Chapter 2: "Sword Eater" vs "Star of Naniwa"
At the League of Mage-Knight Nations Japan branch’s high-rise building in Tokyo, about 30 students from Hagun Academy and Donrou Academy that were invited to “special convention” are gathered there. They are informed that other countries haven’t recovered yet from the turmoil caused by Or-Gaule. Japan is the only one that has resolved their own situation with more than 90% of the escaped prisoners have been recaptured. An official acting on behalf of Japan branch’s head is thanking the student-knights for their effort and declares the “special convention” has ended since the mage-knights can take care of the remaining work. The “special convention” this time is said to be the second largest after World War 2 and most of the student-knights invited here were first-timers. They are also rewarded 30,000 yen per day of participation and days of absence during school second semester because they lost some days of summer break. Some students then go home to continue their summer break but others such as Touka and Kanata are training at the building’s training facility.
As shown in a colored pic, Touka, Kanata and Ayase are in a shower room of the training facility along with Yuuri Oreki who is the teacher that accompanied the Hagun students in the “special convention”. Touka says Ayase is amazing since she was able to fight with confidence during her first “special convention” even though Touka herself was scared and not much help during her first one. Ayase replies that it was largely thanks to Ikki helping her in swordsmanship. When asked what kind of guidance she received, she becomes flustered while trying to answer. Ayase mentions the time Ikki was touching her body to help fix her sword stance which causes Oreki and Kanata thinking that it was sexual harassment. But Ayase says she was the only one that felt weird so she was the one who was perverted. Kanata understands how Ayase felt and says, while blushing and stroking her own breast, that Ikki’s hand is large and rough but also gentle and warm. She also says she sometimes remember how her heart was beating when Ikki grabbed her chest. Oreki is shocked and coughing out blood after hearing it but Touka knows Kanata was saying it in a misleading way as it was only because Ikki and Kanata fell during that time. Kanata then says Stella will be having a hard time since many people would be interested in Ikki now that he’s a prominent hero of the League. Everyone becomes silent of the fact that Ikki on his own defeated the “Black Knight”, who was ranked 4th in the KOK A-League, and also largely contributed in the defeat of Or-Gaule during the Vermillion War. Ikki at this point is still in a coma and will wake up few days later. Ikki’s great achievement makes the girls feel like they had been taking it easy even though it’s only been a month and that it is a little strange. They don’t know about the existence of Desperados but they noticed something in Ikki had changed during his fight against Stella in the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival final match. Oreki believes she should apologize to Ikki when he returns since she initially thought Ikki was not suited to be a knight when they first met but now he has already proven her wrong. Touka and Kanata then inform Oreki that they will be using the rewarded days of absence to return home to Kyushu.
After Touka and Kanata left the shower room, they encounter Moroboshi in a corridor. Moroboshi came to Tokyo mainly because he wanted to meet Torajirou Nangou. Moroboshi plans to participate in the God of War League and so will leave Japan next month. The next tournament’s preliminary will start after next year’s Chinese New Year. The preliminary is a survival match where the participants live in a designated area and continue fighting each other until a certain number of people are left. They are allowed to use any method such as attacking others at night or early morning, team up with others to attack one person, or even bring a helper from the outside. Moroboshi is leaving Japan quite early in order be familiar with site where the battle will take place. He wanted to ask Nangou, who is a former champion, for some valuable information. But Nangou is out of the country searching for Tsukikage who is out of contact. Since Moroboshi came all the way to Tokyo, he doesn’t want to make his trip a waste. Thus he approaches Kuraudo who is nearby and asks to fight him. Moroboshi wasn’t interested in Kuraudo when he lost to Byakuya Jougasaki in the previous year’s Seven Stars Sword Art Festival. But watching Kuraudo’s match with Sara Bloodlily this year made Moroboshi realize that Kuraudo is different now and there’s probably not much difference of strength in between them now. Kuraudo participated in the “special convention” to kill some time but he became frustrated because the ones he fought were small fries that even Ayase could handle on her own. Kuraudo thus accepts Moroboshi’s request and tells him to be prepared to get hurt.
Kuraudo and Moroboshi are then standing on a ring in the training area with their Devices manifested already. Tens of people have come to watch the match between the two. Ayase protests because if someone gets hurt it will also be her father’s responsibility, but Kuraudo tells her that Moroboshi was the one asking for this. Touka adds that the ring arena belongs to the League and Oreki is acting as the referee. She is also interested in who would win in a match between Moroboshi and Kuraudo. Even though Touka defeated Kuraudo once two years ago in an exhibition match and never won against Moroboshi, that doesn’t mean Kuraudo will lose against Moroboshi. They are different from back then and there’s also the matter of compatibility. Touka is not sure who will win this match but in her opinion Kuraudo has the advantage over Moroboshi in regards to compatibility. Since it’s not an official match, Kuraudo doesn’t wait for the referee to give the signal and proceeds to attack Moroboshi. But despite Kuraudo’s unfair head start, Moroboshi was able to intercept by launching a thrust towards Kuraudo. It causes Kuraudo to jump back and receiving a small cut on his threat. Moroboshi tells Kuraudo that if he continues to underestimate him then he will lose his head. But Kuraudo replies that it won’t happen since there’s not much difference between them in strength.
