Chapter 431: Please Do Not Damage Public Property!
"Ugh…"
Stella looked at Ikki with obvious frustration.
Just as Luke had said, she did not actually possess any overwhelming desire to learn Twin-Wings Sword Style.
What bothered her was simply that Luke and Ikki could use it while she could not.
It had always been like this with various sword techniques, yet every time it happened, she still felt a little irritated.
It almost felt as though she were being left out.
Stella quietly sighed and shook her head, throwing those pointless emotions aside.
Then her attitude changed completely as she looked seriously at Luke.
"The semifinals are finally here!"
Ikki immediately understood what Stella meant.
He also turned toward Luke and sighed with emotion.
"Yeah. We've finally made it this far."
Finally.
For Stella and Ikki, the semifinals carried a completely different meaning from every previous match.
After chasing Luke from behind for so long, the two of them were finally about to challenge him head-on.
Seeing Ikki and Stella brimming with fighting spirit, Luke raised an eyebrow and deliberately teased them.
"Don't get excited too early."
"What if I get matched against Touka-senpai? Then you two will end up fighting each other first."
"That's the least likely possibility, and you know it."
Stella was not discouraged in the slightest.
Instead, her fighting spirit only grew stronger.
She was right.
Of all the possible semifinal pairings tomorrow, Luke facing Touka first was probably the least likely.
After his battle against "Edelweiss," Luke had practically become the public favorite to win the championship.
In everyone's eyes, he was already the obvious Seven Stars Sword King.
No one expected him to lose.
Therefore, purely for excitement and publicity, Stella or Ikki would make far more compelling opponents for Luke than Touka.
Tomorrow, one of those two would very likely face Luke and finally realize their dream of challenging him.
And Stella was the most likely candidate.
No matter how fair the Seven Star Sword Art Festival claimed to be, or how much it pursued popularity, it was still a tournament held in Japan.
A foreign competitor winning the championship was acceptable.
But if no one from their own country even reached the finals, that would be humiliating.
Therefore, Ikki versus Touka—guaranteeing that at least one local competitor reached the finals—was likely to be a pairing the committee would strongly favor.
Of course, these were only deductions.
The actual matchups would not be known until the operating committee released its announcement tomorrow.
Regardless…
"Tomorrow is going to be a hard fight."
"No matter how the pairings turn out, one of the three of us will definitely be eliminated."
Ikki's voice carried a trace of heaviness, but even more determination.
"I won't hold back!"
"Neither will I!"
Stella immediately followed.
Then, as though wanting to prove something to Luke and Ikki, who had always been stronger than her, Stella casually grabbed several sheets of paper beside Ikki and crumpled them into a ball.
Then—
"I've gotten stronger too!"
As she spoke, mana surged violently throughout her body.
Flames and scorching wind erupted toward the sky!
At that instant, both Luke and Ikki saw the faint silhouette of a gigantic dragon looming behind Stella!
Then Stella threw the crumpled paper ball toward the iron pipe Ikki had been using for training.
Bang—!
Boom—!
The instant the paper ball struck the pipe, the metal was torn cleanly in half as though ripped apart by brute force.
Yet the paper ball itself remained completely intact.
Without losing momentum, it continued flying and smashed apart a section of wall in the distance.
Afterward, Stella withdrew her mana.
Judging by her expression, that devastating attack had been little more than a casual toss.
The result was beyond imagination.
A crumpled ball of paper had produced destructive power comparable to what Luke had displayed during his battle with Sara.
Stella radiated absolute confidence.
She gave Luke a long, meaningful look.
"I'll be waiting for you in the arena!"
Suppressing her intense fighting spirit, Stella delivered her declaration and turned to leave the park.
After Nene's special training, Stella had completely mastered the power of Dragonification.
Her current strength was enough to rival the world's strongest fighters.
Even among Desperados, she would by no means rank at the bottom.
Even Luke had to admit that the current Stella was powerful enough to ignite his fighting spirit.
She could genuinely make him feel pressure—and even danger.
Just like Stella, Luke was looking forward to their battle.
However…
"You might be trying to make a cool exit, but I should probably remind you of something."
"This is a public park."
"Destroying public property like that probably isn't a great idea…"
Luke's words made Stella, who had been walking away with her back toward him, freeze instantly.
Beside him, Ikki covered his mouth and desperately tried not to laugh.
"I-I-I'll call and turn myself in tomorrow!"
"It's just compensation money anyway!!!"
Stella fled with her face burning red.
The poor princess had intended to make a dramatic declaration of war.
Instead, she ended up running away in embarrassment.
Of course, she had not intentionally tried to destroy public property.
She had merely aimed at the iron pipe, gotten carried away, and used far too much force.
During the Festival, many facilities around the hotels—including this park—were unofficially treated as training grounds for competitors.
Using mana and summoning Devices was allowed.
As long as the damage was not deliberate, the punishment was usually not severe.
A fine would settle the matter.
...
After Stella left, Luke also prepared to head back.
Ikki clearly intended to continue training late into the night.
He might not even return to his room until morning.
Luke, on the other hand, had only gone outside for a walk.
He had entered the park simply because he heard something and became curious.
Now it was about time to return.
However, after saying goodbye to Ikki, Luke did not immediately head toward the hotel.
Instead, he walked into a grove on the opposite side.
The moment he stopped, a voice came from behind him.
"As expected, there was no way to hide from your senses."
The voice contained little surprise.
Clearly, the speaker had already expected Luke to notice him.
"This should technically be our first meeting."
"Still, I imagine you know quite a bit about me, just as I know quite a bit about you."
"Nice to meet you, Falling Star Sword Emperor."
"My name is Kurogane Itsuki."
"I am Kurogane Ikki's father and the current head of the Kurogane Family."
"Truthfully, I could tell someone was nearby, but I never expected it to be you."
Luke looked at the man with mild surprise.
This was his first time meeting the Kurogane Family's head, known as Iron Blood.
However, just as the man had said, although the two had never met before, they were already quite familiar with each other.
…
…
[PS: Love this fanfiction? Then, vote for more chapters. ;) If this fanfic reaches 100+ powerstones, I will increase the daily upload frequency. Also, don't forget to write a review!]
---
Read more than 40 chapters in advance:
patréon.com/Tom22
Replace "é" with "e" on your web browser.
---
For Audiobook:
youtube.com/@animefic22