"Stay still," the Chairwoman whispered, then crouched down.
Noah watched as she placed her hand on his severed arm.
Then, as if a video was playing in reverse, his arm fully regenerated within seconds under the power of time reversal.
'This was... temporal concept interference.'
'Such power was outrageous.'
Combined with the Yaksha Princess, who had instantly suppressed Ikki and could manipulate gravity herself, yet whose power paled in comparison to this woman's.
These two were undoubtedly among the select few standing at the world's pinnacle.
They were the true embodiment of a Blazer's might.
To them, the Student Knights' battles must seem tedious.
Even with a momentary lapse in concentration, Ikki's ability to defeat the Chairwoman even once in their private duel was absurd.
Ittou Shura's primary function was to explosively enhance physical capabilities, allowing the simplistic attacks of Ikki to reach their maximum potential.
Given a Blazer's generally low physical durability, any attack capable of breaching their magical defenses would typically result in a one-hit KO.
For high-level Blazers, the effectiveness of their attacks was a given.
Yet for Ikki to inflict any damage, he'd have to expend every drop of his Magic Power.
An attack powerful enough to break through magic defenses in just one minute.
To ensure that this attack would land within that minute, his speed was his greatest advantage.
However, no matter how fast he moved, he could never outrun time itself.
If all types of speed were aggregated and personified as vehicles, then time would be the road itself—no vehicle, no matter how fast, could ever escape it.
Given this, how exactly did the Chairwoman lose?
Could she have been deliberately throwing the match?
After much consideration, that seemed the most plausible explanation.
There was no need to ask how she felt.
As one of the top three A-Rank Mage-Knights in the world, Kurono Shinguuji would have deserved to retire if she couldn't trust her own abilities.
"Hey, Kuro, this situation is getting dicey. This kid's obsession is too intense—even I've never seen obsession drive the body like this."
"This is troublesome."
According to the League's rules, losing consciousness means defeat.
Ikki's ability to keep swinging even after completely passing out is unprecedented!
Even if he could maintain that state, he still couldn't win against the youth behind him.
Moreover, this was akin to burning through his own lifespan.
..
'What a short-lived fool.'
This is the first time Nene had seen anyone so eager to be reborn.
Unlike those lunatics from the Rebellion faction, this guy has desires, emotions, and even a fairly upright moral compass.
'At least he was upright.'
Yet this very same person had been driven to the brink of death by his own family.
'Is this the fate of an F-Rank Knight? Light as a feather, yet tragic.'
"Due to unforeseen circumstances, I will be declaring the winner of this match..." Kurono picked up the microphone and announced.
"The winner is... First-Year Class 1, Noah!"
The moment the verdict was announced, almost no one was surprised.
The outcome had been clear from the start.
But there was one thing.
Deep down, everyone harbored a sliver of hope for the Another One's victory.
Especially after witnessing his relentless struggle.
Initially, when they learned of the Worst One, their only reaction had been mockery.
But as he secured victory after victory, their mockery gradually shifted to anticipation.
F-Rank Knight—a rank so low it wasn't even recognized by the League.
In truth, most people were like this.
For them, the fierce struggle between life and death might be something they never personally experienced.
Perhaps the only time they could witness such a spectacle was now.
In the Blazer's world, where hierarchy reigned supreme, E-Rank Knights weren't much better than F-Rank Knights.
They dominated the majority of the physical training sessions.
They mocked the Worst One.
Yet, deep down, they were grateful to him.
Not out of kindness, but a mix of relief and gratitude—relieved to have someone beneath them, grateful they weren't at the bottom.
By mocking the Worst One together, their own value seemed to rise.
This intoxicating feeling trapped them, ultimately transforming them into perpetrators of bullying.
The values born from a society dominated by Blazers were undeniably twisted.
Yet, when the Worst One achieved corresponding results through relentless effort and continued to break through, their inner expectations grew even stronger.
If an F-Rank Ikki Kurogane could succeed... Then they...
Their deeply ingrained beliefs began to shift.
Ikki wasn't the lever that pried them open, but the fulcrum around which they pivoted.
No one cheered.
Only scattered applause came from a few familiar faces.
"Leave Kurogane to us. You just rest up."
"Understood."