Kuraudo’s “Orochimaru” is currently in the form of two swords maintained at the length of Japanese sword. Moroboshi uses “waiting” style of spearmanship which he waits for his opponent to be within the range of his spear “Tora-Ou” and then attacks when that happens. Moroboshi delivers a series of fast thrusts once Kuraudo is within range but Kuraudo is evading the thrusts. Touka explains to Ayase that one of the reasons why Kuraudo has the advantage over Moroboshi is due to his “Marginal Counter”. Moroboshi’s attacks are mainly thrusts and it’s difficult to overpower Kuraudo who has super reflex using point-type attacks which are quite easy to read. Moroboshi is also using “Houkiboshi” to remove the weakness of point-type attacks by making his thrusts look like they’re bending, but Kuraudo’s “Marginal Counter” enables him to dodge the thrusts even after they bend. Kuraudo then launches “Hebigami” but Moroboshi is able to counter it by launching “Tiger Bite” which cuts both of Kuraudo’s swords. The mental damage Kuraudo receives as a result of his Device being broken causes him to move back. However, Kuraudo soon recovers after his swords which had shrunken in length have extended and are back to their original length. Touka explains to Ayase that this is the second reason why Kuraudo has the advantage over Moroboshi. Kuraudo can extend the length of his Device and the total length can be hundreds of times longer. “Tiger Bite” wouldn’t do serious damage to Kuraudo’s spirit from cutting off a small piece of his Device. Thus, Kuraudo is the worst kind of opponent for Moroboshi to face. Kuraudo then extends the length of “Orochimaru” to over 10 meters and manipulate the movement of his blade like it is a snake in the air. “Orochimaru” is moving as if it has a will of its own and together with “Marginal Counter” it causes Moroboshi unable to intercept the blade with “Tiger Bite” and repeatedly get slashed. There are some times “Tiger Bite” is able to hit and cuts off a part of “Orochimaru” but it’s not enough to cause mental damage to Kuraudo. The battle becomes one-sided with Moroboshi receiving countless slashes and bleeding all over his body, which should be enough reason to stop the match. However, Oreki and Touka know that Moroboshi should have expected this development and think he must have a way to overcome this.
At Bukyoku Academy in Kinki region, Byakuya is being interviewed by a female student named Yagokoro who is the newspaper club’s head. Yagokoro initially wanted to interview Moroboshi but he is currently in Tokyo. Byakuya is not as popular as Bukyoku’s other stars, Moroboshi and Momiji Asagi. Moroboshi has overwhelming charisma and Momiji is popular for her cute girl appearance. Byakuya on the other hand teleports his opponent outside the ring arena and makes them lose by ring out count, which looks plain. But even so Yagokoro wants to write a deep article using an expert’s viewpoint. Yagokoro starts by asking Byakuya who he felt was the strongest out of all the opponents he faced. Yagokoro believes it’s Ikki due to his success in Vermillion War, but Byakuya says it’s Moroboshi. Byakuya agrees Ikki is probably stronger than any student knight but Moroboshi is the one that made Byakuya felt strongest. According to official records, Byakuya’s winning rate in a rematch against opponents he once lost to is over 90%. Even if Byakuya loses once he would mostly win during the second time, but he never once won against Moroboshi no matter how many times they fought. Despite Byakuya would always come up with careful plan, Moroboshi somehow would always find a weak spot on Byakuya and thrusts through it. Byakuya describes it as a “killer instinct”, which Moroboshi can see something that others can’t. This is why Byakuya is afraid of Moroboshi than anyone else.
