Ch 286: A Fighting Paradise.

"…And we are supposed to conquer this school and defeat its five strongest, using only martial arts? No Shunpo, no Augment, no magic weapons or anything else? There's something wrong with this quest." frowned Song-Yi.

"Yes. It sounds too easy." said Heejin, glancing sideways at Akeno and Artoria. "Even without the many things we aren't supposed to use, we are still dozens of times stronger and faster than ordinary people."

After Rayshifting in a back alley, the four girls had immediately received two quests as well as four Toudou Academy's school uniforms, making the Gods' intentions clear. They had now reached the massive campus and were about to enter its grounds.

"We shouldn't underestimate this school." shrugged Akeno. "Did you notice that the quest doesn't specifically forbid the use of normal weapons?"

"Now that you mention it… should we preemptively make some?" frowned Song-Yi.

"The other quest let us use our powers, though." smiled Artoria. "I wonder how strong the members of that 'F' group are. I look forward to facing them."

"Ufufu, what I look forward to is the reward to take over this school. It will make things a lot more convenient." grinned Akeno.

"You can say that again." smiled Heejin.

The first quest they had been given was to defeat the five strongest students of Toudou Academy. If they managed to do it, Akeno's Emissary role and Soul Magic would be upgraded, and she would be able to establish verbal Soul Contracts.

Even better, Akeno wouldn't need to be physically present. A simple phone call would be enough for the girls in other timelines to benefit from Noah's abilities without having to wait until Akeno met them in Chaldea.

"Let's get a good look first." said Song-Yi. "And there seems to be a commotion already."

They passed by a black motorcycle as they headed for the largest building, a massive four stories white, rectangular structure. A few windows were broken on the first and second floor, and they could seem students fighting on the third floor.

"It's quite lively, it seems." chuckled Akeno. "Let's go see what this is about."

She led her companions inside and asked the first student they saw. He had a few bruises forming on his face.

"Hi, what is happening upstairs?"

"I never saw you girls before. Are you new students?"

"Yes." nodded Akeno.

"Then, welcome to Fighting Paradise. I'll give you some advice, transfer out of here now if you aren't prepared to fight. This school is Heaven for martial artists, but Hell for normal people. Some girls have been raped before."

"Thanks for the warning." nodded Akeno with a smile. "But we're martial artists ourselves. So, the commotion?"

"There's two hoodlums who came and declared the school was now their territory, and challenged everyone to do something about it. The fools, they don't know what kind of monsters are hidden in the school."

"Sounds interesting. They seem decently strong, at least, if they're still at it." smiled Heejin.

Akeno nodded, and the girls took the stairs to the third floor. The hallway was littered with students, some sprawled on the ground and knocked out, some sitting or limping away with pained expressions.

They looked at the girls silently when they passed by and walked closer to the sounds of the still ongoing fighting.

Akeno was the first to reach a classroom whose doors had been wrenched open. Inside was more chaos, with a dozen students on the ground, another dozen surrounding two young men wearing the black uniform of another academy.

The first one was of medium height, with short blonde hair styled in a very… unique fashion, with brown eyebrows and brown eyes. The other one was almost two meter tall, with the features of an African-American, medium-length dreads, and a piercing on the left corner of his lower lip. They were punching and kicking any of the other students who tried to take them on.

Akeno looked with a critical eye for a few seconds, then lost interest. Those two had brawn and stamina, but little to no technique.

She exchanged a glance with her companions who seemed to share her opinion, and shrugged.

"Let's get out of this classroom."

But as soon as they walked back into the hallway, they froze in surprise.

Two students were headed toward the classroom, but only one of them was walking, as the other was perched on his shoulder.

The young man had fairly unremarkable features, short brown hair and black eyes, but his broad shoulders and the way he moved told Akeno he was a martial artist.

More interesting, however, was the little girl on his left shoulder, dressed in a red and blue hakama and holding a wooden sword. She was barely a meter tall, had deep blue eyes, long, straight, purple-tinted silver hair, and two ahoge strands that looked like insect antennae.

Akeno had seen enough people with an ahoge to instantly recognize that girl as an important character in the original fiction this world was based on, and her expression seemed particularly mature for someone her size.

The young man had stopped, frowning, as Akeno, Artoria, Heejin and Song-Yi left the classroom.

"Oh? I do not remember seeing you here before." said the little girl.

