Ikki vs Moroboshi

As though to confirm Kiriko's words, Moroboshi shifted from his defensive stance. Leisurely bringing his spear Tora-Ou to bear tip first, he stood ready, and then—a chill ran down goosebumped spines throughout the spectator stands of the Bay Dome.

This included Shizuku.

"What… what a guy, to be able to exude such pressure just from taking a stance…!"

Yes, the source of the shivers was the pressure exuded by Moroboshi to the surroundings even as he took up his stance. Even the uproar of the crowd from earlier was silenced by that presence—tens of thousands devoured in an instant by one man standing in the ring.

Even Ikki, who had been closing for a quick attack, was forced to a halt before that pressure. This was that which had stopped Yui Tatara in her tracks two days ago: Moroboshi's Yuudai's Happo Nirami.

But it was only for a moment. Putting more power into his legs, Ikki continued his charge.

「Representative Kurogane! Despite stopping once, he's unafraid! He charges in bravely!」

「That's a strong heart he has there. A normal person would be left trembling and immobile before that kind of presence, but he is not slowing down at all.」

- Volume 5, Chapter 3
[Ikki only momentarily fazed by Moroboshi's pressure]
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That was why Ikki's next course of action took everyone aback. He neither ran nor leaped, but merely walked as if strolling, closing the distance between himself and Moroboshi. His movements devoid of all killing intent, he stopped about one and a half metres away from the latter. Not close enough to reach him with his sword, but close enough for Moroboshi to reach him with his spear!

「Wh-What!? What does Kurogane mean to do? It's almost as if he's just saying 'come on, hit me!'」

The commentators were also in confusion. Indeed, it was an incomprehensible action. Just by looking, one would think he was provoking Moroboshi. Some members of the audience took it up.

「Hoshii! You gettin' licked! Go kick his ass!」

「Don't let some punk from Tokyo look down on ya!」

An outcry poured forth from one section of the stands. And as though responding to their voices—

「Moroboshi's made his move! The Seven Stars Sword King initiates a furious assault upon his fearless foe!」

—he displayed once again his technique, a continuous barrage with Sanrensei too fast for the eye to catch. Spear-tips formed a dense rain of death descending like a volley of machine-gun fire.

It was undodgeable. Or it should have been undodgeable, and yet—

「It's not hitting! It's not hitting! Even with its famed speed, Sanrensei can't even graze him! What graceful footwork! His movements are so elegant as he dodges the spear's point that one would think he was dancing!」

While standing within the range of Sanrensei, a technique that could pierce three points in a single breath, Ikki was—unlike before—moving from side to side and dodging all the strikes.

He had not closed the distance without thinking. Sanrensei was an amazing technique. It could even be considered superhuman. But he knew of something that was faster and keener by far: the Sword Eater's Marginal Counter. Reflexes and speed so beyond human ken that they could create the illusion of eight simultaneous slashes at once. Compared to that, his eyes were more than sufficient to follow Sanrensei, which did not have the same pressure as a technique that could make you see eight simultaneous, illusory strikes. As long as he read the spear's trajectory with a calm mind, he could easily deal with it.

Before long, their engagement had lasted ten seconds, with Moroboshi attacking and Ikki evading. Then, judging that Ikki was handling his attacks with ease, Moroboshi took large strides backward, opening the distance between them once again.

***

Indeed, during their exchange of offense-defense, neither of them had pressed their attack. Ikki had remained within the danger zone, continuously taking the risk of dodging Sanrensei by a hair's breadth in order to confirm that his body would not lock up from fear.


[Ikki dodging Moroboshi's Sanrensei strikes with ease and forcing him to retreat]
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Just as Touka said that, battle was joined once again in faraway Osaka. Having ascertained that there was no fear in himself, Ikki closed the space between them, intent on taking advantage of the flaw that he had seen in their previous clash.

「But Moroboshi isn't going to let him get close this easily! He meets him with Sanrensei!」

Of course Moroboshi would take advantage of his reach to strike the first blow.

One!

He juked to the right, evading a first blow aimed at his brow.

Two!

A step to the left, the stab for his heart elegantly evaded.

A technique that launched three strikes in a breath. It was brilliant, but ultimately it was something built up from training. It was not as flexible as Sword Eater's Marginal Counter, a superhuman technique derived from unique natural bestowment. He could deal with this and still have room to spare.

That's the second. The next is the last! After the next blow, Moroboshi will have to breathe.