Moroboshi takes advantage of the momentary gap when a part of “Orochimaru” is being cut off by “Tiger Bite” to move closer towards Kuraudo. Since it’s back to medium-distance battle, Kuraudo shortens his Device back to Japanese sword length and exchange blows with Moroboshi. “Orochimaru” would just recover back to its original length no matter how many times “Tiger Bite” cuts off pieces of it. Kuraudo who has “Marginal Counter” should have the upper hand in this exchange of blows. However, Kuraudo is being pushed back after some time and finally receives a cut on his left temple. Everyone watching is confused, except Oreki who is seeing the match close as the referee and Touka. Touka says she’s reminded of how dangerous it is to have long-term battle with Moroboshi. After being hit in few more places of his body, Kuraudo realizes he didn’t overlook Moroboshi’s movements but rather he couldn’t see them. Touka explains to Kanata and Ayase that what’s happening is related to blind spot which is always present even in a healthy human field of vision. While Moroboshi was being pushed back, he repeatedly delivered his thrusts in a trial-and-error to determine the position of Kuraudo’s blind spot. It is difficult to see Moroboshi’s thrusts when they are aimed at your blind spot. Unlike “Trackless Step” that causes opponent unable to perceive something that can be seen, Moroboshi’s “Blind Spot Thrust” is a technique that makes his attacks invisible and so Kuraudo can’t react to it. Despite this, Kuraudo knows that the thrusts are invisible when they come close and are always aimed towards his face. Once he’s used to it, he can tell where the invisible thrusts will come from at the right timing and then avoid them. However, after Kuraudo takes evasive action to avoid the invisible thrusts, the tip of Moroboshi’s spear suddenly bends and hits Kuraudo on his side. This is due to Moroboshi used “Houkiboshi” immediately after delivered the invisible thrusts. Even Kuraudo can’t make movements with high precision immediately after taking evasive action. Thus, “Marginal Counter” is suppressed once Kuraudo takes evasive action to avoid Moroboshi’s “Blind Spot Thrust”. Once “Marginal Counter” is suppressed, Kuraudo can’t deal with “Houkiboshi” that suddenly appears from his blind spot. Moroboshi’s use of superior tactics to control the flow of the game is mostly what makes him strong. Kuraudo currently can’t defend against “Houkiboshi” using his swords as well due to Moroboshi’s spear being clad with “Tiger Bite”. Kuraudo tries to create distance from Moroboshi but Moroboshi wouldn’t let him escape.
Ayase while seeing this development says that upper national-class people are amazing and someone like her couldn’t possibly keep up with them. She also says it’s frustrating that she can’t imagine someone she hates would lose to such strong former “Seven Stars Sword King”. Suddenly, Kuraudo catches the tip of Moroboshi’s spear with his own teeth. Before Moroboshi is able to pull his spear back, Kuraudo releases the Device on his right hand and grabs the spear’s shaft. Stella and Ouma are probably the only student knights in Japan that can beat Kuraudo in physical strength. So when Kuraudo pulls the spear strongly to his side, Moroboshi’s body is pulled forward. During that moment where Moroboshi’s body is thrown off balance, Kuraudo immediately deals damage to Moroboshi with “Hebigami”. Moroboshi manages to get his spear back when Kuraudo’s grip on it has loosened, and then moves back. But Moroboshi’s chest was hit deeply and he falls to his knee. Moroboshi can’t understand how Kuraudo was able to react to the invisible thrust by catching it with his teeth. Kuraudo doesn’t understand either but he just felt that he could, which surprises everyone except Ayase who’s been training with Kuraudo. Even though Ayase hates Kuraudo, she admits that he is a genius of violence that will trample down any technique or tactic with force. Kuraudo then shortens his two swords to the size of large knives as preparation for a move that he’s about to use.
When Kaito visited Kuraudo after the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival was over, Kaito said that he has no intention of making Kuraudo an heir to the Ayatsuji swordsmanship style. The swordsmanship is a path for Kaito and Ayase, but it is just a tool for Kuraudo. A swordsmanship that focuses on defense and receiving in order to control what happens next wouldn’t suit someone who likes attacking like Kuraudo. Kaito said Kuraudo should put more of his natural self to his blade and swing the Ayatsuji sword with the ferociousness that ignited the fire in Kaito’s heart once because that is Kuraudo’s own “Ten’i Muhou” (naturalness and flawlessness). Moroboshi uses “Blind Spot Thrust” and “Houkiboshi” at Kuraudo in order to prevent Kuraudo from launching his ultimate attack. However, Kuraudo just keeps charging forward with force while using “Ten’i Muhou” which sweeps away Moroboshi’s thrusts. Ayase explains that her father’s sword is like flowing water that receives and returns enemy’s attacks in smooth movements, but Kuraudo’s sword is like raging fire that crushes all obstacles with violence. Once the distance between them is short, Kuraudo launches two-sword “Yamato no Orochi” at Moroboshi. During this moment, Moroboshi thinks that Kuraudo is a genius of violence that actually has “killer instinct” more than he does. However, Moroboshi knows something that Kuraudo doesn’t since Moroboshi had felt it closer than anyone had once in the past and now he’s going to release it, which is “Musou Ichiretsu (unparalleled violence)”. After Moroboshi and Kuraudo clash one final time, Moroboshi is the one that falls and unable to continue which leaves Kuraudo as the winner of this fight. Everyone favored Moroboshi so they are surprised that Kuraudo won. Touka then says goodbye to Ayase and that they will meet again during the new school term. Ayase tells Kuraudo he should get his wounds treated but she then notices his pale face. Kuraudo says Moroboshi was trying to do something during their final clash and Kuraudo never felt so much fear before. Kuraudo wonders what would have happened if Moroboshi managed to strike first and just thinking about it makes him frightened.