"We are new students." smiled Akeno. "We heard this place was a good one for martial artists, and it seems quite lively. I am Akeno Himejima."

"Artoria Pendragon." said Artoria with a polite nod of greeting.

"Song-Yi Han."

"Heekin Park."

"Welcome to Toudou Academy." nodded the girl. "I am Maya Natsume, and this is Masataka Takayagani."

The young man nodded with a polite smile. Akeno could tell that he was checking them out, but he was at least trying to be discreet about it, and she was used to it.

"We heard you were one of the school's strongest, Natsume-san. I would like to fight you." smiled Akeno.

"…Are you sure? I may look like this, but I am quite strong, you know?" grinned Maya, also interested. She could see at a glance that the four new girls weren't ordinary people, and she wouldn't be a martial artist if she didn't like fighting strong opponents.

"I am." nodded Akeno.

"Well, then." nodded Maya, hoping down from Masataka's shoulder, and students all over the hallway suddenly clamored.

"It's here!"

"Here it comes!!"

"I've been waiting for this!"

Natsume made a hand seal, and suddenly, her chest exploded, her breasts reaching a size rivaling those of Akeno herself and straining her clothes. Maya's arms and legs followed, and in barely two seconds, Maya's physique had grown from one meter tall, to about 170cm, with a glamorous body whose private parts were barely covered. Her red kimono vest now left her shoulders bare, and it seemed like moving was all it would take for her breasts to spill out.

"Impressive." breathed Akeno.

"Toudou Academy junior, introducing the Natsume true strength technique, Maya Natsume, has arrived." said Maya with a confident tone, her wooden sword held in a drawing position.

"OOOohhhhh!!!" clamored the students around, staring with lustful eyes.

"How did you transform like this?" blurted out Song-Yi, her eyes wide.

"Natsume-style form refinement technique. When you become as expert as I, you shouldn't have any problem with this kind of body manipulation. Are you ready?"

"Bring it on." smiled Akeno, taking a step forward and shifting her posture.

Maya did wait any further and closed the distance with a sliding step, then executed a lateral slash with an upward trajectory.

Akeno felt a bit of surprise at the speed of the attack, but this wasn't anything she couldn't manage. She lifted her right arm in a guard position, intending to absorb the blow on her arm and shoulder, while she prepared a palm strike on Maya's sternum with her left hand.

Her plan, however, was derailed the instant the wooden sword made contact with her arm, as the slash had a lot more momentum than it should have, and she started being lifted off her feet.

She would easily have countered this, had she been allowed to create a light construct to anchor herself, and she had almost done this by sheer reflex before stopping herself. But and the brief hesitation cost her. Akeno's feet completely lost their contact with the ground, and she was propelled to the side, where she broke through a window and started to fall.

"Oh crap!" blurted out Maya.

Akeno wasn't worried, and corrected her posture midair to land in a super-hero landing posture on the roof of the nearby building. If Maya thought that just this was the end of their duel, she was in for a surprise. next time, she would avoid her blow instead of…

Her thoughts were interrupted as the tiled roof broke under her feet, and she crashed inside.

Or to be more accurate, landed on a girl that had been inside. A naked girl.

And, maybe because the gods had a sense of humor, landed in such a way that when Akeno hurriedly took her in her arms and pivoted to cushion the girl's impact on the ground and bat the falling debris away, Akeno found herself her back on the ground, the naked girl sprawled over her.

Their lips had touched.

"Ah, I'm really sorry about…"

The girl leaned down and kissed her. Inserted her tongue into Akeno's mouth for two seconds, before she pulled her head back, and smiled gently.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Aya Natsume. Please marry me."

"..."

For once, Akeno was lost for words.

A door crashed open to their right, and Akeno turned her head, seeing Maya back in her chibi form, followed by Artoria.

Maya took one look at them and sighed in exasperation. Artoria too looked, saw Akeno still embracing a naked girl, and chuckled.

"Well, that was quick."

"Ahem." coughed Akeno, taking her hands off Aya's body, and looking closely at her. Aya had long, dark-brown, almost black hair, large brown eyes, and was just as beautiful and sexy as Maya.

"I am Akeno Himejima. It's nice to meet you, even if the circumstances are… one of a kind. Please wear something."

Aya smiled and got off Akeno, then reached for a towel nearby her wrapped it around her body, just in time to cover herself before Masataka, Song-Yi and Heejin appeared behind Maya and Artoria.

