In the middle of the night following Ikki’s battle with Ayase, a solitary shadow danced around the forest clearing where he and the group usually trained. Someone was swinging a sword that just barely reflected the moonlight that filtered in through the trees. The night was still; only the sound of that sword slicing through the air could be heard as the lone shadow trained with fluid, graceful movements.

Suddenly, the shadow’s movements came to a halt.

“Stella?”

The shadow, Ikki Kurogane, wiped the sweat from his brow and turned toward the entrance to the clearing, for he had felt the presence of an intruder. The silhouette standing at the entrance was, as he’d expected, the fiery-haired girl whose brilliance shone even in the darkness: Stella Vermillion. She frowned at Ikki and spoke candidly.

“You’re still at it? If you don’t give yourself time to rest, it’ll show during your fight tomorrow.”

The coming fight she spoke of was Ikki’s decisive battle with Kuraudo. After his battle against Ayase, he and Stella learned everything about what had happened two years prior. Everything, from the day Kuraudo had appeared to the present, about how Kaito Ayatsuji, the Last Samurai, had been defeated and broken.

Once he’d learned of it, Ikki reaffirmed his promise to Ayase that he would challenge Kuraudo the very next day for the fate of the dojo. An even harder fight than his battle with Ayase would be waiting for him, so it was best for him to rest his body. Ikki was well aware of that, but he just couldn’t calm himself down.

“Were you shocked when you found out?”

“I was, yeah. I’ve more or less looked up to Kaito for a long time.”

For Ikki, who had been abandoned by every possible parental figure in his family, Kaito and other famous swordsmen were like his faraway mentors. He watched their matches, desperately trying to steal, analyze, and practice their style of swordplay. They had laid the foundation for the man Ikki had become, so it certainly came as a surprise when he learned of the depressing fate that had befallen the man who was basically a part of him. Even if he had been in poor health, how could Kaito have been defeated so one-sidedly in a battle not of Mage-Knights, but of pure swordsmanship?

“Kurashiki is no pushover; that much is clear.”

“Are you getting nervous?”

“Considering who he is, yeah.”

Third-year Kuraudo Kurashiki, the Ace of Donrou and a quarterfinalist at the previous year’s Seven Stars. His infamy made it easy to find information about him.

His Device, Orochimaru, could freely change its form by extending or contracting by virtue of his Noble Art, giving him the ability to attack from any range. He could use it to attack faraway enemies with a bullet-like high-speed thrust, and if that were to miss, he could swing it back and forth through the arena to make it nearly impossible to evade. For anyone who tried to fight at close-range, Orochimaru could shrink to the size of a one-handed sword, allowing Kuraudo to overwhelm the enemy with quick strikes from his saw-like blade.

Able to fight with the optimal blade for any range, Kuraudo’s Noble Art, Jakotsujin, left him without a single weak point when it came to crossing swords. It wasn’t all that flashy, but it had so much offensive power that it was sure to be a headache.

Against someone like Ikki, whose forte was crossing swords, an enemy who could constantly change his attack range was sure to be a tough match. That’s why Kuraudo was called the Sword Eater; his ability naturally allowed him to prey on swordsmen. He probably held secrets even darker than his breaking of Kaito.

“Well, I already figured as much.” Ikki had thought that way ever since he’d felt Kuraudo’s barbaric aura and seen his beastly expression, but that wasn’t why he found it so hard to calm down. “Hey, Stella. What did you think when Ayatsuji told us all that?”

“I could see where she was coming from, since that mad dog had its annoying little eyes on her.”

“Is that all? I—”

“You don’t have to finish that sentence,” Stella muttered, interrupting him. “I think we’re both thinking the same thing; that’s why I said ‘where she was coming from’.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I figured you’d say something like that.”

Ikki was all smiles, overjoyed that the most important person in the world to him thought the same thing he did.

“But no matter what the truth is,” she continued, “it has nothing to do with you. What you have to do doesn’t change either way.”

“You’re right. I agree.”

Ikki nodded and continued swinging his sword through the darkness. His body was in good condition, and he had energy to spare. All that was left was to wait for the next day’s fight, when the truth of the past two years would be revealed to Ayase.

◆◆◆

The next evening, Ayase guided Ikki and Stella to the former Ayatsuji Dojo.

“Even the road that leads there is so nostalgic,” Ikki said as they walked along a road full of old-fashioned buildings.

“Really? Well, I think I do remember you coming to challenge the dojo once or twice.”

“Yep. But your dad chased me out, saying he didn’t want any of my funny business.”

“That was when you were in middle school, right, Ikki?” Stella asked. “You went out looking for dojos all the time.”

“I might not look like it, but I was a mischievous little runt. Whenever I found the time, I’d go around the country challenging dojos.”

“You were certainly full of energy, Kurogane, but isn’t it dangerous for a middle schooler to do something like that? Someone could have beaten you up if you rubbed them the wrong way.”

“Yeah, that happened sometimes. I’d get beaten to a pulp by disciples. It’s not their fault, though; trying to storm dojos like that is really rude. It’s pretty much an ironclad rule that no matter what the dojo does to the challenger, the challenger can’t complain.”

Ikki had known it was a dangerous thing to do. In fact, he had nearly been killed on more occasions than he could count on his hands. Even knowing that, however, all he’d wanted at the time was to be stronger. Since the parental figures in his home wouldn’t help him, he had been desperate to soak up as much battle experience as he possibly could.

That said, I didn’t randomly attack disciples and force the teacher into a duel after being refused.

While they talked about the past, the three of them left the city road and entered a quiet clearing in the woods. Before their eyes was a large house surrounded by tall walls.

“This used to be my home.”

