Chivalry of a Failed Knight Volume 9

He wouldn’t engage in long range combat with magic the way Touka had.
Basically, until he entered spear range, he wouldn’t attack.
(At least, that’s what I’d like to think, but he seems like he might throw
his spear.)
Even though Moroboshi hadn’t entered spear range, Ikki could not let his
guard down at all.
While paying meticulous attention, Ikki circled around Moroboshi.
All that time, Moroboshi’s gaze never left Ikki.
Tora-ou, which had been lowered, tracked Ikki’s heart with its tip.
(Facing him again, the pressure really is incredible.)
There was no point at which he could break into Moroboshi’s range.
(I don’t think I can use speed to disturb his zone like I did in the
tournament’s first round.)
Ikki reasoned this out.
He was referring to how close his victory against Moroboshi in the Seven
Stars Sword-Art Festival had been.
That victory had been less through true power and more about a surprise
attack. Moroboshi hadn’t known enough about Ikki, which let Ikki get a
major cut in on him before his eyes had gotten used to Ikki’s speed.
The bleeding from that cut had lowered his oxygen circulation. With his
eyesight weakened by that, Moroboshi had been unable to follow Ikki’s
sudden acceleration.
However, Moroboshi was different now.
He was in perfect condition, and moreover, he now knew about Ikki’s use
of Twin-Wings’ style.
Relying on speed to attack such an opponent was dangerous.
(However-)
Right, even so, in the end, it was the same as in his match with Touka.
Dangerous or not, Ikki did not have many options to choose from.
He had his own fighting distance. Take the battle to the range of a sword,

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and cut them down.
Besides that, he had no other way of fighting.
That said…
(He’s scary.)
Moroboshi’s pressure was certainly strong.
However, if he flinched from just this, he would never be able to approach

Stella.
If there was no hope of victory given by his opponent,
(I must go, without fear!)
Ikki steeled his heart and accelerated, running up to Moroboshi.
In response, Moroboshi took a deep breath.
“…!”
As Ikki stepped into his spear’s range, Moroboshi unleashed three lethal

thrusts towards him in the blink of an eye.
It was Moroboshi’s high speed strike, Sanrensei.
Ikki took them on with lightning-like slashes, which left only afterimages

in his vision.
The downpour of steel was like that of falling stars.
He pushed forward, trying to cut through, but…
(This is…!)
Try as he might, he could not advance.
Countless Sanrensei strikes rained down in a flurry.
The speed and density of the strikes were beyond comparing with those in

the previous match.
Even using Twin-Wings’ technique, he could just barely repel the strikes.
“Are you surprised? Kurogane.”
“…!”
“During the tournament, I was using Sanrensei as bait for Tiger Bite. You

prepared to enter my range by depending on your speed. However, if I don’t
mix in Houkiboshi, don’t use Tiger Bite, and focus on speed, even I am

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capable of this much. If you can get through, then show me!”
“Ku…”
His voice was full of confidence.
He was by no means overestimating his own ability.
Slipping through Moroboshi’s thrusts would be no easy matter.
(There are no gaps during which I could recover. This is not like Sanrensei

so much as it is a meteor shower.)
The downpour of steel like a falling star had no gaps.
Put simply, stepping into range would be impossible.
That being the case, Ikki used a technique.
It was his technique where he moved left and right at a high pace,

generating afterimages to deceive his foe.
Fourth Secret Sword- Shinkirou. It was the technique that had caused

Moroboshi grief during the tournament.
With this, Ikki would press Moroboshi to choose between-
“Don’t underestimate me!”
“!?”
Ikki’s shallow plan was crushed in an instant.
Ikki used Shinkirou to send an afterimage right while he moved to the left,

but in that instant, Tora-ou bent with deceptive agility, adjusting its trajectory
to follow the real Ikki.

Ikki managed to turn the attack with a hair’s breadth of space.
“Oraaa!!!”
“Ku, oof!”
Moroboshi used all his strength to strike at Intetsu when Ikki blocked,
sending Ikki’s body flying to the edge of the ring.
Moroboshi then smiled daringly at Ikki, who just managed to break the
fall.
“If you try to create illusions, I’ll have my spear in you in an instant. I
already know the movements you use to set up that technique. Don’t think

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you can get the same move past a first class fighter like me again. That’s
naive of you.”

“…Eh? Didn’t it work twice, Botan-chan?”
“Yeah, that’s why he lost in the first round.”
“So he’s second-rate.”
“Sh-shut up! Onlookers stay quiet!”
Moroboshi objected to their disruption.
Even then, he remained vigilant towards Ikki.
It seemed obvious that he would; Ikki was grasping his sword strongly as
if to say it wouldn’t be over after just that.
(I still have a way to get out of spear range!)
Ikki rushed at Moroboshi for the second time.
“You’re incorrigible! That said, even if you’re caught, this is your only
way, huh!”
Moroboshi prepared to combat this approach from spear distance again.
He wasted no energy while Ikki was out of range, but the moment Ikki
entered his zone, he swooped in like a raging fire.
Fundamentally, Moroboshi preferred this kind of patient spear technique.
That’s what Ikki decided to aim for.
The first blow Moroboshi would put out as he approached.
(I’ll hit his interception with Dokuga no Tachi!)
He raised his sword diagonally above his head. His sixth secret sword-
Dokuga no Tachi.
It sends shockwaves into the enemy through the Device, attacking them
from the inside.
It was an attack that passed through weapons.
Unlike Shinkirou, he hadn’t shown this technique to Moroboshi.
Therefore, the first attack should definitely get by-
“What might this be?”
“…?”

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Ikki was left astonished the instant his Dokuga no Tachi intercepted Tora-
ou.

Moroboshi had quickly withdrawn his spear.
Then, aiming at Ikki, who was full of openings after being faked out, he
struck out again.
“As if I’d take such a poisoned strike!”
“Ku, Uoooooo!!!”
Immediately after, that light of strength leaving someone, Blood Light,
danced in the air.
Moroboshi’s strike had caught Ikki.
However, it had not been a serious wound.
It had only slightly scratched his side.
To pull that off, Ikki had used the hilt of Intetsu to strike the blade of
Tora-ou and turn its trajectory.
He then promptly escaped out of spear range.
“Skillful as usual.”
“What makes you say it was poisoned? You should not have seen this
technique before.”
“It’s because you left your weight behind unnaturally. I just got a bad
feeling from that.”
“…I see.”
Ikki laughed bitterly at that.
Even though he’d intended to make an opening, somehow there’d been
another oversight.
He suddenly understood then.
(Tactics that expect mistakes from the enemy won’t work on this man.)
Perhaps it was due to the lack of tension during a mock battle, but
Moroboshi’s concentration had too few holes.
He had been in a natural stance this whole time, leaving no openings to
attack.

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In that case… There was only one thing left to do.
Having decided thus, Ikki brought Intetsu into Seigan no Kamae and
focused on Moroboshi with both eyes.
“---”
Moroboshi observed Ikki’s gaze and stance.
“What’s that? The nature of his pressure has changed.”
Moroboshi’s veteran 6th sense immediately sensed something.
(His back foot is well planted. He can’t dash effectively from that stance.)
Just as Moroboshi had judged, Ikki’s third approach was different from
those until now; this time he approached slowly.
Without changing from Seigan no Kamae[3], Ikki shuffled forwards
slowly, feet never leaving the ground.
“What’s wrong? If you move at such a turtle-like pace, you’ll be filled
with holes the moment you get in range.”
“---”
Ikki showed no response to Moroboshi’s provocation.
Ignoring him-that wasn’t quite it.
(He’s simply not listening. He can’t even hear me.)
After looking at Ikki’s eyes, he understood.
He wouldn’t respond to sound.
With his eyes focused on Moroboshi, he would just slowly advance and
close the gap.
(When focus exceeds normal limits, you become unable to hear anything
around you, and also become unable to perceive color. I’ve experienced
being in that zone before…)
Well, if it was the man before him, he could probably enter that state
intentionally.
The problem was, what was he thinking, using that focus?
With such slow movements, what was he trying to start?
Finally, Ikki’s toes encroached upon Moroboshi’s domain.

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(Tch, I’m so confused! But what I have to do doesn’t change!)
Moroboshi made his move.
Focusing on speed, he unleashed a violent storm of steel.
Ikki blocked it in the same way as before, with Intetsu flying in to deflect
the spear.
The sound of weapons clashing. The rain of sparks. It was exactly the
same as earlier.
“!?!?”
Moroboshi felt it in the hand wielding Tora-ou first.
There was an abnormal weight coming from this opponent.
It felt like a massive tree rooted in the earth.
No matter how many times he struck, Ikki would not back off like he had
earlier.
He didn’t dodge horizontally either.
With his eyes fixed on Moroboshi, he advanced straight forwards, bit by
bit. Only forwards.
“…!”
Seeing his form, Moroboshi understood Ikki’s idea.
(This guy, he didn’t have a specific plan or anything…! He cut off
nonessential senses, lowered strength spent on things other than movement as
much as possible, and put all his focus into his sword…! I’ll put my all into
my blade and break through with all my strength!)
He wasn’t an opponent you could get past with a half hearted plan and a
cheap trick.
Knowing that, he would meet the blade that Ikki honed with his all.
Ikki understood his own weakness, and made use of everything before his
eyes for victory.
Contrary to that, when it mattered, he had the courage to trust in his own
strength.
At a glance, these two seem contradictory.

