Chivalry of a Failed Knight Vol. 2

Kaito said nothing in response. He knew he couldn’t grant her wish, and she knew it as well. Kaito didn’t have much longer left to live. Someday, the time would come that his heartbeat would cease forever. That was why he’d passed on his ultimate technique to his daughter before she was ready; he was no longer able to use it himself.

How long does Dad have left?

She had steeled herself for the day death would force them apart, but it made her hope that their final day together would be gentle and sweet, just like this one.

Her wish was betrayed, however, in the cruelest possible way. Not a second later, the dojo door opened. The two of them looked toward the door, expecting to see the other disciples, but only one was there.

“S-Sugawara?!” Ayase’s face drained. Sugawara’s body was covered with bandages and gauze, as if he had been badly injured.

“What happened to you?! You look terrible!” Kaito ran over to Sugawara, his face also pale.

“Master… I’m so sorryyy!”

When Sugawara saw his master running over to him, he looked like he was ready to cry. He kneeled down so quickly that his head smacked against the dojo floor. Though they couldn’t see him crying, they could hear sobs between words. Kaito instantly realized that something had gone very wrong.

“Pick your head up. You didn’t hurt yourself this badly. Who did this to you?”

“I-It was that boy from yesterday!”

“What?!”

“That guy’s insane! He ambushed the seven of us on our way home last night and attacked us with a stick, trying to crack our skulls open! We tried to fight back, but…” He was bawling so hard he could barely speak. “We couldn’t do anything! Even with the seven of us, we couldn’t lay a finger on him! The guy didn’t even use any magic to attack us or even defend himself!”

Ayase gasped in shock at what had transpired. Just like her, Sugawara and the other disciples had trained under the Ayatsuji style since they were children. How could they not do anything against a single teenager?

Is he really that strong?

“I let that stupid thug beat us up. I’ve sullied your good name, Master! I’m so very sorry!”

“Stop apologizing! Are the others safe?!”

“Nitta is rich enough to go to an iPS Capsule, but the others are all in the hospital.”

Capsules had to be paid for out-of-pocket; they weren’t covered by insurance. The other five were probably still asleep in their hospital beds, with the ones who were worse off having been told that they might never be able to use their arms again. After explaining everything that had happened, Sugawara looked up.

“All seven of us just wanted to be proud swordsmen like you, sir. I… I don’t want to say this, but what was the point of all these years we’ve spent training?! What were we doing all this time?!” he asked Kaito, tears spilling from his eyes.

Ayase stared at the pitiful husk of her father’s best disciple, lost for words. Sugawara, the man who had given her so much direction and aid, was no longer there. His broken eyes only communicated despair and fear. His heart had shattered into countless pieces, never to be repaired.

It wasn’t just Sugawara, either. The other six disciples had been broken in much the same way.

“I’m sorry. We can’t hold swords anymore.”

Sugawara looked up again and requested that all seven of them be allowed to leave the dojo.

This is awful. How could he do something like this? How did he do something like this? All of them have walked the righteous path of the samurai since they were born. How can someone just trample all over them like it’s some sort of game?

Ayase couldn’t understand any of it.

“Guess I came in at a fun time, huh?” came the voice of the man who had committed the atrocity.

“Gh?!”

He then appeared as if he had been watching, waiting for the right moment.

“Maybe I was a bit too mean, if all of you are quitting.”

“Eeeeeeeeeep!”

Sugawara screamed like a scared little girl when he saw him and scurried to the back of the dojo on all fours.

“Don’t run away from me. I have feelings, too, y’know.”

Kuraudo laughed oafishly and walked into the dojo, his shoes still on.

“G-Get away from me! Don’t get any closer! Eek!”

“C-Cut it out! He’s afraid of you!” Unable to bear seeing her lifelong friend in such a state, Ayase stepped in front of Sugawara to protect him.

She felt a firm hand grab her shoulder. It was Kaito’s. He pulled her back and stood in front of her, glaring at the intruder.

“What do you want?” he asked coldly.

“Same as yesterday.”

“Didn’t I refuse you?”

“I figured you might change your tune if I came back. Hahah!”

“Hmph. So you did this to my disciples just to bait me into fighting you?”

“Yep. Just a shame I couldn’t get my hands on that girl yesterday.”

“…Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why did you do this? You’re a Blazer. You have your school, the Seven Stars Battle Festival, and plenty of other places to run wild. Why are you so obsessed with me?”

“Don’t ask me like you don’t already get it, old man. Or did your mind lose its edge after you retired, too?”

Kaito’s eyes widened slightly.

“Hah! Ah, whatever. It’s a simple reason: I just want to show off my strength—my raw power! It doesn’t matter if you’re a Blazer or a normal person; you’re gonna see it whether you want to or not!”