The mansion was so decrepit and poorly maintained that it seemed abandoned. Roof tiles had peeled off, and the wood supporting the gate had rotted and collapsed. Cigarette butts, empty cans, and plastic wrappers littered the area, and the once-white walls had been covered with vulgar graffiti.

“Look at this tasteless ‘art’,” Stella said, full of disdain. “There are people out there with real skill when it comes to this sort of thing, but this is just awful.”

“I don’t think that’s the worst part, but yeah, it’s a real mess.”

Ayase wore a pained expression, as if trying to stifle her frustration. To see a place so full of memories for her trampled so callously must have been too much to bear.

We’d better get this place back in her hands right away.

Ikki steeled his resolve once more and removed a bamboo sword from the long, slender bag he carried.

“How do you plan to get the dojo back, Kurogane?”

“I’m just gonna charge through the front door and storm the dojo, of course.”

The first thought Ikki had when he’d learned of what happened was that Kuraudo’s actions were surprisingly decent. Assaulting the disciples to force their master to accept his challenge was certainly a crime, but when all was said and done, the final battle had been settled with mutual consent from both parties. For better or for worse, everything had ridden on the outcome of their duel. If a third party had tried to intrude, it would have been an insult to Kaito’s honor.

“That’s very like you, Ikki.”

“Okay. But please, Kurogane, be careful. The Sword Eater is very strong. The other disciples and I were no match for him, and my father may have been rusty, but even he couldn’t win…”

“I know. He’s the Ace of Donrou, too. I can’t be careless against him.” Ikki took a deep breath and said, “All right. Here goes.”

He prepared himself mentally and headed to the gate of the former Ayatsuji Dojo. In front of the decaying gate, five high school thugs were sitting on the ground, laughing. One of them was the skinhead from the confrontation at the restaurant. He was definitely one of Kuraudo’s underlings.

“Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but could I have a sec?”

“The hell you want?”

I wonder why these people always try to lead off with intimidation.

“Oh! Heh! You’re that little bitch from the family restaurant!”

The skinhead immediately took notice of Ikki, obviously remembering him.

“Huh? Is that the guy you were talking about?”

“Yeah! Kuraudo beat him and spat on him, and he just sat there shittin’ his pants! He didn’t even say a word!”

“Hahaha! He definitely looks like a weak little beansprout, doesn’t he? He’s wearing a Hagun uniform; does that mean this guy’s a Blazer?”

“Hey, that’s Ayase behind him! Who’s the redhead?! Damn, she’s hot!”

When the thugs saw Stella, they started to approach her with vulgar grins on their faces. Stella, however, looked at them as if they were nothing but walking garbage. Tiny embers crackled in the air.

Hoo, boy.

Ikki grabbed the shoulder of one of the boys that tried to approach her before he could get burned to death. He’d done it out of kindness, but the thugs took it as an attack.

“The hell do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m trying to save your life. Now, just listen to what I have to say. I’m here to challenge Kurashiki to a fight. Could you show me where he is right now?”

Ikki got straight to the point, hoping to keep them from inciting Stella’s wrath and creating an actual issue. Their eyes opened wide at his statement, and so did their mouths as they laughed.

“Hahahahaha! Haaahahahahah!”

“Hey, seriously?! You wanna fight him?! A chicken like you? Damn, man, you’re hilarious!”

“Do you even know what the word ‘fight’ means?!”

“Heheheh! Ah, my sides hurt!”

“Whew… Hey, buddy. I’m sorry, but Kuraudo doesn’t care about fighting weaklings like you. Here, we’ll give you a good fight. If you beat us, we’ll go ahead and take you to Kuraudo.”

“Woo! Fight, fight! I’m excited!”

One of the boys materialized an army knife-like Device and patted the flat of the blade against Ikki’s face.

They’re Donrou students, too.

Ikki accepted their challenge. He seized the wrist of the boy with the knife, holding it tightly as a cruel smirk spread across his face.

“I’m glad you’re quick to the point.”

◆◆◆

“That asshole with the dyed brown hair was so stubborn; I pantsed him and kicked him all the way down the road!”

“Gahahah! For real?!”

“No waaay! Hahah!”

In the trashed halls of the former Ayatsuji Dojo, a group of boys sat around and chewed the fat. They talked about the same things they always did: who’d beaten up whom, who’d cheated whom, and who’d had sex with whom. Kuraudo didn’t especially care for any of it, so he sat away from them on a sofa, puffing away at his cigarette. They weren’t a bad group, and they all loved him, but he just didn’t understand it.

How do these guys not get bored talking about the same shit every day? I wish Donrou would start doing something like Hagun’s selection battles.

That way, at least he could be excited about some part of his daily life. He sighed, watching the cloud of smoke he exhaled drift toward the hole in the roof that let in the sight of the night sky. Looking back, it had been two years since he’d won the dojo.

Maybe I ought to sell this place, he thought idly, still blowing out cigarette smoke.

“Hey, Kuraudo?” One of his lackeys called over to him, his face pale.

“What? Your stomach hurt or something?”

“You remember the guys you got into it with at that family restaurant? That guy and girl who were with Ayase?”

“Yeah. What about them?”

“I thought I’d seen their faces before. Yesterday, I finally remembered.” He showed Kuraudo his electronic student handbook. On the display was a news aggregator site with a summary video under the article The Crimson Princess, Rank A, Somehow Loses to The Worst One, Rank F, in Mock Battle! The video was, of course, a recording of Ikki and Stella’s duel. “One of my buds at Hagun told me that he took down Runner’s High too! People have even started calling him ‘Another One’ or the ‘Uncrowned Sword King’. Hey, man, you think maybe we stepped into some nasty shit?”

Once they realized who they had messed with, Kuraudo’s friends grew pale and sweaty, but Kuraudo simply laughed. Instead of showing fear, he grinned, his canine tooth poking out of his mouth.

