Chapter 29 Real Man 1v1 Great War
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Having achieved his goal, Aki stopped mocking his opponent. There was no need for it anymore. However, he didn’t bother explaining himself; even if he did, he’d wait until he’d flushed out the “rat” in the shadows.
After watching him for this long, Aki figured Hakuda Tetsuya wasn’t a likely suspect. He was far more interested in Hyoudou Issei, who had stood there jaw-dropped through the entire ordeal, than he was in the impotent rage of Hakuda.
Don’t get it wrong-he wasn’t planning on “going gay.” Not in the past, not now, and certainly not in the future. He wondered if it was because of his Cuckold Template¹, but Aki hadn’t run into a single “Main Protagonist” from his memories until today.
He’d originally just wanted to gain some combat experience and clear a suspect, but this was an unexpected bonus. There was still a year before the main plot kicked off; he wondered if the Boosted Gear was already dwelling within Hyoudou Issei.
Aki sized up the dazed boy while giving Hakuda a dismissive shrug.
”No particular reason. I just don’t like your face.”
Hakuda Tetsuya: ???
You don’t like my face? Do you have any idea how many people don’t like YOURS? Never mind you messing around with all those gyarus², you’re constantly getting confessed to, and now you’ve even bagged the most popular girl in school… I’m just trying to get some leftovers, and even that’s a problem?!
Aki didn’t know what Hakuda was thinking, and he wouldn’t have cared if he did. Seeing Hakuda staring at him wide-eyed and speechless, he took the initiative.
”Cut the crap. Let’s let our fists do the talking.”
”Fine! I’ll see what you’re really made of,” Hakuda spat. “You’re nothing but a newly Awakened Mixed-blood!”
Aki rolled his eyes. To anyone who didn’t know better, Hakuda sounded like he was some kind of Great Pure-blood Demon.
With his Mana circulating, Aki’s [Insight Eye] flared with power. He spotted a flaw in Hakuda’s stance and lunged forward. Thanks to [Basic Body Mastery], he mobilized every muscle in his body with perfect precision, exerting a physical force 200% beyond that of an average human.
Thud!
Catching a punch from Aki he hadn’t seen coming, Hakuda stumbled back. He was stunned; he hadn’t expected Aki’s speed and strength to be on par with his own. Youkai were the physically strongest of races-especially the Oni, who were world-renowned for their raw power. Even if he only had a dilute strain of demon blood, he shouldn’t be matched by a Mixed-blood Succubus.
Refusing to back down, Hakuda launched a counter-attack. To Hyoudou Issei, it was all a blur of black shadows. Hakuda and Aki were suddenly locked in a brutal scuffle.
And “scuffle” was the right word for it. Aki hadn’t learned any formal martial arts, and neither had Hakuda. They were relying entirely on raw physical stats and reaction speed. It was a head-on collision-punch for punch, kick for kick. Whoever blinked first was a coward.
Issei couldn’t even track their movements. All he could hear was the whistling wind of their fists and the rhythmic thump-thump-thump of impacts. He stared blankly at the two blood-splattered figures.
”It’s fake… it’s all fake… I must be dreaming…”
Meanwhile, the fight reached a fever pitch.
Relying on the regenerative powers of his demon blood, Hakuda wasn’t afraid to trade blow for blow. But as they fought, he realized something was wrong. Taking a hit felt normal enough at first, but whenever he landed a blow on Aki, it felt like he was taking damage himself.
Aki grinned, wiping a smear of blood from his lip. [Mirror Reflection] was devastating in a close-quarters brawl. Taking advantage of Hakuda’s confusion, he ramped up the intensity. Hakuda fell back into a defensive crouch, struggling to keep up. He was only a freshman a month into school; aside from his innate bloodline abilities, he had no other tricks.
Seeing Aki getting more and more into the rhythm of the fight, Hakuda decided to stake it all on one last move. He crossed his arms over his chest, tanked a kick from Aki, and used the momentum to create some distance. He bit the tip of his tongue, filling his mouth with blood, and began chanting.
