Chivalry of a Failed Knight Vol. 2

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The high ceilings of the dojo were stained crimson by the blood gushing from Kuraudo. He keeled over in pain after his torso was sliced open diagonally from his right shoulder to the left side of his hip.

Ikki, however, was unhurt. Yamato-no-Orochi’s eight strokes moved with such speed that they should have been unavoidable and unblockable. He should have been torn to shreds.

In truth, Ikki had taken every single set of fangs head-on, but he came out uninjured. Only Ayase knew how that was possible.

I-It must be…

She had seen this skill only once in her life, back when Kaito had first showed her the ultimate technique of the Ayatsuji Single-Blade Style. By her father’s urging, Ayase had attacked him with Hizume, putting all of her strength behind the attack. It had hit him, but he was unscathed. She’d felt only emptiness, as if she had been trying to slice at petals falling through the air.

Kaito explained that when one parried an enemy’s attack, their counterattack was slowed. To push away the enemy’s weapon, one had to move their own away from a proper attacking position.

Knowing that, how could one counter as quickly as possible? The answer, Kaito revealed, was to fend off the enemy’s attack without abandoning one’s optimal offensive stance.

The ultimate technique he’d created was what had come of that. Dispersing one’s soul through all of creation while taking in all of creation, resulting in a peerless stance that could ward off any attack with the minimum amount of movement necessary.

“The Ayatsuji style’s final, ultimate move: Ten’i Muhou!”

How could Ikki Kurogane have known about that? It was a secret move that Kaito had never used in front of anyone else.

“Ah…”

As that question swirled within her mind, she remembered something she had heard in the family restaurant:

“It’s all your own doing, Ayatsuji. I mean it. Even if you were studying alone, you would’ve figured it out someday.”

Ikki never said things that he wasn’t certain of. Ayase knew he was reliable because she had received his direct instruction.

“No way! Did he already know…?”

“Blade Steal.”

“Huh?”

“Ikki can watch anyone’s swordplay and learn everything about it, including their ultimate technique. He did it to me, too.”

Back then, Ikki had already seen the final summit that Ayase’s fledgling swordplay would reach as she followed in her father’s footsteps. Stella grinned widely, convinced of that truth. She knew that that was what was truly to be feared about Ikki.

For as much strength and skill as he had, it wasn’t enough for him. He wrung out every last bit of new strength from every encounter and challenge that came his way, then made use of it all to reach even greater heights. Ikki Kurogane’s endless ambition was the very thing that made him Another One, the boy the Crimson Princess loved.

“Sheesh. Those are some big footsteps to follow in, huh?”

Just as Stella finished softly murmuring that statement, Kuraudo let loose a horrific howl.

“Aaaaargh!”

Everyone there was speechless in disbelief at what they saw unfolding before them. Kuraudo’s body, even after sustaining such a clearly fatal wound, refused to fall. The copious amounts of blood streaming from his body pooled at his feet, but he wouldn’t go down even as he toed the line of ultimate defeat.

He’s still standing?

Not even Ikki could hide his shock.

“I get it. So this is what that old geezer was trying to do.”

Though Kuraudo stood, defying death, his eyes no longer harbored the will to fight.

“Hahah… Not bad.” A nostalgic smile crept across his face as he remembered the battle from two years ago. He forced his blood-covered body to stand upright, and looked back at Ikki. “What’s your name, Worst One?”

“Ikki Kurogane.”

“‘Kurogane’… We’ll finish this at the Seven Stars,” he said, turning to walk toward the exit. He no longer seemed interested in fighting inside the dojo.

“Kurashiki,” Ikki called out as he walked away, “about the dojo—”

“Do what you want with it,” came his answer. “There’s no point in me keeping it anymore.”

“W-Wait, Kuraudo!”

“Let’s get going, boys!”

“Y-Yeah!”

Kuraudo’s cronies followed behind him, rushing out of the dojo. After all of them had finally disappeared, Ikki and his friends could hear panicked voices in the distance.

“Whoa! G-Get up, Kuraudooo!”

“Aw, shit! He’s out like a light!”

“Let’s call an ambulance!”

“We can’t wait for that! Let’s get him to the school in my car!”

“Kuraudo! Hang in there!”

Ikki dematerialized Intetsu with a sigh, expressing a mixture of exasperation and admiration.

“He won’t show weakness to his opponents. That’s one stubborn guy.”

“You’re not much different.”

“Whoa!”

Suddenly, his legs were swept out from under him, leading to him falling on his backside.

“Wh-What are you doing, Stella?”

“Don’t talk big when you don’t even have it in you to stand up.”

“Ugh.” Far from being able to walk, Ikki wasn’t in a condition to even stand back up. He turned away sheepishly. “So you noticed.”

“Of course I did. How is it that you let people mess you up like this every day?! If you’ve got a crazy hidden technique like that, break it out sooner!”

“Don’t be silly. Above all else, that’s the Last Samurai’s ultimate technique; no matter how you look at it, I can’t just whip it out flawlessly on my first try. If I didn’t tire Kurashiki out first and slow down his swordplay, he would’ve chopped me right up.”

“At least fight so you don’t get hurt as much next time. Jeez…” Stella sighed and handed her bag over to Ayase. “I brought an emergency first-aid kit. Would you mind stopping the bleeding, Ayatsuji? This kind of thing is better left to the lady of the dojo. While you do that, I’ll call a teacher to come meet us. There’s no way Ikki’s getting on a train looking like that.”

“O-Okay! I’ll take care of it!”

Ayase gladly took the bag. Inside, there were general first-aid items such as bandages and antiseptics she could use to perform some amount of treatment.

“Thank you, Kurogane.” Ayase tightly grasped his hand and expressed her heartfelt thanks as she patched him up. “Thanks to you, I finally understand my father’s true feelings. I thought I knew him better than anyone, but I actually didn’t understand him at all.”

“I disagree.”

“Huh?”

“The only reason I won was because you have every last detail of your father’s style memorized. Nobody knows Kaito as well as you do, Ayatsuji. You’re the one who most deserves to carry on his spirit.”

Was that true? Ayase didn’t know, but she certainly wished it to be.

“Then I’d better get stronger. That way, I can take pride in myself as his successor. Once I do, maybe… I’ll be able to defeat that boy myself one day.”

Her eyes were resolute. Ayase would never lose herself again; she had rediscovered her pride once and for all.

Ikki smiled, relieved, as he looked upon her.

“I look forward to that day.”

Ikki smiled, relieved, as he looked upon her. He, too, prayed that the future she spoke of would become reality.