--3 years ago.

　Champion Huta was notorious for not communicating properly with anyone.
　There were a few who persevered in talking to him, but most of the replies were hollow.

　This attitude, as if to say, "What do you popular fighters know?

　Prim Lancaster and Aylin B. Smiles, with whom I had little contact, were among them.

　Because they were the furthest thing from understanding, they were innocent in a different way.

　On the same day, Prim, who had failed to win the tournament and had lost the right to challenge, pouted and tangled with Futa.

　Prim stopped him in the players' corridor and talked about her match as if she was asking for advice.

　I guess he didn't intend to talk about it in private either.
　Aylin, who was relatively close by, could hear him.

　At the time, Aylin was languishing in the minor leagues, one step away from the major leagues, but unable to reach them.
　They were weak, dying of their own accord, even though I took it easy on them so that they wouldn't get foul play or something.
　She couldn't find anywhere to vent her daily frustrations, so she looked up at the voice of her "target.

　The person next to her was Prim Lancaster, who had decided to join the Eight Flashes of Heaven as soon as Arawn was promoted to the minor leagues.

　Prim, pissed off at the fact that he would only say vague things like, "Oh, well," when talking about his own game, continued to ask.

So you think you can just take all the moves?

　I can't avoid Ocean's moves.
　Prim, who had been complaining incessantly about this, said angrily.
　Futa tilted his head.
　He thought, "It's okay that they're so popular.　What would Futa himself do?

　What would Futa himself do?
　I thought about it for a while.
　Surely, if he imitated his opponent, he wouldn't have to avoid any of his moves.
　He knows how to do it, so all he has to do is take it the right way.

　Oh, it's just...
　He looked up as if he suddenly remembered.


If there's one move you have to avoid, it's ...... Aylan B. Smiles' "Mad Eater.
"Who's that?


　--That word was Aylan's hope.


　The only thing that Huta, who had been able to bypass any of her opponent's techniques, was wary of was her own strength.

　That's what I thought. He and I are both Shura.

　Otherwise, he wouldn't be paying attention to himself, who was languishing in the minor leagues.

　This is not the time to be depressed.
　Immediately.
　I have to reach the championship right away.

　After all, it is only in the battle for the title that one can hope to fight to the death.





　Some time after that day, Arawn was promoted to the Eight Flashes of Heaven as Urushi no Tachi.

　Prim, who examined Aylan later, muttered to herself, her expression clouded.

It's just a kill.











　--Arena Spectacula.

"--Hah!

　Aylin's body shook for a moment.

"Air Aria.

　The sole of his shoe appeared in Futa's sight.
　Aylan's fist struck the spot.
　Arawn's fist aimed for the vital point and tried to break Futa's torso.

　A single fist shot would have been enough to deal with.

　But Aylan B. Smiles' fight was that of a shura.
　It is a killing spree that goes on and on until the opponent is killed.

　If the axle falls, the next step is the body.
　If you try to avoid it, you'll lose your vision.
　If you move reflexively when you're hit in the face, you'll be hit in the leg again.

　The movement is similar to Richter's "stroke", but it is the same killing technique.
　One after the other, endlessly until the prey is killed.
　His inexhaustible stamina was due to the fact that he was only improving himself as a shura.

　The only difference between him and Richter is... "The only difference between her and Richter was that she could use her immediate senses to create a ramble that was no less than a stroke.

　It's a martial art that can be easily defeated, but even with that, it's a tremendous technique.

"Apparently.

　It's also a good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing.

It seems that Huta has taken the other option.
"The other option.
"Yes. Either to match Arawn, or...

　Arawn, unable to finish him off, unleashes a torrent of attacks.
　It's the fact that there's no limit to what you can do that's scary, but the fact that Futa doesn't go on the offensive no matter how much you attack him bothers Aylorne.

　As an imitator of Aylan B. Smiles, he should have understood this already.

　He knew that the fastest way to stop Arawn's offensive was to go on the offensive himself.

　And yet, Arawn looks up and says, "Why?

"Or drag me into the world of sword fighting."

　That was the moment.

Imitation: Aylan B. Smiles = Solo (Air Aria)

　The moment he realized that Futa had disappeared, a painful kick came flying at him.
　A moment later, realizing that it would be a bad idea to take it seriously, Aylan jumped back to avoid Futa's move.

　There was a moment of space between the two.

I've been looking for ...... something different from the start.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

But it is true that the same may be said of those who were willing to fight for their goals.

　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this, but I'm going to have to.


　It was painful, it was just painful.
　I kept struggling, struggling, struggling.

　"I wanted to prove that I could fight in this world even if I had no job.