“Hahah! I get it. I figured they weren’t normal, but this is a surprise.”

Kuraudo noticed his body temperature rising. He so badly wanted to run wild and let all his pent-up energy explode out of him.

Interesting.

Kuraudo had thought he would wait until the Seven Stars, but perhaps it was time for him to pay Hagun a visit. Either that, or he could use Ayase to smoke them out. As a wicked plan began to form within Kuraudo’s head, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching him.

“Oh?”

It was a beautiful sound; the sound of someone with perfect posture. None of his cronies had such posture.

“Hahah! I think things are about to get interesting!”

“Huh? Kuraudo, what are you talking—”

Suddenly, the footsteps stopped at the entrance and the door was flung open. The visitors were just the ones he had expected: Ikki Kurogane, Stella Vermillion, and Ayase Ayatsuji—the trio he’d run into at the restaurant.

“I’m coming in.”

“Whoa! The inside is filthy, too. How can you guys live in a dump like this?”

Ikki and Stella announced their arrival.

“Wh-Who are you?!”

“These are the people from the family restaurant!”

Casting a sidelong glance at his friends, who had been bothered by the sudden intrusion, Kuraudo remained sitting on his sofa. He glared at Ikki, who was still holding the bamboo sword and convenience store bag.

“What a coincidence. I was just thinking of coming to find you losers.”

“Really? I’m glad we didn’t miss each other, then.”

Ikki’s response didn’t sound like something a person treading on enemy soil would say. He was definitely testing his luck.

“So, what are you here for, coward?”

“I don’t think you’re dense enough to not be able to guess. I’m here to help Ayatsuji get her dojo back.”

“Hah! You’re funny, man. I don’t know how she convinced you to do this, but I won this dojo fair and square. As a swordsman, you ought to know what that means.”

“Of course. I’m not just going to ask you to give it back.” He approached the sofa Kuraudo sat on and pointed his bamboo sword at his enemy’s nose. “Kurashiki, I challenge you to a duel.”

“Came to storm my dojo, huh?”

“I’m doing the same thing you did. You’re not going to back down, are you?”

He’s gonna taunt me and everything, huh?

Ikki might as well have been a different person compared to when they’d last met. Kuraudo didn’t know how much Ikki’s state of mind had changed, but he was interested nonetheless. He grabbed the sword pointed at his face and spoke.

“Hahah. All right, I accept.” He then crushed the sword with his grip strength alone. “But just like when I took this dojo for myself, you’re gonna have to take on my thirty idiots by yourself. We’ll see where things go from there.”

“I don’t mind. My friends are just here to watch. It’s only proper to respect the dojo master’s rules, after all.”

“So you know a challenger’s etiquette. Good. Wait right there while I get my idiots.”

Kuraudo used his electronic handbook to call his friends outside the dojo.

“Oh, that won’t be necessary.”

“Huh?”

“I thought you might do this, so I already fought them all.” Ikki turned his bag upside down in front of Kuraudo, causing nearly two dozen Donrou Academy student handbooks to clack as they fell to the floor. One of them was ringing; of course, the caller’s name shown on the screen was Kuraudo. Ikki grinned fearlessly at Kuraudo as he showed off the spoils of his victories and said, “The only ones left are these seven.”

“D-Don’t mess with us, jackass!”

“I’ll kill yooou!”

Once Kuraudo’s lackeys realized that their friends had been defeated, they materialized their Devices. Their leader stopped them, however.

“Back off, boys.”

“Kuraudo?”

“D-Don’t be a wuss! Let’s kick his ass!”

“I said back off. You’re in my way.”

“Eep!”

They gasped and turned pale, frightened by the threatening fire in Kuraudo’s eyes.

Hmph. Even if they all attacked at once, they wouldn’t be a match for him. It would just be a waste of time.

“I’m changing the rules. This is now a real battle to the death. First to die loses,” Kuraudo declared as he materialized his Device, a nodachi that looked almost like it was made from human bone.

Normally, student knights were forbidden from using their abilities outside of school, but there were certain exceptions. For example, if they were caught up in a major incident; or if they had been given permission by the owner of a private dojo. Ikki was dealing with the latter, and he had no reason to refuse such an offer.

“You have my thanks for accepting my challenge, Sword Eater,” Ikki replied, materializing and readying Intetsu in place of his shattered bamboo sword.

All the hair on Kuraudo’s body instantly stood on end. He was up against the real deal, invoking a sensation that he hadn’t felt since the Last Samurai.

This is why I love swordsmen, he thought. The nervousness I feel is a world different from fighting idiots who are caught up in their so-called “talent”.

Ikki’s dagger-like eyes and dimly-glowing sword both threatened to pierce directly into Kuraudo’s heart. The tension within him rose to a peak, giving him a high he couldn’t find even at the Seven Stars Battle Festival.

“Then let’s fight!” Kuraudo screamed, lost in the excitement.

Spurred on by his boiling blood, he attacked.

◆◆◆

Making the first move, Kuraudo attempted to close the distance between himself and his foe. He’d put magical power into his legs and kicked off the ground, sending him forward at a rapid speed.

“Hahah!”

His saw-bladed nodachi ripped through the air as he swung it powerfully with his right arm. The swing was too wild, too easily-countered—he may as well have been an amateur. He wielded it like a one-handed sword, as if he didn’t understand how to use a nodachi. Rather than slicing, he seemed to be trying to smash with it.

How is his swing so sharp when his style is so sloppy?!

Once, twice, thrice. Intetsu began to creak from the repeated, formless blows, while Ikki’s arms screamed as pain radiated all the way down to his ankles.

Kuraudo’s strength was beyond belief. He was like some sort of monster, the wildly-swinging nodachi like his fangs. His sword had no theories or ideals behind it, just raw, deadly power.

