Parallel Vol. 4 [LEGACY EDITION]

Chapter 8: Archery Princess

Wild Heart Arena,

Kyoto, Japan.

25th June 2024.

Wild Heart Arena, commissioned in 2020 by the Japanese juggernaut, Genaco Inc. had, in the four years since its commission, grown to become the country's second most prestigious location for high-school competitions, second only to the cult-classic Koshien. The diverse, modern structure was designed to host the finals for many competitions related to martial arts in a bid to increase their popularity among the Japanese people.

Over the last couple of years, with Genaco's not-so-subtle influence, martial artists in high schools had begun to experience an unprecedented upsurge in fame. The popularity of martial artists was further boosted when Genaco released a statistic which proved that martial artists had a much higher chance of succeeding in their virtual games. This statistic was further proven when a lot of high-profile players revealed their real-life identities as martial artists. This, coupled with Genaco's coverage of the latest in-game trends and popular figures ensured martial arts' popularity had only grown stronger with each passing year.

The Archery Arts was one such martial art to have gained a lot from this new exposure. Hundreds of thousands now paid attention to this high school competition which, previously would not have raised many eyebrows. The competition also commanded a primetime spot on National Television, further boosting its popularity. It could be said students who made it to the finals were like Chinese carp, jumping through the dragon's gate and ascending to fame and popularity overnight.

However, even with the added exposure from Genaco's media coverage, it was a single high-school girl who was responsible for the current popularity of the Archery Competition. Five years ago, a thirteen-year-old girl, Adachi Ayumi, took the country by storm when she, with uncommon grace and poise took the national championship home.

The young girl's captivating form, filled with unmatched elegance tinged with an innate coldness endeared her to the general public and they soon tagged her with the nickname "Archery Princess." Every year since, she had not disappointed the expectations of her adoring fans, effortlessly emerging victorious both at the regional and national levels. It had reached a point where the other girls who had to compete against her could only shake their heads with despair every year.

Luckily, as if realizing the detrimental effect a cheat like Ayumi had on the other contestants, a new mixed competition after her fifth victory was added to allow both boys and girls to compete together. This new rule coincided with Ayumi's final year and competition in high school, leading to rumors that it would only exist for this one year and specifically targeted her.

Ayumi, however, did not seem to care if the rule targeted her. She signed up for the mixed competition with exceeding calm. Some pundits had claimed she was too arrogant and such a reckless act would definitely tarnish her reputation, but how would they know Ayumi's thoughts at the time? After Suzuki seemed to disappear into thin air, she knew only something extraordinary would get her father to actively search for him.

Hence, Ayumi made a deal with her father. If she managed to beat the heavy odds stacked against her and win this competition, it would mean Suzuki indeed did not lead her astray by introducing her to King's Journey. If that was the case, the Adachi household would owe the young man a favor for introducing their young miss with a way to train without getting stressed out. Adachi's always repaid their debts, so her father would indeed activate his network to find out what happened to the young man.

Of course, at the time, neither the pundits nor her father believed she had a chance of winning, but to the shock of all those who watched the competition, the Archery Princess erupted with a strength and skill that terribly eclipsed everything she'd revealed in the previous competitions. Ayumi easily brushed through the regionals, an even in the finals, she'd run rampant, tearing through her competitors until she was matched against the Prince of Archery, Kiriiga Yuusha.