Volume 5 - CH 4

(translation)

「This match has become one-sided since that one irrecoverable spear-butt thrust! Kurogane has slowed down significantly—the number of times that he has been unable to dodge Moroboshi's spear have increased! It's a terrible situation—flowering wounds stain him crimson all over in this ring. The referees may even have to call for a stop!」

Outside the Bay Dome, the usually deserted streets were filled with people watching the broadcast on their mobile devices. The Worst One was at a disadvantage, that much was plain to the average person. Those around all seemed to agree.

「This is already over.」

「Yeah, the Worst One was moving pretty well at first, but he's totally slowed down since. It feels like it's taking all he has just to evade.」

「As expected, Moroboshi is really strong.」

「'Course he is! Moroboshi's the Seven Stars Sword King, y'know? He ain't gonna lose to no F-rank!」

But amidst all this, a single voice made its maverick view heard.

"No. Ikki will win."

"Eh?"

All of them turned to follow the direction of that female voice.

There was no one there—but if one looked closely, one could see a head of flaming red hair dancing in the wind as it disappeared into the Dome.

「Eh, wait… that was… could it be…?」

At that moment, in Hagun Academy….

「Oh dear! Kurogane has finally taken a direct hit from the spear! And it's on his thigh to boot!」

「That's not good. Like this, the Worst One's speed will only keep decreasing. It might be better for the referees to call a halt.」

"This is odd…."

As they watched Ikki be one-sidedly pushed into a corner on the television broadcast, Touka suddenly expressed this doubt.

"Yes, it is. Why would Kurogane's movements suddenly become this poor?"

"…Well, while I am concerned about that too, there's something even stranger going on with Moroboshi-kun."

"Eh? What would that be?"

"By my count, this would be three. Three times now, Moroboshi has had the chance to finish Kurogane-kun, but he hasn't finished this match yet."

"Could he be playing around with him?"

"I don't think he's that sort. But that's exactly why it's incomprehensible."

Glancing at Moroboshi's expression through the broadcast, Touka could not help but think that he looked as though he was afraid of something.

What is he seeing, I wonder?

As though to address Touka's doubts, something big happened. Ikki, who had been fleeing about, fell down.

"A-gh!"

「Whoa! Having fled from Moroboshi's attacks up till now, Kurogane has lost his footing on the floor he has stained with his own blood and has fallen down! This is a great chance for Moroboshi! Will he end this here!?」

Ikki scrambled to his feet, "shit!" written all over his face.

But it was pointless. In a battle between knights at this level, such a mistake could not be reversed. The match was decided. Or it should have been, but—

「Oh? Somehow, Moroboshi isn't attacking! Does he not intend to strike an opponent while he's down?」

Taking his actions as fair play befitting the Seven Stars Sword King, the audience burst into plaudits.

「Great stuff, Moroboshi! That's Japan's strongest warrior fer ya!」

「But y'can stop playin' around now. It hurts jus' to watch!」

「Go get 'im, Moroboshi-kun—!」

But contrary to the excitement of his fans, Moroboshi himself was beading cold sweat.

This is… the fifth time.

Five times he had had a clear chance to finish the match, but he had let them all slip away before his very eyes—and he himself knew not the reason why.

What's this feeling… it's weird….

The more he attacked, the more he pursued, the more the pressure exuded by this half-dead knight before him increased. This was the reason for his hesitation: the premonition that if he took a step further, he would be trampling the tail of a beast far more frightening than a tiger.

"…Tch!"

But he could not keep avoiding the issue like this.

You coward! Look your opponent in the eye!

Despite being bloodied all over and suffering in the grip of some unknown affliction, the light in Worst One Ikki Kurogane's eyes had not dimmed, his desire to fight undiminished. Ikki had not yet given up on this battle. How could he, who was winning, wish to stop!?

How could you let Koume see you like this!?

Such actions did not befit the Seven Stars Sword King, or an older brother. Pride and dignity drove him. Lowering his stance more deeply than he had all match—

"I'm coming! Kurogane—!"

With a shattering cry, he advanced towards Ikki, preparing to the end the battle.

As he sprinted forward, faster than he had up till now, Moroboshi activated Sanrensei. His targets were the forehead, throat and abdomen—all fatal strikes. He definitely intended to end this in one move. With this body that would not move as he wanted and his wounded leg, Ikki knew for certain that he could not evade this Sanrensei. He gritted his teeth bitterly.

「I will return that favor in full tomorrow.」

That had been their promise, but he was unable to fulfill it. He had wanted to be able to give his all against an opponent of this caliber, and yet he could not see it through. What a pity—but that was why he refused to throw in the towel to the end. That was the least he could do.

