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"That's the only way!"

The game of playing the underdog is over. Next, Hagun Academy will face Arisuin Nagi, who is using her full power... but the unlucky ones will be the remaining students in the academy.

—

After bidding farewell to Nagi Arisuin, the traitor within the resistance, Kagami intended to close the door again and enjoy some rare time alone.

But today, besides Nagi Arisuin, it seems there's another person visiting...

"Could you pour me a cup of tea?"

Before anyone knew it, an old man had arrived at Jingliu's office in the teaching building and had his eyes on the unfinished tea on her desk.

"can."

The newcomer was none other than the second person Kagami Ryu had met since arriving in this world, the "God of War" Tora-jiro Nango.

For Kagami-ryu, besides giving him an identity, Nango Torajiro was there to help him fend off the monsters and demons in the Far East political arena.

It was precisely because of this old man that Jingliu and Silky had the opportunity to instruct students at the academy.

It wouldn't be wrong to show him a little respect...

"What brings you here this time?"

Unlike Arisuin Nagi, Nango Torajiro's arrival must have something special going on.

"Oh dear! I have bad news for you..."

"Your identity will soon be exposed."

Nango Torajiro's expression was very unpleasant, and he was even secretly observing Kagami Ryu's expression to see his reaction.

“There are many strong people in the alliance, and even more people with strange and unusual abilities. Even if Ningning and I don’t reveal your identity, you will be discovered sooner or later. It’s just a matter of time.”

This news was terrible for Tora-jiro Nango.

Because only he, who understood the situation, knew the true extent of the predicament the Far East was facing...

The Far East has a terrible external environment and is in complete chaos internally, like a giant powder keg that could be ignited at any moment.

But that's not the main point...

The key point is that these are two women who came to Earth from a meteorite!

It was precisely because he knew the strength of Kagami-ryu and Skirk that Tora-jiro Nango's expression turned grim.

Either of these two could easily sweep across the Far East, meaning that there is currently no one on this land who can rival them.

There might be a way outside the Far East, but that would mean the Far East would need to import combat power from outside, which would be absolutely devastating to the stability of the country.

Although such things have happened before...

"So that's what it was about."

Nango Torajiro: ? ? ?

What do you mean by "this matter"?

This is clearly a very serious matter, okay?

"Don't you... care at all about your identity being exposed?"

The identities of Kagami and Silky in the Far East are basically given to them by Torajiro Nango, which means that these things could be lost at any time.

Nango Torajiro stared intently at Kagami Ryu's expression, seemingly trying to find some flaws, but unfortunately, Luo Fu's sword pommel had already lost its only weakness.

On Kagami's face, Tora-san showed no sign of panic, not even the slightest emotional fluctuation, as if he were saying…

So what if I'm exposed? I don't care!

What's wrong with that?

"And the person who should be fighting to the death to protect my identity right now is not me or Skykirk, it's you."

"..."

Nango Torajiro narrowed his eyes. How could he not know what Kagami-ryu meant?

If Mirror Stream and Skykirk's identities are completely exposed, what will happen next?

The Far East probably doesn't have the authority to handle this matter, because the appearance of "aliens" is enough to attract the attention of the world's two major powers.

Whether it's an alliance or a coalition, they would probably put aside all their conflicts and mobilize all their internal resources to capture the two women.

Therefore, for his own sake and for the sake of the Far East, Torajiro Nango must protect the identities of the two women, at least to prevent them from being exposed at this stage.

"If, I mean if."

Tora-san took a deep breath and looked at Kagami-ryu with a slightly trembling voice.

"If the Alliance and its allies are truly willing to go to any lengths to capture you, what... what would you do?"

For Tora-san Nango and this far eastern region, if both the Alliance and the Allied forces arrive at the same time, this place will inevitably turn into a battlefield, and no one will be able to escape alive!

This was the worst-case scenario he could imagine!

If such a future really becomes a reality, what will become of the Far East?

When faced with Tora-san's question, Kagami Ryu simply raised the corners of his mouth slightly.

"Then my sword will add a few more souls to the list..."

Mirror Stream & Silky Knight: Chapter 23 A Strange Rivalry?

"Wow! Kurogane Ikki has won once again!"

"Since entering Po Jun Academy, he has never shown his true strength. Last semester, he even had to repeat a year due to insufficient credits. Unexpectedly, this semester he has made a triumphant return and become a favorite to win the championship!"

"Now, let us shout the new title of this victor!"

"The Uncrowned Sword King! The Uncrowned Sword King! The Uncrowned Sword King!"

As the sound of victory rang out over the loudspeaker, all the students watching the game erupted in cheers of delight.

For no other reason than that the young man on the stage at that moment had created a miracle that was hard for ordinary people to imagine.

With only his F-rank knight strength, he actually managed to defeat several magic knights of higher rank than himself, making him a truly unique individual.

Many lower-ranking students in the academy regard this boy named Kurogane Ikki as their idol, and many female students even come to Kurogane Ikki to ask for advice.

However, when they arrived in front of Ikki Kurogane, they discovered something else.

"Kurotetsu... classmate?"

