"I never expected that brat's match with Ikki Kurogane would end just as that detestable Akaza met his demise," Nene said, her voice dripping with meaning as she hid her lower face behind her unfurled fan.
Kurono lit a cigarette and sighed. "The League didn't authorize your deployment. Why did you come anyway?"
"Hahaha, how could I possibly miss such an intriguing event?"
"This isn't intriguing—it's a major incident!"
Though her Noble Art had reconstructed the crime scene, the culprit's identity remained a complete mystery.
Silent, masked, and shrouded in black.
All they knew was the killer's ruthless efficiency and their fatal resolve to eliminate Akaza.
The driver, who was also in the car, had only suffered minor injuries.
It all suggested the work of a professional assassin—one who targeted only the intended victim.
This case had shaken the nation, garnering even the League's utmost attention.
To dare strike at a League official required extraordinary madness.
Most theories pointed to the culprit being a terrorist linked to the Rebellion.
After all, Akaza had made plenty of enemies in his position.
The possibility of retaliation against Akaza was actually quite high. Several suspected incidents of retaliation had occurred, but they were all stopped in time.
Akaza was the head of a branch family of the Kurogane Clan.
Beyond the protection of the League, he also had the strength of his family by his side. Ordinary retaliation would never succeed.
"So, who's the culprit?" Nene's gaze sharpened.
If asked who was the most suspicious, it was almost too obvious to think about.
But that person was still a student.
They secretly hoped the truth wouldn't be that.
Kurono waved her hand. "Rest assured. The League Knight who witnessed the culprit and engaged them has already reported. The culprit's Device is a firearm over 1.1 meters long."
Noah's innate Device was a bracer.
No matter how you looked at it, there was no physical connection between the two.
If it were an ordinary firearm, he might have been a suspect.
But since the Knight confirmed the culprit's Device was undoubtedly a magical firearm, that completely cleared Noah of suspicion.
Ultimately, Noah was just one of many with a motive, and not even a particularly likely one.
"You came here just to confirm this?"
"Hm? No, I was just bored."
Facing Kurono's question, Nene replied casually.
...
The next day at Hagun Academy, Noah and Stella visited Classroom 1-1, only to find Ikki, his sister Shizuku, and Alice were all absent.
The classroom, which had been so lively at the start of the school year, now felt strangely desolate.
Compared to other students at Hagun, the classmates who had spent long hours together in class actually held a favorable impression of Ikki.
A polite and hardworking individual, he was someone almost no one disliked.
The defeat of the Another One had caused a stir within the academy, and Noah sensed some of the Kurogane Clan's sentiments.
Ikki's performance had inspired many to strive harder, but in the world of Blazers, where innate strength was revered, the prevailing belief was that magic capacity should determine one's position.
The strong were meant to be strong, and the weak were meant to be weak, challenging authority was frowned upon.
While Noah didn't believe the League's stance was correct, he acknowledged that from a political perspective, this approach did stabilize the hierarchy.
This afternoon, Stella faced off against Renren Tomaru in her match.
Her ability allowed her to accumulate physical speed, much like how others could accumulate weight in their strikes.
However, even with her speed maximized, her attack power still fell short of Stella's Dragon strength, and she was ultimately knocked back by her fiery strike.
Based on the tournament format, Noah had at most four matches left, while Stella had only three remaining.
Their upcoming opponents could also be largely predicted.
If everything went according to plan, the representative contestants from Hagun Academy would likely be:
Raikiri - Tohka Todo
Crimson Princess - Stella Vermillion
Calamity - Noah
Black Rose - Alice
Additionally, there were Utakata Misogi and Kanata Totokubara from the third year, making a total of six participants.
Scharlach Frau, Runner's High, and Destroyer... Apart from Raikiri, the entire Student Council team was eliminated in the top four.
The highly anticipated freshman, Lorelei, also bowed out early.
And then there was the biggest dark horse, the Another One.
Unfortunately, with Ikki's defeat, the title of Another One changed back.
He was left forever burdened with the moniker of Worst One.
