“One blow from the base of Moroboshi’s spear has completely changed the course of this battle! Kurogane has definitely slowed down, and Moroboshi is taking full advantage of that, hitting him with even more attacks! This is an appalling scene, folks; there’s been an explosion of bloodshed that’s covered the battlefield! Can we expect the referee to stop this before it gets too painful to bear?!”
Outside the arena where the battle was taking place, in the city that had once been a ghost town, those who couldn’t make it into the Coastal Dome had assembled to watch the events of the Festival on their mobile devices.
“It’s already over,” one such person grumbled. The Worst One’s impending defeat was as clear as day.
“Yeah. Worst One was moving pretty well at the start, but he’s slowed down. It takes him everything he’s got just to run away now.”
“Moroboshi’s really tough, huh?”
“Haha. Well, yeah, what did you expect? You think the Seven Stars King would lose to some Rank F?!”
Those nearby followed up with their own opinions, each one foreseeing Ikki’s defeat. However, there was a single person among the crowd who disagreed with everyone else watching.
“Nope. Ikki’s gonna win.”
“Say what?”
They all turned toward where that voice had come from, insatiably curious as to who would believe such an outcome was possible. Nobody in the area stood out as the speaker of that hopeful thought, but those who strained their eyes caught a glimpse of red hair, fluttering in the wind like a flame as it disappeared into the Dome.
“Huh? Was that… No way!”
✦ ✦ ✦
Meanwhile, in Hagun Academy’s hospital ward, a TV screen showed Ikki being one-sidedly pushed back.
“Whoa! Kurogane’s finally taken a direct hit! Right in the thigh, too!”
“This doesn’t look good. Worst One just keeps slowing down. Perhaps it’s time for the referee to step in.”
The announcers heralded his defeat, but Touka Toudou, the Raikiri, was left puzzled.
“That’s strange,” she commented with doubt in her voice.
“It certainly is,” Kanata replied. “Why is he suddenly so much slower, I wonder.”
“Hmm. I’m curious about that too, but what’s even stranger is Moroboshi.”
“Oh? Why do you say that?”
“As far as I can tell, Moroboshi has had three sure chances to finish their battle, but he hasn’t taken them.”
“You don’t suppose he’s mocking Kurogane, do you?”
“He’s not the kind of person to do that. But that just makes this even weirder.”
What in the world does Moroboshi see? Touka thought to herself as she looked at Moroboshi’s face on the screen. His actions were very unbefitting of who he was as a fighter. He almost seemed to be afraid of something.
As questions circled in her mind, a major development occurred that coincided with her theory: while Ikki was running away, he fell down.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Rgh!” Ikki grunted as he hit the floor of the arena.
“Oh no! In his attempt to escape, Kurogane has slipped and fallen in a pool of his own blood! This is Moroboshi’s big chance! Will he end the battle here?!”
With a look of panic on his face, Ikki tried quickly to stand back up, but it was too late. In a battle of giants such as theirs, there would be no recovering from a blunder of that magnitude. Moroboshi would end the fight right then and there.
Or maybe he wouldn’t.
“What’s this?! Moroboshi isn’t going in for the attack! Is he refusing to defeat a fallen opponent?!”
The announcers took his inaction as his way of showing respect for his foe. The audience roared at the sight.
“You go, Boshi! Nothing less from Japan’s strongest!”
“Hurry up and get it over with, though! This is getting tough to watch!”
“Get him, Moroboshiii!”
While his supporters erupted with excitement, Moroboshi was in a cold sweat.
That’s five.
Five times he had been handed the chance to finish Ikki off, and five times he had let it slip away. Somehow, even he failed to figure out the reason why.
What is this feeling? It’s weird…
The only thing he could figure out was that every time he attacked, every time he pressed Ikki, the pressure emanating from the half-dead knight before him grew ever greater. That pressure made him hesitant to attack at every turn. It felt to him as though taking another step would mean stepping on the tail of a creature more terrifying than any tiger.
Coward! Look at his eyes!
Even assailed by some mysterious ailment, even bloodied from head to toe, the fight in Worst One’s eyes didn’t waver in the slightest. Those eyes reminded him that he couldn’t keep avoiding what he needed to do. If Ikki refused to give up despite facing so much adversity, how could he, the Seven Stars King, give up when he had the advantage?
I can’t let Koume see me like this!
As the reigning champion of the Seven Stars Battle Festival and as a brother, he couldn’t let that happen. Pride and dignity pushed Moroboshi forward as he lowered his hips more than he had at any point before in their battle.
“Here I come, Kuroganeee!”
With a spirited yell, he set upon Ikki with the intent to finally claim victory.