Following the resonance of the waves, Haruki tracked the threads further and further, until his perception reached a hidden facility tucked deep within an unknown mountain range.

  Ultimately, the connection snapped the moment his perception brushed against a location that felt like a campus.

  The mastermind had clearly realized they were being tracked. Terrified of being exposed, they had severed the link to the stone dolls immediately.

  Snap!

  The final stone doll went limp, colpsing into a pile of pebbles. Haruki stared at the debris, lost in thought.

  It was then that the other members of the Hagun Student Council finally caught up, led by the President, Tohka Todo.

  "Shizuku! Haruki! Are you two alright?!"

  Tohka looked incredibly tense. She had manifested her Device during the climb and, for some reason, had even taken off her gsses. Seeing the piles of shattered stone, she realized Haruki had already neutralized the threat.

  "President," Haruki said, looking at the stunned council members. "Have any of you ever heard the name... National Akatsuki Academy?"

  The chaos in Okutama was resolved thanks to Haruki's intervention.

  By tracing the vibrations of the puppet strings, Haruki had caught a fleeting glimpse of a mountain school and the name "Akatsuki Academy." He suspected they were the ones behind the stone giant, but when he questioned the council and Chairperson Shinguji ter, he received no information.

  In the current records of Japan's Magic Knight system, no such academy existed. Consequently, Haruki's intel was rgely set aside—mostly because a much bigger distraction had arrived.

  The brackets for the next round of the Seven Star Sword Art Festival selection matches had been finalized. Notifications were sent out to every surviving contestant's Student Handbook.

  Haruki's next opponent was confirmed.

  It was none other than the current Student Council President, Tohka Todo. The strongest student at Hagun Academy.

  When the news broke, the entire school fell into a state of feverish excitement. Even setting aside Tohka's legendary reputation, Haruki had just dismantled Shizuya Kirihara, proving he was a force to be reckoned with. The csh between these two was the ultimate hype-match.

  However, for those who truly knew Tohka's power, there was no doubt about the outcome.

  In the world of swordsmen, Tohka Todo was considered peerless. Her Noble Art, Raikiri (Lightning Cutter), was hailed as an invincible technique in close-quarters combat. It was said that once you entered the "Raikiri Domain," it was impossible to dodge her ultimate stroke.

  Even Ikki Kurogane didn't think Haruki stood a chance. It wasn't that he cked faith in Haruki's skill; it was simply a matter of compatibility. As two swordsmen, Haruki would be forced to py by Tohka's rules, and no one pyed that game better than her.

  Knowing this, Shizuku Kurogane made up her mind to help Haruki however she could. She had reached a point where she no longer tried to hide her feelings. To see him win, she was willing to offer every scrap of her mana and knowledge.

  Tohka Todo, Third Year, Css 3. The reigning Student Council President.

  Last year, she represented Hagun in the Seven Star Sword Art Festival and made it all the way to the semi-finals, where she suffered a narrow defeat against the eventual champion, Yudai Moroboshi. Most experts agreed she possessed the skill of a runner-up, if not a champion.

  The secret to her overwhelming power was her training. She had been a disciple of one of Japan's greatest living legends, the "War God" Torajiro Nanago. She had mastered the highest levels of kendo and integrated her lightning-element magic into her bdework. By using electromagnetic force to accelerate her bde from its sheath, she achieved a draw-speed that neared the speed of light. This was Raikiri. At point-bnk range, it was the definition of absolute victory.

  Currently, Tohka was the undisputed peak of Hagun Academy.

  "Haruki, you cannot win a direct sword duel against Todo-senpai," Ikki warned him ter that day. "No matter how fast your bde is, nothing is faster than light. If you want to beat her, you must maintain your distance. Do not step into the range where she can reach you with Raikiri!"

  Ikki expined it with desperate intensity, hoping Haruki would see the danger and adjust his tactics. Ikki had a desperate need to win the festival himself for personal reasons, so he had studied every top-tier knight's records. His conclusion was firm: fighting Raikiri head-on was a death sentence.