In the Ouu Mountains of Tohoku region, there is a building in a very remote location called “Ouu Wagadake Special Detention Facility”. The facility is built to hold one specific person and even in Japan there are only few people who know about its existence. In the forest around the facility, a group of men that escaped from other detention facilities are gathering there. The leader of this group tells his men that their “Founder” is held in the deepest part of the facility inside a special solitary cell called “Cocytus”. The cell uses extremely low temperature gas and imprisons the person in ice. The group leader believes they can break the prisoner out since the facility has small number of guards. They believe the country and its people have stopped progressing and are currently rotting in the mud. They are here to destroy humanity’s corruption and to let everyone know that war is the only path to God’s blessing. However, Kurono Shinguuji suddenly appears with huge searchlights behind her as shown in a pic. She immediately uses “Clock Draw”, which hundred bullets shoot through the men. Later, the director of the special detention facility thanks Kurono and Itsuki for their help in capturing the men who came here. He also wonders how those men were able to find this place even though information about the facility is very restricted to the point it doesn’t officially exist. Itsuki answers that there was a period where the “Tendoushuu (people of heaven’s way)” received support from people inside the government who were opposed to Japan joining the League after the war.
Kurono asks who are the Tendoushuu and Itsuki replies they are terrorists who were responsible for the “Teito Hotel Occupation Incident”, the worst act of terrorism in Japan after World War 2. After the war, a series of disorder called the anti-security conflict occurred as a result of the protests against Japan’s decision of releasing their colonies and joining the League. Middle school Blazers and their teachers from France, Italy and Britain came to Japan in order to attend international friendly matches that were organized as part of a positive campaign. However, they were taken hostages on the hotel they stayed on. A battle had occurred where general guests also got involved and it left 145 people killed and 280 people seriously injured. This occurred long before Kurono was even born so all she knew was that a religious group was responsible. Itsuki adds that simply speaking they are those who praise “war” and hate “peace”. They are different from Rebellion who tried to create a world where Blazers are at the top of hierarchy through violent means and were motivated by selfish desires. For Tendoushuu, violence and conflicts are not means but the goal itself. They believe fighting is the correct way of living and praise the progress and growth that are born from it as blessing from God. Japan at that time was divided into two factions; the ruling party that supported peace by joining the League and the opposition party that supported supremacy through the Asia Recolonization Plan. Tendoushuu joined the opposition side because they were hoping the Asia Recolonization Plan would ignite World War 3. The “Teito Hotel Occupation Incident” was a great example of how dangerous their ideology is. There was one thing about the incident that was not made public in order to protect victim’s privacy. About 30 of the students that came to Japan were gathered in a room and then were forced to kill each other. Only one who survived the mutual killing was allowed to be released and the students couldn’t defy it because Tendoushuu’s powerful “Founder” was there. All the boys and girls believed not even one of them would be saved if they tried to fight him and so they engaged in a bloody mutual killing. According to the survivor, every time a child died the “Founder” would cry as if his own child was the one got killed.
Itsuki is not sure if the “Founder” is sane or not, but it’s clear that the person imprisoned in the special detention facility is very dangerous. The director of facility says he felt flustered when the facility’s management system was down during the turmoil caused by Or-Gaule, but it was due to power outage only and so the system switched from main power supply to backup power in just few seconds. However, hearing the facility’s management system was down even for few seconds causes Itsuki to ask Kurono to follow him towards “Cocytus”. Itsuki wants to make sure that the prisoner is still inside but the facility director says the system only went down in less than 3 seconds so there’s no way anyone can escape from a completely frozen state without anyone noticing during such very short time. “Cocytus” is an installation that was built decades ago and there is no surveillance camera in it. The only way to check inside is to open airtight walls of 30cm thickness and the facility director urges Itsuki not to increase the risk of an escape. However, Itsuki says his father Genma created “Cocytus” because the prisoner in question is someone who can make them worried that something that seems impossible could happen. They all then arrive at a spacious area with high ceiling extending from the first floor to the fourth floor with width and length both 20 meters which makes the area’s layout similar to an airplane hangar. Electronic equipment is spread everywhere from the floor to the ceiling with wires and pipes extending from the equipment to the base of a metal column of 3 meters height. The column located in the center of the room is “Cocytus” which Tendoushuu’s “Founder” is imprisoned in it. During the time when color television first spread to households, all amount of technology and resources were needed to be put together to make this. Itsuki with his authority temporarily lifts the ban on Kurono’s use of “World Crisis” and tells her to destroy the prisoner if he shows sign of moving even one finger. Kurono is hesitant because Itsuki could get caught in it, but he doesn’t mind since the prisoner is an existence that Japan back then could only imprison. Kurono complies and manifests her Device, while Itsuki touches the pedestal of the column and says “Tekketsu Houjin (iron blood magic square)”. The red light coming from Itsuki’s hand spreads throughout the room like a vein and causes a reaction to the surrounding electronic equipment. The metal column is thinning as its airtight walls, one by one, are being removed and stored into the space below the pedestal. Once the last wall is removed and the cryogenic gas spreads throughout the room, the content inside can be seen. However, the only thing inside is a restraint with the prisoner gone. Itsuki then orders the facility director to contact headquarters as soon as possible and inform them that the “Great Flame” has been set free.