But those wild movements should put him off-balance, slowing down his recovery!

After taking the first three blows, Ikki shuffled backward to dodge the incoming horizontal swing. The air boomed like a cannon as the pressure from Kuraudo’s attack grazed Ikki’s nose. Swinging such a large sword with only one hand, however, left Kuraudo’s chest open to attack.

This is my chance!

Ikki had perfectly calculated his dodge so that he would be close enough to counterattack. He wasted no time in swinging his own sword for his opponent’s torso, but the leering skull on Kuraudo’s chest simply laughed at him.

“Ngh?!”

What he felt against his sword was not skin, but steel. Ikki’s perfectly-timed counterattack had been blocked by the bone-like blade.

“Hah! Damn shame.”

The monster stuck his tongue out and laughed. It was a damn shame. No human alive should have had reflexes fast enough to protect themselves from a perfectly-timed counterattack while still recovering from their last attack. Unless, perhaps, they had expected the counter and were moving to guard from the beginning.

Or maybe…

An incredibly dangerous theory took form in Ikki’s mind. He had no room to deliberate on it, though, as Kuraudo was already repelling not just Intetsu, but even Ikki himself with just one arm.

“Hah! Hahah!”

They had moved from sword range to lance range—a distance neither of them would be able to fight at. Was he trying to reset their positioning? No, that wasn’t it.

“Trail your prey, Jakotsujin!”

Ikki was still in the Sword Eater’s striking distance. Kuraudo’s blade, Orochimaru, slithered like a snake as it extended toward Ikki.

“Ngah!”

Ikki deflected the extending blade with Intetsu, successfully defending himself.

“Hahah! It’s not over yet!”

Kuraudo’s assault didn’t end with just one strike; he pulled his long weapon back and hacked away at Ikki from a safe range, using Orochimaru’s flexible body like a whip. There was enough distance between them that only the Sword Eater’s attacks would reach. All Ikki could do was block each and every incoming attack.

“Urk!”

Every whip of the saw-like blade ground away bits of Ikki’s sword, sending sparks flying. Ikki’s arms were beginning to give, unable to take the long-range assault.

“Woooo! Get ’im, Kuraudo!”

“Tear him apart until he’s just a raggedy dust rag!”

Kuraudo’s crowd cheered as he gained even more ground. Meanwhile, Ikki’s side wasn’t looking so good. Ayase’s face went pale.

“You can’t keep guarding, Kurogane! Get away for now!”

“He can’t. Every time he’s forced back, Orochimaru grows to fill that distance. In fact, if Ikki moves away, it’ll just be worse for him.”

“So it’s just going to get worse?”

“Yes. But Ikki isn’t the kind of man to just let something like this happen to him!”

The Crimson Princess made a bold declaration. She was correct, of course, because she knew the Worst One better than anyone else.

Though he had been forced into a defensive battle, Ikki leaned forward. He threw his body forward using just his legs, but Kuraudo wasn’t ready to let him approach so easily. Given the distance between them, their battle would be completely one-sided in Kuraudo’s favor. He swung his sword once again, hoping to maintain his advantage and limit Ikki’s options.

The white serpent sliced through the air, heading toward its prey. It bared its fangs, ready to crack open Ikki’s skull, but he leaned even farther forward, evading the snake entirely.

He dashed so low that he almost looked to be crawling—a superhuman feat made possible by Ikki’s honed body. The Worst One ran low to the ground and passed under the blade, never letting the enemy out of his sight.

“He did it!”

Ayase pumped her fist when she saw the perfect dodge.

“Hahah!”

The Sword Eater wouldn’t let a single evasion stop him, though. Like a snake with its own free will, Orochimaru raised its head and continued pursuing Ikki even after he’d dodged it.

“H-His sword doesn’t just extend?!” Ayase screamed.

Orochimaru’s true strength wasn’t just in growing and shrinking; it could also move according to its user’s will. The sword altered its course as if it were a living being, chasing Ikki anew. Despite Ikki’s belief that he had avoided the looming threat, it aimed straight for his back. The attack was sure to skewer him.

“I saw that coming, Kurashiki.”

Unless, of course, he had predicted it.

“What?!”

Ikki made the smallest necessary sidestep to avoid the incoming fangs. He was never just fighting a defensive battle; he simply wasn’t that docile of a person. Even his defensive battles always concealed some bold plan.

As he struggled to block Kuraudo’s successive attacks, Ikki was stealing his patterns and combinations, exposing the very root of Kuraudo Kurashiki himself.

Perfect Vision. The Worst One had used his all-seeing eye, which had captured even the invisible Hunter, to read the thoughts of a fanged monster until he found an opportunity for his counterattack. His counter was to be a stab—the fastest possible method of attack for a katana—and his closest target was the forehead of the skull tattoo.

Kuraudo was completely open, still recovering from his own surprise attack. He wouldn’t even have had the time to pull back his sword, let alone take evasive action. It simply wasn’t possible for a human, meaning Ikki’s attack was sure to pierce his heart.

Huh?!

At that very moment, the skull disappeared from before Ikki’s eyes. What had happened? How could he have lost sight of his target? Had Kuraudo really disappeared into thin air? That couldn’t have been the case.

Ikki’s heart thumped painfully and furiously, alarm bells sounding in his head. Danger, danger! they blared. Danger, danger!

Below?!

His sixth sense had informed him of the enemy’s position. Just before Intetsu could pierce his heart, Kuraudo had bent his upper body backward until it was almost parallel to the dojo floor, evading the thrust. Then, he looked at Intetsu from directly below, as if mocking it.

“Hahaaah!”

With his upper body still bent back, he attacked Ikki with his nodachi once more.

“Ngh!”

