Chapter 446: The Return of Katharterio Salamandra!
"L-Luke is actually… Sword Emperor-sama is being suppressed!"
"He can't counterattack at all! He's completely on the defensive!"
"Luke!"
"Luke… How could this…"
"Could it be…"
The sudden reversal sent the entire audience into an uproar.
Especially shocked were the three competitors Luke had previously defeated, who had secretly come to watch the match.
Shizuku and Arisuin, whose realms were not high enough to perceive Stella's terrifying growth rate, found the change even harder to believe.
"Luke had an overwhelming advantage just moments ago…"
"Why did it suddenly become like this?"
"To put it simply, I suppose you could call it 'fate.'"
The one who answered was Ikki.
The winner between Luke and Stella would become his opponent in the finals, so he was watching this match more seriously than anyone.
And because of his strength and familiarity with both fighters, Ikki understood the situation far more clearly than most.
He placed himself in Luke's position and carefully considered how the battle would unfold.
If it were him, he would probably end up facing exactly the same situation.
In fact, he would likely last for even less time.
This could almost be called the inevitable end awaiting anyone who fought Stella.
"A Blazer's total mana capacity is determined at birth."
"That is why the theory of mana and fate eventually emerged and became accepted as truth."
Ikki's tone became somewhat complicated.
He was perhaps the greatest victim of that so-called theory of fate.
He understood its cruelty better than anyone.
"If that theory is true… or even if it's only partially correct, then everyone who fights Stella will eventually face this moment."
"Stella possesses the world's greatest mana capacity."
"The fate she carries must therefore be equally enormous."
"None of us knows just how vast it is."
"But it definitely isn't something a mere Seven Star Sword Art Festival could ever contain."
"That's why she grew."
"And she's still growing…"
"But Luke…"
Ikki clenched his fist unwillingly.
Because he knew that if he were in Luke's position, the result would probably be the same.
The current Stella was simply impossible to defeat!
"Haaaaaaaaah—!"
Stella's fierce cry rang out!
Her golden greatsword knocked Starfall Sword aside.
Then she took Ser-Veresta's attack head-on and stepped forward without hesitation!
Luke's hands were both occupied, leaving him no time to defend.
Stella slipped directly inside his guard!
Her glowing right hand clenched into a fist and slammed brutally into Luke's abdomen!
Boom—!
A direct hit!
For the first time in this entire battle, Stella struck Luke completely cleanly without him blocking or mitigating the blow.
Violent force erupted through Luke's body and instantly blasted him backward!
His feet left the ground.
Before the strength of a dragon, Luke flew backward like a crumpled piece of paper.
And at that very instant—
"Pierce the heavens, flames of purgatory!"
Stella decided that the moment to finish the battle had arrived!
Towering flames erupted from Laevateinn.
Blinding light and unbearable heat surged toward the sky as the temperature of the entire battlefield rose at a terrifying speed once again.
This was no longer a wavering flame.
The light and heat had condensed into a massive, solid blade!
Stella raised that enormous sword of radiance without hesitation.
"Burn everything to ashes!"
"Katharterio Salamandra!"
Boom—!
Ultimate light and heat surged toward Luke!
There was nowhere to escape!
Faced with that colossal blade of light seemingly capable of splitting heaven and earth, Luke had absolutely no way to evade it while still flying backward.
Direct hit!
The torrent of light that burned everything in its path swallowed Luke completely in an instant!
"A-A direct hit!"
"Stella's ultimate technique struck Luke head-on!"
The commentator's shocked scream echoed throughout the venue.
"Luke was still being blasted through the air!"
"He had no opportunity to dodge or defend!"
C-Could the match really be over?!"
The might of Stella's Katharterio Salamandra was simply too terrifying.
The professional Mage-Knights maintaining the surrounding barriers immediately abandoned their defenses.
Kurono acted instead.
She directly evacuated every spectator in the direction of the attack.
Fortunately, the strike had been aimed toward the sea.
No one knew whether Luke and Stella had consciously controlled the direction during their battle.
The attack split apart the battlefield, the venue, and the entire harbor district before continuing directly into the ocean!
The sea itself was divided in two!
The slash extended even farther than the eye could see.
A massive scar remained carved across the ocean, refusing to close for a long time.
"Th-That attack…"
"That was way too terrifying…"
"Where's Sword Emperor-sama?"
"He didn't… die, did he?"
"This has to be over, right?"
Everyone's attention had been stolen by that impossible slash.
No matter how they looked at it, such an attack should unquestionably have been fatal.
Luke had already been losing ground beforehand.
No one believed the match could still contain any suspense.
Even the referee was preparing to begin the countdown.
Truthfully, almost no one thought counting would matter.
It would merely be the referee's final show of respect for how far Luke had fought.
There was no need to count.
That time would be better spent beginning emergency treatment.
If Luke truly died here, it would be an unbearable tragedy.
This thought appeared not only in the minds of the audience, Kurono, Nene, and Ikki—Even Stella thought the same.
She had finally surpassed Luke!
Even if the rules of the tournament meant Luke had never tried to kill her, the result was still the same.
She had won!
She had surpassed him!
At a moment like this, she should raise her sword toward the heavens and declare her victory to everyone!
And yet—What was this strange feeling?
Something was wrong.
Something was definitely wrong!
Stella stared straight ahead.
She watched the massive waves of magma created by her finishing strike.
She watched charred debris rain down from the shattered venue as the smoke slowly dispersed.
Then she saw the scorched sword mark carved into Luke's incomparably solid starlight platform.
Wait!
"The starlight!"
"The battlefield Sword Emperor-sama created still hasn't disappeared!"
A shocked scream erupted from the audience.
Clearly, Stella was not the only one who noticed that astonishing fact.
In an instant, everyone's attention returned from the dazzling slash across the sea to the battlefield.
The entire audience held its breath.
No one spoke.
Every eye remained fixed on the smoke before Stella.
Then, within that silence—A familiar voice reached everyone's ears.
"Tch. That really was a terrifying attack…"
"But it's a little unfortunate."
"You were just barely short."
The dust settled.
As the smoke gradually cleared, Luke's figure once again appeared before everyone.
And standing directly in front of him—Was an enormous pitch-black gate.
…
…
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