Elsewhere, in Tokyo's Hagun Academy, a knight woke up in an infirmary.
"…Nnn…."
Heavy-lidded eyes opened to reflect an unfamiliar white ceiling.
Where… am I?
The young woman was slightly confused by that sight. It was partly because she had indeed nearly never been in a hospital—but it was mostly the grogginess that came from waking from a long slumber. Though once she understood what was going on, she sat upright reflexively—and doing so alerted the blonde, emerald-eyed Kanata Toutakubara to the sound of moving sheets.
Kanata turned her eyes from the television mounted in the room and heaved a sigh of relief.
"Ah! Touka-chan, you're awake… thank goodness!"
"Kana-cha-ack!"
Seeing Kanata by her bedside, Touka attempted to call out to her, but wound up biting her tongue hard.
"Ahm ahl tongue tieedd…."
"I guess it's no surprise that your body is a little dull. You've been napping for quite a while, after all."
"I was asleep…?"
Well then, how had she come to sleep for so long that her body felt this heavy? As Touka tried to marshall her fragmented memories—
「Now then! The turning point in the first round of the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival is presently drawing near. On the cards is the much-anticipated final matchup of Block B, Hagun Academy's Crimson Princess—Stella Vermillion! Her opponent, Kyomon Academy's Icy Laughter—Mikoto Tsuruya! Our analyst, Muroto-pro, is here with us. Muroto-pro, what do you think of this match—」
The words coming from the television screen brought the memories flowing back.
During Akatsuki's attack, she had led the student council against the Sword Emperor of Wind Ouma Kurogane in order to protect Stella Vermillion, and had been defeated by the former. What happened after that? She didn't know, and with an ashen face she turned to Kanata.
"Kana-chan, what happened!? What about Stella-san!? Are Kurogane-kun and the others alright!?"
"They're fine. The Hagure sisters managed to protect Vermillion-san. Kurogane-kun sustained some injuries, but he has since recovered and is currently on-site at the event. As for us, we were all wounded by illusionary form, so there is nothing particularly wrong with us—except for you and the vice president. The two of you took too much damage, and thus lapsed into a comatose state."
"Uta-kun as well?"
"Yes."
Kanata's gaze moved behind Touka. Following suit, she noticed Utakata lying in a deep sleep on the bed next to hers.
"…Uta-kun…."
"Similar to you, his recovery has only been slowed because of extreme exhaustion, and thus the vice president's life is not in danger. I think he will likely awaken later today, or else tomorrow."
"Is that…so…haaa…."
Having heard the details of that which had transpired after she had lost consciousness, Touka sighed heavily.
For now, I guess I did execute the bare minimum of my duties as Student Council President….
At the very least, she had managed to prevent that attack from completely destroying Hagun Academy, and that was enough. Still, all this was thanks also to her friends who had chosen to remain on the frontline with her.
"Thank you, Kana-chan."
"…Haha. Please do give the others your thanks too. They'll definitely be happy."
"Yes, I'll do that."
「Oh, no, it appears that we have a problem!」
A cry, almost one of anguish, could be heard from the television.
"Oh my, it seems like quite the uproar there. I wonder what the trouble is?"
"I don't know. What could it be?"
Naturally, their eyes shifted to the TV screen. In it, they could see a bespectacled man almost raining sweat.
「Oh dear, it seems that representative Stella Vermillion has neither arrived at the venue nor responded to the signal for the match to begin!」
Now that was unexpected.
"Eeeeehhh!?"
She didn't respond to the signal for the match to begin? Something like that…!
Having heard that Stella was fine from Kanata, this broadcast surprised Touka all the more.
"Kana-chan. Earlier, you said Kurogane-kun was at the venue—does that mean Stella-san was not together with them?"
"I'm not sure of the details, but it seems that she took losing to the Sword Emperor of Wind quite hard, and thus sought out Saikyou-sensei to train her one-on-one afterward. I think this may be why they did not travel together as a result."
"So that's how it is. But then, if she was travelling with Saikyou-sensei, why would she be—"
Why would she still not be at the venue by the time that the festival began? Kanata and Touka were puzzled. In the meantime, they continued to receive information from the TV broadcast.
「Ah, we have just received a message from the judges. Representative Stella Vermillion has contacted them to inform them that due to a train fault that has delayed her ride, she will arrive at the venue late.」
「That's quite the problem. But isn't the party for the representatives supposed to be held two days before the event, to discourage these things from happening?」
「That's true. She was supposed to have arrived in Osaka together with the other participants from Hagun…. Oh dear, what's this? Representative Mikoto Tsuruya has requested that the judges grant her a victory by forfeiture!」
"Might Stella-san wind up losing by forfeit at this rate?"
Kanata asked, watching the screen with a concerned expression. Touka shook her head.
"No, I'm sure she'll be fine."
Having participated in the previous Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival as the team captain, she had at that time by and large gotten a good grasp of the festival's rules.
"It is not a rule that participants have to arrive two days before. In the event that someone is indeed late, that match can be postponed."
「Well, the judges have presently sent us their ruling. They declare that "in accordance with the rules, the fourth match of Block B shall be postponed—therefore, we will not recognize a victory by forfeit."」
「Then there's nothing to it then. Those are the rules, after all.」
「Are there any penalties for being late?」
「There will be none in this case, since the delay in the train schedule has also been confirmed by the judges. Nonetheless, it would be good if we could formalize arriving two days early as a rule—it would prevent such things from happening.」
All decisions concerning the running of the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival were made via consensus of the judges. Like in many other fighting competitions, this decision could not be reversed once passed. In other words, thanks to this decision, Stella was no longer in any danger of forfeiting. Kanata sighed in relief.
"Haa. That really had me in suspense."
"But if she cannot make it before the time that the match was shifted back to, she is out."
It would be good if she could, though….
Incidentally, Stella's match would have been the last of Block B's first round matches. At that moment, an announcement came from the venue.
「Everyone, your attention please: there will be a ten minute intermission while we prepare the ring, following which we will promptly begin Block C's first round matches.」
"So we're already at the halfway-mark of the first round. It's shocking that I missed such a good deal of it. Say, Kana-chan, is Kurogane-kun's match already over?"
"No. His is the fourth match of Block C, which is after this."
"That's great…."
If nothing else, Ikki was the one who became a representative by defeating her. As Raikiri, his was one match she could not miss.
"By the way, who's his opponent?"
"Ah, right, you didn't see the tournament brackets since you were unconscious at that time…."
"Yes. So, Kana-chan, who is Kurogane-kun's opponent?"
"This matchup would be of great interest to you, President."
Kanata made a complicated expression, as though trying to suppress a wry smile. Touka suddenly had a horrible premonition—
"The Worst One's opponent in the first round is… Yuudai Moroboshi, the Seven Stars Sword King'."
—that hit the mark almost immediately.
"Kurogane-kun drew the short straw in the first round once again, didn't he?"
"Yes, he did. It was like this too during the selection tournament…. I think he just doesn't have any luck in general."
"But I suppose one could think of it as the necessary trials that a hero must go through, no?"
Still, what bad luck, to have been paired against the Seven Stars Sword King right from the get-go. Adjustments had been made to the tournament style to adapt to the sharp decrease in the number of competitors this year, resulting in the seeding being discarded. It seemed that Ikki had lost out as a result.
It's as if he's some kind of trouble magnet….
"As Raikiri, who has fought them both, what do you think of this match between the Worst One and the Seven Stars Sword King?"
Kanata asked suddenly, looking to Touka for a prediction. She was probably bored now that the broadcast had been temporarily replaced by commercials due to the break.
"Well, let's see…."
Touka closed her eyes, thinking.
"Sixty to forty in favour of Moroboshi-kun, I'd say."
"Sixty-forty. That's quite a narrow margin, considering that it's the Seven Stars Sword King."
"This conjecture seems like an exercise in improbability if we consider their respective places in society, but I have my reasons."
"And what sorts of reasons are those?"
"Kurogane-kun has a good affinity for opponents like Moroboshi-kun. Do you know of Moroboshi-kun's Noble Art, Tiger Bite?"
"It's the ability to dispel other Noble Arts, isn't it?"
"Yes. Blazers are capable of performing superhuman feats known as Noble Arts. In other words, we can use magic. Therefore the ability to devour and negate magical abilities grants its user an overwhelming advantage over all sorts of Blazers. The water of Lorelei, the fire of the Crimson Princess, the wind of the Sword Emperor of Wind—none of these are of any use against Moroboshi-kun. His Tora-Ou will simply tear them all to pieces."
"True. You were forced out of close range by it as well, President."
Touka nodded. A year ago, she had been stalemated in long-range combat due to Tiger Bite dispelling all of Raikiri's lightning bolts. Without any other options she had attempted to use Raikiri's extreme swiftness to end the battle without giving Moroboshi the chance to counterattack, but his skilled spearmanship ensured that she never got in range to use Raikiri, resulting in her defeat. To her, those were the memories of a bitter defeat.
"Now that you put it like that, it really is a rather overpowered skill."