Ikki blocked the attack with his own sword, stopping it just before it could behead him. He’d only narrowly defended himself, so he had been unable to properly disperse the impact, causing his shoulder to dislocate. His expression turned grim, but not because of Kuraudo’s incredible strength even while contorted into such an unstable position.

I knew it!

While Ikki was stupefied, Kuraudo let loose three more wild attacks, his body having been righted by his previous one.

Ikki’s breathing was ragged as a result of his combined charge and evasive maneuvers; he had to be careful not to push himself too much. Focusing on defense once more, he held Intetsu over his head, ready to block the falling nodachi. However, the moment their blades were to cross, the nodachi faded like a mirage.

This is bad!

As Ikki launched himself backward with all his strength, the spot he had leaped from was torn through by Kuraudo’s blade.

“Ngh!”

Because he had leaped back without thinking, Ikki broke posture and nearly fell. He staggered backward until he eventually corrected himself.

Stella and Ayase gasped as they looked on from the sidelines. Ikki’s uniform had been torn in the front—proof that if he hadn’t jumped back at that exact moment, his entrails would have ended up all over the floor.

“Hah! Not bad, dodging that on your first time seeing it.”

“Wh-What was that?!”

“Kurogane…”

“Nooooooo!”

“He was so close to slicing him in half!”

“Good shit, though, Kuraudo! This guy has nothing on you!”

“Get hiiiiiim!”

Shock and confusion, anticipation and excitement. The difference between each side’s mood was like night and day. Ikki didn’t have room in his mind to worry about any of that.

“Hm. I think I get it.” He’d finally confirmed the theory had been in the back of his mind ever since Kuraudo’s impossibly-timed evasion of his counter. His worst nightmare had become a reality. “So that’s your true power—the power that allowed you to defeat the Last Samurai.”

◆◆◆

“When Ayatsuji first told me about your duel, there was something I just couldn’t wrap my head around. How had Kaito been defeated so easily? Even if he had been rusty from his years of retirement, he was such a great swordsman that people called him the Last Samurai. He couldn’t have been beaten at his own game that easily. There had to be some explanation for it.” It was all the more reason for Ikki to believe Kuraudo was just that strong. “But now, I know what that reason is.”

Blocking and evading with inhuman timing, a sword that would disappear into thin air and attack from entirely different angles—both were possible because of a single ability.

“What is it?! Is it some kind of trick?!”

Ayase cut in from the sidelines, desperate to know more. She must have wondered how Kaito had been beaten so badly. She must have believed there had been some trickery afoot.

“No, it’s not trickery,” Ikki said, shaking his head.

“Haha! Looks like you do get it after all. Go on and tell them so we can compare answers.”

Kuraudo smirked as Ikki revealed the true nature of his ability.

“The power that serves as foundation for Kurashiki’s strength is his reaction time.”

“It does…?”

“Ikki, are you talking about the same reaction time that everyone has?”

“Yes and no. Going by the meaning of the phrase alone, yes, but the speed of our reactions is just too different. I’m talking about the factors that make up reaction time: the individual activities of sensing, comprehending, and responding to stimuli. For a normal human, it all adds up to about a third of a second, and for a world-class sprinter, it’s said to add up to about a sixth of a second. Getting below a tenth of a second should be impossible no matter how much you train. Judging by the speed of Kuraudo’s moves, however, his reaction time must be around half of that.”

Stella and Ayase were, naturally, too shocked to speak. Even Ikki and Stella only had reaction speeds slightly better than a sprinter’s. Kuraudo had surpassed human speed; if Ikki performed an action, he could perform two or three in the same amount of time.

“Thanks to your superhuman reaction speed, you can avoid unavoidable attacks, change the path of your sword the moment our blades are about to meet, attack from completely new angles, and more. That’s why it looked like your sword had disappeared in midair.”

“Hahah! Haaahahahah! Correct!”

Kuraudo laughed and gave Ikki a metaphorical gold star. There never was any technique to his swordplay; just brute force. Because all actions were governed on a basic level by reaction speed, that force alone was enough to allow the Sword Eater to pound any obstacle into the dirt.

No matter how strong one was, how polished one’s stance was, or how honed one’s tactical sense was, it was all meaningless if their opponent was twice as fast as they were. Even if top-tier tactical prowess landed them the perfect surprise attack on Kuraudo, he would win the moment he laid eyes on you. Even if he dove awkwardly into battle, Kuraudo could break through an enemy’s guard just by changing his angle of attack.

The Sword Eater’s true strength was his ability to, in essence, change his throw from paper to rock after seeing that his opponent had thrown scissors. Skills, experience, strategy, and tactics were nothing before the gift he was born with. Superhuman reaction speed and the action speed to put it to good use combined to create his special ability: Marginal Counter.

“I’ve never had someone see through my Marginal Counter from the very start! Good shit, Worst One! You’re a cut above the rest. But so what?! Even if you know what’s going on behind the scenes, what are you gonna do about it?!”

Knowing that Kuraudo was right, Ikki’s expression clouded over. Perfect Vision was worthless against an opponent who could redo his move in rock-paper-scissors. Ittou Shura only increased physical strength; it couldn’t speed up the body’s impulses. He had no way to break through Marginal Counter.

“Hahah! You can’t do shit! My Marginal Counter isn’t a skill—it’s something I was born with. You can’t beat it. And you haven’t even seen Marginal Counter’s top speed! Hebigami!”

Kuraudo howled, moving to close the distance between them, and unleashed an attack that struck from two places at once. The simultaneous left and right strikes both somehow came from the same slash.

There was no way for Ikki to guard against the twin strikes’ impossible, phantom-like speed and vigor. Even if he protected himself on one side, the other strike from the saw-like blade would tear his body apart.

