AN: I am so, so sorry this took so long. I won't bore you guys with excuses but I will say that I hope you're all taking care and staying safe with the whole COVID-19 situation going on right now.

Anyway, big meaty fight scene this chapter. I've taken some creative liberties with Saijou and I've incorporated some elements from the latest two volumes (Surprisingly, some things from there lined up with what I had planned).

Thanks for all the reviews, follows and faves so far.

Kian Xki, thanks for the constructive criticism! I'll keep your feedback in mind when more information about the organization get divulged. I definitely don't want them to come off as being too omnipotent.

CHAPTER 11: Dark Knight's Debut

It wasn't long afterwards when the three of them arrived at Hagun's seventh arena. On the way there, Ikki mentioned that it one the Academy's bigger stadiums normally reserved for major events and Bruce could see that fact from the outside, marveling at its imposing structure.

He guessed that the Battle Committee would try to make a match featuring a Student Council member as big of spectacle as possible.

Inside, the trio walked through the long corridor leading to the waiting room when they noticed someone walking towards the opposite direction towards them.

"Look, it's Saikyou-sensei." Stella said.

Indeed it was the petite teacher clad in her usual kimono and red haori with a large bow on her head. Nene smirked when she noticed Ikki and Stella hailing her and stopped in front of them.

"Kuro-bou, Stella-chan..." she greeted.

But when her eyes fell on Bruce, she paused and her entire demeanor shifted: she joined her hands behind her back and swayed herself, blushing like a bashful little girl.

"Hello, Buruu-kun."

The three students reeled back in surprise, Bruce more so.

"B-BURUU-KUN!? Where did that come from!?" he thought.

"What's going on with Saikyou-sensei? I've never seen her like this." Stella whispered to Ikki.

"I have no idea." he whispered back.

Desperate to put this situation out of their minds, Bruce coughed hard and turned his attention to Ikki and Stella.

"Anyway, I'd better head to the waiting room."

Ikki nodded with a smile.

"Good luck! We'll be rooting for you."

The F-rank extended a fist which Bruce bumped with his own after a little hesitancy. Stella frowned a little, it wasn't like she was intending to particularly root for him like Ikki said but now that she was put on the spot, she gave a begrudging "Um".

Bruce continued his way through the corridor but in another move that surprised the two teens, Nene trotted after him; the rapid clopping sounds of her clogs accompanying her.

"Wait for me, Buruu-kun!" she sang playfully.

The older student stopped and shot a glare at her.

"Stop calling me that! What do you want?"

"Oh c'mon, I know I was little rough with you back then but can't we put that behind us?" Nene pouted in mock hurt.

She continued to talk while playing with one of her side bangs as she spoke softly with a flirty grin.

"Especially after that little 'moment' between us."

Bruce figured she was talking about that time when he landed on top of her after their mock battle.

"There was no 'moment'." he stated tersely.

But Nene didn't listen, she instead cupped her reddening cheeks and swooned in an exaggerated manner.

"Sure there was. When it comes to me and other guys, I'm always on top. But after feeling that hot rock hard bod over me, I'd GLADLY make an exception."

The Yaksha Princess then grabbed and snuggled up against his arm.

"So when we eventually do it, you can choose whatever position you want, k?" she purred and finished by winking while poking out her tongue.

Needless to say, Bruce wasn't amused and yanked his arm away.

"Can't you go two seconds without being a walking public indecency!?"

"Nope." she responded with smug smile.

"Whatever. I have a match to prepare for." Bruce grunted with annoyance and began to march on.

Complacent as ever, Nene leaned her back against the wall while coolly folding her arms.

"So lemme guess: you got a plan, right?" she called after him.

This made Bruce halt in his tracks. He remained still with his back to her before he spoke, in slight grim note.

"No. Not this time."

Nene dropped her playful expression and looked towards him curiously.

"You were right about what you said back then." Bruce suddenly said.

Nene blinked at this.

"I was?"

"It's about time I stopped denying myself my power. Continuing to do so would be...foolish."

With only those words said, Bruce continued on towards the waiting room, leaving the Yaksha Princess surprisingly speechless.

The spectator seats encircling the ring below were alive with electrifying energy, it seemed that the swarms of gathered students were either talking, cheering or just plain shouting. The environment was bathe in colorful glows from the lights above, the overhanging monitors and the signature blue hue from the ring.

Through all the noise, a girl's voice boomed through the loud speakers.

"Wow! What an audience we have here! And it's only fitting because in a few minutes we'll be seeing the first match of one of our very own Student Council!"

Inside the commentator box, the girl could hear the cheers erupting in a frenzied response. She was also a student in Hagun, having short brown hair with long bangs framing her face and the left side of her parted hair secured with a hair clip.

"I'll be your play-by-play commentator, Hangetsu Tsukuyomi from the Broadcasting Club." she made her introductions through the mic. "Joining me today as co-commentator will be Nene Saikyou-sensei."

As she said, Nene was seated next to Tsukuyomi with her face idly resting on her propped up palm and a mic positioned next to her.

"Great to be here." she breathed out with a bored expression.

"So tell me Sensei, are you as psyched for today's battle as much as everyone else?" Tsukuyomi asked while making light punching gestures.

But Nene didn't appear to be in the mood, she had a faraway look in her eyes and her mind seemed elsewhere.

"Sure."

Tsukuyomi chuckled nervously, put off by the teacher's lack of interest and tried to futility save face.

"Ehehe. Okay then." "The match will begin in just a few minutes so if anyone has just entered, please take this moment to be seated."

Meanwhile in the sea of spectators, Ikki and Stella navigated through the stands to find some suitable seats but in the process they've encountered two familiar and unexpected individuals.

"Shizuku?" Stella blurted.

And it wasn't just the youngest Kurogane present in front of them, Nagi was also with her looking for an available seat like them.

"My, this is a pleasant surprise." the effeminate boy said with a graceful smile.

"Onii-sama? Stella-san? You're here too?" Shizuku asked in surprise.

After taking a slight glance towards the lit-up ring below, an idea came to Shizuku and prompted her to sneer at Stella.

"Oh, I see how it is. Have you come to eye someone else then?"

"You wish!" Stella huffed. "I'm only here because Ikki wanted to come! What's your excuse?"

"Well Initially I was only accompanying Alice but since Onii-sama is here, that makes things convenient."

Without a second thought, Shizuku clutched herself to Ikki's arm and pulled him down to sit with her. Ikki was caught off guard from the action and began to feel flustered with embarrassment.

"After all, wouldn't his cute little sister make better company than a trollop who bares herself in front of a total stranger?" said Shizuku as she snuggled closer to him.

Stella reacted heatedly with her teeth grit in outrage.

"Why you little...! If you think I going anywhere, you are so mistaken!"

And so, she plopped down next to him and grabbed hold of his other arm, making him feel even more awkward.

"So there!" she said with finality.

The two girls 'hmph-ed' and snootily threw their faces away from each other while Nagi giggled at sat down on the elevated seat behind Ikki.

"Fufufu. Never a dull moment with you around, is it?"

Ikki felt nervous, being put on the spot and quickly tried to change the subject.

"Erm, A-anyway, I didn't expect that you'd be interested in today's matches, Alice."

"Darling, I wouldn't say I'm interested in every match. There's only one reason why I'm here."

The F-rank gave him a questioning look.

"Brucie of course!" Nagi answered. "I find myself completely fascinated with him. You can't tell me you don't feel the same, I noticed how you were regarding him yesterday. I think it's cute the way the two of you became friends."

Shizuku slowly released Ikki's arm to look at him.

"Onii-sama, is this true?" she asked, slightly shocked.

"Honestly, I don't know him that well but yeah, I'd consider him a friend." Ikki responded sincerely.

She sighed and looked back and forth between Nagi and Ikki, the two people she cared about the most.

"I don't understand what you two see in him. Don't you see he's a lost cause?"

Ikki reacted with a disapproving glare, an action that stunned both Stella and Nagi and made Shizuku flinch; Not since that day when they were children, when he harshly reprimanded her for her cold actions did she see him like this. Growing up, she was given a pass for everything she did; because she was the princess of the household, because she had power. But only he held her accountable.