Chapter 2: "Sword Eater" vs "Star of Naniwa"
At the League of Mage-Knight Nations Japan branch’s high-rise building in Tokyo, about 30 students from Hagun Academy and Donrou Academy that were invited to “special convention” are gathered there. They are informed that other countries haven’t recovered yet from the turmoil caused by Or-Gaule. Japan is the only one that has resolved their own situation with more than 90% of the escaped prisoners have been recaptured. An official acting on behalf of Japan branch’s head is thanking the student-knights for their effort and declares the “special convention” has ended since the mage-knights can take care of the remaining work. The “special convention” this time is said to be the second largest after World War 2 and most of the student-knights invited here were first-timers. They are also rewarded 30,000 yen per day of participation and days of absence during school second semester because they lost some days of summer break. Some students then go home to continue their summer break but others such as Touka and Kanata are training at the building’s training facility.
As shown in a colored pic, Touka, Kanata and Ayase are in a shower room of the training facility along with Yuuri Oreki who is the teacher that accompanied the Hagun students in the “special convention”. Touka says Ayase is amazing since she was able to fight with confidence during her first “special convention” even though Touka herself was scared and not much help during her first one. Ayase replies that it was largely thanks to Ikki helping her in swordsmanship. When asked what kind of guidance she received, she becomes flustered while trying to answer. Ayase mentions the time Ikki was touching her body to help fix her sword stance which causes Oreki and Kanata thinking that it was sexual harassment. But Ayase says she was the only one that felt weird so she was the one who was perverted. Kanata understands how Ayase felt and says, while blushing and stroking her own breast, that Ikki’s hand is large and rough but also gentle and warm. She also says she sometimes remember how her heart was beating when Ikki grabbed her chest. Oreki is shocked and coughing out blood after hearing it but Touka knows Kanata was saying it in a misleading way as it was only because Ikki and Kanata fell during that time. Kanata then says Stella will be having a hard time since many people would be interested in Ikki now that he’s a prominent hero of the League. Everyone becomes silent of the fact that Ikki on his own defeated the “Black Knight”, who was ranked 4th in the KOK A-League, and also largely contributed in the defeat of Or-Gaule during the Vermillion War. Ikki at this point is still in a coma and will wake up few days later. Ikki’s great achievement makes the girls feel like they had been taking it easy even though it’s only been a month and that it is a little strange. They don’t know about the existence of Desperados but they noticed something in Ikki had changed during his fight against Stella in the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival final match. Oreki believes she should apologize to Ikki when he returns since she initially thought Ikki was not suited to be a knight when they first met but now he has already proven her wrong. Touka and Kanata then inform Oreki that they will be using the rewarded days of absence to return home to Kyushu.
After Touka and Kanata left the shower room, they encounter Moroboshi in a corridor. Moroboshi came to Tokyo mainly because he wanted to meet Torajirou Nangou. Moroboshi plans to participate in the God of War League and so will leave Japan next month. The next tournament’s preliminary will start after next year’s Chinese New Year. The preliminary is a survival match where the participants live in a designated area and continue fighting each other until a certain number of people are left. They are allowed to use any method such as attacking others at night or early morning, team up with others to attack one person, or even bring a helper from the outside. Moroboshi is leaving Japan quite early in order be familiar with site where the battle will take place. He wanted to ask Nangou, who is a former champion, for some valuable information. But Nangou is out of the country searching for Tsukikage who is out of contact. Since Moroboshi came all the way to Tokyo, he doesn’t want to make his trip a waste. Thus he approaches Kuraudo who is nearby and asks to fight him. Moroboshi wasn’t interested in Kuraudo when he lost to Byakuya Jougasaki in the previous year’s Seven Stars Sword Art Festival. But watching Kuraudo’s match with Sara Bloodlily this year made Moroboshi realize that Kuraudo is different now and there’s probably not much difference of strength in between them now. Kuraudo participated in the “special convention” to kill some time but he became frustrated because the ones he fought were small fries that even Ayase could handle on her own. Kuraudo thus accepts Moroboshi’s request and tells him to be prepared to get hurt.
Kuraudo and Moroboshi are then standing on a ring in the training area with their Devices manifested already. Tens of people have come to watch the match between the two. Ayase protests because if someone gets hurt it will also be her father’s responsibility, but Kuraudo tells her that Moroboshi was the one asking for this. Touka adds that the ring arena belongs to the League and Oreki is acting as the referee. She is also interested in who would win in a match between Moroboshi and Kuraudo. Even though Touka defeated Kuraudo once two years ago in an exhibition match and never won against Moroboshi, that doesn’t mean Kuraudo will lose against Moroboshi. They are different from back then and there’s also the matter of compatibility. Touka is not sure who will win this match but in her opinion Kuraudo has the advantage over Moroboshi in regards to compatibility. Since it’s not an official match, Kuraudo doesn’t wait for the referee to give the signal and proceeds to attack Moroboshi. But despite Kuraudo’s unfair head start, Moroboshi was able to intercept by launching a thrust towards Kuraudo. It causes Kuraudo to jump back and receiving a small cut on his threat. Moroboshi tells Kuraudo that if he continues to underestimate him then he will lose his head. But Kuraudo replies that it won’t happen since there’s not much difference between them in strength.
