The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City

[Attacking from behind triggered Resonance Trait: Backstab has activated. Damage increased!]

With a precise trajectory and a hit that couldn’t be sustained, the senior girl collapsed without a sound.

She was weak for a senior.

Seemingly taken aback, the guys started talking in a way reminiscent of Levi.

“What the hell! Who… what the hell!”

“U-uh… Shit! Who are you!”

I smiled and replied.

“Me? I’m that damn girl!”

Realizing the situation, Levi gasped and hid behind me.

I pulled out a sword in each hand and infused them with energy, clashing them together like applause.

With a clanging sound, bright red Ether flared dramatically.

“Was it you? Great! You’re getting your ass kicked today…”

“Shut your mouth! I’m here, so come at me already!”

“You crazy girl!”

The seniors, perhaps fueled by anger, drew their weapons one by one.

–All standby personnel, prepare for summoning. Magical power levels?–

–Sufficient! One out of four is down. Let’s summon about ten lightly!–

By the looks of their sword energy, they seemed weaker than I thought.

On the level of 1.5 Violets.

With that many, I could easily overpower them.

As the atmosphere rose, ready for a showdown, the ones wearing armbands rushed in from a distance.

Wait, how did they know we were fighting? It’s like they’ve got ghosts watching us.

“Student Council! Stop!”

“Ugh?”

“Whaaaat?!”

Figures entered our midst, looking serious, stern, and righteous.

“You were just about to commit an act of violence, weren’t you? Is that correct?”

“Yeah!”

“No! They started it!”

“They… they suddenly just…”

The student council members surrounded us, drawing weapons and warning. I stopped generating clones.

A guy who looked like the leader of the student council stepped forward to issue a warning.

“Unauthorized acts of violence will lead to suspension at minimum, or expulsion in the worst case. Seems you had a disagreement, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Right, but that jerk started it…”

“You need to follow the rules.”

What rules in this strange school? I was confused.

One male senior, unable to control his anger, clenched his fists, his expression shifting as an idea seemed to strike him.

“Oh, right. Duel…”

“Exactly, let’s settle it with a duel. Would you like to apply for a duel? Though first-years might not know where to go, let me guide you.”

The nameless senior nodded, and I eagerly agreed.

“Great! Let’s go!”

As I tried to follow the student council members, Levi caught me from behind.

“Ah… no… I’m sorry… B-Violet!”

“What is it?”

“Th-that person is a senior, and he’s stronger than you! A duel, if I pay…”

“I’m fine!”

As she trembled and reached for her wallet, I immediately stopped her.

I appreciated her concern for me, but I wasn’t worried. That senior guy didn’t seem particularly strong.

–Maybe our standards have gotten too high.–

One of the clones, who had been silent until now, spoke up.

That might not be incorrect.

After all, I had been through various situations, like being hit by the Ogre Team Leader’s hammer and being pressured by the Student Council President with telekinesis.

How did it come to this? I was just looking for a stroll and suddenly found myself in a duel.

Guided by the student council members, we headed to the duel arena. It was a spacious building that resembled the size of a basketball court.

The outside was a gaudy neoclassical building adorned with spires and arches, but the interior was surprisingly sleek.

Various unknown high-tech machines lined the surroundings.

“Fill these out.”

Following the student council member’s instructions, I filled out the paperwork related to the duel. Contracts and agreements, things like that.

I thought we would just throw on some gloves and start swinging swords, but the procedure was more complicated than I expected.

“Now, it’s time to set the conditions for both parties. You can mostly request anything regarding your victory conditions, as long as it’s not related to your academic status or excessively serious conditions.”

“Yeah, I get that. I’ve done this a few times. First, my condition is—”

The nameless senior looked at me and interjected with one sentence.

“You, Violet, apologize on your knees in front of the seniors.”

“Why would I? I just took what was given, and that Camerdin jerk brought his own alcohol and got disciplined!”

“You! You disturbed the order of the department! You…”

Suddenly, the guy who had been speaking stopped and stared at me intently.

“What? Is there a problem?”

“…A girlfriend.”

Was my ear malfunctioning, or did I just hear something strange?

“Let’s go out!”

“What?!”

I stood there in shock before screaming.

“Kyahhh!”

Is this guy insane? An unexpected confession like that!

It’s horrifying!

Even though I became a beautiful and cute girl, I still remember that I was a guy once.

Especially someone as dark and creepy as you is the last person I want!

His eyes suddenly glowed with a strange heat.

“You’re a bit rude, but you’re not bad looking. How about it? If you lose the duel, you will go out with me. Then, I’ll let you off the hook for kneeling and apologizing to the seniors. How about it?”

W-wait, what’s this guy on about?

Looking at the student council member, he had no reaction.

