The Asterisk War, Vol. 5: Battle for the Crown

by Yuu Miyazaki

  The dark silhouette of a man slowly rose from the center of the fire flower, his voice muffled.

  Waving aside the flames, a knight clad in European-style plate mail appeared.

  Of course it was no ordinary armor. Conventional materials could hardly defend against Julis’s flames.

  “And that’s an impressive costume change,” Julis remarked. “So, your alias isn’t just for show, Armored Mage.”

  She activated and readied her Aspera Spina. Evidently, she had expected this turn of events.

  The Armored Mage. As the alias suggested, Doroteo’s ability allowed him to create a highly durable armor that covered his whole body and deflected attacks. Still, in terms of defensive strength, it was not nearly as impenetrable as Ardy’s barrier, and it had been destroyed in the past with Meteor Arts attacks.

  But what made this armor particularly troublesome was that it was the product of a special ability, so it could be fully repaired in an instant even after being totaled. And since Doroteo’s school crest was attached to his uniform, an attack had to penetrate the armor to destroy it. (According to the Stella Carta, as long as the crest was in the required position at the start of the match, it was permissible to defend it with special abilities.)

  And there was one more thing…

  “Now it’s my turn, I suppose.” Doroteo stretched out his left hand, and countless tiny, thin plates materialized and started combining.

  They joined together in layers upon layers until there stood an enormous armored war horse—or rather, armor in the shape of a horse. As it shook itself out like a living thing, Doroteo leaped on its back with a practiced air. Once seated, he activated a Lux to summon an immense lance.

  He was the very image of a knight from a medieval tale.

  “Oh? You’re going all out from the start,” Julis chided.

  “Against the Witch of the Resplendent Flames, that’s only natural.” Lance in hand, Doroteo gave a light kick to the horse’s side, and it began galloping toward her at breakneck speed. It moved exactly like a live horse—though it was much faster.

  “En garde, Glühen Rose!” Hefting his lance, Doroteo ferociously charged forward as one with his steed.

  “Julis—!” As Ayato called out, the sharp aura of a nearby sword stroke jolted his side.

  “Am I not your opponent?”

  Ayato reflexively moved to distance himself while Elliot stood in a sideways stance, as was the style at Gallardworth. He wielded his claymore Lux in one hand.

  “Ayato Amagiri. I’ve been looking forward to fighting you. I wish you wouldn’t make me wait.” Elliot’s voice was serene, but the aggression rolling off him was enough to make Ayato ready his own sword.

  “…Sorry about that,” Ayato replied.

  “And where is your Ser Veresta? Don’t tell me you’re holding back.”

  “Unfortunately, there’s a reason I can’t use it at the moment. It’s not that I’m underestimating you. I hope you don’t get the wrong idea.”

  “Hmm. You have a reason, eh? So be it.” Elliot seemed somewhat dissatisfied but composed himself quickly; his eyes still glittered with a fierce light. “Our student council president spoke highly of your sword technique. I can’t wait to see it!”

  In the next instant, Elliot thrust his weapon at Ayato’s eyes.

  “Gah…!”

  He was fast. The speed of the blade could rival Kirin’s. But unlike hers, the blow wasn’t very heavy.

  “—?!”

  Ayato barely deflected his opponent’s sword, then switched places with him as he readied his own strike—only to realize what was coming just before he swung. He leaped back as Elliot’s blade grazed his side.

  If his reaction had been an instant later, Elliot would have carved out his torso. It was a perfectly timed counterattack.

  “Oh? You dodged it—I wasn’t expecting that,” Elliot muttered aloud, perplexed. “I hadn’t used that move yet in this tournament.”

  Indeed, there was nothing in Elliot’s data that had suggested he would use a counter like that one.

  Ayato’s impression of Elliot was that he was a nimble fighter with a solid grasp of the fundamentals, yet also able to mete out fluid and varied attacks without falling into patterns—in other words, a versatile prodigy of the sword.

  It seemed his impression would have to be revised.

