“(Tch, he’s still not getting hit…!?)”
As expected, Lloyd’s attacks failed to land on Shion. As his mana rapidly dwindled, Lloyd began to panic—
“—Hey, you’d better watch out.”
“Hah!?”
“Look down at your feet. …Your shoelace is untied.”
“What the—!?”
Just like the plate earlier, Lloyd reflexively glanced down, thinking his shoelace had been undone without him noticing.
…But Lloyd’s shoes used buckle-fastened straps—there were no laces to begin with.
“Y-You bastard…!!”
When Lloyd snapped his bloodshot gaze back at Shion, the man was smirking faintly.
“…I’ll kill you!!”
Lloyd, now enraged, forced even more mana into his magic. …But then—
“Ghh—!! Hah…! Hah…!”
Thud. Lloyd dropped to one knee.
Dragon Speed Release: Drag-Accel” was a technique that demanded precise control over its output. Under normal circumstances, Lloyd could sustain it far longer—but his reckless, anger-fueled overclocking had pushed his body beyond its limits.
“What’s wrong? Is that all you’ve got?”
Shion’s tone remained effortlessly composed, his expression cool as he taunted Lloyd.
It was as if he were saying, “Feel free to keep going if you want.”
…But in reality, Shion himself was dangerously close to his limit. Having already avenged Alphonse’s humiliation and proven his strength, all he could think was: “Just leave already, damn it!!”
And for good reason. In his current state, the absolute maximum Shion could sustain “Limit Break: Over-Accel” was 20 to 23 seconds—even on a good day.
Though he had carefully timed short bursts to stretch his stamina, he was already at his breaking point.
His face remained the picture of calm, but beneath his uniform, his back was drenched in sweat. His body creaked like strained metal, every muscle screaming in protest.
If this fight dragged on any longer, Shion stood zero chance of winning.
“(…But damn, even Lloyd looks exhausted. He has to realize by now that he can’t land a hit on me…! Please, just give up already!)”
Shion shot Lloyd a pleading glance—only for the man to suddenly move again.
“—Hah…! Hah…!!”
Gasping for breath, Lloyd wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve.
“…I didn’t wanna use this in front of Alphonse, but I can’t back down now…”
“(…Huh? Wait, hold on—)”
“I’ll show you my real speed…!”
—An unexpected trump card.
Shion was already mana-depleted. There was no way he could activate “Limit Break: Over-Accel” again.
And without it? Dodging Lloyd’s next attack—now even faster—would be impossible.
“(—Crap! Alphonse…!! Stop him…!!)”
Shion’s eyes flicked toward Alphonse.
If Alphonse intervened like before, Lloyd’s next assault could still be prevented.
But— Alphonse showed no intention of stepping in.
Of course not. He was utterly mesmerized by Shion’s performance, watching with bated breath to see how Shion would counter Lloyd’s final move.
“(Alphonse…!! You goddamn bread-loving bastard…!!)”
—Game over. Shion steeled himself.
“(Fine. Time for the ‘fake getting hit to end this peacefully’ strategy.)”
To satisfy Lloyd and defuse the situation, Shion would pretend to take the hit.
He’d definitely sustain serious injuries—but he had no other choice.
“(I could try talking my way out, but… suddenly babbling would ruin the whole ‘mysterious badass’ vibe…)”
After carefully crafting Alphonse’s impression of him as unfathomably strong, he couldn’t afford to shatter that image now.
“(Just like with Eliza. Taking the hit is fine. Getting hurt is fine. The key is making it seem intentional—like I could’ve dodged if I wanted. That’s the core… That way, the illusion of ‘bottomless strength’ stays intact… So… please, body, hold together…!)”
Praying silently, Shion fixed Lloyd with a composed stare,
hands still in his pockets—as if to say, “Come at me whenever.”
“Here I go…!”
“…!!”
Lloyd lowered his stance slightly, tension thickening the air. Watching from the sidelines, Alphonse held his breath.
“Dragon Speed Release: Drag-Accel—Top Gear.”
The moment the spell activated, Lloyd shot forward like a bullet, fist aimed straight for Shion’s face.
“…”
“…!!”
The punch came at a speed imperceptible even to Shion and Alphonse— —Yet it stopped dead, mere inches from Shion’s nose.
A gust of wind ruffled Shion’s bangs and uniform. But his expression didn’t waver—he simply stared at the frozen fist.
Then, still locked in his punching stance, Lloyd spoke in a strained whisper.
“—Why… didn’t you dodge…?”
Cold sweat dripped down his forehead.
“…Why do you think?”
“…!!”
Shion hadn’t so much as flinched.
The truth? The attack had been way too fast—Shion hadn’t even seen it coming, let alone dodged.
But Lloyd would never believe that.
“You… Don’t tell me…!? You saw it…!?”
In Lloyd’s mind, the idea that Shion couldn’t perceive his movements was unthinkable.
Someone capable of matching his speed should at least react. And so, Lloyd reached a conclusion:
—Shion had seen everything. Even the decision to stop his fist mid-strike—!!
“(That’s it…!! That expression…!! ‘I saw your attack clearly. I would’ve dodged if you’d committed, but since you held back, I didn’t need to. You understand, don’t you?’ That’s what that face means…!! That’s what those words implied…!! This bastard had the confidence to evade even from that position…!! G-Grr…!!)”
Lloyd trembled, teeth gritted in frustration.
Shion neither confirmed nor denied it. Instead, he simply turned away.
“…Let’s go, Alphonse.”
“R-Right…! Later, Lloyd.”
“…!!”
Shion said nothing more. Silence was the ultimate confirmation—and the coolest possible response.
As the two walked toward the library, Lloyd shouted after them.
“H-Hey, wait—!!”
“(Like hell I’m waiting, dumbass…! Not looking back is the only option…! Heh… This is peak coolness…)”
Despite his words, Lloyd didn’t chase them. Something had clearly changed his mind.
…In those few minutes, Shion had utterly convinced both Alphonse and Lloyd of his unfathomable power.
And Shion himself felt it—the thrill of success.
His knees threatened to buckle from exhaustion and the backlash of “Limit Break: Over-Accel,” but he forced himself to keep walking like nothing was wrong…
“………”
After staring blankly at their retreating backs, Lloyd finally muttered:
“No way… To think someone other than ‘Reacher Diablo’ could read my Top Gear… Just what are you…? That C-rank…”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
“—Sorry, Shion. You got dragged into this because of me.”
On the way to the library, Alphonse apologized.
“Don’t worry. I chose to get involved.”
“Hah, true. …Still, I was kinda surprised.”
Alphonse murmured.
“…? About what?”
“That you provoked Lloyd. …Somehow, I figured you were the type to handle things more maturely. Y’know, not bothering with guys like him in situations like that… Not that I mean it in a bad way! Just my own impression!”
“…Alphonse. I don’t know how you see me, but—”
Shion met his eyes squarely.
“—I’m not mature enough to stay quiet when a friend gets insulted.”
“…!!”
With that, Shion turned away with a slight huff.
…Then, in that instant—
“Thump…”
“Huh—?”
Thud! Alphonse crumpled to his knees.
Seated rigidly, his body twitched violently—then froze completely.
“Wh…? Hey, Alphonse…!?”
Shion’s mask of composure slipped for the first time.
“Alphonse…!?”
Shaking his shoulders yielded no response. Alphonse’s eyes had rolled back, his body lifeless.
“…He’s dead.”
Pressing his ear to Alphonse’s chest, Shion muttered those words—
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