"Wow, did you just crash into the girl's shower room?" asked Song-Yi.

"It seems so. At least no one's injured." shrugged Akeno, getting off the ground. Her uniform was now drenched, but she paid it no mind.

"Can I call you Aya?" asked Akeno.

"Yes, please do." smiled Aya.

"Thank you. Call me Akeno as well. I am flattered by your interest, and I find you to be very attractive, but we just met, so talking about marriage is a bit… premature. How about we go on a date first, to learn more about each other, and see how it goes from there?"

"Yes!" nodded Aya with a radiant smile.

Akeno nodded and turned to Maya.

"Your sister?"

"My sister." confirmed Maya with a heavy sigh. "What kind of cursed luck is this…"

"Ara ara, I might become vexed, if you claim meeting me is back luck." chuckled Akeno. "Anyway, is the duel still ongoing? This was just a love tap."

"A love tap, you say?" said Maya, an eyebrow raised at Akeno's eager expression. "…we can continue this later. For now, there are still those thugs who need to be taught a lesson. Masataka, can you go?"

"Huh? Ah, yes!" flinched Masataka, who had been mesmerized by the sight of Aya wearing nothing but a towel.

"I am going to change. Let's meet here for lunch." suggested Aya.

"Yes, I'd be glad to." smiled Akeno.

"That was an abnormal amount of momentum in your strike. How did you do it?" asked Akeno to Maya after Aya went away.

"I just infused some of my wood ki into my wooden sword." shrugged Maya.

"Wood ki?" blinked Akeno.

"Yes… Are you not a martial artist?" frowned Maya with suspicion.

"I can destroy a car with a palm strike, so I think I qualify as one." shrugged Akeno. "But there are many different kinds of martial arts, and while I vaguely heard mentions of ki and element attributes, you are the first person I met who has those."

"How did you train before?" asked Maya.

"Mostly by being trashed around by a monster, for years." chuckled Akeno. "Artoria here is a specialist in western fencing, Song-Yi uses throwing knives, and Heejin a staff. I am more of an all-rounder. Anyway, Natsume-san, do not think it will be that easy the next time we fight."

"You can call me Maya. Everyone in this school is on a first name basis, or last name without honorifics. And if you're going to get involved with my sister… You better not hurt her."

"I can't guarantee that. There are things about me she might not like, which is why I haven't answered her confession yet. What was that, by the way?"

Maya glanced at the door leading to the changing room.

"An old tradition in the Natsume family. Anyway, you should go to class, we can talk more during lunch."

"…Fine. See you later, Maya." smiled Akeno, waving as they left.

Maya watched them go, thinking. The blow she had caused Akeno should have left a nasty bruise, at the very least, but she didn't even once wince or nurse her arm. And the confidence in her eyes…

She waited until her sister was done and dressed in the school uniform, a green checked skirt, white shirt, blue blazer and red bow around the shirt's collar.

"Were you really serious just now, Aya?" frowned Maya.

"The women of the Natsume family give her all to the person who sees them." quoted Aya with a smile.

"It's only a tradition, not a law! And it is supposed to only apply to the men who see us naked!" retorted Maya, and Aya nodded.

"I know, but mother and grandmother followed the tradition, and it served them well. But I am not doing this only because of tradition. Even as she was falling, she twisted her body to act as a cushion for me, and… I felt like electricity ran all over my body… How should I say it? I truly believe this was fate."

"…fate, eh? …I didn't even know you were into girls." sighed Maya.

"I didn't think I was, either. But when our gazes met, I thought 'She's the one!'." grinned Aya.

Maya followed her sister as they returned to the main building. They saw the two punks who had caused the ruckus staggering toward their motorcycle, both barely conscious, their faces swelling and bleeding.

As she walked, she thought about what Aya had said, and she had to admit that she, too, found Akeno to be very… alluring. So were the other three, for that matter, but not quite to that extent.

…

After dinner, Artoria decided to take a stroll. Spending months after months cooped up in Chaldea had felt stifling, and she welcomed this opportunity to stretch her legs.

The day had gone rather well, all in all. The student in the academy didn't really care about her age, only that she was strong, and she had stomped over a would-be female bully who had tried to haze her, breaking her wrist.

Rather than becoming afraid of her, the other students watching had simply shrugged it off, as if violence was commonplace here. And it probably was.