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The one who united them was Worst One Ikki Kurogane.
He is aware of his weakness.
Despite that, he believes that he can be stronger than anyone.
To achieve this, he does everything he can.
That everything resides in the black blade he grasped in both hands.
Therefore, Ikki Kurogane would no longer back down. He would no
longer run.
If it was himself, it was possible.
Believing that, he advanced slowly, but surely, towards Yuudai
Moroboshi.
This was no last stand. Nor was it a desperate attack.
Absolute Victory. He held such a conviction.
His pressure was fierce.
“Guh!?”
He overwhelmed Moroboshi soundly, driving him into a corner of the
rectangular arena.
“Awesome, Onii-sama! To drive that Moroboshi-san against a wall head
on!”
“Forwards, slowly, but surely. He did it through incredible pressure.”
“Yeah. That said… Kurogane-kun’s stance is also amazing.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Against Moroboshi-san, without being shifted laterally or front-to-back,
he maintained a straight trajectory. It makes it hard on the attacker. Anyway,
he guarded with his blade well centered in Seigan no Kamae and made it
difficult to attack, and his opponent did not change his stance at all,
continuously aiming for a fatal strike at the same place, from the same angle.
He inevitably ended up repeating the same motion. As a result-”
Right after that, red light fluttered in the ring.
It was Blood Light spilling from Ikki’s limbs.
It was just a graze, though.

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And surely enough, Moroboshi also understood the ‘result’ that Touka
pointed out.

(I’ve shown too much motion! He’s optimizing his strength and approach
to repel me!)

Precisely. If one ends up repeating the same attack, then you’ll end up
exposing it.

The power, angle, and speed necessary to deflect the enemy was all shown
in detail.

And now Ikki had analyzed it and optimized.
While avoiding any fatal wounds, Ikki used the minimum defence
necessary, contracting his defensive movements as much as he could, making
his attack and defense stronger than before, and stepping into Moroboshi’s
zone.
Forwards. Powerfully. Quickly.
“Moroboshi-san lost his patience after being backed into a corner. He’s
attacking unreasonably out of impatience!”
That was Touka’s prediction.
“Come no closer!”
It came true in the next instant.
Moroboshi sent a single flashing strike flying towards Ikki.
Because of his impatience, he sent his elbow too far to return easily,
making it a sloppy thrust.
Without any spirit put into it, the strike lacked power and aim.
“!!!”
Ikki didn’t overlook that.
“Shit-”
By the time Moroboshi realized his misplay, it was too late.
Ikki stepped forwards with the sloppy thrust, letting his own shoulder be
pierced.
Using his own body he trapped Tora-ou, denying Moroboshi any

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counterattack.
“Haaaaaa!!!”
With Tora-ou stuck in his shoulder, he broke into Moroboshi’s space and

thrust his blade into his heart.

◆◇◆◇◆

“Damn… Lost again!”
Moroboshi cried as his heart was pierced, and with his strength drained he
collapsed on the floor spread eagled.
“Damnit… I thought I’d be able to win this time, too.”
“At the… real… match… this wouldn’t do…”
Ikki’s words, spoken while gasping for air, were not born of humility.
In reality, the fight just now Moroboshi had, worrying about Ikki who had
low magic power, held back Tiger Bite. He couldn’t go all out on the
contestant who was about to go into a big match. Even in that state, they had
devoted as much power as they could.
Ikki knew this after crossing swords with him.
So, with Moroboshi included, Ikki once again thanked all his friends who
had gathered today.
“Moroboshi-san. Everyone else as well. I am truly thankful. I have gained
valuable experience before my match with Stella.”
“I don’t need thanks. You can return this favor by returning as the
champion.”
“Isn’t that a little unreasonable?”
“Are you not confident?”
Moroboshi asked Ikki while sitting up, and after a brief silence, Ikki
nodded slightly.
“Honestly, I think this fight is going to be the toughest thing I’ve done in
my life. I can’t say I’m confident… But I’ll give it everything I have.”

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“That won’t do, you big idiot.”
Moroboshi prodded Ikki in the head with Tora-ou’s hilt.
Then he spoke in a chiding tone.
“This is the stage you’ve always aimed for. You can’t take it with such
half hearted feelings. No matter how strong your opponent was, you must
always enter the ring believing that you will win, 100%. Even if you don’t
have confidence, force it out. You can think about losing after you lose. If
you end up losing, that’s all you’ll be able to think about anyway.”
“Moroboshi-san…”
“If you still don’t feel confident, I’ll stick with you until you do. So, do me
a favor and don’t say such a pitiful thing.”
Everyone gathered there today for Ikki silently agreed with Moroboshi’s
sentiment.
They all had the same expectations as Moroboshi.
“If you’ll go that far for me, I’ll take you up on your offer. Will you
accompany me a little longer?”
“Hehe, then, how about we go again after a rest?”
“Yeah, sure-”
With a heavy scraping sound, the training area’s fire exit opened.
“!!!”
A cold, wintry wind blew in and brushed against everyone inside.
They all noticed immediately.
This was not cold air, but that crisp swordsmanship that made one get the
chills.
At least someone in there recognized that aura.
Could it be?
Thinking that, they turned to the door.
“What is it? Every one of you looks dumbfounded.”
With eyes as sharp as those of a bird of prey, glaring at all present, was a
tall man with long hair.

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Sword Emperor of Wind, Ouma Kurogane, stood there.
“O, Ouma!?”
“Why are you…!?”
Nobody was able to hide their surprise at the unexpected newcomer.
Ouma saw this and tossed the sack he’d been carrying on his shoulder
onto the floor.
“I’m here for the same reason most of you are. I got a text asking for a
training partner before the finals.”
“Eh, er, is that so? Onii-sama.”
Shizuku looked back at Ikki in surprise, who nodded.
What he said was true.
Besides Moroboshi and Touka, he had also contacted Ouma.
Of course, he had only done it because there was no harm in trying.
Ouma had never acted for Ikki’s sake before, after all.
“I didn’t think that you would actually come, so I can’t help but be
surprised.”
“It’s only because I’m free, since I had planned to fight in the finals.
Also… I thought that I’d see your power myself.”
“My… power?”
“After all, it’s F-rank vs A-rank. Your defeat is all but decided by the fate.
I have no interest in such a spectacle. It’s just… To have even survived with
such a meager power, until you were able to stand in front of that dragon… It
is my duty as your older brother to beat the dullness out of you before you are
killed.”
Ouma’s whole body then welled up with wind magic, which he focused
into his right hand, manifesting his device, the nodachi Ryuuzume.
“…!”
When he manifested Ryuuzume, the aura he emitted became much
sharper.
Shizuku felt disquieted, and immediately moved in front of Ikki as if to

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protect him.
No- More accurately, she tried to.
However, Ikki stopped her by putting his hand on her shoulder.
Even as Shizuku’s eyes shook with worry, Ikki told her “It’s alright,” and

stood in front of Ouma.
“Thank you for coming. Brother.”
“Cut the idle chatter and prepare already. I’m not here to chit-chat.”
(As usual, not even a hint of friendliness.)
Even as he smiled wryly, just by feeling the pressure he felt just from

standing in front of Ouma, he found himself in awe.
(Amazing…)
He had felt the intimidating aura the first time they had faced each other.
Ouma’s body seemed twice as big.
It was clear that he was a cut above fighters like Moroboshi and Touka.
Ikki’s palms began to sweat.
However, the thought of backing down didn’t even occur to him.
After all… there was some truth in what Ouma said. If he couldn’t fight

off Ouma, then he had no chance of prevailing against Stella.
Might as well start praying then.
For the purpose of forcing life back into Ikki when he was feebly

panicking in fear of Stella, there was no better opponent.
Ikki shook off the sweat from his palms once, and took up Intetsu in his

grasp once again.
“Let’s do this…!”

◆◇◆◇◆

Ouma made the first move as the start was announced.
With his kimono sleeves fluttering, he moved to close the distance to Ikki
directly.