"It is. It's only useful against Blazers, but as far as that goes, its ability to one-up any Blazer is unbelievable… however, Kurogane-kun isn't someone who relies on magic in battle in the first place. He relies on martial arts to an extent that is rare amongst Blazers, only using magic at the most opportune moments. On the other hand, Tiger Bite is a Noble Art that exists purely to negate other Noble Arts. It does not itself have any offensive power. As such, Moroboshi-kun's offensive options would all be limited to his spearmanship—his own martial arts."
Therefore the outcome of the match between the two was predicated on a contest of martial skill. This was a contest in which a sword was at a disadvantage in terms of reach compared to a spear.
"That said, I don't think that a reach advantage alone is sufficient to bring the Crownless Sword King to heel."
Her Raikiri had been sealed by that reach advantage last year. But Ikki's mobility, judgement and the sheer number of tricks he had up his sleeve at mid-range had long surpassed the level of a student knight. It would be a tall order to keep a swordsman of that level pinned within one's attack range, even for the Seven Stars Sword King.
"So the Seven Stars Sword King being upset in the first round…."
"…Is a distinct possibility."
At the very least, it wouldn't become a one-sided match. Of this Touka—having fought both Sword Kings—could be sure. Ikki's skill in close-range combat was undoubtedly national-class. He could even contest for the crown of the Seven Stars Sword King.
Even so, drawing the Seven Stars Sword King in the first round isn't something you can even call bad luck.
But if he was at his peak, he could cause a huge upset.
"Do your best, Kurogane-kun!"
So she hoped, and sent Ikki her support from afar—from Tokyo to Osaka.
「Everyone, your attention please. As we have completed the ring preparations, we will now begin the first round matches of Block C. Representatives from Block C, please gather in your holding rooms.」
Once again the scene moved back to the mortar-built Bay Dome, where the announcement that preparation work on the ring surrounded by artificial grass was being made.
That announcement also reached the ears of Ikki and company, who had been leaning on the spectator fence watching the previous matches.
Ikki turned to Shizuku and Arisuin, who were with him.
"I guess it's time for me to go to the holding room."
His was the fourth matchup of Block C. As such, there was little reason for him to rush, but neither was there any excuse to be late.
"Do your best, Ikki."
"I will be praying for your good fortune in battle, Onii-sama… that said, the nerve of that woman Stella, really. Leaving aside not arriving for her own match, she is even late for yours."
"Isn't the order of importance supposed to be reversed, normally?"
"After this, I'm going to use the killer techniques I learned in One Hundred and Eight Ways to Bully the New Wife to beat her down."
"Haha… please show some mercy. Later, then."
Having so mollified Shizuku, who was displeased that Stella had not been the first to come forward and cheer her brother on, Ikki bade them farewell and then headed off to the holding room. He had been holding a relaxed expression throughout their time together, one so calm he didn't seem to have to battle later today. Perhaps it was due to this that Shizuku heaved a sigh of relief after seeing him off.
"That's good. Onii-sama doesn't seem as nervous as he was before."
"Haha. Well, he did fight the Twin Wings before, so why would he be afraid of an opponent of the Seven Stars Sword King's level?"
Finding Arisuin's words reasonable, Shizuku nodded. That battle had done her brother good. Of that she had no doubt.
Just then, a familiar voice rang out.
"He~llo, you two! Haven't seen you since yesterday!"
A young woman in a white robe waved as she walked towards them from the direction in which Ikki had left.
"Kiriko-san…."
"Well, well, don't we keep bumping into one another lately?"
"Hmmm, that's true—it's almost like fate is drawing us together."
"Being fated to be with doctors isn't quite my style, though."
Kiriko shrugged at Arisuin's joke, and then her face turned serious.
"I passed by the Worst One just now. Did something happen to him?"
"I think Onii-sama is really relaxed. Why do you say that?"
"Exactly. He's too relaxed. As we passed, I tried a quick check-up on him. His pulse, temperature, perspiration… even his circulation and hormone balance were way too calm. Normally, these values should at least change somewhat before a fight in anyone, but for him there was no change in any of them."
This was hardly the reaction of a human being. As Kiriko explained, Ikki had been in a state of excitation when meeting Moroboshi the previous day. As such, his display today of a complete lack of such excitement meant that—
"He is forcing himself to relax, and overly so. He wasn't like this yesterday… then, his level of excitement had been just right for combat. There might be something he's uneasy about."
Something Onii-sama is… uneasy about…?
"Are you really, really sure about this?"
"I couldn't tell you what he might be uneasy about, but I'm certain of my diagnosis."
"Might he be trying not to waste more energy than necessary by relaxing?"
"I wouldn't think so. A suitable amount of excitement can raise your ability in combat… in fact, I found it concerning precisely because he should be the sort of knight who understands this principle."
An ominous silence fell at Kiriko's ill-omened diagnosis, and in the disquiet Shizuku recalled the things they had heard from her the previous night after parting ways with Ikki—the things they had heard about Yuudai Moroboshi, the person Ikki was soon to fight.
"What did you mean by a 'tragic sense of duty'?"
Ikki wouldn't win. Having heard Kiriko say this with surety, Shizuku pressed her for an answer. From her perspective, it felt like she was insulting her brother unfairly, but Kiriko couldn't have said such things without having her reasons.
"…Moroboshi-kun's sister was at the store today, right? I think you already found out about it, but she cannot speak."
"Yes, we heard from the Seven Stars Sword King that it was some sort of mental condition."
"It's his fault that she is unable to speak."
"What… did you say?"
"Well I don't think so of course, but he does, because no other reason could be found."
After that, Kiriko spoke about the origins of Moroboshi's sense of duty.
It had all begun six years ago—in the tragedy that had occurred when he bore the moniker of the 'Star of Naniwa', Kansai's top young knight.
"It was a holiday. Moroboshi-kun and his family were going to a theme park by train when the accident happened. The event itself made the news country-wide, so I'm sure both of you know of it, no?"
Shizuku nodded. She had indeed seen it while at her parents' home.
"As I recall, it was a terrible tragedy that claimed the lives of a few hundred people. As for the Seven Stars Sword King being involved, I hadn't heard about that till Onii-sama told me about it today."
"Yes, many lost their lives in that accident. In fact, that he is alive at all makes Moroboshi-kun a lucky man. He did not escape unscathed, however. While his parents and sister only sustained light injuries, he was severely wounded. In fact, he lost both his legs."
"Lost…? You mean, he became disabled…!?"
"Yes. As the culmination of modern medical science, the iPS capsule is capable of re-attaching lost limbs—arms, legs, and in some circumstances even the head. But its miraculous ability is limited to re-attachment only. It could not regenerate legs that had already been ground into paste."
In other words, Moroboshi's injuries had not been reversible by medical science.
"Thus, even though his life was saved, the Osakan hometown hero, the one whom many had held great expectations for, seeing him as one of the most talented people after the Yaksha Princess… was forced to retire just before the elimination matches of the elementary school league's upper bracket."
How frustrated he must have been. How awful he must have felt. And yet, Moroboshi then could not even stand on his own two feet. He could not possibly fight in that state. Though it was a bitter choice, the Star of Naniwa accepted his fate then. His inherent positivity allowed him to get over it and walk a path separate from that of a knight. But—
"There were people who could not get over it in the same way he did."
One was Koume Moroboshi, Moroboshi's younger sister. Why? The reason… was a most cruel one.
"The one who had said 'I want to go to the theme park' that fateful day was her."
"Then…! Then, she…."
"Yes, Koume-chan blamed herself."
If she hadn't suggested that they go to the amusement park, her brother wouldn't have lost his legs, and more importantly the bright future that had been promised to him. Because of her selfish request—indeed, she continued to blame herself most strongly—so strongly that her heart broke. In the end, she lost the ability to speak, almost as though to banish that selfishness.
"To think something like that happened…."
"Diseases of the heart are very difficult to cure. Unlike injuries or illnesses, the method by which they may be cured differs greatly from person to person. We doctors, sadly, are helpless. But there is one man who can cure Koume-chan."
From what she had spoken of duty from before, Shizuku and Arisuin could deduce the identity of that one man.
"That would be the Seven Stars Sword King, Yuudai Moroboshi himself."
"Yes, the abnormality that arose in his sister lit the fire in him once again, who had given up the path of the knight before."
It had been half a year after the incident, when Moroboshi had somehow gotten wind of the fact that she had been researching a method to utilize the body's cells to regrow lost limbs via magic, and came to her.
「Doc, please. Help me fight once again!」
He likely had not consulted his family at all before dragging himself from Osaka to Hiroshima, bringing only his muddied, wounded body… and a singular determination.
"I accepted without hesitation. Of course, it wasn't because I was moved by his passion or anything. To me, his arrival was just awfully convenient, as I was looking for laboratory rats for my research. Haha, I'm a cruel woman aren't I? At that time, I thought that I could do anything, that it was fine for me to do anything. So I stepped into the realm of the gods, and created new parts to replace the missing ones."
"So, Moroboshi's current legs are…."
"Yes, I cannibalized components from the rest of his body at the molecular level and coalesced the dispersed parts into a pair of false legs."
As another water user, Shizuku was rendered speechless at the skill of the White-Robed Knight. The number of water users in the whole world who could recreate a pair of new legs for someone who had lost them could not be more than three. Moreover, by her method all the components would originally come from Moroboshi himself, thus ruling out the occurrence of foreign body rejection as might happen in a transplant.
