“One blow from the base of Moroboshi’s spear has completely changed the course of this battle! Kurogane has definitely slowed down, and Moroboshi is taking full advantage of that, hitting him with even more attacks! This is an appalling scene, folks; there’s been an explosion of bloodshed that’s covered the battlefield! Can we expect the referee to stop this before it gets too painful to bear?!”

Outside the arena where the battle was taking place, in the city that had once been a ghost town, those who couldn’t make it into the Coastal Dome had assembled to watch the events of the Festival on their mobile devices.

“It’s already over,” one such person grumbled. The Worst One’s impending defeat was as clear as day.

“Yeah. Worst One was moving pretty well at the start, but he’s slowed down. It takes him everything he’s got just to run away now.”

“Moroboshi’s really tough, huh?”

“Haha. Well, yeah, what did you expect? You think the Seven Stars King would lose to some Rank F?!”

Those nearby followed up with their own opinions, each one foreseeing Ikki’s defeat. However, there was a single person among the crowd who disagreed with everyone else watching.

“Nope. Ikki’s gonna win.”

“Say what?”

They all turned toward where that voice had come from, insatiably curious as to who would believe such an outcome was possible. Nobody in the area stood out as the speaker of that hopeful thought, but those who strained their eyes caught a glimpse of red hair, fluttering in the wind like a flame as it disappeared into the Dome.

“Huh? Was that… No way!”

◆◇◆◇◆

Meanwhile, in Hagun Academy’s hospital ward, a TV screen showed Ikki being one-sidedly pushed back.

“Whoa! Kurogane’s finally taken a direct hit! Right in the thigh, too!”

“This doesn’t look good. Worst One just keeps slowing down. Perhaps it’s time for the referee to step in.”

The announcers heralded his defeat, but Touka Toudou, the Raikiri, was left puzzled.

“That’s strange,” she commented with doubt in her voice.

“It certainly is,” Kanata replied. “Why is he suddenly so much slower, I wonder.”

“Hmm. I’m curious about that too, but what’s even stranger is Moroboshi.”

“Oh? Why do you say that?”

“As far as I can tell, Moroboshi has had three sure chances to finish their battle, but he hasn’t taken them.”

“You don’t suppose he’s mocking Kurogane, do you?”

“He’s not the kind of person to do that. But that just makes this even weirder.”

What in the world does Moroboshi see? Touka thought to herself as she looked at Moroboshi’s face on the screen. His actions were very unbefitting of who he was as a fighter. He almost seemed to be afraid of something.

As questions circled in her mind, a major development occurred that coincided with her theory: while Ikki was running away, he fell down.

◆◇◆◇◆

“Rgh!” Ikki grunted as he hit the floor of the arena.

“Oh no! In his attempt to escape, Kurogane has slipped and fallen in a pool of his own blood! This is Moroboshi’s big chance! Will he end the battle here?!”

With a look of panic on his face, Ikki tried quickly to stand back up, but it was too late. In a battle of giants such as theirs, there would be no recovering from a blunder of that magnitude. Moroboshi would end the fight right then and there.

Or maybe he wouldn’t.

“What’s this?! Moroboshi isn’t going in for the attack! Is he refusing to defeat a fallen opponent?!”

The announcers took his inaction as his way of showing respect for his foe. The audience roared at the sight.

“You go, Boshi! Nothing less from Japan’s strongest!”

“Hurry up and get it over with, though! This is getting tough to watch!”

“Get him, Moroboshiii!”

While his supporters erupted with excitement, Moroboshi was in a cold sweat.

That’s five.

Five times he had been handed the chance to finish Ikki off, and five times he had let it slip away. Somehow, even he failed to figure out the reason why.

What is this feeling? It’s weird…

The only thing he could figure out was that every time he attacked, every time he pressed Ikki, the pressure emanating from the half-dead knight before him grew ever greater. That pressure made him hesitant to attack at every turn. It felt to him as though taking another step would mean stepping on the tail of a creature more terrifying than any tiger.

Coward! Look at his eyes!

Even assailed by some mysterious ailment, even bloodied from head to toe, the fight in Worst One’s eyes didn’t waver in the slightest. Those eyes reminded him that he couldn’t keep avoiding what he needed to do. If Ikki refused to give up despite facing so much adversity, how could he, the Seven Stars King, give up when he had the advantage?

I can’t let Koume see me like this!

As the reigning champion of the Seven Stars Battle Festival and as a brother, he couldn’t let that happen. Pride and dignity pushed Moroboshi forward as he lowered his hips more than he had at any point before in their battle.

“Here I come, Kuroganeee!”

With a spirited yell, he set upon Ikki with the intent to finally claim victory.

◆◇◆◇◆

Moroboshi rushed forward with his greatest speed yet. He unleashed his Astral Trio, aiming for Ikki’s brow, throat, and solar plexus—a combination that was certain to put an end to their fight.

