Not only were representatives from Hagun Academy present, but those from Kyomon Academy were also gathered in the arena.
Each of them had been stunned by the aftershocks of the battle between the two girls, their weapons frozen in hand as they watched the fierce duel with numb expressions.
"Hey, do you think you could beat them?"
"Are you kidding? I'd be lucky not to get instantly wiped out!"
The speaker shuddered, waving his hands in fear. He was one of Kyomon Academy's representatives, initially quite confident in his skills, believing he could at least make it to the top eight this year.
But the battle between Stella and Touka had completely shattered his confidence. The sheer gap between their levels left him utterly demoralized.
"I get that Raikiri is strong—she was last year's top four, practically second place. But the Crimson Princess lost to the Failed Knight, so I thought she wasn't as strong as the rumors said... But this is just insane!"
His voice cracked under the strain.
"You people always assume that if some big name loses to an unknown, the big name must be overrated. Have you ever considered that maybe the unknown is just that strong?"
Kagami shook her head, looking at him with pity.
This guy was already broken. The sheer power of those two girls had crushed his spirit—if he faced them in the tournament, he wouldn't even be able to fight at half his usual strength.
This was typical of student knights who had never experienced real combat.
Especially among the Seven Stars Academies—only Bukyoku and Hagun selected their representatives through qualifiers. The remaining five, including Kyomon, appointed theirs based on Blazer rankings.
Those chosen simply for their high-level abilities rarely engaged in actual combat outside of simulated battles. When faced with true powerhouses, their mentality crumbled instantly.
"The Crimson Princess is fighting evenly with Raikiri, yet she lost to the Failed Knight, who in turn lost to the Aurora Swordsman... What kind of monsters are these?!"
The Kyomon representatives were on the verge of losing their minds.
Why were Hagun's representatives this year so ridiculously strong?
Would there even be room for Kyomon Academy in this year's Seven Stars Sword Art Festival?
"This match isn't over yet, you know?"
As they spoke, the other two figures at the center of their discussion approached.
"Eiji-kun, have you finished your spar with Ikki?"
Kagami perked up, bounding over excitedly.
The newcomers were Eiji and Ikki, both drenched in sweat, clearly fresh from an intense match. Eiji's exhausted state, in particular, sent the nearby girls into a flustered frenzy.
"Just wrapped up."
Eiji's gaze shifted to the two girls still locked in combat.
"How long have they been fighting?"
"Twenty minutes, and still no winner."
"...How do they have so much mana?"
Eiji had been fairly satisfied with reaching D-rank in mana capacity, but watching the two of them flaunt their overwhelming reserves made him bitter all over again.
"How did your match with Ikki go, Eiji-kun?"
Kagami asked with great interest.
"Not bad," Eiji replied casually.
"Another loss for me," Ikki said with a bitter smile, shaking his head.
"I can't find any way to counter 'Blead with Light and Dust.'"
The new technique Eiji had created was flawless.
No matter the force applied against him, he could disperse it entirely with just a few movements. Even knocking him into the air was useless—short-range strikes, penetrating force—everything dissipated like a river flowing into the sea, vanishing without a trace.
Ikki racked his brain but couldn't figure out how to break through this move, so he always ended up at a disadvantage during their sparring sessions.
For now, he had hit a temporary bottleneck.
Of course, he wasn't making no progress at all. After several exchanges with Eiji, he could feel his swordsmanship improving noticeably.
But while he was improving, Eiji was improving even more. It felt like Eiji ascended to new heights every single day, as if he were a bottomless pit that could never be filled.
During their bouts, Ikki even occasionally got the illusion that the gap between them was widening.
"Excuse me! Nangou-san, may I interview you?"
As they were talking, an excited girl's voice called out from the side.
It was a girl holding a camera, her features quite striking, though her fashion sense left something to be desired. At the moment, she was gazing at Eiji with admiration.
"And this is...?"
"She's Yagokoro from the Bukyoku Academy News Club—a big fan of yours, Eiji-kun!" Kagami introduced enthusiastically.
Thanks to the televised broadcast of the final selection match, Eiji's fanbase had spread nationwide.
"Bukyoku Academy?" Eiji looked surprised. "Students from other schools can come here too? Isn't that basically leaking intel on the representative fighters?"
"Well, there's no written rule forbidding students from other schools from visiting!" Kagami giggled.
"Investigating the training grounds of rival schools to gather intel on their representatives is an annual tradition for the Seven Stars Academy News Club. By the way, I've done some investigating myself, so I have a list of all the current representative fighters!"
"Impressive!" Eiji immediately understood.
"Give me a copy later!"
"One autograph!"
"Deal!"
Kagami beamed.
Eiji's autographed photos were selling like hotcakes—each one could fetch over a million yen. Even with his terrible handwriting, people couldn't get enough. Kagami herself had collected a full set.
"Yagokoro-san, was it? An interview is fine, but I have one condition!"
Eiji looked seriously at the striking girl beside him.
"W-What condition?"
Yagokoro gulped nervously.
Could it be... she had to offer herself?
Oh my, that would be so wonder—no, so embarrassing!
Should they book a hotel? Or just go straight to the dorm?
Surely not out in the open...?
"In your report, my nickname must be 'Aurora Swordsman'! None of that 'Fallen Angel' or any other nonsense!"
Eiji was dead serious, as if refusing to cooperate unless she agreed.
"That's it?"
Yagokoro looked disappointed.
"?"
"I mean, that's easy!"
"Good."
Eiji nodded to himself.
Lately, many news outlets had interviewed him—some even from Tokyo-based TV stations.
Every time he gave an interview, his condition was to change his nickname. Thanks to media coverage, "Fallen Angel" had now become the exclusive title of his fan club at Hagun Academy. The general public, having witnessed his extraordinary swordsmanship, preferred to call him the Aurora Swordsman.
As his skills continued to grow, this nickname could evolve further—Sword Saint, Sword God—he was really looking forward to that!
***
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