by Yuu Miyazaki
“Research what he wants…?”
“Making guns for me.” Saya patted the Lux activator sheathed at her waist.
“For you?”
“Right. So in a way, what Camilla Pareto said is right. This power wasn’t intended for the people, but for just one person—me.” Saya exhaled and closed her eyes—then slowly opened them again. “But even so—no, that’s why I can’t allow her to disrespect it.”
Saya’s gaze shone with fierce determination.
It was an unshakeable conviction.
“Oh, one more thing. Don’t tell Ayato about my dad.”
“Why?”
“He’s a nice person, so he’ll only worry. I’ll tell him after this tournament.”
“I understand.”
If this is what Saya decided, it’s not my place to intervene, Kirin thought. But in her heart, she smiled. It’s just like Saya to look out for Ayato.
“All this talking is wearing me out… Let’s go.” Saya sighed and walked out of the prep room.
“O-okay!” Kirin strapped the Senbakiri to her waist and rushed after her.
The passageway to the stage was long and dimly lit.
This was their first time fighting in the Sirius Dome. It was essentially no different from other large-scale arenas, but there was something special about fighting on Asterisk’s main stage.
Kirin noticed two figures up ahead, near the entrance gate.
Saya saw them, too, and her steps slowed a bit.
As they approached, Kirin saw that they were female.
Allekant uniforms…? Then are they—?
“Hey there, little lady. Been a while, huh!” A woman with a ponytail called out in a strangely cheerful tone.
It was Ernesta Kühne.
“…What do you want?” Saya said.
“Aw, gee, that’s cold! We might be about to fight, but we can get to know each other, can’t we? It’s not like we’re trying to rig the match or anything.”
“You’re not fighting us. Those Puppets are.”
“Mm, technically, that’s true…”
Saya seemed uninterested in continuing the conversation. Not sure what to do, Kirin looked on awkwardly.
“Anyway, so, Camilla here had something she really wanted to tell you!” Ernesta said.
The bronze-skinned woman behind her stepped forward. “Hello, Saya Sasamiya. It seems I was wrong about you, so I wanted to say something before we settle the score.”
“Wrong how?”
“I see it now that I’ve watched your matches. In and of themselves, all your Luxes are flawed. But when you wield them—that is, when one considers you and the Lux as a single weapon—they are extremely powerful.”
Saya reacted with surprise. “Then—”
“I still won’t retract what I said,” Camilla declared before Saya could suggest it. “If you are part of the weapon, the organic components introduce additional unreliability. That is impractical. What’s more, my beliefs—the beliefs of Ferrovius—and my professional pride do not allow me to accept such a perverse gift of power to a single individual.”
“Then I’ll make you accept it by beating your toys.”
“Impossible. Even if you could—as unimaginable as that is, even if Ardy and Rimcy were to lose to the two of you—I will never accept it.”
Saya’s glare burned with rage at Camilla.
“But if they should lose, I will take back some of what I said to you. I have poured every ounce of skill and technology that Ferrovius and I have amassed throughout the years into Ardy and Rimcy. If you defeat them, I will have to recognize that your weapons are practical.”
With that, Camilla abruptly turned her back to Saya and walked away.
“Wha—? C’mon, you’re just gonna flounce off once you’re finished talking? I’ve got all sorts of questions about her guns! Aw, wait for me! Hey, Camilla!” Ernesta skipped after her but suddenly stopped and turned around to shout in farewell. “Have fun, okay? Take care of our babies!”
She waved her arms like a child, then disappeared into the passageway at a trot.
“…” Saya stared after them for a while, then turned to the gate. “Let’s go, Kirin.”
“Right.”
They headed toward the brightly lit stage and the storm of cheers around it.
“We have to win.”
“Right!”
“Hello, everyone! Are you as excited as we are?! It’s your favorite announcer, Mico Yanase, live from Sirius Dome, and with me is Ms. Tram on commentary!”
“Hey, folks.”