There was no way Ikki would be able to evade the attack. On top of being unable to control himself, he also had a thigh injury. Resigning himself to defeat, he reflected upon the bitter feeling it left in his heart.

“Tomorrow, I’ll be the greatest opponent you could have ever asked for.”

He had been unable to keep his promise. He hated the fact that he couldn’t return the favor to his proud foe, who wished wholeheartedly to fight him at full power. For that reason, he swore to himself that he would continue fighting until he was physically unable to. That was the least he could do.

That’s why I can’t use Ittou Shura. Not yet.

As long as he was dealing with this bizarre condition, using his time-limited trump card would be putting it to waste. Doing so would nip his chance of victory in the bud, and he couldn’t bring himself to do that. Until he fell unconscious, no matter how unsightly it was, he would continue to fight without giving up on even the slightest chance at victory.

With his resolve steeled, Ikki lifted the tip of his sword to meet Moroboshi’s attack. Then, riddled with wounds and facing certain defeat, he readied Intetsu. The situation he found himself in brought back a memory, if only for the span of a mere moment.

Come to think of it, this is just like what happened back then.

His desperate battle against Edelweiss at Akatsuki Academy’s schoolyard resurfaced in his mind. The situation had been desperate indeed, as he’d been robbed of his vision and left with no time to think. Because of that, the memory of the fight wasn’t well-formed, but the similarities between his tattered state against Moroboshi and that of back then helped make his recollection more vivid.

What did I do back then? Surprisingly, the memory of how he’d responded to the approach of the world’s strongest knight came back to him with ease. That’s right. I tried to use the swordplay I stole from Edelweiss.

Edelweiss’ swordplay was fast enough that even the afterimages it left behind were impossible to perceive, but fortunately, he had been able to piece it together based on the movements of her body. Her swings were oppressively fast, but Ikki had uncovered the secret behind them: she did not need time to accelerate.

Normally, even regular sword swings were slow when they were started. For the tip of the blade to reach full speed, some measure of acceleration was necessary. However, in none of Edelweiss’ movements was there any amount of acceleration. The moment her heel lifted to step forward, her sword was already at top speed. It was an instantaneous stop-and-go, jumping straight from zero to a hundred and back.

Though seemingly useless, it was actually an incredibly strong power. Such extreme changes in speed allowed one to seem many times faster than they actually were, and the lack of a slow start made it extremely difficult for foes to focus on the sword itself. In the space of their battle, Ikki had discerned that much of Edelweiss’ fighting abilities.

Using what he’d gleaned from her, he had, in his final moments of consciousness, attempted to replicate her skill using Blade Steal. He’d had no proof that he could imitate it, he’d simply decided that, because it was the strongest sword style he’d ever seen, he should learn to use it. Perhaps, then, attempting to replicate it against Moroboshi was his best course of action. Though he was too battered to do so properly, there was no doubt that its strength would be of some use to him.

Maybe I can at least…

With that thought in mind, Ikki cast his mind back. He recalled the feeling of fighting Edelweiss, and gave an order to his reluctant body. The world’s best swordplay was… was…

“Like this.”

Instantly, Ikki became as light as a feather. He weaved through the intervals of Astral Trio like the rushing wind, passing by Moroboshi to deliver a deep horizontal slash to his torso. It was as if his condition had never even affected him; he was moving with speed comparable to that of Ittou Shura.

The intersection between the two fighters happened in the blink of an eye. Before he could figure out what had happened, Moroboshi sank to the ground, unable to muster so much as a scream as blood spewed from his body.

“What the…?” Ikki asked himself. Even he struggled to understand that everything that had just happened was his own doing.

“Wh-Whaaaaat?!”

Shocked by the incomprehensible turnabout, the venue exploded with shouts of confusion.

◆◇◆◇◆

“Wh-Wh-What in the world just happened?! Just as Moroboshi was about to decide the match, he sank to the ground! He must have been struck by Kurogane, but… I-I’m ashamed to say that it all went too fast for me to see!” Iida yelled, the pitch of his voice rising with every word. The great distance between the announcers’ booth and the arena made it hard to follow Ikki’s movements—he seemed to disappear from sight and reappear behind Moroboshi, cutting him down in the process. “What does this all mean?! Kurogane’s movements were clearly very different!”

Iida couldn’t contain his surprise, opening his eyes wide in disbelief. Next to him, however, the Mage-Knight known as Muroto was shocked to a different extent altogether.

“I-Impossible! It can’t be, but… No, that’s inconceivable!”

He knew exactly where the swordplay and footwork Ikki had just used had come from. Iida almost snapped at him for more information.

“Coach Muroto, do you know something about this?! Could this be the Worst One’s legendary Ittou Shura?”

“N-No, that’s not Ittou Shura. You can tell that the magic in Kurogane hasn’t changed. This is pure swordplay! There are differences between two-sword and one-sword styles, but that instantaneous acceleration and blinding-fast strike bring to mind something that I’ve only seen once before!”