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Ikki was not idle, however.
He kicked off the floor to meet Ouma.
Of course, he wasn’t foolish enough to simply attack Ouma straight on
like that.
He knew what kind of superhuman physical endurance and strength
Ouma’s mad training had granted him.
Therefore-
“That’s…!”
Moroboshi, watching from the sides, noticed.
The instant Ikki entered the nodachi’s range, he changed his step, adding
sudden changes to his speed.
Moroboshi knew that technique well.
Ikki used those movements to confuse his opponent’s vision and create
afterimages.
It was the Shinkirou he spread around him.
And, according to Ikki’s plan, Ouma snapped at the afterimages.
With one breath he swung Ryuuzume down from above as if cutting
bamboo, cutting Ikki in half.
However, he had cut an afterimage.
As a result, he exposed himself to a flank from the real Ikki.
“He got him!”
Moroboshi clenched his fist upon seeing Ikki take the initiative.
Next to him though, Raikiri was squinting while taking her glasses off.
“No, not quite.”
She pointed out a mistake in Moroboshi’s analysis.
Ouma knew his next move from the signals his body gave him.
“!!!”
Without bringing his lowered blade back up, he took a low, diagonal
swing.
Using that force, Ouma rammed Ikki with his shoulder.

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“Shoulder charge…! He even read through Shinkirou!”
Ikki used Intetsu, which he was going to attack with, to block instead.
However, Ouma was heavier than he looked.
The shock of a nearly five hundred kilogram man’s ramming attack was
easily lethal.
“…!”
With the low sound of two people colliding, Ikki’s body was pushed back
and he stumbled backwards with his balance destroyed.
Ouma swooped down on Ikki like a raging fire.
Without giving Ikki any time to recover his stance, he fired off several
slashes and stabs.
Fast.
It approached Moroboshi’s Sanrensei in speed.
Without taking a breath, he fired off 10, 20, an endless barrage of attacks.
Such astounding rotation-Shizuku recognized it.
“Kyokujitsu Isshin-ryuu, Retsu no kiwami Amatsukaze…[4]!”
“What the heck is that?”
“It’s a secret technique within the Kyokujitsu Isshin-ryuu style passed
through the generations in the Kurogane family. It’s a continuous 108 strike
combination.”
From the first strike to the 108th, everything from the angle and power of
each strike was tuned for efficiency.
By repeating them over and over countless times and carving them to his
very core, he was able to abolish all thoughts and bring out the fastest speed
that his flesh and blood body could handle. It was meant to crush the
opponent with an overwhelming number of strikes.
“There’s no better technique than this to defeat someone whose stance has
been broken…!”
“But if I’m not mistaken, didn’t Ikki grow strong by stealing the
techniques of others? In which case he should definitely know of a technique

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passed among the Kurogane, shouldn’t he?”
“…I don’t know. All of this talk is over my head. But… even if he does,

with just that he can’t do anything about this assault.”
Just as Shizuku said, in the face of Ouma’s overwhelming speed, Ikki

could not even bring Intetsu to face the attacks. He had to do everything he
could just to dodge Ouma’s fierce onslaught. He definitely wouldn’t be able
to turn the attack in this situation.

Bringing about such a situation was the point of Amatsukaze, after all.
With almost excessively optimized constant attacks, it held down the
enemy, preventing them from taking any actions.
Now, Ikki was completely stuck in that situation.
That’s how it seemed, looking from outside.
However-
(He’s waiting for something…)
Even as Ikki was being overwhelmed by Ouma’s strikes, Touka Toudou
saw a glint of cleverness in Ikki’s eyes.
He was being neither held down nor overwhelmed.
He was waiting for something.
That something was an opening in Amatsukaze.
No matter how much time had gone into developing such a technique, in
the end, it was created by humans.
Creating something perfect was impossible.
And if it was anything short of perfect, Ikki’s penetrating insight wouldn’t
miss it.
It wasn’t a first sighting either, especially since it was the Kurogane style,
which he’d spent the most time watching.
“---”
Suddenly, a particularly sharp sound rang out, and the situation changed.
After that sound, the one who was thrown off balance was Ouma.
Ikki had pulled out his seventh secret sword, Raikou.

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It was a technique with such speed that, before he had grasped what he’d
stolen from Twin-Wings, he hadn’t been able to discern its swing by sight.

Worst One’s fastest strike had been further refined by Twin-Wings’
swordsmanship, and in the instant between Sword Emperor of Wind’s
Amatsukaze’s fifty-seventh and fifty-eighth strike, Ikki cut in with a strike to
Ryuuzume’s side, ruining the combination.

After he disrupted the combination, Ikki launched a full body attack at
Ouma, whose stance had been broken.

It was a slash with all his weight thrown behind it.
Moroboshi noticed something in that motion.
(The way he’s using his weight is just like the time he fought me.)
It was his sixth secret sword-Dokuga no Tachi.
Whether it strikes sword or armor, the opponent would be destroyed from
within starting at the point of contact.
Using this technique, he could render Ouma’s steel body meaningless.
Not knowing that, Ouma took Ikki’s attack without blocking or dodging,
accepting it with his tempered body.
His body was attacked from within as if it were a bag of water.
The shock that entered Ouma had nowhere to escape, and so it ran over his
muscles, bones, and organs-
“Tenryuugusoku”
“…!”
The shock should have hit him, but Ouma looked like he didn’t even care.
Dokuga no Tachi had not failed.
The vibrations from his blade had definitely made it to Ouma.
However, Ouma had not been moved.
That was, in short, what made Ouma Kurogane a terror.
He had a force of will that transcended flesh.
He hadn’t spared any effort, realizing his resolution with steel-like sense
of purpose.

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Half-hearted attacks would not even be noticed.
Far from crying out in pain, without swaying even a little, he’d clad his
body in the stormy armor Tenryuugusoku.
Then, Ouma reached past Intetsu, which had been touching his chest, and
sent Ikki flying back.
Ikki’s body tumbled in the air like he’d been hit by a car.
Aiming for his landing spot, Ouma swung Ryuuzume horizontally from
where he was.
With the sharp sound of cutting through air, he released a vacuum blade.
It flew towards Ikki’s landing spot, with just the right trajectory to strike
Ikki’s neck.
However, Ikki ended up deciding not to evade.
“Fu.”
Ikki took the impact of the landing by sinking into his knees, lowering his
body.
He bent as far as he could, then released the energy coiled in his lower
body.
With enough power to gouge the ring, he kicked the ground and thrust
Intetsu’s tip at the incoming vacuum blade.
First secret sword-Saigeki.
Within Another One’s original sword techniques, it boasted the fastest
charging speed and the strongest penetration. With that thrust, Ikki met the
vacuum blade head on and destroyed it with all his strength, sending the force
right back at Ouma like an arrow.
Ouma had tried to use Tenryuugusoku to form a gap and engage in long
range combat, but Ikki’s speed completely destroyed that plan. He would
unable to respond to Ikki charging back into range again with such timing-
supposedly. However…!
(It’s no use!)
Touka and the other spectators all shivered.

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At the same time, Ikki noticed it too.
When he destroyed the vacuum blade, the distortion disappeared from his
field of vision.
Ouma brandished Ryuuzume, twisting as far as to face his back towards
Ikki.
Everyone knew what technique would be fired from that stance.
Kyokujitsu Isshin-ryuu, Jin no kiwami- Amaterasu[5].
It was a secret technique where he used his whole body’s strength to twist
his frame down to the bone, then slashed by releasing that wound up power.
Though it was but one stroke, unlike Ikki’s Blade Steal, this, Sword Emperor
of Wind’s fastest strike, was more truly within the territory of Twin-Wings.
Moreover, Amaterasu was not long ranged, but a close ranged attack.
Ouma had understood.
After breaking through the vacuum blade, Ikki would immediately return
to sword distance.
Having read his opponent, he amassed his power and waited.
This was the worst development for Ikki.
Saigeki was an assault technique. He had put all of his power into the
starting kick, as it was a technique that shot oneself like an arrow towards its
target.
Therefore, once in the middle of Saigeki, it would not be possible to stop.
Ikki could now only move forwards.
As Ouma’s Amaterasu would win in reach and speed, Ryuuzume would
behead Ikki before Ikki’s blade reached him.
However-
Ikki was not such a naive man as to be unable to improvise in a pinch.
“Wha…!?”
In the next moment, the spectators all widened their eyes in surprise.
In the instant Ouma fired Amaterasu, Ikki pointed Intetsu down and
stabbed the tip into the ground.

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As a result, Saigeki’s assault pitched forward, launching Ikki over Ouma’s
head like a pole vaulter. He then kicked off the ceiling hard enough to break
it, and once again charged at Ouma with Saigeki.

Amaterasu was a technique in which one devotes their all into one move’s
speed.

That meant it left one vulnerable until it ended, leaving Ouma unable to
avoid this Saigeki.