“So we’re finally in the semifinals of the Phoenix! The first match is between Saya Sasamiya and Kirin Toudou of Seidoukan Academy, and—fighting as proxies—Ardy and Rimcy of Allekant Académie! This one’s gonna be good!”
“Some people are saying this one will decide the championship.”
“Is that right?”
“Well, both teams in the other semifinal have made it through some hard knocks. Those fighters have some serious fatigue and injuries to cope with. Both teams in this match have made it here with hardly a scratch, so.”
“I see, I see! These two teams won most of their battles before you could blink. Now, Team Sasamiya-Toudou did have a tight contest in the quarterfinal, but Team Ardy-Rimcy took only about a minute to win every time!”
“And that’s after telling their opponents they wouldn’t attack for that full minute, so. I’m thinking one of the keys to today’s match will be whether Team Sasamiya-Toudou can break through Ardy’s Absolute Shield.”
Absolute Shield—this was what they called Ardy’s wall of light. The phrase had popped up on the net, and by now it had become the accepted term. Saya suspected it was a small-scale version of the defensive barriers used for the Festa stages. So far, no one had succeeded in breaking through to land an attack on Ardy.
As usual, Ardy’s declaration boomed through the arena. “Hear me! Once again, we will grant our opponents one minute. During this time, we will not attack you. Do as you wish!”
“…Hmph.”
His condescending challenge sounded almost more human than an actual human.
Saya gave him a contemptuous glance and turned to her partner. “Kirin, he’s all yours.”
“All right.”
“Show him what’s what.”
Kirin nodded and drew her katana an inch from its scabbard. She focused her mind to prepare for combat.
“Phoenix, Semifinal Round One—Begin!”
Even when the match began, Ardy and Rimcy showed no intention of moving.
Ardy, standing firm and imposing with his arms crossed, hardly looked ready to fight. He was the very picture of arrogance.
“I, Kirin Toudou, will face you in battle.” Holding the Senbakiri in front of her, Kirin confronted Ardy’s enormous frame directly.
“Hmm, so you are my challenger, Kirin Toudou. I was not expecting this,” Ardy said incredulously.
“…Is there a problem?”
“I had thought Saya Sasamiya would face me—that is all. I am somewhat surprised.”
“Do you mean to say that I’m not a worthy opponent for you?”
“If you mean to break through my defensive barrier, the logical choice is Saya Sasamiya and her high-powered Luxes.”
“…”
“It is true that you possess perhaps the most athleticism and skill among all the contestants of this Phoenix. The data does not lie. But your weapon is not even a Lux—it is an ordinary katana. If you had an Orga Lux, it would be one thing, but you cannot hope to break through my barrier with that.” Peering down at Kirin from far above, Ardy slumped in dismay. “My advice would be to switch with Saya Sasamiya, or to jointly—”
“Would you like to try me, then?” Kirin interrupted Ardy quietly.
“Hrm?”
“Please see for yourself whether the Senbakiri and I will indeed be no match for you.”
“Very well. If you insist, give it a go. I’m intereste
d to see what you will try in the next minute.”
As soon as Ardy nodded, Kirin’s katana whipped through the air like a flash of light.
The diagonal strike came with superhuman speed. But just before the tip of the blade reached Ardy’s body, the wall suddenly appeared to deflect it.
Undaunted, Kirin attacked a second, and then a third time.
“Ah—your speed is phenomenal. I am impressed that you have reached this level with a body of flesh.” Ardy still stood unflinching, his arms still crossed.
The barrier repelled every single one of Kirin’s attacks.
“But it is of no avail,” Ardy said bluntly. “No matter how fast you might be, it is impossible for a human to surpass me in reflex. Which is to say, your attacks will never reach me.”
Kirin paused her blade to slow her breathing. “I see. Now I know what I need to know.”
Repositioning her katana by her shoulder, she went for Ardy again.
“I just told you, it’s of no avail…”
But Kirin’s katana slid around the wall of light and, with a hard clang, left a clean, straight scratch on Ardy’s arm.
“Hrm…?”