Most likely, three strikes in one breath was his limit. Thus, Ikki chose the third and final blow as the timing for his counterattack.

With this strike, I will score the opening hit! It probably won't take him down, but it will allow me to take the lead in this battle!

The very third blow he was aiming for was flying towards his thigh.

Three—now!

Regardless of how amazingly fast it was, it was still a point attack. If he moved but a millimeter away from that point, it would miss. He would take another step to the left, move into range of his sword—

Then cut his body as I pass him—

At that moment when Ikki had evaded the path of the spear with his sidestep and was stepping in range to cut Moroboshi—he saw something impossible.

The Tora-Ou that he should have evaded had made a hard left. Like a snake seeking its prey, the spear-tip sought him out.

"Uuh!"

Even though he was surprised by this unexpected sight, he made the call in an instant. Forsaking his charge, he made a great leap to the left, getting out of the spear's range.

But it was a risky evasion… and an imperfect one, at that.

「Wh-What!? With Kurogane dodging the three strikes gracefully, and Moroboshi only defending, one would think that Kurogane had the advantage—but it was reversed in an instant! He's been cut across half his ear! The Seven Stars Sword King Yuudai Moroboshi has the first strike!」

The stands were in an uproar from that opening blow. Ikki on the other hand shivered slightly, heedless of the blood dripping down from his ear.

Wh-What was that last thrust? I didn't see that in any of his replays!

He had studied Moroboshi's replays countless times in order to come up with a way to exploit this flaw, but Tora-Ou had never never showed him anything like this. Was this a new technique? No. There was something very odd going on if that was the case.

Why didn't the commentators mention this technique?

Could it be that—

—They can't see it?

[Ikki narrowly avoiding an unseen, impossible attack in a heartbeat that was so fast that cameras and supersonic+ audience members couldn't even see it]
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Ikki frowned as Moroboshi advanced towards him for the first time since their match had begun. Moroboshi undoubtedly knew that he was wavering.

*Swish!*

The spear shot out once again, aiming for his legs. He was trying to limit Ikki's mobility.

Let's not think about attacking for now and just focus on evasion! I'll get back in the swing of things as I dodge!

Dodging the thrusts by taking half a step backward, he attempted to calm himself down. Each thrust seemed to split the air—he could not stop. He had to wait for the decisive opening when the spear, having missed, would stab into the stone floor—

The opening he imagined occurred in that instant. And yet, the spear that should have aimed for his legs suddenly shot upward, making for his face!

Uwaaa!

Jerking his head back, he narrowly avoided it, but still received a shallow graze to the cheek.

There's no mistaking it! While I don't understand the principle behind it, Moroboshi-san's thrust bends!

A spear, ramrod straight as it should have been, was as fluid as clay. It was an impossible sight, but seeing it twice had cleared all his doubts. And it was not just twice; all of Moroboshi's thrusts thereafter curved. Up and down, left and right, ever changing according to his will—chasing Ikki wherever he fled.

This is nuts. If I just sidestep, I'll be skewered!

This technique was not one to use knife-thin dodges on. He had no other option apart from seeking to completely escape the spear's attack range, and this he did with all his might.

「What's happening to Kurogane? Watching him flee helter-skelter, it's almost as though the beautiful dodges from before were a lie! It's like it's taking all he has just to escape!」

That's really true!

Ikki made a wry grin at the commentator's scathing remarks.

***

But escaping was not the same as losing. To flee was to avoid losing. No matter how unseemly he looked, he still sought victory. He did not run because he was afraid. Even as he scurried about he continued to observe Moroboshi, the gears in his head turning as they sought to come closer to the secret behind Moroboshi's homing thrust.

The commentators have made it quite clear—the audience can't see what's happening.

If they could see the homing spear, the commentators wouldn't have said what they had. Rather than commenting on Ikki's desperate scurrying, they would have praised Moroboshi's amazing technique.

Which means that the mechanism behind the homing thrust has to be—

"What's wrong? You ain't gonna win just by runnin' away, Kurogane!"

Once again, a flash of steel pierced the air. All this time, it had been this oncoming flash of silver steel that had been the focus of Ikki's attention. Which was normal; a mysterious technique was bound to attract attention after all.

But that's a mistake. I shouldn't be focusing on the tip, but rather on Moroboshi's hands!

In that instant, Ikki saw through the homing thrust. It did not escape his notice that Moroboshi would change the way he angled his elbows and flicked his wrists, changing the trajectory of the spear mid-thrust.

As I thought… so that's how it is!