That's why I can't use Ittou Shura here.

To use his limited-time-only ace while still under the effect of this unknown affliction was tantamount to despairing. It was to nip the buds of victory—pointless. Until the moment when his consciousness vanished, he would not give up on winning, no matter how unsightly he might look. Having set his heart to this, he raised his sword, preparing to meet Moroboshi's assault. Covered in wounds, he took his stand against certain defeat.

At that moment, a memory surfaced.

Now that I say it… I had this feeling then, too.

It was a memory of his duel with Edelweiss on the Akatsuki Academy's school grounds. A memory he had been unable to recall well, blinded, dazed and desperate as he had been then. His torn-up state brought him back to that time, suddenly making those memories clearer again.

What did I do then?

To his surprise, the memory came to mind with ease. Facing the incoming strongest knight in the world, he had—

—Ah, that's right. I attempted to use Edelweiss's swordsmanship.

Edelweiss's blade had been so swift that his eyes had failed to even catch its afterimages, but he had just barely been able to read her strokes from her body's movements.

He remembered. No human eye could perceive her overwhelming speed—and the secret to that was that she did not accelerate. Usually, when a blade was swung, it would start out slow. One needed to accelerate the movement in order for it to reach maximum speed. But there was no such thing in any of Edelweiss's movements. The moment she made to step forward, she was already at top speed. As she began to slash, she was already at her maximum. An extreme stop-and-go, racing from zero to a hundred in a flash. But this technique was extremely strong. The extremities of its swiftness and slowness made the blade strokes seem many times faster than they were. It was also incredibly hard to keep an eye on the blade itself, since it had no slow initial speed.

Ikki had seen through that much in their battle. Thus, he had attempted Blade Steal in those final moments. He had not been certain if it would work. But he had done it anyway, if only because that was the strongest swordsmanship known to him at that time.

What he had to do now was the same. Even if he might not manage it in his current state, this was surely the best he knew.

So, at the very least—

As Ikki thought thus, the feelings he had in his battle with Edelweiss returning to him, he gave instructions to his rebelling body.

The world's strongest swordsmanship. It was done like—

"This."

In that instant, his body became light as a feather. Like a rushing wind he weaved through the gaps between Sanrensei's spear strokes—and as he passed he cleaved deeply into Moroboshi's abdomen.

That crossing of swords happened in an instant, a flash. Without even being able to raise so much as a cry of pain, Moroboshi sank to the floor amid a mist of crimson blood.

"Eh…."

It took not a few moments for Ikki to realize that this had all been done by his hand, even as cries filled the stadium at this sudden reversal.

「Whaaaaattttt!?」

「Wha… what just happened!?」

Iida yelled, his voice shrill.

「Just as we thought that this was the moment when Moroboshi would end this match, he was the one to fall insteaddd! I reckon he got hit in that exchange with Kurogane… b…but, I'm ashamed to say this, but it was just too fast—I couldn't see what happened at all!!」

Indeed, Ikki movements could not be seen, even by the people in the commentator's booth watching the match from afar. He had simply disappeared all of a sudden, and before anyone realized it, had passed Moroboshi by and cut him down.

Iida's eyes bugged wide in disbelief.

「What is happening? Kurogane's movements are clearly different from what he's shown up till now!」

But Muroto's surprise surpassed his.

「Impossible! That couldn't be… no, but… it could only be….」

He knew. He knew who the footwork and swordplay that Ikki had used really belonged to. Sensing his confusion, Iida pressed him.

「Muroto-pro. Do you know something about this? Is this, in fact, the Worst One's rumored Ittou Shura?」

「N-No, this isn't Ittou Shura. There was no change in the amount of magic power Kurogane was using. That… was pure swordplay! And while there are differences between two-sword and one-sword styles, I have seen that sort of untrackable instant acceleration of body and blade once before….」

「Where on earth could that be? Don't tell me, it was in the A-League!?」

Muroto shook his head.

「You can't find it in that place, because… this swordplay belongs to someone whom every country has given up on capturing due to her outrageous strength. This is the swordsmanship of the world's greatest swordsman, and its most wanted criminal in history—Twin Wings Edelweiss!」

Muroto's words caused an uproar in the audience.

「…Whaaaaattttt!?」

「Twin Wings, you mean, that Twin Wings!? But why would the Worst One know how to use her swordsmanship!?」

「No, wait, but I heard that the Worst One can steal his opponent's techniques!」

Surprised cries rang out all around. This time, Ikki's friends joined them in being dumbfounded. They understood that Ikki was someone who often went against commonly-held knowledge, but if what Muroto said was true, then this was incomparable to before.

