Chapter 225: Amakakeru-Ryū-no-Hirameki VS Amakakeru-Ryū-no-Hirameki!
True to his title of 'Failed Knight', Kurogane Ikki truly had no talent as a Mage Knight.
Except for his A-ranked physical abilities, his magical control was E-rank, and all other ability values were F-rank.
He was a genuine F-rank knight.
Not only were his ability values pitifully low, but even the power carried by his Device 'Intetsu' was among the most 'useless' types.
Physical enhancement - while Ikki's ability wasn't exactly weak, as he was still superhuman compared to ordinary people.
However, when it came to pure physical enhancement, any Blazer with sufficient magical power could achieve the same thing.
That's why this type of ability was considered the most inferior - it was merely a degraded version of releasing magical power.
But this didn't mean that the Blazer named Kurogane Ikki was weak.
On the contrary, Ikki was incredibly strong!
*Clang!*
The sound of clashing blades rang out continuously. The moment the battle began, Luke and Ikki engaged in an intense exchange of swordplay.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The speed of their exchanges accelerated with each clash, and after mere tens of seconds had passed, many among the watching crowd found their eyes could no longer track the blur of their movements.
"Is... is that Kurogane?"
"You must be mistaken..."
"Hey! Is there anyone here who was in his class last year?"
"...Though I was his classmate, his ability values didn't even meet the requirements for practical courses... Who knew he could be this powerful..."
The brilliant sword exchange shocked many spectators.
Neither Luke nor Ikki were using magical power.
Setting aside Luke's monstrous physical abilities, even Ikki's pure physical combat prowess could only be described as 'terrifying'.
Forget E-rank knights, even D-rank knights wouldn't be confident in defeating Ikki in his current state.
While Ikki's magical power was minimal, it wasn't non-existent.
Perhaps he couldn't break through the magical defense of A-rank and B-rank knights, maybe not even C-rank knights.
But it was more than enough to deal with those D-rank and E-rank knights who usually looked down on him.
In this situation, facing Ikki's display of masterful swordsmanship, none of these student knights dared claim they could defeat him.
As the exchange continued, Luke gradually began to sense Ikki's will through his sword.
*Swoosh!*
The Starfall Sword in Luke's hand drew an arc of light as it approached Ikki.
*Clang!*
The strike that had completely suppressed Stella earlier was now easily blocked by Ikki.
They continued their battle with Luke attacking and Ikki defending.
This continued until a certain point when the situation suddenly changed!
*Ting!*
With a clear ring of clashing metal, the Starfall in Luke's hand was suddenly deflected off its original trajectory.
In that split second, Ikki seized this rare opportunity, and Intetsu in his hand shot toward Luke's chest with extreme speed.
"Seventh Secret Sword - Lightning!"
*Bang!*
A tremendous impact rang out.
Then, a figure went flying!
It was Kurogane Ikki!
Unlike the 'tough-skinned' Stella, Ikki had standard low defense and low health, so Luke hadn't used too much force in this strike.
"How about it? After all this time, haven't you thought about seeing through my swordsmanship?" Luke said with a laugh as he watched Ikki land steadily with a flip.
"If you feel you need more time, I can keep you company a while longer."
From start to finish, Luke had maintained the upper hand in his battle with Ikki.
Neither had used any abilities beyond swordsmanship, and Luke had deliberately suppressed his strength and speed to match Ikki's level.
Luke hadn't felt this happy in a long time.
Any sword technique used once would no longer work, instead they have to use a variation.
This was true for both Luke and Ikki.
In their previous exchange, they had switched between twenty or thirty different sword techniques.
Luke had never experienced such an interesting battle before.
"Don't joke around, Luke-san."
"Just keeping up with your rapidly changing sword techniques is taking everything I've got."
Ikki was grinning with excitement just like Luke.
In just a few minutes of combat, Ikki had witnessed countless unheard-of sword techniques from Luke.
The principles and core concepts contained within them had given him invaluable insights.
However, what concerned him most was the sword technique that had countered his Seventh Secret Sword.
"That move that sent me flying just now, it's derived from the same secret technique you used to defeat Vermillion-san, right?" Though phrased as a question, Ikki spoke with certainty.
At the same time, he lowered his stance and, using magical power to form a scabbard with his left hand, sheathed Intetsu within it.
"This is...!"
Seeing Ikki's movement, Luke was genuinely surprised.
But then he smiled.
"Hahaha, good! Good! Good!"
"Come, let me see how far you can go!"
Luke laughed joyfully, similarly sheathing his Starfall Sword and lowering his stance to mirror Ikki's exactly.
'This is truly fantastic!'
This was the only thought in Luke's mind right now.
Kurogane Ikki's talent exceeded his imagination.
A long-absent feeling of boiling fighting spirit rose up, and an intense combat drive began burning in his heart!
In the next instant, both figures vanished!
Amakakeru-Ryū-no-Hirameki VS Amakakeru-Ryū-no-Hirameki!
*Ting!*
*Bang!*
A storm arose!
The clear ring of clashing blades was instantly drowned out by the tempest raised by the collision of secret techniques.
This strike - evenly matched!
However, Ikki's movement wasn't finished.
Every sword technique has its core principles, each conveying some message from its creator.
It might be knowledge, history, spirit - anything in the world was possible.
By following these 'pathways', one could reach the 'truth' of the sword technique, after which mastering the entire style wouldn't be difficult.
Technique, moves, breathing, footwork, patterns - all these stemmed from the 'truth' of the sword style.
How to break another's sword technique?
Simple - just make your sword technique stronger than theirs.
Correct the flaws in the technique, deeply interpret its core principles, and create an evolved technique building upon its foundation.
This was the 'Mimicry Sword Technique' created by the swordsman named Kurogane Ikki.
Therefore, to surpass Luke, Ikki evolved the Amakakeru-Ryū-no-Hirameki he had just witnessed!
Using the super-centrifugal force generated by rotating his body after the sword swing, Ikki launched a fierce second drawing technique at Luke!
However, at that instant, an enormous suction force pinned him firmly in place.
Ikki, who had intended to use the rotational force for a second strike, immediately had his stance broken.
*Bang!*
*Boom!*
Then, Luke's Starfall Sword mercilessly struck his stomach, blasting the still-surprised Ikki into a distant wall.
"This is the true Amakakeru-Ryū-no-Hirameki - Second Stage!"