As such, there was only one action he could take: he attempted to evade the blow by leaping backward. Superhuman twin strikes should have been pointless if he was out of range, but the Sword Eater could change his attack range at will.

“That won’t work twiiice!”

Orochimaru extended toward Ikki. He could no longer evade by moving back; the saw-like blades approached from left and right, ready to cut his body in two. That was when he acted.

Ikki had repelled the Orochimaru on his right with Intetsu in his right hand. Wasn’t that the wrong move, though? With Ikki’s reaction speed, he shouldn’t have been able to defend himself against the attack on the left. The saw should have dug into his torso, hurling flesh and blood all over the dojo, but that didn’t happen.

“What?!”

Sparks flew instead of blood, and the clang! of steel against steel rang out. The reason for that lay in Ikki’s hands, which defended him from Hebigami.

“Damn you…!”

Kuraudo growled when he realized what had happened. Ikki wasn’t actually holding Intetsu’s hilt; he was holding the base of the blade, decreasing his reach.

“Ooh, shortsword techniques?! That’s amazing, Ikki!”

“Kurogane can use shortswords too?!”

“Shizuku uses one, and given that he can teach others her style of swordplay, of course he can!”

Stella was confident in her judgment because she knew Ikki would hate to give flawed lessons, and she was correct. The martial arts he had learned weren’t limited to swordplay; he knew everything, from archery to hand-to-hand combat. If he found anything that could make him stronger, he would pursue it wholeheartedly, using every second he had to the fullest because he knew that he was the weakest Blazer out there.

In times of need, Ikki would use every bit of knowledge he’d gained. Doing so was how he’d found The Hunter’s position based on the force and angle of his arrows. The same was true for him having survived Kuraudo’s attack.

Shortswords had less attack power than katanas due to their shorter reach, but they made up for it in defensive power due to their ease of handling. The increased speed they boasted allowed Ikki to parry Kuraudo’s attacks.

“You’re not the only one who can adjust their range.”

After warding off both bites of Hebigami from his tight stance, Ikki immediately stepped forward to counterattack.

“Hahah!”

Kuraudo couldn’t help but laugh as his foe seemed to communicate that he was ready to challenge even Kuraudo’s incredible speed. That weapon switch wasn’t something that a student knight who relied on his magic all the time would come up with. Kuraudo praised Ikki for that last-second action.

That won’t help you win, though! It’s not enough!

The shortsword switch may have been clever, but it was nothing more than a trick. Kuraudo was ready to give his enemy the final answer that he had learned as a quarterfinalist at Seven Stars, one of the strongest Blazers in Japan.

Strength didn’t lie in flashy tricks or noble ideals like fighting for your friends. It was so much simpler, so much more basic: absurd brute force.

“Hah-haaaaah!”

“Wha—?!”

Ikki and his spectators were lost for words. The snake Kuraudo had let loose had two additional heads; Ikki had to try to counter four attacks all at once.

He can still move faster?!

Ikki was taken completely by surprise, but he just barely managed to block both the blow that was meant to cut through his neck and the blow that was meant to gouge his left side.

It wasn’t enough, though. In the time it took Ikki to do one thing, Kuraudo could do four. The two remaining fangs tore through Ikki’s chest in the shape of a cross, sending blood spurting out of him.

“Graaaaah!”

“Ikki!”

“Kurogane!”

“I’m fine! I can still fight!”

The wound was probably deep enough to reach his sternum, but Ikki still put energy in his legs, refusing to fall. He continued to stare fixedly at the monster before him.

“Heh. You let my first two attacks push you backward so you wouldn’t get killed the last two, did you? You’re one tricky son of a bitch, you know that? But you won’t be for long! You can’t do anything from that distance! I’ll make mincemeat out of you!”

Kuraudo cast his freshly-bloodied Orochimaru like a whip from afar. At a distance from which only he could attack, he rained hell on the wounded Ikki.

◆◆◆

When Ikki had first evaded Kuraudo’s Orochimaru and charged toward him, Ayase had thought he’d done it. When Ikki had blocked Hebigami shortsword-style, she had thought he’d had a chance. But the Sword Eater had just kept coming out on top, far exceeding her expectations every step of the way. It was like a nightmare.

Ikki had come to be known as one of the strongest contenders in the hunt to represent Hagun Academy at the Seven Stars Battle Festival, even able to win against the Crimson Princess without taking a single hit. He was Another One, the Uncrowned Sword King.

But he can’t do anything, even at close range!

Ikki’s Perfect Vision was meaningless before Marginal Counter, and there was no point in him using Ittou Shura because Marginal Counter allowed Kuraudo leave him in the dust either way. In fact, if he were to use Ittou Shura, it could cause Kuraudo to go on his guard and end in Ikki’s death after running out.

Ittou Shura was a skill supported by Ikki’s determination and resolve. It was a last-ditch effort ability that he would use when he was desperate enough to use up all of his remaining strength. He couldn’t stop the skill halfway through, and he couldn’t make adjustments to it like making it last longer than a minute. And as long as Kuraudo had the inhuman reaction speed to act two or three times in the span of one of Ikki’s actions, one minute wouldn’t be enough to break through his defenses.

There’s nothing he can do!

Even with his deep wounds, Ikki was desperately trying to block Orochimaru and its wild Hebigami attacks while standing in a pool of his own blood. It was a one-sided battle.

Ayase gulped as she looked at Kuraudo, who continued piling attack after attack on Ikki.

This boy is too strong! He’s out of control! His strength was world-class. The Sword Eater, a quarterfinalist at the previous year’s Seven Stars, was finally showing his true power. Is the top of the Seven Stars full of monsters like him?

Ayase didn’t see any chance for survival, let alone victory. The Sword Eater could just laugh and laugh as he trampled over every trick or skill in his way.