Ayase’s anger reached a boiling point as Kuraudo bared his teeth and revealed his motive.

“You did something so awful… for such a stupid reason?!”

“‘Stupid’? What’s stupid about it? I want to find strong people and crush them. Isn’t that natural?”

“Shut up!” Ayase wouldn’t let him have his way. “The answer will always be no! This isn’t a place where you can just barge in with your shoes on to show off how strong you are! Dad, let’s call the police!”

“No,” Kaito murmured. “That won’t do anymore. The Ayatsuji Single-Blade Dojo accepts your challenge. The first to strike twice is the winner. We use wooden swords. I expect you won’t mind foregoing your magic?”

Kuraudo had beaten the dojo’s disciples to a pulp, leaving Kaito no choice but to accept his challenge.

“Wh-What?! Dad?!”

“M-Master! Please, Master! You can’t fight this thug! Your heart…!”

“Yeah! Your body is in no condition to fight, Dad! If we have to, then I’ll fight in your place!”

Sugawara, who had been cowering in the corner in fear of Kuraudo, and Kaito’s daughter both suppressed their fear when he revealed that he was willing to fight Kuraudo. They had gone pale, but they tried desperately to persuade him. In response, a small grin crept over Kaito’s face.

“Thank you for your concern. I’m honestly proud of both of you. But that’s exactly why I can’t let this brat get away with hurting you!”

Sugawara’s words wouldn’t leave the back of his mind. “What was the point of all these years we’ve spent training?! What were we doing all this time?!” Kaito couldn’t leave the job to someone else. He was going to win on his own.

He stared Kuraudo down like an angry beast, resolution in his heart. It left Ayase speechless, for she finally understood that nothing she could say would stop her father.

“Okay. If that’s what you want, Dad, I won’t stop you. I’ll watch over this fight as the referee.”

“Good. Thank you.”

“Please win, Dad.”

Ayase begged, almost as if she were praying. A tactless voice interrupted them.

“C’mon. If you’ve made up your mind, then let’s get this fight started. I’m getting tired of waiting.”

“Fine.” Ayase scowled at Kuraudo, who was tapping his foot impatiently. She tossed him a wooden sword in response to his demand.

“Hahah! You’ve got spunk, girl.”

“As my father stated before, the first to land two hits is the victor. You will use wooden swords, and magic is strictly forbidden. Understood?”

“No point in repeating it. Why fight if it isn’t fair?”

Kuraudo’s canine teeth reflected gleams of light as he smirked, his eyes fixed solely on Kaito. Meanwhile, Kaito stood stock-still, sword in hand and eyes closed, as if concentrating deeply. They both seemed prepared.

“Both fighters, stand and face each other. Now… Begin!”

Ayase gave the signal, and their battle began.

※ ※ ※

“Hahah! Let’s do this!”

The instant the battle began, Kuraudo dashed toward Kaito. He closed the distance between them immediately, raising his wooden sword and swinging it toward Kaito’s head.

No technique guided his sword as it tore through the air. He didn’t drive power to his upper body using his legs, keep his arms at his side, or even use his latissimus dorsi muscles. It was a wild swing, guided by sheer force alone. Kuraudo’s technique was amateurish at best.

Even a master like Kaito was surprised by his speed, however. He knew it was too dangerous to try to parry, so he quickly stepped out of the way. Kuraudo’s sword grazed the tip of his nose and crashed into the floor of the dojo, splitting it apart.

“He’s so strong!”

The referee, Ayase, was shocked. She couldn’t help but be nervous when such a ridiculously strong attack was mere inches away from killing her father.

Kaito, on the other hand, was not as nervous; the near-miss was completely intentional on his part. Minor distance adjustments through leg movement was a basic skill for swordsmen. Letting the sword scratch his nose was meant to minimize the distance between them, improving the success rate of a counterattack.

After a full swing strong enough to smash through the floor, his foe wouldn’t have time to defend himself. The tiny opening such an attack created was the difference between victory and defeat against a master.

The Ayatsuji style happened to be most proficient when it came to counterattacks. As soon as Kuraudo’s blade struck the floor, Kaito slid his foot forward, closing the distance between them by a half-step and putting him in the perfect position to attack.

He exhaled sharply and swung his sword. Though their swings traced the same arc, Kaito’s was much cleaner and more controlled than Kuraudo’s barbaric attack, making it faster as well—faster than the naked eye could perceive.

He had gotten worse due to his illness, but the Last Samurai was still an extraordinary master of swordplay; it was foolish to even begin to compare his abilities to an amateur’s. Kuraudo couldn’t hope to dodge such a swift attack while he was still recovering from his first strike. Or so one might expect.