Only the victor reaps all the rewards; this truth holds true in every world, even Orario.
As they exited the arena, Stella sighed, "I never got to face Tohka-senpai."
Noah wasn't surprised.
Though the tournament claimed to be entirely random, the Kurogane Clan could manipulate the selection process through their influence and League connections.
The Seven Stars Sword Art Festival committee wasn't foolish either.
If all the skilled competitors were eliminated by mere bad luck, what spectacle would remain?
Hagun Academy wouldn't let all their own competitors be weeded out in the selection phase either.
Even in the final rounds, where the matches might lack excitement, they wouldn't allow their top seeds to be eliminated with such ruthless efficiency as before.
...
In the infirmary, Ikki gradually regained consciousness.
The previous battle had drained his spirit, leaving a profound exhaustion that the League's physical healing pods couldn't mend.
He had been unconscious for four days and three nights, finally waking just before nightfall on the fourth day.
Staring blankly at the ceiling, Ikki's eyes held no sparkle.
His face was ashen, and though he was awake, he felt as if his very soul had been stripped away.
'I... lost.'
Even after giving his all, he had fallen short.
If he had been able to refine his control of Ten'i Muhou to a higher level, perhaps he could have won.
If...
No, no...
There was no "if."
He had given his all and still lost.
That was the unshakable truth, unchangeable.
At the same time, his agreement with the Chairwoman had come to an end in failure.
If he could become the Seven Stars Sword King, he could graduate.
That promise had crumbled along with his defeat.
His dream... was now unattainable.
"Ikki... you're awake?"
Alice entered the hospital room, carrying a pitcher of hot water.
Behind him followed Shizuku.
Seeing Ikki open his eyes and stare blankly at the ceiling, Shizuku's eyes reddened.
She threw herself onto him, tears streaming down her face.
"Brother!"
Ikki tilted his head to look at his sister, then gently stroked her hair.
"Shizuku," he murmured, "thank you for worrying about me."
"Waaah, Brother..."
Alice watched the battered young man and the weeping girl clinging to him, deeply moved.
Once, he had had a family like this, a time like this.
But because he was too weak, he ultimately lost them.
No, "lost" was too lenient—he was the one who abandoned them.
For power, he had abandoned his weak family.
He had always been taught to become a "stronger one." But now, witnessing this tender scene, he once again questioned those values.
Do the powerful truly have everything?
In the Rebellion he belonged to, he had always been first in every achievement.
His Teacher had repeatedly taught him that only the strong could survive in this world.
On missions, he was decisive and ruthless, never letting emotions cloud his judgment.
Every time, he carried out the organization's orders flawlessly.
This also made his Teacher increasingly satisfied with him.
Gradually, he began to gain notoriety under the terrifying moniker of the Black Rose Killer.
But now, he suddenly realized that he had never truly abandoned the most deeply rooted ties in his heart: the bonds of family.
Raised in an orphanage, he had formed a "strong" family with other orphans and the people who cared for them.
They lived with "dignity," refusing to bow to the harsh realities of society.
Yet they were subjected to a "purge."
The most important person died protecting the family, and he was later seen as a "monster" by his own kin for the same reason.
He still remembered the terror in their eyes when they looked at him.
The world was filled with hypocrisy.
The only truth was that the strong took everything, while the weak lost everything.
But as he watched the scene before him, he was reminded once again of why he had first obtained this power: not to harm others, but to protect everything he cherished.
The Rebellion's operation was approaching.
His spy mission was nearing its end.
In the end, all he needed to do was shatter the facade he had maintained all along, along with the two people before him.
Though one person seemed to have suspected his identity.
The Calamity.
Even that person was powerless to stop this.
...
July.
Everything settled into dust.
In late July, Hagun Academy students welcomed summer vacation.
With the extended break, students who usually lived on campus returned to their homes, leaving the academy unusually quiet.
The official start of the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival was set for mid-August.
Naturally, the competitors couldn't afford such leisure.
They had to participate in a ten-day intensive training program to further hone their skills before the tournament.