"Did Onii-sama, really…!"

"So this is to say that he did not just return alive from his battle against Twin Wings, but even managed to steal the world's strongest swordsmanship!?"

And Kiriko objected to Alice's statement.

"That can't be! If so, why didn't he use this right from the start?"

This was the natural question to ask. Kurono, however, was quick to shoot her objection down.

"It's not that he didn't use it. It's just that he couldn't remember how, and thus couldn't use it."

"Ah…!"

At this, Kiriko remembered the conversation that Ikki had had with Yagokoro when they parted ways the previous day.

"That inability to remember was also the cause for his abnormality."

"Madam Chairman, what do you mean by that?"

"Edelweiss's swordplay isn't normal. Normally, all of a human's motions are created by the coordinated movements of muscles. However, that will not let you use Edelweiss's swordplay. To create that kind of extreme zero-to-one-hundred difference in speed, you need all the required muscles to move together instantaneously, and instantaneously muster the full strength of those muscles. A human normally wouldn't be able to send sufficient nerve signals instantaneously for that to occur."

One could not give orders to all of one's muscles at once.

"To make this possible, one needs to change these nerve signals themselves."

They had to be shaped, shaped into combat signals completely different from the ones normal humans came equipped with, signals that could be sent in shorter, more concentrated bursts. If one could not come to use one's brain signals this way, it would be impossible to command all the muscles of a complex living organism like a human being to release all their power at once.

"Ikki must have been able to touch and then get a hold of Edelweiss's swordplay from the blink-and-you'd-miss-it battle between their techniques. If even he himself did not remember it, his brain still does."

A knight of Ikki's caliber could trace that exceptional technique in their subconscious minds after having seen it but once.

"Thus, whenever he is in the zone at critical moments, his brain will release those combat signals, but like him, his body has forgotten that battle from which he gained them—thus, having forgotten what they were for, he was unable to do anything with the foreign signals."

"So because he could not recognize the signals he could not react to them. Is that it?"

Kurono nodded in confirmation to Shizuku's words.

"Exactly. In other words, Edelweiss did not break Ikki. If anything, the battle with her caused him to evolve explosively, so much so that his own body could not keep up with that growth… but, that was only the case until now."

Faced with imminent defeat, his body had finally been able to recall the power that he had gained from duelling Edelweiss, along with that method of moving his body, so completely foreign from what he had been doing in the sixteen years since he was born.

"The engine, chassis and clutch necessary for that super-high-speed movement have finally come together—now that it's come to this, the result of this match is obvious. Yuudai Moroboshi can be considered the strongest Seven Stars Sword King in the last ten years, but his opponent is too much for him. Even after being defeated in a duel with the strongest sword in the world, Kurogane was able to utilize his incredible learning capacity to obtain a skill that has surpassed the level of a student knight by far."

This technique was far above the caliber of what might be expected at such a tournament.

"The person facing Moroboshi now… is the real monster here."

That was why Kurono believed… that with regard to the first round matches, it was Moroboshi instead who had no luck.

"Gah…ha!"

The feeling of something cold on his cheek—the cold stone flooring of the ring—brought Moroboshi back to his senses.

Wh…What, why am I lying down…?

Having lost consciousness for an instant, he could not comprehend what had happened to him, or that he had been hit by Ikki's attack.

For now, let's get up.

His instincts as a fighter allowed him to get up immediately even after having fallen down defenseless. Thus, even in his state of incomprehension, he got up on reflex, and in the moment that he got to his feet and his senses returned—

"G-uaa-aaaaahhhh!"

—he groaned in agony as fiery pain seared his flank.

「Moroboshi's gotten up! But as you can see, he's hurt really badly! He's losing lots of blood, and his legs are unsteady!」

Having heard his circumstances being analyzed by the commentary, and feeling his side burn, he realized that he had been injured.

What… is this? I was cut!? But I couldn't see anythin'….

As he was beside himself in confusion, he heard this.

"Aah… I finally understand."

His opponent said in a small voice.

"Kurogane… what in the world did you just do?"

What had he understood? Was he able to achieve that speed because he had understood it?

Ikki replied as he bowed slightly.

"Moroboshi-san, I'm sorry for having kept you waiting."

"You're… sorry?"

"Yes… it's all finally come together now."

Ikki was of course talking about their promise from the previous day. To give his best, and thus return the favor—a gentleman's agreement between him and the proud knight named Yuudai Moroboshi.