However—
"Hmm, but don't the legs account for close to half of the human body's total mass? Wouldn't a transfer of that sort be detrimental to the rest of the body?"
Arisuin's question was exactly the same as that which Shizuku was thinking. And their fears were spot-on.
"You have a good eye for this. It's as you say. We had problems. First there was the severe atrophy of his musculature all across the board, to the point where his life was in danger. The density of his bones was also decreased due to the creation of the large and robust leg bones, thus causing him to develop osteoporosis."
In the period just after the operation, Moroboshi had been so weakened that the mere act of inhalation and exhalation would cause his chest bones to ache. He was closer to death, most likely, more than he was right after the accident.
But that was only the beginning. In order to allow his by then thoroughly skin-and-bones body to regain a satisfactory degree of mobility, he had to build up his muscle mass. He also needed to do so as quickly as possible, as his reduced musculature would soon lose the ability to sustain his basic bodily functions.
Thus Kiriko had forced him, with that stick-thin body of his, to undergo an exercise regimen meant for first-rate athletes.
"Of course, it was unpardonable to make him do that with his body all the same."
His hollowed bones broke, his weakened muscles tore. His softened tendons split, his nerves snapped everywhere. Swallowing his agony, he ran on shattered legs, lifted dumbbells with ruined arms. His wounded body was healed each time by Kiriko's recovery magic, but that only meant that he would experience ruination for times uncountable.
It was a reckless process no different from torture. Vomiting and incontinence became everyday occurrences. In the end—
"Three months. That was how long it took to give up."
"That was unavoidable. Such recklessness…."
"Or should I say, that it's amazing that he could hold out for three months."
The common opinion between Shizuku and Arisuin had been that three months was way too long. It had clearly surpassed the bounds of treatment—could anyone continue doing such things?
Yet reality went against their reckoning.
"And that's where you're both mistaken. The one who gave up… was me."
"Eh…?"
"At first, I had always treated him like a lab rat, observing his progress and writing it down in a journal. But even though this seems obvious… he isn't a lab rat. He's a living being with the same shape as me. Watching that living being writhe in the throes of pain that had far exceeded human tolerance for days, for weeks, I couldn't stay calm… to be honest, I was going insane. Even in my dreams, I could hear his cries of agony."
After three months, she could not but think of her research as the work of the devil. She had to stop this immediately. The existing technology for prostheses was amazing. They could neither replicate very subtle movements nor allow mana to flow through them like one's original legs, which meant that Moroboshi could not again become a knight, but were advanced enough they would pose almost no obstacle to one's daily life.
Wouldn't that be enough?
Thinking thus, she had requested that Moroboshi cease the rehabilitation process and allow her to perform the operation that would return the flesh in his legs to his upper body.
"…But he told me this."
Even today, she could not forget his words then, could not help but remember them. With sweat matting his brow, and his breathing a mess, he said—
「Y'see, Doc. What d'ya think were the last words Koume spoke? Her face all messed up with tears, she said, 'I'm sorry'. Since then, I've never heard a thing from her. It's all my fault, it's all because I'm so pathetic. She has to bear a burden she shouldn't have to cuz' I was hurt. She jus' wanted to go t' the amusement park, but now she thinks that kind of cute selfishness is a sin… so I can't let it end here. I wanna let her know. That she don't need to apologize none. That she don't need to worry none. But I can't do it with this pathetic body. The things I lost in that accident—my legs, my strength, my place in the world—I'm gonna get 'em all back, to show her with results, not words like 'I'm okay now', or I'll never forgive myself! That's why…! Until I make Koume forgive herself and become able to speak once more, it don't matter how many times my bones break or my muscles tear…! I ain't ever gonna let her see my bent back ever again! That's what… an older brother is!」
"As he said, he never stopped—never even desired to stop—till his rehabilitation was complete… and after a few years, his desperate hard work finally bore fruit. The Star of Naniwa Yuudai Moroboshi returned to this stage, his strength not at all less than it was before."
And then he climbed, all the way to the summit of Japan's student knights—becoming the Seven Stars Sword King.
"Even so, the duty that Moroboshi-kun had set himself is not yet complete. Until the day that Koume-chan speaks again, he will always be a desperate man."
His desire for a serious match with Ikki therefore did not stem from ambition, but rather, it was all for his sister. The flame in him—that sense of duty as a brother that had brought him crawling out of the depths of hell—had not extinguished, but rather burned on.
"Having always been watching him, I can promise you. The Seven Stars Sword King Yuudai Moroboshi is not someone who can be defeated merely by having the ambition to beat him. People who fight for others important to them are very strong."
Just remembering what had been said about the ferocity of Moroboshi's ardor for battle made Shizuku shiver.
Taking back his sister's voice—it had been for that reason that Moroboshi had been able to recover from seemingly irreparable injury and make a comeback, even overcoming a rehab process akin to torture. His tenacity and determination were both extraordinary.
Moroboshi-san is, without a doubt, strong.
Not only in body, but also in spirit. He was not someone Ikki could defeat if he went into battle with doubts on his mind.
Onii-sama…! Please pull yourself together somehow!
So Shizuku watched the blue gate which her brother would come out of with emotions akin to prayer. And as she looked—
"Ah…."
There, in the spectator stands above the blue gate, sat a petite girl with bob-cut hair—Moroboshi's sister, Koume Moroboshi. Like Shizuku, she had come to watch her brother, who would soon emerge from the red gate.
…Her expression looked horribly pained.
「Ehem. Everyone, your attention please. We apologize for the long wait. Now, we shall begin the first first-round match of Block C!」
At the announcement, both Shizuku and Koume's eyes turned towards the ring.
If she were in Koume's shoes, how would she feel? How would she feel if Ikki had lost his legs because of her, and then plunged himself into a world of hurt and fought others for the sake of reclaiming her voice, while she could do nothing but watch—how would she feel then?
"…Ah."
Just thinking about it felt as if she herself was being cut to the heart.
Unlike the Block B matches, which had run into some problems, Block C was going very smoothly. In the midst of all this, Moroboshi returned to his holding room following his usual warm-up, and looked at a piece of paper on his pipe chair.
「Do your best!」
It was written in circular, cutesy lettering.
Last night, he had not returned to the hotel. After getting Ikki an ambulance, he had returned to the store, where the crowd had yet to thin in any way. In the end, there had been no time to go back. This piece of paper had been given to him by Koume just as he was leaving the house this morning.
Before heading off to attend the opening ceremony, he had asked her.
「Hey, could you tell me to do my best, like you always do?」
He would request this before every match, as though it were some sort of good-luck charm. As always, a conflicted look would flash across Koume's face before she could school it into a smile and then write that message.
Just as always.
As he looked at the message, Moroboshi remembered that face that he had seen in that moment. That pained, apologetic expression. He knew why she would think this way, why she would make that expression. She understood that it was for her that he had stepped back into the world of knights. Of course, he had never once asked for her gratitude or told her anything of that sort. But they were siblings by blood, and thus she had been able to guess the gist of his thinking. That was why she hesitated. For how could she merely cheer from the sidelines for her brother, who was fighting for her sake, as though it were not her business?
Having seen through her thus, Moroboshi… had smiled gently.
"Silly."
You don't have to think that you need to apologize, Koume. You did nothin' wrong. Don't worry, just take it at your own pace and get well again. Even if it's years, decades… it don't matter how long it takes. So till then, I won't lose. Until you realize that you didn't take nothin' away from me, till the day you get better, I'll keep winnin'! And when that day comes, please, like you used to long ago—
「Representatives in your holding rooms, your attention please. The third match is now over, and the fourth match will now begin. Representative Ikki Kurogane of Hagun Academy and Representative Yuudai Moroboshi of Bukyoku Academy, please proceed to your respective entry gates.」
"Shaa! Time to kick some ass!"
Watch me closely now!
「So, in the third match of Block C's first round, representative Byakuya Jougasaki showed us his strength, splendidly knocking his opponent out of the ring for a ten-countdown KO. As expected of the previous first-runner up, wouldn't you say, Muroto-pro?」
「Yes… but nonetheless, a victory by countdown just doesn't sit well with me as a knight. I understand that the rule is in place to ensure the safety of the participants, but I can't help but prefer duking it out in the ring.」
「I see. I think there might be many in the audience who feel the same way. Let us look forward to seeing that in our next match! Ladies and gentlemen, the wait is over! We bring you now what is probably the most anticipated match today—the fourth match of Block C!」
With commentator Iida's words as their cue, the fence on the entrance gates began to lift, and the contestants for the fourth match walked in.
「First up, from the red gate, we have the reigning champion—Bukyoku Academy's third-year, Yuudai Moroboshi! The hero of the west, with his ingenious spearmanship and his ability to devour magic making him the Blazer's natural predator, climbed to the summit of Japan last year! His road was by no means a smooth one. He once lost both his legs in an accident he encountered before the U-12 tournament. This ended his path as a knight, and he was forced to retire as a result. But he's back! Back from the depths of hell, from overcoming that irreparable injury all the way to the top! Whether it be a knight's glory or a knight's reverses, he knows them all and fears them not! The Seven Stars Sword King, Yuudai Moroboshi, is here today in this ring to try for the unprecedented—a second straight victory at the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival!」
In that moment, the cheers shook the ground.