That was the same day when she fell in love with him.

"No. I don't. People thought that I was a lost cause too." he said sternly.

"But that's...! T-that was different..." she trailed off with a small voice.

He frowned seeing her knit her brows with a conflicted expression but then his features relaxed, he didn't know why she thought so badly of Bruce but he couldn't stay mad at her, she was still his sweet little sister. Stella meanwhile looked on silently, her grip on Ikki's arm had been long been released. She was beginning to wonder if she and Shizuku had already lost their little competition...to a third person.

"Give him a chance, Shizuku." said Ikki gently. "Maybe you might see something that you missed before."

Positioned directly opposite the commentary box, above the east side of the stands, was another small room. This one had a row of seats facing an encompassing window pane that allowed a great view of the action below, it was one of the exclusive features that complimented the sheer size and scale of the seventh arena: a VIP box.

When Renren entered, she saw that two individuals were already seated, one of them turned around and waved at her.

"Hello Renren. I was wondering when you'd come."

The voice belonged to a short young boy who had a curly mop of white hair that covered his entire forehead and lime green eyes. His stature was so short that he could easily be mistaken as an elementary school kid. His mannerisms seemed to reinforce such assumptions, the way he sat and swung his legs about like an innocent child and yet he spoke with clear maturity.

"Heya, Misogi-senpai!" Renren greeted back.

And he was also apparently a senior.

Renren peered around the room and noticed that there was someone from their group who wasn't present this time.

"Hm? Prez isn't here?" she asked.

A soft elegant voice spoke up next to Misogi, it came from a person who, from Renren's perspective, was hidden from view behind a frilly white parasol.

"She has some work to take care of and told me she won't be joining us."

"Ahaha. Ever the busy body she is." Misogi laughed.

Renren went ahead and plopped herself besides Misogi, looking completely psyched.

"Well, I guess she won't be missing all that much. Saijou is probably gonna own this fight in no time."

This brought out more childish laughter from Misogi.

"Ahahaha. That's quite a compliment coming from someone who's considered his superior."

Surprisingly, Renren turned quiet and glanced down with a contemplative frown.

"The thing is, I'm not so sure I'm his superior anymore."

"Oh? How so?"

"The reason I'm ranked third is because of my speed, right? As strong as Saijou is, he can't hit anything that's too fast. And lugging that heavy weapon of his, leaves him wide open for me to use Black Bird."

Misogi nodded and continued listening.

"Well lately, he asked me to help him with some special training and in the end, he improved his reaction so much that he was able to defend and catch me off guard."

"Wow, that IS impressive!" Misogi chimed.

Renren 'um-ed' in agreement but her brow continued to furrow from worry.

"Saijou...he's been acting kinda weird since yesterday and I get the feeling that has something to do with Wayne-senpai. He doesn't seem to like him for some reason."

The person behind the parasol reacted slightly by glancing towards Renren, fair skin and blonde tresses peeked into view.

Misogi on the other hand, crossed his arms and tilted his head in thought; he knew all too well that Saijou was normally a very tolerant person considering how much he and Renren constantly pull his leg.

"Hmm...do you recall when we visited his house some time ago?" he asked.

Renren suppressed a laugh at this.

That was the time when Saijou invited his fellow Student Council members to have lunch with his family, a long lineage of doctors stretching all the way back to the last war.

It was a fun humorous event all at poor Saijou's expense when his parents kept embarrassing him with comments like "Which one you lovely ladies is my son's girlfriend?" and "Wait, Misogi-san's a boy!? Hey, Ikazuchi! Don't tell me you're some closet shotacon! I raised you better than that, son!"

Needless to say, Renren and Misogi were never going let him live that down.

"How can I forget?" she giggled.

"Remember that story his grandmother told us?"

The athletic girl gave a look of confusion, she remembered but didn't understand what that had to do with the present situation. Then she recalled a key detail about the Academy's new transfer student and her eyes widened.

"No way...THAT'S what this all about!?"

"Well, you know Ikazuchi. He can be pretty... overzealous when it comes to certain things." Misogi shrugged.

Renren grimaced, her expression that was previously excited was now morphed to discomfort.

"Hoo boy, this is not gonna be good." she sighed.

At that time Tsukuyomi's voice boomed through he speakers.

"It's time folks! The combatants are ready!"

The audience roared with hype as the commentator began introductions for both fighters.

"Entering through the red gate is a powerhouse who's the fourth strongest in Hagun's inner rankings! This C-rank Knight is nicknamed 'Destroyer' and for a good reason too! Like the warship, he has sunk many opponents in his wake. He is Ikazuchi Saijou!"

On cue, a bald-headed young man with a giant stature that could easily make one mistake him for an adult stepped onto the ring, his head held high as cheers broke out. Some from the audience even chanted his name "SAIJOU! SAIJOU! SAIJOU!". It seemed that his manly and stalwart nature earned him a respectful following, mostly boys seeing him as a role model of sorts.

"From the blue gate is an interesting opponent: Coming all the way from the United States is a D-rank Knight. Not much is known about his abilities and his magic is a bit Rusty but maybe he'll show us how how things are done over there. His name...is Bruce Wayne!"

Bruce stepped forward onto the ring, a few cheered for him but there were a few boos as well, mostly from Saijou-fans. The bald boy stood opposite him, staring him down dangerously as those fans shouted their support.

"Gooo, Saijou!"

"Kick his ass, Saijou!"

"Yeah! Show him what Japanese men are made off!"

Through it all, Bruce kept his eyes focused forward and his expression taut.

"From what I gathered..." Saijou began to speak. "You're the first person from the Union to be Ranked according to League standards. I hope you'd also care to respect the grounds you walk on."

The condescending tone in the boy's voice wasn't lost on Bruce. In response, the older student silently extended his arm and summoned Branwen to his hand before taking up his stance.

"Let's get this circus over with." Bruce rasped wearily.

Saijou's eyes sharpened into a glare and then, with him swinging both his arms around him, something began to materialize. It cut through the air, whistling with a strong gale before it appeared. With a long handle held by both hands, it was a massive wide blade more than half the size of his own body, decorated with a gold guard and etchings.

The sight of it earned sounds of awe from the audience.

"Whoa! That's contender Saijou's Zanbatou!" sounded Tsukuyomi's voice. "Each swing from that weapon is so strong that its roars can be heard even from the audience!"

In the commentator box, Tsukuyomi turned to address Nene.

"For someone who hasn't fully developed their magic, this is such a harsh debut for contender Wayne. Tell us Saikyou-sensei, in your expert opinion how do these two knights stack up against each other?"

Nene's eyes flicked back to her fellow commentator, lazily awoken from her distracted state.

"Hm?"

"You know? How do they measure up?" Tsukuyomi asked.

"Well, Sai-jidou may be well built but he's actually pretty average sized, about four, four and half inches I'd say. Buruu-kun on the other hand, from what I could make out, has quite a monstrous dragon dwelling in those pants."

That immediately killed the mood in the arena and the cheers comically slowed down and then morph into confused murmurings.

Saijou blushed furiously and tugged on his collar in embarrassment while Bruce slowly turned his head with an annoyed scowl towards the commentary box.

In the VIP box, Reren froze with widened eyes while Misogi laughed, swinging his legs gleefully.

"Ahaha―! Saikyou-sensei is brutally honest, isn't she?"

Meanwhile at the stands, both Stella and Shizuku blushed with their jaws hanging open in disbelief.

"W-what the heck is she saying!?" Stella balked.

"What kind of commentary is this?" Ikki muttered while palming his face.

And of course, Nagi had his fingers daintily over a naughty grin on his face.

"Speak for yourself, I'm now curious about that dragon."

"That was NOT what I was asking about AT ALL!" Tsukuyomi yelled.

Nene unfurled her fan to coyly hide her impish smile from Tsukuyomi.

"Hohoho, don't tell me you weren't the least bit curious."

"Sensei, please behave yourself or I'll call the Director!"

"Okay! Okay! Yeesh! You kids are so uptight."

Tsukuyomi let out a tired sigh before speaking into the mic again.

"Folks, let's just pretend that didn't happen and get on with the match."

Everyone silently agreed and the two competitors readied their weapons as the quad-monitors above them began to count down with a displayed number and an electronic voice.