In the face of such overwhelming force, Ikki sustained wound after wound. As blood flowed continuously from his chest, his prediction and shortsword-style guards began to dull more and more. Each time the saw blades grazed Ikki’s chest and thighs, they dug in deeper, grinding away bits of flesh.

At this rate…!

Ayase got a bad case of déjà vu. Ikki was just like Kaito as he stood fighting despite being slowly turned into mincemeat. She couldn’t take it anymore.

“Miss Vermillion, we have to stop the duel! Kurogane’s going to break down any minute now!”

“You won’t get your dojo back if you stop them now.”

“I don’t care! Kurogane’s life is more important!”

“Agreed. But we still can’t stop him.”

Stella crossed her arms as she spoke. Ayase was floored by how unbelievable her statement was.

“Why not?! Aren’t you two supposed to be a couple?! Is there something he can do to turn the tables or something?!”

“Nope. I could just take him down with pure firepower, but Ikki doesn’t have that. He doesn’t have any weapons that could fight from that range, either. To add insult to injury, his one close-range weapon, the swordsmanship he prides himself on, can’t do anything here. This is really bad. I’m honestly surprised at how much of a monster that skull guy is.”

Stella’s voice was perfectly calm, but when Ayase looked carefully, she noticed there were scratches on Stella’s arms, leaking blood onto her white sleeves. She was desperately holding back the impulse to run in and help.

“World-class skill doesn’t lie,” Stella continued. “I have to accept that he’s incredibly strong. At this rate, Ikki can’t win.”

“I don’t understand. If you know that, why won’t you stop him?!”

“I told you: we can’t stop him.”

“Why not?!”

“Look how much fun Ikki is having.”

“Huh?”

Before she could comment on the absurdity of it, Ayase looked at Ikki’s face amidst the bloodshed. She was left dumbfounded.

He’s… grinning?!

It wasn’t the kind, mild-mannered smile that she had become used to. It was ferocious, like he was baring his fangs.

“Thinking back, he smiled the same way when he was up against my Katharterio Salamandra.”

“Why? He could die right now; just look at all that blood. So… why?”

“Because that’s what’s fun for him, of course.” Ayase wasn’t strong enough to comprehend it, but Stella understood, and Ayase’s father, Kaito, likely did as well. “Hey, Ayatsuji. When you told us about your dad, there was one thing we couldn’t come to terms with.”

“What’s that?”

“Does the Last Samurai really regret what happened?”

“Huh?! Of course he does! What are you talking about?!” Ayase raised her voice, angered and shocked by Stella’s baseless accusation. “If… If he hadn’t shown up, we could’ve been happy forever! Dad wouldn’t be in a coma, we wouldn’t have lost the dojo, and the disciples wouldn’t have gotten hurt! He took away our days of happiness! How could Dad not regret it?!”

“That’s just speaking from your point of view, isn’t it?”

“What?!”

“Think about it. The man whose swordplay was so incredible that they named him the Last Samurai, the veritable king of swords that wanted glory so badly he ascended to the very top. Then, he became unable to hold a sword, drifting further from his passion every day. Is that happiness? Is that a feeling of satisfaction that you’d want to experience every day? If you ask me, I wouldn’t be able to stand it.”

“Ngh.”

“Sure, maybe he had a problem with the details of the fight—this skull guy definitely did some really terrible things to make it happen—but for someone to go so far just to challenge him, a swordsman who could do nothing but decay all alone? I think he might have been really happy about that.”

Is that true? No. That can’t be right. Dad was always smiling. He looked at his disciples kindly, his life’s new purpose being the teaching of his style—

“This is my fight! Don’t interrupt!”

“Ngh!”

Something that had never made sense finally clicked in Ayase’s mind; she understood everything.

She understood why her father, with an expression she had never seen and a voice that she had never heard, had shouted so angrily at her during that fight. She understood why he, even when the outcome was clear, continued their duel. She understood why he, despite being hurt so badly, refused to give in.

Ayase had never realized Kaito’s feelings. She couldn’t have. From her point of view, he had been forced into a duel that he didn’t want and forever regretted it.

But she was wrong. Completely wrong. He was likely fighting in part for his wounded disciples and in part to protect the dojo he wanted to leave to his daughter, but that wasn’t all. The real emotion that spurred Kaito forward, supporting him in his fight, was something simpler—a reason much more basic than etiquette or morality.

It was the desire to fight the enemy in front of him, to defeat the incredible threat in front of him. It was the pure, unadulterated instinct of a wolf to fight.

For Kaito, who’d had his true life’s purpose taken away from him by illness and age, that fight was something he had yearned for. A single moment in which, even if his body and soul were burned away, he’d leave the world with no regrets.

That’s it, isn’t it? Those words weren’t meant for us.

“I’m sorry.”

She finally understood. His apology was likely meant for Kuraudo, rather than his disciples. No matter his reason or his methods, that boy had been worthy of defeating Kaito, not caring how much he had decayed over the years. The Last Samurai was apologizing to the boy because he wasn’t able to fight with everything the Ayatsuji Single-Blade Style had to offer.

Some father he was. How could he have offered what could have been his last words to an enemy, of all people? Ayase had thought he was wiser and more mature than that. What of that? Was he just an egotist? He was like a sore loser of a little boy. Is that what it took for him to be happy?

At that moment, a loud noise rang through the dojo.

◆◆◆

The dojo fell perfectly silent for the first time since their fight began.

“Haah, haah! Haah!”

In the silence, Ikki panted hoarsely. The loss of blood from so many wounds had clearly drained him of all of his stamina. He wasn’t the only one short on breath, though.

“Heh… Haah, haah…”

He was uninjured, but Kuraudo was red-faced and breathing heavily. Why was Kuraudo as exhausted as Ikki if the battle had been entirely in his favor? Stella immediately realized the answer.

