“Let’s get to it, shall we?! Today’s seventh battle will now begin!

“From the blue gate, we have the man who defeated former Seven Stars representative Shizuya Kirihara in his very first match! It’s the first-year Rank F, the Worst One, Ikki Kurogane! He’s on a perfect eight-win streak, and he hasn’t gotten so much as a single scratch since his first battle! But now, he faces a new opponent, ready and raring to bring down the Worst One once and for all!

“From the red gate, a member of Hagun’s student council and a favorite for this year’s Seven Stars! It’s the second-year Rank C, Runner’s High, Renren Tomaru! Just like Kurogane, she’s undefeated with eight wins, but unlike him, she was ranked third among the entire school last year! Will the third-strongest student knight among us show off her incredible strength today, or will the Worst One betray our expectations yet again and use his martial arts to defeat her magical power?! Ms. Yanagida is here on analysis! What are your thoughts, ma’am?!”

“I fell asleep, what were you saying?”

“Thank you for the insight! Let the battle… begin!”

The buzzer sounded, sending a surge of excitement through the crowd. They cheered for the two knights standing in the arena: Ikki Kurogane, a black-haired boy wielding a Device much like a katana, and Renren Tomaru, a girl equipped with brass knuckles.

“Heya, Kurogane. I saw your battle with The Hunter! It was super exciting!” Though the start of the battle had already been announced, Renren merely danced around and spoke affably to Ikki. Her skin was tanned a light brown, adding to her healthy, lively appearance.

“Thank you,” Ikki said, letting a smile slip at her friendliness. “It’s an honor to receive such high praise from the third-strongest student in the school.”

“Aw, shucks, don’t be like that. We’re the same age, so you can relax, ’kay? Anyway, I’ve been wondering: If you’re such a strong fighter, why’d you flunk?”

“Haha. Well, y’know, things happened.”

“Huh. Whatever those ‘things’ are, it’s a crying shame. It’d be really fun to have someone like you in the same grade as me.”

“What about Saijou? He’s only one place below you.”

“Ugh, not him. Not even close. He’s all brute force; with the way he swings his sword in circles like that, he might as well be a ceiling fan. But come to think of it, maybe you’re the same as him. If you had so much trouble against The Hunter, then you definitely can’t beat me.” Tomaru’s smile became a fierce grin. “I’ll show you how the third-best fights!”

She instantly disappeared from Ikki’s sight. Was it a stealth-based skill like Area Invisible? No. He could hear the sounds of footsteps tracing the edge of the arena. Something was moving with incredible speed. When he focused, he could just barely see the afterimages.

Renren didn’t vanish into thin air, of course, she was just moving so fast that she seemed to vanish. That in itself was Renren Tomaru’s Noble Art.

“It’s Mach Greed! Tomaru is already giving it her all!”

The trick behind her ability was the accumulation of velocity. By removing all sources of deceleration from her body, she could accelerate endlessly.

“I did some research on you, but wow. You’re faster than I expected.”

“Way different from how it looks on camera, right?”

“Yeah. I can’t even keep up. Hey, were you talking at the start of the match because you needed to build up speed by moving around?”

“Correct! My biggest weakness is the initial velocity, so I built up about three hundred miles per hour while I was moving around before. But three hundred is just the start—my Mach Greed really struts its stuff after I break the sound barrier!”

Tomaru continued to run around the ring, even running on the walls that surrounded it. The basic laws of physics seemed to be ignored—rewritten, even—by the principle behind her ability as she accelerated. Five hundred, six hundred, seven hundred… eight hundred miles per hour! She broke the sound barrier and entered the realm of supersonic speed, moving far faster than the human eye could process.

“Get it? I don’t just disappear like The Hunter does! On top of being invisible, I’m impossible to catch! Since you had so much trouble dealing with just the vanishing act, you can’t even think about beating me!”

“Hmm. So if I can catch you, will you surrender?”

“Hahah! Sure, if you can! Too bad you’ll never be able to! Sorry, Kurogane, but you’re not making it to the Seven Stars. Not after you get a load of my supersonic strike!”

Once Tomaru had become fast enough that even Ikki’s superhuman vision couldn’t keep up, she moved behind him and prepared to convert all of her speed into a single, match-winning punch.

“Black Bird!”

Having broken even Mach 2, Tomaru generated a sonic boom as she lunged toward him from behind. An invisible attack moving at an impossible speed was sure to finish him. He wouldn’t be able to block it, let alone avoid it. Hell, he wouldn’t even be able to react to it. Her victory was assured.

“What an idiot,” a silver-haired girl sighed contemptuously from within the audience.