Indeed. From the first, the spear itself did not bend. The 'bending' phenomena was an optical illusion caused by the subtlety of the switch-up.

To bend as one thrusts, and pierce as one bends. Easily said, but to perform that action while performing a series of three thrusts so swift that an outsider would only see one was no simple matter. This was beyond human reaction speed. It was not something one could do just by dreaming it up in one's head. It was something Moroboshi had carved into himself through an astounding amount of training, into his flesh, his bones and his blood. This spear needed no orders from his brain to pursue the enemy.

This was Yuudai Moroboshi's technique Houkiboshi[2], a martial art so expert as to seem like magic.

What amazing technique….

Even without the natural sense that the Sword Eater had been born with, he had managed to create a miracle, a move had surpassed the boundaries of humanity through sheer hard work. As a fellow martial artist, Ikki had to respect Moroboshi. It moved him above all else to see someone reversing the weakness of the thrust—the simplicity of evasion—and even working that flaw into his combat style. It was wonderful to have been able to come to the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival and face off against such an amazing knight.


[Ikki avoiding a hail of unpredictable, bending attacks that took him completely off guard and figuring out how it works pretty damn quickly]
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He now knew that Houkiboshi was a purely physical technique. Thus, he too could attack. It was simple—Houkiboshi's strength lay in pursuing and attacking the opponent while they were in a defenseless post-evasion state.

Therefore—

"—I simply won't dodge at all!"

He switched up his battle plan suddenly. Houkiboshi, which had been aimed for his throat, was batted aside by Intetsu. He no longer paired evasion with retreat, but rather advanced in defense.

"Kuh—!?"

Moroboshi immediately retaliated with his Sanrensei-Houkiboshi combination, but the secret was out—if one did not attempt to dodge, then it was just like any other thrust. Ikki closed the distance slowly, parrying each strike and sweeping them away as they came.

「Whaaat! Kurogane has changed things up! Giving up dodging, he's breaking through bravely from the front! Sparks fly as the flashing blows rain down, but he's pushing them aside and approaching steadily!」

At this change of pace from Ikki, Moroboshi frowned for the first time since their match began. For a normal opponent, the act of advancing while knocking the high speed thrusts of Sanrensei aside should have been impossible even if they understood the principle behind Houkiboshi.

But Ikki could do it. With his powers of observation, capable of such things as Perfect Vision and Blade Steal, he had already seen through Moroboshi's habits and technique to a certain extent. By chasing Ikki down as far as he had, he had shown Ikki too much.

[Ikki manages to counter the bendy spear through active defence rather than evasion, something impossible for someone who doesn't have Ikki's perfect vision and blade steal]
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But now that Ikki had a read on him, Moroboshi could not prevent his advance regardless of how quickly or often he struck. As it stood, it was only a matter of time before he would enter the sword's attack range. And having gained such an advantage, a swordsman of Ikki's caliber would never miss his opportunity. Once he got within Moroboshi's guard, this battle would be over!

***

Finally, Ikki breached the threshold. He was only one step away from the extent of his sword's reach.

"Shit—!"

In a last ditch effort to stop Ikki in his tracks, Moroboshi once again unleashed Sanrensei. But it was no use. Having stolen Moroboshi's technique, Ikki could instantly read the trajectory of Sanrensei from the angle Moroboshi's elbows were set at and the shifting of his gaze.

[Even a spearman of Moroboshi's level knows that as soon as Ikki enters into range the battle will be over, also noted that Ikki has stolen the spear technique in this short a time]
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"To think that Onii-sama would be played so thoroughly…."

At that moment, someone from the side piped up, questioning Shizuku's pessimistic remark.

"I wonder about that."

It was a tall woman in a suit.

"Madam Chairman…."

It was Hagun Academy's board chairman Shinguuji Kurono. She stood beside them, lit cigarette in hand as she corrected Shizuku's miconception.

"It's true that from here it seems as though Ikki has been dancing in the palm of Moroboshi's hand, and to be honest the flow of the battle has been in the latter's hands up to now. But it hasn't proceeded as he had planned. So while he looks quite composed now, he probably isn't as calm inside."

"What do you mean?"

"That Tiger Bite was supposed to be the result of layer upon layer of traps, the ace that decided the match. But the match didn't end there. Kurogane noticed at the last possible moment that his target was Intetsu all along, and used his body to shield his Device."

As she said, Moroboshi was probably rueing the missed opportunity. Such a surprise attack could not be counted on a second time. Ikki would not let Tora-Ou strike Intetsu again.

