Koya walked into the field next. They were cheering his name loudly and enthusiastically as well, it was pretty loud and he gave them simple waves while blinking.

'So first of all, Mio's actually related to the Tsukuyomi clan?' Koya thought.

He couldn't believe it until he saw it. Some of the great clans had branch clans, and that meant Mio was from the Yomi branch clan. 'Still, she's pretty strong. And that Multi-Strike of hers... maybe I could have defended against it.'

He could have covered himself in mana constructs but at the end of the day, those slashes had cut through the barrier in the uniforms as well.

'If she had caught me off-guard with that while trying to kill me, there's a high chance I would've died there…' Koya thought but then she shook his head. 'I'm overthinking this.'

He stopped waving and walked forward instead.

Misora, on the other hand... he already knew that woman was strong, very strong. She wasn't even using most of her power, but she was still enough to make Riu look like a child.

'But I'm stronger physically… I think?' Koya thought.

Though did that mean anything? She had those Sixty-Four Palms and better technique. He wasn't nervous about the battle with the Hyōga clan heir, but he was surprised about the strength of the girls in his class.

'I think I might take Hakai up on that offer of training…' Koya thought. Koya soon stood at the recommended distance, taking on a fighting stance.

The arena had been prepared yet again with the surface restored to pristine condition. These were the finals, after all and the end of the Buffer Tournament that Class 1 had held.

He glanced over at Itsuki on the right and the man was pale, as if he had seen a ghost.

Koya could understand why. This tournament probably didn't go the way Itsuki wanted it to, and he had offered all of Class 1's points into this… wagered everything on a bet that had already been lost.

Regardless of whether Koya won or lost in this fight against Hyōga Reito, Class 1's fate was already sealed.

Itsuki raised his hand up.

"Thirty-second break!" Itsuki announced, his voice lacking its usual confidence. Koya eased up his fighting stance and looked at the Hyōga clan heir opposite him.

One would expect the heir of a clan of ice to have silver hair… something matching the cold crystalline nature of their powers but Reito had complete black hair instead, with white patches scattered throughout like frost on dark stone.

That was how the descendants of their clan looked though another way to identify them was by their blue eyes that looked like crystals.

Reito cleared his throat.

"Amagi Koya…" Reito said, his voice sounding across the silent arena. "The two classmates before you allowed the others to remove their mana suppression bands. Would you like me to remove mine as well?"

Koya blinked and relaxed.

"Oh, you're still wearing that?" Koya asked. "Remove it."

Reito chuckled, pulling on the armband and throwing it to Itsuki who caught it with trembling hands.

The blue-haired Aozora clan heir pretty much did not care what happened from here on out… They had already lost regardless of the outcome then Reito looked at Koya, his crystal-blue eyes meeting Koya's crimson ones.

"Thank you…" Reito said and his expression grew serious. "And since I'll be going full power, I would advise you to drop that stupid 'no mana' condition you said you'd do in the meeting room…"

Reito continued. "Itsuki told me about it. Unlike the others who had been fighting for Class 1, I really don't care if we get demoted to Class 5."

The man stomped one foot on the ground and a small crater formed beneath his heel with cracks spreading outward like a spiderweb.

"Right here… right now…" Reito said as his voice rose with genuine passion, "I want us to go at each other with our full capabilities and have a fight that surpasses that of the others who fought before us and leaves not only the audience but the millions of viewers watching in absolute awe."

Koya raised an eyebrow, looking at this man who was practically vibrating with excitement then he sighed.

"Regardless of what you may say…" Koya said, "I still want to fight without mana."

His rank-up depended on it. He needed to get his Fighting Spirit and Mana to an equal amount before he could rank up to the next level.

This was the perfect opportunity to train his Fighting Spirit against a powerful opponent and Reito sighed with visible disappointment crossing his features.

"If there's no way to convince you otherwise…" Reito said. "then I'll let my fists do the talking."