「Ho-shi! Ho-shi!」
「Would you listen to these cheers! They're shaking the Bay Dome! As expected of the hometown hero, he's immensely popular!」
The thunderous adulation was like the rumbling of the earth itself. Surely, no other student knight in Japan could garner such applause. Being on the receiving end of the spectators' expectations, Moroboshi materialized his Device Tora-Ou and raised it aloft as though piercing the heavens.
"Shaaaaa!"
As if to say "leave it all to me!"
「Ooooooooohhhhh!」
「What is this? Representative Moroboshi! Despite the earth-shaking applause, he doesn't flinch! He doesn't cower! Not even before such expectations, such hopes! He can carry it all on his shoulders—what a young man! What a man!」
「That's what's so amazing about him.」
「Oh, what do you mean?」
「As you said before, Iida-san, he recovered from an injury thought to be impossible to recover from. Thus he should, more so than others, be conscious and uneasy of his body's condition. But he did not show cowardice, or show any uneasiness. Rather, he carried and then lived up to all the expectations he received. As though to say 'I'm alright, there's no need to worry about me.' …Also, I once underwent the same recovery procedure as Moroboshi-kun.」
「So, Muroto-pro, one of your legs is a prosthetic?」
「Yes. After all, even the loss of all four limbs is quite common in the KOK tournament. Thus there is a rather large demand for such recovery operations. However, myself included, there are almost no cases of it succeeding. Do you know why that is?」
「No, I don't. Could you enlighten me?」
「To tell the truth, the operation itself has a hundred percent success rate. It is the rehabilitation that most everyone cannot pull through. The operation is a procedure that takes one's existing flesh to recreate the lost parts. Thus, various post-op complications such as a result of severe osteoporosis and loss of musculature causing the performance of one's internal vital organs to drop. But because the body will not restore the lost muscles without training, one has to undergo muscle training in order to return one's body to its original state as a part of the rehab. That means undergoing countless instances of muscle tearing and bone-breaking… I'm a grown man, but I couldn't take it. Within three days, I was begging the doctor tearfully to return my leg to my body. But Moroboshi-kun managed to pull through that hellish rehab, and even gained strength incomparable to before. It is not something that could be done without extraordinary spirit and resolve. Honestly… I can't imagine it. His heart, skill and body are all on a higher plane. I don't see anyone defeating a Seven Stars Sword King with this much grit, courage and tenacity.」
「So we might expect to see the first brace of victories in the history of the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festivaaaaalll! And now, the Seven Stars Sword King's first opponent is entering the ring!」
As Iida spoke, all eyes turned to the blue gate. Amidst the gazes, a young man walked in calmly, his black sword in hand.
「I'm sure many of us here recognize this face! Having been embroiled just prior in a scandal involving the Crimson Princess Stella Vermillion, he is the very first F-rank knight to make the stage of the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival! But don't be fooled by his rank—his strength is certified genuine! In his school's selection process, he defeated Raikiri Touka Toudou—who gave our reigning champion a difficult time last year—in a single strike, and even defeated A-rank knight Stella Vermillion herself in an unofficial duel. A knight of abnormal strength, to whom someone gave the nickname Crownless Sword King! Wielding the weakest magic alongside the strongest swordsmanship, he is this year's most-watched dark horse! Here he comes now into the ring—Hagun Academy's first-year, representative Ikki Kurogane!」
The response to Ikki's arrival was not as uproarious as when Moroboshi entered, but was loud all the same. Everyone was waiting to see what sort of waves this unusual F-rank knight, who had come to compete for the number one spot in Japan at this stage, would make.
Having witnessed the passionate responses of the crowd, Arisuin swallowed.
"The time has finally come. Ikki is finally standing on the national stage."
The ill-fated knight whom no one expected anything of, whom they treated unfairly, had come to stand here in the ring of the nationals, to be acknowledged by all. As one from the same school, and as one who had been with him all through the school's internal selection matches, Arisuin could not help but feel deeply moved by this scene.
"Yes… but what Onii-sama is aiming for is still further ahead. He cannot lose in this place."
Shizuku said so a little stiffly, before turning to Kiriko.
"How is Onii-sama right now, Kiriko-san?"
"Hah. Just a moment…."
Kiriko closed her left eye.
"Doctor Scope."
Channeling magic power into her right eye, she began to examine Ikki. Then, she gave a mild smile.
"Hehe~♡. As expected of someone who is accustomed to strife and conflict, I must say."
"What happened?"
"The abnormality that I detected when I passed him earlier is gone. He's fully into the battle now. His hormone balance and blood pressure are maintaining an optimal state of nervousness and excitement. He probably managed to sort out his emotions during the waiting period. Pretty impressive. You needn't worry, Shizuku-chan. Your brother is undoubtedly—in the best condition possible!"
With this, the stage was set, the actors ready. The gongs of war sounded.
「Now then! The Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival—Round One, Block C, Match Four! The match between Yuudai Moroboshi versus Ikki Kurogane begins! LET'S GET STARTED—!」
The instant the signal to begin was given, Ikki kicked off the ground, charging Moroboshi head-on.
「Oh, wow! It's representative Kurogane with a quick attack right off the bat!」
The crowd roared, echoing the surprise of the play-by-play commentary at Ikki's taking a swift offensive against the Seven Stars Sword King. A maneuver that did not consider the situation, they felt. Was he thoughtless, perhaps? Rushed, hasty?
But Arisuin on the other hand called out in praise of his decision.
"Good judgment!"
"Alice?"
"In any case, Ikki can't do anything at a distance—he has no abilities with reach. So the key to victory is to get through the attack range of a spear and put the battle within the range of the sword."
Thus, a quick attack was a good tactic.
"The spear's long reach is simultaneously its advantage and shortcoming. If the spearman's guard is breached, then one would gain an advantage in a single blow!"
"But Moroboshi-kun definitely knows that as well. He will not let someone breach his guard that easily."
As though to confirm Kiriko's words, Moroboshi shifted from his defensive stance. Leisurely bringing his spear Tora-Ou to bear tip first, he stood ready, and then—a chill ran down goosebumped spines throughout the spectator stands of the Bay Dome.
This included Shizuku.
"What… what a guy, to be able to exude such pressure just from taking a stance…!"
Yes, the source of the shivers was the pressure exuded by Moroboshi to the surroundings even as he took up his stance. Even the uproar of the crowd from earlier was silenced by that presence—tens of thousands devoured in an instant by one man standing in the ring.
Even Ikki, who had been closing for a quick attack, was forced to a halt before that pressure. This was that which had stopped Yui Tatara in her tracks two days ago: Moroboshi's Yuudai's Happo Nirami.
But it was only for a moment. Putting more power into his legs, Ikki continued his charge.
「Representative Kurogane! Despite stopping once, he's unafraid! He charges in bravely!」
「That's a strong heart he has there. A normal person would be left trembling and immobile before that kind of presence, but he is not slowing down at all.」
But this was known to Moroboshi—that this level of scare tactic could never work on the Worst One. He stood stoically till the moment Ikki entered his weapon's range. Then—
"Shii!"
—steel flashed.
Tora-Ou bared its fangs, piercing the air. Ikki backpedaled out of range, trailing wisps of his hair as they scattered gently to the wind. Perhaps he had just been a little slow to react to the spear's speed.
Moroboshi's reaction filled the crowd with cheers.
「It's, it's razor sharrrpp! It's like you can hear the sound of the spear splitting the air from up here in the commentator's box! Kurogane, he's had to fall back—with just one strike, Moroboshi has blunted his assault!」
「It's not only one strike.」
「Eh?」
「Zoom in on the Worst One's chest.」
Having been told this by Muroto, Iida zoomed the camera in. And there on the dome's giant LCD screens, indeed—nicks in Ikki's uniform could be seen.
「Th-This is…! There are spear-point cuts on his clothes in two different places!」
「Yes. Including his hair, that makes three. That is the Seven Stars Sword King's Sanrensei[1] a high-speed spear technique that from a bystander's point of view may seem like only one thrust, but in fact strikes three points at once. It's easy to pay attention to Moroboshi as a fighter possessing the strongest anti-Blazer ability, the destruction of magic. But his well-honed spearmanship is, in my view, his greatest weapon. Getting past his guard is an extremely tall order. The Worst One was strongly wary of this, and that's why he didn't step within Moroboshi's range.」
This was common sense. After all, rushing headlong at a spearman who had you in his line of sight was reckless, for a spear was a weapon that boasted unrivaled strength when engaging opponents in a straight line. If a frontal surprise attack did not work, then one should find a way to engage from the flanks—again, par for the course.
That was why Ikki's next course of action took everyone aback. He neither ran nor leaped, but merely walked as if strolling, closing the distance between himself and Moroboshi. His movements devoid of all killing intent, he stopped about one and a half metres away from the latter. Not close enough to reach him with his sword, but close enough for Moroboshi to reach him with his spear!
「Wh-What!? What does Kurogane mean to do? It's almost as if he's just saying 'come on, hit me!'」
The commentators were also in confusion. Indeed, it was an incomprehensible action. Just by looking, one would think he was provoking Moroboshi. Some members of the audience took it up.