  “I see… So you’re good at reacting to your opponent. I wasn’t expecting a counterattack from that position,” Ayato admitted. In the end, the first attack had been a feint.

  “Well, you’re right about that,” Elliot said, pouting as he readied his weapon anew. “But I have more than counterattacks!”

  He closed the distance to Ayato, sweeping his sword low enough to let its tip run across the ground—then flicking it upward. As Ayato put up his guard, Elliot’s sword traced a curve to dodge Ayato’s blade.

  “Whoa—!”

  The Gallardworth style of one-handed swordplay stood out for its arcing slices with turns of the wrist and long thrusts. It was practically the opposite of the Amagiri Shinmei style, in which the user-powered heavy, sharp attacks were generated with their whole body. What the Gallardworth style lacked in force, it made up for with agility.

  Ayato deflected the fierce succession of attacks, but each time he considered attacking, he was greeted by a swift counter. It was all he could do to keep up.

  “Guess you weren’t kidding…!”

  The Luxes clashed over and over with clangs and characteristic bursts of sparks.

  His attack sequence, the way he controlled the distance to his opponent, his quick judgments, and obviously, his sword technique—there was no doubting Elliot’s talent in every respect. The timing of his counterattacks in particular was phenomenal.

  Indeed, in terms of talent alone, he might just rival Kirin.

  “But your sword…is still too light.”

  Here, Ayato spoke not of Elliot’s sword itself, nor his physical strength, but the resolve behind it.

  He forced his way close to his opponent and deflected the youth’s sword, then made a thrust at his school crest.

  “Hah! Not so fast!”

  As if he’d been waiting for it, the boy twisted to reposition himself and then stabbed forward, mirroring Ayato. At the same time, he turned his wrist to trap Ayato’s sword, but…

  “What—?!”

  The elder youth had pulled his arm back before Elliot’s attack. Ayato whipped the tip upward to deflect the other sword.

  “Amagiri Shinmei Style, Middle Technique—Twin Demon Hornets.”

  As if threading a needle through the brief hole in Elliot’s guard, Ayato’s sword gleamed with a second thrust.

  “Elliot Forster—badge broken.”

  As Elliot’s school crest shattered, his eyes widened in disbelief. “It—it can’t be—”

  As the youth crumpled to the ground, Ayato discreetly gave him a sad smile.

  In another few years, this boy would likely become a fearsome swordsman. Although that would depend on how much of himself he devoted to it, in the end.

  “So…” Letting out a small sigh, Ayato looked toward Julis.

  Just then, her fight was also coming to a close.

  “En garde, Glühen Rose!”

  “Gnh…!”

  As Doroteo’s horse charged, Julis just barely dodged it with a diving roll.

  The lance was so sharp that it looked capable of cutting the wind itself. A direct hit would end the match then and there.

  It’s so much faster than I imagined! And so powerful—!

  Julis stood up immediately and readied the Aspera Spina again.

  Her foe was known for charging with this lance, and Julis had seen many videos of his matches. Still…

  “It’s much more daunting to face it in person…,” she murmured. The attack itself was simple enough. But that also made it harder to deal with. “I suppose the only way is to overwhelm force with force.”

  Doroteo, after
galloping past her, had wheeled his horse to face her again. Julis let out a startled cry at the fluid movements of the steed.

  The abilities of Dantes and Stregas were based on mental pictures. Everything depended on the image. There was no logical reason to create a horse—it took a lot of trouble, and there were simpler ways to charge the enemy. But the quality of the ability changed drastically based on how refined an image the user could conjure. The horse must have been, quite simply, the thing most suited to Doroteo.

  “Yaaaaargh!” With a ferocious battle cry, the Gallardworth student charged again.

  “Burst into bloom—Primrose!” Julis activated her powers in an instant and slammed all nine fireballs into the incoming knight.

  Even though they were direct hits, he didn’t slow in the slightest and continued undeterred. Small breaks appeared in his armor where the attacks had landed, but those were immediately repaired.

  “Haah!”

  “—!”