He took a combat stance and Koya took his own stance as well, settling into the familiar position however Reito continued speaking even as he prepared to fight.

"Perhaps by the time I have frozen you with my ice, you shall take this seriously." Reito said then Itsuki brought his hand down sharply.

"Begin!" Itsuki shouted.

The two fighters charged at each other.

Unlike the other battles where people had been taunting each other, using flashy mana displays or elaborate sword techniques, the two of them just ran at each other with pure straightforward speed and Koya got the first hit.

His fist connected with Reito's crossed arms… the clan heir had raised them in an X-shaped defensive motion at the last second.

The impact sent Reito skidding backward across the ground with his feet leaving trails in the arena floor as he fought to maintain balance.

'Perhaps fighting the guy who can freeze me up in close combat isn't a smart thing to do.' Koya thought while watching Reito recover.

Reito jumped up and threw a kick aimed at Koya's head and Koya ducked under it smoothly, feeling the wind of the strike pass over his hair.

He moved away as Reito landed, creating distance just as shards of ice materialized and shot toward where Koya had been standing a second ago.

'But that doesn't make it less interesting.' Koya thought with a small grin.

Reito took one step onto the ground again.

This time, a cold wind whipped outward across the whole field, blowing directly into Koya's face. The temperature drop was immediate and intense, like someone had opened a freezer door directly in front of him.

Koya smiled.

"Thanks…" Koya said. "I needed something to cool my system."

"No problem." Reito replied then he stomped on the ground.

A pillar of ice rose under Koya's feet, erupting from the arena floor like a geyser frozen mid-burst.

Koya moved to the right to dodge it but more spikes came out as well… There were dozens of them all over the field.

Some even shot out of the ground at angles launching themselves toward Koya like missiles made of crystallized water but Koya had expected it already. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

He moved his head to the right, and a pillar of ice shot past his ear, close enough that he could feel the cold radiating from its surface.

Another spike came from below and he jumped over it, three more came from the left but he weaved between them like he was dancing.

A massive pillar rose up directly in front of him, and smaller spikes erupted from its surface, forming a crystal cage around him however Koya punched through it.

His fist shattered the ice completely, the frozen structure exploding into countless fragments that caught the arena lights like diamonds scattering through the air.

The cheers were still coming, though this wasn't as high-speed as what one would expect from a finals match.

It certainly wasn't boring either… the crowd was engaged and leaning forward in their seats, but there was a sense that both fighters were holding back.

"Why do I have the feeling that you're holding back on me?" Koya called out.

Reito stopped his assault, standing amid his field of ice pillars with a knowing smile.

"That's because I am holding back…" Reito said simply. "And you are as well. If you used your mana now, I would go at this with my full force."

Koya sighed.

'Fuck this.' He thought.

He retracted the Fighting Spirit that had been covering his entire body, making him stronger and more durable then his crimson eyes opened wide and a glow permeated from them.

His mana soared around his body as if it was fire.

Mana erupted from his core, spiraling outward in waves that distorted the air and the ground beneath his feet cracked from the force of his mana manifesting outward and upon seeing this spectacle, Reito grinned.

"This is very good!" Reito said with genuine excitement in his voice.

His own mana came out and it was a brilliant icy blue that spread across the arena floor like frost forming on glass.

It was obviously stronger than Koya's in terms of raw quantity and control, but Reito did not care about that disparity.

He was simply happy that he got to face such an opponent when they were both going serious. The golden crest that ran down the left side of Reito's face began to glow.

"If you had been a noble," Reito said, "you would have been even better than you are now. Your commoner genes are limiting you."

Koya dispelled the mana that had turned into an aura around him.

"Yeah yeah… tell that to my fist."

Then he immediately cleared the distance between them within an instant, moving so fast that he left afterimages.

While closing the gap, he created a mana construct in the shape of a sword in his right hand with the energy solidifying into a blade.

Reito immediately countered with a sword made of ice and the two blades clashed.

