TL Note: Karakuri is a Type of Japanese Doll that has mechanisms inside to make it move commonly shown in puppet shows.

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Well, the question is if this 《Magic》 will be able to reach her.

Considering the distance it will be released, I need to make sure that it’s either unnoticeable or unavoidable even if noticed. In that way, she won’t be able to do anything about it anymore.

From the start, I have already calculated the procedures in my head about how I should do it. The question now is if it will actually go the same way what I thought of.

「Magic? Was there a reason for you not showing it until now, well, try it and we’ll see」

「Fufun~, It’s a secret technique for my victory」

I puffed out my chest with a Doya face, I just didn’t really think about using it until now.

Curling my right hand in a light grip, I placed my thumb inside, and then stabilize it with my left hand just in case.

Eat this, my magic!

Flicking my thumb with lots of power, the air from within that was compressed to the limit was sent flying towards Benihana-san. The direction was slightly off so I missed, but it was not blocked when it reached the area where her stance could reach.

「What was that just now……?」

First shot was a success, and the probability of me winning now was increased by more than 50%.

Even after it reached the effective range of her All-Sky, the auto-counter didn’t activate, that means that I properly aimed it at Benihana-san, then I will be able to inflict proper damage.

It’s only compressed air so the damage won’t be that big, but what was important is to force her to end her all-sky stance.

The full block counter is really terrible, but for it to also stop the practitioners movement also gives it a fatal shortcoming.

「Ei, Ei~」

Continuing to flip out air like coin bullets, my accuracy gradually increased and the effect can definitely be seen as it begins hitting Benihana-san.

Benihana-san could only clench her teeth as she received a thorough assault of air bullets as my accuracy becomes more and more precise and even though the damage is small, it slowly accumulates forcing her in a desperate situation. I was thinking that Benihana-san was in a really big pinch at this moment.

With this, my losing condition has finally dropped down to almost neutral, because in this situation, I am able to inflict damage.

Because Benihana-san’s damage inflicted to me were nothing more than just a scratches, only if she still has some kind of deathblow technique then the fighting conditions might change. And she probably won’t be able to execute it this time with her getting pressured like this so the chance deal a deathblow strike is very low.

And finally, if she really cancels her all sky stance, then it will be me who will be delivering the finishing blow.

Although she was able to block my attacks in the beginning, right now she has no means of retaliating against me making her All-Sky field be into a burden to her.  That field was so annoying that no matter how I attacked it, it would block all of the damage.

「Yosh, then」

Finally understanding the gist of it, I am now using it with both hands, I still wasn’t able to deliver a blow strong enough to beat her though, but,

「Guh, I, I surrender, a splendid move」

After saying that, she fell down sideways. As soon as that happened, the recovery magic activated returning her to her original state, though the pain is still left behind.

「Winner, Toto!」

I raised both hands after the declaration of my victory and the audience clamored.

It seems like the air compressed bullets were something they have never seen before and I could hear some confused voices mixed in the cheers like 「What was it that she did just now?」 or like「Did she use some kind of magic?」 and more.

Fufun~, it’s magic right, magic. (Physics) should also be attached to it though, but because it’s a long range attack, people would definitely mistake it as magic.

◇――――――――――――――――――

After the match, when I returned inside the waiting room, the soldier-san said that I should come back again after the 4th match and I then hurried towards the other waiting room.

Either knowing that I would come or it was just a coincidence, I found Benihana-san also approaching me when I entered the corridor while carrying a big baggage.

「Benihana-san~!」

「Toto-dono?」

Although our battle was over, it would still not be good to suddenly rush to the other waiting room, and that is to prevent participants from needlessly fighting again right after their match. There are also concerns like what equipment the other side has prepared and more but that’s not what I came in the area for.

I just want to upfront ask her, about All-Sky that is.

「That, great technique, want to know!」

「All-Sky is it…… Well if Toto-dono wanted to learn about it. Can Toto-dono also teach me about your secret, why is it that my slashes were easily deflected, that was a really mysterious phenomenon to me」

「Nn, Fine」

Well, it’s not really a secret. I also showed it to mom after all, It only about actually hardening my skin so to show her I let her get a hold of my arm.

What’s this? Is the reaction of Benihana-san tilting her neck to the side then as she grasps my arm her eyes opened wide in surprise.

「Toto-dono are you a Living Doll!!」

「Eh!? No, I’m not!?」

I don’t think I’m even something like that. I have blood flowing in me you know.

Immediately after I ease up my arm turning it into a mushy hand, I tried teaching her how to do those air bullets and was somehow able to solve the stupid misunderstandings.

「I see, but Toto-dono, the way you use your body resembles a monk living in temples」

Convinced with that conclusion, Benihana-san laughed a lot.

I feel like a strange misunderstanding have been added again, but well whatever. Are there really people in this world like those monks living in seclusion?