「Hoshii! You gettin' licked! Go kick his ass!」
「Don't let some punk from Tokyo look down on ya!」
An outcry poured forth from one section of the stands. And as though responding to their voices—
「Moroboshi's made his move! The Seven Stars Sword King initiates a furious assault upon his fearless foe!」
—he displayed once again his technique, a continuous barrage with Sanrensei too fast for the eye to catch. Spear-tips formed a dense rain of death descending like a volley of machine-gun fire.
It was undodgeable. Or it should have been undodgeable, and yet—
「It's not hitting! It's not hitting! Even with its famed speed, Sanrensei can't even graze him! What graceful footwork! His movements are so elegant as he dodges the spear's point that one would think he was dancing!」
While standing within the range of Sanrensei, a technique that could pierce three points in a single breath, Ikki was—unlike before—moving from side to side and dodging all the strikes.
He had not closed the distance without thinking. Sanrensei was an amazing technique. It could even be considered superhuman. But he knew of something that was faster and keener by far: the Sword Eater's Marginal Counter. Reflexes and speed so beyond human ken that they could create the illusion of eight simultaneous slashes at once. Compared to that, his eyes were more than sufficient to follow Sanrensei, which did not have the same pressure as a technique that could make you see eight simultaneous, illusory strikes. As long as he read the spear's trajectory with a calm mind, he could easily deal with it.
Before long, their engagement had lasted ten seconds, with Moroboshi attacking and Ikki evading. Then, judging that Ikki was handling his attacks with ease, Moroboshi took large strides backward, opening the distance between them once again.
「Unable to stand his ground, Moroboshi retreats! What is this? As if returning the favor for the pressure put on him before, Kurogane has pushed the Seven Stars Sword King back without striking a single blow!」
「What… what's going on?」
「You kiddin' me…!?」
「A-Awesome! Is that knight really an F-rank?」
「So cool!」
「Reactions are mixed here in the stands! These two really know how to put on a good show!」
「As expected, his blowing away past Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival representatives in both the 'Hunter' and Raikiri isn't just for show. This is the first time I've seen a representative who can move this intensely and swiftly at mid-range. Nonetheless, neither of the two have gone all-out just yet.」
Muroto mumbled. He spoke the truth. Though Moroboshi looked like he had been beaten back, a smile tugged at the edges of his mouth.
"You've got serious balls to use me as a warm-up tool. You all good now?"
He asked.
"Yes. Thanks to you, I've realized it."
Indeed, during their exchange of offense-defense, neither of them had pressed their attack. Ikki had remained within the danger zone, continuously taking the risk of dodging Sanrensei by a hair's breadth in order to confirm that his body would not lock up from fear.
And having realized Ikki's intentions, Moroboshi had accommodated him. It was for this kindness that Ikki was thanking him.
Indeed, thanks to him, he was able to confirm this—
"—that I am without a doubt at my best today!"
The extension of his legs were optimal, his body's movements crisp. His sight was broad and clear. He had evaded Moroboshi's spear-strikes by the skin of his teeth, but felt no fear in his heart. The abnormalities that had presented themselves when he had faced Ouma the previous night were gone.
He would be fine. He could fight! Having felt this, he took up a stance, allowing killing intent to infuse him for the first time since arriving here. Seeing Ikki like that, Moroboshi nodded.
"Nice. Then, free service time is over. I'm gonna get serious from 'ere on out!"
The pressure he exuded doubled. As expected of the Seven Stars Sword King, even locking gazes with him made breathing difficult.
But I can do this. I can win.
After all, he had divined a certain truth from their previous clash.
It's just as I felt when watching the videos of him from before… there is a fatal weakness in Moroboshi-san's spearmanship!
"He's got a good look on his face. It seems that Ikki has seen through it—the Seven Stars Sword King's flaw."
Touka murmured from her bed in Hagun Academy's infirmary as she watched the TV broadcast of the back-and-forth exchange between the two.
"A flaw?"
"Yes. I'd say that he researched Moroboshi's replays many times, and then confirmed his suspicions during that engagement."
"I can't claim to understand anything about that. What could his weakness be?"
"Hmmm… Kana-chan, what do you think are a spear's offensive options?"
Having been asked a question in turn, Kanata thought briefly before answering.
"It's the thrust, naturally. Isn't it?"
"Well, it is true that the spear is a thrusting weapon. But it has another option that derives from its absolute reach advantage, and that is the sweep."
Spears only had blades at their tips, so one would not make as strong an impression as a sword as a sweeping weapon. But in truth, it would be folly to thusly think less of a spear sweep. A blow powered by the centrifugal force of a robust rod well over one meter in length could break human bones with ease. In fact, some forms of Chinese spearmanship regarded thrusts as feints. In other words, these schools of martial arts used the thrust as a decoy to cause the opponent to dodge before using the spear like a staff as the main means of attack.
"However, the sweep is a non-entity in Yuudai Moroboshi's spearmanship. It's not just this match. Ever since his comeback, he has relied on a thrust-only setup and has not used a sweep even once—that includes the match with me."
"Wow, I didn't notice that."
Kanata expressed her surprise in an elegant manner upon hearing the truth.
"Still, why does he only use thrusts? Does he feel that he does not need to use anything else?"
"It's true that the thrust is very strong since it requires little movement to achieve the speed it does, and it focuses all one's strength on the spear tip, giving it great offensive power. Especially when one considers that Sanrensei has almost no delay between retracting and thrusting with the spear, you could call it the ultimate attack form. So it is as you say, Kana-chan. He doesn't need the sweep—though it might be a different story if the opponent is an expert like Kurogane-kun."
For all its speed and sharpness, the thrust was a point-type attack, and lacked the area control abilities a sweep would have. A point attack was easy to see through, and once unleashed would put one's body in a forward extension, open to counterattack.
"This is something similar to what is called a 'dead blade' in kendo."
"In other words, it shouldn't be difficult for Kurogane-kun to defeat Moroboshi-san's style with his reflexes, should it?"
"That's so… normally, that is."
At that moment, Touka gave an impish grin, a rare sight.
"Normally?"
"Unfortunately, the man that Kurogane is facing isn't normal. If Kurogane-kun's thoughts are as I mentioned just now, he's in for a lot of pain… just like me last year."
「Oh my! Once again, Kurogane takes the initiative!」
Just as Touka said that, battle was joined once again in faraway Osaka. Having ascertained that there was no fear in himself, Ikki closed the space between them, intent on taking advantage of the flaw that he had seen in their previous clash.
「But Moroboshi isn't going to let him get close this easily! He meets him with Sanrensei!」
Of course Moroboshi would take advantage of his reach to strike the first blow.
One!
He juked to the right, evading a first blow aimed at his brow.
Two!
A step to the left, the stab for his heart elegantly evaded.
A technique that launched three strikes in a breath. It was brilliant, but ultimately it was something built up from training. It was not as flexible as Sword Eater's Marginal Counter, a superhuman technique derived from unique natural bestowment. He could deal with this and still have room to spare.
That's the second. The next is the last! After the next blow, Moroboshi will have to breathe.
Most likely, three strikes in one breath was his limit. Thus, Ikki chose the third and final blow as the timing for his counterattack.
With this strike, I will score the opening hit! It probably won't take him down, but it will allow me to take the lead in this battle!
The very third blow he was aiming for was flying towards his thigh.
Three—now!
Regardless of how amazingly fast it was, it was still a point attack. If he moved but a millimeter away from that point, it would miss. He would take another step to the left, move into range of his sword—
Then cut his body as I pass him—
At that moment when Ikki had evaded the path of the spear with his sidestep and was stepping in range to cut Moroboshi—he saw something impossible.
The Tora-Ou that he should have evaded had made a hard left. Like a snake seeking its prey, the spear-tip sought him out.
"Uuh!"
Even though he was surprised by this unexpected sight, he made the call in an instant. Forsaking his charge, he made a great leap to the left, getting out of the spear's range.
But it was a risky evasion… and an imperfect one, at that.
「Wh-What!? With Kurogane dodging the three strikes gracefully, and Moroboshi only defending, one would think that Kurogane had the advantage—but it was reversed in an instant! He's been cut across half his ear! The Seven Stars Sword King Yuudai Moroboshi has the first strike!」
The stands were in an uproar from that opening blow. Ikki on the other hand shivered slightly, heedless of the blood dripping down from his ear.
Wh-What was that last thrust? I didn't see that in any of his replays!
He had studied Moroboshi's replays countless times in order to come up with a way to exploit this flaw, but Tora-Ou had never never showed him anything like this. Was this a new technique? No. There was something very odd going on if that was the case.
Why didn't the commentators mention this technique?
Could it be that—
—They can't see it?
Ikki's estimation had been spot-on. The curving spear had gone unseen by the audience.
"Aah! What a pity! I had a good feeling about him going in there…!"
Arisuin's lips quirked downward as Ikki failed to seize the opportunity at the very last moment of his attack. What a pity—he had been so close, too. So Arisuin said, for he could only see that Ikki had failed to evade Sanrensei's final thrust. If he had known what had happened in that instant—of how Ikki had sprung a trap as he struck at the apparent weak point of Moroboshi's thrust-only spearmanship style, and how Moroboshi had shattered the premise that a sidestep out of the spear's range would render one safe with his surprise attack—he probably would not have said that. Many besides Arisuin were similarly fooled.