"In other words, Moroboshi's best-laid plans have gone awry, thanks to but one moment of quick wit on Ikki's part."

[Ikki barely noticed the traps in time and stopped himself from losing, Moroboshi rueing the missed opportunity]
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Saying this, Ikki bent low, his legs readying to kick off.

"Then… here I come!"

He kicked off the stone flooring, as though trying to break it, and charged towards Moroboshi.

「Kurogane initiates! And he's fast! His speed hasn't gone down at all since the start of this match! He's already been repelled twice by the pinnacle of the Seven Stars! This is his third attempt—will it be a success?」

Iida's commentary was full of excitement, as was the expectant crowd as they wondered what the meaning of Ikki's challenge was.

「Well, if you want to say it's fast, it is… but, this….」

The professional knight Muroto on the other hand was doubtful. Ikki's course of action had not changed at all. He was still just charging ahead like a wild boar. Moroboshi, naturally, was similarly annoyed.

He's charging ahead? Hasn't he learned his lesson…!?

And he was even doing it without Ittou Shura. It should have been proven to him quite thoroughly that he could not break through Houkiboshi with just physical skill. Thus, to simply go for a full frontal strike again the third time was a little uninspiring.

"Kurogane. I said it before. I won't be satisfied if you show me something boring!"

Naturally, he met Ikki with Houkiboshi, the homing spear that had given him so much trouble earlier. And—

"Rip em' to shreds! Tiger Bite—!"

Enchanted with the ability to destroy magic, Houkiboshi became a blow that could neither be evaded nor blocked. Ikki's attempt to dodge to his right to evade the oncoming spear was something Moroboshi had seen too many times. Not missing a beat, he adjusted Houkiboshi towards that side. This time, it would pursue the fleeing Ikki and pierce his throat.

Then at that moment—Ikki, whom he should have had precisely where he wanted him, dissipated like a mirage.

Haa!?

The foe he should have given a mortal blow to had disappeared. Unable to comprehend that, Moroboshi was speechless—and then he noticed.

Ikki, whom he had stabbed leftward towards, had circled him to the right and stepped into the attack range of his sword.

Wh, what is this!?

「Moroboshi has made a terrible mistake! Of all things, his spear missed! This is big, too big a mistake!」

That was wrong. Moroboshi had not made a mistake, but rather he had been played by Ikki. Shizuku and company, who had witnessed that very technique before, realized that.

"Shizuku, that was—"

"Yes! It's definitely Shinkirou, which he used in the match against Ayatsuji-senpai!"

Indeed, this was one of Ikki's self-created sword techniques, the fourth secret sword Shinkirou.

It was a special form of footwork that alternated between quickness and slowness, creating afterimages in front of himself that deceived his opponents into cutting thin air. In this case Shinkirou utilized not front-and-back afterimages but side-to-side ones, fooling the Seven Stars Sword King.

Goddamn it! I was fooled by an afterimage—!

Moroboshi too was a first-class student knight. He knew what had gotten him, what his opponent intended. And having analyzed this, he immediately executed the best possible counterattack. Having no time to sweep his spear back around, he had to use the butt of his spear to strike.

This was his best course of action… but it wouldn't make it in time. Moroboshi knew this. Ikki had chosen this tactic based on the enemy-chasing Houkiboshi's blind spot, and having completely outplayed him, he had stepped into range. This would be the fatal blow, irrecoverable even with the most suitable counteroffensive. Ikki's blade would reach him faster than his own strike would. He could no longer avoid it either.

At the moment, Moroboshi knew that he had been beaten.

[Ikki breaks through Moroboshi's guard using an afterimage]
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"A-gh!"

「Whoa! Having fled from Moroboshi's attacks up till now, Kurogane has lost his footing on the floor he has stained with his own blood and has fallen down! This is a great chance for Moroboshi! Will he end this here!?」

Ikki scrambled to his feet, "shit!" written all over his face.

But it was pointless. In a battle between knights at this level, such a mistake could not be reversed. The match was decided. Or it should have been, but—

「Oh? Somehow, Moroboshi isn't attacking! Does he not intend to strike an opponent while he's down?」

Taking his actions as fair play befitting the Seven Stars Sword King, the audience burst into plaudits.

「Great stuff, Moroboshi! That's Japan's strongest warrior fer ya!」

「But y'can stop playin' around now. It hurts jus' to watch!」

「Go get 'im, Moroboshi-kun—!」

But contrary to the excitement of his fans, Moroboshi himself was beading cold sweat.