“Hahah!”

What felt like electricity ran through Kaito’s hands, numbing them. However, it wasn’t the sensation of striking Kuraudo’s head, like he’d expected. It was Kuraudo’s sword, raised to repel Kaito’s blow. The collision caused the latter’s bones to creak.

“You look surprised, old man. Did you think you’d get me with that?”

“I did. I didn’t expect you’d be able to defend against it.”

Kaito was honestly surprised. He hadn’t even considered such an outcome as a possibility. He wasn’t so inexperienced that he would let it show on his face, though.

This boy is surprisingly quick-witted, Kaito thought. He must have known that I would counterattack.

His reaction speed was otherwise unexplainable; it was simply inhuman. That he had blocked a single blow was no issue, however. Kaito had other tricks up his sleeve.

“My turn!” Kuraudo cried and swung again, with the same speed, arc, and artless form.

There was something awe-inspiring about the force behind his attacks. If Kaito tried to block, his sword would probably shatter into a hail of splinters. However, he did exactly that. Was he cornered? No. It was all part of his plan. If his opponent was expecting him to dodge and counterattack, all he had to do was betray his expectations.

The instant their swords met, Kaito deftly moved his wrist before his sword could break, shifting the majority of the impact away from it. Kuraudo’s sword slipped away as a result, breaking his posture.

Blocking and evasion were only the most basic of defensive moves. Martial artists had invented much greater, much more radical methods of defending themselves. The parry, for example, was a move that could deflect the foe’s force and use it to the defender’s advantage. When done successfully, it could knock the foe off balance, break their form entirely, and create a decisive opening.

“Haaaah!”

Having finally created the opportunity he needed, Kaito swung straight for Kuraudo’s torso. His greatest skill, parrying into a counterattack, was a textbook example of a perfect maneuver.

“Successful hit!” Ayase declared. “One point to Ayatsuji!”

What is this feeling?

Kaito, breathing heavily, felt a thud as the strike reverberated back into his palms, causing a strange feeling to arise within his heart.

“That’s our master for you! You couldn’t even tell he’s sick!”

“Amazing, Dad! You’re incredible!”

Kaito’s disciples cheered for his first point. He smiled at them, concealing the inexplicable stirring within him, then looked back toward his enemy, who had dropped to one knee and was holding his side in pain.

“Hah… You’re not the Last Samurai for nothing. I’ve never taken such a sharp blow. But let me tell you something, old man: If that’s the best you can do, you’re dead meat.”

Even when he was on the brink of defeat, Kuraudo’s fighting spirit remained. His eyes still burned with hunger as he glared at his prey.

“We’ll see about that. I’ve only just begun, boy.”

“Good. Then I’ll get serious, too!”

With another fierce smirk, Kuraudo charged toward Kaito once again. His third attack was just the same as the first two.

He still hasn’t learned? An amateur is an amateur, strong or not!

Kaito had thought his foe was onto something when he’d predicted the first counterattack, but Kuraudo just continued to bet it all on emotions and brute force. Swordplay based on strength alone couldn’t threaten a refined swordsman.

This is it!

Kaito adjusted his stance once more, ready to parry Kuraudo’s next attack and put an end to their duel—he, Ayase, and Sugawara were all prepared for his victory. However, Kuraudo’s wooden sword seemed to disappear into thin air for a moment.

What?!

The sound of Kaito’s ribs breaking echoed through the dojo.

※ ※ ※

After taking the full force of Kuraudo’s blow to his side, Kaito collapsed onto the dojo’s floor. It was a boorish, messy blow, but a blow nonetheless.

Ayase, however, wasn’t in any condition to pass that judgement, because her father, holding his side, had begun coughing up blood. It wasn’t a small amount of blood, either; one of his internal organs had clearly ruptured. Seeing his condition, Ayase ran over to him, her face pale.

“Dad! Are you okay?!”

“Don’t come any closer…!” Kaito raised his voice through the blood that spilled from his lips. “This duel isn’t over…! If you won’t judge fairly, then step down!”

“Now’s not the time for you to—”

“Ayase! This is my fight! Don’t interrupt!”

His voice boomed in response to his daughter ignoring his command to stay away. Ayase had been yelled at by her father many times, but what she’d just heard was of an entirely different nature. Like the bellowing of a monster, his roar struck her heart, filling her with fear.

“Ah… D-Dad...?” She was paralyzed after hearing the raw anger in her father’s voice.

“I’m fine! I… will win this…!”

Kaito stood up, blood still dripping from his mouth. His bloodshot eyes, fixed on Kuraudo, were full of fighting spirit as he shouted and ran forward.

“Let’s do this, boooy!”

