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Mamoru Akaza was ecstatic.
Since he had already offended Ryoji, there was no turning back the clock.
However, Ryoji was currently only a Student Knight, far from reaching world-class status. Akaza could afford to dismiss him for now, focusing solely on securing his promotion.
Once he had amassed enough benefits and climbed to a certain height, he could then consider how to grovel, ingratiate himself, or make a run for it.
Seeing Kurogane Ikki cornered, Mamoru Akaza couldn't contain his elation.
He had previously worried Ryoji might not be able to defeat Ikki, but the actual battle had proven to be utterly one-sided. With this outcome, his promotion was all but guaranteed!
With less than half a minute remaining on Ittou Shura, Ikki's all-out assault had failed to breach Ryoji's ironclad defense, let alone force him to reveal his Blazer's special ability!
The situation was clear: the outcome was beyond doubt!
Kurogane Ikki was destined to lose!
"That guy's getting cocky again," Saikyou Nene muttered irritably, hearing Akaza Mamoru's triumphant laughter.
"...!"
In the battle ring, Kurogane Ikki also heard Mamoru Akaza's gloating laughter, and the tension on his face grew even more pronounced.
Yes, he was doomed to lose.
No matter how he looked at it, victory was impossible.
He couldn't find the slightest weakness. Akaza had effortlessly blocked every attack without even using his Blazer's special ability, widening the gap between them significantly.
Now, even if Ikki were to achieve a miraculous breakthrough mid-battle, defeating him would still be nearly impossible.
Defeat was inevitable.
Should he give up?
For a fleeting moment, he instinctively relaxed, but he immediately crushed the thought as soon as it surfaced.
This battle wasn't just for himself; it was even more for Stella.
As soon as that realization hit him, he knew he couldn't abandon the fight, no matter what.
But how could he possibly win?
With only twenty seconds remaining, how could he surpass Ryoji's Absolute Speed and defeat him?
The answer was impossible.
This brutal reality crushed him more than his own despair.
"Ikki, hang in there!"
Just as his resolve began to waver, a voice from the sidelines, loud enough to drown out all others, roared its support.
"Don't put any more pressure on yourself! Just enjoy the battle and fight with all your heart!"
It was Stella's voice. He couldn't mistake it.
She had seen right through him.
Kurogane Ikki let out a bitter laugh. Stella had instantly recognized how he was pushing himself too hard.
Because he couldn't bear the thought of losing, he had been desperately trying to find a way to defeat Ryoji. When his tactics and strategies failed, he knew victory was impossible, yet he stubbornly continued his fierce assault.
Clang…!
Kurogane Ikki stopped in his tracks.
His relentless assault vanished instantly, and Ryoji stopped being tossed around like a billiard ball.
This sudden shift in the battle should have brought a sense of relief, but Ryoji narrowed his eyes. The atmosphere around them didn't relax in the slightest; instead, it grew even more tense.
"Has the contestant Kurogane given up the chase?"
"With only a dozen seconds left before the minute mark, he must realize he can't win..." Oreki Yuri's speculation was laced with doubt.
Though the facts seemed to support this, Yuri, who had known Kurogane Ikki for over a year, knew he was not one to give up easily.
"If you can't win, just concede. Losing to the God of War's Disciple is nothing to be ashamed of."
"True."
"Angel-sama is invincible!"
"That guy has already given it his all."
Heavy sighs echoed through the spectator stands.
"Compared to the beginning, everyone's aggression has noticeably diminished."
"After all, we've all witnessed his effort and strength."
Toudou Touka and Totokubara Kanata surveyed their surroundings.
Kurogane Ikki didn't seem like the kind of degenerate who would resort to foul play.
From his battles, people could vaguely sense something, something they couldn't quite articulate, something they might even dismiss as an illusion.
"He doesn't look like he's about to give up," Shinguuji Kurono remarked thoughtfully, watching Ikki's back on the field.
"His imposing manner hasn't diminished at all; in fact, it's growing even stronger!" Saikyou Nene nodded, her expression turning serious.
"This feeling... he's probably preparing for his final strike!"
On the arena floor, Ryoji, who was facing Ikki directly, felt this sensation even more acutely.
He turned around.
His eyes glowed with the same brilliant intensity as before.
Moments later, he widened his stance, extending his front and rear legs, and raised his Spiritual Item (Device), Intetsu, to his side.
That stance... it's the Lightning Ray!
The youth facing him had gathered every last shred of his nearly depleted imposing manner, his fighting spirit surging to unprecedented heights!
"One strike to decide it all, huh?" Ryoji smirked.
The duration of Ittou Shura was nearing its limit. If he could just evade this strike, he could defeat Kurogane Ikki without taking a single hit.
"How could I possibly do that?" A proud smile spread across Ryoji's face.
"What's the point of a swordsman's duel if we don't clash head-on? How could you even call that a victory?!"
He raised his Vrring Blade horizontally, his legs spreading wide like a taut bowstring, channeling all his strength into a single, coiled force.
"Th-that stance... I recognize it! Could it be...?!"
"Is that the Noble Art?!"
Gasps of astonishment erupted from all sides.
Ryoji's Noble Art had skyrocketed to fame thanks to the victories generously gifted by Shinguuji Kurono, granting him Divine Speed that utterly surpassed his opponents.
However, Blazer's special ability itself had no official name. The term "absolute" was merely a grandiose title Ryoji had coined himself, for nothing in this world is truly absolute.
This was precisely the weakness Kurogane Ikki aimed to exploit.
No, "aimed to exploit" wasn't quite accurate.
Kurogane Ikki had already abandoned any desire for victory or defeat.
That's right.
Whether he won or lost no longer mattered to him.
Stella was right. He didn't need to concern himself with the chaos around him; doing so would only trap him in a mental prison and shatter his resolve.
All he needed to do now was give it his all!
Channel every last ounce of physical and magical power into this final strike!
Forget about survival instincts. What's needed is to shatter all life's limitations, to pour every ounce of strength into this single, all-consuming blade!
A genuine, no-holds-barred, all-out strike!
If Ittou Shura was about draining every last drop of physical and magical energy within a minute, then this all-consuming strike, fueled by the entirety of my being, should be called…
"...Ittou Rasetsu!"
The moment I took a step, the world before me turned black and white, all color and sound fading away.
Every joint in my body cracked violently as blood vessels burst in my thighs, wrists, and throughout my body.
Muscles, bones, organs... every limitation shattered. Every vital resource surged into the blade, transforming into a strike indifferent to victory, driven solely by my own desperate will.
At the same moment…
"...Lightning Flint!"
(End of Chapter)