The Absolute Godspeed of Infinite Worlds

Ikki Kurogane sat in the middle of the classroom and secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the announcement.

His "Ittou Shura" technique was incredibly powerful, but due to its immense energy consumption, he could only use it once a day. If the matches were scheduled every three days, he wouldn't have to worry about facing multiple strong opponents in quick succession.

The Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival was something he absolutely had to participate in.

Whether he could win the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival would determine whether he could graduate from this school. This was the condition set by the school's chairman.

F-Rank knights were considered too weak, so even the League didn't regard them as Blazers. Even if they encountered terrorists, they would be treated as ordinary civilians in need of protection, rather than being expected to fulfill the duty of protecting others.

In other words, not only in terms of social status but also institutionally, F-Rank knights were not recognized as Blazers.

For someone like Ikki Kurogane, who wanted to graduate smoothly and obtain a Blazer license from Hagun Academy, this was almost impossible. In fact, he had been held back last year precisely because of this.

However, this year, the new Director had given him a chance—if he could win the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival, he would be allowed to graduate.

"Wait, seriously?"

"This is so annoying~ I won't have time to go out and have fun!"

"I never wanted to participate in the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival in the first place!"

But not everyone shared Ikki's ambition to reach the pinnacle of the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival. Most of the students in the classroom showed signs of reluctance after hearing Yuuri Oreki's announcement.

This was understandable.

After all, out of the more than 700 students at Hagun Academy, only six would get the chance to compete. For freshmen like them, it was almost impossible to compete with the second and third-year students who were already well-known. The odds were already slim.

Moreover, during the selection battles, students would not fight in their "Illusionary Form" but in their "Material Form" using their inherent devices.

This was because the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival itself was a real battle, so the selection battles followed the same format.

In other words, participating in the battles carried the risk of injury, and in severe cases, it could even be life-threatening.

Such accidents had happened before.

In the past, there had been several instances where student knights died under their opponents' swords during the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival due to their lack of strength—even though medical facilities were now advanced and professional knights were present to oversee the matches, it was impossible to cover every possible scenario. The risk of death still existed.

Not everyone was willing to bear such great risks to hone their skills.

Most students chose to become Blazers because they wanted to graduate safely and secure a high-paying job, as Blazers generally enjoyed high salaries.

"If I forfeit or lose in the selection battles, will there be any penalties?"

One student who shared this mindset raised their hand and asked Yuuri.

"There are no penalties! It won't affect your grades either. If anyone feels they have no interest in the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival, they can simply send a letter to the 'Executive Committee' stating that they don't want to participate. The committee will automatically remove your name from the list."

Yuuri wagged her finger, her face pale but still trying her best to encourage everyone.

"But! Teacher thinks it's a wonderful thing that everyone has an equal opportunity. Everyone has the potential to become the 'Seven Stars Sword King,' so I hope you all participate and strive toward this goal. I believe that such an experience will become an irreplaceable asset for all of you!"

The teacher sincerely encouraged everyone to participate as much as possible.

After all, being a Blazer was a combat profession. If you entered the workforce without experiencing real battles, even though most would choose desk jobs, you would surely regret it for the rest of your life if you ever encountered a situation beyond your capabilities.

—In this world, the threat of terrorists was beyond imagination.

To give you an idea of how rampant they were, a single bloodthirsty and highly skilled terrorist could cause millions of casualties and sometimes even threaten international stability.

A Blazer who had never experienced real combat would react very differently from a battle-hardened warrior when facing terrorists. Even a little bit of practical experience could make the difference between life and death.

"Alright, everyone, for the next year, we'll give it our all and study hard! Let's do our best—! Go, go, ughhh—!!"

Before she could finish her sentence, Yuuri's face turned pale, and she vomited a mouthful of blood, staining the entire podium crimson.

"Yuuri-chan?!"

"I-I'm fine, it's just that the teacher is frail and sickly..."

"This doesn't look like just being frail!"

"Don't worry, I've been vomiting a liter of blood every day since I was a kid!"

"Why are you proud of something so strange?"

"It's amazing you've survived this long. Anyway, I'll take you to the infirmary first! Everyone, please clean up the scene!"

"Leave it to me."

Ikki was the first to rush forward, and without a word, he carried Yuuri on his back and headed to the infirmary.

"Do they know each other?"

Eiji watched the two leave and made this guess.

"Apparently, when Ikki first enrolled last year, it was Oreki-sensei... no, Yuuri-chan who conducted his entrance exam. If it weren't for Yuuri-chan, Ikki wouldn't have been able to enter Hagun Academy last year."

Stella picked up a mop and walked to the podium. With a few swipes, the podium turned into a bloody crime scene.

The entrance requirement for Hagun Academy was to be at least an upper E-Rank.

The reason Ikki was able to enroll was that he had a good examiner during last year's entrance exam—Yuuri Oreki. By defeating her in a duel, he earned her recognition.

Even so, he was held back because his homeroom teacher last year didn't allow him to participate in practical training or even take exams, making it impossible for him to advance.

"Nangou-kun, Nangou-kun! Are you going to participate in this year's selection battles?"

Kagami Kusakabe, like a bloodhound catching the scent, pounced over, her face filled with the curiosity of a professional journalist.

"Of course."

Eiji nodded calmly.

"That's only natural. So, your goal is to aim for the title of Seven Stars Sword King, right?"

Kagami nodded as if it were obvious and continued to press.

The Seven Stars Sword King was the title given to the student who won the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival, earning the position of the strongest student knight in Japan.

"That's one way to put it."

Eiji shook his head, his eyes filled with emotion and longing.

"But I'm not particularly interested in the Seven Stars Sword King. If I could become the strongest in the world, that would be ideal. In fact, that's my goal..."

Kagami was momentarily stunned. This answer was truly unexpected.

In her gem-like crimson eyes, she saw Eiji's flawless profile and the longing—or perhaps obsession—that emerged from it.

She suddenly understood.

Why was this boy willing to risk his life to defeat the new Director head-on?

Because this boy longed for strength.

And for that, he was willing to risk his life.

***

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