Now, he was confident that he could fulfill that agreement.

"So as we agreed, I'll show it to you—Ikki Kurogane at his full strength!"

Having said this, he vanished from Moroboshi's sight.

He disappeared…!

He did not in fact disappear, of course, but having skipped the acceleration process and achieved maximum output upon stepping forward Ikki got off to a rocketing start that Moroboshi's motion perception simply couldn't follow.

Drawing a curved arc with his sprinting, Ikki went around to Moroboshi's left. Three times Ikki had been repelled by his spear, but now he bypassed its range with ease while stepping into the range of his own blade—

"Guaaaah!"

—and cut Moroboshi's right arm as he blasted by like a black gale.

"You lil' shit—!"

Whirling around, Moroboshi lashed out with Sanrensei, using the burning pain to read Ikki's location. But he could only cut thin air. Ikki was no longer there by the time he turned.

He's already gone…!

Moroboshi was momentarily rendered speechless by the speed. But he had no time to be surprised as another blow struck him, slicing into his back.

"Gaaaaah—!"

「Aah! He's been hit again! Moroboshi is letting Kurogane get into range too easily! He's completely unable to follow his movements! Once again, Sanrensei has struck the empty air!」

「It can't be helped…! Kurogane's extreme highs and lows in acceleration and overwhelming speed is something that even we cannot catch from long range, what more when it happens in front of one's eyes! It's more than likely that the Seven Stars Sword King can no longer see the form of the Worst One!」

He had hit the nail on the head.

Sh…Shit!

Something impossible was happening before Moroboshi's eyes.

He could hear them. The sounds of any number of slashes, and of footsteps moving at a dreadful pace. His opponent was unmistakably close to him, and yet—

What is this, what is going on!?

—no matter where he turned to look, there was no one there.

It was as if he were the only man in the ring.

Was such a thing even possible? Could it even happen in real life? The ring was a round platform a hundred meters across in diameter, and there was no shade or cover in that small space. Yet though his opponent was so close he could hear his breathing, Moroboshi could not see him at all.

This… this is bad!

He could feel another slash incoming. If he continued to take hits like this, it would be dangerous. But he could no longer use his spear to fend off attacks of this speed. So he made a decision there and then.

"Uoooooo!!!"

He crossed his arms, covering his vital spots. Dispelling Tiger Bite, he released all his magic power to form an armor around his body.

「What is this? The Seven Stars Sword King, Japan's proud number one knight, has shed his pride and is going for an all-out defense!」

Moroboshi's magic power was not on Stella's level, and as such could not outright negate the attacks of an F-rank's Device like she could. But if he used all his power, he could reduce the impact of slashes from Intetsu. As long as his head remained defended by his arms, one or two hits would not result in a fatal injury.

However, this stance indicated that he had given up on attacking, as he could only defend from this position. Naturally, Ikki rushed in without fear!

「Kurogane isn't missing this chance! Blazing in, he attacks from every angle! It's a no-holds-barred beatdown! Moroboshi isn't retaliating! Has he lost the will to fight?」

「That's not it! The Seven Stars Sword King can't see the Worst One right now. All he can really do right now is defend himself. He's doing the best he can, indeed all he can to stay alive right now!」

Muroto was full of respect for Moroboshi's will to fight to the bitter end.

「…But, even so, we have to stop this match!」

「No way! Do you mean to say that Moroboshi can no longer turn this around?」

Muroto nodded.

「He won't. The difference between their skills is such that he can no longer win.」

Muroto had once been in the King of Knights A-league, one of only a few in the whole nation. Because of that, he understood that the difference between the two was so great as to be incomparable. His analysis, however, enraged Moroboshi's fans.

「What're ya sayin', shitty commentator!」

「Hosshii!! Don't give up-!」

So they cried out. However—

「The black wind howls on! Moroboshi's shield is dispersing—it's breaking, shattering! Is this really the end? The Star of Naniwa, the one who took the competition last year and whom everyone hoped might take the never-before-accomplished second straight title—is this really going to end without him being able to do anything?」

A sudden reversal, and from there an unbelievably one-sided battle. The occurrence of this unexpected development in Block C's fourth match had the spectator stands in turmoil.

And in those stands, Shizuku suddenly caught sight of the figure of Koume standing up and leaving. Almost as if she were fleeing.

Koume-san….

At that, Shizuku remembered the complicated expression she had made upon seeing Ikki the previous day, and the bitter, pained expression she had borne the whole time as she watched the match.

She could understand Koume's feelings, the pain she must feel. After all, her brother too was on the battlefield. She also understood that that pain was a mistake. By the time she caught herself, she was already chasing after Koume.