This is… the fifth time.

Five times he had had a clear chance to finish the match, but he had let them all slip away before his very eyes—and he himself knew not the reason why.

What's this feeling… it's weird….

The more he attacked, the more he pursued, the more the pressure exuded by this half-dead knight before him increased. This was the reason for his hesitation: the premonition that if he took a step further, he would be trampling the tail of a beast far more frightening than a tiger.

"…Tch!"

But he could not keep avoiding the issue like this.

You coward! Look your opponent in the eye!

Despite being bloodied all over and suffering in the grip of some unknown affliction, the light in Worst One Ikki Kurogane's eyes had not dimmed, his desire to fight undiminished. Ikki had not yet given up on this battle. How could he, who was winning, wish to stop!?

[Even when Ikki is afflicted by the mental problem from Edelweiss he has a pressure that stops Moroboshi from finishing a fight out of some primal fear]
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To his surprise, the memory came to mind with ease. Facing the incoming strongest knight in the world, he had—

—Ah, that's right. I attempted to use Edelweiss's swordsmanship.

Edelweiss's blade had been so swift that his eyes had failed to even catch its afterimages, but he had just barely been able to read her strokes from her body's movements.

He remembered. No human eye could perceive her overwhelming speed—and the secret to that was that she did not accelerate. Usually, when a blade was swung, it would start out slow. One needed to accelerate the movement in order for it to reach maximum speed. But there was no such thing in any of Edelweiss's movements. The moment she made to step forward, she was already at top speed. As she began to slash, she was already at her maximum. An extreme stop-and-go, racing from zero to a hundred in a flash. But this technique was extremely strong. The extremities of its swiftness and slowness made the blade strokes seem many times faster than they were. It was also incredibly hard to keep an eye on the blade itself, since it had no slow initial speed.

Ikki had seen through that much in their battle. Thus, he had attempted Blade Steal in those final moments. He had not been certain if it would work. But he had done it anyway, if only because that was the strongest swordsmanship known to him at that time.

What he had to do now was the same. Even if he might not manage it in his current state, this was surely the best he knew.

So, at the very least—

As Ikki thought thus, the feelings he had in his battle with Edelweiss returning to him, he gave instructions to his rebelling body.

The world's strongest swordsmanship. It was done like—

"This."

In that instant, his body became light as a feather. Like a rushing wind he weaved through the gaps between Sanrensei's spear strokes—and as he passed he cleaved deeply into Moroboshi's abdomen.

That crossing of swords happened in an instant, a flash. Without even being able to raise so much as a cry of pain, Moroboshi sank to the floor amid a mist of crimson blood.

"Eh…."

It took not a few moments for Ikki to realize that this had all been done by his hand, even as cries filled the stadium at this sudden reversal.

「Whaaaaattttt!?」

[Ikki copies Edelweiss' swordsmanship, a style that completely removes acceleration, making sword strikes seem "many times faster than they were." Copying it allows him to instantly one-shot Moroboshi despite being extremely injured and Moroboshi being able to easily react to all his prior attacks]
[Also direct confirmation that he copied her style despite not even being able to see her swings, purely using the movements of her muscles]
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「Wha… what just happened!?」

Iida yelled, his voice shrill.

「Just as we thought that this was the moment when Moroboshi would end this match, he was the one to fall insteaddd! I reckon he got hit in that exchange with Kurogane… b…but, I'm ashamed to say this, but it was just too fast—I couldn't see what happened at all!!」

Indeed, Ikki movements could not be seen, even by the people in the commentator's booth watching the match from afar. He had simply disappeared all of a sudden, and before anyone realized it, had passed Moroboshi by and cut him down.

Iida's eyes bugged wide in disbelief.

「What is happening? Kurogane's movements are clearly different from what he's shown up till now!」

But Muroto's surprise surpassed his.

「Impossible! That couldn't be… no, but… it could only be….」

He knew. He knew who the footwork and swordplay that Ikki had used really belonged to. Sensing his confusion, Iida pressed him.

「Muroto-pro. Do you know something about this? Is this, in fact, the Worst One's rumored Ittou Shura?」

「N-No, this isn't Ittou Shura. There was no change in the amount of magic power Kurogane was using. That… was pure swordplay! And while there are differences between two-sword and one-sword styles, I have seen that sort of untrackable instant acceleration of body and blade once before….」

「Where on earth could that be? Don't tell me, it was in the A-League!?」

Muroto shook his head.

