In the arena, the match was all but decided.
“Moroboshi jumps back to make some dis— Ah! Kurogane expected this! Moroboshi can’t escape! A desperate Astral Trio toward the impending predator, but it misses! Kurogane’s advance is much faster than even the speed of Moroboshi’s spear! Three hits, now four, he’s just taking more damage! Blood erupts onto the white arena floor! All of Kurogane’s swings are landing, but Moroboshi refuses to give in!
“Moroboshi’s army of supporters has been silenced by this one-sided beatdown! I’m sorry to say it, but it’s hard to imagine Moroboshi coming back from this! The difference in strength and skill is just too much!”
Having exhausted his protective magic and been left without power to activate Tiger’s Bite, Moroboshi frantically stabbed in an attempt to fight back. Unfortunately, however, he could hardly even perceive Ikki’s shadow. He had no hope of sinking his fangs into the enemy in his condition. His spear vainly pierced the air, helplessly taking the full force of blow after blow.
It couldn’t even be called a fight. Anyone could tell that Moroboshi was to lose. Even so, he refused to bend, never giving up on victory.
“The Seven Stars King refuses to fall! Yuudai Moroboshi stands guard in the center of the arenaaa!”
I can’t lose now!
Was it for Koume? No. At first, yes, it had all been because of his sense of duty as her brother. Koume had become mute as a result of his weakness, in a way, so he had decided that it was up to him to bring her speech back, but ever since he’d stepped into the arena, there had been a shift in his way of thinking.
He had finally remembered just how much he loved the world of battle. It made him hope so very strongly, more than ever before, that his beloved sister didn’t just recover, but also that she would support him. With him fighting and Koume cheering him on, the two could share in the joys of his knighthood, just like they had in the good old days. Maybe it wasn’t a very manly desire…
…But it’s the most important thing to me.
Until his dream came true, he would keep being the strong brother that Koume could cheer for from the bottom of her heart. That pride served as an endless fount of fighting spirit for the boy known as Yuudai Moroboshi.
“What’s wrong, Kurogane?!” he shouted. “I’m still standing! Bring it ooon!”
✦ ✦ ✦
“He’s got an incredibly strong will, doesn’t he? Still not giving up…”
Covered in blood and almost literally without a leg to stand on, Moroboshi’s attitude as he continued to challenge Ikki filled Shizuku’s voice with fear. His instinct for battle was terrifying—so much so that even Kurono had to nod in agreement.
“That’s the unwavering spirit of a boy who recovered from career-ending injuries. It might as well be impossible to break him. But still, his body has a limit. He’s out of magic and has lost his Tiger’s Bite; he’s just provoking Ikki because he can’t move his own legs. There’s nothing to fear about Moroboshi anymore, and Ikki knows that. I’m sure he’ll go for the kill next.”
The situation in the arena then developed exactly according to Kurono’s prediction. A blue aura of magic had begun to radiate from Ikki like flames that enveloped him. It was his way of declaring that he was ready to end this fight.
“Here comes Ittou Shura for the overkiiill! He’s finally played the trump card that’s felled The Hunter, Raikiri, the Crimson Princess, and plenty of other powerful warriors!”
“Worst One is a frighteningly wily fighter! He uses his most effective abilities at the most effective times! The Seven Stars King is already having trouble keeping up with him. With this, his chance of victory falls to basically zero!”
Muroto was right. If Moroboshi hadn’t been able to respond to Ikki’s sword swings even without the boost from Ittou Shura, how could he fight back after that physical capability had been multiplied by dozens? Ikki’s one technique had secured his victory.
“I’ll use my greatest weakness to topple you, Seven Stars King. Let’s do this, Moroboshi!”
He assumed his final attacking position—the one that would end their long fight. In a mere instant, Ikki had dug down and put all of his strength into his legs to kick off. His heel lifted, propelling him toward Moroboshi at maximum speed. It was almost as if he were flying.
“Kurogane’s off to win! The Seven Stars King is in critical peril!”
As if their battle had reached its true climax, Iida’s voice was the loudest it had been all day. The enormous crowd’s anticipation boiled over with the thought that the King was going to fall in the first round.
Amid the excitement and screams that shook the ground, Koume finally remembered what her nearly broken brother had told her as he’d left that morning.
“Hey. Mind writing ‘Go get ’em!’ like you always do?”
Right.
It wasn’t just her who wanted to support him. Her brother, too, wanted her to support him the way she had in times past. How had she responded to his little request? She wrote her usual words of support on a piece of paper and handed it to him. Was that wrong? What he wanted wasn’t a scrap of paper. What he wanted was…
“What are you going to do? Or rather, what do you want to do?”
What I really wanted to say was…
“You ’an ’o it, Yuuuu!”