"You know…I might have said this before, but I really like that about you, Shizuku."

Even as she left, Shizuku flushed a little at Alice's soft words.

A fire safety door separated the outer perimeter of the Bay Dome from the spectator stands. There, seated on a bench that overlooked the Osaka Bay through gently curved glass windows, was Koume. She was facing away from the ring where her brother was currently embroiled in combat.

Brother… it's already enough….

She wanted him to stop. If it was just for her, he didn't have to do this anymore. He had never said a word to her about fighting to reclaim her voice. But she understood without needing him to say a thing. That was why she was in pain. And she could not stand to see her brother bleed and be hurt for her sake. That was why she ran away.

"You aren't going to watch the match?"

Shizuku Kurogane, who had pursued her and only just caught up, asked that question. Koume jolted and whirled around at having been called suddenly, turning to regard Shizuku, who was about her height. She remembered this girl.

Ah… she came to the store yesterday… if I recall correctly….

She was the sister of the knight who was dueling her brother now. Why would she be here? Her brother was obviously about to defeat her own. Koume thought this rather strange, and as if reading that doubt showing on her face, a complex expression crept onto Shizuku's.

"I couldn't quite leave you be. Because, as a younger sister with an older brother… I understand your pain, Koume-san."

How did she know? Koume's eyes widened as Shizuku sat down beside her.

"We heard the reasons for Moroboshi-san's comeback from Kiriko-san."

Koume understood then—if it was Kiriko, then of course she would know what had happened between them.

"…I can understand your feelings. After all, I too like my older brother the most. I feel pain when he bleeds or is hurt. It cuts me even deeper when he does it for my sake."

Shizuku's words captured Koume's present emotional state well. Now that she knew this much, there was no point in hiding, and so Koume nodded.

"You hope that if it's for your sake, he should just stop fighting."

Koume nodded again.

"You can't stand to become a burden for the man you love."

Koume nodded again—but realizing that the girl in front of her had just said something outrageous, she flushed crimson and shook her head rapidly in denial. She most definitely did not have that sort of relationship with her elder brother.

"Eh? I was off the mark? It's not that kind of love? …Really."

Why does she seem disappointed….

Having encountered an unfamiliar kind of love, Koume was confused.

"Well… even if your relationship isn't like that, you still feel bad about cheering on your elder brother like a stranger when he's fighting to get your voice back, right?"

Shizuku's words, delivered slowly and in a consoling manner, struck home. Indeed, Koume truly wanted to cheer for her brother. She had been like that ever since Moroboshi had been in the elementary league, a constant figure in the stands cheering her heart out for him. For the brother she was proud of—stronger and cooler than anyone else. She loved cheering for that brother. She enjoyed it.

But now things were different. That accident changed everything. Now, his reason for fighting was to reclaim her voice. It was his duty as an older brother. That was why she couldn't cheer. She had no right to do it. Her brother was sacrificing so much for her, and yet she could not repay him. How much could she be coddled by her brother? Thinking like that was not allowed. That was why she could not cheer for him from the bottom of her heart, not since that accident.

And today, unable to contain that remorse, she had run away.

…This person understands all of that.

This embarrassed her a little, but she could also feel the kindness that Shizuku, who understood her heart and had come all the way here to say these comforting words to her, had shown.

Thus, she whipped out her handphone, intending to text a word of thanks to Shizuku—

"Nonetheless, there's nothing wrong with that. You don't need to care so much about it."

Her fingers froze at Shizuku's words, and she looked up, shocked. Of course she did. For even though she understood Koume's feelings, Shizuku was now tossing that which she had been agonizing over out the window with all her might.

But Shizuku had her reasons for saying this, naturally.

"Why not? No matter how much you… no, we wish to be coddled, it would surely be allowed. After all, we are their younger sisters, and they are our elder brothers."

The elder brother would protect his younger siblings, and they in turn relied on him. This was an unwritten rule not only for humans, but for most creatures in this world.

"Even if it were allowed to no one else, we alone can be coddled by them."

It was their right.

"That's why I make him indulge me. Even though Onii-sama has someone he loves, even though doing this for me might get him in trouble… I have no intention to stop loving Onii-sama. Putting aside the fact that you haven't been able to speak till now, you do wish to cheer for Moroboshi-san. Compared to my kind of selfishness, yours is a much more lovable thing."

This was the reason for her words, the reason she came here. She could no longer stand to see Koume continue to bear her guilt at having to rely on her brother in silence.

She had said what she had come here to say, and not a moment too soon either. From behind them, a tumult stirred in the match venue.