'3'

'2'

'1'

Until it finally signaled the start of the battle with the sound of the buzzer.

'LET'S GO AHEAD!'

"And Wayne makes the first move!" Tsukuyomi reported. "A cool Noble Art that sends flying spinning blades! But...all them didn't even fly anywhere near Saijou. Maybe he threw them as a warning shot?"

It was as Tsukuyomi said, Bruce surprisingly started the match off with a swing of his sword and conjured two projectiles. Both of them harmlessly strayed from the direction Bruce was aiming for.

Saijou looked bewildered as the shadowy blades clanged and dissipated off the surface of the ring before fixing his gaze on Bruce.

"Is this some kind of joke?" he asked, sounding offended.

Bruce attempted to throw another spinning projectile but as expected, it whizzed harmlessly away from Saijou. The bald boy glared at such a response.

"I don't know how you Union people do things but HERE, on League soil, we take our battles seriously with HONOR!"

With that statement, Saijou held his Zanbatou above him and began spinning it like the rotor blades of a helicopter, creating rapid whooshing sounds with an accompanying gale.

"Since you're a guest here, I will show you that honor." Saijou said. "You Americans are familiar with baseball, aren't you? You have until three strikes to make you mark."

Without hesitation, Bruce swung his blade and launched another projectile and predictably, it also missed.

"Strike One!"

From the stands Stella looked on with a perplexed expression. While she didn't care much for Bruce, she had just earlier witnessed how intelligent he was and was beginning to wonder if he somehow lost his marbles.

"What's he doing?" she asked.

"I knew it." Shizuku huffed in annoyance. "His magic hasn't gotten better in the least."

"Strike Two!" Saijou called out.

Ikki's eyes narrowed tensely.

"I...I don't get it. Bruce, what are you thinking!?" he thought.

Yet again, Bruce sent out another spinning blade. This time the trajectory seemed correct but it moved much slower, allowing Saijou more than enough time to easily side step out of its way while he continued to twirl his weapon.

"Strike three. My turn!"

With that, Saijou lunged foward in the air and brought his Zanbatou down on Bruce like a heavy hammer. Bruce dodged by jumping to side but Saijou continued his attack and swung his blade upwards towards him. Thinking fast, Bruce leaned back, out of the blade's way as the tip barely reached his nose. Bruce feel the sheer force generating a strong gust of wind against his body, as if a speeding truck rushed past him; It was clear to Bruce that getting hit by that weapon was a big no-no.

Saijou quickly adjusted his stance to compensate for his Zanbatou's heavy momentum and delivered a horizontal slash, Bruce dodged but Saijou didn't give him pause and pursued him, slash after slash.

"Saijou goes on the offensive!" Tsukuyomi commentated. "Wayne's gonna have to keep his head in the game if he wants to keep his head at all."

In the VIP room, Renren continued to watch with interest. As she had mentioned earlier, Saijou had trained himself to be much faster despite the heavy nature of Zanbatou and she still found herself impressed with how formidable he had become.

Her internal musings were interrupted when someone suddenly called for her attention.

"Tomaru-chan..."

Renren turned towards the one who addressed her, it was the blonde girl with the white parasol.

"About Saijou-san's opponent: you've met him earlier, correct?" the girl asked.

"Um, yeah."

"What do you think of him? From your perspective."

The athletic girl smiled cheerfully, showing off her snaggletooth.

"I like him! It's kinda hard to describe but he's a really...intense kind of guy, know what I mean?"

"I see."

"Why do you ask?" Renren asked, tilting her head curiously.

The blonde responded with a lipstick-laden smile.

"No reason. Just curious."

Meanwhile at the ring, Bruce narrowly avoided another horizontal slash but Saijou quickly recovered by pivoting the weapon forward and pushing it hard into a thrust. There wasn't any time to dodge this time so to defend, Bruce immediately brought the blade of Branwen up with his other hand at the flat part of the tip.

Bruce gritted his teeth and grunted as the tip of the Zanbatou impacted against Branwen with a powerful CLANG! The force the metallic collision was strong enough to send Bruce backwards.

He would've been hurtling but he kept his footing and leaned forward as his feet skid through the floor until he stopped just near the edge of the ring and tumbled to his knees.

"That was close! Wayne managed to block Saijou's attack and avoid being sent out of the ring! He's lucky that Devices aren't ordinary weapons. Cause if was, it would've definitely shattered on the spot!" Tsukuyomi's voice boomed.

"Tell me Wayne..." Saijou addressed him as he hefted up his large blade. "Do you know my ability?"

Bruce grunted and then pushed himself up as he responded.

"'Accumulation of Slashes'...The more you swing your blade, the heavier it becomes. Your magic basically allows you to retain and add to your Device's kinetic mass, you obviously must have trained your body and mana to be strong enough to handle such weight."

"You did your research. I'm actually impressed."

"I also know that it's a folly practice."

The bald boy's jaw clenched in anger.

"Is that so? Well, what you probably don't know is that I can also release that kinetic energy. My current limit is ten tons and YOUR folly is that you allowed me to charge my power to that extent!"

Saijou then raised Zanbatou and brought it down hard as he activated his Noble Art.

"Crescendo Axe!"

The impact sent a powerful forward rushing wave of air pressure that nearly cracked the ring. Bruce felt it rushing towards him like freight train and quickly leaped out of the way just as it exploded at the edge of the ring.

While in his leap, Bruce retaliated by launching more spinning blades and unfortunately they still failed to reach their marks.

"Wayne keeps using the same technique over and over. He really needs to change his playbook if he wants to stand a chance here." Tsukuyomi said.

Next to her, Nene observed the match with a furious expression. She clutched the sleeves of her haori tightly with her arms crossed and a visible vein bulged on her head.

"Tche. So infuriating..." she grumbled.

Her ire didn't go unnoticed by Tsukuyomi.

"Something wrong, Sensei?"

"This whole thing is wrong! Sai-jidou isn't using the full extent of his power because he wants to make a statement and Buru-kun..."

The petite woman gripped her sleeves even tighter and gritted her teeth in aggravation.

"He's not even taking this fight seriously!"

Nene's outburst was heard through the speakers by the present spectators, particularly Stella.

"Not taking it seriously? What does she mean?" she asked.

Nagi sighed as realization dawned on him.

"I think I'm beginning to understand what's going on: Brucie is using the match as an opportunity to train himself."

The red-haired princess turned to him in surprise.

"What!? But why would he do something like that?"

It was Ikki who responded with a grim tone.

"Because he thinks if he puts himself in a dangerous combat situation, his control over his Mana would improve."

"Indeed." Nagi nodded. "Sometimes regular training isn't enough to make a Blazer stronger. Similar to how adrenaline improves performance, a state of danger can force a Blazer to be more in sync with his Mana."

"But at this rate, what he's doing is completely pointless." Shizuku stated with a frown.

Ikki's fists tightened to the point where his knuckles turned white as his eyes were fiercely fixed towards the ring.

"Dammit! He's going about it the wrong way! Come on Bruce, don't you see that you can still win!?"

Bruce leaped back away from Saijou's slashes, trying to put some distance between them. When he felt he was far enough, he released another spinning blade at him but this time the projectile's trajectory made Bruce's eyes widen in alarm; it was heading straight for the students in the stands!

The spectators who noticed the approaching blade began to yelp and scream in fright and scramble to get out of their seats but in an impressive display, Saijou jumped high in the air with his Zanbatou held above him before chopping the projectile in mid-air.

The Saijou-fans cheered as he landed and Bruce breathed a sigh of relief that nobody was hurt but Saijou's expression turned enraged.

"So this was your tactic all along!" Saijou rounded on him. "Trying to catch me off guard by attacking the audience. I shouldn't be surprised that Union scum like you would stoop that low!"

"That wasn't intentional." Bruce responded with a frown.

"Don't play dumb! You people from the Union, especially Americans are all the same! You're opportunists who use deception to get what you want, nothing like us Knights!"

Bruce narrowed his eyes. The boy's attitude was already getting on his nerves and his patience was being stretched to its limit.

"What are you going on about?"