Noah left the arena and met Stella at the exit.
"Noah, your arm!" The girl took his hand and examined it carefully from all angles.
The broadcast replay clearly showed the blade slicing into the fleshy part of his palm near the thumb, tearing through flesh and bone alike.
Even Noah's pained expression was visible.
Seeing her anxious look, Noah smiled reassuringly and moved his fingers and wrist in front of her.
"Don't worry. The Chairwoman restored my arm to its pre-match state. To be honest, it feels so good that I'm a little uneasy. I can't feel even the slightest twinge of pain."
Powerful healing spells could instantly mend wounds, but they couldn't simultaneously erase the pain.
The lingering discomfort would remain in the nervous system.
Even when he healed himself using water molecules, it was the same.
But the Chairwoman's treatment was different.
Her method wasn't healing at all, but rather reversing the arm's physical timeline to a previous state.
The injury had occurred, but then it was undone, as if it had never happened.
Since the injury never occurred, the pain naturally never arose.
Even now, if he tried to recall the pain, he couldn't find any physical trace of it.
"The Chairwoman's Ability is formidable. She truly lives up to being the third rank Knights of the world..." Stella clenched her fists nervously.
Though she stood out among her peers like a lone, towering flower, her ambitions had never been limited to the mere Seven Stars Sword Art Festival.
She had chosen this path only because past Seven Stars Sword Kings had become renowned Mage-Knights, their reputations spreading far and wide.
As an A-Rank Knight, her natural goal was to become an A-Rank Mage-Knight—a position she had long envisioned.
The Chairwoman and Nene were the two strongest Blazers Stella had ever encountered.
She understood the gap between them, but through the subtle details of their actions, she realized she had underestimated the true disparity in their strength.
And that was merely the tip of the iceberg.
Noah watched Stella, his heart filled with hesitation.
Whether it was the matter of Rebellion or the Kurogane Clan's secret dealings, he had kept everything from the girl.
Even now, he couldn't decide if this was for the best.
The girl's goal was to become one of the world's top Mage-Knights.
The higher one climbs in any field, the more one encounters its dark underbelly.
If he wanted what was best for her future, letting her experience these things firsthand would likely be beneficial. But if he did that, he feared her smile would never return to its former radiance.
"W-What's wrong? Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Nothing."
"Hmm! Could it be... I'm just so beautiful that you're speechless?" The girl was joking, but Noah replied earnestly.
"Yes, spechless."
The atmosphere grew warmer.
"Hmm..."
...
After dinner, Stella rushed out excitedly.
Lately, she had been frequently sparring with Tohka.
Though the matches were evenly matched, Tohka still held the overall advantage.
Both sides were holding back their trump cards.
Of course.
Even though the outcome of the Selection Battle was already clear, only one person could ultimately become the Seven Stars Sword King at the tournament.
In the end, even companions from the same academy would have to compete fiercely to determine the winner.
Even Noah had agreed with her that if they both reached the finals of the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival, they would both give their all to win.
The title of Seven Stars Sword King... it didn't really matter to him.
If he could claim the title with his current abilities, he would be genuinely disappointed in this so-called national-level tournament, which was supposed to be the pinnacle of student competition.
If he were to dispel the magic now and go update his Falna ability values with Hephaestus back in Orario, his capabilities would undergo a quantum leap.
In an instant, his strength would undergo a complete transformation.
For the past two and a half years in this world, his status hadn't increased even a single point.
This was both the blessing and the curse of falna.
Falna could unlock one's potential.
But without a deity updating his ability values with their blood, his capabilities would remain stagnant.
While he could still accumulate experience and other resources, they would remain dormant, unable to manifest their physical effects.
Relying on the diversity of his abilities and meticulous tactical planning, he had won his way through, even defeating formidable opponents like the Lorelei, Scharlach Frau, and the Another One.
But such victories were fleeting.
If the Lorelei continued to grow at her current rate, she would surpass his current strength and crush him within a year at most.
Therefore, after the Selection Battle concluded, he would release his projections and temporarily leave this world.
As for the girl, winning in the end would be difficult with her current strength alone.
Noah felt it was time to help her understand her true power—the power of the Dragon that could elevate her to the pinnacle of the world.