「Kurogane's kicked it up another gear! He's still speeding up, and is cutting Moroboshi's magic guard down by the numbers—it's only a matter of time before he breaks through!」

"It looks like the match is about to end. It's time I went back."

So saying, Shizuku stood up.

"What will you do now? No… what do you want to do?"

Having been questioned thus, Koume looked distressed. It wasn't that she could not understand Shizuku. But she had caused her brother to have that accident, and had even lost her voice of her own accord. Having caused her brother to worry so, could she really have him indulge her?

These worries that swirled around in her mind could not be so quickly dispelled. She was torn. She did not know what to do. But—

「Aah—! At last, Moroboshi's shield has been destroyed! He's in a huge pinch!」

Brother…!

—throwing down what had occupied her thoughts so, she allowed her legs to carry her towards her brother.

Back in the ring, the flow of the battle was almost decided.

「Moroboshi tries to move back to gain some distance, but Kurogane has a read on him! He can't get away! He counters with Sanrensei, but it misses—Kurogane is moving faster than the spear! He's taken three, no, four cuts in return! Blood sprays, staining the white floor of the ring! Kurogane's struck home with all his slashes so far, but not a single thrust of Moroboshi's has hit its mark! The home crowd has been silenced at the onesidedness of it all! It seems rude, but it seems hard to imagine that Moroboshi might reverse this! The difference in power, the difference is skill is just too great!」

Having all but spent the magic power he had used to shield himself and not having enough to use Tiger Bite, Moroboshi could only frantically use his spear to fight back. But he could no longer catch sight of Ikki. With the situation being as it was, of course he would not be able to pierce his opponent. He could do nothing but hit empty air while taking hits himself.

There was simply no contest. From anyone's perspective, this was surely Moroboshi's loss.

「And yet the Seven Stars Sword King does not fall! Yuudai Moroboshi still stands tall in the middle of the ring!」

He would not kneel. He had not given up on victory.

I can't… lose here!

Was it for Koume's sake? No. At first, only his duty as an older brother drove him. To reclaim the voice she had lost because she had seen him at his weakest—so he had thought. But having returned to this field of battle, he had experienced a change of heart. He remembered how much he loved this world, and so his wish became stronger, stronger than anything else.

He didn't just want his treasured little sister to be able to speak again. He wanted to be cheered on by her. His to battle, and hers to support him. Those bygone halcyon days where they shared the joys of knighthood.

It was a rather un-mannish dream, and yet—

—Ain't nothin' more important to me than this!

So until his wish was realized—

"What's wrong, Kurogane—! I'm still standin'! Come and git' me!"

He would continue to be that strong older brother whom Koume could cheer for. That dignity, that wish was what gave Yuudai Moroboshi his unyielding determination.

"What spirit… he still hasn't gone down…"

Having returned to her seat, Shizuku could not help but say this with a slight tremor in her voice. Despite being literally helpless and bleeding all over, Moroboshi was still challenging Ikki. What frightening combat instincts. Kurono nodded in agreement.

"As expected of a man who managed to stand back up after suffering an irrecoverable injury. It might just be impossible to break his spirit. But his body is at its limits. His magic's hit rock bottom, and Tiger Bite has disappeared. He was able to make that fearsome challenge, but that is only because his legs can no longer move. Right now, Moroboshi isn't frightening at all, and Ikki understands that as well. The next blow will end this."

And indeed, the battle proceeded as she said, as a blue mana wrapped around Ikki's body. That was a clear a sign as any that Ikki intended to finish this match right here and now.

「His insurance policy is here, it's Ittou Shura! He's pulling out the ace with which he brought down such names as Hunter, Raikiri, and the Crimson Princess!」

「The Worst One—what a frighteningly expert combatant, choosing to use the most effective technique at the best possible time! To make matters worse, the Seven Stars Sword King can no longer deal with his speed. I can say that he doesn't even have a one in ten thousand chance of winning!」

It was as Muroto said. If Moroboshi could not deal with Ikki in his normal state, there was no way he could do anything against Ikki when Ittou Shura, which boosted his ability tens of times over, was active. With this move, Ikki had cut off any avenue of victory Moroboshi might have had.

"With my weakness, I'll beat the Seven Stars Sword King—Moroboshi-san, let's do this!"

And with that he launched his final attack, aiming to finally end this long and arduous battle. Lowering his stance deeply, and in an instant put all his strength into both his legs. His heels floated up, reached maximum speed, and Ikki bounded towards Moroboshi as though in flight.