"The US has the strongest offensive capability in the world and yet all they do is blame the League for failing to take out Rebellion. They keep putting pressure on us but we all know that they're just looking for an excuse to invade our shores!"

Saijou seemed oblivious to the noisy murmurings in the audience caused by his outburst and in his heated state, continued his ranting.

"My family knows this better than anyone! My great grandfather served in the war as a medical officer. During its final years, he found a wounded US soldier trapped in our territory. Even though they were supposed to be enemies, he helped him and healed him. But all he got for it was being stabbed in the back!"

In the VIP room, Renren grimaced uncomfortably.

During their visit to the Saijou residence, it was apparent to the rest of the Student Council that Ikazuchi's grandparents carried a deep resentment of Americans because of what happened to their father and that resentment had passed on to their grandson.

But it wasn't just that. The truth was that not everyone shared the same sentiments as Kagami and Nagi when it came to the Union. There were citizens who felt affected by the media's coverage of the political tensions between both powers; the fear of potential invasions and acts of war had caused some citizens of the world to be wary of those affiliated with the other side.

Ikazuchi could be considered as someone who fell on that side of the spectrum.

"Oh boy, there he goes." she groaned as she palmed her eyes.

The blonde with the parasol turned to address Misogi.

"Vice President, should we intervene? We might have an international incident on our hands."

Misogi surprisingly, dropped his childish demeanor and actually had a thoughtful look his eye.

"Hmm, not just yet." he decided. "I want to see how Wayne-san handles this."

Renren hoped Misogi made the right call because even from up there, she could hear a few arguments breaking out among the stands.

"Yeah, Saijou-san is right! The US and the Union are bunch of bullies!"

"Hey! Don't say things like that! We're in a time of peace!"

"Don't be naive! Have you seen the news? They think they are so high and mighty with those PSYON people and those EDY things!"

It didn't go unnoticed by Ikki and company.

"Things are getting a little out of hand." Ikki commented with dread.

"Yes, it's sad that there are still some people who feel that way." Nagi noted.

Of the two girls who remained silent, Stella had her gaze fixed on squarely on Bruce.

"I wonder what's going on in that head of his. He doesn't seem to be bothered by what they're saying about him. He's like an emotionless brick wall, doesn't anything bother him?"

"First off..." Bruce suddenly spoke. "You're generalizing. And secondly, you're judging me for something I had nothing to do with."

For a moment Saijou's expression faltered in doubt but then stubbornly re-hardened.

"Maybe so but you've given us little reason to trust you. For instance, If that article is to be believed, you resorted to underhanded trickery to win a mock battle against Saikyou-sensei."

Tsukuyomi turned to Nene as she commented.

"That was from Kusakabe-san's article written two days ago. Sensei, can you offer some insight about how you were tricked so badly?"

Nene flinched as her cheeks turned red from embarrassment before she hastily tried laughing it off with a waving hand.

"Ke-haha! A lot of that stuff was exaggerated."

She then turned away and muttered with a sideways glance, unaware that her voice was still being broadcasted though the speakers.

"Grrr! When I find that sneaky four-eyed brat, I'm gonna wring her neck until her head pops off!"

And among the spectators who heard that clearly was Kagami, who sunk into her seat and hid her paled face behind her notebook, hoping she wouldn't be spotted. She made a mental note to herself to try appeasing the petite teacher with a puff piece.

"If you're expecting me to be apologetic, don't." Bruce said firmly. "I don't have to explain myself to you or anyone, I'm here to take part in the Selection Battles. That's all there is to it. But if you're insisting on not letting this go, then let's make things more interesting: Beat me and I'll leave this Academy. Permanently."

Saijou narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"And if you win?" he asked.

Bruce gave a sly smile and got into his stance, satisfied that the bait was taken.

"Then you owe me a favor."

The tall Student Council member raised his weapon in response.

"You're on."

For a brief moment, both competitors remained still with their weapons at the ready, waiting the other to make their move.

"I can't let up now." Bruce thought. "I haven't yet figured out the rules of magic but I feel like I'm getting there."

With his sword primed to his side, a black spinning blade materialized before the blade's tip. It remained in place but it spun erratically.

"I need to take everything I've learned, every ounce of willpower and exert total control. That's all it takes, control..."

The spinning blade shook little and slowly begun orientate itself horizontally. The shaking intensified as if the blade was fighting back, like it was a wild creature refusing to be contained.

Bruce's teeth grit and trails of sweat began to draw down his head, he recalled his mental training all those years ago and poured into his will, wrestling with the unknown power within him.

"Control!" he internally yelled to himself.

And then it returned striking him like a lightning bolt, that familiar pain which he hadn't felt since three days ago. It flashed through him without warning, causing him to yell out and recoil in agony.

"Uh oh, looks like Wayne's encountered a bit of problem!" Tsukuyomi commentated. "Perhaps he sustained some kind of injury."

Tsukuyomi turned to get Nene's input and to the young commentator's surprise, the Yaksha Princess bore an expression that Tsukuyomi hadn't seen on her before. There was none of her usual childish antics; no looks of boredom, or playfulness or on verge of a temper tantrum. Instead, Nene had her eyes fixed towards Bruce in grave silence.

"Whoa, Saikyou-sensei's gotten super-serious all of a sudden."

Among the spectators, a similar reaction had taken place.

"What happened to him?" Stella wondered.

The crimson princess felt something else was amiss when neither of her companions spoke up and when she glanced to her side, she could see why: Shizuku was standing straight up, staring intently at the ring with unease.

"Shizuku, what's wrong?" Ikki asked.

Shizuku didn't respond and continued to stare as her mind searched for answers.

"This...this feeling...I felt this before somewhere."

She wasn't the only one silently trying to figure out the sudden spike of Mana. Nene only felt it for a brief second and she knew it felt similar to a phenomenon that only a few were privy to. But she could hardly believe it.

"What the hell have you not been telling me, Ku-chan!?" she thought.

Bruce panted and recovered from what happened but his thoughts were in a state of both confusion and frustration.

"WHY!? I thought it was over!"

He didn't have time to think any further, for Saijou took advantage of his pause and came after him with a wide swing. He barely swerved out of the way but he had to keep dodging Saijou's continuing attacks with multiple swings from different angles, each one generating more mass and power until...

"Crescendo Axe!"

Saijou brought Zanbatou down again just near Bruce, releasing the stored up energy in a small explosive shock wave. It was weaker compared to earlier but it still packed enough punch to send the older student in the air.

Bruce quickly orientated himself and landed. During this time he still reflected on why the pain returned. To him, it felt like he had reached a threshold, like there was something fighting him back. Frustration gripped him. What was he supposed to do? Was he at the mercy of this power?

"BURUU-KUN!"

Bruce blinked and realized that Nene's voice suddenly boomed through the loudspeakers. Turning his gaze towards the commentary box, he could see that she was standing from her seat with the mic gripped in her hand, looking heated.

"Will you snap out of it and finish the match already!?" she exclaimed. "You're here win, aren't you!? You joined the Selection Battles for a reason, didn't you!? So stop messing around and get on with it or so help me, I'll will send your adorable ass all the way into orbit!"

Tsukuyomi looked at Nene with her jaw slacked in astonishment.

"Saikyou-sensei? Are...are you rooting for him!?"

"N-NO!" Nene said in flustered haste as she turned her head so no one could see her blushing face. "I just don't want to waste my time watching a boring match, that's all."

"Erm, If you say so..." Tsukuyomi said.

Bruce grunted in exasperation but as annoyed as he was with Nene's antics, he realized that she had a point: trying to control his magic will have to wait, he'll figure out the nature of his magic in due time but right now, there were far bigger things at stake. If that vision with the Joker was true then he needed to be at the Sword Art Festival and for that, he needed to win... through whatever means necessary.

"I don't know what you did to make Saikyou-sensei so confident about you but frankly I'm getting sick and tired of your little game, Wayne." Saijou said.

The older student slowly turned his firm focused gaze towards his opponent.

"You're right, these games are getting tiresome."

With that said, Bruce then raised and held Branwen from his side and to everyone's surprise, the sword dissipated.

"And I'm done playing!"

The spectators erupted in confused murmurs as Tsukuyomi's voice sounded off.