"Was it really 'just a pity'?"
But Shizuku had doubts, even though she could not see that curving thrust.
"What do you mean, Shizuku?"
"Look at Onii-sama's face right now."
Even from that far away, they could see that Ikki was shaken.
"If he had merely failed to dodge, his wariness wouldn't be this blatant. Something happened in that ring, something we couldn't see—and that was surely Moroboshi-san's intention."
There was someone else who had predicted this turn of events from the beginning. That was Touka Toudou, Raikiri, back in Tokyo.
"As I thought, he used it…."
That she could predict this was a matter of course. After all, she had faced the exact same in her turn the previous year.
"…Though I couldn't evade it and took a rough hit in my side."
"Um, President. Is there some sort of secret to that thrust? I couldn't see anything except that Kurogane-san seemed to fail in evading Sanrensei's last strike."
"As I said before, the weakness of the thrust lies in the ease of dodging it. However, Moroboshi's thrust has overturned this logic by… well, Kana-chan, his thrust can bend in the direction in which an opponent evades and pursue them."
"A bending thrust, you say?"
"Yes. Moroboshi has eliminated the vulnerabilities of the point attack through the use of this homing thrust."
"But, President, I couldn't see it bending. And besides, Blazers should only have one ability, and Moroboshi's has nothing to do with changing his reach. I don't think he possesses a Noble Art that would allow him to manipulate the shape of his Device like Sword Eater either."
"I suppose it can't be helped that you didn't see the spear bend. From the first, the spear itself isn't bending. It is as you say, Kana-chan. This was not the result of using Noble Arts—in other words, it is a martial art, just like Sanrensei. At any rate, Moroboshi-kun has control over the flow of the battle now that he has scored the first strike. This is now do-or-die for Kurogane-kun."
Just as Touka had said, the battle began once again.
「The Seven Stars Sword King has stepped forward! He's going on the offensive!」
Attacking while I'm still in confusion. He knows it's his time!
Ikki frowned as Moroboshi advanced towards him for the first time since their match had begun. Moroboshi undoubtedly knew that he was wavering.
*Swish!*
The spear shot out once again, aiming for his legs. He was trying to limit Ikki's mobility.
Let's not think about attacking for now and just focus on evasion! I'll get back in the swing of things as I dodge!
Dodging the thrusts by taking half a step backward, he attempted to calm himself down. Each thrust seemed to split the air—he could not stop. He had to wait for the decisive opening when the spear, having missed, would stab into the stone floor—
The opening he imagined occurred in that instant. And yet, the spear that should have aimed for his legs suddenly shot upward, making for his face!
Uwaaa!
Jerking his head back, he narrowly avoided it, but still received a shallow graze to the cheek.
There's no mistaking it! While I don't understand the principle behind it, Moroboshi-san's thrust bends!
A spear, ramrod straight as it should have been, was as fluid as clay. It was an impossible sight, but seeing it twice had cleared all his doubts. And it was not just twice; all of Moroboshi's thrusts thereafter curved. Up and down, left and right, ever changing according to his will—chasing Ikki wherever he fled.
This is nuts. If I just sidestep, I'll be skewered!
This technique was not one to use knife-thin dodges on. He had no other option apart from seeking to completely escape the spear's attack range, and this he did with all his might.
「What's happening to Kurogane? Watching him flee helter-skelter, it's almost as though the beautiful dodges from before were a lie! It's like it's taking all he has just to escape!」
That's really true!
Ikki made a wry grin at the commentator's scathing remarks.
But escaping was not the same as losing. To flee was to avoid losing. No matter how unseemly he looked, he still sought victory. He did not run because he was afraid. Even as he scurried about he continued to observe Moroboshi, the gears in his head turning as they sought to come closer to the secret behind Moroboshi's homing thrust.
The commentators have made it quite clear—the audience can't see what's happening.
If they could see the homing spear, the commentators wouldn't have said what they had. Rather than commenting on Ikki's desperate scurrying, they would have praised Moroboshi's amazing technique.
Which means that the mechanism behind the homing thrust has to be—
"What's wrong? You ain't gonna win just by runnin' away, Kurogane!"
Once again, a flash of steel pierced the air. All this time, it had been this oncoming flash of silver steel that had been the focus of Ikki's attention. Which was normal; a mysterious technique was bound to attract attention after all.
But that's a mistake. I shouldn't be focusing on the tip, but rather on Moroboshi's hands!
In that instant, Ikki saw through the homing thrust. It did not escape his notice that Moroboshi would change the way he angled his elbows and flicked his wrists, changing the trajectory of the spear mid-thrust.
As I thought… so that's how it is!
Indeed. From the first, the spear itself did not bend. The 'bending' phenomena was an optical illusion caused by the subtlety of the switch-up.
To bend as one thrusts, and pierce as one bends. Easily said, but to perform that action while performing a series of three thrusts so swift that an outsider would only see one was no simple matter. This was beyond human reaction speed. It was not something one could do just by dreaming it up in one's head. It was something Moroboshi had carved into himself through an astounding amount of training, into his flesh, his bones and his blood. This spear needed no orders from his brain to pursue the enemy.
This was Yuudai Moroboshi's technique Houkiboshi[2], a martial art so expert as to seem like magic.
What amazing technique….
Even without the natural sense that the Sword Eater had been born with, he had managed to create a miracle, a move had surpassed the boundaries of humanity through sheer hard work. As a fellow martial artist, Ikki had to respect Moroboshi. It moved him above all else to see someone reversing the weakness of the thrust—the simplicity of evasion—and even working that flaw into his combat style. It was wonderful to have been able to come to the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival and face off against such an amazing knight.
But I won't be satisfied by just crossing swords!
He now knew that Houkiboshi was a purely physical technique. Thus, he too could attack. It was simple—Houkiboshi's strength lay in pursuing and attacking the opponent while they were in a defenseless post-evasion state.
Therefore—
"—I simply won't dodge at all!"
He switched up his battle plan suddenly. Houkiboshi, which had been aimed for his throat, was batted aside by Intetsu. He no longer paired evasion with retreat, but rather advanced in defense.
"Kuh—!?"
Moroboshi immediately retaliated with his Sanrensei-Houkiboshi combination, but the secret was out—if one did not attempt to dodge, then it was just like any other thrust. Ikki closed the distance slowly, parrying each strike and sweeping them away as they came.
「Whaaat! Kurogane has changed things up! Giving up dodging, he's breaking through bravely from the front! Sparks fly as the flashing blows rain down, but he's pushing them aside and approaching steadily!」
At this change of pace from Ikki, Moroboshi frowned for the first time since their match began. For a normal opponent, the act of advancing while knocking the high speed thrusts of Sanrensei aside should have been impossible even if they understood the principle behind Houkiboshi.
But Ikki could do it. With his powers of observation, capable of such things as Perfect Vision and Blade Steal, he had already seen through Moroboshi's habits and technique to a certain extent. By chasing Ikki down as far as he had, he had shown Ikki too much.
"Haaaa!"
「Moroboshi does his utmost to keep delivering high-speed strikes! But it can't stop Kurogane! It can't stop him! That phalanx of spears is being cast aside!」
「Like this, the Seven Stars Sword King will have trouble. The strength of the spear is its reach: if an enemy gets inside his guard, then its combat ability will be reduced by half! Moroboshi has to push him back somehow!」
But now that Ikki had a read on him, Moroboshi could not prevent his advance regardless of how quickly or often he struck. As it stood, it was only a matter of time before he would enter the sword's attack range. And having gained such an advantage, a swordsman of Ikki's caliber would never miss his opportunity. Once he got within Moroboshi's guard, this battle would be over!
Finally, Ikki breached the threshold. He was only one step away from the extent of his sword's reach.
"Shit—!"
In a last ditch effort to stop Ikki in his tracks, Moroboshi once again unleashed Sanrensei. But it was no use. Having stolen Moroboshi's technique, Ikki could instantly read the trajectory of Sanrensei from the angle Moroboshi's elbows were set at and the shifting of his gaze.
Deflecting the first and the second strikes, he matched his timing with the prelude to the third—and stepped into range!
「With this Kurogane's got Moroboshi in his sights!」
Seeing the Seven Stars Sword King being hunted down, a cry went up through the stands.
「Run, Hoshiiii!」
But there was still one strike left in Sanrensei. Like Houkiboshi, it was a high-speed maneuver honed from untold amounts of repeated practice, the process of which was carved into the body and left no room for thought. Even if they wanted him to flee, he could not. His body moved to aim its last blow at Ikki's chest!
But Ikki had already seen this—Moroboshi's habits, his angle of attack, the spear's trajectory, all of it. He could not possibly miss striking this blow!
Once I deflect this last strike, I'll be in range! In one go, victory will be—
—But in that moment, a flash ran through his brain.
No, wait, this is bad—!
And then, something unbelievable happened in the ring. Ikki, who should have succeeded in his pursuit of Moroboshi, was pierced in the shoulder by Tora-Ou and knocked back out of his sword's reach.