Kuraudo’s “Orochimaru” is currently in the form of two swords maintained at the length of Japanese sword. Moroboshi uses “waiting” style of spearmanship which he waits for his opponent to be within the range of his spear “Tora-Ou” and then attacks when that happens. Moroboshi delivers a series of fast thrusts once Kuraudo is within range but Kuraudo is evading the thrusts. Touka explains to Ayase that one of the reasons why Kuraudo has the advantage over Moroboshi is due to his “Marginal Counter”. Moroboshi’s attacks are mainly thrusts and it’s difficult to overpower Kuraudo who has super reflex using point-type attacks which are quite easy to read. Moroboshi is also using “Houkiboshi” to remove the weakness of point-type attacks by making his thrusts look like they’re bending, but Kuraudo’s “Marginal Counter” enables him to dodge the thrusts even after they bend. Kuraudo then launches “Hebigami” but Moroboshi is able to counter it by launching “Tiger Bite” which cuts both of Kuraudo’s swords. The mental damage Kuraudo receives as a result of his Device being broken causes him to move back. However, Kuraudo soon recovers after his swords which had shrunken in length have extended and are back to their original length. Touka explains to Ayase that this is the second reason why Kuraudo has the advantage over Moroboshi. Kuraudo can extend the length of his Device and the total length can be hundreds of times longer. “Tiger Bite” wouldn’t do serious damage to Kuraudo’s spirit from cutting off a small piece of his Device. Thus, Kuraudo is the worst kind of opponent for Moroboshi to face. Kuraudo then extends the length of “Orochimaru” to over 10 meters and manipulate the movement of his blade like it is a snake in the air. “Orochimaru” is moving as if it has a will of its own and together with “Marginal Counter” it causes Moroboshi unable to intercept the blade with “Tiger Bite” and repeatedly get slashed. There are some times “Tiger Bite” is able to hit and cuts off a part of “Orochimaru” but it’s not enough to cause mental damage to Kuraudo. The battle becomes one-sided with Moroboshi receiving countless slashes and bleeding all over his body, which should be enough reason to stop the match. However, Oreki and Touka know that Moroboshi should have expected this development and think he must have a way to overcome this.
At Bukyoku Academy in Kinki region, Byakuya is being interviewed by a female student named Yagokoro who is the newspaper club’s head. Yagokoro initially wanted to interview Moroboshi but he is currently in Tokyo. Byakuya is not as popular as Bukyoku’s other stars, Moroboshi and Momiji Asagi. Moroboshi has overwhelming charisma and Momiji is popular for her cute girl appearance. Byakuya on the other hand teleports his opponent outside the ring arena and makes them lose by ring out count, which looks plain. But even so Yagokoro wants to write a deep article using an expert’s viewpoint. Yagokoro starts by asking Byakuya who he felt was the strongest out of all the opponents he faced. Yagokoro believes it’s Ikki due to his success in Vermillion War, but Byakuya says it’s Moroboshi. Byakuya agrees Ikki is probably stronger than any student knight but Moroboshi is the one that made Byakuya felt strongest. According to official records, Byakuya’s winning rate in a rematch against opponents he once lost to is over 90%. Even if Byakuya loses once he would mostly win during the second time, but he never once won against Moroboshi no matter how many times they fought. Despite Byakuya would always come up with careful plan, Moroboshi somehow would always find a weak spot on Byakuya and thrusts through it. Byakuya describes it as a “killer instinct”, which Moroboshi can see something that others can’t. This is why Byakuya is afraid of Moroboshi than anyone else.