Aki couldn’t understand the words, but he knew he couldn’t let him finish. He dashed forward to interrupt, but he was a second too late.
With a guttural roar, Hakuda sprayed the blood from his mouth as his entire frame swelled. His shirt disintegrated completely, his pants shredded to rags, exposing calves knotted with corded muscle. Aki did a quick mental check-those calves were nearly as thick as his own waist.
His eye twitched. He’d just wanted an “easy target” to test the waters. He hadn’t expected the guy to have a second phase.
Looking at the man-mountain in front of him-who looked more like a black bear demon than a student-Aki instinctively took two steps back. In terms of raw combat power, Aki usually held the upper hand, but with this second-stage transformation, he was outmatched.
It was a shame he didn’t have any recovery Talents. If he did, he could just use the passive damage from [Mirror Reflection] to let the “Bear King” kill himself.
Hakuda caught Aki’s retreat. His crimson eyes narrowed as he let out a boisterous laugh. “Want to run now? Too late!”
”Who said I was running?” Aki scoffed. This was his first real fight in the Inner World; he wasn’t going to tuck tail and run even if he lost. Besides, Himejima Akeno and Shinra Tsubaki were lurking nearby. If things got truly hairy, he’d just call for backup.
What? “Unfair”?
Hakuda was the one who brought a friend first! Hyoudou Issei was a man, while Akeno and Tsubaki were women. Everyone knows one man is worth two women in a fight, right? So if he called them, the math basically balanced out. It was still a 1v1 “Real Man” showdown.
”Akeno, should you go, or should I?” Tsubaki asked.
”What’s the rush?” Akeno gestured for her friend to keep watching. “That little pervert Uesugi is a crafty one. If he couldn’t handle it, he would have screamed for help ages ago.”
Tsubaki looked closer. Despite how frantic Aki’s dodging looked, he hadn’t actually taken a hit yet.
”He’ll be fine until his Mana runs out,” Akeno added. She acted like she didn’t care, but her eyes never left the fight.
Mana was the ultimate grease for the wheels. Beyond just powering [Insight Eye], it could be used to overclock his other Talents. Aki had figured this out early on, but since he couldn’t “cultivate” Mana traditionally, he’d pushed the thought aside. Both [Mental Resistance] and [Disguise] became significantly more powerful when fueled by Mana. Shinomura Yuki, for example, used Mana with her [Disguise] Talent and a low-level illusion to pull off her “male” persona perfectly-so perfectly that even other Mana-users couldn’t see through it without specific sensory abilities.
Under the influence of Mana, Aki funneled all the power of [Basic Body Mastery] into agility. Hakuda had gained massive strength and speed, but his flexibility had taken a nosedive.
With the dense forest providing ample cover and thick trunks to duck behind, Aki focused entirely on evasion. For the moment, Hakuda couldn’t lay a finger on him.
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Summary:
Aki engages Hakuda Tetsuya in a physical confrontation to test his abilities and clear suspicion. During the fight, Aki notices Hyoudou Issei and realizes he is the world’s protagonist, though Issei is currently in a state of shock. Hakuda, possessing demon blood, struggles against Aki’s technical skills like Mirror Reflection and Insight Eye. Pushed to his limit, Hakuda performs a bloody ritual to trigger a second-stage bear-like transformation. Aki manages to stay safe by utilizing Mana to enhance his agility and using the forest environment as cover. Akeno and Tsubaki observe the battle from the shadows, evaluating Aki’s potential and cleverness.
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Trivia:
- Aki’s realization that Issei is present suggests the ‘plot’ is converging on him earlier than expected.
- The mention of Shinomura Yuki’s ‘male persona’ being maintained by Mana foreshadows similar reveals for other characters.
- Aki’s ‘Cuckold Template’ hints at the specific adult-genre mechanics governing his reincarnation world.