“I get it! So this is Marginal Counter’s weakness!”

“What is, Miss Vermillion?!”

“Look at that skull guy’s face. You’ll understand.”

Ayase did as directed, looking into Kuraudo’s face. Drops of sweat were rolling down his face, dripping from his jawline.

“Is it stamina?!”

“Yes. It’s so simple! Marginal Counter gives him the speed to perform countless actions, but it drains his stamina like nothing else. Ikki realized his weakness early on, so he’s been waiting for his enemy’s stamina to deplete!”

Kuraudo clenched his jaw as if to confirm her statement.

Look at him, acting smart! The battle was supposed to be moving at my pace, but he somehow dragged me into a game of endurance!

Even on the brink of death, even when his blade couldn’t reach the enemy, Ikki had seen through Marginal Counter’s weakness and chipped away at Kuraudo’s stamina, turning their fight into a battle of attrition.

Just like Stella had said, Ikki wasn’t the kind of man to accept a purely defensive battle. He had plenty of ways to take down his foe while protecting himself.

It’s like sorcery. He’s a scary son of a bitch.

Kuraudo felt a chill when he thought of just how much experience and knowledge had gone into Ikki’s simple defending.

“That’s Kurogane for you. He can wear down the enemy even when he can’t fight! He just might win this!”

Ayase, on the other hand, was struck with admiration. She pumped her fist at the possibility of a comeback, but Stella looked tense.

“I’m not too sure about that.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“This battle of endurance was Ikki’s last resort; he was overwhelmed even at close range, so he couldn’t do anything else. That’s really all there is to it. Just look at him, he’s just as tired as his opponent. He’s been worn down too much. Rather than Ikki winning, the match ending in a draw due to his injuries is more likely.”

It was no surprise that someone like Ikki would force their match all the way to a draw in his desperation. Neither side had an advantage any longer. Stella could only say one thing for certain:

“No matter who wins here, the next attack will be the last.”

That was the only clear truth.

“You can’t be stubborn forever, asshole…”

“Haah, haah… Unfortunately for you, I’m way too competitive to just give up. And… It’s been a long time since I’ve been overwhelmed in swordplay. It’s just too fun… I don’t want it to end.”

“Hahah… Hah… ‘Fun’? Hahahahah. You’re fucked up in the head.”

“That makes two of us.”

“Yeah, but that’s about to come to an end…!”

Kuraudo caught his breath and stood up straight. Then, he brandished Orochimaru.

“This one’s gonna finish ya,” he declared to the bloody samurai.

The next one’s going to kill.

Upon that prediction, Ikki’s lips curled into a wicked grin.

“Oh, really? I was just thinking the same thing.”

Ikki held his blade before his eyes, pointing the tip straight toward Kuraudo’s forehead. The two knights swore that they would kill each other and stood face to face. Before their battle ended, however, Ikki had a question that had been weighing on his mind.

“Can I ask you one last thing?”

“What?”

“Did that great swordsman smile like we’re smiling now?”

Kuraudo’s eyes went wide.

“Hah. Don’t be stupid,” he spat. “He wouldn’t be called the Last Samurai if he couldn’t appreciate a good, old-fashioned fight to the death!”

“Is that so?”

That was all Ikki needed to know; he had pleaded for it to be true.

“Thank you,” he said, then dashed toward the monster baring its fangs at him.

◆◆◆

Blood pouring from his countless wounds, Ikki bent low and leaped forward. His body was dyed red and he had one foot in the grave, but he was just as quick as he’d been at the very start of the battle as he ran.

He’s the real deal!

Kuraudo was willing to praise his enemy, so he felt no need to hold back. Preparing to put all of his spirit into his next attack, he shrunk Orochimaru back down to the size of a one-handed sword.

He’d abandoned reach, prioritizing speed. His next blow would have all of his power and his speed behind it. Utilizing Marginal Counter, the Sword Eater would unleash a superhuman feat only he was capable of.

“Yamato-no-Orochi!”

He put all of his might into his attack, releasing eight sword slashes almost simultaneously. The eight snakes, dull white like bone, bared their fangs as they made their way toward the black-haired swordsman.

Ikki was sure to be defenseless against it; he hadn’t even been able to fight off four heads. He was sure to be thoroughly butchered.

However, the Worst One didn’t stop his charge. He didn’t even flinch in the face of the eight sets of fangs headed toward him. He simply held his sword in front of himself, pointed in Kuraudo’s direction as he charged forward without the slightest hint of putting up a defense.

Had Ikki surrendered himself to despair? Or had he resolved himself to perform one final suicide attack?

No, Kuraudo thought. That’s not it. He’s…

The tip of Ikki’s forward-pointed sword and the daggers his eyes sent a chill shooting through Kuraudo’s body.

He knew that sensation—he had experienced it just once in the past. It was during the very final moments of his fight with Kaito Ayatsuji. At the time, Kaito had attempted to do something in his desperation. Just like Ikki was doing, he had held his sword in front of him and charged forward, abandoning all defense.

Kuraudo never understood quite why he’d felt such a sensation, but he had felt it once more: danger. A half-dead man who could have been pushed over by a slight breeze had sent shivers up his spine. Not only that, but it was happening again.

Hell yeah! Kuraudo didn’t stop swinging his sword. With his Marginal Counter, he still had time to evade, but instead, he pressed on. This is...!

Kuraudo had wanted to see the end of the decisive battle that he’d believed was forever lost to history. He had waited for so long, clinging to some small hope that Kaito would recover or that Ayase would become as skilled as her father and come to take her dojo back.

The realization of that hope was the reason he didn’t stop. He had no reason to stop.

“This is what I’ve been waiting these two whole years for!”

Their strikes intersected, sending blood flying through the air.