「You can't find it in that place, because… this swordplay belongs to someone whom every country has given up on capturing due to her outrageous strength. This is the swordsmanship of the world's greatest swordsman, and its most wanted criminal in history—Twin Wings Edelweiss!」

Muroto's words caused an uproar in the audience.

「…Whaaaaattttt!?」



[The audience members, even pro-knights, weren't able to track Ikki's moves despite it being purely through swordsmanship with no increase in magic power]
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"So this is to say that he did not just return alive from his battle against Twin Wings, but even managed to steal the world's strongest swordsmanship!?"

And Kiriko objected to Alice's statement.

"That can't be! If so, why didn't he use this right from the start?"

This was the natural question to ask. Kurono, however, was quick to shoot her objection down.

"It's not that he didn't use it. It's just that he couldn't remember how, and thus couldn't use it."

"Ah…!"

At this, Kiriko remembered the conversation that Ikki had had with Yagokoro when they parted ways the previous day.

"That inability to remember was also the cause for his abnormality."

"Madam Chairman, what do you mean by that?"

"Edelweiss's swordplay isn't normal. Normally, all of a human's motions are created by the coordinated movements of muscles. However, that will not let you use Edelweiss's swordplay. To create that kind of extreme zero-to-one-hundred difference in speed, you need all the required muscles to move together instantaneously, and instantaneously muster the full strength of those muscles. A human normally wouldn't be able to send sufficient nerve signals instantaneously for that to occur."

One could not give orders to all of one's muscles at once.

"To make this possible, one needs to change these nerve signals themselves."

They had to be shaped, shaped into combat signals completely different from the ones normal humans came equipped with, signals that could be sent in shorter, more concentrated bursts. If one could not come to use one's brain signals this way, it would be impossible to command all the muscles of a complex living organism like a human being to release all their power at once.

"Ikki must have been able to touch and then get a hold of Edelweiss's swordplay from the blink-and-you'd-miss-it battle between their techniques. If even he himself did not remember it, his brain still does."

A knight of Ikki's caliber could trace that exceptional technique in their subconscious minds after having seen it but once.

"Thus, whenever he is in the zone at critical moments, his brain will release those combat signals, but like him, his body has forgotten that battle from which he gained them—thus, having forgotten what they were for, he was unable to do anything with the foreign signals."

"So because he could not recognize the signals he could not react to them. Is that it?"

Kurono nodded in confirmation to Shizuku's words.

"Exactly. In other words, Edelweiss did not break Ikki. If anything, the battle with her caused him to evolve explosively, so much so that his own body could not keep up with that growth… but, that was only the case until now."

Faced with imminent defeat, his body had finally been able to recall the power that he had gained from duelling Edelweiss, along with that method of moving his body, so completely foreign from what he had been doing in the sixteen years since he was born.

"The engine, chassis and clutch necessary for that super-high-speed movement have finally come together—now that it's come to this, the result of this match is obvious. Yuudai Moroboshi can be considered the strongest Seven Stars Sword King in the last ten years, but his opponent is too much for him. Even after being defeated in a duel with the strongest sword in the world, Kurogane was able to utilize his incredible learning capacity to obtain a skill that has surpassed the level of a student knight by far."

[Ikki's freezing up and the fact that it took him a long time to copy Edelweiss' style properly was because of his memory loss. Even so, his subconscious body remembered the style and was trying to use it. Has Ikki not had memory loss, he would've copied it instantly (and he did use it in the very same fight against Edelweiss)]
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"Moroboshi-san, I'm sorry for having kept you waiting."

"You're… sorry?"

"Yes… it's all finally come together now."

Ikki was of course talking about their promise from the previous day. To give his best, and thus return the favor—a gentleman's agreement between him and the proud knight named Yuudai Moroboshi.

Now, he was confident that he could fulfill that agreement.

"So as we agreed, I'll show it to you—Ikki Kurogane at his full strength!"

Having said this, he vanished from Moroboshi's sight.

He disappeared…!

He did not in fact disappear, of course, but having skipped the acceleration process and achieved maximum output upon stepping forward Ikki got off to a rocketing start that Moroboshi's motion perception simply couldn't follow.

Drawing a curved arc with his sprinting, Ikki went around to Moroboshi's left. Three times Ikki had been repelled by his spear, but now he bypassed its range with ease while stepping into the range of his own blade—

"Guaaaah!"

—and cut Moroboshi's right arm as he blasted by like a black gale.