…Direct hit.
The close range Saigeki pierced Ouma’s wind armor, Tennryuugusoku,
and Ikki’s sword dug in right above his collarbone.
That was by no means a random target.
Ikki had seen through Ouma’s muscle shape and density based on his
movements, and attacked so as to slip through a gap.
He realized that without doing so, his offensive power would not be
enough to pierce Ouma’s body.
His judgement was correct.
Even something like Touka using her Takemikazuchi was unable to cut
Ouma. The only one who could damage him with a simple slash would
probably be someone as powerful as Stella.
However, the plan hadn’t gone that well. Intetsu had not cut muscle. It had
seemed to pierce Ouma, but before it turned into a serious wound, Ouma had
flexed his muscles. His swelling muscles caught the blade as if it had been
tucked in there.
Ikki immediately tried to extract his sword.
However, the cost of not bringing Ouma down was too great.
Ouma grabbed Ikki by the lapels before Ikki even landed on the floor, then
threw him onto the ring with his full power.
“!!!”
Ikki’s body made a large, deep depression in the hard stone ring.
He just barely managed to use an ukemi, distributing the impact into the

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ring, but his stance was left in a terrible state, with one knee propping him up
on the ground.

Ouma struck there, putting his full body weight into a downward swing.
Ikki also brought up Intetsu to bear.
Unfortunately, his stance was too poor.
With a position like that, there was no way he could take a blow with
Ouma’s weight.
“Onii-samaaa!”
Ouma crushed Ikki along with Intetsu with his weighted blow.
But in the moment it seemed that would happen, something nobody could
believe happened before their eyes.
Somehow, in the next moment, the one who was blown away was Ouma.
Ouma immediately gathered power in his toes, but couldn’t stop.
While scraping the surface of the ring, he moved backwards.
Even when he thrust Ryuuzume’s blade into the ground, he could not fully
contain the force-
Not until he finally reached the side of the ring.

◆◇◆◇◆

Ikki had certainly been at a disadvantage.
However, the one retreating had been Ouma.
The spectators outside the ring were all baffled by this turn of events.
“Wha, what was that just now?”
“I, I don’t know…”
Moroboshi and Touka knew they hadn’t mistaken the statuses of the
combatants.
That only left them all the more confused.
The attack just now clearly far exceeded Ikki’s strength.
What had just happened before them?

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Unable to understand even after pondering it, they could only stare
intently at Ouma, who had been forced to the edge of the ring.

However, there was one person who understood what had just happened.
It was none other than the one who had been pushed back, Ouma himself.
He understood the trickery from the numbness in his arms, and glared
irritatedly at Ikki.
“…Such trickery is just like you.”
“But you fell back, brother.”
“…”
“My swordsmanship does not seek to become powerful. It seeks to win.
Therefore, I will do everything I can possible do to defeat my opponent. Even
if my opponent is more powerful than me, I will win. Even if that seems like
trickery to you, brother, it is the answer that I, the weakest one, came up with.
That is Ikki Kurogane’s swordsmanship. I do not intend to apologize for it.
Ikki did not avert his gaze from Ouma’s scornful glare.
He boldly threw out his chest, having nothing he felt ashamed about.
Ikki’s pose made Ouma think.
Even though he couldn’t understand, didn’t want to understand, that was
one of Ikki’s strengths, wasn’t it. Then…
“Are you satisfied with your swordsmanship, having pushed me to the
edge of the arena with stolen techniques?”
He had once again entered the ring, brandishing Ryuuzume.
The blade was clad in wind.
It was a dragon’s claw, clad in a wild tornado.
While his blade shaved parts off the ceiling and walls, Ouma called out to
Ikki.
“Take your stance, Ikki.
I will give you everything I have.
Use everything you have, and show me you can overturn fate.”
“…”

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Hearing those words, Ikki showed surprise for a moment.
He never thought this brother of his would accompany him so far.
However, towards that fighting spirit which brought shivers to his skin,
“Yes!”
Ikki thanked him sincerely and took up a stance with Intetsu again.
At some point, his cold sweat had stopped.

◆◇◆◇◆

“…”
When Stella opened her eyes, she found the room full of deep red light
flowing in from the evening sun.
She sat up in bed.
Her eyelids were light, and not so much as a yawn escaped her mouth.
Her mind was clear, and it even seemed like her vision was broader.
She threw off her bathrobe and stood in front of a full body mirror.
It reflected a white body with beautiful curves and proportions.
Without any hesitation, she understood that her blood, cells, everything
was full of energy.
It seemed the excessive amount of food she’d eaten before sleeping had
been stored away without waste by her draconic body.
There was no mistake. She was in peak condition like she’d never been
before.
Stella felt confident in the heat her body emitted.
Tonight, she would learn things about herself that she didn’t know.
Well now, everything was ready.
Time to go.
To the ultimate stage, where the strongest opponent would be waiting.

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Translation Notes

1. Renren is making a pun on Saijou’s given name, Ikazuchi (雷), which can
mean lightning god. ↩

2. Happou Nirami, 八方睨み: An all-directional observation technique. ↩

3. Seigan no Kamae, 正眼の構え: A basic defensive stance with blade held
low, pointing at enemy’s eyes. ↩

4. Kyokujitsu Isshin-ryuu, Retsu no kiwami Amatsukaze, 旭日一心流・烈の
極 天津風: Rising Sun One Mind Style · Highest of Sequence -
Amatsukaze. ↩

5. Kyokujitsu Isshin-ryuu, Jin no kiwami- Amaterasu, 旭日一心流・迅の極
天照: Rising Sun One Mind Style · Highest of Swiftness - Amaterasu. ↩

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FINAL CHAPTER A: THE PROMISED MOMENT

As Iida yelled, the entire crowd gathered to watch over the fight cried out
with him. And so it began. The final battle of the Seven Stars Sword Art
Festival.

!!!
The moment that the match began, they all lost sight of Kurogane Ikki.
Ikki’s Twin Wings ability had allowed him to accelerate instantaneously,
moving too fast for anyone to track, as he headed straight for Stella.
“Oho!! Kurogane has taken off! He isn’t wasting any time! And he’s
fast!!”
“He is a knight with limited range. He has to bring the fight into his
domain if anything is to happen. This was the obvious choice to make,
but…”Kaieda kept a close watch. This speed was not normal. Ikki’s rush this
time was faster than anything they’d seen before.
But that was stating the obvious. Ikki’s warm-up had been grossly
overdone, such that when he stepped into the ring he was already in top gear.
(Feeling good!) His body was as light as a feather, but he hadn’t lost any of
his strength. He was in top condition. Feeling how powerful his own body
had become, Ikki felt gratitude to Moroboshi and the others. He wouldn’t
waste what they had given him.
(I need to be the first to strike! I’ll take control of the match!)
Stella was not an opponent that could be defeated in one strike. This
would be a long fight. Which was all the more reason to be the one leading
and controlling the flow of the battle. If he could land the first blow and take
control, he would surely be able to keep that lead!
As he stepped within reach of Laevateinn, Ikki began to shift to the left
and right at a rapid pace. His rapid movements created illusions before
Stella’s eyes, making it difficult to track him.
“This is Shinkirou…!!”

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“Not only has he closed the distance, but now he is using his own speed to
create illusions to conceal himself. The Princess is not even set in her stance
yet! He’s surely taken the lead in this match…!”

Moroboshi, who was watching the match beside Shizuku, clenched his fist
at the sight of Ikki’s perfectly executed rush. There was no doubt that he
would be the one taking control of the match, for this was no normal rush
attack.

He’d been tightening control of his own body all morning, making it such
that he could move at top speed from the very first step and create illusions to
counter even the slim chance of a return attack. He had been preparing for
this attack long before the match began. It was his very best offense. There
was not a single flaw in it. There could not be. It was the ultimate attack.
But… Even the best attack could lose to enough sheer power!

“Dragon Stomp!!”
Stella raised her long, beautiful leg into the air and drove her heel down
into the ring. In that moment the ground pitched up with a blasting sound.
“……?!!?”
“W-Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!!?”
“KYAAAAA!!!”
“Th-There’s no way…!!?” The crowd was screaming. Of course they
were. Because…
“W-What is this?! The moment Stella stomped the floor of the ring, the
entire arena broke into a spiderweb of cracks with her at the center!”
Not even the Panzer Grizzly’s stomp had this kind of destructive power.
Who could possibly have expected such power to come from a beautiful
girl’s slender legs? And of course her goal here had not been to destroy the
ring. Her Dragon Stomp would stagger anyone, forcing them to stop moving
for at least a moment. And a non-moving target can’t create illusions.
“HAAAAA!!!!”
A flash. The Crimson Princess swung her sword, shining bright with its

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intense heat, at the real Ikki. Of course Ikki had a response. Before she had
even begun her swing, he had read the course her blade would take. He met it
with Intetsu. But he could not hold back the enormous power she was
bringing against him.