"WHA!? Wayne just dismissed his Device! What's going on!?"

The match referee, who observing from distance away, ran up to the edge of the ring.

"Contender Wayne! Are you officially forfeiting the match?" he asked.

Without turning his attention to the referee, Bruce got into a martial arts stance with one hand closed into a fist and the other with an open palm.

"Who said anything about forfeiting?" he said.

Saijou's eyes widened as he balked on the spot and he wasn't the only one flabbergasted.

"He's not seriously thinking of fighting Saijou-senpai unarmed, is he!?" Stella gasped.

Stella didn't know Saijou that well but from what she had witnessed so far, she could tell he was quite strong. Of course as an A-rank, she'd have no problem overpowering him and she was confident that Ikki would out-speed him with his superior sword skills and Ittou Shura. But Bruce...

"No magic and no weapon...he's basically a Non-Blazer now. How could he possibly win? It's like trying to fight a tank!"

"He's clearly gone mad." Shizuku said. "At least with his Device, he would've had a way to defend himself."

"You're both wrong."

The girls turned their heads towards Ikki who suddenly spoke.

"In a way, the sword was only holding him back. This..." Ikki continued with a relieved grin. "This is Bruce Wayne's true power."

"We've seen a similar situation happen yesterday when Ikki Kurogane defeated Shizuya Kirihara." came Tsukuyomi's voice. "In that case, both opponents were disarmed and Kurogane saw through Kirihara's Area Invisible but this is totally different!"

The girl commentator turned to address Nene.

"Contender Wayne is going unarmed against not only a powerhouse but a weapon that can cleave rocks, trees and wipe out a squad of armed soldiers! What is he thinking, Saikyou-sensei!? Is he crazy!?"

Nene, who had already returned to her seat, leaned back and chuckled while wagging her folded fan in an all-knowing manner.

"Fufufu. You kids are about to see something real special."

"Th-this is absurd!" Saijou exclaimed with outrage. "How long you intend of make of mockery of this-"

"Just shut up and fight." Bruce curtly interrupted.

This brought a fresh wave of anger enveloping the bald lad and with grit teeth, he hefted his weapon up like a lance, ready to charge.

"Have it your way!"

With a roar, Saijou attempted to rush him tip first but Bruce simply side stepped out of the way with his expression unchanging. Saijou quickly swung at him and Bruce stepped just out of reach, prompting him to slash and again and again but only to be evaded expertly.

To Saijou, the mysterious transfer student's dodge game suddenly seemed a lot different compared to earlier; he reacted more efficiently, effortlessly, with no fear in his eyes, only razor sharp focus. And his stoic expression did not waver in the least, like he wasn't even concerned.

With his anger and frustration stoked, Saijou kept up his attacks recklessly, growing more winded with each swing.

"Hold...(huff)...Still!"

Saijou delivered a horizontal slash, confident that he would be able to dodge such a wide attack at close range but not only did Bruce duck from it, he surprisingly retaliated with a kick to the handle of Zanbatou just as it passed over him. This caught Saijou off guard as the kick sent the over sized sword's momentum out of his control but also twisted it out of his hands, leaving his open and defenseless.

Bruce didn't waste his opportunity and delivered a hard left hook to Saijou's head, then a right cross, then grabbed both sides of his lapels and pulled him in to plow a knee into his gut twice, followed by a downward elbow to the back of the neck and finally a quick reap of his foot to send him off balance which allowed him to execute a brutal judo-style throw.

"Holy crap! Saijou's down! Wayne actually did it!" Tsukuyomi cried. "But wait, Wayne's walking away for some reason! But why? He could've taken him out while he was still down."

As she said, Bruce surprised everyone by halting his attack and walking a distance away from Saijou.

"I told you your methods are folly." he spoke. "The disadvantage of wielding such a heavy weapon is you will always be at the mercy of its momentum which can easily throw you off balance."

In the VIP room, the blonde with the white parasol placed a finger at her chin with intrigue.

Bruce then turned around and returned to his fighting stance.

"Now get up. The lesson isn't over."

Saijou winced and groaned in pain with a closed eye as he used his over sized sword to pull himself up. Back on his feet, his expression returned to being furious and his eyes fully opened to hatefully fix itself on his opponent.

"LESSON!?" he barked in offense.

Saijou charged again with another flurry of wide slashes but as just like before, Bruce expertly swerved and side stepped out of the way. The bald boy could feel the increasing weight of his Zanbatou begining to strain him, he had acted recklessly before but he made a mental point to not repeat that same mistake and waited for the right time to strike. When Bruce black flipped away from another horizontal slash, Saijou raised the large sword, ready to activate his Noble Art.

"Crescendo...!"

But Bruce had also anticipated this. He quickly reacted by lunging forward into a roll until his feet was positioned upwards, where he pushed his body up into a kick and slammed his feet against the butt of the sword handle.

This sent the heavy blade to fall behind Saijou, forcing his arms back and exposing his torso.

Bruce was back on his feet in time to plow a fist below Saijou's ribs. The bald boy cried out as his eyes bulged and droplets of spit flew from his mouth. Bruce didn't give him a chance to recover and quickly delivered another punch, then another and another until the tempo increased to the point where he was raining a barrage of fists, elbows and open palms on him.

Most of the spectators gasped in astonishment as Bruce wailed on him, Stella and the Student Council members in particular were stunned on the spot.

"Whoa...brutal..." Renren blurted.

Bruce ended his beat down with a roundhouse kick which sent Saijou staggering sideways before he jumped and brought two enclosed fists down on the back of his head, sending Saijou down on his stomach.

As Bruce walked in front of him, Saijou shakily pushed his body off the ground, gasping in pain. Bruce's assault caused the boy's jacket to come undone, revealing his bare torso that bandages encircling around his abdomen. Red bruises slowly to peak from those bandages.

"Like I've said, you've trained yourself to handle such weight." Bruce said to him. "But training only your upper body can put massive strain on your abdominal muscles. These are weaknesses that can easily be exploited."

"Exploiting weaknesses..." Saijou muttered.

The boy suddenly pounded a fist against the surface of the lit ring, hard enough to crack it and cause the lighting underneath to flicker and spark. He continued to speak as he punched the floor again and again in anger, causing the crack to grow.

"Underhanded tactics!...Trickery!...Mind games!...Have you no shred of honor!? This is NOT how knights do battle!"

Bruce responded with narrowed eyes, unfazed by Saijou's actions.

"From my understanding, you Mage-Knights train to fight criminals and terrorists. If you're expecting the enemy to have honor then you're in the wrong field of work."

Saijou growled in anger before suddenly grabbing his Zanbatou and slashing at Bruce's legs, Bruce reacted without alarm and jumped out of the way. Saijou pushed himself off the floor and chased after him with another slash, Bruce avoided it and dashed next Saijou's side where he jabbed two fingers just underneath Saijou's outstretched arm.

Saijou reacted and tried slashing towards him but Bruce back flipped and put some distance between them. The bald boy glanced toward the arm that Bruce hit in confusion but returning his sights towards his opponent.

"What was THAT supposed to be? I didn't feel a th-"

THUD!

Saijou's eyes widened as the tip of Zanbatou fell to the floor. The reason for this was that his left hand was the only one holding on to the handle, because the other arm fell completely limp.

"My...my arm!" Saijou gasped in surprise.

Try as he might, he couldn't move or control it or even feel anything from it. It was like a lifeless limb attached to him.

"What did you do to my arm!?" he asked Bruce accusingly.

"Just a nerve strike to disable its motor functions." Bruce responded nonchalantly.

"N-nerve strike!?"

Bruce nodded.

"Dim Mak, Pressure Points hit in just the right way to cause various effects: Paralysis, Nausea...Hell, I could stop your heart if I wanted to. But don't worry, I modified all my techniques to be non-lethal."

In the stands, Ikki's jaw dropped slightly as his expression turned to surprise.

"I had no idea he was capable of something like that." he said.

Stella whipped her head to face him with a look of surprise of her own.

"Really!? But I thought you said you picked up most of his fighting style."

"Most of it, but only what he had shown me so far." Ikki gave a short laugh. "I guess he can still be full of surprises."