"You lil' shit—!"

Whirling around, Moroboshi lashed out with Sanrensei, using the burning pain to read Ikki's location. But he could only cut thin air. Ikki was no longer there by the time he turned.

He's already gone…!

Moroboshi was momentarily rendered speechless by the speed. But he had no time to be surprised as another blow struck him, slicing into his back.

"Gaaaaah—!"

「Aah! He's been hit again! Moroboshi is letting Kurogane get into range too easily! He's completely unable to follow his movements! Once again, Sanrensei has struck the empty air!」

「It can't be helped…! Kurogane's extreme highs and lows in acceleration and overwhelming speed is something that even we cannot catch from long range, what more when it happens in front of one's eyes! It's more than likely that the Seven Stars Sword King can no longer see the form of the Worst One!」

He had hit the nail on the head.

Sh…Shit!

Something impossible was happening before Moroboshi's eyes.

He could hear them. The sounds of any number of slashes, and of footsteps moving at a dreadful pace. His opponent was unmistakably close to him, and yet—

What is this, what is going on!?

—no matter where he turned to look, there was no one there.

It was as if he were the only man in the ring.

Was such a thing even possible? Could it even happen in real life? The ring was a round platform a hundred meters across in diameter, and there was no shade or cover in that small space. Yet though his opponent was so close he could hear his breathing, Moroboshi could not see him at all.

[Ikki's movement also has no acceleration, meaning that his 0 to 100 movement is too much for Moroboshi to perceive and Ikki can seemingly just fight like this now]
[Ikki so fast that Moroboshi literally can't perceive him at all, making him feel like he's the only person in the 100 metre diameter arena, because skill]
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This… this is bad!

He could feel another slash incoming. If he continued to take hits like this, it would be dangerous. But he could no longer use his spear to fend off attacks of this speed. So he made a decision there and then.

"Uoooooo!!!"

He crossed his arms, covering his vital spots. Dispelling Tiger Bite, he released all his magic power to form an armor around his body.

「What is this? The Seven Stars Sword King, Japan's proud number one knight, has shed his pride and is going for an all-out defense!」

Moroboshi's magic power was not on Stella's level, and as such could not outright negate the attacks of an F-rank's Device like she could. But if he used all his power, he could reduce the impact of slashes from Intetsu. As long as his head remained defended by his arms, one or two hits would not result in a fatal injury.

However, this stance indicated that he had given up on attacking, as he could only defend from this position. Naturally, Ikki rushed in without fear!

「Kurogane isn't missing this chance! Blazing in, he attacks from every angle! It's a no-holds-barred beatdown! Moroboshi isn't retaliating! Has he lost the will to fight?」

「That's not it! The Seven Stars Sword King can't see the Worst One right now. All he can really do right now is defend himself. He's doing the best he can, indeed all he can to stay alive right now!」

Muroto was full of respect for Moroboshi's will to fight to the bitter end.

「…But, even so, we have to stop this match!」

「No way! Do you mean to say that Moroboshi can no longer turn this around?」

Muroto nodded.

「He won't. The difference between their skills is such that he can no longer win.」

Muroto had once been in the King of Knights A-league, one of only a few in the whole nation. Because of that, he understood that the difference between the two was so great as to be incomparable. His analysis, however, enraged Moroboshi's fans.

[As soon as Ikki steals Edelweiss' swordsmanship, the gap between him and Moroboshi that was super close beforehand has become "incomparable," with Moroboshi standing absolutely no hope of victory]
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Back in the ring, the flow of the battle was almost decided.

「Moroboshi tries to move back to gain some distance, but Kurogane has a read on him! He can't get away! He counters with Sanrensei, but it misses—Kurogane is moving faster than the spear! He's taken three, no, four cuts in return! Blood sprays, staining the white floor of the ring! Kurogane's struck home with all his slashes so far, but not a single thrust of Moroboshi's has hit its mark! The home crowd has been silenced at the onesidedness of it all! It seems rude, but it seems hard to imagine that Moroboshi might reverse this! The difference in power, the difference is skill is just too great!」

Having all but spent the magic power he had used to shield himself and not having enough to use Tiger Bite, Moroboshi could only frantically use his spear to fight back. But he could no longer catch sight of Ikki. With the situation being as it was, of course he would not be able to pierce his opponent. He could do nothing but hit empty air while taking hits himself.

There was simply no contest. From anyone's perspective, this was surely Moroboshi's loss.