「Whaaaaat!? What happened here? It was apparent to everyone that Kurogane's assault was about to succeed, but he was suddenly knocked back! Taking a hit to the shoulder, he was sent flying out of range in one go!」
"That's not possible! Onii-sama would never slip up in that situation!"
Shizuku was clearly flustered by this unexpected development. But beside her, Arisuin had gone pale as he witnessed something even more unbelievable.
"Shizuku! Look at Intetsu!"
As he cried out, Shizuku too saw that impossible sight.
"That… that can't be…!"
「This… what would you call it? Kurogane's Device, Intetsu, is broken! It's as though a huge beast just took a chunk out of it!」
Indeed, the crystallization of Ikki's soul, his blade Device Intetsu, had a large part of it sliced off.
「What happened? A Device shouldn't even bend, let alone break, unless struck by a great force, but…!」
The commentator was again in confusion. This was only natural. A Device was constructed by crystallizing magic power with incredible density. Even after having broadcasted matches between knights for a long period of time, Iida could only count the number of times he had seen a Device break on one hand.
On the other hand Muroto, who was in charge of the analysis, was enthusiastic.
「No, there is an exception!」
「An… exception?」
「Yes. Please look closely at the Seven Stars Sword King's Tora-Ou!」
At Muroto's words, all eyes were on Moroboshi. And then everyone noticed. At some point, his spear had become clad in a golden aura.
Everyone knew what that aura was.
「This, this is! The Seven Stars Sword King had activated Tiger Bite at a certain point in the fight!」
This was the same anti-Blazer Noble Art Tiger Bite for which Yuudai Moroboshi was famed, and which had even dispelled the Sword Emperor of Wind's Noble Art Kusanagi the previous night.
「But why would he have activated Tiger Bite? Kurogane wasn't even using any Noble Arts…!」
But even as Iida said this, his faced changed as he seemingly came to his own conclusions.
「It couldn't be…!」
「So you noticed, huh. That's it. To dispel a Noble Art is to dispel the magic therein. And that which a Blazer invests magic power into is not limited to their Noble Arts. Their weapons, the Devices, are also made of magic power! It seems that the Seven Stars Sword King has somehow learned such a frightening technique in the one year since he took the title. Last year, his Tiger Bite had only been able to dispel Noble Arts, which a Blazer only puts a portion of their power into. But this year… it can even shatter a magic construct of such high density as a Device!」
Even in faraway Tokyo, Touka Toudou gasped as she witnessed this development in the battle.
"For such a thing to…!"
"President, this… is this going to be fairly hard for Kurogane?"
"…'Fairly' doesn't even cut it."
Yes. "Fairly" didn't even begin to describe it. The Device represented a Blazer's soul. If damaged or broken, the mental feedback was painful enough to easily render them unconscious. With Tiger Bite possessing the power to destroy even Devices, even the very act of crossing blades with him was like exposing one's heart to him and requesting death.
Luckily, Ikki's blade had not been completely shattered this time, but there would not be second chance. His Intetsu could not take another hit from Tora-Ou.
This also meant that Ikki had lost his means of dealing with Houkiboshi.
There is no target of opportunity—!
They all felt a shiver at the terrifying nature of Tiger Bite—Touka and Kanata, who were watching the broadcast together, as well as Ikki's companions on-site.
Ikki thought differently. More so than the technique—it was the person called Yuudai Moroboshi who caused him to tremble.
What a terrifying person…!
Tiger Bite was indeed a formidable ability. Even if he only possessed that ability, he would be able to dominate the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival.
But this knight he was fighting did not do so. He did not revel in that overwhelming power, but instead planned intricately, reeling Ikki in. From the first Sanrensei, all of his actions had been but foreshadowing. First had he used Sanrensei to lure Ikki into range, and then use the weakness of the thrust as bait before retaliating with Houkiboshi.
Of course Ikki would feel that he had been had, realizing that Sanrensei had merely been a bait for the real trap to be the sprung in the form of Houkiboshi, the real killing move. And then he, as a fellow Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival representative, had been able to quickly see through the fact that Houkiboshi was a physical technique that needn't be dodged but rather parried—and he would attack thusly, entering Moroboshi's guard.
But this was all according to Moroboshi's scenario.
Houkiboshi was not the killing blow. Indeed, it had never been meant to be the finishing blow, but rather bait to coax Ikki into the situation where Intetsu would meet Tora-Ou head on… all so he could drive Tiger Bite into the Blazer's critical weak point—their Device!
One would think that with such an ability, he would be more rough.
But instead he planned meticulously and efficiently, striking at the gaps in his opponent's thought process. If he had not doubted himself in that instant—thinking "If he can destroy Noble Arts, he could destroy Devices as well"—and thus delayed his attack, Intetsu would surely have been shattered and he would have been defeated.
"Man, what a pity. Jus' a little more and I could've devoured that dull blade whole."
"Kuh…!"
So this is the Seven Stars Sword King…!
Moroboshi stood before Ikki with a fearless grin as Ikki bled from the shoulder.
Seven Stars Sword King・Yuudai Moroboshi
The Moroboshi who stood before Ikki now had lost all trace of the panic he had shown before—no, it was with a fearless grin that he eyed Ikki as Ikki bled from the shoulder.
At this point, Ikki was certain. That this man Yuudai Moroboshi whom he was facing seemed rough in speech, brash and bold… but in reality he was so clever it gave one chills. His every action and every move was executed in order to reel Ikki in. Regardless of what opening Ikki tried to exploit, the depth and flexibility of his strategy meant that he acted as he wished, closing in all the while.
He really thinks far ahead….
Only five meters lay between them, but to Ikki it seemed a faraway, foggy destination.
So this is the domain of Japan's number one student knight, the Seven Stars Sword King…!
"This situation looks quite dire."
Arisuin muttered as he watched the two of them separate, creating another stalemate. Now that Moroboshi had started to use Tiger Bite, Ikki could not parry his strikes and advance. In other words, he had lost the ability to deal with Houkiboshi, and though Arisuin and the others did not know of its existence, watching Ikki have trouble dodging several times they too knew there had to be some secret behind that thrust. Thus Shizuku could only nod, troubled, in response to Arisuin's muttering. Already, he had twice been on the cusp of victory only to suffer an instant reversal. Ikki was clearly the one on the offensive, but Moroboshi had yet to be scratched even once. From an observer's perspective, it was obvious who was controlling this battle.
"To think that Onii-sama would be played so thoroughly…."
At that moment, someone from the side piped up, questioning Shizuku's pessimistic remark.
"I wonder about that."
It was a tall woman in a suit.
"Madam Chairman…."
It was Hagun Academy's board chairman Shinguuji Kurono. She stood beside them, lit cigarette in hand as she corrected Shizuku's miconception.
"It's true that from here it seems as though Ikki has been dancing in the palm of Moroboshi's hand, and to be honest the flow of the battle has been in the latter's hands up to now. But it hasn't proceeded as he had planned. So while he looks quite composed now, he probably isn't as calm inside."
"What do you mean?"
"That Tiger Bite was supposed to be the result of layer upon layer of traps, the ace that decided the match. But the match didn't end there. Kurogane noticed at the last possible moment that his target was Intetsu all along, and used his body to shield his Device."
As she said, Moroboshi was probably rueing the missed opportunity. Such a surprise attack could not be counted on a second time. Ikki would not let Tora-Ou strike Intetsu again.
"In other words, Moroboshi's best-laid plans have gone awry, thanks to but one moment of quick wit on Ikki's part."
In that case, the match was back to square one—indeed, considering that Moroboshi had revealed more of his aces, he was at a disadvantage.
"In any case, Moroboshi isn't the only one here capable of outsmarting his opponent."
Of course, Ikki could not hear Kurono from where he was in the ring. But coincidentally enough, they seemed to be thinking the same thing at that moment.
"As expected of the Seven Stars Sword King. You really gave me a fright there, Moroboshi-san."
"Hope you ain't gonna call me a coward. 'Hoistin' em by their own petard' is a real old trick."
"Of course I wouldn't say that. In fact, I'm quite fond of that tactic myself."
As they spoke, Ikki lifted his head, a cheeky smile—almost as one about to pull a practical joke—on his face.
"Hence, now it's my turn to give you a fright, Moroboshi-san."
Indeed. Ikki too prided himself in being able to incorporate tactics and trickery into his martial arts. He wasn't about to be outfoxed and leave it at that. He would get Moroboshi good once, he would not settle for less.
And he had already thought of a way—a way by which he could fake Moroboshi out and end this match.
「Oh my! Kurogane has just issued an unexpected challenge! Even after being shown the distance between himself and the top of the Seven Stars, he's not afraid! He's not backing down!」
「Tha'ssa way, Kurogane! Don't lose in terms of spirit!」
「Do your best! Ikki—!」
Despite the match having taken a turn for the one-sided, Ikki's unquenched fighting spirit caused cheers to rise in the spectator stands. Ignoring them, Moroboshi thought carefully on the words of the man before him instead.
He… doesn't seem like th' sort of guy who'd bluff.
But he couldn't imagine what the play would be. Ikki could no longer parry Houkiboshi with his sword. With Tiger Bite activated, that would be like suicide, no different from surrendering the match. Ittou Shura changed nothing. With Tiger Bite, Tora-Ou was a voracious eater that could even devour Kusanagi with ease, much less magical power of Ikki's level. It was also a technique with a time limit, not something to be used against an opponent with the power to dispel magic like himself.