When Laevateinn met Intetsu, the sheer power of her attack forced Ikki off
the ground and sent him flying through the air like a rag doll.

“!!”
Luckily he managed to remain inside of the ring, if only barely. Despite
having read the course of her blade completely, he had been thrown 50
meters by her attack, a fact that had a cold sweat running down his face.
(I guess I really can’t take even a single hit from her.)
“You really worked hard for this, didn’t you Ikki.” Stella called to him as
he recovered at the edge of the ring. “You tried to come at me right at the
start of the match to catch me before I was really into it. Too bad for you that
I’m always performing at my best. You missed your chance.”
Her voice was full of confidence. The Stella that Ikki knew had never had
that. The knowledge that she was more powerful than anyone else. It wasn’t
that she lacked self-confidence, and she always knew that she was strong, but
despite that, she had always seemed to find herself lacking.
She should be more prideful. She should be more arrogant. Ikki had
always felt that way. But if he had told Stella that, her serious nature would
only have made her an even more harsh judge of herself. So he had never
said it, but… it seemed Saikyo had managed to pull out that pride. And in
facing and holding him off, she had enforced it. However…
“I missed my chance? Don’t be ridiculous.”
That’s right. Thinking he had failed was a huge mistake. As he popped his
shoulder back into place he looked at Stella with joy clear on his face.
“It went just as I expected.”
She was the Crimson Princess Stella Vermilion, after all.
“Kurogane has managed to hold off a direct attack, but it blew him straight

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across the ring! What amazing power! Just what you’d expect of the Crimson
Princess’s unparalleled blade! Stella has given us a fine show of what an A-
rank knight is capable of with this one attack!”

That single crossing of blades had filled the crowd with energy. They
cheered wildly for Stella. Among that crowd Misogi Utakata let out a small
scream at the sight before his eyes.

“Uwaa, what amazing power. She didn’t just break the ring, she sent
cracks all the way out into the spectator seats.”

Beside him, Tomaru Renren nodded in agreement. “Guess calling her the
most powerful blade wasn’t just talk.”

“But Kurogane-kun is no disappointment himself.”
Hearing Totokubara Kanata’s words, Tohka simply nodded. Kanata and
Tohka were the only two in the student council with enough skill of their own
to have seen what it was that Ikki had done.
“At the moment of impact he purposefully dislocated his shoulder, which
allowed most of the power in her attack to flow behind him. He was able to
read that far ahead.”
“Ohh? He really did that?”
“Had he not, he would be buried in the stone of the wall right now I
think.”
If the power invested into Stella’s attack made her a monster, then the
ability that Ikki showed in deflecting that power made him a monster as well.
Neither of them was lacking. At the least there was no sign of this battle
going either way. —But Tohka narrowed her eyes as she watched.
(In that exchange you ended up giving Stella control of the center of the
ring. Is that really okay, Kurogane-kun?) Just then, in the center of the ring,
Tohka’s suspicions were confirmed.
“Fufu, I see. I’m glad that I lived up to your expectations.” As Stella
laughed softly, the air around her began to change. Her fire blonde hair began
to grow a phosphorescent crimson. “Now let’s see if you can live up to

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expectations.”
“………!!”
He could feel the building heat even at the edge of the ring. His expression

stiffened as he replied, “I’ve already decided. Against you I can’t be picky
about how I win!” In the next instant Stella released such heat and killing
intent that the light itself began to twist and warp.

(This pressure…! There’s no mistaking what’s coming!!)
“BAHAMUT HOWL!!”
In the same moment that Ikki understood what was coming, Stella released
her greatest area flame attack. Light and heat flooded from Stella in all
directions.
“Th-This is the Noble Art that we saw Stella use in the first round!!”
Upon seeing her activate the Noble Art, Kurono and the others tasked with
protecting the crowd rushed to contain the flames. Of course they would.
Stella’s Noble Art reached beyond the ring – beyond the crowd and even the
entirety of the dome. And unlike the first round, Stella was no longer held
back by her illusion form. If not for the magic knights containing the heat the
crowd would have been flash ignited. And those magic knights had been
chosen for this job specifically because of their skill. They were put in place
so that skills like Stella’s Bahamut Howl could be used without fear of
harming anyone else. The crowd was safe.
But in the ring there was nowhere to hide!
“Waves of heat are pouring out from Stella and roasting the entire ring!
Kurogane has nowhere to run! Is his life in danger already!?”
“No, look!” Kaieda yelled from the commentator’s seat. He had seen.
Among the waves of blinding light stood Ikki. Not running, but holding
his ground. His body was folding down towards the ground, and then…
“Saigeki…!”
Ikki kicked up and away from the ground, charging straight into the waves
of heat.

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“K-Kurogane is running straight into the center of Bahamut Howl! What
is he thinking?!” The commentator was clearly at a loss.

“No, this is the right call.”
“Kaieda-sensei?!”
“If he runs into the flames at high speed he will reduce the amount of time
that he is in contact with them. And look. The way that he is charging into the
Bahamut Howl is like running a blade through the flame – he is reducing the
amount of contact he has with the flame to the bare minimum. He can break
through with no problems!”
He pierced through. He was through the flame in an instant. The only
visible damage was a slight singe to his hair, but he did not stop. His body
had become arrow aimed straight at Stella as Intetsu pierced through her
chest!
“…………”
Stella stood with the blade through her chest for a moment longer before
she shimmered and disappeared like a mirage. She had been nothing more
than a bending of light from the Noble Art Flame Veil. Even after unleashing
such a massive skill like Bahamut Howl, Stella had not expected Ikki to fall.
His charge had been expected. She used Bahamut Howl to obscure his vision
for the second that she needed to use Flame Veil, and then when he charged
in to attack her illusion…
“YOU’RE MINE!!” She was directly behind him, having concealed
herself with Flame Veil as well. Now she could strike him, but…!
(…!!)
As she swung her blade down on Ikki, Stella felt a shiver of doubt run
through her. As Ikki looked over his shoulder at her, his expression was calm
like a pond without a single ripple.
He knew.
There was little use doubting that. After all, this was the “Worst One .” In
the past Stella would have hesitated, but now was different.

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(Fine by me!)
Even if he anticipated this and made a plan, that’s fine. Stella did not falter
and drove her blade down towards him! But…
“Third Secret Sword Art – MADOKA!”
The blow that struck Stella far exceeded anyone’s expectations.
“~~~~~~~~!!?!?!?!”
The sound could only be described as an explosion as Stella was thrown
across the ring. Despite planting both of her feet into the surface of the ring,
her body continued to slide backwards until she finally stopped just before
the edge.
“Would you look at this! It’s as if Kurogane wanted revenge for earlier!
He’s sent her flying to the edge of the ring just as she did to him! He’s turned
the fight around!”
The sudden reversal of positions and Ikki’s completely unexpected attack
had the crowd heating up even more. Amid the noise of the crowd, Stella
remained calm. Her hand clenched around the hilt of Laevateinn, feeling the
lingering numbness in her hand.
(This feeling… his power… that isn’t Ikki’s.) Stella well knew Ikki’s
ability. She knew that Ikki’s body could not produce this kind of attacking
power. Not even Ouma could do that. The only person that could unleash an
attack with this much power… would be herself. Which means…
“You stole my power, huh.” Her voice sounded somehow pleased, and in
response Ikki smiled.
“I did.”
That’s right. The power that had sent Stella flying just now was her own.
He had accepted and flowed her attack in a circle around him, sending her
own power straight back at her with his counter.
“That’s the trick of my third secret sword art, Madoka.” It was one of the
more difficult of Ikki’s sword techniques. All it took was a slight misreading
of his opponent’s trajectory and timing and he would end up accepting their

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blow head on. He had to have perfect timing to land the counter. Even for
someone with Ikki’s skill, it required absolute concentration to perform.
Which is why it had been too difficult for him to use the ability well in his
fight with Runner’s High.

“Thanks to copying Twin Wings’s sword I’ve become much better at
accepting attacks and flowing with them. I could never have done this when I
first came here, but now I can take an attack from your sword head on and
return its power right back to you.”

