“In the last match, we witnessed Byakuya Jougasaki’s strength as he forced his opponent out of the ring and held them there for ten seconds, resulting in a TKO. Quite the performance from last year’s runner-up, wouldn’t you say, Coach Muroto?”
“Absolutely. But I must say, it’s rather unsatisfying for a Mage-Knight to win that way. I understand that such a rule is in place to protect the contestants, but it does leave the viewer wishing they had settled it properly in the ring, haha.”
“I see. And I’m sure there are many spectators that would agree with you. In that case, we’ll just have to wait in anticipation for a fitting conclusion to the next match! Now, we’ve kept everyone waiting long enough. Our next matchup may be the most attention-grabbing one in all of Japan. Let the fighters enter the arena!”
The voice of the play-by-play announcer, Iida, was followed by the gates being lifted. Then, the two fighters for block C’s fourth match entered the arena.
“First, from the red gate, we have last year’s victor: third-year student at Bukyoku Academy, Yuudai Moroboshi! With his innate talent and superhuman skill with the spear, along with his ability to chomp away a Blazer’s magic, he climbed to the top of the tournament! However, the way up was not as easy as one might expect!
“An awful accident just before his final Little League tournament led to him losing his legs, an injury that would be more than enough to spell the end of a knight’s career. However, against all odds, he returned to us! He conquered injuries once thought unrecoverable, leaping from the depths of hell to the peak of Japan! A boy who knows both the glory and the frustrations of chivalry, Seven Stars King Yuudai Moroboshi! Today, he makes his appearance in a bid for the first-ever two-win streak at the Seven Stars Battle Festival!”
Instantly, the arena erupted with cheers.
“Boshi! Boshi!”
“Just listen to that crowd! The Dome is quivering under its mighty roar! That’s a hometown hero for you! His popularity’s through the roof!”
The shower of cheers sounded almost like the rumbling of an earthquake. No other student knight in Japan could hope to be anywhere near as popular.
“Hrrraaaaah!”
Faced with their overpowering expectations, Moroboshi materialized his Device, Tiger King, and pointed it upward as if to pierce the heavens. It was an act that seemed to say, “Leave it to me”. When he did so, the venue reached a fever pitch.
“Wooooooooooooooo!”
“This is incredible! Moroboshi, confronted with cheers loud enough to shake the earth, doesn’t hesitate for a moment! He’s not cowering in the slightest! He’s carrying all those hopes, all that anticipation on his shoulders with ease! What a man! What heroism!”
“This is just what people love about Yuudai Moroboshi.”
“Care to elaborate?”
“As you’ve said already, Iida, he made a comeback from impossible-to-recover-from injuries; I’m sure he’s more worried about his condition than any other fighter is about theirs. But he doesn’t show an ounce of discomfort as he carries the burden of all the hopes people have put on him. Not only that, but he’s been successful in meeting those expectations, too. It’s almost like he’s saying, ‘Don’t worry about me, I’m just fine’. Oh, and speaking of severe injuries, I actually once underwent the same type of procedure as he did.”
“I hear one of your legs is a prosthetic, Coach Muroto.”
“It is. You see, it’s common to lose body parts in the KoK. There’s a major demand for limb-recovery operations like the one he went through, but almost nobody—myself included—has seen success with them. Do you know why that is?”
“No, actually. Could you tell us more?”
“Well, the operation itself has nearly a perfect success rate, but nobody can keep up with the rehabilitation that comes after. The procedure uses flesh and tissue from existing body parts to form the missing ones. Afterward, the patient suffers severe osteoporosis and muscular atrophy, often leading to symptoms of organ failure or hypofunction. In order to recover your lost muscle, you have to do intense muscle training. In other words, to get your body back to normal, you have to train during your recovery period. You end up with thousands upon thousands of pulled muscles and broken bones over time. Even an adult like me just couldn’t take it. I was begging the doctor to put me back only three days in!
“Moroboshi, on the other hand, overcame that hellish rehabilitation, and with greater power than ever before. That’s not something you can do with just grit or resolve. Honestly, I can’t even begin to imagine how the King could lose here today. Every aspect of his abilities is at a higher level, and he has such raw courage and daring.”
“Interesting. It makes me all the more excited for his second consecutive victory! And look! The Seven Stars King’s first opponent has just entered the arena!”
In response to the announcer’s words, the whole crowd focused on the blue gate. Amongst all the attention, one boy walked coolly, armed with a black katana.
“This boy is showing up everywhere! He was the talk of the nation during the scandal involving the Crimson Princess, and now he’s here, the first Rank F to ever take part in the Seven Stars! Oh, but don’t let his rank fool you; his strength is very real! In his selection battles, he defeated Raikiri, Moroboshi’s most troublesome opponent last year, in a single blow! Plus, though it was an informal battle, he even defeated the Rank A Stella Vermillion.
“Known to some as Another One, the Uncrowned Sword King, he’s definitely got unorthodox strength! The true underdog of this tournament, the weakest warrior with the strongest sword skills, it’s the first-year from Hagun Academy, Ikki Kurogane, and he’s just made his way into the ring!”
Loud cheers arose from the audience, though they were nowhere near as loud as the ones Moroboshi had received. Everyone was eagerly awaiting the sight of just how much the unorthodox weakling could upset the stage where Japan’s strongest student knights fought for the top. Alice couldn’t help but to gasp at the sight of the crowd’s enthusiasm.
“The time has finally come for Ikki to stand on the national stage.”
An ill-starred knight, unappreciated and unfairly treated by all, now stood in the national arena, accepted by all as a powerful warrior. For those who had been watching him since his first selection battle, it was a deeply moving sight.
“Yeah. But Big Brother can’t lose here. He’s aiming even higher than that,” Shizuku replied firmly, then turned her attention to the doctor next to her. “Kiriko, how would you say he’s doing right now?”
“Hmm. Just a sec. Stethoscope.” As she said that, Kiriko closed her left eye, focusing her magic into her right to examine Ikki from afar. Afterward, she grinned ever so slightly. “Teehee♡ No surprise there, given all the bloody battles he’s overcome.”
“What does that mean?”
“He’s not as unnatural as he was when I walked past him. He’s fully entered fighting mode, with his body’s hormonal balance and blood pressure displaying the proper amounts of nervousness and excitement. He must have gotten his feelings in order while he was waiting. Relax, Shizuku. Your brother is undoubtedly in top condition!”
With the scene ready and the actors present, a gong signaled the start of battle.
“It’s time to begin the next battle in the first round of the Seven Stars Battle Festival! The fourth match in block C, it’s Yuudai Moroboshi versus Ikki Kurogane! Let’s go ahead!”