Chapter 429: Deep Into the Quiet Night
The semifinals had been postponed.
The announcement was released by the Seven Star Sword Art Festival operating committee some time after Luke and Sara's match ended.
The semifinals, originally scheduled for tomorrow, would be delayed.
The new date was simply listed as "as soon as possible."
Naturally, the announcement drew complaints from nearly every spectator.
Most people who had bought tickets were not locals, and even those who lived nearby did not appreciate having their schedules disrupted like this.
Shop owners had closed their businesses, students had either requested leave or pretended to be sick, and office workers had spent precious vacation days.
No one wanted to accept such an absurd postponement.
Still, complaints were complaints and protests were protests.
Even the spectators had to admit that the operating committee's explanation was more than reasonable.
"Due to severe damage to the venue, emergency repairs and further reinforcement will be carried out to ensure spectator safety and the proper continuation of the tournament."
"We sincerely apologize for taking up your valuable time."
After reading the explanation, everyone who had witnessed Luke and Sara's battle—or rather, Luke and "Edelweiss's" battle—remembered the devastation.
Whether inside or outside the arena, that apocalyptic clash had left an unforgettable impression.
One of the most memorable sights had been the state of the venue after the battle ended.
Bay Dome…
No, perhaps it was more accurate to call it the remains of a building that had once been Bay Dome.
The wreckage was still piled there.
Forget anyone with common sense. Anyone with functioning eyes could look at those ruins and understand that the tournament could not possibly continue normally.
The entire structure was nearly destroyed.
Calling it "repairs" was generous. In practice, it was little different from rebuilding the place.
So although the audience found the postponement difficult to accept, they also understood there was no alternative.
Fortunately, the League ultimately stepped in to mediate.
After all, this year's Seven Star Sword Art Festival had received considerable attention from the League.
Rebellion interfering with it was practically a slap in the League's face.
If an Akatsuki Academy competitor had actually won the championship, the League's influence in Japan would have suffered a devastating blow.
Fortunately, that was no longer a concern.
Luke's defeat of Sara had completely shattered Rebellion's plans.
Having finally breathed a sigh of relief, the League's leadership did not hesitate to handle the aftermath on Luke's behalf.
Mediation, compensation, public notices, and apologies—
The League absorbed most of the losses suffered by the spectators and operating committee, reducing the overall impact as much as possible.
At the same time, the League dispatched additional personnel to help rebuild Bay Dome.
Most of the professional Mage-Knights and teachers stationed there had been injured during Luke and Sara's battle.
More than one had even suffered severe injuries requiring hospitalization while trying to contain the shockwaves.
The League's reinforcements were therefore extremely welcome.
They greatly reduced Kurono's…
Ahem.
They greatly reduced the operating committee's reconstruction burden.
...
None of this messy aftermath affected Luke.
After delivering dinner to his lover, he left the hotel alone and went for a walk.
It was not that Luke did not want to stay inside and spend more time with Edelweiss.
She simply had not recovered yet.
After what happened the previous night, even an entire day of rest had not been enough to clear her "completely exhausted" condition.
When Luke said she would not be getting out of bed for three days, he had not been joking~
Luke did not wander far.
He merely walked around the neighborhood near the hotel, intending to enjoy the peaceful night.
As he passed a park, however, he suddenly heard the faint sound of something cutting through the air.
The sound was extremely quiet.
Anyone weaker than Luke might have ignored it entirely.
Slightly curious, and having come outside merely to relax anyway, Luke turned and entered the park.
Following the sound was easy for him.
What surprised him was that the noise, which clearly resembled someone swinging a weapon, kept stopping and starting.
It appeared that someone was training.
Yet the irregular pauses made the pattern rather strange.
The park was not very large.
Before long, Luke reached his destination.
At a clearing near the center of the park, a familiar figure was training exactly as Luke had guessed.
The exercise itself looked extremely ordinary.
He was simply cutting through square wooden posts standing upright on the ground.
It was a common slashing drill.
Adjust breathing.
Swing the weapon.
A nearly inaudible hiss cut through the cold night air as another strike descended.
The wooden post gradually became shorter.
What had originally stood taller than a person was eventually reduced to waist height.
Luke did not interrupt.
He simply watched quietly for a while until the other person finally stopped.
"Haa… hah…"
Ikki breathed heavily, sweat pouring down his forehead.
With his physical ability, a simple cutting drill should never have consumed this much stamina.
Clearly, there was something hidden within this seemingly ordinary training.
"That's a pretty interesting training method."
Luke stepped out from the small grove while studying Ikki with interest.
The weapon Ikki had been using was not his Device, Intetsu.
It was a piece of paper.
That was right.
A completely ordinary sheet of white paper.
Ikki held the paper upright and used its edge as a blade, swinging it at high speed to cut through the solid wooden post before him.
The feat itself was not particularly difficult.
Both Luke and Edelweiss could do the same thing.
In fact, they could cut materials far harder than wood with nothing more than paper.
Once one's realm reached a certain level, the saying that even flowers and leaves could become weapons was no exaggeration.
But that was not what interested Luke.
"You can already use it?"
Luke's sudden appearance and seemingly contextless question startled Ikki badly.
He had been completely focused on training, while Luke had concealed his presence well enough that Ikki never noticed him approaching.
Ikki immediately jumped backward and entered a guarded stance.
Only then did he recognize Luke.
Looking somewhat embarrassed, he scratched his head and dismissed the Device he had instinctively summoned.
"You almost scared me to death…"
"Yeah… I can use it now."
"But I'm still not very proficient. If I want to use it perfectly, I'm not quite there yet."
Ikki understood Luke's vague question immediately.
He knew exactly what Luke was asking about.
He looked slightly embarrassed.
After all, this technically counted as stealing someone else's technique.
Ikki had learned quite a few sword techniques from observing Luke over the years, and Luke had never once gotten angry about it.
Still, it was hardly something worth bragging about.
…
…
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