“Where have you seen that?! It couldn’t have been in the A-League, could it?!”

“You’d never see it in a place like that,” Muroto replied while shaking his head. “That style belongs to the worst criminal in all of history. She’s the world’s strongest knight—so powerful that nations have given up on apprehending her. Kurogane is using the same swordplay as Twin Wings Edelweiss!”

The Dome filled with shouts in response to Muroto’s claim, causing the venue to shake it more than it had at any point in the day.

“Say what?!”

“You mean the Twin Wings?! But why can Worst One use her swordplay?!”

“Wait! I heard he can steal his enemy’s swordplay!”

Everyone in the stands exploded with screams of astonishment and confusion. Ikki’s friends as well were, for once, just as dumbfounded as everyone else. They of all people knew that Ikki Kurogane was the kind of person to constantly defy common sense, but if Muroto was correct, then he’d done something far beyond anything he’d done before.

“B-Big Brother really did that?!”

“So he didn’t just live to tell the tale, he lived to steal the strongest swordsman’s own style?!”

“Th-That can’t be!” The one who oppugned Alice’s shaken question was Kiriko. She claimed that it was impossible. “If that’s true, why didn’t he use it from the start?!”

That was the obvious question to ask, but Kurono responded to it with a denial.

“It’s not like he chose not to. Until just now, he simply couldn’t remember it.”

“Ah!” Kiriko squeaked as she recalled the conversation Ikki had had with Yagokoro the night before.

“The fact that he didn’t remember served as the cause of his condition, too.”

“Mind explaining what you mean, Director?”

“Edelweiss’ swordplay is abnormal. Normally, a human’s movements are the result of muscles working in unison, but her style doesn’t work like that. To instantly go from zero to a hundred percent, you have to move all of those muscles at exactly the same time, condensing all of your muscular strength in an instant. That said, the brain can’t fire off enough electrical impulses to command all of those muscles at once. So, to make it possible, you have to change your brain’s very signaling.”

One had to create signals that were wholly different from those created by a normal human. Such so-called “battle signals” were shorter, yet denser with information. Without using those to their fullest extent, the intricate machine known as the human muscular system could not be put into simultaneous full-power operation.

“In their high-speed, blink-and-it’s-over battle, Kurogane acquired these when he was struck by Edelweiss’ blades. Even though he couldn’t retrieve the memories, his brain still retained them. And for a swordsman at Ikki’s level, once they took in such an incredible technique, they would unconsciously begin to reproduce it.

“In other words, when his battle against Moroboshi reached a decisive point and Kurogane’s concentration was at its limit, his brain used those battle signals. But much like Kurogane himself, his body had forgotten them, unable to understand the strange, different impulses.”

“And because of that, his body couldn’t respond in kind. Is that what you’re saying?”

Shizuku’s confirmation was met with a nod from Kurono.

“Right. Basically, Kurogane wasn’t broken by Edelweiss. It was quite the opposite: that battle forced him to evolve tremendously, to the point that not even his muscles could keep up. At least, not until just now.”

On the verge of defeat, Ikki’s body had finally grown to accept the power he had acquired. In doing so, he created a new way of moving that differed entirely from how he had done it in his sixteen long years.

“His brain—an engine idling at super-high speed—and his muscles—the clutch—have finally connected. At this point, the end of the match is nigh. Yuudai Moroboshi may be the strongest Seven Stars King in the last ten years, but this opponent is just too much for him. It doesn’t matter that Kurogane lost to the world’s strongest swordsman; his life-and-death battle with her and his ability to learn have combined perfectly, giving him skill that eclipses that of all other student knights. He has become far stronger than necessary for being in this tournament. The boy standing in front of Moroboshi right now is truly a beast.”

Perhaps, Kurono thought, the one who had an unlucky first-round matchup was actually Moroboshi.

◆◇◆◇◆

“Gahah…!”

Moroboshi was awoken by a cold sensation on his face: the stone of the arena floor.

Wha—? Why am I on the ground? With his consciousness having been so suddenly seized from him, he had no idea what was going on—not the situation he was in, or even that he had taken a blow from Ikki. Anyway, I’d better stand up.

It was a fighter’s instinct to quickly rise from a defenseless, prone position. Even if he didn’t know what had happened, his action was a reflexive one. Hence, as soon as Moroboshi awoke, he jumped to his feet.

“Gnaaaaagh!”

He instantly screamed in pain, however, as if a smoldering chunk of iron had been pressed into his side.

“Moroboshi stands up, but he appears to have taken some serious damage! He’s bleeding quite a bit, too! Both of his knees are buckling!”

Once he’d heard the play-by-play announcer’s voice and experienced the pain in his side, Moroboshi finally realized that he was wounded.

What the heck? I got hit?! But I didn’t see anything!

Moroboshi was confused, but then he heard something.