[Highlight of how one-sided the fight became]
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Right there and then, the roaring Moroboshi showed everyone in the Dome something unbelievable.

"Strike 'em dooowwwnnn—! Tora-Ouuuuu!"

Ikki was charging full-speed ahead towards the half-dead Moroboshi, Ittou Shura about him. But having squeezed the last dregs of his magic for a Tiger Bite, Moroboshi hurled his spear right for Ikki's forehead!

Until now, Moroboshi had always fought within the range of spear. This was his first use of his spear as a thrown weapon.

"This—"

Kurono cried out at this eleventh-hour change.

"—This is bad!"

Why? Indeed, a spear-throw was unusual, and it was quite like Moroboshi to aim for such blind spots in his opponent's line of thought. But there was no way it would hit. Normally, that is. However, this situation was different!

The zero-to-one-hundred burst speed of Edelweiss's swordplay is indeed strong! But it also means that emergency brakes and directional changes are impossible!

This was a matter of course. After all, the world's strongest swordsmanship possessed peerless offensive strength while on the attack, which was always executed at top gear. Thus in truth, its weak point was sudden changes in the situation—that is to say, surprise attacks!

Moreover, Ikki was now using Ittou Shura. Even if he was not using Edelweiss's swordplay, he was already at a speed where a sudden stop or a change in direction was impossible.

In other words, this throw that would not normally have hit Kurogane will do so—but only for this moment!

To counter, he would have to parry the spear with his sword. But he couldn't do that. After all, the flying spear was presently clad in the golden light of Tiger Bite.

Moroboshi's magic should have hit rock bottom. How could he still use Tiger Bite? The reason lay in Tora-Ou itself. Its long shaft was halved, rendering it the size of a javelin. Having dispersed the magic power particles within his Device, he had managed to wring out enough magical power for one Tiger Bite. All in all, that throw was one Ikki could neither get hit by nor avoid!

That man Moroboshi… was definitely aiming for this—!

Indeed, Moroboshi had seen through the weakness of Edelweiss' swordplay. For this moment, he had lain in wait. For the moment when Ikki would activate Ittou Shura and advance toward him at a speed that he himself could not suppress.

He had allowed himself to be cut flesh, bone and soul—all for this. This was the truth behind his act of being unable to deal with Ikki's extreme change. A blood-drenched bluff! And that bluff had managed to fool everyone in the Dome—not only the spectators, but even a knight of Kurono's level!

At top speed as he is, Kurogane can't dodge that throw!

Kurono could not help but shiver at Moroboshi's battle sense, that which had overturned her expectations and played them all for fools. Beside her, Shizuku and Alice felt the same way.

So everyone in here… was within the palm of his hand all along?

So this is… the Seven Stars Sword King!

They had discerned it. The true strength of Seven Stars' pinnacle—of the man who bore the title of Seven Stars Sword King!

—But in the next moment, everyone in the stadium would once again be shocked into frigid silence.

As Tora-ou's point sped through the air and pierced Ikki's forehead… his form shimmered, and faded.

Wh…at….

Moroboshi was at a loss for words. Just then, a shadow appeared above him. Silhouetted against the sun, the figure of a black swordsman was about to let fly his blade.

This was the secret sword that had eluded Houkiboshi earlier—Shinkirou. But this time, it neither feinted front-to-back nor left-to-right, but rather up and down. Leaving an afterimage below, he had sent himself soaring into the air with his enhanced leg strength. That which Moroboshi had hurled his spear at had never been anything more than an illusion.

In other words, Ikki knew that Moroboshi would choose this moment to try the last. But why? For what reason?

Ah… so that's it….

Looking at the expression on Ikki's face as he brought his blade down, Moroboshi understood. Ikki's face held not the slightest hint of mocking him for having fallen for that feint. There was only overflowing—almost embarrassingly so—respect.

You really believed in me….

Up till now the Seven Stars Sword King had layered stratagem upon stratagem, trap upon trap to make sure he had the worst of it. Kurogane Ikki had not believed for a moment that such a great king would easily allow himself to be defeated. He respected the knight named Yuudai Moroboshi more than anyone else in the stadium, even more than Moroboshi did himself.

This was why Moroboshi lost. He had fooled everyone with that blood-soaked bluff, but only this knight standing before him, he could not fool.

[Moroboshi used a last-gasp gambit to beat Ikki, taking advantage of the weakness of instant acceleration, but Ikki's own secret swords nullifies the weakness with an afterimage as Ikki was the only person in the stadium who saw Moroboshi's play coming]
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