Fighting Stella now without using Madoka would be impossible. Which is
why for his warm up he had pushed himself so far and so hard, so that he
would be able to perform at this level in his fight. He was in top form. Even
as far separated as they were now, he could see every strand of Stella’s hair,
and his ears hummed with the flow of his own blood through his body. He
had a complete understanding of every single muscle within him. His skin
was so sensitive that he could feel every speck of dust that landed on him. In
this condition he had no concern of being hurt. In which case…

“I’m not afraid anymore!”
“Kurogane is charging at Stella once again! She’s at the edge of the ring!
He’s fast! The Crownless Sword King is going beyond what we’ve seen
before, he’s crossed the ring in an instant! He’s closing in on Stella!”
Stella’s brow furrowed as Ikki charged at her. “Devour him…! Satan
Fang!!” A great dragon of flame erupted from Laevateinn.
“It seems Stella doesn’t want him to close the gap! She’s unleashed the
long-range attack that we saw in the battle with the Sword Emperor of
Wind!”
The flaming red dragon lit up the dim night-time arena as it lunged
towards Ikki, determined to rip him apart with its molten fangs. Its seven
heads opened their jaws wide. But even with such a nightmarish beast
charging straight for him, Ikki did not slow in the least.
(That’s a pretty formidable attack, but it’s a bit too clumsy to stop me

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now!)
In fact, rather than slowing down, as the seven heads descended on him –

he sped up. They struck down where he had been just a moment before as he
slipped past them, leaving them behind. He had seen her use this attack
against Ouma. He knew she would use it against him eventually, so he had
saved a burst of speed just for this purpose. The seven heads would not be
able to follow a target that suddenly speeds up, as evidenced by the seven
jaws that snapped shut behind him as the dragon disappeared. He increased
his speed again and charged at Stella.

“Kuh…! You…!!!!” Stella knew that she would have to fight Ikki at close
range now that he had dodged her Satan Fang. “Empress Dress!” Her body
was covered in a dress of flame as she stepped towards Ikki. The waves of
heat coming from her body would no doubt prove helpful in the coming fight.
But…

(If I can just use Twin Wings to move in and out of the fight constantly,
her Empress Dress won’t be a problem at all. In fact, it’s helpful if it makes
her come towards me!)

Having already read her intent, Ikki closed the gap without hesitation.
But no matter how fast Ikki may move, he could do nothing about the
reach of his Device. Stella would have the first strike. And she chose to…
(Make the shortest possible movement, a thrust straight at his throat…!!)
“…!!”
For a moment Stella’s expression stiffened. Who could blame her. After
all, her opponent had accepted the thrusting blade of her sword with his own
blade. Ikki then used Intetsu to draw a circle around his entire body as he
spun. As Intetsu carried the force of Stella’s blow around, the blade shifted
under Laevateinn and redirected the movement upwards – leaving Stella
temporarily defenseless. Ikki would not pass up this chance as he struck in an
attack that was indistinguishable from Moroboshi’s Sanrensei.
“Th-The Uncrowned Sword King’s blade has struck the Crimson

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Princess!”
Her right shoulder, the left side of her chest, and her solar plexus were

struck. Each blow was beautifully accurate. But the stabs which should have
been fatal did no damage at all. The massive well of magic inside of the
Crimson Princess did not allow Intetsu to pierce her. The best that his blade
could do was to slice the topmost layer of skin. And if the blade could not
harm her, there was no reason for her to hesitate.

(I’ll counter by powering up Empress Dress and attacking the entire area.)
“HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!” Stella began her counterattack
immediately. She pumped heat into her Empress Dress, aiming to burn Ikki
away. However Ikki had already anticipated this and retreated from the close-
range battle. He then accelerated into the flames, striking at her as he dashed
through the heat. With the speeds he was moving at he could be in and out
before the flames touched him. Three times he lunged through to strike at her.
His focus was on speed, so each strike could hardly break the skin as it struck
her.
(But Stella’s pride will be wounded by each hit.)
Stella was not known for her patience. She wasn’t one to stick to a single
method for any length of time. And she would not simply stand by as he
attacked her.
(If she thinks this is making no progress, she’ll change her attack. She’ll
do it… now!)
As if she had been heard his thoughts, Stella released the Empress Dress.
Why? There was only one reason. Because while this ability was good for
area control, it did have a downside. As it burned everything around her, it
also limited her range of vision. In a close-range battle that was a heavy
handicap. Especially if her enemy was moving fast. The flames made it
impossible to follow him. So she had deemed Empress Dress as not useful
against Ikki and removed it. She refocused her power into Laevateinn. And
that was when Ikki struck!

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“Kuh, ah!”
“Kurogane has leapt in as soon as Empress Dress went down! He’s struck
hard! I can see blood spraying from Stella’s head!”
He had not dashed by this time. He stepped in and planted his body for a
power attack. Thanks to his Twin Wings sword skill, his body strength when
he struck with all of his might was such that Stella’s magic could not fully
defend her, which allowed him to land the first real damage of the match.
Stella frantically struck back, but her blade only swept through empty air.
“Th-This is…!”
“Whoa whoa, are you serious??”
“No way…”
Holding the same distance, only Ikki’s blade made contact. The entire
crowd was forced to accept the unbelievable reality that was unfolding before
them. It was one-sided.
The F-rank “Worst One” was overwhelming the A-rank Crimson Princess.
“W-What is this! Both of them should be fighting at their optimal range!
But only Kurogane is able to land a blow, Stella can only hit the air! She
can’t do anything! This is completely one-sided! Kurogane is driving her
back! I can’t believe what I am seeing! We knew that Kurogane was skilled
at close-range combat, but to think the difference in their ability was this
great!”
“I think she’s too close to Kurogane for her to fight like this. Kurogane’s
‘Perfect Vision’ is able to predict the actions of even an invisible opponent.
And if he uses that ability against a lover, not just an opponent that he has
only met at the start of the fight, then it will be even more powerful. The
more time spent with the target of his Perfect Vision, the more it will see.
Most likely Kurogane is able to read Stella’s next 100 moves in the blink of
an eye.”
“Th-That far ahead?”
“If you look, Kurogane is already dodging before Stella even begins her

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swing. It’s fine to say that he is dodging her attacks, but he is doing so with
such precision that moving even a single millimeter closer would mean being
struck. But he isn’t being hit. He can’t be hit.” Kaieda explained. In terms of
their ability to read each other, there was no competition.

“But Stella has the trump card that she used against the Sword Emperor of
Wind, the Dragon’s Spirit.”

“Have you not noticed? Kurogane has been pressing her from the very
moment the match started. Even when she had her Empress Dress active, he
kept charging straight in to attack. He isn’t giving her the time to use
Dragon’s Spirit, because she doesn’t even have the space to stab her blade
into her own chest. He’s been fighting this entire time to prevent her doing
that.”

“Ah…”
“Even if she were to try and forcefully use Dragon’s Spirit here, Kurogane
is already right on top of her waiting to use Ittou Rasetsu, which would be the
strike to land first. And her foe is the Crownless Sword King, so even if each
of these hits does little to no damage, eventually he will find a gap to use
Ittou Rasetsu against her.”
Attack or defend, the result seemed to be the same. At this rate…
“At this rate, Stella really will be pushed back in a completely one-sided
fight.”
Not even the veteran Kaieda could have predicted that Stella would be so
overwhelmed in this match. His voice was strained. Meanwhile, the crowd
was losing its mind over the course the match had taken. Float like a
butterfly, sting like a bee. Seeing Ikki do just that, the cheers for him
increased.
“Th-This is amazing! He’s totally forcing her back!”
“He’s going to beat her!!”
And of course, among those cheers was Shizuku. “Onii-samaaaa!!! You
can do it!!!” She was leaning over the edge of the fence and screaming at the

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top of her lungs.
“But that Stella really is something. Any other Blazer would have been

overwhelmed by now, but she’s only taken a few scratches. No matter how
long he keeps up like this, he can’t win the match.”

“But Onii-sama has a weapon to break through her defense!”
“Yes, you’re right, and he’s no doubt looking for the perfect moment to
use it.”
And whenever he did use it, that would be the deciding moment of the
match. Shizuku, Arisuin, and the rest of the crowd did not doubt that.
However –
(Something is off here…) Moroboshi’s brow furrowed. Something about
the exchange going on in the ring was unsettling. (The way he’s fighting, it’s
like me in the first round…)
“Something seems odd.” Moroboshi was not the only one to sense it.
Elsewhere, the Akatsuki chairman Tsukikage was thinking the same thing.
“Oji-sama?”
“Tsukikage-sama felt it too?” Rinna Kazamatsuri’s maid Charlotte asked,
to which Tsukikage nodded in reply.
“It seems that Kurogane is attacking and holding her back at first glance,
but it looks to me like the fight is getting out of his control.”
“I agree. From what I have been able to see, there were seven times at
which he could have used Ittou Shura to have decided the match. Yet… he
did not.”
“Of course he didn’t.” Crossing her legs in the seat behind the two,
Edelweiss joined the conversation. “Right now, he is scared.”
“Scared…?”
Edelweiss nodded. “To be more precise, his instincts are shaken.” And in
an awful turn for Ikki… “Those instincts of his are right to be scared.”
The discomfort Arisuin and the others had felt, the unease, had not
escaped Ikki.