- Mirror Reflection causing Hakuda to take damage from his own hits suggests Aki can punch above his weight class defensively
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Character Insight:
The dynamic between Aki and Hakuda shifts from verbal bullying to a life-and-death struggle where Hakuda’s arrogance is shattered by Aki’s unexpected succubus strength. Meanwhile, Akeno’s refusal to intervene shows a growing trust (or interest) in Aki’s survival instincts.
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Lore And Worldbuilding Context:
Introduction of the ‘Inner World’ concept and the mechanics of Mana-enhancing ‘Talents’. It is established that demon bloodlines grant regeneration and physical transformations, while Mixed-bloods are often underestimated.
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TL Notes:
The term ‘Real Man’ (真男人) is kept as a reflection of the hyper-masculine gaming/internet slang often used in Chinese web novels. ‘Cuckold Template’ is a direct translation of the trope ‘苦主模版’ common in specific crossover fanfiction genres.
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Glossary:
Notes:
• Aki – 16‑year‑old Kuoh Private Academy student, messy black hair, slender, delicate features, black‑rimmed glasses, adopted by Takamine family. Holds succubus/incubus blood, dual‑cultivation that copies talents via fluids and boosts partners’ magic, recently gained muscle. Trained by three girls at Hidden Academy. Newcomer to Inner World, Kuoh Academy pupil who just defeated Tetsuya Hakada, peak D‑rank, candidate for Rias’s peerage, pragmatic, cynical, plotting to seize the Boosted Gear while gatekeeping the original protagonist.
• Hyoudou Issei – Issei Hyoudou, a brown‑haired, average‑built high‑school student with a mischievous face, is the shocked normal student caught in the crossfire and the potential host of the Boosted Gear. Known as one of the “Three Perverts” for his lecherous antics, he is a comedic pervert from High School DxD.
• Tetsuya – A third-year student with a monstrous ‘Stage Two’ transformation ability. He is physically imposing but lacks tactical depth.
• Hakuda – A student who attempted a ‘second-stage’ transformation during a fight with Aki. He is described as somewhat of a moron and is currently being interrogated for spreading rumors. A student with high-level networking and hacking skills. He is described as having a ‘pained’ or ‘bitter’ expression and admits to using supernatural powers for illicit activities.
• Issei – Issei Hyoudou, a brown‑haired, average‑built high‑school student with a mischievous face, is the shocked normal student caught in the crossfire and the potential host of the Boosted Gear. Known as one of the “Three Perverts” for his lecherous antics, he is a comedic pervert from High School DxD.
• Himejima Akeno – Akeno Himejima is a senior member of the Occult Research Club in High School DxD. She has long black hair, a graceful aura, and often wears school attire. Known for her elegant, mature beauty, she can generate golden lightning from her palms, possesses an icy temperament when provoked, and hides a sadistic streak behind a kind smile. She is Rias Gremory’s trusted retainer and confidante.
• Shinra Tsubaki – Dark blue hair, refined and calm, constantly beside Sona in student council uniform; from ‘High School DxD’. Vice president, Sona’s ‘Queen’-type retainer, calm and collected, has the ‘Mirror Reflection’ and later ‘Demon Bloodline’ talent.
• Tsubaki – A girl associated with the student council or supernatural groups, appearing after the barrier is lifted. A member of the Student Council who wears glasses. She is composed and assists in investigations using her analytical abilities. The Vice President of the Student Council. She wears a school uniform and maintains a professional, authoritative demeanor while investigating school incidents.
• Akeno – Akeno Himejima is a senior member of the Occult Research Club in High School DxD. She has long black hair, a graceful aura, and often wears school attire. Known for her elegant, mature beauty, she can generate golden lightning from her palms, possesses an icy temperament when provoked, and hides a sadistic streak behind a kind smile. She is Rias Gremory’s trusted retainer and confidante.
• Shinomura Yuki – Blonde, sharp‑eyed delinquent at Kuoh Academy, outwardly a male thug with bandaged chest, actually a slender mixed‑blood demon girl in disguise. She hates men, wields Disguise talent, and after a magic surge from Aki joins his group, targeting him while harboring feelings for the Hamazaki trio.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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