“I finally get it…” his opponent murmured.

“Kurogane? What the hell did you do?”

What realization could he have made that led to such speed? In response to this question, Ikki bowed in apology.

“Moroboshi, I’m sorry for making you wait so long.”

“You’re sorry?”

“Yeah. But now, it’s all here.” Ikki was clearly speaking of the promise he’d made the day before—the promise that he would be the greatest opponent Yuudai Moroboshi could have asked for. He was finally convinced that he could carry out that promise. “I can do what I promised now. I’ll show you the true, full strength of Ikki Kurogane!”

“…Nh!”

As he spoke that last word, Ikki vanished from Moroboshi’s field of vision.

He disappeared?!

It was not that he’d disappeared, Moroboshi’s kinetic vision simply couldn’t keep up with the rocketing start he’d taken, reaching top speed the moment his heel had left the ground. He traced a smooth curve as he darted around Moroboshi to the left, easily slipping through the thrice-striking spear to arrive in sword range.

“Rahhh!”

Dashing by like a black blur, Ikki let loose a hail of sword strikes. The attacks tore open Moroboshi’s right side, but he still turned deftly and counterattacked.

“Damn youuu!”

Judging Ikki’s position by the burning pain that assailed him, Moroboshi unleashed an Astral Trio. However, all three strikes struck nothing but air, for Ikki was no longer in the direction he was aiming.

H-He’s already out of the way?!

He was flabbergasted by Ikki’s speed. However, he was given no time to be surprised as a slash quickly fell on him from behind.

“Gaaah!”

“Wow, he’s taken another blow! Moroboshi keeps on letting his opponent into striking range! He can’t keep up with Kurogane’s moves! Astral Trio whiffs again, sailing through the air without reaching its destination!”

“There’s nothing he can do! Kurogane’s smooth movement and overwhelming speed are making it hard for even us to keep up with him from up in the booth! Following him when he’s right in front of you must be impossible! I doubt the Seven Stars King can see Worst One anymore!”

Muroto’s analysis was right on the mark.

Dammit…!

An unbelievable scene had unfolded in Moroboshi’s field of vision. Countless sword strikes assailed him, the sound of footsteps moving with incredible speed were audible—there was no doubt that his foe was right next to him, but no matter where he turned to look, he saw nothing. The arena seemed empty apart from him.

What the—? What on earth?!

Was it really possible? Was what Ikki was doing actually, realistically possible? In a flat, circular arena of just over a hundred yards in diameter and with no hiding spots to speak of, how could Moroboshi have been unable to see his foe, who was so close that he could hear him breathing?

Th-This is real bad!

Moroboshi sensed the signs of another impending slice. Continuing to get hit would spell his end, but with such a wide gap in speed, defending himself with his spear was nigh impossible. The decision he made, then, was to cross his arms as an emergency guard.

“Hraaahhhhh!”

He stopped pouring magic into his spear, forgoing the use of Tiger’s Bite, and unleashed it from his body to create and envelop himself in armor.

“Look at the Seven Stars King now! The strongest, proudest knight in all of Japan has abandoned pride and glory for a full-on defense!”

Moroboshi’s magic was not as great as Stella’s. Because of that, he was unable to nullify other Devices like she could—not even one belonging to a Rank F. But if he released all of his magic, he could at least weaken Intetsu’s slashes to the point that they were little more than light whacks. If he used his arms to protect his head, he should survive at least one or two blows, but that meant going entirely on the defensive, abandoning the idea of attacking altogether. It gave Ikki the chance to step in and attack without fear.

“Kurogane won’t let this chance go! Running like the wind, he’s striking from all directions at once! He’s beating the tar out of Moroboshi, and the King can’t handle it! Is he losing the will to fight?!”

“That’s not it. The Seven Stars King has completely lost sight of Worst One. The only thing he can do is tighten up and get through this. He’s doing everything in his power to survive right now!” Muroto praised Moroboshi’s spirit in not giving up no matter what may come. “But still, we should end this fight!”

“What?! Are you saying Moroboshi doesn’t have a chance to turn the tables?!”

“It’s impossible,” Muroto responded with a nod. “The difference in their skill is too great. He doesn’t stand a chance!”

Muroto was a Mage-Knight distinguished in Japan, having climbed his way up to the KoK A-League. He of all people knew that the gap in skill was too vast for Moroboshi to surmount. However, his analysis angered Moroboshi’s fans.

“What’s with this stupid analyst?!”

“Boshiii! Don’t you dare give up!”

His hometown supporters screamed in pain. However, the battle’s sudden momentum shift was followed by an unbelievably one-sided match.

“With every gale of dark wind, the magical armor protecting Moroboshi is chipped away even more, breaking down until it eventually shatters! Is this how it ends?! Will the Star of Naniwa, the conqueror of last year’s tournament and hopeful for the first-ever two-year streak, lose here, unable to fight back?!”

