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- 「Aaaaah! Contender Kurogane, who we could only think had already been defeated, has made a grand challenge! He's invoked Ittou Shura, the Noble Art which eliminated the A-Rank knight Stella Vermillion! Now the great technique which can be used only once a day has been activated―could he have found a way to beat Area Invisible!?」
- With the sudden change in the battle that Kirihara was completely dominating, the tone of Tsukuyomi's live coverage lifted. Even she had been appalled by the Hunter's gruesome tactics. She had hoped for this turn of events, and sent Ikki her heartfelt encouragement. But alas, Ikki didn't have the solution Tsukuyomi was expecting. Area Invisible was perhaps the strongest anti-personnel Noble Art, not a technique that would be beaten by the strength of a Failed Knight in the first place.
- And Kirihara also knew that.
- "Catch? A 'Worst One' like you is going to catch me, the 'Hunter' Shizuya Kirihara? That kind of thing is beyond you. Aren't you boasting about something you can't even do?"
- Right, exactly right. Ikki was boasting about something he couldn't do. Acting like that had surely been a mistake, and trying had only confused everything. Ikki Kurogane could accomplish only one feat since the beginning.
- "You've already struggled in futility long enough, I think. I'm also pretty tired of watching something so uncouth, so it's about time I bring it to an end. …Hmm, which reminds me, I promised to tell you where I aim, right? That's right… the next one is―"
- There was a certain bloodthirst dwelling in Kirihara's voice as he nocked an arrow on his bowstring. Perhaps his move would be deathblow to decide this fight.
- "―to the crown of your head. If you don't want to die, dodge it, you held-back failure!"
- A destructive killing intent shot invisibly, an arrow capable of even snatching away life, was racing directly toward Ikki. But―killing intent was inconsequential now. Of the arrow, there was nothing that could be seen, nothing that could be heard, so rather than try for the arrow, Ikki would only see what he could see, hear what he could hear.
- Remember it―
- The order he received his wounds, the direction―
- Remember it―
- The depth of his injuries, the angle―
- Remember it―
- Kirihara's words at that time, the voice―
- Everything about this match was packed into those details. As if perusing the history of its fencing from the sword style technique, derive the enemy's process from the order and direction. As if collecting the school's knowledge from its swordsmanship, reverse-engineer the position from the injuries and angle. As if stealing the principles of its invention from its tricks, expose the patterns of thinking from the words and the voice. And then from everything there, investigating the previous degree of piercing's tendency, the personality, technique, design, by integrating, analyzing, understanding, exhausting data on all kinds of things―grasp everything about the person called Shizuya Kirihara!
- There was no reason he couldn't do it. It wasn't difficult. Because all along, since long ago, Ikki Kurogane had fought that way!
- In that instant, the arrow shot from Oborotsuki bit into Ikki. The place it pierced… was not the crown of the head, but the heart. Yes, Kirihara had set a trap into the last blow with a Hunter's composure and cool-headedness. His opponent was already in a hopeless situation, but just in case none of the injuries had occurred, he had shot an arrow at Ikki's heart while saying he was aiming at Ikki's head. A feint in addition to invisibility, his attack permitted no evasion. And exactly as the Hunter planned, the invisible killing intent pierced Ikki's heart―
- "…Oh?"
- That sound spilled out from Shizuya Kirihara's mouth at the inexplicable sight before him, and his mind went blank. He had sent an arrow of certain death that couldn't be avoided or blocked, but―Ikki's left hand had grabbed it, stopping it on the verge of penetrating Ikki's chest.
- "H-How…."
- How was it possible? Did such a thing really happen? To the astonished Hunter who was confronting a reality beyond his comprehension, his red-soaked prey coughed and said―
- "…As I thought, there's no way you'd tell me the truth."
- "What… are you saying―!?"
- In that moment, Kirihara shuddered as if a worm had burrowed into his back. Ikki's eyes, without the slightest wandering, were staring him down even though he should be imperceptible.
- "It… can't be…."
- He had never experienced this, and icy sweat was pouring from all over his body. A chill crept up his spine, and his limbs trembled with a clatter. In Kirihara's swaying field of vision―
- "…Yeah, I caught it. And I won't let you get away again."
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