  As Doroteo shouted, Julis dodged. His lance passed an inch from her face, and a few strands of her rose-pink hair drifted away.

  That strike was much closer than the last. He was reading her movements and adjusting accordingly.

  At this rate, it won’t be long until I’m skewered. Julis smiled wryly at the idea, even as she shuddered.

  Not that she would wait for that to happen, however.

  “Blossom—Loropetalum!”

  With a swing of the Aspera Spina, Julis activated the trap she had been gradually setting.

  She had used this wall of fire before, against the Jie Long twins. But this time, instead of a single long wall, several barricades erupted in layers.

  The nature of a charge on horseback required a running start to be fully effective. Maneuvering around obstacles like these would unavoidably sacrifice speed and power.

  …Or so Julis had thought, until Doroteo defied her expectations.

  “Yaaaaaargh!”

  “Impossible!” she blurted.

  With another ferocious battle cry, he charged through the fiery walls head-on.

  The horse leaped high and broke through the nearest wall, appearing before her with Doroteo and his lance atop its back.

  “Burst into bloom—Anthurium!”

  Julis summoned a shield of fire, but it was rushed; she couldn’t completely focus her prana, so the mana formed a lackluster spell. She was just barely able to create the shield—which Doroteo’s lance shattered with ease.

  “Ngh!” The mana scattered, and the shock launched her backward.

  Thankfully, it was enough to avoid being impaled. But as she got to her feet again, Doroteo was readying himself for a fourth charge.

  He meant to end it this time. She could feel the tension in the air on the stage.

  “Fine, bring it on. Burst into bloom—Longiflorum!”

  Julis canceled her fiery walls and created a lance of flame.

  “Rraaaaaaaaaaagh!” With an even louder battle cry than before, the knight charged.

  Julis hurled her lance past his, but still he did not stop.

  As he took a direct hit to his chest, he struck with all his might—

  “…!”

  But it missed her, only grazing the edge of her clothes.

  “Phew…my lance got to you first,” Julis said with a relieved sigh and a smile, turning around. After galloping past her, the man had fallen from his horse.

  “W-wow, what happened there?! Lemus has collapsed! But it didn’t look like Riessfeld’s attacks were having any effect on him…”

  Listening to the perplexed announcer, Julis walked toward her opponent. He could no longer maintain his ability, and his armor and horse dissolved then and there.

  “You really are reckless,” she told him.

  Gasping on his back, Doroteo managed to summon a bitter smile to his flushed face. “I wanted to try to end it quickly. I wouldn’t have had a chance if our fight had dragged on.”

  Indeed, no matter how much his armor shielded him from damage, he could not defend against the heat of Julis’s flames. After withstanding that much fire, the temperature inside his armor must have grown unbearable. Not even a Genestella could last long under those circumstances.

  This had been Julis’s goal all along. Doroteo knew it, too, and he had tried to make the match quick.

  “Even so, charging through those walls of fire was too much. You could have lasted longer if not for that.”

  “I took a gamble, and I lost. Nothing more,” Doroteo said with a face that betrayed no regrets, then pointed to his own chest. “Now, make it quick.”

  Julis nodded and pierced his school crest with the Aspera Spina.

  “Doroteo Lemus, badge broken.”

  Some abilities matched well against others, and in this particular instance, Julis had the upper hand. Even so, a win was still a win.

  Letting out a tiny sigh, Julis shifted her gaze to Ayato.

  And at that moment, his fight was also coming to a close.

  “Winners: Ayato Amagiri and Julis-Alexia von Riessfeld!”

  The automated voice rang through the stadium and was quickly drowned out by the wild cheers of the crowd.

  Ayato and Julis exchanged small smiles, but as they exited the stage, their expressions turned somber once again.

