The impact of the spear against Ikki’s skull sent an intense shock through his consciousness. In his head, his brain danced wildly as his field of vision muddied. He was far from caring about that in the slightest, however.
Again?!
The mysterious ailment that had lay dormant within him until his battle with Ouma the night before, the inability to move as his mind willed, had resurfaced. It had done so at the worst possible place and time, too, as he had heightened his focus and prepared to topple Moroboshi.
Maybe there is something wrong with me.
“You fought the strongest swordsman in the world and thought nothing about you would change because of it? Even if you remain physically sound, that doesn’t mean your heart made it out unscathed.”
Damn it, there really is something wrong with me. I am broken!
The terror that was Edelweiss had become a fatal wound without his notice. At the worst possible moment, the imperceptible disease had given him a grim reminder of just what it could do, which sent a cold sweat creeping down his back. Even his friends were able to notice the anomaly within him.
“What’s happening? He definitely had the chance to finish the battle, but his movements seemed like they slowed down.”
“His movements did slow down,” Kiriko said, confirming Alice’s suspicion. “Moroboshi’s counterattack was fast enough that it’s hard to notice, but Ikki definitely decelerated.”
“H-He really is nervous, isn’t he?”
Kiriko shook her head.
“No, that’s not it. If he were nervous, it would have manifested at an earlier stage. Plus, your brother isn’t the kind of knight to be dulled by nervousness; he should know how to adjust his actions when he’s in poor form. But that may just mean that this is an acute case.”
“What do you mean by ‘acute’?! What’s happening to my big brother?”
“At the very least, we can be sure that this isn’t an external wound. My examination can vouch for that. His body is in perfect working order, and the damage he’s taken so far isn’t that severe. Instead, it’s probably his mind that’s encountering some issue. Mental disorders aren’t my area of expertise, so I can’t be too sure about this, but there’s a disorder known as Punch Eye that affects martial artists. It creates an extreme fear of the opponent attacking, causing the body to freeze up. It’s a serious enough condition to end the career of an athlete who’s been forever engraved with that fear.”
“Are you saying he has that?!”
Something abnormal was happening to him, and even Shizuku was likely vaguely aware of it. She was practically screaming as she pressed Kiriko for answers.
“Calm down. Like I said, that’s outside my field; this is all just hypothetical. But we all know he fought that Edelweiss, the strongest knight in the world, and lost.”
Those words turned Shizuku pale, for she knew what they truly meant. Ikki was strong, that much was certain, but he wasn’t strong enough to match the strongest knight alive. In fact, it was strange that he’d managed to return home unharmed.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s been bearing some invisible injury.”
“N-No!”
“You might be right, Kiriko. And even if it’s not this ‘Punch Eye’, it’s just not normal for him to suddenly slow down at that exact moment. You can see it on his face, too.”
Even from afar, Ikki’s turmoil was plain to see—including that he was trying to suppress it and keep a straight face. It was obviously incredibly serious, because it meant that he was so shaken that he couldn’t even keep up appearances.
This isn’t any kind of PTSD like Punch Eye.
Standing silently just outside the circle the three formed, Kurono Shinguuji had a different opinion about the unusual situation. One look at Ikki was all it had taken her to see through to the root of this issue, something indiscernible to even Ikki himself. Or perhaps, rather than seeing through to it, she had anticipated it to some extent.
Ever since she had learned of the conclusion of Ikki’s fight with Edelweiss, she had known that there was the potential for such an issue to arise. Because of that knowledge, she understood that his condition was nothing that threatened his career like Punch Eye would.
That doesn’t change that it’s slowing him down, though. Moroboshi has probably already figured out that he’s having trouble, and if he has, this could turn out very badly.
✦ ✦ ✦
There was no doubt that the problem that had showed up the night before was rearing its head again. The look on Ikki’s face—a look that showed that he was bewildered by a condition even he himself failed to understand—was enough to finally convince Moroboshi of that.
He’s trying like hell to stay calm, but that’s the same face he made last night, Moroboshi sighed inwardly. In order to convince Koume of his strength, he needed to fight and defeat Another One while he was in perfect condition.
It’s too bad, but we’re on the field of battle now. When faced with an enemy’s weakness, to not exploit it was to disrespect the fight. Sorry, Kurogane, but you’ve shown me an opening. For both our sakes, I gotta do everything I can to take it!
Though he regretted it, Moroboshi could not show mercy or hesitation. He quickly shifted to an offensive stance, ready to finish their match with a single blow.
“Kurogane still seems to be reeling from the damage that last blow dealt. Meanwhile, Moroboshi has taken up the offensive! Another One’s back is to the wall—will he be able to pull through?!”