　Strangely enough, it seemed to be the same brilliance to the Shura girl who kept aiming to be the strongest.

　But...

But... You and I are different now.

　Futa holds up his fist and "mimics the trajectory of his opponent".

　One day, in the Colosseum, all he did was guard the Requiem.
　But now, Futa knows.

　Because she can think of someone, she can read the trajectory of her desperate struggle.

　I don't know what kind of past she has.
　But...


　--We know she was trained to kill from a young age, so we know she didn't grow up in a good environment.


"Different things ......?

　She lowered her arms slackly and shook her head.

　It can't be, she says, like a child.

　Because it is.
　"I'm not sure why else you'd want to be at the top of the sword fighting game while unemployed.

"No, no.

　No, no." And he runs.
　He swings his fist.
　A furious, yet precise, blow from a cuirass that could cripple a man.

　A fist that is only sharp and fast, and therefore unavoidable.
　But.

　But fist to fist in the exact same motion is nothing compared to that.

"No, no, no, no, no!

　Shake your head.
　The blow could have been turned into a better, more life-threatening move, instead of being met with such a performative blow head-on.

...... requiem, I'll admit I could have shot you.

　Yes, I did.
　I invited it. With this straightforward attack, you could at least unleash the Requiem on Futa.
　I thought I could at least fire off a requiem.

　But he didn't.

　Fist.
　I can catch.

　Kick.
　You can catch me.

　With the exact same technique, everything Arawn did bounced back.

"Don't be silly.

　He looks up and shakes his fist.

"You and I are the same!

　That emotional outpouring becomes the fighting spirit that sweeps through the arena.



　--I don't know why. I thought I heard her scream.

"...... are you and I the same?
"...... Beatrix?

　Live audience. I was doing my best to get the audience excited. But that doesn't mean he's talking all the time.
　In the middle of a breathtaking rush of moves, right after a tremendous blow.
　In those moments when I can steal a person's heart just by sight, I sometimes dare to be silent.

　This moment is no exception, and the audience is in a frenzy as the wind is blowing at the moment of fist to fist.

　Maybe it's because they've taken a breath now that they've heard it.
　Beatrix, Pasta thought.

　No, she shook her head.

　Futa and Arawn are not the same thing.
　It's more like you and Aylin.

　I was born in the mud, nearly drowned, and survived to this point only by my power to hate the world. I have stepped over many corpses, sometimes creating my own corpses and turning them into footholds.

　In that sense, perhaps I am a "shura" as well.

　But I dare to say this in my own way.

　She and I are both "scoundrels."

　--Hey, Futa. It was different, wasn't it?

　A loving smile, inappropriate for a place of heat and swords, is directed at my brother.

　Can Arawn B. Smiles be used as a reference for a villain?

　The answer was obvious to her from the start.

"Do you even know what you're doing?

　Pasta muttered out of the corner of her mouth.

　Looking around, of course, there was the same enthusiasm as at the start of the final.
　But there is a slight difference.

　It's...

"Airoun!　You can't lose!
"d*mn, Futa's too strong!
No, but there is a chance, if you can get the joint in!

　7:3......, or almost 6:4.

　I'm not sure what to make of this, but I think it's a good idea.

　That's because...



　It was only when Futa thought of Arawn and used his sword against him.

　His overwhelming strength and visible power.
　It's a great way to make sure you don't get caught in the middle of the action.

　This is especially true when Aylan's fighting spirit is so extreme.

You can't be a real villain if you don't understand people's pain. Aylin and I are both bad guys. But you're not.

　"What is it that makes sword fighting so exciting?
　In this tournament, Pasta gained a great deal.

　In the preliminaries, he learned the necessity of commentary.
　In the first round of the tournament, he learned about the heat that sword fighters generate.

　And in the semifinals, he learned that it is the swings of emotion that create the true fervor.

　I wasn't wrong.

　I want Futa to win. I don't want Aylin to lose either.

　The heart is a difficult and interesting thing, because it is somewhat vague whether the calls for Futa are too strong or the cheers for Aylan are too swollen.

　The fervor of the spectacle, in which such torn emotions were thrown out as just "voices", was tremendous.

　That's why there was a definite meaning to the atmosphere of cheering for Arawn in the "swordfight".

　And. And it was Futa who did it.

I knew it from the start. You've got talent. Because--


　--Because you're a good guy.


　That's why.


"Aylin, you're biting me really hard. ......?
"...... Looks like it. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to surpass Futa's imitation, that will be the focus.

　I'll do what I can.
　Now, let's go stir things up a bit, shall we?


"I knew it!　My big brother is very strong!