bookcurios Chapter 737 - 737
Chapter 737 - 737
Within the battle arena.Stella halted her movements.
If she continued pursuing at this moment, she had a ninety-nine percent certainty of completely knocking Ikki out of the match.
But at this moment, her heart was defeated by that less than one percent of fear.
"That previous sword strike... the sensation was off..."
While she was still reeling in shock.
In the distance.
After the dust settled, Kurogane Ikki's figure reappeared before the crowd.
"Eh? Eeeeh?! What's going on?"
The commentator's exclamation assaulted the audience's eardrums through the broadcast.
"The time limit for Ittou Rittou has already passed, so why hasn't the magical glow around Kurogane Ikki disappeared?"
On the field.
Kurogane Ikki, who had emerged from the dust, had clearly exceeded the one-minute time limit, yet the magical glow enveloping his body hadn't vanished. Instead, it had grown even more intense!
It was as if his magic power was gradually increasing!
"Could this be...!?"
Kaieda sprang up from his chair in excitement, his face filled with disbelief.
The realm of a Demon Swordsman!
There could be no other answer!
Only by reaching the realm of a Demon Swordsman and breaking through the shackles of fate could one's magic power increase!
Because magic power symbolized fate—its total amount remained unchanged due to the chains of fate. Once those chains were broken, the total magic power could naturally rise!
He, an elder over eighty years old who had trained for countless years and long reached his bottleneck, had never attained the realm of a Demon Swordsman. Yet this mere teenager had already crossed that threshold and leaped beyond the confines of fate!
He had thought that even if a third Demon Swordsman were to emerge in Japan, it should be the Sword God who broke through. Never did he expect it would be the Sword King!
"That's right. Precisely because he is the Sword God, with far greater potential than the Sword King, he couldn't break through!"
Kaieda quickly calmed down.
The lower one's potential, the easier it was to touch that realm.
But no matter what, truly... the younger generation was to be feared!
"What is it? Does the old gentleman know something?"
"No, I was just thinking that perhaps the Sword King has become more enduring."
Kaieda replied impassively.
The Demon Swordsman was the highest-level secret—it absolutely must not be revealed to the public.
"Stella, to respond to your expectations, I have poured all my emotions into this single technique."
Kurogane Ikki, who had appeared on the reef that resembled a deserted island, now had eyes as calm as an ancient well.
It was as if he had transcended all previous realms and now stood at a higher plane.
Facing that gaze, even the current Stella felt a sliver of fear.
"Then let's decide this with one move!"
Stella shook her head, driving the distracting thoughts from her mind.
Scorching fighting spirit once again occupied the high ground of her intellect.
Though she didn't know what had happened, Ikki had clearly broken through his predicament. All she needed to do was exert everything she had and respond with her full power!
An immense amount of magic power surged from within her, the phosphorescent flames nearly covering the entire battle arena!
On the other side, Kurogane Ikki merely made a motion of sheathing his sword, placing both hands and the blade on the left side of his body, using his left thumb to simulate a scabbard.
It was the stance for a drawing slash.
"Burning Sky, Scorching Earth, Dragon King's Blaze—!"
Stella let out a sharp cry, unleashing a massive sword of light with absolute power, slashing directly at Kurogane Ikki.
That strike held no mercy whatsoever!
A single misstep would mean certain death for Kurogane Ikki!
Shinguuji Kurono and Saikyo Nene both paled dramatically, immediately casting multiple layers of magical barriers around the spectator stands without hesitation.
In just an instant, the barriers jointly deployed by over a dozen Blazers were completely shattered.
The dozens-of-meters-long giant sword of light descended from the sky, its mere shockwaves sending ripples through the barriers set up by two world-class powerhouses!
"The Crimson Princess has definitely won!"
Witnessing that overwhelming scene, everyone confidently declared.
However.
"—!"
In that moment, no one knew exactly what had happened.
All they could see was Kurogane Ikki's lips moving slightly before he delivered a single slash.
How fast was that slash? No one could tell.
"Crack! Crack! Crack!"
Amid continuous crisp sounds, the giant sword of light instantly became covered in fissures.
Then, under countless shocked gazes, the light sword suddenly shattered into pieces!
A figure flashed.
Stella collapsed to the ground.
Shinguuji Kurono quickly leaped into the arena. Seeing that Stella bore no injuries, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"The match is over! Winner: Kurogane Ikki!"
It seemed Kurogane Ikki had held back.
Shinguuji Kurono sighed inwardly.
Indeed, even the world's strongest magical power was useless before a Demon Swordsman.
Even a newly ascended Demon Swordsman was no exception!
Who would ultimately claim victory in this Seven Star Sword Art Festival remained to be seen!
"Ooooooh!"
The spectator stands erupted in cheers.
Everyone could see that both competitors had given their all, presenting an incredibly spectacular match for the audience!
"Amazing!"
Edelweiss's eyes were full of admiration.
"That slash just now isn't far from my level!"
"Truly spectacular!"
Nangou Torajirou nodded vigorously.
"In terms of pure swordsmanship, the brat currently has the upper hand, but a Demon Swordsman's power is even more unimaginable. There's no doubt Kurogane boy has become a formidable rival for the brat's championship!"
The finals of this Seven Star Sword Art Festival would likely be far more exciting than anticipated!
"Having watched this match, what are your thoughts, brat?"
Nangou Torajirou glanced sideways downward.
In Hagun Academy's rest area, he saw the expression on Eiji's face.
"Oh, he's smiling quite brilliantly!"
Nangou Torajirou chuckled.
Eiji's face showed no trace of fear, nor any laziness—only a brilliant smile.
And hidden beneath that smile—
"Burning with fighting spirit! Pfft, that's just like you, brat!"
Nangou Torajirou let out a satisfied, strange laugh.
This was the first time during this Seven Star Sword Art Festival that he had seen Eiji display fighting spirit.
Whether it was Kurogane Ouma earlier or Amane Shinomiya later,
both were undoubtedly powerful and impressive, but when Eiji faced them, he showed not a shred of fighting spirit.
Because he could overwhelm them.
Precisely because of this, he had actually been quite bored.
Winning the Seven Star Sword Art Festival didn't matter at all—after all, no one was his match.
That's what Eiji had always thought.
He had grown too strong, finding it difficult to encounter worthy opponents in these student knight competitions.
If possible, he longed to step onto the world stage, to face masters like the Black Knight, Yasha Princess, or Sea King, and prove his worth.
At this moment, his fighting spirit was finally rekindled.
"But this still isn't enough."
Nangou Torajirou's smile faded, his expression turning profound.
"You need more pressure, stronger opponents. Let this old man give you a push forward."