A short while ago.
"Ikki, why are you doing this?" Puzzlement was written all over Stella's face. "Clearly our combined chances of winning are greater, why do you choose to fight alone?"
Ever since being assigned to the same dormitory as Ikki Kurogane, the foreign princess Stella Vermillion had been deeply attracted to this man.
"Could it be that in your eyes, I'm of no use at all?"
Originally, Stella intended to coordinate with Ikki to gain at least some advantage in the battle against Jingliu, but in a certain moment, Ikki seemed to have an epiphany and underwent a massive change.
Stella should have been genuinely happy for such a change in her partner, but Ikki's next words left the girl completely stunned.
"Dispel the flames, Stella."
"I have a new idea!"
Why?
This was the deepest question in Stella's heart. We are clearly partners, and we've trained together for so long...
Why would you say such things to me?
"Stella, have you forgotten something?"
Looking at the somewhat teeth-gritting Stella, Ikki gave a helpless smile.
"From start to finish, this was never a battle that had to be won. The reason Teacher Jingliu used that method was to help us find our own paths."
"'Victory' is certainly important, but one must distinguish the occasion; it's not something that must be achieved at all times."
Looking at the incredibly serious Ikki Kurogane before her, Stella's face first turned a bit red, and then she immediately fell into silence, murmuring the words Ikki had just spoken...
"Find my own path?"
"Yes! After Teacher Jingliu's reminder just now, I have successfully found my path... Although I haven't tried it yet, I believe Teacher Jingliu will give me this chance!"
"But Stella, you haven't found yours yet, have you? In that case, why not watch how I do it first?"
Ikki's voice was very soft, but it possessed a special magic that made Stella completely unable to refuse.
"Since you've put it that way, I'll watch this time... You'd better not disappoint me!"
"Don't worry! I won't disappoint you!"
Ikki closed his eyes, and when those eyes opened again, they were replaced by sharpness and seriousness.
Ikki Kurogane was going to reveal his trump card!
——
"Oh? You seem to have a new idea. Then feel free to attack; don't worry about getting hurt."
"I am deeply grateful!"
The teacher had provided enough of a stage for Ikki Kurogane to perform freely; how could Ikki let the teacher down?
Most importantly, there was a girl watching him from behind. If he didn't show some real skill, he would surely be severely lectured by Stella later, wouldn't he?
"There are only about ten seconds left for Ittō Shura..."
"Ten seconds... is enough!"
In an instant, the colorful world around him seemed to lose its original color, turning into a deathly gray, completely devoid of any sign of life.
But in this hazy gray world, Ikki continued to forge ahead, with his blood-red eyes fixed forward...
Ikki knew very well that he could only swing a single sword. After that one strike, he would completely lose his fighting capacity.
So now, what Ikki needed most was speed!
He had to increase the speed of himself and his sword to the maximum to ensure this strike achieved the best effect!
"Seventh Secret Sword: Raikou!"
Ittō Shura, Ittou Rasetsu, Seventh Secret Sword: Raikou.
With the enhancement of all three, Ikki Kurogane's speed increased to its highest ever. Even the students behind him, including Stella, could only see an afterimage.
Is this Ikki's true strength?
So strong!
But... I'm unwilling!
Although Stella vaguely saw something, she couldn't see the full picture, which made her feel a deep sense of frustration.
Only a few days had passed, and Ikki had already grown tremendously, but what about her?
In close combat, she could only act as a tank, and at long range, she couldn't go all out, being completely suppressed by the rules. However, Stella didn't complain; instead, she reflected on her own shortcomings, for the strong never complain about their environment.
So Stella clenched her fists and continued to widen her eyes, trying to see everything on the battlefield clearly.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, when the lightning on Ikki Kurogane's blade appeared, Jingliu also seemed to sense something. The eyes beneath her blindfold showed a look of reminiscence, as if commemorating a former disciple.
There was no thunder like a majestic heavenly wrath; there was only weak lightning surrounding him... It probably wouldn't even charge a phone, but would likely slice it in two instead.
Ikki Kurogane certainly didn't have the strength of an Emanator of The Hunt, but certain traits about him did indeed make Jingliu recall the past.
Yanqing, Jing Yuan.
Dan Feng and Blade from even earlier.
And... Baiheng!
All of this made Jingliu subconsciously use more power than originally intended, bringing a hint of chill to the edge of her blade.
What kind of person did Jingliu want to be?
A sword that forges ahead, pursuing the hunt?
A sword that cuts down enemies to protect the Xianzhou?
Or perhaps, both?
Wanting to eliminate enemies and wanting to protect companions—these two things didn't seem to conflict much. It wasn't impossible to do both at the same time.
Thus, memories began to influence her mind, and countless recollections began to appear in Jingliu's head, continuously playing back the memories of this sword champion...
Once upon a time, she seemed to have met a young boy like this, and some unpleasant things had happened. But even so, Jingliu still felt regret for that Foxian girl...
The memories gradually faded, and Jingliu's presence began to grow intense, even some of her emotions started to surface around her.
"I take the moonlight as my sword, and myself as the blade!"
Then, Jingliu's figure charged toward Ikki Kurogane, completing the clash of blades in an instant.
Crack crack crack—!
In just an instant, cracks appeared on the Intetsu in Ikki Kurogane's hand, and then it shattered at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Shattering along with the Intetsu were some of the blood vessels in Ikki's body.
In that moment just now, Ikki Kurogane had almost frantically squeezed out all his potential just to deliver his strongest strike...
Relying on the powerful physique of a Xianzhou person, Jingliu completely blocked all the attacks, but that didn't mean her clothing would remain intact...
Under the Ittou Rasetsu, the blindfold covering Jingliu's eyes was sliced in half, revealing her eyes filled with memories and tears...
Without a doubt, Ikki Kurogane had succeeded!
"Your performance was excellent. The ones I'm looking for are 'you all'..."
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