The red haired princess silently turned her attention back to the match, her expression was unreadable but her thoughts were many.

With his working arm, Saijou lifted Zanbatou by the handle and embedded it on the floor with a stab before giving a sudden punch to his disabled arm. He yelped but it seemed to have done the trick, he could feel sensation beginning to return to the limb as he experimentally flexed its fingers.

Then, surprisingly, he chuckled.

"Heh, I admit you're much more formidable than I've given you credit for, Wayne. In a way, I kind of feel relieved."

The large bald boy glanced downwards as he spoke in an uncharacteristic somber tone.

"You see, most people think of me as a stalwart person with a strong mind but the truth is that...I...I always feel under pressure."

Up in the VIP room, Renren blinked. This was also a totally different side to the Student Council Secretary that she was used to seeing.

Bruce remained on guard with no change in expression, he was already irritably aware that the boy tended to talk a lot and now he seemed to be going on a different tangent. But nevertheless, he decided to let Saijou say his piece.

"I've been taught that as Mage-Knights, we are to represent something something much greater than our individual worth. Something more sacred... untouchable, standing proud in the light. As a member of the Student Council, I had been granted some privy information. I had learned two days ago that my first opponent would've been Stella Vermillion."

The crowd buzzed in surprise and even Stella looked caught off guard by this.

"I knew that as a C-rank, I wouldn't have never stood a chance against her. I knew of my limitations and that's why I trained hard, I doubt it would've turned the odds to my favor but at least I'd hoped to have given her a worthy battle. But then...I got matched up with you instead."

Saijou said that last bit in a disgruntled tone but then grinned as he pulled Zanbatou from its place and readied his weapon again.

"For that lost opportunity I had developed a NEW Noble Art, I had thought of it being wasteful to use it on you but now I have reconsidered!"

"Wow! Did you hear that, folks!" Tsukuyomi said excitedly. "We're about to witness brand new Noble Art!"

"I call it Forzato Smash! I understand that my Crescendo Axe has limited strength and leaves me open for close rage attacks but not this one. Let's see you try your little nerve strikes now!" Saijou declared with confidence.

And with that said, Saijou swung his large blade in a sweeping motion but this time, he spun his body like a top along with the motion of the blade. The accumulating weight caused the rotation to go faster and faster until before everyone's eyes, an actual tornado of air pressure began to form around Saijou.

The crowd made sounds of awe as harsh winds began to whip around the lit ring. Despite the bangs of his hair fluttering in the rushing winds, Bruce only squinted at the phenomenon before him.

"What a powerful move! Saijou has not only turned himself into a fan blade of destruction but has surrounded himself with an actual tornado! There's no way anyone's getting close to him now!" came Tsukuyomi's voice.

She continued to commentate with a sense of nervousness.

"And with the Zanbatou being spun like that, the amount of force it's generating must be titanic! I can only imagine what happens when Saijou releases all that energy. Everyone seated in the front row, I'd suggest you all back away for bit so you don't get hit by th-WHA-WHAT IS THIS!? Wayne is actually running towards him!?"

"What's he doing!?" Stella exclaimed, standing straight up while her companions reeled back in shock.

It was the same reaction with the Student Council in the VIP room, Misogi and Renren flinched while the girl with the white parasol had her fingers hovering over her open mouth in astonishment.

"Oh my!" she gasped.

It was happening fast but at the same time it felt like a moment that was uncomfortably stretched without end. As Tsukuyomi reported, Bruce was just standing there unfazed when suddenly he broke into a run towards the hellish gale that surrounded Saijou.

"He's gonna get splattered! Saikyou-sensei, do something!" implored a panicked Tsukuyomi.

But unlike everyone, Nene didn't seem the least bit concerned. In fact, there was a small smirk on her face.

"I can't watch!" Tsukuyomi yelped as she covered her eyes.

Meanwhile in the eye of tornado, Saijou readied his final attack.

"Here it comes! Forzato Sma-AAARRGHH!"

Saijou cried out as he suddenly collapsed from his spin, his hands accidentally released the handle of Zanbatou in process. The weapon spun and impacted off the ring, creating a large crack on the surface. Thankfully, the weapon dissipated in mid-air before it could travel further and do any more damage.

The large bald student hissed in pain as he push himself off the floor and when he looked towards his legs, he could see a large gash near his knee; a red splotch began to grow, soaking his pants with his blood. And just a short distance away from him was Bruce, crouched down with Branwen in hand; the blade now stained with that same blood.

Bruce stood and turned towards the downed boy.

"The cut isn't that deep." Bruce assured. "But you won't be able to extend your knee. Don't worry, it's nothing an iPS capsule can't fix."

"How...?" a confounded Stella asked. "How did he do it?"

"The only way he could..." Ikki responded. "He slid under him."

Stella's jaw slowly dropped when she began to recall those last few seconds. Indeed, Bruce did run towards the windy vortex but just before he reached it, he dropped and slide like a baseball player going for second base, escaping the gale and the swinging blade above him. Stella figured that he must have re-summoned his Device just as he slid past Saijou's legs and sliced him through.

Saijou wasn't able to comprehend it, Wayne had even foiled his most powerful move without even using magic.

Now that he thought about it, it was similar to how Kurogane had defeated Princess Vermillion. Even when faced against raw power, those two, Wayne and Kurogane, seemed to defy the odds.

Fixing his sight towards him and seeing how undaunted he seemed made Saijou think that this man was far more skilled and experienced than he expected. No matter what he did, the American was one step ahead of him and took him his time systematically.

Was this why Saikyou had so much faith in him? Because, in truth, Bruce could've defeated him any time he wanted?

"This...doesn't change anything...You'll never be one of us." Saijou grunted stubbornly as he nursed his knee.

Bruce walked towards him as he spoke.

"You're right. I'm not one of you but I don't have to be, you're all better off standing proud in the light...But my ways work better in the dark."

He then held Branwen's tip up to Saijou's neck.

"Now yield."

Saijou froze in place which prompted Bruce to press the sharp tip closer against his neck.

"Yield." Bruce commanded with a growl.

"I..." Saijou trailed off before finally sighing in defeat.

"I yield."

And that was all it took for the buzzer to sound as the overhead monitors displayed Bruce's face with the words 'WINNER!' underneath. The spectators in the arena paused for just a few seconds before suddenly erupting with roars of cheers.

"AMAZING!" Tsukuyomi lauded through the speakers. "Bruce Wayne has won! A Blazer who didn't even use his magic has defeated one of the strongest in the Academy!"

The stands were alive with acclimation, even Ikki joined in on the cheering while Nagi clapped. Shizuku didn't cheer alongside her brother and instead had a contemplative look on her face. Stella was also silent, still standing up and looking towards the ring.

Bruce dismissed his Device without paying and mind to the cheers around him and instead kept his sight towards Saijou who's head hung despondently. The older man then knelt besides him and pulled his arm over his shoulder.

"Here, lean on me. I'll take you to the infirmary." Bruce said.

Saijou's eyes enlarged in confusion, he had expected Wayne to bask in the glory or just leave him there. He didn't even have to bother, there was a medical team that would've whisked him off on a stretcher. Nevertheless, he silently allowed himself to be pulled up and limped alongside him towards the one of the exits.

"Why?" Saijou asked.

Bruce responded with a tiny smile.

"Just because I'm not much of a knight doesn't mean I don't have my moments of chivalry."

Saijou's mind froze in surprise, it seemed that not only did this man defied his expectations but also his preconceptions. He found the situation so bizarre that he couldn't help but let out a good natured laugh.

"Haha. You're a weird one, Wayne."

Both Renren and Misogi took a grateful breath seeing the two of them from the VIP room, they felt bad for Sajou's loss but she were glad to see what ever animosity existed between the two seemed to be gone.

The girl next to them continued to bare an intrigued smile.

"Now there's something you don't see everyday. What admirable sportsmanship!" came Tsukuyomi's voice.

The girl commentator, still psyched about the match, turned to Nene.

"It's strange, Saikyou-sensei. Contender Wayne is kinda knightly...but at the same time, he's not."

Nene leaned back on her seat, looking smug.

"Well, I'd say he's just a different kind of knight." she said. "Kind of like a...Dark Knight."