So where did his confidence stem from? He could not imagine it. And precisely because he could not imagine it—
—That's why it's interesting.
His lips turned upwards in delight.
"So, weren't you gonna scare me?"
It wasn't often that someone would come up with a plan that he couldn't see. It would be a pity if he didn't witness it. In preparation for whatever he was going to do, he once again leveled the point of his spear at Ikki with a heave of his shoulders.
"…I say that, but I won't let you off if you show me somethin' borin'. We Osakans hate borin' stuff."
"Do look forward to it."
Saying this, Ikki bent low, his legs readying to kick off.
"Then… here I come!"
He kicked off the stone flooring, as though trying to break it, and charged towards Moroboshi.
「Kurogane initiates! And he's fast! His speed hasn't gone down at all since the start of this match! He's already been repelled twice by the pinnacle of the Seven Stars! This is his third attempt—will it be a success?」
Iida's commentary was full of excitement, as was the expectant crowd as they wondered what the meaning of Ikki's challenge was.
「Well, if you want to say it's fast, it is… but, this….」
The professional knight Muroto on the other hand was doubtful. Ikki's course of action had not changed at all. He was still just charging ahead like a wild boar. Moroboshi, naturally, was similarly annoyed.
He's charging ahead? Hasn't he learned his lesson…!?
And he was even doing it without Ittou Shura. It should have been proven to him quite thoroughly that he could not break through Houkiboshi with just physical skill. Thus, to simply go for a full frontal strike again the third time was a little uninspiring.
"Kurogane. I said it before. I won't be satisfied if you show me something boring!"
Naturally, he met Ikki with Houkiboshi, the homing spear that had given him so much trouble earlier. And—
"Rip em' to shreds! Tiger Bite—!"
Enchanted with the ability to destroy magic, Houkiboshi became a blow that could neither be evaded nor blocked. Ikki's attempt to dodge to his right to evade the oncoming spear was something Moroboshi had seen too many times. Not missing a beat, he adjusted Houkiboshi towards that side. This time, it would pursue the fleeing Ikki and pierce his throat.
Then at that moment—Ikki, whom he should have had precisely where he wanted him, dissipated like a mirage.
Haa!?
The foe he should have given a mortal blow to had disappeared. Unable to comprehend that, Moroboshi was speechless—and then he noticed.
Ikki, whom he had stabbed leftward towards, had circled him to the right and stepped into the attack range of his sword.
Wh, what is this!?
「Moroboshi has made a terrible mistake! Of all things, his spear missed! This is big, too big a mistake!」
That was wrong. Moroboshi had not made a mistake, but rather he had been played by Ikki. Shizuku and company, who had witnessed that very technique before, realized that.
"Shizuku, that was—"
"Yes! It's definitely Shinkirou, which he used in the match against Ayatsuji-senpai!"
Indeed, this was one of Ikki's self-created sword techniques, the fourth secret sword Shinkirou.
It was a special form of footwork that alternated between quickness and slowness, creating afterimages in front of himself that deceived his opponents into cutting thin air. In this case Shinkirou utilized not front-and-back afterimages but side-to-side ones, fooling the Seven Stars Sword King.
Goddamn it! I was fooled by an afterimage—!
Moroboshi too was a first-class student knight. He knew what had gotten him, what his opponent intended. And having analyzed this, he immediately executed the best possible counterattack. Having no time to sweep his spear back around, he had to use the butt of his spear to strike.
This was his best course of action… but it wouldn't make it in time. Moroboshi knew this. Ikki had chosen this tactic based on the enemy-chasing Houkiboshi's blind spot, and having completely outplayed him, he had stepped into range. This would be the fatal blow, irrecoverable even with the most suitable counteroffensive. Ikki's blade would reach him faster than his own strike would. He could no longer avoid it either.
At the moment, Moroboshi knew that he had been beaten.
Thus he was shocked when the next moment, the butt of his spear connected with Ikki's cheek, sending him sailing away.
「Ohhh! What brilliance from Moroboshi! Realizing that he missed, he immediately executed a reverse thrust with his spear butt! He's knocked Kurogane, who circled around to the left, beyond sword range again! Kurogane was once again unable to stay within the reach of his weapon! This is the Seven Stars Sword King's imposing defense!」
The applause rained down upon Moroboshi for his third successful defense. But it did not enter his ears.
That… wasn't my play!
He understood that in that moment, even though he had done all that he could, his counterattack would not possibly have landed first. That is, if Ikki had not committed a fatal error in those final decisive moments.
Could it be that—
Moroboshi's heart wavered in doubt. Naturally, he remembered the previous night. The figure of Ikki's body freezing up during the battle with Ouma.
As I thought, there's somethin' off 'bout you, Kurogane!
And unfortunately, his guess was spot-on.
Ikki's mind reeled from the spear-butt hit that he had taken to the skull. His brain juddered, his vision swam.
Again…!
The symptoms that had emerged in the fight against Ouma the previous night had lain dormant till now. At that critical moment when he was about to defeat Moroboshi, they had resurfaced, causing Ikki's body to not move as he desired.
Damn! What's happened to my body?
「Surely you do not think that you could continue as-is after having fought the world's strongest swordsman? Even if your body is fine, she left her mark on your spirit.」
Did I really… break?
Did his terror of Edelweiss unknowingly become a fatal wound? Ikki broke into a cold sweat as thoughts of that affliction that was at once unknown and unknowable passed through his mind. His companions recognized the abnormality.
"What's going on? That was the moment to finish the match, but I could see that Ikki's movements suddenly dulled."
Kiriko concurred with Arisuin.
"Indeed he did. Moroboshi-kun's counterattack was very quick, so it was hard to notice, but he clearly slowed down."
"So Onii-sama… really is too nervous…."
Kiriko shook her head in response.
"No, that's not it. If he was nervous, he should have frozen up a lot sooner, and in any case I doubt that your brother is the sort of knight who would freeze up due to mere nervousness. Even if there were something wrong with him, he would still perform the right movements… but it's precisely because of this that his problem might be more serious."
"S-Serious!? What do you mean by that? Has something happened to Onii-sama's body!?"
"At the very least, he doesn't have any visible injuries. There can be no mistake in my diagnosis. His body was perfectly fine, and the injuries that he has sustained in the course of this match… well, they're not serious. Therefore, I think it is likely that the problem lies within instead. I'm not an expert in patients with mental conditions and thus can't give you a clear answer, but there is an affliction among fighters that is known as 'Punch Eye'. Harboring an extreme fear for their opponents attacks, the bodies of the affected fighter will freeze and become unable to move. It's a severe illness that can end the fighting careers of the afflicted."
"Are you saying that Onii-sama has that condition!?"
Shizuku cried out, realizing vaguely that something out of the ordinary had happened to her brother.
"Calm down. As I said before, this isn't my specialty. I'm just giving my opinion on the possible causes…. That said, he did fight and lose to Twin Wings Edelweiss, the strongest swordswoman in the world, didn't he?"
The blood drained from Shizuku's face. She understood the meaning behind Kiriko's words. Her brother was indeed strong. However, he was not yet so strong that he could face the strongest in the world. That he came back in one piece was by itself already abnormal.
"It would not be unreasonable that he still bears wounds in his heart, where we cannot see."
"Th-That's…."
"It does seem that it might be as you say, Kiriko-san. And even if it isn't 'Punch Eye', Ikki's expression says it all—that sudden dulling of his movements at that timing was in one way or another abnormal."
Even from afar, Ikki seemed shaken. In fact, Arisuin believed the situation serious precisely because of how he fought to suppress that wavering and school the expression on his face, and yet it seemed to be beyond his ability to do so.
However—
Shinguuji Kurono, who was standing somewhat further away, had a different opinion on the matter.
This isn't 'Punch Eye' or some PTSD of that kind.
With a glance, she had found that which was afflicting Ikki even where he himself had not been able to… though perhaps it might be better to say that she had foreseen this turn of events ahead of time. Since the end of Ikki's fight with Edelweiss, she had guessed that something like this might happen. Thus she knew that this affliction would not result in the end of his career as 'Punch Eye' would.
However, that doesn't change the fact that his movements have become dull. Additionally, it is likely that Moroboshi has noticed it too. Given that, the situation is indeed a dangerous one.
Indeed, Moroboshi could read that much from Ikki's face from where he was in the ring.
He's desperate to maintain a calm front, just like last night.
His expression was that of one afflicted with a condition he himself did not understand. It was definitely a relapse of the trouble he had had the previous night.
Moroboshi sighed inwardly at this revelation. He had meant to defeat Crownless Sword King at his best, and thus prove his strength to Koume.
But we're already in the ring.
To see an opponent's weakness and yet not strike at it was to make a mockery of their battle. He felt that it was a pity, but he would not hold back.
You showed me your fatal flaw yourself… don't think ill of me now, but I'm gonna attack without holding back!
Without reserve, Moroboshi moved to seize the victory.
「Moroboshi's moving in to attack Kurogane, who's still reeling from that heavy blow! You're backed into a corner now… can you get out of this fix, Crownless Sword King—!?」
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