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(What is this feeling…) His brow furrowed as he continued to attack. The
match was clearly in his favor. Everything had gone just as planned from the
very start. He’d kept up the attack on Stella to keep her from using Dragon’s
Spirit just as he’d wanted. If she tried to force it out anyways, he could
counter with Ittou Rasetsu and end the match. And if he just kept attacking
like this, within twelve moves she would present an opening for Ittou Rasetsu
anyways. If he used it, it would be the end. Yet…

(Yet how many times have I let that opening go already?)
He’d had multiple chances to use Ittou Rasetsu already. But he had not
used it. He could see it. In the moment that he moved forward, inside of his
mind he could see it –
The gaping mouth of a dragon waiting for its prey to leap in.
Ikki knew. This was a warning. Having scraped close to death so many
times, how could he not know. He had a sixth sense that was smelling
impending death. And that sixth sense… was right.
“Hehe.” Suddenly, amidst the constant rain of attacks from Ikki, Stella
began to giggle. And then…
“……!!!”
She stopped defending completely, instead spreading her arms wide before
Ikki. Completely defenseless. It was as if she was saying, “Go on, stab me.”
It was so unexpected that Ikki completely stopped. Seeing this, Stella began
to laugh harder.
“What’s wrong, Ikki? Why won’t you attack me? Just look at how many
openings I’ve given you.” Her smile was so bewitching that it seemed more
suited to inviting him into her bedroom than inviting him to attack her. But he
did not move.
“…Openings? I don’t know that I’d call them that…” Ever since she had
stopped and spread her arms, he had seen it. If he took one more step
forward, the jaws of the dragon would snap shut on him. Seeing his caution,
Stella let out a regretful sigh.

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“Too bad. This was my secret plan, but at the rate things are going you’ll
never do what I was hoping for…… so I guess there’s nothing else I can do.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the world twisted.

“…………!!”
Stella’s body was suddenly producing so much heat that sparks and
embers flew from her hair. The heat warped the air around her. At the same
time, the world thundered.
DOKUN… DOKUN…
It was an unbelievable sound, a massive heartbeat that made the ground
shiver. And in time with the beat, Stella began to flash with light from deep
within as a brilliantly bright sword cut opened in her chest.
“■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■…!!!!”
Her mouth was spread wide to reveal great fangs as she howled to the sky.
Her voice was no longer that of a girl, but instead had become a mighty roar
like the crash of the ocean. There was no doubting it now.
“Th-This is…!! This light!! That wound!! There can be no doubt!!! This is
the Dragon’s Spirit that defeated the Sword Emperor of Wind!! Stella has
brought out her trump card!!”
“How?! Stella-san didn’t do the thing she did against Onii-sama!?”
And yet, she had activated Dragon’s Spirit. The unbelievable truth of it
had Shizuku at an utter loss. Behind her, Jougasaki Byakuya nodded his head
as if finally understanding.
“It seems the Crimson Princess has exceeded all of our expectations in her
preparation for this match.”
“Shiro. What do you mean?”
“From the start she didn’t have to stab her sword into her chest at all. The
reason she did so in her match against the Sword Emperor of Wind was all in
preparation for this match. That is a huge and obvious motion to perform in
order to active Dragon’s Spirit, which means nobody would expect it to have
been just for show. She made it up just to make sure that the Crownless

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Sword King would be forced to attack relentlessly to prevent her using it.
Then all she had to do was wait for her moment to strike.”

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Surely the first time she did it, in the fight against the ‘Yaksha Princess’, she
had used her blade thrust to force the temperature of her blood up, allowing
her to draw out the power of the dragon. But once she knew what was
required, she had control of her body and her power. She didn’t need to stab
her blade into her chest, just raise her blood temperature and activate it.
Stabbing herself during the fight with Ouma was purely for show. Since that
point in the semifinal Stella had been preparing this trap for Ikki.

It was just as Jougasaki had said, she made it appear that the stabbing
motion was required to activate ‘Dragon Spirit’ so that the moment he tried to
use ‘Ittou Rasetsu’ she would be able to counter with an attack that not even
he could predict. But… Ikki’s intuition had seen through it.

“…I thought it was just a bit too easy.”
“So it wasn’t just luck that got you this far. I should have expected it.”
He couldn’t help but admire Stella, even though her plan had been to
deliver a ‘Dragon Spirit’ powered blow with the utmost precision and likely
with lethal timing. But having seen through her plan while on the brink of
falling into it, it was clear that her plan would not be her path to victory.
“Thinking about it now, waiting for you to make a mistake was probably
not the best idea.”
There were no more plans. In fighting a knight of Ikki’s level it was clear
that quality trumped quantity. That was why she had put all of her effort into
this one strategy. But now her plan had come to nothing. Then what to do?
The only path remaining was lined with thorns – it would have to be a direct
assault. It was against a man so skilled with the sword that he was called the
‘Crownless Sword King’.
Even with ‘Dragon Spirit’ this would be a risky fight. Ikki’s fighting
experience has exceeded her own knowledge and thinking. She couldn’t even
imagine all of the ways in which he might counter her attacks. It was
dangerous. It became a very dangerous fight. That’s why if it was possible,
she wanted to decide victory using the trap just now, but now that it had

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come to this there was no other option.
“…!!”
Stella swiped ‘Laevateinn’ through the empty air. The power behind her

blade was so great the air itself was blasted towards Ikki, forcing him several
meters away. A lazy slash of her blade had caused an explosive blast of air to
strike him. Despite having her plan to victory ruined, Stella spoke with joy
showing in her expression.

“I won’t be waiting for you to slip up any longer. It doesn’t matter how
well you know me. I’m going to beat you into submission until I’ve won the
Seven Stars!”

“This time it’s Stella that is closing the gap with the ‘Crownless Sword
King’!”

Her own skill. Her own power. She was trusting in herself as she rushed
towards Ikki. Meanwhile, Ikki…

(Calm down. Her using ‘Dragon Spirit’ without the motion was
unexpected, but I had anticipated of it being used.)

That’s right, Ikki is a veteran that had gone through an amount of
unfavorable battles. He didn’t stand on the ring with the assumption that
‘Dragon Spirit’ would be suppressed. Of course, he had already worked
through simulations of it being used. The current situation was within his
expectations. Therefore his mind and body immediately adapted to the
sudden change of the situation. He had seen ‘Dragon Spirit’ used in the fight
against Ouma. He had guessed the approximate amount of her body’s
strength increasing. And while she may be more powerful because of her
‘Dragon Spirit’, Stella’s identity had not changed. Which means her actions
would not change.

(Her first attack will be a thrust straight for my head, just like before!)
“HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!”
But in the moment that he set himself to accept her thrust into his
‘Madoka’ counter, a vision of him losing his head flashed through his mind.

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“……!!!!”
Trusting in his intuition, Ikki shifted his neck to the right. In a moment,
the wind pressure that was like a bullet passing through struck his eardrum.
(She created a vacuum next to my head with her sword…! What a
thrust…!!)
She was faster and more powerful than he had expected. The air itself fled
before her blade. The degree to which ‘Dragon Spirit’ increased her
capabilities far exceeded Ikki’s expectations. If he had received it with
‘Madoka’, his head would have been blown off if the timing didn’t match.
The possibility was insane.
(But I expected that to happen…!)
After all it was information acquired during Ouma’s fight by viewing from
a distant spectator seat. From the beginning it was not that reliable. That’s
why Ikki was able to escape by avoiding it in a moment. Then he
immediately bowed his body, avoiding thrust coming at him and took a
backstep to retreat to a distance. Over there Ikki took a stance with his sword.
What was needed now was information, so he decided to stop rushing to
victory, protecting himself without being fixated on ‘Madoka’ while
gathering data on Stella.
“Kurogane has stopped! But Stella isn’t letting him go! She’s dancing and
leaping after him with her blade! Sparks are literally flying from her as she
strikes! The ground beneath them is cracking from the pressure! But her
opponent is the ‘Crownless Sword King’! He can endure even this! He’s
holding on!”
Ikki accepted the mighty swings of her blade with his own thin sword. He
channeled the force of her blows through his body and into the ground. He
wasn’t making even a single offensive move. His defense was canceling out
Stella’s attack. He couldn’t allow even the slightest gap in his defenses. After
a while of this, he finally had a grasp on her power.
(I’ll have to pretend to mess up!)

