Roy’s voice startled Ikki, but his instincts took over before he had time to think.

He suddenly withdrew his sword, assuming a defensive posture to guard his front.

His judgment was sharp. The moment Roy’s voice sounded, Ascalon slashed toward Ikki.

“First Secret Sword: Saigeki!”

However, this time, it wasn’t Ikki using the technique. It was Roy.

CLANG!

An extremely powerful impact slammed into Intetsu. Even though Ikki was in the state of Ittou Shura, he was powerless to parry the sudden, overwhelming force.

Accompanied by the screech of metal, Ikki’s figure was launched backward. He bounced across the ground several times with terrifying momentum, finally crashing into the railing at the edge of the arena like a cannonball.

Amidst the rising dust, a figure shining with fading light staggered to his feet with great difficulty.

“That… was my swordsmanship just now?”

Ikki leaned heavily on Intetsu, asking in a tone of disbelief.

“Correct,” Roy nodded. “Actually, when it comes to imitating swordsmanship, I’m also quite good at it.”

“So… the Secret Swords I used… are now yours?” Ikki asked.

“Mm.” Roy admitted it frankly.

A wry smile appeared on Ikki’s face. In the past, he was the one stealing other people’s sword skills. This was the first time he had witnessed someone stealing his.

His mood was complicated, a mix of frustration and strange validation.

“Continue!”

Ikki gritted his teeth. He wasn’t discouraged. Even if the odds of winning were slim, he wanted to use Ittou Shura until the very last second and fight with everything he had.

Half a minute later, the mana radiance surrounding Ikki suddenly dissipated. He collapsed to his knees.

“The winner is decided!”

Kurono announced the end of the battle. She glanced at the exhausted Ikki, who couldn’t even stand, and said to Roy, “Please take him to the infirmary.”

“Can you walk?” Roy asked, looking down at Ikki.

The answer came in the form of a thud as Ikki face-planted onto the floor.

“Complete coma…” Roy shook his head, speechless. He picked up Ikki and carried him toward the infirmary.

When Ikki regained consciousness, he found himself lying in a hospital bed. His injuries had healed, leaving only a lingering sense of physical exhaustion.

“You’re awake.”

Kurono’s voice sounded from the window. She was sitting there, smoking a cigarette.

“How long was I out?” Ikki propped himself up with difficulty.

“It’s almost lunchtime,” Kurono said, glancing at the sun. He had been out for about four hours.

“Chairwoman… did you lock Roy up somewhere?” Ikki joked weakly, noticing Roy’s absence.

“He went to the cafeteria to bring you food. He’ll be back soon,” Kurono smiled. “How does it feel? The fight with Roy?”

“There’s a big payoff,” Ikki admitted. For someone with his learning ability, every battle promoted growth. The fight with Roy had benefited him immensely.

“Chairwoman… how much strength did Roy use in the battle just now?” Ikki asked the question burning in his heart.

He knew very well that even at the end, he hadn’t forced Roy to go all out. It felt like a weight on his chest. He knew he wasn’t Roy’s opponent right now, but he wanted to know the size of the gap between him and the strongest.

After all, although Kurono had lowered the graduation standard to Top 4, Ikki still longed for the title of Seven Star Sword King.

“How much strength? How should I put this…” Kurono thought for a moment. “Even though I used my Noble Art… he still defeated me.”

Hearing this, Ikki’s jaw dropped. No sound came out.

“Now do you understand why I said he is the strongest candidate for the championship?” Kurono explained, enjoying Ikki’s shocked expression.

“That means… he didn’t even take it seriously when he fought with me?” Ikki smiled bitterly. The gap was so vast he felt a little powerless.

Ikki had once defeated Kurono, but that was when she was holding back significantly. But Roy? Roy had defeated a Kurono who was using her time manipulation abilities. That put Roy on the same level as a serious World Class knight.

“At least, he was serious about the sword fight,” Kurono comforted him. “Don’t be too discouraged. A freak like Roy appears maybe once in a hundred years. Even in the history of the Seven Star Sword Art Festival, few could compare to him.”

Ikki sighed, feeling that this comfort was cold at best.

“It’s still a long time before the Festival starts. Use this time to improve as much as possible. Although the chances are slim… you still have a chance to catch up.”

Leaving those words behind, Kurono waved her hand and left the infirmary.

Not long after, Roy arrived with packed food from the cafeteria.

“Thank you, Roy,” Ikki smiled and thanked him.

The two chatted while eating lunch. Since both possessed extremely high attainments in kendo, the conversation inevitably turned to swordsmanship.

“You mentioned the Seventh Secret Sword, but you only used six techniques. What’s the one you didn’t use?” Roy asked curiously.

“There is only one left: the Fifth Secret Sword: Kuruizakura,” Ikki didn’t hide anything. He generously explained the principle of the move to Roy.

It was a delayed slashing technique that focused on follow through and unpredictability.

Roy nodded, absorbing the information. Ikki’s Seven Secret Swords were truly ingenious, created to overcome his lack of mana.

Roy had gained a lot from their duel. Not only did he replicated Ikki’s Seven Secret Swords, but he also replicated Blade Steal and Ittou Shura.

Blade Steal allowed Roy to analyze and copy physical techniques instantly. Combined with his skills, his learning speed was now terrifying.

As for Ittou Shura… Roy had a daring idea.

Ittou Shura worked by forcibly removing the body’s subconscious limiters to squeeze out every drop of mana and physical potential for one minute. The drawback was the immense strain and exhaustion afterward.

However, Roy possessed the seven deadly sins ability. If he could regenerate faster than the strain damaged him, he might be able to maintain Ittou Shura for much longer.

Or, he could combine it with Aeriel and his demonic power for an explosive burst.

—

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