“W-wow, this is incredible! Finally, for the first time all tournament, an attack has landed on Ardy! Did Toudou just achieve the impossible? Did she get through the invincible Absolute Shield with just an ordinary katana?!” The announcer’s excited voice rang through the arena over the wildly cheering crowd.
Ardy, meanwhile, stared at his arm in quiet shock.
“How—this is not possible. How did you—”
“Our minute isn’t up yet,” Kirin said. “Please withdraw your declaration. And let us confront each another on equal terms.”
“And what do you mean by that?”
“I mean, don’t take us lightly, please.”
Chagrinned, Ardy fell silent. Kirin wasted no time in attacking again.
The wall of light materialized to block it, but once more Kirin’s blade zipped around it to carve into Ardy’s side. He grunted in frustration.
“The first time was not a fluke. If you insist on continuing this, the next attack will be the last.” Kirin pointed the Senbakiri at Ardy.
“…” He remained silent.
Kirin let out a short breath, and the Senbakiri gleamed.
But before she could strike, Ardy activated a hammer-shaped Lux to go on the offensive.
“—!”
Kirin withdrew her blade and dodged the attack, then sprang backward to distance herself.
“And—and now! Ardy attacked his opponent! It’s been fifty-six seconds since his challenge! It hasn’t been a minute yet!”
Spinning the hammer around him, Ardy slammed its end into the ground.
“Most impressive! In this, you have bested me. I withdraw my declaration!” Ardy retracted his statement boldly, and more easily than Kirin might have expected. “It appears that I have presumed too much. I know now that I have much to learn. Now, I would humbly ask, what technique was it that you used?”
Ardy’s demeanor remained haughty despite his verbal show of humility, but he did seem to be speaking honestly.
As she readied her blade, Kirin replied deliberately. “It worked because you’re a machine.”
“What do you mean by that?” Ardy tilted his head, unable to process her answer.
“You analyze my data and actions to predict my incoming attack and activate the barrier. Isn’t that right?”
“Indeed, that is correct.” And what’s wrong with that? Ardy left unsaid.
“The Toudou style has techniques to manipulate the opponent using my breathing, my gaze, changes in range and distance, movements of my muscles—everything. I am constantly planning and adapting. But you—because you’re such a well-made machine, you observe all of that and arrive at a conclusion that is beyond perfect. So all I have to do is make my attack slightly off.”
“Then—you were baiting me?” Ardy blurted in disbelief.
“If this was a fight between two experienced swordsmen, we would be reading each other in every possible manner, every single instant. Neither of my earlier attacks would have reached Ayato, for example. I did bait your movements in an obvious way. But because you’re a machine, you respond simplistically.” Kirin paused, then delivered her verdict in no uncertain terms: “Essentially, your flaw is lack of experience as a fighter.”
Saya watched the exchange between Kirin and Ardy.
“…That’s my Kirin.” She nodded in satisfaction.
“I don’t understand,” Rimcy said, scowling suspiciously. She had been facing down Saya.
“Hmm? Don’t understand what?”
“Why didn’t you try to attack me in that one minute?”
Just as Rimcy said, Saya had simply watched her partner without doing so much as activate her Lux.
“If that good-for-nothing oaf gets his butt soundly kicked, that’s his own fault. But you refused to take an advantage that was offered to you. You’re the one underestimating us. This is most displeasing.” Rimcy activated an enormous gun-shaped Lux in each hand and aimed them at Saya.
“Displeasing? I just wanted you to fight us without holding back.” Calmly, Saya finally took out her own Lux activator. “There’s no point otherwise.”
Then, bullets of light rained down on her like a storm. Saya twisted to dodge the volley and activated her Lux in midair.
“Type 41 Lux twin blaster, Waldenholt,” she murmured for no one else to hear.
Naming aloud the weapons her father had made for her—that was one of Saya’s self-imposed rules.
A large-scale Lux with a massive backpack unit materialized, and a targeting HUD projected from her hair ornament. An enormous gun wrapped around each of her arms.