  Even with Ittou Shura, Ikki knew his fastest strike couldn't match the instantaneous nature of Tohka's draw.

  Haruki had helped Ikki many times, and Ikki didn't want to see his friend crushed. "Last year, Moroboshi beat her because he refused to let her close the gap. He stayed outside her domain the entire match. Haruki, you can do the same. You already learned how to use Kirihara's transparent mana to strike from afar..."

  "I hear you," Haruki said, nodding slowly.

  Seeing Haruki's calm response, Ikki assumed his advice had been taken. He exhaled a sigh of relief.

  Nearby, Stel and Shizuku joined them. Hearing about Tohka's prowess, Stel looked grim. She had learned a lot from Haruki's guidance recently and considered him a mentor of sorts.

  "I think Ikki is right," Stel added. "Against Tohka Todo, distance is your only shield. Her attack power and speed are just too high. Defense or evasion at that range is a myth."

  "Yeah, I agree," Ikki said.

  A part of Ikki felt a strange sense of relief. For a long time, Haruki had felt like an unreachable summit that kept growing taller. Seeing that there were opponents even Haruki might struggle with made Ikki feel like he wasn't as far behind as he thought.

  But Shizuku, standing slightly apart from the group, suddenly spoke up.

  "I don't think Haruki will run."

  "?"

  Ikki and Stel turned to her in surprise.

  "He isn't the type of person to avoid a challenge," Shizuku said, her voice steady. "In fact, the stronger the enemy, the more his fighting spirit ignites. He won't run from Raikiri. He's going to face it head-on."

  "Shizuku... you seem to know Haruki quite well," Stel noted, a hint of teasing in her voice.

  Shizuku didn't blush or look away. Having been saved again in Okutama, she had reached a point of absolute crity. "I just believe in him. I know he'll find a way to win."

  Ikki and Stel fell silent. Ikki had never seen his sister look at another person with that much conviction. As an older brother, his feelings were complicated, but since it was Haruki—a man he respected—he couldn't help but approve.

  While the group debated his fate, Haruki Aizawa was already mentally dismantling the problem of Raikiri. Ikki was right about the distance, but as a master of the sword, Haruki refused to win by running. That would be a stain on his path.

  To reach a higher domain, he had to challenge the strongest at their own game.

  His pn was simple: To pay them back in their own coin.

  The next few days passed in a blur of intense focus.

  Haruki spent nearly every hour in the training hall. Shizuku visited him often, bringing meals she had worked hard to perfect and joining him in his sessions. She had abandoned all her previous hostility; knowing Haruki was preparing for Tohka, she gave him everything she had, even teaching him the specific flow of her water-based mana.

  Ikki barely saw his sister during this time, but he eventually sought out Haruki to try one st time to talk him out of a frontal assault.

  However, when Ikki reached the door of the training hall, he froze.

  The entire facility was shrouded in a heavy, swirling mist. The air felt thick and humid, saturated with an immense amount of mana.

  In the center of this artificial sea stood Haruki Aizawa. He wasn't holding his spectral bde; he was holding a sword literally composed of pressurized, rotating water. He focused his intent until the air itself seemed to groan under the pressure of his sword-qi.

  Then, he moved.

  BOOM!

  In a fsh of motion, Ikki felt as though the world had been sliced into two halves. A horizontal pne of absolute force tore through the hall, swallowing everything in its path.

  "Wh-What...?"

  Shizuku, who was standing at the edge of the arena, noticed Ikki and walked over. "Big brother? What are you doing here?"

  "Shizuku... I... I came to talk to Haruki..."

  Ikki's voice trailed off. Every speech he had prepared, every logical argument he had crafted to convince Haruki to stay at a distance, vanished.

  He had assumed Haruki couldn't match the speed of Raikiri. But after seeing that staggering strike, his certainty wavered.

  Could it be? Was Haruki Aizawa really going to shatter the legend of the "Lightning Cutter" with a head-on csh?

  "But... is that even humanly possible?" Ikki whispered, his eyes wide with awe.

  ***********************************************

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