The new friends they had just made, Aya, Maya and Masataka, were pleasant people to be around. Although Masataka clearly was overly interested in their looks, but as long as he kept himself under control, Artoria didn't mind being cordial with him.

Aya and Maya, on the other hand, were both friendly, and accomplished martial artists. Aya had mentioned being able to slice apart a large rock with a katana, an impressive feat for a human born in this world where ambient mana was almost non-existent, and Maya was stronger still.

Artoria smiled fondly as she remembered Maya and Akeno sparring again, both unarmed this time. Akeno's superior strength and speed had been too much for Maya to overcome at the end, but a few of Maya's ki-enhanced moves had still taken her by surprise and would have given her bruises or light damage to her internal organs, if Akeno wasn't constantly regenerating.

The sparring match had ended with Maya declaring defeat as she ran out of stamina, while Akeno wasn't even sweating.

Then, Akeno had asked Maya to teach her, Artoria, Song-Yi and Heejin those ki attacks, and Maya replied she would think about it.

Akeno had accepted it and didn't want to press Maya. Without a doubt, she was confident Maya would eventually agree once they knew each other better.

After parting with them, it had been a simple matter to rent a room in a hotel.

Artoria was idly walking, thinking about the moves and counter-moves Akeno and Maya had performed against each other, when she heard a muffled scream.

It took her a second to locate the source. One of those public spaces where civilians washed their clothes. If Artoria remembered correctly, they were called Laundromats. But this one had its light turned off just seconds before she heard the screams.

Artoria broke into a run, when she came near, saw two people inside, a man and a woman. The man had tied a strip of cloth between the woman's teeth as a makeshift gag, doing a very poor job at silencing her, and was busy tying another strip around the struggling woman's wrists. The woman's panties were around her knees, making the assailant's intentions clear.

"You reprobate!" shouted Artoria as she charged inside. She was on the man before he could react and kicked between his legs.

The man howled, releasing his grip on the girl to hold his crotch, and Artoria punched him lightly sending him away from the girl. She didn't want to quite kill him, as it would make things complicated with the local law enforcement

Artoria searched for the light button near the door, turned the lights on, and returned to the sobbing girl as she tore off the strip of cloth gagging her.

"You're safe now." said Artoria as she crouched near the girl, who nodded.

"You fucking bitch!" howled the wannabe rapist, looking at Artoria and the uniform she was wearing.

"You're a Toudou student! I am part of the Enforcement Group! This isn't a matter you can butt your fucking nose into! I'm going to rape you!"

Artoria decided the man had too many teeth, walked over to him, and 'lightly' kicked his lower face, sending him rolling.

"Puah!" screeched the man, spitting a few bloody teeth fragments. He looked at Artoria with sheer hatred.

Artoria ignored him and returned to the girl.

"Should I call the police?" asked Artoria.

"N-No... They won't do anything. Can you… Can you please help me get home?"

"Yes." nodded Artoria, extending her hand to her, and the girl took it.

The man had used the opportunity to run, and Artoria decided that staying near the girl was more important than trying to find him.

"…My name is Chiaki. Thank you very much..." said the girl after a moment. She had large brown eyes and shoulder-length brown hair.

"Artoria. Artoria Pendragon." smiled Artoria. "I only did what was right. You do not need to thank me for it. Do you know what is this Enforcement Group that this evildoer claims to be part of?"

"…I don't." replied Chiaki, shaking her head.

Artoria nodded, and they kept walking.

"We didn't take your laundry back with you." suddenly said Artoria.

"It's fine. I'll return with my boyfriend and his friend." bravely nodded Chiaki. "And that guy probably won't come back."

"I almost hope he will come back." shrugged Artoria. "I haven't punished him nearly enough. I would be willing to escort you and your boyfriend back to the Laundromat, if you wish."

"Really?" asked Chiaki with a brave smile. But Artoria could still see the fear lingering in her eyes. "You've already helped me a lot, I do not want to impose on you."

"It is fine. I was only strolling around to stretch my legs. I have no particular purpose this evening, so it isn't a bother to me." smiled Artoria.

Chiaki nodded, and they started chatting as they walked. Artoria raised an eyebrow when Chiaki spoke about her boyfriend.

"Honestly, my man is a hoodlum. I worry about how hard it will be for him to get a good job after school. But he is also someone who would face death itself to protect me… And the sex with him is great!"