Is that even a valid request? This guy’s crazy.

The filthy gaze he cast made me feel sick. I should make a ridiculous request too.

“Fine! Let’s do it.”

“What? Are you surrendering and saying you’ll go out with me? If you do, I’ll just call off the duel… what?”

“Instead, if you lose, you and your friends must kneel and apologize to Levi and me.”

He scoffed.

“Is that all?”

“I’m not done yet. You have to kneel naked and apologize. In front of a camera!”

“What? That doesn’t make…”

“And you have to hand over all your money as a sign of apology. In cash! Lastly, don’t bully any other first-year students. How about that?”

He seemed annoyed by my demands and yelled back.

“You damn girl! You really think…!”

“Ugh, so does that mean you were just kidding about going out with me?”

I teasingly stuck my tongue out at him.

Will this work?

After contemplating for a moment, the senior guy smirked wickedly.

“Fine, let’s do it that way. But remember, the outcome of the duel is absolute, so be prepared.”

Looking at the student council member, he asked us without a hint of expression.

“Have you reached an agreement?”

Both the senior and I nodded. Approving such ridiculous terms for the duel felt insane.

Afterward, I was taken aside as a first-year student to discuss the conditions and methods for the duel.

There were so many that I don’t quite remember it all.

What I do remember is just a few things.

The victory conditions are broadly three.

First, death. Of course, it’s not real death.

Second, when someone has been incapacitated to an extent they cannot continue fighting.

Third, when a surrender declaration is made.

Using whatever weapons doesn’t matter.

For those with unique abilities, there’s no restriction on using their powers.

However, if ranged weapons or magic are the main focus, a separate agreement is needed.

Since both the senior and I were going to fight in close quarters, we skipped that.

Also, automatically disqualifying oneself for fleeing after a certain time of not fighting, and if the victory conditions aren’t followed, facing disciplinary actions at the student council level… This is roughly the extent of it.

Originally, duels were supposed to be scheduled separately, but due to the strong insistence from the seniors, we decided to duel right away.

Before entering the duel arena, I signed the duel contract one last time.

There’s my name, being abbreviated conspicuously, that foolishness.

The door opened, and I stepped into the duel arena.

A wide stage lined with complex machines greeted my eyes.

I didn’t fully understand the student council member’s elaborate explanations, but according to what he said, once you step into this duel arena, a sort of virtual reality mixed with cleverly designed magic and high-tech systems unfolds.

So, you could feel pain and endure various injuries but not actually die.

“…If you go out with me now, I’ll let everything go; don’t regret it…”

Ignoring him, I stepped inside. What kind of flower garden is growing in that guy’s head? He must be crazy.

“Then, I will prepare for the duel. Violet Rugilinn versus…”

I focused and drew my weapons. The student council member began the countdown. The ground vibrated with a low hum as a translucent barrier spread above the duel arena.

“Duel starts now.”

As I looked around in wonder, the senior guy charged at me with a grunt.

His weapon was a magnificent twin-bladed sword with striking azure blades.

“I’m coming! This is the 13th form of swordsmanship!”

As he wildly charged, I stood with my arms crossed, waiting for the signal.

–Hey guys, you ready?–

–Got it, let’s deploy!–

Magic power surged out all at once. It’s been a while since I summoned this much.

While the fool dashed towards me, a squad of twenty Violets armed with shields and spears appeared before him.

He looked dumbfounded.

“Uh…?”

“Charge! Charge!”

“Wooooah!”

As I watched from the back, the Violets all charged in unison, crushing him beneath their might.

“Ugh! Aaaaaah!!”

Swinging his magically infused great sword a few times, he managed to knock down one or two of us. However, as the waves under him surged, he was quickly overwhelmed, captured, and subdued.

“Damn it! Damn it! Crazy girl! Can’t you let go?”

Even though he was an Awakened One, he was strong, so several Violets clung to him to hold him down. Let’s end this quickly.

I approached him holding my hammer. The senior guy, surrounded by us, was raising his head above the pile of bodies, yelling loudly.

“Give up!”

“You damn girl! Go to hell! Damn it! Let go!”

He was too disoriented, so I smashed his head with my hammer.

–Thud!

“Ugh! Damn!”

–Thud! Thud!

“Ah! That hurts! Stop!”

–Thud! Thud! Thud!

“Ugh… It hurts… Please stop…”

As I kept hitting him, he started to calm down.

I learned that physical force humbles a person.

“Do you want to surrender?”

“Yes… I’ll surrender… Please… stop hitting me…”

With his face a mess, he was begging desperately, tears mixing with snot. The barrier surrounding the duel arena was lifted.

The first duel ended far too easily.

He turned out to be weaker than I thought.