Chapter - 8

It might've seemed like a suicidal action at first glance. In a head-on clash between swordsmen, what could he do with just honed technique against an opponent with that much offensive force? He could only fall before such scorching firepower. It should've been inevitable, but―

"Kuh!"

But Stella was the one who retreated. Ikki was pushing Stella back with his weapon. How? The method lay with the sun-like orbit Intetsu was tracing. It was, in fact, Stella's Imperial Arts.

"Impossible…! How can you be using it?"

As she asked, something flashed through Stella's mind.

"You don't mean, you copied my style during these exchanges!?"

"Something like that. I've been despised ever since I was a child, so no one ever taught me, and all I could do was watch others and steal their styles. That's why I'm quite good at these kinds of tactics. I can grasp most sword techniques with only a minute of trading blows."

Swordsmanship describes its own knowledge, style describes its own history, and breathing describes its own principle. If one followed the branches and leaves of a sword style and arrived down at the root, then it wouldn't be hard to grasp that style's techniques and combinations, or its approach in facing different situations. This was what Ikki was saying.

"And if I can understand the style that far, I can also create techniques that outperform my opponent's."

What was the ultimate way to surpass an opponent's sword style? Simply correct all the flaws of that style to create a more perfect one, and the new would be plainly superior to the old. The new style would account for all the old style's faults, and even compensate for its weaknesses. It would eclipse its precursor in every offensive and defensive situation.

"Creating that sword style in the middle of battle is my technique, Blade Steal. Because Stella-san's techniques were so well-engrained, it took me two minutes to steal it and thirty seconds to surpass it. But now I have a solid grasp, so I'll also be attacking from here on."

「H-Hey. Doesn't the princess look like she's being pushed back!?」

Stella was falling behind visibly. The audience started stirring up at the unexpected development, but the one most surprised was Stella herself, and not only because she had lost in sword skill. She was surprised because her prized style had been copied, and moreover, Ikki had refined the style enough to surpass it. Just by looking at her sword swings, he could grasp the wisdom of a technique, read its history, and find its secrets. That devilish insight, it could even be called a reflective magic mirror. And on top of everything, he had done all this without using a bit of magic.

For this boy, receiving fierce attacks from Stella Vermillion and surpassing her Imperial Arts were nothing more than feats of general swordsmanship. How much training must he have had to gain such expertise?

Strong…!

She could no longer deny it. Comparing just their sword skills, this boy was several levels above her. If the duel was restricted to weapons alone, it wouldn't even be a fair fight.

Stella understood that. It was one of her strengths that she admitted that. But it was also a strength of the A-Rank knight Stella Vermillion, the Crimson Princess, that she continued to strive against a stronger opponent.

If her sword style was seen through, then she could exploit that fact. Stella took the stance to swing Lævateinn downwards. Ikki swung Intetsu upwards in response. She had sent her downward arc to crush his guard, and Ikki had already grasped the speed and power of the strike when she took the initial stance, so his response was inevitable. But that itself was Stella's trap!

It worked!

Stella abandoned the swing and jumped backwards with a grin. If Ikki had seen through her style, then he should surely be caught off guard, because Stella, who had only attacked thus far, was retreating for the first time.

Ikki had taken the initiative after seeing through her style, and he immediately fell for the feint. His slashing attack missed by a wide margin. Aiming for that moment, Stella struck with her Lævateinn at Ikki's exposed flank. It was a sudden variation of tactics for Stella, who had only been attacking straightforwardly until now.

Intetsu's black blade, which was slashing empty space, could not respond to this change in timing. Lævateinn's blade smoothly scythed toward Ikki's unguarded torso.

It had to work, but―

"Your sword is half-asleep, you know."

―Lævateinn's blade never reached Ikki's side. It had been blocked.

N-No way!?

He had changed her rhythm, stopped her approach, and even entered her blind spot. Intetsu's blade was supposed to be too far off to possibly react to her cut, but her cut was still blocked!

How!? The answer to that question was―his hilt. Ikki had blocked Stella's feint-enabled strike with Intetsu's hilt, using the slight gap between his hands as they clasped the grip.

Just what kind of motion perception does this guy have!?

"Aiming for victory carelessly after feeling pressured? Slashing while retreating isn't your style. Even someone like me can stop such a weak attack. That move was your downfall."

Saying that, Ikki pushed Lævateinn away, creating a large opening in her guard.

"Haaaaa!"

And with Intetsu's blade, he slashed down at Stella's defenseless form.