A fierce shockwave blew across the whole arena, rattling the protective barriers and sending a gust of wind into the crowd that made people's hair whip backward.

Reito staggered from the impact with his feet sliding back but his grin only widened.

While they were locked in place together, their blades grinding against each other with the screech of ice against pure mana, Reito continued speaking.

"As a gift for you using your mana…" Reito said. "I'll take this battle seriously."

Then he whispered two words.

"Frigid World."

In an instant, a cold wind whipped around the entire ring. It spread outward in a wave of frigid cold that was so intense that frost formed on every surface it touched.

It was not an attack nor was it a technique meant to damage or destroy so it seeped past the barriers that were in place and crept even into the stands.

A student who had his hand near the railing flinched and jerked backward.

"This is so cold it's hot!" the student said while being confused by the sensation. Koya skidded back, creating distance as the temperature plummeted.

"How do you like my Frigid World?" Reito asked, spreading his arms wide.

The entire arena had transformed as frost covered every surface. The air itself seemed to shimmer with cold and every breath from the fighters came out as visible mist.

"The Hyōga clan is known for close combat attacks…" Reito explained, "but also for our ability to make sure our opponents never fight on equal grounds."

"So in essence," Koya said, "what your clan does is piss people off before killing them?"

"Precisely!" Reito said with a laugh then he made a middle-finger gesture with his hand.

Multiple ice clones emerged from the frozen arena floor, each one rising up and making the exact same fuck-you sign at Koya.

Four perfect copies of Reito, all grinning and all flipping him off simultaneously.

"Try to find the real one while trying not to fall as well!" Reito called out.

The arena floor was now completely covered in ice that was slick and impossible to stand on normally.

The cheers continued mixed with laughter at the absurd sight.

Koya stomped onto the ground, making tremors spread out then he moved forward, using Fighting Spirit to stabilize the underneath of his legs since it could create friction in places without it… essentially making his feet stick to the ice.

The four clones and the real Reito immediately made hand signs and something opened up in front of them… ramps.

Ice ramps forming at impossible angles, creating a three-dimensional battlefield that defied normal geometry.

Koya skated out of the way of one and there were several other ramps forming all around the arena.

… This had really turned from a fight into an annoying performance piece then all five Reitos spoke in unison.

"Catch me if you can!"

They immediately started skating… moving across the ice with inhuman speed and grace, using the ramps to launch themselves into the air, grinding along rails of ice that formed wherever they needed them.

Koya watched one clone do a backflip off a ramp while another slid under a pillar.

'This is ridiculous.' Koya thought.

He threw his mana construct sword after one of the skating clones.

The clone deflected it with a casual swipe of its ice blade with the energy scattering into particles but Koya had already anticipated that… he turned the dispersing mana into tendrils that wrapped around the Reito like glowing ropes.

Koya skated after the bound clone building speed with his leg cocked back ready to deliver a devastating kick however a blast of ice shot toward his side.

Koya twisted mid-skate, barely avoiding the freezing beam. He looked to see another Reito on a different ramp, slapping its own ass at him mockingly.

Koya's eye twitched.

'That's it!' Koya thought.

He skated after them with renewed determination. The first clone came at him from above, dropping from a high ramp with its ice sword raised and Koya pointed two fingers at it like a gun and fired a concentrated beam of blue mana from his fingertips.

The beam punched through the clone's chest, and it shattered into ice fragments.

The second clone tried to blindside him from the left but Koya spun, his leg sweeping out in a roundhouse kick that connected with the clone's head and sent it flying into a pillar.

It exploded on impact, shards of ice scattering everywhere.

The third clone skated directly at him, weaving between ramps in a serpentine pattern but Koya created another mana construct… this time a spear and hurled it with perfect accuracy. The spear impaled the clone mid-skate, pinning it to the arena floor where it shattered.

The fourth clone came from behind, thinking it had the element of surprise.

