Once both fighters stopped holding back, the battle grew fiercer—and louder.
Charles used the Dragonslayer gauntlet on his right hand to parry Yamato's blade and followed up with a chop from his left, the Evil Dragon. Kurogane Ikki didn't try to block—he dodged.
But he still underestimated the power behind that move. Though the chop missed, the sheer force shattered the ground beneath it. Ikki had to retreat even further to avoid the shockwave.
"Was that… an air cannon from a bare hand?!" Ikki couldn't help but be astonished by the terrifying power and the precise, directional control Charles possessed.
Charles lowered his stance, both hands drawn behind him like wings.
"Four Symbols Fist — Vermilion Bird: Heaven's Advance!"
Ikki had heard of the Student Council President, Raikiri Tōdō Tōka, and her lightning-speed movement through her electric-based ability.
But he'd never actually seen that speed—until now. Charles moved like a thunderbolt.
In the Four Symbols Fist, the Vermilion Bird style was a footwork-based technique—designed for the fastest, most direct approach.
Charles was so fast that Ikki couldn't react in time before Charles's heavy punch came crashing down.
Ikki slashed upward to intercept the blow.
"Secret Sword #3 — Circle!"
Charles's left fist collided with the blade, but then he felt it—a massive counterforce flowing through the sword.
In that moment, he realized what Ikki had done: he had redirected the force from Charles's punch through his blade and into his muscles, then returned it in a circular motion.
A technique for complete redirection—total reflection. The power Charles felt… was the power of his own punch.
However—
Charles didn't resist the rebounded energy. He twisted his body with it, using the momentum to fire off another punch from his right.
Ikki was stunned to realize Charles had mastered a similar total reflection technique—through martial arts.
Instinctively, Ikki knew not to counter with the same technique again and retreated.
Charles's fist slammed into the ground, creating a violent impact crater—not from raw force, but as if a massive drill had torn it open.
Charles smiled. "Ikki, don't underestimate my homeland's four thousand years of martial refinement."
"This redirection technique you used—what I just countered—that's what we call Tai Chi back home. A matured system passed down and honed over millennia.
You're sharp, though. If you'd taken that punch head-on, your muscles might've torn apart."
Ikki could feel the weight of not just Charles's power—but of a civilization behind it.
It wasn't just Charles himself he was fighting against—it was a heritage too deep and vast to replicate in a single battle.
No wonder he hadn't been able to fully mimic Charles's moves.
It was a wake-up call. He had unconsciously defaulted to his usual habit—adapting and mimicking. But Charles left him no time to analyze, no room for imitation.
Ikki shifted his grip on Yamato. Charles could sense his fighting spirit sharpen to a new level.
As Ikki sprinted toward him again, Charles got serious too. But then—Ikki's form split in two.
"Secret Sword #4 — Mirage Wolf!"
A step-based technique that created illusions to confuse the opponent. It might work on others, but not on Charles—he didn't fight with just his eyes.
He felt aura. And compared to the illusion, Ikki's true body was radiating far too much energy to be hidden.
Charles charged the real one directly and launched a knife-hand strike.
Ikki, calm and composed, sidestepped the blow and countered with a slash from a blind angle—at Charles's weakest guard position.
But Charles's extended arm bent mid-strike, his elbow slamming into the blade to deflect it.
That was the beauty of unarmed combat—every part of the body could be sword and shield.
Ikki showed no reaction. He merely adjusted Yamato and launched another strike from a new angle.
A clash of blade and gauntlet ensued, the speed escalating to the point that few could follow.
At this point, even the students who didn't understand martial arts could feel it—an intense pressure that silenced the entire arena.
Stella, too, was in shock. At first, she had been upset by their earlier remarks. But now, she completely understood why Charles had chosen Ikki as his opponent.
Their martial prowess far exceeded her own. She had misjudged them—clinging to ranking numbers and missing the truth.
Neither Charles nor Ikki had time to consider her thoughts. The battle was at its peak.
"Secret Sword #6 — Moth Blade!"
Charles blocked the strike, but his arm stung—sharp pain shot through him.
"This is…!"
He could feel it. Like his Cicada Cry, it used vibrations to damage through indirect contact.
Ikki wasn't about to waste the chance. He launched his strongest strike.
"Secret Sword #1 — Rhino Thrust!"
For the first time in the match, Charles retreated. He flexed his arm, dispersing the lingering pain from Moth Blade.
Ikki saw a faint cut on Charles's face but didn't celebrate. Instead, his tone darkened.
"Charles, didn't you say you'd fight seriously?
If you'd used your magic, that last cut wouldn't have landed.
And your power—isn't it flame-based? Why haven't you used it at all?"
Charles froze. He could sense the displeasure in Ikki's voice.
"…You're right. That was arrogant of me. Only using martial arts… I was disrespecting your resolve.
I apologize. From now on—I'll go all out."
He'd made a mistake. Ikki had stepped into this match with everything. To hold back was to insult that courage.
Charles couldn't afford to keep limiting himself.
Dragon Blood Mode — Activate.
Flames enveloped Charles, making him appear like a Fire King incarnate.
Ikki felt the heat in his lungs with every breath. But this was the kind of opponent he'd always wanted to face.
"Secret Sword #7 — Thunder Light!"
A strike named for lightning, this was Ikki's fastest move—equaling even Charles's Vermilion Bird: Heaven's Advance. It reached Charles in an instant.
But it never hit. The flames blocked the sword entirely. Charles hadn't even moved. The fire simply surged outward and blasted Ikki backward.
The arena turned into a blazing furnace, and gasps echoed from the audience.
This was the truth behind the "Failed Knight" label.
In a world where power was measured by magic, the magicless could do nothing—even their best strikes couldn't pierce a high-ranker's defenses.
Ikki knew this. He always had.
Which was why… he forged a technique that could defy fate.
"ONE-CUT ASURA!!!"
Ikki roared—and his entire body lit up with a brilliant burst of magic.
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