Shizuku Kurogane, a girl so beautiful that she could be mistaken for a porcelain doll, Ikki’s little sister, and a Rank B knight, had earned the nickname Lorelei through her reputation of winning by drowning her foes. “Big Brother wasn’t struggling against that trash just because he couldn’t see him.”

Of course, Shizuku didn’t speak loud enough for Tomaru to hear her. Tomaru realized it quickly enough anyway, though.

“Huh?!”

She witnessed the unthinkable: in an instant that seemed like an eternity, someone was staring straight at her. It was Ikki—his eyes were digging into her very soul!

N-No way! How was he able to react?!

The very next moment, he disappeared from the path of her supersonic fist, sending it—and her—sailing through the air, right past her target. Grabbing the collar of her windbreaker, he used her super-speed momentum to swing her around and throw her down to the stone floor.

“Gah!” The force of the impact knocked the wind out of her, and before she could catch her breath, she felt the tip of his sword pressed against her.

“Looks like I win.”

What happened? How did he catch me? Tomaru was flabbergasted. The only thing she knew was that she had lost.

Interrupting Tomaru’s Mach Greed meant all of the velocity she’d accumulated went away. She required perpetual motion for her ability to continue working, but she wouldn’t get the opportunity to start accelerating again. Not against this samurai. Coming to that realization, she nodded vaguely and surrendered to Ikki.

“And it’s oveeer! What an abrupt conclusion! Ikki Kurogane has defeated the third-strongest student in the school, the Runner’s High, marking his ninth consecutive victory! This could end up being the first time that a Rank E or lower has ever represented our school at the Seven Stars!”

“Whoa, for real?!”

“Not even Tomaru could touch him.”

“What’s with that Rank F?! How did a monster like him flunk?!”

“S-So cool…”

“That’s Ikki for you. Another easy victory.” From among the cheering of the host and crowd, the tall, handsome woman standing next to Shizuku, Nagi Alisuin, applauded. “He didn’t even have to use Ittou Shura.”

“Of course he didn’t, Alice. Big Brother didn’t have trouble with The Hunter because he couldn’t see him; it was the full stealth and long-range attacks with his bow that were the problem. No matter how fast or unseeable you are, if you step into range of his world-class swordplay, you’re not gonna make it out unscathed.”

A swordsman as skilled as Ikki might as well have a barrier around him, created by his sword. Anyone who stepped within his range, be they visible, invisible, fast, or slow, would be noticed by his sixth sense, and he’d react in the blink of an eye. That was Tomaru’s fatal mistake.

“Good work out there, Ikki.” A red-haired girl praised him as he left the arena through the blue gate.

“Hard to call that battle ‘work’. I just dislocated my arm a little, is all. Oh, but good luck to you, Stella.”

“I don’t need luck for this one,” Stella replied with her usual confidence and entered the ring in Ikki’s place.

“Let’s keep up the hype and get to today’s eighth match! The girl entering the ring now is the Rank A whose hair is as red-hot as her personality! It’s the Crimson Princess, Stella Vermilliooon! Just like her roommate, the Worst One, she’s on an uninterrupted eight-win streak! Every single one of her opponents so far has surrendered instead of fighting her, too! Not only is she untouchable, but she hasn’t even had to lift a finger! She’s the superstar rookie who wins through sheer intimidation! But todaaaaay, her foe is one heck of a buffalo!”

Entering from the red gate, taking Tomaru’s place, was a giant of a man with a long coat and a shaved head.

“He’s the fourth-strongest student in all of Hagun Academy! They call him The Destroyer; it’s Rank C Ikazuchi Saijouuu! His long uniform flutters in the wind as he stands coolly in front of Vermillion! I don’t see a hint of nervousness in him like I did in her previous opponents—just the hard glare of a man who’s ready to take what’s his! The Hagun newspaper told us that ‘young Japanese men don’t run away’, and boy, is this one eager to win! Is it finally time for us to see the Crimson Princess fight?! The fighters have materialized their Devices... and there’s the buzzeeeeer!”

“Ooooooough!”

“Whoooa! Saijou is spinning his Device, Zanbatou, above his head! It’s moving so much air that I can hear and even feel the roar from all the way up here in the announcer’s seat!”

“Is it possible that you know the truth behind my ability, Princess?” he asked Stella, still spinning his blade.

“I don’t. Unlike Ikki, I don’t bother to study my foes before a fight.”

“Hah! You’re no different than any other famous Rank A; there’s simply no room in your brain for a Rank C like myself.”

“It’s not like I came here unprepared. At the end of the day, this battle and the Seven Stars are just trials I have to tackle to become a more powerful Mage-Knight. When terrorist Blazers attack, I won’t be able to study what they can do, so I just have to be strong enough to win against even the unknown unknowns.”