"Why do you look so tired? Did you not sleep well last night?"

The Kurogane Ikki who appeared before the students seemed to have more dark circles under his eyes than usual, and he even seemed a little unsteady when he walked, as if he might collapse at any moment.

Not only Kurogane Ikki, but even the three people standing next to him had the same feeling.

"Haha! I haven't been getting enough rest. I've been cultivating too hard lately and have completely lost track of time."

Ikki shook his head helplessly, his mind gradually recalling the events of the past few afternoons…

"That concludes today's instruction. Your bodies are nearing their limits; now it's time to go back."

The expressionless beauty casually sheathed her Ephemeral Flower Sword, turned around and prepared to leave. Behind her were Kurogane Ikki and Arisuin Nagi, two students taught by Kagami-ryu.

Meanwhile, deep in the distant mountains, an equally fierce battle erupted, with flames and water ripples appearing simultaneously. If nothing unexpected happened, it should be Stella, Kurogane Shizuku, and their instructor, Skykirk.

"Phew! It's finally over!"

Arisuin breathed a sigh of relief. Although Kagami Ryu was strict when giving guidance, he was indeed thinking about his students.

Upon realizing that Kurogane Ikki and Arisuin Nagi were about to run out of energy, they immediately stopped the simulation battle and prepared to end today's lesson.

However, just when the two thought the day would pass by like this, a familiar voice came from beside them.

"No! It's not over yet!"

Kurogane Ikki struggled to his feet, but his gaze remained fixed on the distant firelight and water ripples, his eyes gleaming with an unusual light—a youthful pursuit of a higher level, and a determination not to fall behind.

"I didn't know that there was such a thing as a demon realm in the world before, so I always kept my training within a limited range that I could accept."

"But now... after seeing a wider world, how could I possibly train at the same level as before?"

Kurogane Ikki knew that he was weaker than everyone else, the lowest-ranking F-class knight, and had no future in the world.

The ridicule from others and the targeting from his family were all too oppressive for Ikki Kurogane. Besides enduring it, the young man could only keep honing his skills to make up for the gap between himself and those geniuses.

However, when Kagami presented the realm of "Demon" to Ikki Kurogane, the boy's thoughts immediately changed.

A demon... can increase its own magical power?

Increasing his magical power means that Ikki Kurogane's knight rank can be raised. In the future, he might no longer have to suffer the scorn of others, and he might even be accepted back into his family. Most importantly...

If I break through to the Demon Realm, will my father change his opinion of me?

Kurogane Ikki's father, Kurogane Gen, is the current head of the Kurogane family and also the mastermind behind the attacks on Ikki at school.

He orchestrated the mockery from his classmates, and he also arranged for Ikki to repeat a grade. This man never had any expectations for the F-rank Ikki.

Because he is Ikki Kurogane's father, this man doesn't need to do anything; he only needs to say one sentence to destroy Ikki Kurogane's will and thus affect the boy's future.

Kazuki has very complicated feelings for his father, otherwise he wouldn't have been so easily influenced.

Now, Ikki has learned something from Kagami...

The Demon is a strategic-level existence. Once someone becomes a Demon, they can maximize their influence. When Kurogane Yan finds out that Kurogane Ikki has become a Demon, will he still be able to target Ikki as before?

Of course not!

Given the situation of the Black Iron family, they will most likely choose to settle, right?

A face-to-face apology, plus the reinstatement of Ikki Kurogane—these are absolutely essential.

Therefore, how could Ikki Kurogane sit still?

"So, Mr. Kagami, please continue training us!"

"I will absolutely, absolutely not let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip by!"

In any other world, Jingliu would never agree, because continuing to train while exhausted is not training at all, but rather mortgaging one's future.

As the leader of the Luofu Sword Sect, Jingliu has naturally seen countless swordsmen who have broken themselves. They should have had a better future, but they over-trained and exhausted everything.

But this is "The Tale of the Failed Knight", and this is the realm of the "Demon"!

The Demon Realm is so special that even sacrificing one's future to reach it is worthwhile.

Moreover, since demons can transcend fate, it's uncertain whether they'll overdraw their power!

Given Kurogane Ikki's identity, the chances of success are extremely high!

Are you really sure?

Staring into Ikki Kurogane's eyes, Kagami spoke slowly, seemingly giving the boy time to hesitate.

But how could Ikki Kurogane, who had already made his decision, possibly give up?

"please!"

"Then let's continue."

Of course, there's one more thing that Ikki Kurogane didn't say.

That means the battle on Stella's side isn't over yet!

How could he possibly admit defeat so easily?

Ikki's talent was already inferior to others. If he lost even in terms of effort, how could he become a demon?

—

Meanwhile, on the other side...

"Ms. Swire, let's continue!"

The red-haired and white-haired girls struggled to their feet, watching the flashing swords and shadows in the distance, their stubbornness growing ever stronger.

"It's not over with Ikki yet! How can I give up first?"

"When it comes to hard work, I don't want to lose to anyone!"

Although they were not on the same battlefield, their thoughts were surprisingly aligned: neither wanted to be the first to fall...