  CHAPTER 4

  RACING THE CLOCK

  The redevelopment area was once the site of the Jade Twilight Incident, an event without parallel in the history of Asterisk. At the time, the entire area was sealed off, and the situation was resolved thanks to the brave actions of Helga Lindwall, the leader of the Stjarnagarm. Still, the incident resulted in tremendous casualties—as the city dealt with the aftermath and questions of blame and accountability, allocation of the recovery budget was met with endless delays. Meanwhile, student delinquents—mostly from the Le Wolfe Black Institute—occupied it as their base of operations. As they engaged in occasional skirmishes with the city guard, the place became a gathering place for dropouts as well as criminals from outside the city. Now it was a full-fledged gangland.

  Still, not all of the redevelopment area was a hotbed of violent crime. The Rotlicht, located on the outskirts, was relatively safe. As long as one avoided the slums, there was little immediate danger.

  There were dilapidated buildings here and there throughout the district, deserted due to the risk of collapse. Claudia surmised that Flora’s kidnappers were using one as a hideout.

  “They’re not in this one, either,” Kirin murmured with a stern expression, examining the map displayed in her air-window.

  Several red points blinked on the map, indicating areas of interest. Claudia had previously made a list of all such buildings, and, once she’d repurposed the information for their present mission, had given them the data.

  The map did help, but there were too many locations for two people to cover. Only Le Wolfe had a thoroughly detailed knowledge of this area, and the list they had was incomplete. And what was more, Saya and Kirin couldn’t split up, since Saya completely lacked any sense of direction.

  But searching together was probably unavoidable anyway—if Flora’s kidnapper really was a special agent working for Le Wolfe, it would be too dangerous to face him alone.

  “…We’ll just have to go through them one by one.” Saya walked beside Kirin. Her voice was slightly agitated, though her expression was as calm as ever.

  “You’re right,” Kirin agreed. “Next, there’s— Ouch!”

  Pain shot through her right leg. It was the injury she’d suffered in her fight against Ardy.

  “…Don’t overwork yourself.”

  “N-no…! I can handle this!” Kirin was hunched over in pain, but she forced a smile and immediately stood up again.

  Not only was she injured, Kirin was so exhausted from the fight that she couldn’t move the way she wanted, and she was short on prana, too—if they did run into something, it would be best for her to avoid combat if at all possible. Although Saya didn’t show it, sh
e had to be feeling similarly.

  But a pair of young women walking in the redevelopment area attracted a certain kind of men. The ones they had encountered so far had not been too persistent, but it was only six in the evening. There was no telling what might happen as the night wore on.

  Those men would be less likely to harass them if they knew that this pair were none other than Seidoukan’s Saya Sasamiya and Kirin Toudou, semifinalists in the current Phoenix. But per Claudia’s instructions, they hid their heads under their hats and wore the most nondescript clothing possible. They wouldn’t be recognized unless someone studied them up close.

  And then, a call reached Saya’s mobile. “Hmm… It’s Ayato.”

  “Saya, Kirin, what’s going on?”

  “…Sorry. No leads yet.”

  “Oh… Okay. Just don’t push yourselves too hard. Your leg is in pretty bad shape, Kirin.” It was almost as if Ayato had been watching their earlier interaction.

  “D-don’t worry about me—I’m fine!” Kirin replied. But even though this wasn’t really the time for such consideration, she was still glad to receive it from him.

  “By the way,” Saya said, “since you’re calling, it must be over already?”

  “Yeah. We made it to the final, thank goodness.”

  Saya and Kirin exchanged glances and smiled.

  “We’ll get ready and join you over there as soon as we can,” he added. “Can you send us the data?”

  “Sure.” Saya sent him the map with the cleared buildings marked.

  “You shouldn’t push yourselves too hard, either,” Kirin said. “You have the championship tomorrow.”

  “We’ll be fine.” Ayato laughed. “Talk to you soon.”

  With that, he hung up.

  Ayato and Julis joining them would help their effort, but it still wouldn’t be easy to find Flora within the allotted time. The remaining list of locations to investigate was immense.

  “…Let’s go, Kirin.” Saya started walking again.

  “Right.” She nodded firmly and continued beside her classmate.

  There was no use agonizing over it. As Saya had pointed out, all they could do now was check the target locations one by one.