“So you go in blind to foster that state of mind, huh? Your willpower is admirable, for a first-year student. This time, however, it’ll be your downfall!”

The air boomed as Saijou pointed Zanbatou at Stella. His blade, even larger and more imposing than Stella’s golden Lævateinn, was coated in magic, its supernatural powers already activated.

“My ability is the accumulation of slashing power! The more I spin my weapon, the heavier it gets! It can grow denser and denser until it reaches ten tons! Charging into battle against an ability like mine was a fatal mistake!” Saijou swung Zanbatou down toward Stella as he roared, “Crescendo Axe!”

The accumulation of slashing power—Saijou certainly wasn’t lying. His slash could rend the very earth in two.

“If your sword is so heavy, then all I have to do is dodge it.” That was the reason he couldn’t beat Renren Tomaru. Crescendo Axe probably had the most power of any single strike out there, but such a large sword couldn’t be swung very fast. To a speed demon like Tomaru, beating him would be child’s play. Stella may not have been as fast as Tomaru, but she didn’t need to be. She could evade a slash from that thing with her eyes closed. “But I’ll take the blow!”

“Whaaat?!”

The deafening clang! of metal on metal rang out as Saijou’s Crescendo Axe swing met Stella’s Lævateinn. But they didn’t just meet—Stella put all of her strength into her sword and pushed Zanbatou away.

“I-Impossible!” Saijou was shocked beyond belief at the fact that he had lost in a battle of pure force.

He wasn’t present during Stella’s mock battle with Ikki Kurogane, only having seen blurry videos taken by people who couldn’t even keep their cameras steady, so how could he have known that Stella had the power to shake the earth with her own strike?

“Remember this, Saijou.” She parried Saijou’s sword and grabbed his now-exposed collar. With a cruel grin, she spoke, “Strength, ability, cheap tricks—I’ll face them all head-on and win. I’m a Rank A because I can win.”

Flames exploded from Stella’s hand, tearing Saijou’s collar and tossing him ten yards into the air before he fell back down into the arena. Covered in soot and not moving, he had clearly been knocked unconscious by the point-blank explosion.

“This duel is over! Our winner is Stella Vermillion!” The referee judged the situation in a jiffy and declared the winner. “She’s done it agaaaaain! Saijou came at her with daring resolution, but he didn’t stand a chance against the Crimson Princess! This is what world-class, top-tier power looks like! These first-years are just too strong for us, folks! These girls may just be able to bring Hagun Academy the glory of the Seven Stars King!”

Showered in cheers from both the host and the audience, Stella walked leisurely out of the arena.

Lush greenery had filled the campus as summer began, about a month since the start of the Seven Stars Battle Festival selection battles. The Worst One, Ikki Kurogane; the Crimson Princess, Stella Vermillion; and Lorelei, Shizuku Kurogane. All three were famous throughout the school for their perfect nine-win streaks.

◆◆◆

“Congratulations, Big Brother!♥”

Ikki felt a soft impact on his waist as soon as he departed the fifth training field. He looked down to see himself reflected in his little sister’s jade eyes. Waiting behind her was Alice.

“Thanks, Shizuku. But try not to hug me with so many people around, okay? It’s kinda embarrassing.”

“Okay. But you’re so cute when you’re embarrassed, Big Brother.”

“Alice, quick question. Lately, my little sister doesn’t seem to listen to me. Do you think it’s because we haven’t worked on our communication in four years?”

“Teehee. That may have something to do with it.”

“Aaargh! Shizuku, you’re hugging Ikki again?!”

Ikki, still stuck in Shizuku’s embrace, heard an angry voice coming from behind. It was, of course, Stella, who had left the training field after him. Shizuku’s face turned from sweet to sour the moment she caught a glimpse of Stella.

“Why are you making such a fuss?” she asked. “Adults should know not to scream at random.”

“I’m making a fuss because you’re doing weird things to Ikki!” Stella shouted.

“‘Weird’? I don’t know the meaning of that word. I’m just being nice to my brother. Right, Big Brother? We’re just such loving siblings, aren’t we?”

“S-Sure.” Ikki didn’t know how else to respond. “But I think you’re a little too close. Could you back off a bit, please?”

“See? He said ‘sure’.” Shizuku had completely cherry-picked Ikki’s reply.

“He said more than just that! You can’t just ignore the parts you don’t like!”

“Come now, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Besides, think about it like this: I may be clinging to my big brother, but it’s not like I’m clinging that tightly. And even if I were clinging to him as hard as I could, such a strong boy could just push me away like it was nothing. So, if my big brother doesn’t want me clinging to him, wouldn’t he be pushing me away right now?” Shizuku put on her best teary-eyed puppy-dog face and continued, “You wouldn’t push your doting little sister away, though, would you, Big Brother?”