-1329- The pinnacle of this world

//// Whoo finally got some free time on my hand, man y'all got no idea. Sorry for zero updates in the past few days, will try to keep my update stable now.////

"Challenge Rozen?"

"You want to challenge him?"

Seeing Touka Todo staring at Rozen, both Ikki and Stella were stunned.

"Touka?"

"President?"

Even Utakata Misogi, Kanata Totokubara, Renren Tomaru, and Ikazuchi Saijou were all taken aback, looking at Touka Todo with great surprise.

Clearly, the student council members weren't surprised that Touka wanted to challenge Ikki and Stella. However, Touka hadn't mentioned wanting to battle Rozen before, which is why everyone was now shocked.

"Challenge him..."

Even Shizuku glanced in Rozen's direction, unsure of what to think.

In this situation...

"Why the sudden challenge to me?"

Rozen voiced his curiosity.

Originally, Rozen didn't plan to fight Touka Todo. He arranged this friendly match with the student council just for Ikki and Stella.

The battle against Tomaru Renren and Ikazuchi Saijou was something Rozen agreed to just to pass the time; he never considered fighting Touka.

Presumably, Touka wouldn't want to challenge him either, right?

After all, Touka had seen the Beast Vassal within Rozen using her Reverse Sight, so she shouldn't be eager to challenge him.

However, why the sudden desire to challenge him now?

Rozen wanted to know.

To this...

"I want to know if my Raikiri has any other weaknesses."

Touka Todo responded.

Initially, Touka Todo didn't think about challenging Rozen.

Previously, although curious about Rozen, she didn't know his strength. Seeing Ikki and Stella's impressive performance in the selection battles, she was more interested in challenging them.

This idea only solidified after realizing Rozen's extraordinary nature and the fierce power within him. Touka completely abandoned the thought of challenging him.

If Rozen had indeed avoided participating in the selection battles and the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival because of the ominous power within him, it suggested he was deliberately avoiding combat. Challenging him recklessly might lead to unavoidable mistakes.

Thus, Touka dropped the idea of challenging Rozen.

Until now, when Touka rekindled the thought.

There were two reasons.

First, Rozen accepted the challenges from Tomaru Renren and Ikazuchi Saijou, proving he wasn't avoiding combat and could indeed fight. Moreover, he easily defeated the duo, making Touka less apprehensive and more eager to challenge him.

Secondly, it was Ikki and Stella's attitude toward Rozen.

With her Reverse Sight, Touka could see that both Ikki and Stella regarded Rozen not just as a classmate or friend but as a mentor.

In this friendly match with the student council, Rozen seemed somewhat detached but frequently offered advice to Ikki, Stella, and Shizuku. Ikki and Stella showed a level of obedience and attentiveness that often surprised Touka.

This suggested that although Rozen was merely a classmate in terms of identity, he was more like a mentor and friend in terms of role.

If that's the case, does it mean Rozen is stronger than Ikki and Stella, perhaps significantly so?

Both Ikki and Stella had already managed to break through Touka's invincible sword technique. So, could Rozen, being even stronger and a mentor to both, also break Raikiri?

If so, how would he do it?

Would he see through it like Ikki? Or use a clever trick like Stella?

Thinking this made Touka restless.

Touka wasn't particularly combative but understood the benefits of challenging strong opponents. Her ambition drove her.

So, despite her Raikiri being broken twice in one day, shattering its perfect record, Touka wasn't disheartened. She recognized areas for improvement in her Raikiri and saw this as an opportunity to strengthen herself further. Rather than feeling down, she felt assured.

Now, with Ikki and Stella having broken Raikiri, she wondered how Rozen, their mentor, would handle it.

Touka couldn't help but feel eager to find out.

Therefore, even though she had some apprehension about the inexplicable power within Rozen, Touka ultimately chose to bravely challenge herself, to become aware of more of her limits, and then find ways to surpass them.

This was Todou Touka's mindset.

Understanding Touka's mindset, Ikki and Stella felt both enlightened and impressed.

Touka was indeed an excellent knight, never wallowing in defeat and always looking ahead. This attitude was truly admirable.

However...

"What makes you so sure I can break Raikiri?"

Rozen raised an eyebrow, smiling as he spoke.

Touka's answer was simple.

"Intuition." Touka stared at Rozen and said, "Even though I can't see through you with Reverse Sight, my intuition tells me you can break Raikiri."

Whether it was his role as a mentor to Ikki and Stella or the fierce power within him, coupled with his nonchalant attitude towards Raikiri's power, all indicated to Touka that this young man was extraordinary.

This led Touka to subconsciously believe that her sword technique might not work on Rozen.

Thus, Touka wanted to challenge him.

"...I see."

Rozen pondered for a moment before making a decision, looking at Touka.

"Hey." Rozen suddenly asked, "Why do you want to become stronger?"

At that moment, Rozen questioned Touka's inner thoughts.

Touka was slightly taken aback but quickly answered without hesitation.

"No particular reason. I just feel that since I have this talent, I shouldn't waste it. If one day my sword can help more people and solve their problems, I'll be happy."

This was Todo Touka.

This was the student council president.

Rozen saw the light shining in Touka's eyes.

His gaze flickered, and he smiled suddenly.

"I understand."

Rozen nodded.

And he made this declaration.

"If that's the case, I'll show you."

"Show you the pinnacle of this world."