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He waited for Stella to slash at him, then feigned a stumble as he caught
the blow with his blade. He had to draw out a full-power swing. Of course,
Stella would see through his act, and she would likely realize that he was
trying to make her attack him with her full force, but…

(Knowing her, she’ll do it anyways!)
And just as Ikki expected, she swung at him with the weight of her entire
body behind her sword.
(I can counter this…!)
He had already determined what she was capable of and she was attacking
just as he had predicted. The speed and angle were perfect. He can turn her
own blade against her. And with this much power behind her swing, it would
surely be enough to create an opening – which he’d use for ‘Ittou Rasetsu’.
Match over.
“!!!!!!!!!!!”
He tossed aside his plans as he flung himself out of the path of her blade.
‘Laevateinn’ slashed through empty air and struck the ground of the ring.
The ground split.
“H, how extreme!!! The moment Stella’s large sword hit the ring it opened
a crack in the ground all the way up into the seats!! What a power it was!”
The entire crowd was staring at the crevasse that had opened in the dome.
Ikki too was staring, shocked horror plain on his face as he gulped a breath.
He calculated the force she must have used to cause such damage and it far
exceeded what he’d anticipated. Just like the first time.
But something was different this time. This time he had observed Stella
and knew the power of her swing, but the moment he moved to use Madoka
against her she had increased that force further to overpower him. She was
adapting. Even as they fought.
(Just as predicted…?)
Don’t lie, Kurogane Ikki. You didn’t expect this. Well, the sheer offensive
power was predictable, but…

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(Stella’s, those eyes…)
Her crimson gaze was fixed on him. The flames of her fighting spirit lit
them from within. And inside burned… respect. He had not anticipated that.
It caught him completely off guard. Stella to this extent made the knight
Kurogane Ikki afraid.
He was certain he could handle any attack, no matter how strong. And if
she was just tossing her power around he would be able to handle it. The
arrogance that comes with being the strongest was Ikki’s path to victory. But
Stella was different. Her training with Saikyo Nene had certainly awakened
her to the extent of her own power. In that awakening she had certainly come
to realize that she had a right to be arrogant.
Yet even then, she had not looked at Kurogane Ikki as if he were below
her. It was because of this that she had gone so far as to set up a trap for their
match and would stop at nothing to win. A girl with her level of skill and
power, not showing even a moment of carelessness against a mere F-Rank,
fought to win like her life depended on it. Even now, she was adapting and
growing to overcome him.
-What could be more terrifying than that.
Within Stella right now was the knowledge that she was truly powerful,
along with the understanding that the man she was fighting was just as
capable as she. She believed in the two facts that should conflict, but instead
created a harmony within her. She was utterly confident in her own ability,
but wouldn’t let her guard down for even a moment.
For a knight, it was a completely flawless mentality that can be said ideal
to fighters. Ikki had never fought against anyone like this before. Which is
why he didn’t know what to do. Why there were no openings. He couldn’t
think of anything. He had no tactic to counter the respect that filled her eyes.
(How am I supposed to fight someone like this…?!)
“…!!”
“Whoops, Kurogane has taken a huge backstep! He’s retreating from close

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range! Is he feeling the pressure from that last attack!”
“Onii-sama backed off?!”
“He would have to after seeing that much power.”
“…………That’s not it.” Moroboshi said, his voice heavy.
“Huh?”
“That’s not why he backed off. It’s worse than that.”
Backing off from Stella’s power would be one thing. Of course Ikki would

be overpowered by Stella. This was different. It wasn’t as simple as that.
Moroboshi grit his teeth in anger as he glared down at Ikki’s retreating figure.

(That idiot…! He’s lost to his emotions!)
Moroboshi was not the only one to notice that Ikki had lost to the
emotional pressure.
“I can’t believe it.” Up in the spectator seats, Tohka confirmed her
suspicions by studying the flow of energy through his body and spoke aloud
in surprise. “Kurogane-kun is… scared…”
Tohka was well aware of how much courage he had, which made it all the
more difficult to believe what she was seeing. After he had fought her in a far
direr situation and shown no fear, such weakness was flowing through the
body of the ‘Crownless Sword King’. He’d fallen prey to the unbelievable
aura of skill that Stella exuded.
(But…) His decision was wrong. Retreating here was regretfully a bad
move that Ikki showed. Because… (Stella-san is used to chasing after her
opponents…! That development is Stella-san’s specialty…!)
Tohka’s fears were then soon confirmed. Ikki who could only fight at
close range backed off. Even though he couldn’t gain anything from it. Stella
knew that reaction well from her time in the Vermillion Kingdom. Most of
the knights she faced had done the same. The fearful reaction of a loser.
(I don’t know what’s gotten into him, but he’s looking pathetic.) She
thought as she looked at Ikki breathing raggedly. He looked like he’d fall if
she just kept looking at him. Something was wrong, that much was obvious.

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In which case… this was her chance. (I won’t give him time to recover…!)
Stella swung ‘Laevateinn’ in her hands so that the tip pointed to the ground.

“DRAGON’S NEST!!”
She plunged the blade into the ring. Light so bright that it could hardly be
seen poured from the cracks of the ring followed by a flood of bloody
crimson that split the ground.
“Kyaaaaaa!!”
“It… It’s hot…!!”
“No, no way, this is…?!”
The spectators’ screams filled the air. But they weren’t alone.
“Hey, hey…This is going too far…”
“…I didn’t expect this.”
Even mage-knights like Kurono and Saikyo were dumbfounded by
Stella’s display of power. How could they not be.
“I… I can’t believe it! Stella has melted the ring and the ground beneath
it!” It was just as they said. The ring and all of the earth around it had been
blasted with her ‘Dragon Breath’, melting it into a sea of magma.
The only place left to stand were the bits of stone that remained floating
throughout the sea of magma. But even those were slowly melting away and
sinking into the molten depths. Within ten minutes they would all be gone.
When that happens there wouldn’t be any foothold, and Ikki who had no
resistance to the flame would automatically lose. Stella had effectively placed
a time limit on their match with her ‘Dragon’s Nest’. This way Ikki could no
longer run all over the place. But adding to the fact was this hellish scene that
stood out most in Ikki’s mind.
(What power…!)
He could train for hundreds – no, thousands of years, but he would never
be capable of that kind of power. They were too different in what they had. In
what they had been given.
(Did I really think that I could defeat a monster like this…?)

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He looked at Stella, his gaze quivering with fear. What he saw was no
longer a girl, but a dragon. A massive flame dragon that stood as tall as the
heavens. It was not his first time seeing such a vision. But now, facing her
head-on with his life on the line, he understood for the first time.

Extraordinary intimidation.
Compared to this dragon, his existence was very small.
And most terrifying of all, this massive flame dragon that stood as tall as
the heavens was seriously facing the very small human called Kurogane Ikki.
It wanted to win. It didn’t let its guard down for even a second. It came into
the ring prepared for every situation, baring its fangs and ready to fight to the
death. This thing…-would kill him.
Sure, he had experienced fear when facing Amane’s power, and his fight
with Edelweiss had been dire, but he’d never been so certain of his own death
before.
Terror. It was the only thing in his mind now. He was shaken to the depths
of his marrow. Stella didn’t miss the terror as it filled him. Stella’s long leg
struck one of the floating islands in the magma.
‘Dragon Stomp’
The stone crumbled away sending a wave that made Ikki’s footing even
more precarious. He was so unsteady that he lost his balance. The best he
could manage was to take a knee to stop from falling.
(Shit!!)
He gave Stella an opening to approach. As she charged across the magma
as if it were solid ground heading straight for Ikki, ‘Laevateinn’ aimed
straight for his throat.
“UAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!”
Facing this, Ikki had little choice in the action he took during that moment.
With his center of gravity already low, he propelled himself forward into a
roll on his narrow island. His roll took him under Stella’s blade and behind
her. He was back on his feet in an instant and slashing at Stella’s unprotected

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back. Response… was none.
(‘Flame Veil’…!!)
As his blade pierced her back, Stella burst into a cloud of sparks. At the

same time, the real Stella swung ‘Laevateinn’ down towards Ikki’s head. She
had known that he would be able to dodge easily after taking a knee. She had
known from the start that attacking him there had no chance of success.
Which is why after ‘Dragon Stomp’ she had used ‘Flame Veil’ to draw out
his dodge, and once he had wasted more time and energy on an empty attack
he wouldn’t be able to dodge again.

She had read him completely. She still had not let her guard down. And
now she finally had chased Ikki into a corner from which he could not
escape. Her sword would crack his skull this time.

(Calm down! I can use this attack to make some distance…!)
“ONII-SAMAAAAAAAAA!! DON’T DO IIITTT!!!!” By the time
Shizuku had screamed it was too late.
(Wha……)
‘Laevateinn’ descended towards him. Even though Ikki caught it with
‘Intetsu’ with the intention of fleeing behind, there was not even a slight
power put behind it.
Why?
When he finally understood…
His gut had already been pierced.
“~~~~~~~~!?!?!?!?”
It was Stella’s molten iron left fist that had punctured his abdomen. The
downward attack with her right hand just now had was a decoy. The real one
was a blow to his body with her fist. It was the combination she had used in
the first fight against ‘The Unturning’ Tatara Yui. Her molten fist had
punched into his gut at such high speed that it ripped through his muscles and
shattered his ribs into dust. On top of that the heat burned and charred his
intestines. Her power far exceeded that of any normal human and the damage

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