Kagami, who had since forgotten about Nene's threat, paused from her cheering.

"Dark Knight..." she mused.

And then with sparkles behind her glasses, the young reporter erupted with excitement, earning looks from the other students seated next to her.

"I LOVE IT! It's cool! Mysterious! And it totally sounds like an RPG class!"

Kagami then stood up from her seat and yelled out.

"Here's to 'Dark Knight' Bruce Wayne!" before chanting out the name with a fist pumped in the air. "Dark Knight! Dark Knight! Dark Knight!"

The other students around observed her before slowly, one by one, they began to excitedly chant alongside with her. In a matter of moments, the chants of adulation spread throughout the spectators in the arena.

"DARK KNIGHT! DARK KNIGHT! DARK NIGHT! DARK KNIGHT! DARK KNIGHT! DARK KNIGHT!"

Saijou gave a wry grin as the two of them were through the west gate.

"Looks like you just got your nickname." he said.

Bruce almost laughed from the irony.

"And with that, we close our last match for the day! Thank you for being here, folks! Once again, I'm Hangetsu Tsukuyomi and with me is...Huh!? Sensei, Where'd you go!? Did she just ditch me!?"

"Well, that was fun!"

Nene said this cheerfully as the door to the VIP box swung open and allowed her to casually stroll inside.

The excitement in the arena was in the midst of winding down and the Yaksha Princess had already left her station to pay the Student Council a little visit before they could leave.

Misogi and Renren stood there expecting her arrival while the other Council member stood by the window, still looking at the ring below with her back hidden behind the parasol.

"I bet you guys must be pretty shaken up considering he took out one of your own." Nene sneered. "I mean, who would've thought a knight with no magic could effectively defeat someone who could blow away armies?"

Misogi laughed playfully in response.

"Ahaha. Certainly not Saikyou-sensei, at least not previously. She speaks from experience, of course."

Immediately a large table was flung towards Misogi. Renren zipped out of the way nonchalantly while the one behind the parasol didn't pay the commotion any mind like this was a daily occurrence.

Misogi surprisingly disappeared from where he stood.

"Shut it, brat! You're not even in this competition!" Nene spat.

Her eyes re-fixed on the impish young boy who stood just a few feet away from where the table impacted.

"That's only because my abilities are specialized, combat's sadly not my forte." he said innocently.

"Still, it was very surprising to hear Sensei cheer him on like that." Renren spoke up.

This brought a sudden blush to Nene's face and in defense, she folded her arms and puffed her cheeks in indignation.

"I didn't cheer him on! I already said that I just wanted an interesting match, didn't I!?"

With one of her forearms released from its 'crossed' position, she unfurled her trusty fan and hid the bottom half of her face; only revealing her eyes which narrowed at them like a sly fox.

"In fact, I want him to face a much stronger opponent next time. Someone like maybe...the Student Council President?"

Renren blinked in surprise.

"You're kidding."

Nene folded her fan again and pointed it towards them.

"Why not? I wouldn't be surprised if Buru-kun became To~ka-chan's rival in the selection battles."

"Whoa! Whoa! This is the Prez we're talking about!" Renren balked. "I mean sure, what Senpai did was cool and all but he can't control his magic! There's no way he'd last in the long run, even I could run circles around him before that ever happens."

"But imagine if he COULD control it. He's already a skilled fighter, his powers could put him on another level." Misogi said with a raised finger.

"You saying he has a chance?" Renren asked.

"I was only speaking hypothetically. If there's anyone who knows about chances, it's me. And right now his chances aren't much."

Nene then shifted her gaze towards the frilly white parasol.

"Got nothing to say? I notice that you've been awfully quiet, 'Scharlach Frau'."

The person turned into view. Despite the name, 'Scharlach Frau' was a girl in white instead of scarlet. She was dressed much differently compared to the other students, an attire that made her look like a French noblewoman; a white Edwardian style dress along with a hat which had a brim wide enough to hide her eyes, blonde curls curtained from underneath.

"Hmm, he's certainly an interesting fellow." she said in an almost melodious voice. "However with all due respect Sensei, even if he does master his magic, the notion that he could even come near the President is inconceivable. She is far beyond him."

Nene smirked at the girl with her wrists rested against her hips.

"Heh, aren't you confident. Is the gap between regular students and our best four really so wide?"

"We have a saying..." the girl responded. "However sharp the claws, however sharp the fangs...why should a mouse win against a lion?"

The Yaksha Princess tilted her head with a smug grin as she tapped her fan on the side of her chin.

"I wonder,...Are you really speaking for To~ka-chan? Or...are you speaking for yourself?"

The girl's pink lips curled into a mysterious smile.

"We'll just have to see, won't we Sensei?"

Saying nothing further, the girl turned her gaze back to ring below. Her smile curled further as she replayed the match in her mind.

"Hmmm, Bruce Wayne...I'm looking forward to learning more about you." she internally giggled to herself.

Bruce stepped outside and squinted a bit from the familiar evening golden glow that the academy ground was bathe in but it wasn't the only that caught his sight. To his surprise, there were four teens standing at the bottom of the steps and they immediately turned their notice towards him.

"Congratulations, Bruce." Ikki greeted with a wave. "How's Saijou-san?"

Bruce descended the steps as he responded.

"He'll be fine. He's actually a lot sturdier than he looks."

Bruce flicked his gaze towards the other teens present: Stella, Nagi and Shizuku. He gave a look of confusion, wondering if they had some business with him.

"Were you all waiting for me?" he asked.

"Yeah, we were thinking of going to Akihabara together. You want to join us?" Ikki offered.

"Think of it as us celebrating your win today." chimed in Nagi.

Bruce internally flinched.

"These kids...do they actually want me to hang out with them?" he thought.

He'd never admit this, not even to himself, but he felt kind of touched by the sentiment. He didn't even feel that way when he was in the company of other people in his age group. But on that subject, he still felt awkward about the idea of these teenagers spending their time with an older man like him. Besides, there was still one more thing on his agenda today.

"Maybe some other time, I have some things I need to take care of." he said.

"Oh. Okay then." said Ikki, sounding a little disappointed.

The older student made his way past them but just before walked any further, Nagi suddenly called out to him.

"By the way Brucie, I recall you telling Saijou-san that he owed you a favor if you won."

Bruce stopped in his tracks and then turned to face them.

"That's right."

"What was that favor anyway?" Nagi asked.

"I asked him to convince the Student Council to suspend Kirihara's inquiry, at least until the culprit is caught."

Both Ikki and Stella gasped at this.

"What? Then that means..." Ikki trailed off.

Bruce nodded and his lips slightly curled.

"Yup. You're not getting disqualified anytime soon, Kid."

"But what about Takigawa?" asked Stella. "I thought you said we can't approach him yet."

"Trust me, I don't think there's any need to worry about that right now. You guys go have fun."

And with a small wave, he turned around and left.

"Well, there he goes." Ikki said, shaking his head while chuckling. "He always seems so busy with something, I wonder what he's up to."

Nagi noticed Shizuku standing a distance away from Ikki with a frown and her eyes cast downwards. The feminine boy assumed that she was probably still upset about Ikki's close friendship with Bruce.

"I know what you're thinking, Shizuku." Nagi whispered as he approached her. "But don't take it the wrong way, Ikki is just excited that he has a like-minded friend like Brucie."

"It's not that." Shizuku said.

The younger Kurogane fiddled with her fingers before elaborating.

"It's just...I suppose Onii-sama was right. Maybe like Saijou-senpai, I judged him too harshly...but..."

Shizuku lifted her head, her eyes now narrowed in suspicion.

"...I still can't bring myself to trust him." she finally said.

Nagi released a breath and nodded with understanding, it seemed that unlike Saijou, Shizuku would need more time to trust Ikki's new friend.

Meanwhile, unaware of the two's discussions, Stella stood alongside Ikki as Bruce left.

"Um,..."

Hearing a her make a sound made Ikki glance towards her. He noticed, to his surprise, that she wasn't behaving like her usual self. She seemed conflicted and anxious about something.

But before he could question her about it, she suddenly rushed off while calling back to him.

"Please wait, I'll be back in a moment!

Ikki blinked in confusion as Shizuku and Nagi stared after her from behind him.