In the very center of the crucible of excitement and confusion created by the fourth matchup in the first round’s block C and all its unimaginable developments, Shizuku noticed Koume’s tiny form leaving the venue in her periphery. It looked as if she was fleeing.

Koume…

She wore a strange expression as she ran. It reminded Shizuku not only of her expression while watching the battle, but also of that from when she’d seen Ikki the day before. At those times, too, her face had been distorted by the pain she suppressed.

Shizuku had a good understanding of how Koume felt, as she also had a brother who lived for battle. Along with this came an understanding of why she was tormented, and the knowledge of her logical mistake. Before she knew it, Shizuku’s legs carried her into a run after Koume.

“Oh, Shizuku. I’ve always said that’s what I love most about you,” Alice muttered to herself.

Hearing her friend’s guess as to why she was acting as such, Shizuku’s ears took on a light shade of red.

◆◇◆◇◆

The perimeter of the Dome was separated from each section of the stands by a single fire escape door. Near one such door, on a bench next to a gently curving window that commanded a wide view of Osaka Bay, sat Koume Moroboshi. Her back was turned away from the venue where her brother Yuudai fought.

You don’t have to do this anymore, Yuu.

She just wanted him to stop. If he was doing it all for her, then there was no longer any point. He had never told her that he was fighting to get her to speak again, but she’d never needed his direct confirmation. That made it all the more painful, all the more difficult for her to watch. She couldn’t stand to watch as her brother shed blood because of her, so she ran away.

“You’re not going to watch the match?”

The one who spoke to her was Shizuku, who had followed her from the stands. In her surprise, Koume whirled around to face the person who’d asked her the question. Her eyes stopped on the girl of almost exactly the same height as her, who she remembered was the sister of her brother’s opponent.

Oh, she was at the restaurant yesterday. I think…

Why would she have left the stands? Her brother was only moments away from seizing victory over Koume’s own. Shizuku seemed to read Koume’s mind through her puzzled expression, as she smiled a bit worriedly and explained why she came.

“I just couldn’t let you go. As a girl who also has a big brother, I kind of know a lot about how you feel.”

“…!”

Koume’s eyes went wide with confusion as she stared at Shizuku.

“Kiriko told us why your brother revived his career,” Shizuku said as she sat down next to Koume, who seemed to accept her explanation. It only made sense that Kiriko knew all about the Moroboshi siblings. “I understand just how you feel, because I also love my brother very much. Seeing him hurt, seeing him shed blood, it’s all so difficult. And if it was all for me, I’d feel like my heart was breaking all the time.”

“…”

Shizuku’s words described Koume’s frame of mind aptly. With no reason to hide anything given how much Shizuku already knew, Koume nodded slightly in her silence.

“You’d probably think that if this is all for you, then he should just stop.”

Another nod.

“It’s so hard to be a burden on the man you love.”

Yet another nod…

“…?!”

…before realizing that her new friend had said something insane. Koume’s face turned a deep red as she shook her head vigorously in refutation. She and her brother were nothing like that.

“Oh, no? You don’t love him like that? I see…”

Why is she so disappointed?

Koume was a little perplexed by her unusual form of love.

“Well, even if your relationship is different, it must still be uncomfortable to watch and cheer for your own brother like it’s not your business that he’s fighting to help you speak again.”

“…”

Shizuku’s slow, almost soothing speech seemed to put Koume’s innermost feelings on display. Indeed, even she wanted to support her brother. And she did, long ago. So long ago that he was in the Little League at the time. She always sat in the front row, screaming as hard as her little vocal cords would let her. Her brother was so much stronger and cooler than anyone else. She loved supporting him—it was fun. But things had changed.

After the accident, nothing was the same. Moroboshi began fighting only to get her to speak again, as if it was his duty as an older brother. How could she support him in that? No matter how much time had passed, she would never be worthy of supporting someone who sacrificed so much of himself for her.

The question of how long she planned to lean on her brother nagged at her endlessly. Thus, ever since the accident, she had never been able to give her brother her heartfelt support. It had even gone so far as to culminate in her turning tail and fleeing from the arena.

She knows all of that.

It was somewhat embarrassing for Koume, but she felt a measure of kindness in Shizuku, who understood her so well and spoke in such a soothing way to her. She took out her cell phone and tried to type a “thank you” to Shizuku, but Shizuku spoke once more before she could.

“But who cares? There’s no point in you worrying about that.”

“…?!”

Koume stopped cold, so shocked by those words that she turned her attention back to Shizuku’s face. That girl had just revealed the inner workings of her mind and torn it all apart. Of course, Shizuku also had her reasons for saying such a thing.

“Who cares, you know? No matter how much you—no, no matter how much we rely on them, that’s what we’re supposed to do. We’re their little sisters, and they’re our big brothers.”

“…!”

A big brother protected his younger siblings, and younger siblings depended on their big brother. That didn’t only apply to humans, either; it was a convention followed by many living things. If others could do it, then they had that right as well.

