Give Up. You Can’t Win! - Anime: Infinite Swordsman! (Danmachi+Asterisk War+Rakudai)

Chapter 464: Give Up. You Can't Win!

"If your goal is to defeat Luke, then I'll tell you this."

"Give up."

"You can't win."

Ouma stated that cruel reality to Ikki in an icy tone.

He had personally watched this morning's match from the stands.

Very few people recognized the enormous gate Luke summoned at the end.

Most spectators simply assumed it was one of Luke's Noble Arts.

But Ouma knew better.

He knew just how enormous the difference between a Desperado and an ordinary Blazer truly was.

Even if Luke had only barely reached the gate, he was already beyond what ordinary people could defeat.

If Ouma challenged Luke again now, he was not even confident he could touch him a second time.

He could not even guarantee he would last as long as before.

So Ouma's first response was to tell Ikki to give up.

Naturally, that was never going to work.

Ikki said nothing.

He simply looked at Ouma with unwavering determination, without the slightest hesitation in his eyes.

Ouma had never developed the habit of sleeping in a bed.

Having always trained his body with extreme discipline, he preferred sleeping directly on the floor.

Leaning against the wall, he ignored Ikki's gaze and changed the subject.

"You didn't come here only for that, did you?"

Ikki froze for a moment.

Ouma was right.

There were a few other things Ikki wanted to ask.

But those were merely minor details—information he hoped to learn while he was here.

The most important matter was still convincing Ouma to help with his training.

"That's exactly why I said you can't win."

"You're at an overwhelming disadvantage, facing an opponent who is practically unbeatable."

"And yet you still have the leisure to think about unrelated nonsense."

"Are you arrogant?"

"Overconfident?"

"Or deep down, do you not actually believe you can win?"

"If you're going into this with the mindset of 'I'll give it everything, and even if I lose, I'll have no regrets,' then I suggest withdrawing right now."

"Don't embarrass the weaklings who've placed their hopes on a failure like you."

Ouma glanced at Ikki.

The coldness in his voice almost sounded like mockery of Ikki's supposedly firm resolve.

"Mana is a miraculous power that transcends common sense."

"It is the power to transform one's will into an ability and impose it upon the world."

"You're certainly strong now."

"But that's all."

"When the battle reaches its final moment, when you have to reveal everything you are without reservation…"

"That tiny fear you hold toward Luke will drag you straight into defeat."

"Your ending…"

"Will be exactly like the Crimson Princess's."

"Absolute defeat."

"I've explained enough."

"If you have nothing else to say, get out."

"Stop bothering me."

Ouma's words undoubtedly struck directly at Ikki's heart.

But Ikki already knew that himself.

Over the past year, he and Stella had constantly chased after Luke.

As they grew at incredible speed, they had inevitably developed a certain awe toward him.

As long as Ikki could not break free from that mentality, he would never defeat Luke.

But that was precisely why both he and Stella needed to challenge Luke on the stage of the Seven Star Sword Art Festival.

Not merely to win.

But to break the shackles Luke had placed on their hearts for so long.

Stella had already succeeded.

Next—It was Ikki's turn.

And because Ouma understood that, he had told him outright—You cannot win.

No amount of preparation before the match would matter if Ikki remained bound by that mentality.

Only by surpassing himself during the battle would Ikki gain even the slightest possibility of victory.

"Ouma-nii-san, I think I've gained a little more respect for you."

"Oh?"

"How much?"

"At least I no longer need a magnifying glass to look you in the eye."

"…Tch. All you know how to do is run your mouth."

Ouma clicked his tongue and unceremoniously ordered him out.

"Enough nonsense."

"I'm going to sleep."

"You should get back to your room and sleep too."

"If you can barely stand, stop wandering around."

This time, Ikki said nothing else.

He simply nodded and turned toward the door.

Just as Ouma had said, after today's training, Ikki had already exhausted himself to the limit.

He had barely remained conscious long enough to come here.

Ouma repeatedly telling him to get out was probably because he had noticed that and wanted Ikki to go rest.

Before leaving, Ikki gave Ouma one final sentence.

"I'll be training at the field behind the hotel tomorrow morning."

Then Ikki left.

Ouma remained leaning against the wall with his eyes closed.

He gave no reply.

...

The next day.

Repairs to the Seven Star Sword Art Festival arena were progressing smoothly.

However, even under the best circumstances, the venue would not be ready for another match until nighttime.

Considering the risks of rushed construction, structural stability, and the possibility that Luke needed more time to recover from his injuries, the final was officially rescheduled for the third day.

In other words—There was still one more full day before the match.

At that moment, Luke was sitting in a park, quietly enjoying the sunlight.

There were almost no permanent residents around either the Festival venue or the competitors' hotel.

The entire area was essentially a near-empty district.

It sat some distance from the actual city, with trains and other transport routes being the main connection.

Most of the year, it was practically the middle of nowhere.

Only during the Seven Star Sword Art Festival did the area become packed with people.

Even then, most were merchants or stall owners, while visitors usually stayed in hotels.

Because of that, facilities like parks were almost always deserted.

Especially this one near the competitors' lodging.

There was no explicit rule, but everyone seemed to tacitly treat it as an area reserved for contestants.

Now that most competitors had already left, those who remained to watch the final had also been dragged away by Ikki to serve as training partners.

So Luke had spent two full hours lazing around here without anyone disturbing him.

Well…

Edelweiss had kicked him out.

After all, the two of them had only recently become intimate.

If they stayed together all day, it was inevitable that they might have trouble restraining themselves.

But Edelweiss still had not completely recovered from her exhaustion.

So she threw Luke out.

Otherwise, she was afraid she might not even make it to the arena for the final.

Luke was not particularly upset.

He understood Edelweiss perfectly well.

Besides, his match was tomorrow.

Doing anything too exhausting now really would be inappropriate.

"Still…"

"I got used to always having someone around."

"Now that it's quiet again, it feels a little lonely…"

"Oh?"

"Then I suppose I arrived at just the right time?"

Luke had just stretched and sighed toward the blue sky when a familiar voice came from behind him.

"Stella?"

Luke was genuinely surprised.

There was no way he could not be.

For the first time—Stella had actually slipped past his senses.

But after only a few seconds, Luke realized why.

"Is this… a side effect?"

"Pretty much."

"Apparently, after all the changes from Dragon Spirit completely faded, I ended up like this."

"Kiriko-senpai said it's only temporary, though. I should recover before long."

Stella walked over and sat beside Luke on the bench.

Right now, there was not the slightest trace of imposing presence around her.

Compared with the overwhelming aura she had displayed during yesterday's match, she seemed like a completely different person.

In fact, Stella's presence was even weaker than usual.

She was not deliberately suppressing herself.

Yet observing her from such close range gave Luke the strange feeling that—A mighty dragon had fallen into a deep sleep.

…

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Chapter 464 - Give Up. You Can’t Win!