stated his goal pinly. He needed someone with Shizuku's "Mana Control A" to help him calibrate his Wave Arts.

  Shizuku was momentarily speechless. She looked at him with an expression of pure exasperation, marveling at his absolute ck of social grace. She couldn't imagine what kind of person could actually like a man like this.

  Ultimately, Shizuku agreed to help him.

  Whatever her personal feelings, Haruki had saved her life and Ikki's life at the mall. To repay that debt, she was willing to offer her assistance. However, she didn't understand what she could possibly contribute. She was a Water-specialist; she knew almost nothing about the intricacies of high-level swordsmanship.

  Haruki quickly cleared up her confusion. He took her to the training hall and asked her to push her water manipution to its absolute limit.

  Shizuku complied. As a master of mana control, she could create fluid currents in the air, refine the purity of the water, and even drop the temperature to create a massive "Frost Zone."

  Watching her, Haruki felt a surge of inspiration. He used his Wave Perception to study how her mana interacted with the environment. Thanks to his learning ability, he quickly deciphered the resonance of "Ice."

  He had a fundamental problem: how to turn "neutral" resonance into elemental energy.

  Initially, he tried to feel the "Mana" in the air, but he realized that in this world, Mana only existed within a Bzer's body or their Device. It wasn't a natural ambient energy. This meant he couldn't just "siphon" it.

  He shifted his focus to the resonance of the water itself. Water was tricky; it was too fluid, too adaptable. Its frequency changed constantly. But Ice was different.

  In the world of Waves, some concepts are sharp and distinct, while others are soft and muddled. Water was soft. Ice, however, was a "sharp" and "piercing" resonance. Its frequency was intense and easy to isote.

  Haruki soon realized that Fire shared this "sharp" quality. These two elements were the most distinct frequencies in the physical world, making them the easiest to mimic through resonance.

  With Shizuku's precise control as a reference point, Haruki stood in the center of the hall and closed his eyes. He gripped the hilt of his sword.

  Crank!

  A freezing wave of resonance erupted from his bde. A massive trail of jagged ice snaked across the floor, racing forward until it smmed into the defensive barrier at the far end of the hall, coating it in a thick yer of frost.

  Immediately after, Haruki shifted his stance. His "Mind's Eye" captured the flickering heat of the lights and the friction in the air. He swung again.

  BOOM!

  A spiraling torrent of white-hot fmes erupted from the steel. This wasn't a mere spark; it was a volcanic surge of energy that hit the barrier with so much force that the defensive shields shattered instantly.

  [WARNING! WARNING! TRAINING FACILITY COMPROMISED!]

  Haruki winced at the familiar arm and quickly grabbed the dazed Shizuku, dragging her out before the security drones arrived.

  Back at the dorm, Shizuku was beyond shocked. She couldn't wrap her head around how someone could manipute two opposing elements like Fire and Ice simultaneously. More importantly, she was certain Haruki hadn't used a Device. He had maniputed the ws of physics through raw willpower and resonance alone.

  Is he even human? she wondered.

  Meanwhile, Haruki was feeling a surge of excitement. This was his first real step into the high-tier applications of the Wave branch. He had surpassed the knowledge contained in his "Sword Saint System" and carved out his own path.

  As if the system was embarrassed by its own ck of utility, or perhaps because Haruki had met a hidden requirement, a notification finally flickered in his mind:

  [Conditions Met. Advanced Ghost Syer Study Authorized.]

  [Special Feature Unlocked: Css Change.]

  [Current Path: Asura.]

  [Do you accept the Css Change?]

  Haruki almost ughed at the timing. Now that he'd done the hard work of figure it out himself, the system finally decided to show up. Regardless, he wasn't going to turn down more power. He accepted immediately.

  He would walk this path to the very end, until he reached the summit of true strength.

  Chapter 34 – The First Battle

  The "Asura" css change flooded Haruki's mind with a vast library of specialized Wave techniques: Wave Manifestation Brand, Wave Radiation, Mind's Eye, Neutralize, Ice Wave Sword, Fire Wave Sword, Spirit Ball, Ghost 77, Ground Upheaval, Agni Pentacle, and more.

  He had already pioneered his own versions of the Ice and Fire Wave Swords, so those skills integrated seamlessly. The rest would require manual training, but because the system was "damaged," he bypassed the original requirement of the Asura css: he didn't have to sacrifice his sight. He could keep his eyes and still master the "Mind's Eye."

  He spent every waking hour in the training grounds, pushing his understanding of these new skills. It wasn't an overnight process—Waves were a deep and complex field—but his progress was steady.

  He wasn't always alone during his sessions. Ikki, Stel, and Shizuku often hung around him. Whether they were sparring with each other or just chatting, they had formed a strange, high-powered social circle. Haruki didn't push them away; he found their company tolerable.

  Finally, the wait ended.

  Buzz.

  Haruki's Student Handbook vibrated. He pulled it out and saw a new notification in the Selection Match tab.

  [Selection Match: Round 1]

  [Opponent: Renren Kujou]

  [Location: Training Area 4]

  [Time: 14:00 Today]

  Haruki's eyes sharpened. It was time to start grinding experience for real.

  ***********************************************

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