“Even if nobody else will be nice to you, your big brother is the one rock that you can always rely on. That’s why I keep relying on mine, and why I will never stop loving him. Even if he loves someone else, and even if it bothers him that I love him, I can’t let myself stop. Compared to how selfish I am, your selfish desire to cheer your brother on—well, even if you can’t literally cheer him on—is microscopic.”

That was the reason behind not just Shizuku’s words, but also her coming to find Koume. She couldn’t bear to watch as the girl was crushed under the weight of her guilt just because she didn’t believe she could rely on her brother. She’d said everything she wanted to say, and just as she finished saying it, there was a great clamor in the venue behind them.

“Kurogane’s just turned up the heat again! Faster, faster, he keeps on carving off more and more of Moroboshi’s magic guard! It’s only a matter of time before he breaks through!”

“Looks like the battle’s about to end. I should get back in there,” Shizuku said, standing up from the bench. “What are you going to do? Or rather, what do you want to do?”

“…”

The question again perplexed Koume. It wasn’t that she didn’t understand what Shizuku had told her, but after getting her brother into an accident and making him worry by not talking, could she really continue to rely on him? She couldn’t so readily abandon such a long-held doubt, so she merely sat on that bench, unsure of what to do.

“And there it is! Moroboshi’s magical guard has finally worn off! He’s truly backed into a corner now!”

Yuu!

Despite her fear, despite her worries, she chose to see her brother, and let her legs carry her to him.

◆◇◆◇◆

In the arena, the match was all but decided.

“Moroboshi jumps back to make some dis— Ah! Kurogane expected this! Moroboshi can’t escape! A desperate Astral Trio toward the impending predator, but it misses! Kurogane’s advance is much faster than even the speed of Moroboshi’s spear! Three hits, now four, he’s just taking more damage! Blood erupts onto the white arena floor! All of Kurogane’s swings are landing, but Moroboshi refuses to give in!

“Moroboshi’s army of supporters has been silenced by this one-sided beatdown! I’m sorry to say it, but it’s hard to imagine Moroboshi coming back from this! The difference in strength and skill is just too much!”

Having exhausted his protective magic and been left without power to activate Tiger’s Bite, Moroboshi frantically stabbed in an attempt to fight back. Unfortunately, however, he could hardly even perceive Ikki’s shadow. He had no hope of sinking his fangs into the enemy in his condition. His spear vainly pierced the air, helplessly taking the full force of blow after blow.

It couldn’t even be called a fight. Anyone could tell that Moroboshi was to lose. Even so, he refused to bend, never giving up on victory.

“The Seven Stars King refuses to fall! Yuudai Moroboshi stands guard in the center of the arenaaa!”

I can’t lose now!

Was it for Koume? No. At first, yes, it had all been because of his sense of duty as her brother. Koume had become mute as a result of his weakness, in a way, so he had decided that it was up to him to bring her speech back, but ever since he’d stepped into the arena, there had been a shift in his way of thinking.

He had finally remembered just how much he loved the world of battle. It made him hope so very strongly, more than ever before, that his beloved sister didn’t just recover, but also that she would support him. With him fighting and Koume cheering him on, the two could share in the joys of his knighthood, just like they had in the good old days. Maybe it wasn’t a very manly desire…

…But it’s the most important thing to me.

Until his dream came true, he would keep being the strong brother that Koume could cheer for from the bottom of her heart. That pride served as an endless fount of fighting spirit for the boy known as Yuudai Moroboshi.

“What’s wrong, Kurogane?!” he shouted. “I’m still standing! Bring it ooon!”

◆◇◆◇◆

“He’s got an incredibly strong will, doesn’t he? Still not giving up…”

Covered in blood and almost literally without a leg to stand on, Moroboshi’s attitude as he continued to challenge Ikki filled Shizuku’s voice with fear. His instinct for battle was terrifying—so much so that even Kurono had to nod in agreement.

“That’s the unwavering spirit of a boy who recovered from career-ending injuries. It might as well be impossible to break him. But still, his body has a limit. He’s out of magic and has lost his Tiger’s Bite; he’s just provoking Ikki because he can’t move his own legs. There’s nothing to fear about Moroboshi anymore, and Ikki knows that. I’m sure he’ll go for the kill next.”

The situation in the arena then developed exactly according to Kurono’s prediction. A blue aura of magic had begun to radiate from Ikki like flames that enveloped him. It was his way of declaring that he was ready to end this fight.

“Here comes Ittou Shura for the overkiiill! He’s finally played the trump card that’s felled The Hunter, Raikiri, the Crimson Princess, and plenty of other powerful warriors!”

“Worst One is a frighteningly wily fighter! He uses his most effective abilities at the most effective times! The Seven Stars King is already having trouble keeping up with him. With this, his chance of victory falls to basically zero!”