Koya didn't even turn around, he just thrust his elbow backward, channeling mana into the strike and the impact created a shockwave that obliterated the clone before it could land its attack.

The last and real Reito skated from the other side of the field, applauding slowly.

"Why aren't you using your fire magic?" Reito asked, genuinely curious.

"You probably have plans in place for fire magic, right?" Koya was sure of it.

Reito laughed delightedly.

"Yes, I do!" Reito confirmed.

The two of them skated at each other with their fists cocked back in mirror images.

The distance closed rapidly… and just as Koya was about to punch him, Reito froze the air around Koya's fist. The sudden resistance threw off Koya's timing, but he still managed to land the punch just with less force than intended.

Reito's own punch connected with Koya's ribs simultaneously. Both fighters staggered back then immediately engaged again.

They had fierce hand-to-hand combat with kicks and punches flying so fast they blurred together.

Koya hit Reito hard in the stomach and Reito's eyes widened with spittle flying from his mouth then Koya followed up with a hook to the jaw that snapped Reito's head to the side.

Blood sprayed from Reito's mouth.

For a moment, the clan heir's vision went black and his consciousness flickered, threatening to shut down entirely from the accumulated damage then another punch came with Koya's fist aimed directly at his face but Reito reacted just before he fell over.

He twisted his body, letting the punch graze past his cheek instead of connecting fully then he threw a punch at Koya making the blond haired young man put distance between them.

"Come on Koya-kun, why are you running~?" He asked while his hands glowed creating a small orb in front of his palms that released a beam of ice in a concentrated stream of freezing energy that could turn steel brittle in seconds.

Koya covered his hand in mana and opened his palm. The beam hit his hand and split, diverted to either side of him like water hitting a rock.

Koya walked forward through the sustained blast with his mana focused on that single point and the beam kept shooting but he diverted it and when he reached directly in front of Reito, Koya grabbed the source of the beam with his mana-covered hand and the full thing dispelled instantly with the ice evaporating into mist.

"Boo!" Koya said then he punched Reito across the face.

The impact sent Reito flying backward, his body ragdolling through the air before landing hard on the ground.

He lay there face-up for a moment while breathing hard as blood pooled beneath his head then Reito pulled himself onto his knees.

"Do you want to continue?" Koya asked and the man chuckled with blood dripping from his mouth..

"Of course I fucking do… The battle doesn't end here after all."

Koya was quiet, watching the clan heir struggle to his feet.

'I swear, with the way that Yoru talked about his clan, I expected them to be stronger.' Koya thought then Reito laughed.

"Koya," Reito said with his voice suddenly becoming passionate. "I love you."

The arena went completely silent.

"I love you very much," Reito continued, blood still dripping from his mouth. "From the first day I laid eyes on you, I loved you and I will beat you here to prove that I should be the top when we become a couple!"

There were no more cheers and instead, there were confused shouts.

"WHAT?!"

"DID HE JUST—"

"IS THIS A CONFESSION?!"

「WHAT THE FUCK 💀💀💀」

「KOYA IS STRAIGHT! HE IS STRAIGHT NOT GAY 😭」

「BRO WHAT TIMELINE IS THIS ��💀」

「The genre of this fight just changed real quick 😭 Tf is this? A romance anime???」

「🏳️‍🌈 IS THIS A COMING OUT SCENE???」

「REITO STOCKS... CONFUSED 📉📈📉📈」

「MY BRAIN CAN'T PROCESS THIS 🤯」

Koya stood frozen with his brain completely short-circuiting.

'Wha–' Koya thought, unable to form a complete sentence in his own mind and with that declaration still hanging in the air, Reito pressed his hand into the ground.

A wave of pure cold spilled out… not like the Frigid World from before but something else entirely.

The ice was so cold that it felt like heat spilling against Koya's face, the temperature so extreme that his nerves couldn't process it correctly then Reito uttered two words that made the entire arena hold its breath.

"Cold Zero."

And everywhere turned white.