Rakudai Kishi No Eiyuutan - Volume 7 intermission
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Volume 7 intermission

Intermission - A Victory Without Aftertaste

Part 1

Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival day two.

C-Block second match, Ikki Kurogane vs Byakuya Jougasaki.

The outcome of the fight between the up-and-coming F-Rank Knight, who had defeated Seven Stars Sword King in the first match, and the runner-up of last years Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival was decided in a way nobody could have ever predicted.

After the surprise attack by Ikkis Ittou Rasetsu at the beginning of the match, Byakuya Jougasaki sank down in the ring without being able to move a single step from the starting line.

The conclusion was so one-sided that the main referee was astonished, but.

Referee.

He remembered his role as Ikkis voice beckoned him to hurry up with the verdict, and then he walked towards the fallen Byakuya.

After confirming that he had completely lost his consciousness, he announced the end of the match.

This result caused an uproar in the venue.

W-Woow! What just happened!? Contender Worst One, Ikki Kurogane! In an instant after the match began! In that instant, he closed in on contender Eye of Heaven, Byakuya Jougasaki, and cut him down at ooonce!

O-Oi, what was that just now!?

Did you see what happened just now?

N-No, not at all. Just when I thought that the match finally started, before I knew it......

The match ended.

All of the spectators showed confused expressions, not being able to understand what had happened.

However, they couldnt be blamed.

The reason was The technique that Ikki had used just then was a strike that completely exceeded the limit of a normal persons dynamic vision.

Just now, he used the same move from his fight against Raikiri, an enhanced version of Ittou Shura, which expends the full power of his own body for one minute with sharpened concentration and body control. He used that, coupled with the sword of Twin-Wings, creating the fastest attack at the opening of the match......So thats how it is, this is indeed reasonable.

The one who explained that to the spectators, who were unable to digest the situation, was a suit-wearing, bespectacled woman in her prime, replacing Muroto-pro in the commentators seat. She was Yaotome-pro.

Iida, who was still the announcer, asked her.

Is the combination of those two really so reasonable?

It is. You can say that, be it the Noble Art of Another One or the sword technique of Twin-Wings, they share the same principle.

Swinging with all their strength in an instant.

Both of them are techniques derived from instant explosive strength as its foundation.

Hence, the combination of them gives a synergistic effect.

As for how impressive it is, the duration of the match makes it obvious.

Hearing that, Iidas eyes popped open after confirming the duration of the match again.

T-This is......! W-What a shocking number! The match duration is an unbelievable 0.8 seconds! Contender Ikki Kurogane! He pulverized the runner-up of the previous Festival while shattering the previous speed recooord!

N-Not even one second!

Oi! What was the record in the Festival until now?

It should be about twenty seconds.

He shortened it to less than one-twentieth of that............!

S-So cool......

Thats so cool, bro! Go and win it with this pace!

Do your best! Ikki-kun!

Receiving the cheers, contender Kurogane walked towards the waiting room after an overwhelming victory in record speed against the previous Festivals runner-up! He has overcome the disadvantage of magic inadaptability as an F-Rank with superhuman instantaneous power, magnificently advancing to the third round! Strong! Truly strong, Another One! Will he be able to make his way up to the top of Seven Stars like this!? Dont take your eyes off the third round in the afternoooon!

Despite being the underdog since the beginning of this Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival, Ikkis achievement of beating the first and second place of the previous Festival stirred up the venue.

However, amongst that, Yaotomes observant gaze from the depth of her spectacles stared at the back of the winner who was leaving the ring, and thought.

It was indeed an overwhelming result for Ikki, but

(Now then, can this match really be called an overwhelming victory?)

Part 2

............!

Going through the gate, after returning to a place the spectators could not see, Ikki leaned against the wall of the passage and gasped.

An excessive amount of sweat formed on his forehead.

Dripping down next to his feet were......drops of blood.

Ittou Rasetsu was a technique that boasted ten times the instantaneous power of Ittou Shura.

It produced a burden that even Ikkis well-trained body could not endure.

It was pretty much a self-destructive technique.

Initially, it was not a technique that anyone would really want to use, even for Ikki.

However......he believed that this was fine.

Because,

(......If I had proceeded as usual in the match, Eye of Heaven wouldve caught me in a minimum of twenty-three steps.)

Before the match, Byakuya, with his observation power nicknamed Eye of Heaven, had imagined how their battle would play out. Ikki, with his observing eyes like an evil-revealing magic mirror, had arrived at the exact same conclusion.

Including the fact that Byakuya had not considered the possibility of surprise attack with Ittou Rasetsu at the match opening, everything.

In that case, he had to make use of that.

In order to secure the victory.

And then it was carried out in the form just as it was, which worked as intended.

However......

(It was not as much of an overwhelming victory as it seemed.)

Ikki was aware of that fact.

It was obvious.

Why would the Eye of Heaven, who could see through the whole flow of their match before the match, make a fundamental mistake?

That was......because a surprise attack from the start was just that irrational of a choice.

For the convenience of the match schedules, the third round would be held in the afternoon that day. Not to mention, his opponent was......Bloody Da Vinci, Sara Bloodlily, who defeated Sword Eater with overwhelming power. She was a hidden ace in Akatsuki Academy who could materialize the things she drew, even reproducing the Noble Arts unique to Mage-Knights.

He had used up his trump card limited to once a day before facing such a monstrous opponent.

In the context of the whole tournament, Ikki had drastically reduced his chances of winning.

Although Byakuya was a difficult opponent, he wished he had saved his trump card and thought of another way; that wouldve been more logical.

However, Ikki used his trump card.

No, more accurately speaking......he had no choice but to use it.

Because his opponent was not someone he could fight while having the next match in mind.

In other words, this match had already cornered Ikki.

(Although I acted brave and said those words before Stella, consecutive battles are tough, after all.)

There was not a fragment of joy from the victory within Ikki.

There was only anxiety.

The Seven Stars Sword Art Festival had gathered the strongest student knights in Japan, and now he had to fight twice in a day.

On top of that, his third round opponent was Sara, whose Noble Art Purple Caricature could reproduce Ikkis own Noble Art, Ittou Shura, and of course his sword techniques.

If she felt like it, she could probably also use the technique Ikki had used to defeat Byakuya back then.

(Can I come up with a strategy to face her without Ittou Shura......)

In addition to Saras ability, what made Ikki feel heavy was......her obsession.

For some reason, she persistently pressed him to be her nude model.

Because of her, he had to sleep in his brothers room.

......If he lost, she might strip him naked in the ring.

If that happened, he would not be able to show his face anymore.

Not to mention, this times Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival was broadcasted worldwide.

Ugh......my stomach......it hurts more than my body............

The third round became a serious match for Ikki, in many ways.