Muroto was right. If Moroboshi hadn’t been able to respond to Ikki’s sword swings even without the boost from Ittou Shura, how could he fight back after that physical capability had been multiplied by dozens? Ikki’s one technique had secured his victory.

“I’ll use my greatest weakness to topple you, Seven Stars King. Let’s do this, Moroboshi!”

He assumed his final attacking position—the one that would end their long fight. In a mere instant, Ikki had dug down and put all of his strength into his legs to kick off. His heel lifted, propelling him toward Moroboshi at maximum speed. It was almost as if he were flying.

“Kurogane’s off to win! The Seven Stars King is in critical peril!”

As if their battle had reached its true climax, Iida’s voice was the loudest it had been all day. The enormous crowd’s anticipation boiled over with the thought that the King was going to fall in the first round.

Amid the excitement and screams that shook the ground, Koume finally remembered what her nearly broken brother had told her as he’d left that morning.

“Hey. Mind writing ‘Go get ’em!’ like you always do?”

Right.

It wasn’t just her who wanted to support him. Her brother, too, wanted her to support him the way she had in times past. How had she responded to his little request? She wrote her usual words of support on a piece of paper and handed it to him. Was that wrong? What he wanted wasn’t a scrap of paper. What he wanted was…

“What are you going to do? Or rather, what do you want to do?”

What I really wanted to say was…

“You ’an ’o it, Yuuuu!”

A scream burst from her heart as the words she had wanted for so long to say—as the words she thought she wasn’t allowed to say, because she’d stolen her brother’s reason for living. Her vocal cords, dried and seemingly rusty from years of disuse, failed to perfectly form the words. Her voice was quiet and hoarse.

Ah…

However, even from the center of the earth-shaking voices of the audience, Yuudai heard her words. There was no way he wouldn’t after having waited so many years to hear that voice.

“I got thiiiiis!” As Moroboshi’s roar thundered through the venue, his next action astonished every single person there. He wrung the last bit of strength from his near-dead body and, aiming for the brow of the Ittou Shura-enhanced, full-speed-charging Ikki, threw his Device. “Drill into him, Tiger Kiiing!”

All throughout the match, Moroboshi had done battle from within spear range. However, in a last-ditch effort to win, he threw his spear at his opponent—the first long-range attack of the battle.

“This is bad!” The eleventh-hour anomaly caused Kurono to raise her voice in surprise.

What was bad about it? The throw was certainly unexpected—even if an attack directed at the blind spot in the enemy’s consciousness was very like Moroboshi—but a long-ranged spear throw would never hit a knight at Ikki’s level. At least, not normally. In that moment, though, things were different.

The strength of Edelweiss’ swordplay lies in its ability to stop and go at will. But at the same time, that makes it impossible to suddenly move slower or change directions!

When using her fighting style, movement was essentially always in overdrive. The strongest swordplay in the world was unparalleled while attacking, but as a result of that, it was especially fragile in sudden changes of circumstances such as ambushes.

Worse yet, Ikki was also under the effects of Ittou Shura. That alone provided him with such speed that he would have trouble with sudden stops or changes in speed; coupling that with Edelweiss’ techniques put him in a very precarious position.

For this second and this second only, a spear throw turns from ineffective to the ultimate counterattack against Kurogane!

The only way he could stop it from hitting him was by cutting it away with his sword, but even that was infeasible, for the soaring Tiger King was enveloped in a golden gleam—the light of Tiger’s Bite.

Moroboshi’s magic should have dried up, so how could he have used Tiger’s Bite? The answer lay in Tiger King itself: half of its shaft was missing. By breaking apart the lump of magic that was his Device, Moroboshi had wrung out enough magic for one use of his Noble Art. In short, Ikki could neither dodge nor parry the thrown spear.

Moroboshi must have been aiming to make this happen!

Indeed, Moroboshi had quickly discovered the biggest weakness in Edelweiss’ swordplay. From that moment on, he had been setting his trap, luring Ikki into using Ittou Shura and attacking at speeds even he himself could not control. He had used his own muscle, blood, and soul to sell the idea that even he was unable to stand up to Ikki’s sudden change. Using what could be called a “bloodstained bluff”, he had fooled every single person in the Dome—the spectators, Ikki, and even the Rank A Mage-Knight Kurono.

Kurogane’s already at full speed! He can’t evade the throw! she thought, shuddering at Moroboshi’s immeasurably high level of battle sense, which had subverted even her expectations. Alice and Shizuku next to her were much the same.

Then he was just making a fool of everyone at the venue?!

So this is how the King really fights!

The two of them were made fully aware of the true strength of the best in Japan, he who had earned the title of Seven Stars King. But in the next instant, every spectator was frozen by further shock. Just as the pouncing Tiger King’s head was to pierce through Ikki’s brow, he disappeared like a mirage.

What?!