「Then, let me explain about All-Skies. The main point of the technique is to lay a sort of Barrier which will be the base for using All-Skies. The one used for suppression is white snow and —–」

It was really long and difficult tale, but to summarize things, it is considered that All-Sky is not a defensive attack but more of an offensive one.

The omni-directional counter is to identify the position of that shadow（The Ninja Person） along with the strong flash and slash at the end was all part of All-Sky.

After she said that, I remembered the move she used when she was fighting that Assassin person.

I also understood that it could easily block physical object like people jumping towards it to even daggers that were thrown, but the one she used doesn’t seem to be able to block air or magic.

If a master practitioner uses it though, it said that they could block anything.

So that explains why I always gets pushed away when I approach and yet it wasn’t able to block my air bullets.

The only problem is that when you have deployed the barrier, not only the people outside are blocked but even the practitioner itself won’t be able to move while inside it.

I do think that the omni-directional counter was really strong, but I did notice how that barrier works as we went on, and that was where I noticed that the user 《Could not Move》 which became it’s biggest disadvantage, I don’t think it will be improved some more so I gave up on learning All-Sky.

「Byebye, thanks for everything」

「This one too has learned a lot, if we do meet again someday, at that time I will challenge you once more and will do my best」

After waving to each other, I head towards where mom was. Today, the placement of the seats seems to have been fixed and managed according to the ticket, but since I got the tickets from the soldier-san yesterday, it seems that it was already arranged for seats to be near each other.

The ticket used for participating can also be used for audience viewing, so it was ok for only mother to have the ticket for audience seats.

「I won~」

Is what I said as I moved in front of mom, and of course I caught by hug while saying 「Aren’t you amazing」 and was cuddled.

「But well, what did you do in that last moment?」

「Nn, fired Air Bullets」

By gesturing it in front of her and showing how I do it, mom only answered with more question marks on her head.

I don’t think she really could understand it because even I didn’t really understand how to explain how it works.

「My commonsense is starting to crumble because of this girl……」

Mom made a small mutter, but wasn’t able to clearly hear it.

I have also been chatting with Benihana-san for quite some time but when I see that match, it seems like it still hasn’t ended yet. It was just in the middle of the third match.

The participants of the match were Cliff, who was the winner of the first qualifier match, and Ornica, a knight who won the sixth qualifier round. The two of them were fiercely clashing with their swords.

Cliff was still looking like a common adventurer just like before and his opponent Ornica looked more like an adventurer than a knight with his wild looks.

As far as I could conclude, the skills of both are almost at the same level, and both of them were fighting without shields trying to cut each other. Besides that, their evasion and parry which were also good helped them not take any damage.

It that sword something, I should call it a long sword because of that length, it could be used either one-handed or two-handed.

Ornica was wearing armor covering his waist and chest, very different from the one that the other knights I’ve seen who were wearing a full body armor. Not only their abilities but their condition was also almost the same.

However, I’m feeling that a long term battle is no good, and Cliff-san’s breath is starting to become heavier.

The speed of his swings is also starting to fall out.

Ornica-san who seems to have noticed these changes took advantage of it and certainly was aiming for a quick strike.

「I was waiting for that」

Just as Ornica was about to approach Cliff grinned, reading through his opponent’s attack he avoided it with minimal movement then grabbed some powder with his gloved hand from the small bag on his waist and spread it towards Ornica.

The powder that was spread through the air made little crackling sounds and sparkled.

「Shi……！」

Grinning as if he was convinced of his victory Cliff took a look at what happened to the powder and Ornika thinking about what startled expression he would show, but on the contrary Ornica was smiling.

「Sorry to disappoint you but I was also waiting for that moment」

Even though he certainly confirmed that the powder hit his opponent, the attack was blocked and returned to him so it was Cliff’s body that started to grow numb. And then he was thinking, how could this be?

「When it comes to competitions like this, there would always be tricks where participants use poison and other things, there would always be special tools carried to use them, and also the trap that you have thought of is something I have already prepared to counter.  Without that though, I would still be able to win because of our difference in stamina」

Ornica said as he approached and the now paralyzed Cliff who was crawling on the floor.

Is he going to finish him? The moment Ornica raised his sword, Cliff declares his surrender.

「I see, so he deflected the powder with something, I wasn’t able to think about using such methods」

「At a time like that?」

When I asked, apparently it seems that the one who handled the preparations for that powder didn’t really agree on the way he was using that, and it seems like paint or some sort was used in order to neutralize it.

That’s why Ornica was able to repel it, returning it back to one who used it, and Cliff despite being a senior adventurer was not able to do any countermeasures and was beaten just like that!

After declaring his defeat, Cliff’s paralysis was easily recovered and the two returned to their waiting rooms.

「You also have to go now」

「Nn, will do my best」

I also wanted to see the fourth match but I need to already return to my waiting area and won’t be able to watch till it ends anyway. While thinking about those things, I stood up my chair and made my way quickly.