“Hahah! Try all you want; this won’t end any different!” Kuraudo faced the attack head-on.

They clashed for a third and final time, albeit much more one-sidedly. Kaito had already been severely injured, and the rust after his many years of not holding a sword was finally beginning to show. He was losing.

Countless amateurish yet savage blows pushed him back with pure force. He could barely defend himself with his own wooden sword, leaving him unable to fight back.

Then, ready to finish off his wounded foe, Kuraudo unleashed the same skill that took his first point from Kaito just before: a strike to the torso, coming diagonally from below.

Kaito swiftly moved to defend himself, assuming a defensive stance. However, just before the two swords connected, Kuraudo’s disappeared once more. It reappeared above Kaito, headed for his skull.

It was completely beyond his comprehension. How could a sword being swung upward toward his torso now be moving downward toward his head? Such an action went far beyond human ability. What sort of trick was he using? Nobody could tell.

Regardless of how it had gotten there, Kuraudo’s sword was right above Kaito’s head, about to crash mercilessly into it. The duel should have been over.

“What?!”

Kuraudo was shocked. He had been convinced that that would be the deciding blow, but his sword struck Kaito’s collarbone rather than his head. He hadn’t been able to dodge the entire blow, but he’d moved just enough to cause the sword to fall a hair’s breadth off its mark.

“That wasn’t a scorable point, boy!”

“Hahah! It’s long past your time to die, old man! Quit struggling!”

Kuraudo kicked Kaito in the stomach to create a small gap between them. Then, he once again charged at him, swinging violently.

Even though the hit on Kaito’s collarbone hadn’t been a scorable point, it had surely weakened him. His movements were slower and duller, lacking their previous vigor. As a result, he took blow after blow.

The sharp strikes from Kuraudo’s wooden blade broke bones, tore skin, and splattered the dojo with blood, but Kaito refused to let him take that last point. His whole body was covered in blood, but he kept his feet planted and continued fighting.

Why?!

Ayase didn’t understand what her father was doing. It was clear who would win; why wouldn’t he stop fighting? Why wouldn’t he surrender?

“Please, stop,” she whimpered. “No more.”

The sound of wood smashing against flesh repeated endlessly, accompanied by a fresh spray of blood every time.

“Hahahah! Hahahahahahahah!”

Kuraudo, covered in his opponent’s blood, laughed boisterously. Their duel had ended long ago; Kaito was merely being beaten on. His expression—or even if he was still alive—was no longer visible to Ayase through the tears that clouded her vision.

I have to stop them, she thought. I have to stop them! If I don’t stop them, Dad will be killed!

Yet even as Kaito’s blood splashed onto her clothes and his broken teeth stuck to her face, she couldn’t move. She was still paralyzed from when he’d barked at her, unable to put any strength into her legs.

“Just stop this, please! The dojo doesn’t matter anymore! Just stop hurting Dad!”

All she could do was scream, even though her voice couldn’t reach the two men standing on the border between life and death. Kaito still wouldn’t surrender, and Kuraudo still kept battering his opponent.

Suddenly, Kaito took his final fighting stance, his entire body dyed with blood. He held his sword before him and charged toward Kuraudo.

“Raaaaaaahhh!”

“Tch!”

Kuraudo’s expression changed as he sensed something strange coming from his dying prey, who had previously only been able to defend against scorable points. Instead of moving away, however, he just swung his sword again with all his might, aiming for Kaito’s head.

The wooden sword tore through the air, but Kaito charged ceaselessly. He didn’t even move his own weapon; he held in front of him, never moving to defend against the flash of lightning ready to strike him from above. It was a suicide attack.

That stance…!

It appeared reckless to the untrained eye, but Ayase knew the meaning of his action. His charge signaled the end result of the Last Samurai’s lifelong dedication to the sword and the only skill that could possibly turn the tide on his bleak situation: the Ayatsuji style’s ultimate move.

Kaito’s body, however, withering away from illness and the damage done to him by his opponent, couldn’t possibly—

“Stooooooooooooooop!”

Kuraudo’s sword cruelly destroyed both Kaito’s skull and consciousness.

“Ah…”

The second point was accompanied by Kaito’s broken body falling to the floor.

“Aaaaaaahhh!”

Ayase frantically ran over to her fallen father. She screamed and screamed, but he didn’t respond; blood simply continued to flow from his mouth.

“No! Nooooo!”

“Hmph. Boring. Well, should’ve expected as much now that he’s so damn old.”

Kuraudo’s wooden sword, stained with blood and cracked in many places from shattering so many bones, clacked against the floor in front of Ayase. The sight of it filled her with such intense hatred that the world turned red before her eyes.