"Okay?" Ikki uttered.

Stella ran at full stride down the road, her vision strained a bit from the sky's pinkish golden glow until she finally caught a glimpse of the transfer student's back.

"Hey...Bruce! Hold on a minute!" she called out.

She didn't expect Bruce to actually stop and turn towards her and reacted by stopping in her tracks, both with her legs and her mind.

He looked at her waiting to hear why she called him but she was at a loss for words and didn't know why, she had no problem insulting and yelling at him before but now she felt nervous for some reason.

"I..." she blurted out but the words died in her mouth.

She cringed as her cheeks tinged in embarrassment, she felt like such an idiot running after him like that. However, she still felt that she had to set the record straight with him.

So of course, she acted with pride and huffed while crossing her arms defensively.

"I still think you're a jerk and a perv!"

He still waited to hear what she really wanted to say, knowing that there was no way she came all the way here just to tell him that.

Stella spoke again softly, this time making a sincere attempt to convey her thoughts.

"But I now understand why Ikki respects you so much. And why he..."

Bruce raised a brow at her trailing off with a hint of sadness, wondering what she was implying.

But Stella coughed and turned her back to him and spluttered her last words to him.

"Erm, A-a-anyway! That's all I wanted to say."

"Princess..."

He addressed her just as she was about to march off, causing her to halt.

"I'm not trying to be a third wheel..." he spoke.

This made her spin back towards him in shock.

"EH!? He heard all that!?" she thought.

"Nor do I want to get in between anything." he said with his usual smirk and then turned to leave.

"So you have nothing to worry about."

He said this as he walked away while waving behind him, leave the red-haired princess to stare after him.

The door to a darkened dorm room opened and a young man's hand automatically went for the light switch as he stepped in. There was an audible click and he froze in place, his previously lax mind now alert as he turned his eyes towards the switch.

"Huh?" he wondered.

He flipped the switch again and again but the room remained dark.

"Is this thing busted?"

He grunted in annoyance figuring he'd have to make a complaint and call maintenance. He looked ahead and noticed that the curtains were completely parted, revealing the glass balcony doors and the evening sky outside.

The boy's irritation reached a new high and he grit his teeth in anger.

"That dumbass roommate of mine, I told him to keep the curtains drawn!" he growled.

He didn't care for his roommate or his affairs but he knew that he would usually return to the room much later and so decided right then that he was going to give him a piece of his mind when he did.

But for now, he grumbled as he marched towards the balcony doors and roughly pulled the curtains together.

"I should have that shithead's knees broken." he muttered.

But when he turned around, he screamed and jumped back with a start.

In front of him stood Batman, drenched in shadows except for the glowing white lenses.

"Lucky Roshi I presume?" a modulated voice asked in a patronizing manner.

Michita Takigawa's face contorted in horror, unable to believe that a dangerous vigilante rogue Blazer had somehow broken into his dorm but also knew his alias. In a state of fright, he attempted to dash past him but a long blade suddenly blocked his path.

"Don't even think about it."

With the tip of Branwen pointed towards him, Batman forces Michita back into the room.

"You're him...Batman. Wha-what do you want from me?" Michita asked, his hands up as he sweated profusely.

"Your brother. Where is Koshiro Takigawa!?" Batman grilled.

The boy blinked in surprise.

"Koshiro? I..."

Michita trailed off and then his demeanor shifted with him sporting a smug smile while shrugging indifferently.

"Heh, how am I supposed to know? He ran from home years ago, I haven't heard from 'im since."

Batman's eyes narrowed, he figured that this must be a practiced response usually given to the police. Naturally he wasn't fooled by this and he happened to already have something that would make Michita talk.

From behind his enveloping cape, he pulled out a what looked like a notebook with a thick black cover. The sight of it made Michita drop the attitude and his eyes expand.

"That's..! Where did you get that!?"

Michita exclaimed as he reached for it on impulse but Batman stopped him with the tip of his sword.

It was something that the Caped Crusader found along with a stach of money after searching the place earlier; Michita probably thought he hid it well but Batman had a good idea where to look. The notebook was a ledger containing the names of the students and all the bets and payments made from the gambling ring.

"Quite a racket you have going on here." Batman said. "Milking kids off their money, using thugs to keep them in line..."

"Wha-!? How did you know that!?"

Batman ignored the question and sharpened his angular white eyes dangerously at him.

"Hard to believe that a little punk like you could pull it off, especially commanding a bunch of Yakuza goons. Or am I wrong?"

Even though the darkness, Michita could see Batman bare his teeth in fury as he reared his sword back, ready to slash at him.

"Am I really looking at the PILE OF FILTH responsible for this!?" the vigilante growled.

The boy shrank back to the ground, putting his hands forward in futile defense.

"No! You got it all wrong, man! The whole thing was Koshiro's idea, I just collect for him! I'm sorry! Pleasedon'tkillme!" he whimpered.

Batman paused with his expression remaining fierce before relaxing his posture.

"I figured as much."

Michita looked up in surprise.

"H-how?"

"Just a hunch. That name, 'Lucky Roshi', got me thinking. The kanji character 'Koh' means 'Luck' or 'Fortune', 'Roshi' is just 'Shiro' in reverse. I doubt Koshiro put much thought when he came up with it."

The Dark Knight continued to speak as he re-pocketed the black notebook.

"And here's another hunch: If this ledger is anything to go by, you've been taking a slice of the pie for yourself. Koshiro works for the Ichinose-gumi, this is THEIR operation. But the betting for the Selection Battles, that was all YOU, wasn't it?"

Michita's pupils shrunk in horror, seeing that reaction was all Batman needed to confirm that he was right on the money and he now had him on the ropes.

"I don't need to tell you that the people Koshiro is in bed with are the kind that don't like sharing." Batman said grimly. "If they find out, your brother will only stand by and watch as they leave you for dead!"

The boy clutched both sides of his hair in despair as the reality of the situation hit him.

"Oh no...Please! I beg you! You can't let them know!"

"Then answer my question! Where. Is. Koshiro!?"

Machita froze with momentary apprehension before his finally gave a small sigh in defeat.

"Sunday. We meet every Sunday evening near Shinjuku station."

"To hand over your collection." Batman stated rather than asked.

"Yeah, that's the only time we meet." Michita nodded as he spoke with a sullen tone.

The boy's tone didn't go unnoticed by Batman and so he waited thinking that the boy had more to say.

"My brother..." Machita began to speak. "My parents hated him but he's still family to me. However, like you said, he barely sees it that way..."

And he trailed off emotionlessly. Batman assumed there was some kind of history with the boy, Koshiro and their whole family that he didn't know about. He recalls countless cases like this back in Gotham, of kids from broken families idolizing people from the wrong crowd.

"Please don't tell him I told you." Machita asked.

"I won't. But the ledger is going to the Director's office. When she confronts you, you will tell her everything you did. And for good measure, I'll be taking your phone too."

Machita looks with shock as Batman holds out the boy's phone. He quickly patted his pocket to realize that somehow at some point, the vigilante had managed to pilfer the phone from him without him noticing.

"Don't even think about tipping Koshiro off because I'll know about it." Batman warned.

"WHAT!? You can't do that!" Machita reacted with outrage.

Batman responded by roughly grabbing Machita by the collar and leveling his terrifying visage in front of his face.

"Just be glad I don't do anything worse!" he snarled. "You're young, you can still turn your life around so I'll only say this once, Boy..."

The Dark Knight pressed the tip of his sword lightly against Machita's nose as he gave his last warning.

"Keep your nose clean or next time, I'll lop it clean off! Do we have an understanding!?"

"Ye-y-y-yes sir." Machita nodded nervously.

Feeling satisfied, Batman dismissed Branwen and allowed the weapon to dissipate.

"Good. Now take a nap."

"Take a nap?" the boy asked in confusion.

Batman then delivered a quick nerve strike to Machita's neck, effectively knocking him out. He quickly grabbed the boy as he fell and relocated him atop of his bed. The blow he delivered should disrupt Machita's short term memory and he figured that when he woke up, he'd think this was all a bad dream.

Even if the boy didn't, he doubted that anyone would believe his story anyway.

TBC