Moroboshi was stunned as a shadow appeared over his head. He looked up to find a dark swordsman swinging his blade downward, the sun at his back. It was Shinkirou, the same sword art that Worst One had used to evade Comet, but instead of using it forward and backward or left and right, he was using it up and down.

Leaving afterimages on the ground, he used his strengthened legs to leap. Moroboshi’s spear had only ever flown toward an illusion, as Ikki had known that Moroboshi would use this moment to bare his fangs. How he had come to know that was made clear the moment Moroboshi saw his assailant’s expression.

Oh, so that’s it. His face showed no feelings of vanity for having caught Moroboshi in his own trap. Instead, there was only immense respect—enough to make even Moroboshi blush. You really believed in me, huh?

He, the Seven Stars King, had put Ikki through the wringer with trap after trap. Someone like him wouldn’t easily fall for his own conniving, Ikki believed, and in the end, that belief became the reason for Moroboshi’s imminent loss. More than anyone else present, more than even Yuudai himself, Ikki respected the knight he fought. Ikki had so much respect for Moroboshi that even when his bloodstained bluff had fooled everyone else, it had not fooled him.

It was then that the victor was decided. Utilizing the force of his descent, Ikki swung his sword. Moroboshi, who had bet everything on his ambush, had neither his weapon nor his magic nor even the stamina to flee. Intetsu cut a gash into him diagonally from shoulder to hip, sending fresh blood flying through the air and causing both of his knees to buckle.

In the midst of the slash, Moroboshi squeezed out the last of his strength to reach out and grab Ikki’s shoulders. Then, to the knight who surpassed him and the foe who had believed in his strength to the last, he entrusted a wish:

“Don’t lose, man.”

Finally, Yuudai Moroboshi, the Seven Stars King, collapsed. The referee signaled that the match was over, and that at long last, a victor had emerged.

◆◇◆◇◆

“And we have a winneeeeer! With twists everywhere you looked, the fourth match of block C was a breathless roller coaster! Another One, Ikki Kurogane, comes out on top of this struggle! It’s unprecedented! The Seven Stars King, a favorite to win two years in a row, has been bested in the first round! What an incredible upset!”

As soon as the match ended, a medical team rushed into the ring and loaded Moroboshi onto a stretcher. His energy completely exhausted, Moroboshi didn’t even have the strength to leave the arena on his own two legs. As he was rushed out of the arena, his supporters sent him off with applause.

“Good job! You did your best, Boshi, you really did!”

“We’ve cheered for you ever since before your retirement… but today was your best showing ever!”

“Applause rains down on the hometown hero as he’s carried away, unconscious, on a stretcher. This is the boy who recovered from career-ending injuries; an incredible warrior who stood at the top undefeated until today. Even though he lost, the unwavering grit he showed in that glorious performance was more than fitting for the strongest student knight in Japan, and stands as a testament to his Seven Stars King title!”

Off to the side, Ikki watched as Moroboshi was carted off the field.

“Yeah, don’t worry. I won’t lose,” he said confidently, answering Moroboshi’s last request before turning to leave the arena.

“And now, after taking down the conqueror of the Seven Stars, Another One leaves the ring with his usual composure as he looks onward to the second round. The weakest magic meets the strongest swordplay. His reputation is well-earned, and everyone here today can be completely sure of that. This boy is the real deal! He’s not just some Rank F, he’s a knight strong enough to compete with the greats for the top of the sixty-second Seven Stars Battle Festival!”

“That was sooo cool! Go, Tokyo guy!”

“Ikki’s the best!”

“Keep up this momentum and take the top! You can do it!”

Like Moroboshi, Ikki was subject to a rain of applause as he left.

Thank you.

Though he was a little embarrassed to be getting so much attention, he silently offered his heartfelt gratitude to everyone in the Dome as he returned to the gate he’d entered through. Due to the effects of Ittou Shura and his use of an unfamiliar style of swordplay, his steps were heavy with fatigue. However, his back remained perfectly straight, for he was proud of himself for winning against such a powerful knight.

It was a worrying match, to say the least. When he’d left the waiting room to enter the arena, he couldn’t bear the fear he’d felt. But he had won and made it to the next round, making it through the first tribulation of Seven Stars, leaving only four more. Only four more wins, and he would finally be at the place he’d always admired, the place he’d always aspired to reach.

The peak of the Seven Stars isn’t too far now!

Ikki came to that realization as he made his way through the gate and exited the arena. Then, from within that gate, a lone figure was visible, clapping as they walked toward him.

“So, you really won.” The path between the waiting room and the gate wasn’t illuminated, so the area they were in was pitch-black. Thus, as the person speaking to him was still far off, Ikki had trouble seeing their face. He had no need to see their face, however, for hearing their voice was more than enough to tell him who it was. “But of course you did. After all, I’m the only one who gets to take down Another One.”

Approaching him was a girl with eyes as beautiful as rubies, and scarlet hair like flames to match: Stella Vermillion, the Crimson Princess.