This guy hit my dad so much that his sword looks like this now?

“You monsteeeeer!”

With the last of her reason having melted away, Ayase materialized Hizume and leaped toward Kuraudo. Unfazed, he merely grabbed the hand that held her weapon and lifted her up effortlessly.

“Calm down, bitch. I’m not here to fight weaklings.”

“Let me go! Let me gooooo!”

“You sure you wanna be fighting me right now?”

He tossed her on top of her father, making her realize what she needed to do most.

“Gh! Sugawara, an ambulance! Call an ambulance! Hurry!”

“O-Okay!”

After giving that direction to Sugawara, who had been standing stupefied in the corner, Ayase screamed desperately at Kaito in a vain attempt to wake him. Kuraudo shot an uninterested glance at the two panicking disciples before turning to leave the dojo.

“You’ve got until tomorrow to pack your shit and get out. This isn’t your home anymore,” he declared as he left.

Ayase ground her teeth so hard she thought they might break. As she did, Kaito groaned out two words: “I’m… sorry…”

“Dad!”

When she looked back down at her father, his eyes were closed. All he could do was weakly exhale an apology.

◆◆◆

That day two years ago was the day Ayase had lost everything. Kuraudo had taken everything from her, right down to the dojo’s signboard and the land it stood on. She never saw the other disciples again.

Kaito himself had been injured so badly that he went into a coma and hadn’t woken up since. He was still trapped in that nightmare, forever apologizing.

“I’m sorry,” he’d say, apologizing for the broken hearts of his disciples. “I’m sorry,” for losing the Ayatsuji Single-Blade Style before he could pass it on to his daughter in full.

Dad might not even survive until winter.

That was Kaito’s life expectancy, given by the doctor himself. Ayase had long accepted the fact that her father would be taken away from her—she’d come to terms with it when his illness was first diagnosed. What she couldn’t accept, however, was that her father was trapped in an unending nightmare. She couldn’t forgive the boy who’d done that to him.

In her anger, she would often challenge the new owner of the dojo, Kuraudo, in hopes of winning back the home that her father had gambled away his life for. But if Kaito couldn’t defeat him, then Ayase had no hope of winning. He would always turn down her challenges, treating her like a kitten that wanted to tangle with a full-grown lion.

At first, he would make a show of her pleading and laugh with his friends at the sight of the poor girl clumsily trying to take back her home. Once he’d grown bored of that, however, she was turned away at the door, never even getting the chance to see him.

The only way for Ayase to fight Kuraudo was to enter the Seven Stars Battle Festival and defeat him there. As it was their final year of school and Kaito’s final days were drawing ever nearer, she was down to her final chance. If she let it go, Ayase would doom her father’s soul to an eternity of darkness and despair.

No matter what she had to do to get there, victory was her only option; getting results was her sole priority. The end justified the means, and she would use whatever means necessary. She didn’t believe it was quite the right thing to do, but it certainly wasn’t wrong. For someone weak to defeat someone strong, they had to take any and every advantage they could. That much was indisputable.

“I’m going to take our dojo back, even if it means Kurogane will never want anything to do with me again,” she said to her father, who was lost in the depths of despair. He didn’t need to apologize anymore.

Looking back on how it had all begun, Ayase resolved herself that she would no longer waver, no longer hesitate, even if the world became disgusted by her. Ayase Ayatsuji’s entire being embodied a single goal: to take back her dojo.

◆◆◆

“Thank you all for waiting! The time has come for today’s first match at the sixth training field! I’m Isogai, a third-year student with the broadcasting club, and I’ll be giving you the play-by-play! Analysis will be handled by the teacher for class 1-1, Ms. Yuuri Oreki! Ms. Oreki, you look healthy today!”

“That’s because it’s the first match of the day,” Ms. Oreki replied. “By the third match, I’ll be the sickly Yuuri you all know and love! Oh, but don’t worry! I’ve got about a quart of blood ready to go at any time!”

“I see! Looks like blood’s gonna rain both on the field and in the announcers’ booth, then! Now, the two fighters everyone has been waiting for are taking the field!” the girl from the broadcasting club spoke, inviting the first pair of fighters into the arena. “Coming in hot from the blue gate, we have the Rank F knight that everyone’s got their eyes on! It’s Ikki Kurogane!”

As Ikki entered, the bowl-shaped arena erupted with screams from the girls who’d come to support the Worst One.

“The crowd went wild as soon as he appeared! How popular can you get?!”

“Kurogane has a lot of fangirls, huh?”

“Being assigned Rank F despite his strength really makes him feel like the underdog. It just makes you want to have his back!”

“I think I know how that feels.”

