Chapter 473: Ittou Shura!
"Kurogane Ikki has already done remarkably well."
"He hasn't merely incorporated the Twin-Wings Sword Style into his offense—he's gone even further and fused his own Secret Swords into it."
"Even so, he can only barely keep pace with Luke."
"There's still an enormous gap between their mastery of the Twin-Wings Sword Style."
Listening to Kaieda's explanation, commentator Iida gradually calmed down.
He was a professional commentator, after all.
His instincts were excellent, and he immediately grasped what Kaieda was trying to say.
"So Ikki is using other sword techniques at the same time as the Twin-Wings Sword Style?"
"While Luke is using the Twin-Wings Sword Style by itself…"
"Wouldn't that mean, if this continues—"
"Exactly."
"Kurogane Ikki will unquestionably exhaust himself first."
Kaieda nodded, then continued.
"And it isn't merely one or two additional techniques."
"Throughout the battle, the two of them have constantly shifted the core principles behind their swordsmanship."
"That consumes even more concentration and stamina."
"Dozens, hundreds, perhaps thousands…"
"I've already lost count of how many swordsmanship principles they've switched between in this short period."
Whether in mana, stamina, or even swordsmanship itself, Luke possessed an overwhelming advantage.
He had no need to use excessively costly techniques or abilities.
If the battle continued like this—Victory would inevitably belong to him.
However, subtle changes in the situation were gradually being noticed by more and more people.
"So similar…"
Watching the two clash onstage, Kaieda murmured in amazement.
For an instant, Ikki's figure seemed to overlap with Stella from the previous match.
They were simply too similar.
That terrifying way of growing at incredible speed in the middle of battle!
Clang—!
Ser-Veresta became a white flash and smashed violently into Intetsu!
Feeling the steadily increasing force transmitted through his hand, Luke could not help admiring it.
Yes.
It was similar.
But not to Stella.
What Ikki shared with Stella was simply the ability to grow at extraordinary speed during combat.
The direction and method of that growth were completely different.
Stella's growth had been absurdly comprehensive.
Strength, mana, and other attributes that should have been almost impossible to increase rapidly had all soared without reason.
Ikki's growth, however, was far more grounded in reality.
His swordsmanship was constantly improving.
His Twin-Wings Sword Style was being refined and evolved.
His Seven Secret Swords—especially the Third Secret Sword, Madoka—were undergoing continuous sublimation.
Unlike Stella, Ikki's body and mana had not grown at all.
There was only one thing making him stronger during the battle.
Technique!
Exactly like Luke himself!
Luke swung both swords relentlessly, continuing to pile pressure onto Ikki.
One wound after another appeared across Ikki's body.
The scene was almost reminiscent of Luke's first battle against Edelweiss.
Very similar.
Yet ultimately different.
Ikki's disadvantage now was far greater than Luke's had been back then.
At the time, Luke possessed superior physical ability.
He had Dual-Life-Sword, swordsmanship that could rival the Twin-Wings Sword Style.
And he possessed Severing, a trump card capable of overturning the battle.
Only through those three advantages combined had Luke eventually seized a chance to win.
Ikki had far fewer cards available.
He continued to grow.
Just as Luke had once absorbed experience from Edelweiss, Ikki was rapidly absorbing Luke's experience through every exchange.
But precisely because he kept growing—The pressure he felt became increasingly severe.
As Ikki's mastery of the Twin-Wings Sword Style rose rapidly, the technique's power became more terrifying as well.
The Twin-Wings Sword Style was not merely about accelerating from zero to one hundred.
That was only its most basic application.
As mastery increased, it could let the user achieve instantaneous acceleration at twice, three times, or even greater multiples of normal speed.
But all of that depended upon one thing.
The user's body had to withstand it.
Gradually—Ikki began reaching his limit.
His physical ability could no longer keep up with the growth of his swordsmanship.
His pitiful mana reserves provided only limited reinforcement.
And the accumulating wounds accelerated the loss of his stamina.
Luke, on the other hand—Every time Ikki improved enough to equalize the situation, Luke revealed a higher level of strength and swordsmanship and suppressed him once again.
At first glance, it resembled the semifinal.
But there was one fatal difference.
Ikki could not trade injuries with Luke the way Stella had.
Stella had relied on the vitality of a dragon.
By repeatedly exchanging wounds, she had forcibly dragged Luke into a state of exhaustion.
Ikki could not do that.
Luke's suppression of him was absolute.
Even after fighting this long—Ikki had yet to leave a single wound on Luke.
'At this rate…'
Ikki gritted his teeth.
Using his Third Secret Sword, he knocked Ser-Veresta aside.
Then he borrowed the force transmitted through the blade and redirected it to deflect Starfall Sword coming from the opposite side.
But immediately afterward—The supposedly deflected Ser-Veresta traced a strange arc through the air.
Luke showed absolutely no mercy.
The blade carved directly across Ikki's waist.
Slash—!
Blood sprayed!
As more blood left his body, Ikki's stamina fell once again.
Feeling his current condition, Ikki knew he could no longer wait.
His body could not continue exchanging stamina for further growth.
A few more sword strikes—And he would collapse before ever getting the chance to counterattack.
If that happened, all the growth he had gained by enduring this long would become meaningless.
So—Mana began to shine around his body.
An enormous amount of power far exceeding Ikki's normal total mana surged violently.
He forcibly concentrated everything he possessed.
Mana.
Stamina.
Physical enhancement.
Every ounce of power was compressed into a single minute and burned away all at once.
The enormous mana now appearing around him was not an increase in his reserves.
Ikki was forcibly extracting power from his own soul—Power that living beings were never meant to use.
An ultimate technique that used sheer willpower to overcome the human body's instinct for survival!
Noble Art!
"Ittou Shura!!!"
With Ikki's roar, azure flames suddenly erupted around him.
They were not real fire.
They were mana flames so dense that they had become visible to the naked eye!
The massive surge of mana shot into the sky like a pillar of light.
A trump card usable only once per day.
The appearance of this ultimate technique meant only one thing—The battle was approaching its conclusion!
…
…
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