As she landed, she poured prana into the manadites. Dodging the next salvo, she squeezed the trigger.
“Burst.”
Bright bluish light amassed at the muzzles of the guns.
The next moment, with a high-pitched shriek, two giant projectiles pierced through the air.
“—!”
Rimcy barely managed to evade the first shot, but not the second.
As the thunderous explosion threatened to bring the whole arena down, Rimcy slammed into the opposite wall. Saya’s firepower was so devastating that if not for the protective barrier, the Puppet might have exited the arena itself.
“Well, I’m good to go, too,” Saya said to the cloud of debris. “Bring it on.”
In reply, a pair of red eyes glowed through the dust.
EPILOGUE
The brilliantly sunlit room was outfitted with a perfectly ordered array of refined furniture. Curtains patterned with a classic design fluttered in the wind, and the deep blue and off-white carpet created a conservative base for the décor. Elaborate carvings embellished the ebony office desk with a golden pen holder perched on its corner—every last item in this room made for a harmonious space.
It was its own small world—not too extravagant, but elegant and tasteful.
In the center of this space, a young man smiled jovially.
With arrestingly fine features and immaculate pale blond hair, at first glance the youth might be mistaken for part of the room itself.
But meeting him in person would quickly dispel that impression. His frank disposition and charming, powerful presence would see to that—as would the edge lurking behind his serene smile, as any observant person might notice.
Of course, if he was not this way, he would not be serving as the student council president of St. Gallardworth Academy—nor would the Runesword have chosen him.
Nor could he maintain the top rank at the school.
“You seem to be enjoying yourself, Ernest.” The vice president, Laetitia Blanchard, lightly knocked on the room’s open door.
“Ah, you’re here, Laetitia.” Ernest Fairclough looked up at her with a cool smile. He had been watching the air-window in front of his folded hands.
“Oh, were
you watching the semifinals?”
“No, I was watching the quarterfinals from yesterday.”
Laetitia’s brows knit at his answer. “The quarterfinals…?”
Swiping her curled hair—a darker blond than Ernest’s—back from her eyes, she peered at the display.
The video was of yesterday’s Phoenix quarterfinal match. The fierce contest between Seidoukan and Jie Long had attracted glowing reviews, and the winners were set to face Ernest’s comrades of the Silverwinged Knights—the Life Rhodes. His interest was only natural.
It was natural, but Laetitia didn’t like it. “Does that boy really intrigue you so much?”
“Ha-ha. Well, yes.” Ernest laughed softly and nodded, as if he had nothing to hide.
“My, my—first her, and now you. What do you see in him? I just don’t understand.”
“Now, now. That’s no expression for a girl everyone calls a ‘saint.’” Ernest scolded Laetitia as she puffed out her cheeks in a sulk. “You really do act childish wherever Miss Enfield is involved.”
“What—?! I—I do not! I most certainly, absolutely do not!”
Ernest glanced sidelong at Laetitia’s scarlet-faced denial, then returned his gaze to the screen. “Anyway… He really is wonderful. His blades have principle, pure and dignified. I would dearly like to cross swords with him.”
“Ernest, you know you can’t…”
“I know. I’m just thinking aloud—no harm in that, is there?” With a regretful smile, Ernest shrugged.
This was what it meant to be chosen by the Runesword.
He must always be noble, discard all selfishness, and act as an agent of order and justice in everything. That was the cost demanded of him by the sword Lei-Glems.
If there was ever a shadow of a doubt, this Orga Lux—one of the Runeswords—would ruthlessly abandon him. That would mean the loss of the alias Pendragon and the privileges that came with it.
This would be unacceptable—for Laetitia, as well as for the other knights.
Gallardworth needed him more than ever.
“Don’t fret, Ernest. Even if you can’t face him man-to-man, you should have the chance to go head-to-head with him soon enough…at the Gryps next year.” Laetitia smiled dauntlessly. “That boy will fight as a member of her team, I’m certain of it. And he’ll come up against our team sooner or later. You can fight to your heart’s content then. And victory will of course be ours!”