“Not long ago, he was a nameless flunk who nobody cared about. But thanks to the changes to Hagun’s system, he’s finally able to show his true battle prowess. Now, the Worst One is among the select few favorites to make it into the Seven Stars Battle Festival! What kind of fight will it be today, I wonder? His opponent is now entering through the red gate! Also undefeated and aiming for her eleventh win, it’s the Rank D third-year Ayase Ayatsuji!”

Ayase entered the arena after him, her black hair fluttering in the wind.

“Oddly enough, Ayatsuji is a swordsman just like Kurogane! She’s won all of her matches so far through swordplay alone, and according to the editor of the Hagun Academy Bulletin, Kagami Kusakabe, she’s actually one of Kurogane’s martial arts students! That makes today’s battle master versus apprentice! Will the student finally surpass the master?!”

“Cough. This battle will be a major turning point for Ayatsuji.”

“Yep! Unlike Kurogane, Ayatsuji hasn’t been up against opponents like The Hunter or Runner’s High yet. She’s been blessed by the luck of the draw so far, matching up only with Rank E opponents. It’s made for an easy ten-win streak.”

“What kind of Blazer is she?”

“Well, we have almost no information on Ayatsuji. She hadn’t been in any official battles until this year, so there’s no data available. And this year—as I mentioned before—she’s won using swordplay alone, so we have no idea what tricks she might have up her sleeve! Whether she wins or loses here might just depend on whatever trump card she may have! Now, the fighters have moved to the starting lines!”

In the center of the three hundred-foot diameter ring, the two stood facing each other, about fifty feet apart. Ikki and Ayase had spent so much time practicing their swordplay together, but the atmosphere between them was anything but pleasant.

That’s a scary face.

Ayase realized as she looked at Ikki that his expression was tighter and more severe than she had ever seen. He was furious at the girl who had intentionally, remorselessly thrown her pride to the wind. She wouldn’t apologize, however, because her path was one she’d chosen to forge herself.

This is actually good for me.

Ikki’s magic hadn’t fully recovered after what had happened the night before. He wouldn’t be able to use Ittou Shura. Moreover, he was straining himself—his posture was clearly unnatural. Fury had replaced his usual calmness, its absence decreasing his potential.

Considering the vast difference in skill between Ayase and Ikki, she needed to decrease his fighting power as much as she could, so she considered it a nice side-effect of her actions. Plus, she had a trump card available to her in the form of a trap she had set the day before, prior to meeting with Ikki.

If he’s already lost his cool this much, he might just fall for it.

“Now, everyone, say it with me! Let’s go ahead!”

◆◆◆

Jumping off the line like a sprinter, the swordsman dashed toward Ayase the moment the buzzer sounded, his black sword at the ready. He crouched low, using his whole body to run rather than just his leg strength.

The match began with a complete surprise attack. Ayase hadn’t had time to hold her sword with the proper posture, so normally, she wouldn’t be able to react. But she wasn’t any ordinary swordswoman—theirs was a battle between Blazers.

“You fell for it!”

As she yelled, Hizume emitted a red light that looked strikingly similar to blood. When it did, blood sprayed from Ikki’s body.

“Gaaah!” He screamed and stopped running. His body was covered in long slash wounds.

“Wh-Wh-What was thaaat?! Kurogane’s been sliced all over somehow! What just happened?!”

“I-Ikki?!”

“What the heck?! What’s going on?! The Worst One is bleeding!”

A commotion spread through the crowd. Nobody knew what had just occurred, but they all knew that the only beings capable of making mincemeat of a person from afar were Blazers.

What had happened to Ikki was a result of the ability of Ayatsuji’s Device, Hizume.

I have the ability to open wounds using Hizume.

When used against other people, any wounds created by Hizume could be freely expanded at will, turning even tiny cuts into life-threatening gashes. It could also be used against the air itself; if she cut through the air using Hizume, she could, at any time of her choosing, instantly create blades of air in that place. That was her Noble Art, Mark of the Wind.

That morning, before her meeting with Ikki, Ayase had visited the sixth training field and left Hizume’s claw marks all throughout the arena. In essence, she had created remote-operated explosives.

I’ve placed over a hundred marks throughout the ring. Even if Kurogane is a master swordsman, he can’t defend against attacks he can’t see! He’s already fallen right into my trap.

Ayase was cheating, of course. Had the marks been produced during the fight, there would have been no problem, but setting traps in the arena before the start of the match was a clear violation of the rules.

Because the marks were invisible, however, her deception was nearly undetectable. She had been apprehensive that a full-fledged Mage-Knight like Ms. Oreki might have noticed, but given that she hadn’t spoken out about the rule violation yet, Ayase felt that she had outwitted her.

This just might work! she cheered.