"Sex, eh?" muttered Artoria, her cheek coloring a little as she thought about some of the things she had done with Akeno, and with some of the others in Chaldea.

"What about you, Artoria?" asked Chiaki, noticing the blonde woman's cute expression at het mention of sex and wanting ot see more of it. "With your beautiful face and stunning figure, surely you have a good boyfriend?"

"…I have a fiancé. Someone I agreed to devote myself to. But he lives far away, and it will be at least another year or two before I can meet him in person."

"He's a lucky one."

"He is indeed lucky." smiled Artoria. "But he also works a lot and rarely takes a day off, so I cannot say it is undeserved."

"A workaholic? That might be a problem for you, if he doesn't have time to regularly take you on dates and stuff."

"That is indeed a problem, but… He works for a humanitarian organization. His job saves lives, literally. So I have resolved myself to be content with the times I will have with him."

"That's very noble of you, and he sounds like a great guy… Please forgive me if you think I am nosy or inconsiderate, but… is that not still putting a strain on your relationship? A girl has needs after all."

Artoria didn't answer for a few seconds, thinking about whether to try to add Chiaki to Noah's harem or not, despite her already having a decent boyfriend. She finally decided not to make any proactive move, but still plant a seed of possibility in Chiaki's mind.

"…My fiancé is a tolerant man." smiled Artoria. "He is fine with me having… friends with benefits, you would say, as long as those friends are women."

"Wow… I see!" grinned Chiaki. "And with your looks, I assume you have many such friends!"

"I have." smiled Artoria. "And to use your own words, the sex is great."

"Good for you! I live in this building." said Chiaki as she pointed to a white apartment building.

Artoria accompanied her to the third floor, to the door of her apartment. Chiaki opened it wide.

"Bob, Souichiro! I need you right now!"

Artoria peered inside, and blinked as she recognized the two people coming to the door as they grumbled something. Chiaki immediately threw herself at the large black man and hugged him tightly.

"What is it? Did something happen?" asked the man, who Artoria assumed was Bob.

"Did I see you somewhere?" asked the other one with blonde hair as he squinted at Artoria.

"You are the two punks who tried to conquer Toudou Academy and were soundly beated." said Artoria.

"Who are you calling a punk? We are the Knuckle Bombs." retorted Souichiro, cracking the joints of his right fist.

"If you say so. But that title doesn't sound very impressive with your faces still swollen." replied Artoria with an eyeroll.

"What did you say? Are you picking a fight with us?"

"Stop this, Souichiro!" scolded Chiaki, still hugging Bob. "Artoria saved me! I was almost raped tonight!"

"Who?" asked Bob with a suddenly murderous voice.

"He didn't say his name, only that he was part of something called the Enforcement Group." said Chiaki, her voice breaking.

"Enforcement group? That guy, what did he look like?"

"Fairly tall, short blonde hair, oval glasses, and now with a number of broken teeth." shrugged Artoria.

"Well, thank you, Miss. I owe you one." nodded Bob, tightly holding his girlfriend.

His words were simple, but Artoria could feel the sincere gratitude behind them, and she nodded.

"No thanks are necessary. I offered to escort Chiaki back to the Laundromat to recover her laundry."

"We'll go with you. Thank you." immediately nodded Bob.

Less than a minute later, they were on their way to the Laundromat.

"…So, if you beat up that guy, I assume you're strong?" asked Souichiro with an eager expression.

"Strength is relative. But most people would call me strong." nodded Artoria.

"The strongest people in this school. Who are they?"

"I arrived at this school today, so I am not certain, but I was told the strongest is someone named Mitsuomi Takayanagi. That, however, is subject to change, as my friends and I intend to challenge him soon."

"Eh." smiled Souichiro. "So you too love fighting strong opponents."

"Yes. Is that why you tried to conquer Toudou Academy this morning?"

"Of course." nodded Bob.

"My apologies, then." nodded Artoria. "I had assumed that you two were ruffians, trying to conquer territory to later extort money from the students."

"Souichiro got bullied a lot when he was younger. There's no way he would do this to dudes who don't fight." said Chiaki.

Artoria nodded, and they kept chatting until they reached the Laundromat, recovered the clothes, and came back to their apartment.

With her good deed of the day done, Artoria returned to their hotel room. Akeno, Heejin and Song-Yi were already asleep, and she decided informing them about what had happened could wait.