“I understand, Koga. Prepare for me to go all-out. This time, I am coming to kill you.”
During Wild Tempest’s expedition, Koga had been unable to push past his limits, no matter what he did. That was when Hugo’s eyes filled with murder. Leon had tried to stop the Puppet Master, but it was useless.
“The door to potential will not open unless you reach the precipice of life and death,” Hugo had said then. “If you fear for your life, leave this session and the clan entirely. Doing so would be as much for you as it would for us. But you need not worry, Koga—even if you leave, we will still support Noel.”
Koga could not remember what happened that night, but he knew he had not run. He’d squared off against Hugo at the Puppet Master’s full strength, and he had succeeded in pushing him back. As a result, he earned the right to rank up.
“Never forget, Koga: you beat me, and you did it on your own.”
Hugo had given Koga everything, and that was how Koga could now stand before Arthur. Defeat was not an option. He was determined to win.
“What are you doing?” Arthur asked him.
As Koga unsheathed the wakizashi shortsword that Hugo had given him, Arthur’s smile disappeared. It melted further into a frown when Koga took on a dual-blade stance.
“My oh my! Koga has unveiled a second sword!” Luna said. “Does that mean he’s getting serious?! Even Arthur looks worried!”
The crowd roared, but Arthur’s opinion of Koga had yet to sway.
“Your bluff is a fool’s game. You cannot win,” he said. “You know the weaknesses of the dual-blade style. You have erred, Koga. You have erred, and you will learn nothing from this match.”
But Koga didn’t listen. Didn’t move. He remained in his stance with his two swords at the ready.
Arthur sighed. “Why don’t you understand? You’re just like Noel. Why must you live so recklessly? If you slow down and take the time to learn, you will be rewarded with strength. Why are you driven to move so fast? To hurry? I will only say it one more time. Go back to your two-handed—”
“Enough talk. Are we fighting or not?”
A moment of silence fell between the swordsmen. The emotion drained from Arthur’s face, leaving only a cruel and murderous gaze.
“Fine. You have proven yourself no longer worthy of my attention.”
In an instant, flames flew above the ring. They burned without any fuel—proof that Arthur had just used a skill.
“Flame Hazard,” he said. “Whatever I cut will burn endlessly, even the very space around us. There is no defending against it!”
Arthur surged at Koga so fast, he barely made a sound. It was the fastest he’d moved since the match started. Koga just managed to escape and attempted a counterattack, which was parried in a flash. The change from a one-sword style to dual blades had slowed Koga down. Each attack revealed an opening, and the match quickly turned one-sided, with Koga stuck on defense. The air burned around him, and Koga felt his fortitude slipping away. He couldn’t breathe. The heat was intense, and the flames ate up precious oxygen.
Then Koga realized something else.
“These flames feed on magical energy?!”
Flame Hazard was stealing his magical energy, exhausting him more with each blow. Arthur, however, still looked fresh and energetic. His attacks picked up speed. Koga felt himself slipping ever closer to the limits of his own endurance. Immediately after, his legs buckled.
“It ends here!” Arthur roared, swinging down his swords.
Koga couldn’t dodge or block, yet this was the moment he’d been waiting for. Arthur, assured of his victory, had made a critical mistake.
“Maybe for you,” Koga said.
“What?!”
The blade of Koga’s wakizashi launched from its handle. Arthur couldn’t believe it—he never imagined the shortsword would have such a feature. Trick swords were more fragile than regular blades, and long battles rendered them useless, hence why it had caught Arthur by surprise. Even more baffling to the Braver was that Koga had waited for the slimmest of openings through which to finish the battle.
Still, Arthur had quick enough reflexes to activate his second tournament skill—a barrier. The Braver was a subclass of Knight, so it came with defensive skills. Arthur’s barrier would protect him from the incoming sword.
The shortsword’s blade stabbed into the barrier. A thin smile of relief flooded Arthur’s face…but it wouldn’t last long.
“We’re not done yet!” cried Koga. “Amenomurakumo!”
Right then, the sword stuck in Arthur’s barrier exploded. Koga had charged it with his magical energy beforehand, waiting until this moment to release it. The barrier shattered, forcing Arthur on the backfoot. Koga put everything he had into a follow-up slice with his longsword. Arthur rushed to block, and in a flash of light, both Seekers found themselves watching as the impact sent their swords flying out of their hands.
Arthur panicked. Knowing that things had turned in his favor, Koga let his momentum carry him forward. Although both were masters of the blade, their thoughts in this instant were entirely different. Even without his sword, Koga still had one of the most powerful martial arts techniques ever known at his disposal.
“Roaring Thunder!”
Koga’s spinning kick slammed into Arthur’s chest. The shock to his heart sent him into cardiac arrest, and Arthur slumped to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.
“Arthur is down!” Luna cried excitedly. “The winner is Koga Tsukishima! Unbelievable! He won a sword fight with a kick! Who saw that coming?!”
Koga smiled, relieved. “Sorry, Arthur. Ain’t no time for us but now.”
He bowed deeply to his fallen opponent, then walked off to where Hugo was waiting with a satisfied smile. The two said nothing as they high-fived, the slap of their hands serving as their victory cry.