[1000 PS = 1 Bonus Chapter]
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My eyes fell on the pawn piece that Sona Sitri had placed on the table.
Accepting this piece meant not only joining the Student Council but also becoming a devil — complete with bat wings and all the other abilities.
A decisive mission presented itself before me.
[Ding! The system proposes the mission "Sona Sitri's Proposal!"]
1 - Reject Sona Sitri's proposal. (Reward: 10 Fusion Points)
2 - Accept to become Sona Sitri's Pawn in place of Saji Genshirou. (Reward: 30 Fusion Points)
3 - Manipulate Sona Sitri to get a much more favorable deal for yourself. (Reward: 60 Fusion Points)
This chess piece was small, but it represented something of immeasurable significance to me: the loss of my freedom. Furthermore, I saw no reason to accept becoming someone's servant when the only benefit I would gain, and which I did not yet possess, was the ability to fly. I already had all the other superpowers that devils had at a much more advanced level.
"I admire your boldness, Sitri-san," I said bluntly. There was no need to hide what I thought of her offer. "But I'm afraid I don't share the enthusiasm that many seem to have for serving beautiful women like you."
"Are you refusing my offer, Nishihara-kun?" she asked, frowning slightly.
"That's right," I replied directly.
[Ding! The Master chose option 1! Reward: 10 Fusion Points.]
"Don't get me wrong. I know that an offer like this from you should be seen as an honor for me. Entering the peerage of a young noblewoman and heiress like you is something people would beg to do."
"If you understand so well the weight of rejecting something like this, why do you still do it?" Sona asked as she moved the pawn piece with her fingertip.
"Freedom."
Tsubaki narrowed her eyes and then turned her face away as if she had just heard something silly.
Sona, meanwhile, leaned back in her chair and smiled. "You value your independence... I can respect that, but you must also understand that in the supernatural world, alliances are a matter of survival."
"I'm not against alliances, Sitri-san," I interrupted. "If you want me to cooperate with you, we can discuss a temporary collaboration. No permanent commitments, no Devil Pieces. Just an agreement based on mutual interests. You need someone with my skills, and I need money and practice."
Sona raised both eyebrows.
I was sure she was considering my offer at that moment, but she still had no proof of what I was capable of. So, her answer was obviously going to be...
"How about a combat test?" Tsubaki proposed before Sona, surprising me. She quickly explained, "I myself have seen how fast and strong Nishihara-san can be, but making him a provisional member of the Student Council would only be useful to us if he is good at fulfilling contracts. For you, President, to decide whether he is capable of doing this without the skills of a devil, you need to analyze him with your own eyes."
Sona adjusted her glasses as she looked at me with a cold stare.
"A test, then," she repeated, turning to Tsubaki with a slight nod. "A reasonable idea. This will also allow us to more clearly assess your abilities, Tsubaki."
Tsubaki Shinra gave me a piercing look, as if announcing that she would not go easy on me.
"And what exactly would this test involve?" I asked.
Since it would involve Tsubaki as well, it was logical to assume that it would be a one-on-one against her. However, it was important for me to know why some of my abilities, such as my weapon summoning, were ones I preferred to keep secret.
"Nothing you need to worry about, Nishihara-kun. The test will be relatively simple: a demonstration of physical and magical abilities. Considering that you are a youkai, we expect you to have at least a basic mastery of the abilities typical of your species."
I shrugged. "All right. But if I pass the test, I want something in return. Something like a signing bonus."
Tsubaki was about to protest, but Sona spoke first. "I accept. But only if you prove yourself exceptional."
"Perfect. When do we start?"
"Right now."
I was taken to an outdoor area at the back of the school, surrounded by trees and located at the far end of the campus. It was a field that probably served as a training ground for the Student Council.
To my surprise, the place was not empty. In the center, an opponent awaited me. It was neither human nor devil. It was a magical construct, probably built by someone Sona had connections with to serve as a training dummy.
The appearance of this construct reminded me of a medieval knight, with shiny silver armor and a long sword reminiscent of Guts'.
"Your objective is simple, Nishihara-kun: defeat the construct without leaving the magic circle in less than five minutes."
Part of me wanted to say something like, "That's it?" but constructs should not be underestimated — especially when I didn't even want to use all my abilities.
"As I said, this will also be a test for you, Tsubaki," Sona said, looking at the Vice President. "It's been a long time since you last fought Bob. Go on and show your potential Student Council kouhai how it's done."
Tsubaki took a step forward, her gaze cold as steel fixed on the construct.
In her hands, a naginata began to emerge through a lilac magic circle. She spun the weapon with a graceful movement, warming it up.
"Watch closely, Nishihara-kun. This will be a demonstration of what we expect from someone who wishes to collaborate with us," Sona said, adjusting her glasses with a slight smile.
The construct, in turn, raised its long sword, preparing itself when it saw Tsubaki.
As soon as she entered the construct's attack range, even though she appeared calm and peaceful, the construct attacked her.
The first clash of blades produced a frighteningly loud sound.
Fortunately, Tsubaki's naginata stopped the construct's blade. The force of the impact was enough to make the ground shake slightly, but she did not retreat. Instead, she slid to the side, deflecting the construct's sword to the ground and moving away from it.
"The construct is made of mithril and reinforced with magic," Sona explained calmly as she watched the battle. "It is capable of regenerating most physical damage in a matter of seconds, and its brute strength is equivalent to that of a General because it was a European General who used to wear this armor 700 years ago. However, Tsubaki is dealing with it using less than 50% of her full strength."
"Less than 50%?" I asked and whistled, impressed.
"You'll see what I mean."
Meanwhile, Tsubaki swung the naginata with impressive dexterity, delivering a horizontal slash that struck the construct's right arm.
The blade passed like a hot knife through butter, and the opponent's arm fell to the ground with a metallic clang.
But before I could react, the construct was already in the process of regenerating. Pieces of metal began to rearrange themselves, welding themselves together in an almost magical fashion, and the arm was back in a matter of seconds.
Tsubaki was not intimidated.
With a leap, she delivered another blow, this time aiming for the construct's head.
The impact was so strong that the knight's head was torn from its body, flying several meters before falling to the ground. Without its head, the construct seemed momentarily disoriented, but it was not defeated.
The pieces of the head began to move on their own, rolling and reorganizing themselves until they returned to their original place.
The construct raised its sword again, as if nothing had happened.
"That's what I mean," Sona continued. "That's the real challenge: not just defeating the construct but finding a way to get around its regeneration. But Tsubaki already knows the trick behind it..."
At that moment, Tsubaki leaped backward, creating a safe distance between herself and the construct. With a swift movement, she spun her naginata as if taunting the construct.
The construct lunged forward. Its sword was raised and ready for a vertical strike.
But before it could reach Tsubaki, she moved her naginata with impressive speed, swinging it several times with a velocity that made the blade almost invisible.
From what I understood, each blow struck a different joint of the construct, dismantling it piece by piece until it was nothing more than a pile of armor scattered across the floor.
"Impressive," I admitted mentally.
Sona clapped her hands. "Congratulations, Tsubaki. You broke your record. You defeated Bob in 1 minute and 8 seconds."
Tsubaki smiled and put away her naginata before bowing to Sona.
"The work isn't over yet, Nishihara-kun. Now it's your turn," said Sona, turning to me.
It was then that the pieces of the construct began to move again after a few seconds of inactivity, gathering in the center of the field.
Quickly, the construct began to rebuild itself, and this time it would be me who would have to defeat it.
Tsubaki did it in 1 minute and 8 seconds. So why not try to do it in just 8 seconds?
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