「Kurogane's coming to finish this! The Seven Stars Sword King is in a real pinch!」

The commentator Iida yelled, his voice made louder than it had been all day by the impending climax. The crowd churned and roiled at the impending upset of the Seven Stars Sword King in the first round. And amid that earthshaking tumult of cheers and cries—

Koume recalled, as she saw her brother facing defeat, the words that he had said to her when she saw him off in the morning.

「Hey. Could you tell me to do my best?」

Ahh… yes, that's it….

It wasn't just her. Her brother, too, had wished for her to cheer him on as she had in the past. It was such a tiny wish, and how had she replied? She had given him a piece of paper with written support. Wasn't that wrong? What he had wished for wasn't that piece of paper. What he wished for was—

「What will you do now? No. What do you want to do?」

What I should say is—

"BIG BROTHER, DO YOUR BEEESSSTTT—!!!"

She yelled her heart out—yelled out those words that she had always, always meant to say. Those words that she had held in all this time, believing that having taken her brother's life away she had no right to say them. Those words, rusty from disuse, came from her throat hoarse and soft.

…Yeah.

But even amid the thunderous din her words reached her brother Yuudai Moroboshi's ears.

Of course they did. After all, he had been waiting for these words for years and years!

"Jus' leave it t' me—!!!"

Right there and then, the roaring Moroboshi showed everyone in the Dome something unbelievable.

"Strike 'em dooowwwnnn—! Tora-Ouuuuu!"

Ikki was charging full-speed ahead towards the half-dead Moroboshi, Ittou Shura about him. But having squeezed the last dregs of his magic for a Tiger Bite, Moroboshi hurled his spear right for Ikki's forehead!

Until now, Moroboshi had always fought within the range of spear. This was his first use of his spear as a thrown weapon.

"This—"

Kurono cried out at this eleventh-hour change.

"—This is bad!"

Why? Indeed, a spear-throw was unusual, and it was quite like Moroboshi to aim for such blind spots in his opponent's line of thought. But there was no way it would hit. Normally, that is. However, this situation was different!

The zero-to-one-hundred burst speed of Edelweiss's swordplay is indeed strong! But it also means that emergency brakes and directional changes are impossible!

This was a matter of course. After all, the world's strongest swordsmanship possessed peerless offensive strength while on the attack, which was always executed at top gear. Thus in truth, its weak point was sudden changes in the situation—that is to say, surprise attacks!

Moreover, Ikki was now using Ittou Shura. Even if he was not using Edelweiss's swordplay, he was already at a speed where a sudden stop or a change in direction was impossible.

In other words, this throw that would not normally have hit Kurogane will do so—but only for this moment!

To counter, he would have to parry the spear with his sword. But he couldn't do that. After all, the flying spear was presently clad in the golden light of Tiger Bite.

Moroboshi's magic should have hit rock bottom. How could he still use Tiger Bite? The reason lay in Tora-Ou itself. Its long shaft was halved, rendering it the size of a javelin. Having dispersed the magic power particles within his Device, he had managed to wring out enough magical power for one Tiger Bite. All in all, that throw was one Ikki could neither get hit by nor avoid!

That man Moroboshi… was definitely aiming for this—!

Indeed, Moroboshi had seen through the weakness of Edelweiss' swordplay. For this moment, he had lain in wait. For the moment when Ikki would activate Ittou Shura and advance toward him at a speed that he himself could not suppress.

He had allowed himself to be cut flesh, bone and soul—all for this. This was the truth behind his act of being unable to deal with Ikki's extreme change. A blood-drenched bluff! And that bluff had managed to fool everyone in the Dome—not only the spectators, but even a knight of Kurono's level!

At top speed as he is, Kurogane can't dodge that throw!

Kurono could not help but shiver at Moroboshi's battle sense, that which had overturned her expectations and played them all for fools. Beside her, Shizuku and Alice felt the same way.

So everyone in here… was within the palm of his hand all along?

So this is… the Seven Stars Sword King!

They had discerned it. The true strength of Seven Stars' pinnacle—of the man who bore the title of Seven Stars Sword King!

—But in the next moment, everyone in the stadium would once again be shocked into frigid silence.

As Tora-ou's point sped through the air and pierced Ikki's forehead… his form shimmered, and faded.

Wh…at….

Moroboshi was at a loss for words. Just then, a shadow appeared above him. Silhouetted against the sun, the figure of a black swordsman was about to let fly his blade.

This was the secret sword that had eluded Houkiboshi earlier—Shinkirou. But this time, it neither feinted front-to-back nor left-to-right, but rather up and down. Leaving an afterimage below, he had sent himself soaring into the air with his enhanced leg strength. That which Moroboshi had hurled his spear at had never been anything more than an illusion.