The blades created by Mark of the Wind were byproducts of the conceptual ability to open wounds. They couldn’t win a battle decisively or deal fatal blows, but direct cuts from Hizume were a different story. If she could make even a single, tiny cut with Hizume, Ayase’s victory would immediately be sealed. That one cut could be expanded until it had sliced through flesh and bone, even becoming fatal. Thus, her goal was to tire Ikki out using Mark of the Wind until she could get that one decisive cut in.

If I can do that, victory is mine!

The only question was how long it would take for her to cut Ikki. Ayase had trained under him, so she knew better than anyone else that he was no ordinary swordsman. If she got ahead of herself, he would cut her down.

She had successfully damaged him with her surprise attack, but momentarily stopping his charge didn’t equal victory. Even with his wounds, Ikki’s fighting stance remained unbroken.

It’s not time yet. I can’t make my move this early. And if I don’t make my move now, Kurogane can only do one thing.

His charge had been broken, and he had sustained deep wounds as a result. He would want to take a moment to reconfirm his mindset and his posture.

“Oh! Kurogane is stepping away from his opponent! He must be coming up with a new strategy to deal with her mysterious attack!”

And that’s where I’ll take aim!

“Gah!”

“What on earth is happening?! Kurogane has just been attacked from behind! What could possibly be going on in that arena?!”

Ayase had created a prison of countless sword slashes, leaving no room for escape. The attack from behind forced Ikki to his knees, giving Ayase a decisive opening.

Now’s my chance! She charged toward her fallen foe, ready to end their duel.

“Kurogane has fallen to his knees, and Ayatsuji has immediately gone on the offensive! He won’t be able to show us his legendary swordplay like this!”

Ayase also had the option of drawing out the battle and thoroughly destroying Ikki, but she chose to go for broke right away as a result of her fear.

Kurogane is the man who defeated The Hunter.

He didn’t just win, either; he won after taking countless arrows unleashed from the cover of Area Invisible, one of the strongest anti-personnel Noble Arts out there. On top of that, he did it without even breaking through Area Invisible itself.

In that duel, despite Ikki never once seeing The Hunter, he, the Worst One, managed to catch the invisible Hunter and take him down. With his otherworldly perception, it wouldn’t have surprised her if Ikki had learned to predict the location of every Mark of the Wind.

Such a problem wouldn’t even be worth considering if her opponent were anyone but Ikki Kurogane. Though she could chip down his stamina bit by bit, things wouldn’t end well if Ikki won mentally; the Worst One’s true fearsomeness didn’t lie in his stamina, but in the mind that granted him such perception.

I have to do it now! Just one cut is enough for me to win!

“Haaaaaaaaaah!”

“Ayatsuji’s out for blood now! Rushing, rushing, rushing! Brandishing her scarlet blade, she’s unleashing a storm of swords on her enemy as he sits helpless on his knees! Is blocking this flurry of fire all he can do from such an unsteady position?! Will he fall victim to her blizzard of blades?! What’s this?! S-Somehow, Kurogane is blocking every blow with Intetsu despite his unsteady posture putting him at such a disadvantage! Not a single drop of this steel shower is reaching him!”

Ngh…!

She couldn’t reach him. All she needed was one small graze, but even that goal felt so distant. Ayase was astonished at Ikki, who was deflecting every one of her attacks with simple flicks of his wrist despite his disadvantageous position.

Doing so was no extreme feat for Another One, the Uncrowned Sword King. He wouldn’t let her end things so easily. While he continued to deflect the sword rain, Ikki gradually stood back up.

“Hah!”

“Not only has Kurogane outmatched Ayatsuji in terms of swordplay, he’s actually regained his posture and is now on the counterattack!”

He unleashed a large, powerful downward swing. What seemed like a rash, thoughtless move on his part was actually a calculated action; it wasn’t a counterattack like the commentator had claimed.

Though he had regained his posture, Ikki’s rhythm had been broken by fending off so many blows, and it wouldn’t return so easily. Such a large swing was his way of trying to buy time to recover that rhythm.

If Ayase dodged, she would be putting distance between them, and if she blocked it, the force of the blow would push her away—either option was advantageous to Ikki. She could see the reason behind it, however.

This is it! Once she had read into Ikki’s actions, Ayase found a chance at victory. The Ayatsuji Single-Blade Style was the most proficient when it came to parrying into counters. At my level, I wouldn’t normally be able to counter a full-powered attack from Kurogane, but this one is different! Even I can parry this!

Ikki’s swordplay was sharp; Ayase had to be careful at all times. His current attack was wild, however, lacking his usual precision. It was nothing more than an intimidation tactic meant to force her away.