Moroboshi takes advantage of the momentary gap when a part of “Orochimaru” is being cut off by “Tiger Bite” to move closer towards Kuraudo. Since it’s back to medium-distance battle, Kuraudo shortens his Device back to Japanese sword length and exchange blows with Moroboshi. “Orochimaru” would just recover back to its original length no matter how many times “Tiger Bite” cuts off pieces of it. Kuraudo who has “Marginal Counter” should have the upper hand in this exchange of blows. However, Kuraudo is being pushed back after some time and finally receives a cut on his left temple. Everyone watching is confused, except Oreki who is seeing the match close as the referee and Touka. Touka says she’s reminded of how dangerous it is to have long-term battle with Moroboshi. After being hit in few more places of his body, Kuraudo realizes he didn’t overlook Moroboshi’s movements but rather he couldn’t see them. Touka explains to Kanata and Ayase that what’s happening is related to blind spot which is always present even in a healthy human field of vision. While Moroboshi was being pushed back, he repeatedly delivered his thrusts in a trial-and-error to determine the position of Kuraudo’s blind spot. It is difficult to see Moroboshi’s thrusts when they are aimed at your blind spot. Unlike “Trackless Step” that causes opponent unable to perceive something that can be seen, Moroboshi’s “Blind Spot Thrust” is a technique that makes his attacks invisible and so Kuraudo can’t react to it. Despite this, Kuraudo knows that the thrusts are invisible when they come close and are always aimed towards his face. Once he’s used to it, he can tell where the invisible thrusts will come from at the right timing and then avoid them. However, after Kuraudo takes evasive action to avoid the invisible thrusts, the tip of Moroboshi’s spear suddenly bends and hits Kuraudo on his side. This is due to Moroboshi used “Houkiboshi” immediately after delivered the invisible thrusts. Even Kuraudo can’t make movements with high precision immediately after taking evasive action. Thus, “Marginal Counter” is suppressed once Kuraudo takes evasive action to avoid Moroboshi’s “Blind Spot Thrust”. Once “Marginal Counter” is suppressed, Kuraudo can’t deal with “Houkiboshi” that suddenly appears from his blind spot. Moroboshi’s use of superior tactics to control the flow of the game is mostly what makes him strong. Kuraudo currently can’t defend against “Houkiboshi” using his swords as well due to Moroboshi’s spear being clad with “Tiger Bite”. Kuraudo tries to create distance from Moroboshi but Moroboshi wouldn’t let him escape.
Ayase while seeing this development says that upper national-class people are amazing and someone like her couldn’t possibly keep up with them. She also says it’s frustrating that she can’t imagine someone she hates would lose to such strong former “Seven Stars Sword King”. Suddenly, Kuraudo catches the tip of Moroboshi’s spear with his own teeth. Before Moroboshi is able to pull his spear back, Kuraudo releases the Device on his right hand and grabs the spear’s shaft. Stella and Ouma are probably the only student knights in Japan that can beat Kuraudo in physical strength. So when Kuraudo pulls the spear strongly to his side, Moroboshi’s body is pulled forward. During that moment where Moroboshi’s body is thrown off balance, Kuraudo immediately deals damage to Moroboshi with “Hebigami”. Moroboshi manages to get his spear back when Kuraudo’s grip on it has loosened, and then moves back. But Moroboshi’s chest was hit deeply and he falls to his knee. Moroboshi can’t understand how Kuraudo was able to react to the invisible thrust by catching it with his teeth. Kuraudo doesn’t understand either but he just felt that he could, which surprises everyone except Ayase who’s been training with Kuraudo. Even though Ayase hates Kuraudo, she admits that he is a genius of violence that will trample down any technique or tactic with force. Kuraudo then shortens his two swords to the size of large knives as preparation for a move that he’s about to use.
When Kaito visited Kuraudo after the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival was over, Kaito said that he has no intention of making Kuraudo an heir to the Ayatsuji swordsmanship style. The swordsmanship is a path for Kaito and Ayase, but it is just a tool for Kuraudo. A swordsmanship that focuses on defense and receiving in order to control what happens next wouldn’t suit someone who likes attacking like Kuraudo. Kaito said Kuraudo should put more of his natural self to his blade and swing the Ayatsuji sword with the ferociousness that ignited the fire in Kaito’s heart once because that is Kuraudo’s own “Ten’i Muhou” (naturalness and flawlessness). Moroboshi uses “Blind Spot Thrust” and “Houkiboshi” at Kuraudo in order to prevent Kuraudo from launching his ultimate attack. However, Kuraudo just keeps charging forward with force while using “Ten’i Muhou” which sweeps away Moroboshi’s thrusts. Ayase explains that her father’s sword is like flowing water that receives and returns enemy’s attacks in smooth movements, but Kuraudo’s sword is like raging fire that crushes all obstacles with violence. Once the distance between them is short, Kuraudo launches two-sword “Yamato no Orochi” at Moroboshi. During this moment, Moroboshi thinks that Kuraudo is a genius of violence that actually has “killer instinct” more than he does. However, Moroboshi knows something that Kuraudo doesn’t since Moroboshi had felt it closer than anyone had once in the past and now he’s going to release it, which is “Musou Ichiretsu (unparalleled violence)”. After Moroboshi and Kuraudo clash one final time, Moroboshi is the one that falls and unable to continue which leaves Kuraudo as the winner of this fight. Everyone favored Moroboshi so they are surprised that Kuraudo won. Touka then says goodbye to Ayase and that they will meet again during the new school term. Ayase tells Kuraudo he should get his wounds treated but she then notices his pale face. Kuraudo says Moroboshi was trying to do something during their final clash and Kuraudo never felt so much fear before. Kuraudo wonders what would have happened if Moroboshi managed to strike first and just thinking about it makes him frightened.