In other words, Ikki knew that Moroboshi would choose this moment to try the last. But why? For what reason?

Ah… so that's it….

Looking at the expression on Ikki's face as he brought his blade down, Moroboshi understood. Ikki's face held not the slightest hint of mocking him for having fallen for that feint. There was only overflowing—almost embarrassingly so—respect.

You really believed in me….

Up till now the Seven Stars Sword King had layered stratagem upon stratagem, trap upon trap to make sure he had the worst of it. Kurogane Ikki had not believed for a moment that such a great king would easily allow himself to be defeated. He respected the knight named Yuudai Moroboshi more than anyone else in the stadium, even more than Moroboshi did himself.

This was why Moroboshi lost. He had fooled everyone with that blood-soaked bluff, but only this knight standing before him, he could not fool.

And so, the battle was decided in that instant.

Ikki let fly his blade. Having bet it all on this surprise attack, Moroboshi had nothing left—no magic, no weapon, not even the strength to flee. The blade bit deep, slicing him from the shoulder down. In a flurry of crimson, Moroboshi at least fell upon his knees. At the last, with the final vestiges of his strength, he reached out his arms and grabbed Ikki by the shoulders, and—

—to the knight who had surpassed him…

—to his opponent who had believed in him to the end…

"Don'cha lose now, y'hear?"

—he left his wish.

With that, the Seven Stars Sword King finally collapsed, and the referees gave the signal for the match's end—thus bringing this showdown to a close.

「Th-The match is ovvveeerrr! Reversal after reversal—there was no breathing room in this wild roller-coaster ride of a fourth match here in Block C! The one who has won this deathmatch is the Crownless Sword King, Ikki Kurogane—! The one who came to challenge the heretofore undone, a second consecutive title—the Seven Stars Sword King has actually been beaten in the first round! It's a huge upset!」

The instant the match was declared ended, the medical teams rushed in, bearing Moroboshi away on a stretcher. So exhausted he could not walk on his own two feet, he exited the stage to the thunderous applause of his fans and supporters.

「Was hard on ya! Did well—y' really did well!」

「Been supportin' ya since before y'retired… you were the best today!」

「The home crowd gives an ovation to their hero as he is stretchered out, unconscious. This man did not bow to an irrecoverable injury, and till today he has never bowed out in a single match—he continues to stand at the top, Yuudai Moroboshi! Even though we say he was defeated, the will that he showed us till the end brought no shame to the title given to the strongest student knight in Japan, the Seven Stars Sword King! What a magnificent man!」

And as for the winner, Ikki, who watched as Moroboshi was being wheeled out—

"Yes, I won't lose. Definitely."

Answering Moroboshi's parting words with strong feelings of his own, he descended from the ring.

「And now, the one who defeated the victor of last year's tournament and proudly enters the second round—the Crownless Sword King leaves the ring. The weakest magic and the strongest swordplay—this rating was not false, and all of us here can attest to that! This young man here is the real deal! He's not just some F-rank. He is surely a knight who possesses the power to fight for the summit of this gathering of powerhouses, the sixty-second Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival!」

「That was crazy awesome, bro!」

「Ikki-kun is the greatest!」

「Ride the wave to the top! You can do it!」

His exit was graced by a shower of applause. He felt a little embarrassed at this, but—

Thank you very much.

Thanking them thus in his heart, he headed back to the gate through which he had come in.

His footsteps were heavy, a combination of the fatigue from using Ittou Shura and the execution of movements he was unused to. But his back was unbent. He was proud of himself for having been able to defeat such a strong knight.

It had been a match full of uncertainties. He was so scared coming out of the holding room. But—he had won. He had snatched victory from that hellish first round match of the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival.

With this, there were four more left. Four more victories, and he would finally reach it. The place he had aimed for, the place he had looked up to till now.

The summit of the Seven Stars… is no longer far-off!

It was with this feeling in his heart that Ikki left the field.

And deeper through the gate—

*Clap clap*

A shadowy figure walked towards him, applauding.

"See? You won in the end."

The path from the holding room to the gate was not illuminated, and was utterly dark. Thus, there being some distance between him and this person, and he could not see the face.

But for Ikki, that was unnecessary. He only needed to hear that voice to know who it was. Yes, the person approaching the gate was—

"But I guess that was only natural. After all, the one who will defeat the Crownless Sword King is me."

—the girl with the blazing red hair and beautiful ruby-red eyes, the Crimson Princess, Stella Vermillion.