She made her decision instantaneously. Ayase held Hizume at the ready and easily parried his heavy blow, pushing the hammer-like swing aside. As she did, she channeled energy through her toes and pushed off the ground, moving in for a counter.

Ikki had yet to regain control of his upper body after Ayase’s parry, leaving his torso wide open. Still moving forward, she swung Hizume as she passed by her foe.

I got him!

Ayase was confident in her decision, but she didn’t feel the sensation of tearing through flesh. Instead, she hit something solid.

He blocked it? How?! I parried his sword, so how could he have blocked it in time?

The answer lay in Ikki’s hand: he had blocked her counter using Intetsu’s hilt.

“Oooooooh! I thought he was going to eat a counterattack, but Kurogane defended himself with his sword’s hilt! What an amazing trick!”

“He did something similar during his mock battle with Stella. If he can’t block with his blade, he’ll just use the hilt. His two-pronged defense makes him a brick wall when it comes to close-range fighting!”

Tch! I forgot he could guard in such an unorthodox way!

Ayase clicked her tongue in frustration when she heard Ms. Oreki’s analysis. Ikki’s concentration was astounding. How was he able to maintain that level of concentration even after he’d lost his cool?

“Gh?!”

Ayase was stunned when she looked at Ikki’s face. She no longer saw anger and confusion in his eyes; he had calmed down. His eyes, as tranquil as a pond with no ripples, looked down upon Ayase.

Was that a trap?! The chills running down Ayase’s spine spurred her into action. She kicked hard off the ground, jumping far away from her foe. Though she’d expected Ikki to pursue her, he instead stood perfectly still. Had she been mistaken in her prediction, or had she been overly cautious? Either way, we’re back to square one.

There were still plenty of traps all over the arena. Ayase wasn’t hoping for a drawn-out battle, but she wasn’t going to try to force a win and lose it all in the process. Next time, she’d just have to be more careful—

“Good,” the samurai with the black katana suddenly sighed in relief.

“Huh?”

What was good? The fact that she had jumped away from him? Ayase’s mind raced as she tried to figure out the meaning behind that word.

“You’re just the person I thought you were, Ayatsuji.”

Her mental processes seemed to freeze when she was faced with Ikki’s smile.

◆◆◆

“Good.”

That one word brought a gentle smile to the face of Yuuri Oreki, his teacher and the woman running analysis on and supervising his and Ayase’s match. On the morning of that match, she was taking Ikki’s testimony regarding the destruction of the school building.

“Ms. Oreki. In my match today, my opponent is definitely going to break the rules.”

“Blurghfgh!” The bluntness of his statement had sent coffee and blood shooting out of her nose. “Huh? What? Umm, explain what you mean while I stop the bleeding!”

There, Ikki had told her everything about what had happened between him and Ayase the night before. Their meeting, how she had jumped from the building to weaken him, and how he had destroyed the building in the process.

“I-I don’t believe it…” That would surely be a red card if it were true. She wouldn’t be expelled, but cheating was easily grounds for being removed from the Seven Stars selection pool. “B-But how do you know she’ll do that?”

“Even though she didn’t actually move when she cut through the fence, I know I heard the sound of blades. I don’t know the specifics, but judging from that, I think Ayase’s ability must involve placing sword slashes and activating them remotely. If she does have that ability, then she’s probably already covered the sixth training field with traps. She was already willing to nearly kill herself to rid me of my trump card, after all, so I’m sure she’d be willing to cheat in the battle too.”

“If she went that far, then I guess she wouldn’t fight fairly, either, but… Mm, attempted suicide and the obstruction of fair play? If this is true, it’s a very big problem.”

“I guess my own testimony isn’t sufficient.”

“Right. I trust you, Kurogane, but I can’t do anything with your testimony alone. I understand, though, and I’ll keep a close eye on your fight. If she cheats, I’ll stop the battle immediately, so you don’t need to worry—”

“No. Please, don’t call out her cheating.”

Blood had erupted from Ms. Oreki’s nose again. Dizzy and anemic from the loss of blood, she’d shoved tissues into her nose and spoken.

“What? Really? Why not? I don’t understand! Why would you even tell me about it, then?!”

“I had to tell you why I destroyed the school building. Besides, I figured that even if I didn’t tell you, you would notice what Ayatsuji was doing and stop the match. I just… don’t want you to.”

“But why?! If she does break the rules, she’ll be disqualified and you’ll get the victory. You do know how important every single victory is in these selection battles, right?”

“Yes, ma’am. If I lose even one battle, I probably won’t make it to the Seven Stars.”

“That’s right! To be frank, you need a flawless record to get in. You know that, and yet you still don’t want me to call her out for cheating?”

“That’s right, ma’am. Please.”