In the Ouu Mountains of Tohoku region, there is a building in a very remote location called “Ouu Wagadake Special Detention Facility”. The facility is built to hold one specific person and even in Japan there are only few people who know about its existence. In the forest around the facility, a group of men that escaped from other detention facilities are gathering there. The leader of this group tells his men that their “Founder” is held in the deepest part of the facility inside a special solitary cell called “Cocytus”. The cell uses extremely low temperature gas and imprisons the person in ice. The group leader believes they can break the prisoner out since the facility has small number of guards. They believe the country and its people have stopped progressing and are currently rotting in the mud. They are here to destroy humanity’s corruption and to let everyone know that war is the only path to God’s blessing. However, Kurono Shinguuji suddenly appears with huge searchlights behind her as shown in a pic. She immediately uses “Clock Draw”, which hundred bullets shoot through the men. Later, the director of the special detention facility thanks Kurono and Itsuki for their help in capturing the men who came here. He also wonders how those men were able to find this place even though information about the facility is very restricted to the point it doesn’t officially exist. Itsuki answers that there was a period where the “Tendoushuu (people of heaven’s way)” received support from people inside the government who were opposed to Japan joining the League after the war.
Kurono asks who are the Tendoushuu and Itsuki replies they are terrorists who were responsible for the “Teito Hotel Occupation Incident”, the worst act of terrorism in Japan after World War 2. After the war, a series of disorder called the anti-security conflict occurred as a result of the protests against Japan’s decision of releasing their colonies and joining the League. Middle school Blazers and their teachers from France, Italy and Britain came to Japan in order to attend international friendly matches that were organized as part of a positive campaign. However, they were taken hostages on the hotel they stayed on. A battle had occurred where general guests also got involved and it left 145 people killed and 280 people seriously injured. This occurred long before Kurono was even born so all she knew was that a religious group was responsible. Itsuki adds that simply speaking they are those who praise “war” and hate “peace”. They are different from Rebellion who tried to create a world where Blazers are at the top of hierarchy through violent means and were motivated by selfish desires. For Tendoushuu, violence and conflicts are not means but the goal itself. They believe fighting is the correct way of living and praise the progress and growth that are born from it as blessing from God. Japan at that time was divided into two factions; the ruling party that supported peace by joining the League and the opposition party that supported supremacy through the Asia Recolonization Plan. Tendoushuu joined the opposition side because they were hoping the Asia Recolonization Plan would ignite World War 3. The “Teito Hotel Occupation Incident” was a great example of how dangerous their ideology is. There was one thing about the incident that was not made public in order to protect victim’s privacy. About 30 of the students that came to Japan were gathered in a room and then were forced to kill each other. Only one who survived the mutual killing was allowed to be released and the students couldn’t defy it because Tendoushuu’s powerful “Founder” was there. All the boys and girls believed not even one of them would be saved if they tried to fight him and so they engaged in a bloody mutual killing. According to the survivor, every time a child died the “Founder” would cry as if his own child was the one got killed.
Itsuki is not sure if the “Founder” is sane or not, but it’s clear that the person imprisoned in the special detention facility is very dangerous. The director of facility says he felt flustered when the facility’s management system was down during the turmoil caused by Or-Gaule, but it was due to power outage only and so the system switched from main power supply to backup power in just few seconds. However, hearing the facility’s management system was down even for few seconds causes Itsuki to ask Kurono to follow him towards “Cocytus”. Itsuki wants to make sure that the prisoner is still inside but the facility director says the system only went down in less than 3 seconds so there’s no way anyone can escape from a completely frozen state without anyone noticing during such very short time. “Cocytus” is an installation that was built decades ago and there is no surveillance camera in it. The only way to check inside is to open airtight walls of 30cm thickness and the facility director urges Itsuki not to increase the risk of an escape. However, Itsuki says his father Genma created “Cocytus” because the prisoner in question is someone who can make them worried that something that seems impossible could happen. They all then arrive at a spacious area with high ceiling extending from the first floor to the fourth floor with width and length both 20 meters which makes the area’s layout similar to an airplane hangar. Electronic equipment is spread everywhere from the floor to the ceiling with wires and pipes extending from the equipment to the base of a metal column of 3 meters height. The column located in the center of the room is “Cocytus” which Tendoushuu’s “Founder” is imprisoned in it. During the time when color television first spread to households, all amount of technology and resources were needed to be put together to make this. Itsuki with his authority temporarily lifts the ban on Kurono’s use of “World Crisis” and tells her to destroy the prisoner if he shows sign of moving even one finger. Kurono is hesitant because Itsuki could get caught in it, but he doesn’t mind since the prisoner is an existence that Japan back then could only imprison. Kurono complies and manifests her Device, while Itsuki touches the pedestal of the column and says “Tekketsu Houjin (iron blood magic square)”. The red light coming from Itsuki’s hand spreads throughout the room like a vein and causes a reaction to the surrounding electronic equipment. The metal column is thinning as its airtight walls, one by one, are being removed and stored into the space below the pedestal. Once the last wall is removed and the cryogenic gas spreads throughout the room, the content inside can be seen. However, the only thing inside is a restraint with the prisoner gone. Itsuki then orders the facility director to contact headquarters as soon as possible and inform them that the “Great Flame” has been set free.
