ASCC-Chapter 25 What I Aim for is the World's Strongest

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Kurogane Ikki sat in the middle of the classroom and quietly let out a sigh of relief after hearing the announcement.

His 'Ittou Shura' was very powerful, but it consumed a lot of energy, and he could only use it once a day. If the matches were held every three days, then he wouldn't have to worry about facing multiple strong opponents in a short period of time.

He absolutely had to participate in the 'Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival'. 

Whether he could win in the festival was directly tied to whether he would graduate from this school. That was the condition Director Shinguuji Kurono had given him.

An F-Rank knight, being too weak, wouldn't even be considered a Blazer by the League. Even if they encountered terrorists, they would be treated as ordinary people in need of protection and wouldn't be expected to fulfill any protective duties.

In other words, not only was an F-Rank knight's social standing low, but they weren't even recognized as Blazers under the system.

For Kurogane Ikki, the possibility of graduating and obtaining a Blazer license from Hagun Academy had been nearly impossible. In fact, he had been held back last year for this very reason.

Only this year, with the new Director Shinguuji Kurono, did he get a chance—if he won the 'Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival', he would be allowed to graduate from the school.

"Is that for real?"

"How troublesome... I can't go out and play now!"

"I never wanted to participate in the 'Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival' in the first place!"

However, not everyone was as determined as Kurogane Ikki to reach the peak of the 'Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival'. After hearing Oreki Yuuri's announcement, most of the students in the classroom showed signs of reluctance.

This was understandable. After all, out of the more than 700 students at Hagun Academy, only six could represent the school in the festival. For new students like them, it was nearly impossible to compete with the second- and third-year students who were already well-known. Their chances were slim from the start.

Moreover, during the battle selection, students wouldn't fight using the 'Illusionary Form' but would instead use the 'Material Form' of their inherent Spiritual Item (Device).

This was because the 'Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival' itself was a real, solid-blade, real-spear combat tournament, so the battle selection would follow the same format.

In other words, once they entered the tournament, the risk of injury was real, and in some extreme cases, it could even be life-threatening.

Such accidents weren't unheard of. In the past, several Student Knights had died during the 'Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival' after losing to more powerful opponents— despite the well-developed medical facilities and the presence of professional knights at the scene. But the risk of death still existed.

Not everyone was willing to take such a huge risk in order to sharpen themselves.

Most students chose to become Blazers because they wanted to graduate from school safely and get a high-paying job. The salary for Blazers was generally high.

"If someone quits or loses in the battle selection, is there any punishment?" one student asked Oreki Yuuri.

"No punishment☆! It won't affect your grades either. If anyone feels like they have no interest in the 'Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival', they can send a letter to the 'Executive Committee' stating that they don't want to participate, and their name will be removed from the list."

Oreki Yuuri shook her finger. Despite her pale complexion, she still tried her best to encourage the students.

"But, you know, Sensei believes that everyone having an equal opportunity is a great thing. Everyone has the potential to become the 'Seven Stars Sword King', so I hope you all participate and aim for this goal. I believe this experience will become an irreplaceable asset for you!"

Sensei earnestly encouraged everyone to participate as much as possible.

After all, Blazers were combat professionals. If they entered the workforce without ever having fought in a battle, most would choose administrative jobs, but if they encountered a situation beyond their capabilities, they would regret it for the rest of their lives.

—In this world, the threat of terrorists was far worse than imagined.

To put it in perspective, a terrorist with murderous intent and great strength could cause millions of casualties, sometimes even threatening international stability.

Blazers who had never experienced battle would react very differently from seasoned warriors when facing terrorists. Even a small amount of real combat experience would prevent them from becoming helpless victims.

"Now, students, let's put in all our effort and study hard this year! Let's do our best together—! Fight! Fight! Uuueee——!!"

Before Oreki Yuuri could finish speaking, her complexion suddenly turned pale, and with a terrifying imposing manner, she coughed up a large mouthful of blood, staining the entire podium red.

"Yuuri Chan?!"

"No... It's nothing, Sensei is just weak and sick..."

"This doesn't look like just being weak."

"Don't look at me like this, I've been coughing up a liter of blood every day since I was a child!"

"Are you proud of that strange fact?"

"To be alive until now is pretty strong, huh? Anyway, I'll take you to the infirmary! Can someone help clean up the scene?"

"Leave it to me."

Kurogane Ikki rushed up without hesitation and immediately carried Oreki Yuuri on his back, heading towards the infirmary.

"They seem to know each other?"

Ryoji watched the two leave, making a guess.

"I heard that when Ikki first entered last year, it was Oreki Sensei... no, Yuuri Chan who did his entrance test. If it weren't for Yuuri Chan, Ikki wouldn't have been able to enter Hagun Academy last year."

Stella, holding a mop, stepped onto the podium, easily turning it into a blood-stained crime scene as she mopped.

Hagun Academy's entrance requirement was E-Rank upper-tier.

Kurogane Ikki was able to enter because he had encountered a good examiner during the entrance test, which was Oreki Yuuri. After defeating her in a duel, he earned her recognition.

However, even then, he had been held back because last year's homeroom teacher didn't allow him to participate in real combat training or even the exams, so he couldn't advance.

"Nangou San! Nangou San! Will you participate in this year's battle selection?"

Kusakabe Kagami pounced on him like a hyena sensing blood, her face filled with the typical curiosity of a journalist.

"Of course." Ryoji nodded calmly.

"That's only natural, then your goal is to aim for the position of Seven Stars Sword King, right?" Kagami nodded knowingly and continued her questioning.

The Seven Stars Sword King was a title given to the student who won the 'Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival', earning the title of the strongest Student Knight in Japan.

"That's one way to put it." Ryoji shook his head, a hint of nostalgia and longing in his eyes.

"But I'm not really interested in the Seven Stars Sword King. If I could become the world's strongest, that would be great. In fact, that's my goal..." Kagami froze for a moment, surprised by this unexpected answer.

In her jewel-like red eyes, the image of Ryoji's flawless side profile reflected, along with a sense of yearning, or perhaps, determination that emanated from him.

She suddenly understood.

Why was this young man willing to risk his life to defeat Shinguuji Kurono head-on?

Because this young man longed for strength.

And he was willing to risk everything for it.

(End of chapter)