We will now open the 467th summer title fight!

　A lofty proclamation by Mine.
　Thousands of people gathered in the amphitheatre responded with cracking cheers.

　Finally, the summer title fight begins. The summer title fight.

　The title fighters lined up in front of the King of Castal, all celebrating the opening of the event. Some clap their hands loudly, some clap their hands quietly, and some stand there in silence, but their hearts are the same.

　Finally - finally.
　For better or for worse, here we go.

　It's definitely hotter, stronger and more exciting than the winter season.

　Now ...... I wonder who's responsible for this?


How confident are you in that, Triple Crown?

　I was in the front row with the titleholder at the head of the line, and I was in the front row as Issenza, when I was approached by Jerez right behind me.

'What about you, then?
Excuse me. I'm sorry. Well, not in the least, until I challenge you.

　A handsome blond swordsman, Hales Lumberjack. That's the brother of Sherry, he's a very lively guy.


"I don't have any confidence.

Ho!　Surprising. What's in your heart?

I never thought of confidence.

...... haha. I guess this one took one.


　Jerez gave a small smile and stepped back.

　As soon as the opening ceremony was over, the tournament to determine the challenger for the single flash seat match would begin.

　Who exactly will be the one who will face me?

　If Jerez comes in, there is not one chance in a million that he will beat me. With this brief exchange, that one in a million chance is gone. That's how important it is to be in a state of mind before a fight.

　Now, who will come?

　Somehow, I've already had an idea of what to expect: .......



　　* * * *.



　Ippenza Challenger Tournament.
　The matchup table is as follows.

A Jerez Lumberjack (previous second place seed)
B Garam.
C. Kasakari Kerala
D Rave.
E. Rothman (previous top seed)
F Raspberry Bell

{(C vs D) vs A} vs {(B vs F) vs E}

　The winner of this tournament will compete for the title with Second First Test Flashza.


　The first match - Kasakari Kerala vs. Rave.


I didn't think I'd get to play my first match again," said Kasakari. This Kasakari, I'm very impressed.
............

　An old man with glasses wiggles and dances around in a bizarre outfit that looks like an ethnic costume.
　On the other hand, the dark-haired young man was looking at it with boring, cold eyes.

　The two of them were a stark contrast to each other.

Oh, Lord Rave. Do you not like the way I dance?
Yes.
Honest. I like your honesty. I'd say this is just as good as Lord Rothman's son.
Come on.
Oops, excuse me.

　Both fighters are equipped with a "dueling crown" and kept at a distance.

　The duel crown in the summer title is set up in the same way as in the previous winter title: Both fighters must maintain 1 HP during the duel, and any damage will cause them to sustain HP. Also, if a fighter is fatally wounded, he or she is forcibly stunned, which is the same as in the previous winter title fight.

　The rules are the same. The first player to be fatally wounded wins. No potions or other items may be used, only equipment similar to the skill in question. If the player uses a skill other than the relevant skill, he is disqualified. You are disqualified if you go out of the designated dueling area. There is a one hour time limit, and no time limit for the final round.

　There is no change whatsoever.
　However, there will be a change in the contestants, clearly.


"--Begin!

　At the same time as the referee's call, Kasakari stood on one foot and held his rapier at the ready. This is his unique fighting style, which is easy to get behind, which is said to be an advantage in sword fighting.

　It is the same unusual kata that he showed in his previous match with Second, which could be called a dancing kenjutsu.

　And ......


What?

　Kasakari let out a cry of surprise.


　Rave closed the distance in an instant as soon as he gave the command - he fired a combination of 《Infantry Kenjutsu》 and 《Katsuma Kenjutsu》 at the front of Kasakari's right foot as if to pierce her.


''This ......!''

　Kasakari responds by pulling back his legs.
　Immediately after, Rave's 《Infantry Sword Art》 sharply aims at Kasakari's protruding left hand.

''I knew it!

　Kasakari ducks while losing her balance, and takes the distance.

　The murmurings were the impressions that anyone with even the slightest taste in [swordsmanship] had.


　--Although. Rave is tracing (・・・・) the Second's [Kenjutsu] to the [Seven System].


''............''

　Rave silently prepared the 《Flying Car Sword Art》 and rushed forward to thrust it into Kasakari's bosom. His eyes were still somewhat cold and seemed bored.


''No!　Don't think I'm inept!

　Sixth move. Previously, Kasakari had responded to this place with the Golden General Sword Art and lost to the second.

　...... He was frustrated and frustrated, even if it didn't seem very likely that he really meant it. He was so frustrated that he begged the person in question to teach him a lesson in shame, and he was ripped off and the taste of blood spread in his mouth. Still, he sincerely admired the birth of the new Isshuiza, never lost his respect, and even had a kind of admiration for his vivid swordsmanship, and he put all of the last six months of his life into his swordsmanship to see if there was any way to break it.


　Kasakari was quietly angry.

　I must not be defeated," he said. I must never be defeated by this 'imitation' of him who defeated me, this Kasakari Kerala - I must never be defeated by this 'imitation' of him!


'Scrape away!　This is my answer (...)!


　Six months' worth of answers.
　A solution to the sixth move, which I prepared for for six months.

　It's - stick-up (...).

　Kasakari didn't give up on the game. He chose the move of drawing it to the very last minute.

　If he showed an early response with the Golden General Swordsmanship, then the throwing with the Horned Gaze Swordsmanship would come. From there, it merged with the procedure of the second versus Rothman game, and the latter was clearly at a disadvantage. If that was the case, Kasakari thought that if he could draw his opponent to the limit of where he would not be able to throw the Kakugyo Kenjutsu from the first move's Flying Car Kenjutsu cancellation, he could probably catch it with the Golden General Kenjutsu.

　This was indeed a clever choice, and as close to the main plot as possible.

　If the first move here was an angular throw from the flying car cancellation, the rear move would not give the opponent time to throw by starting to close the distance at the moment of the flying car cancellation. On the other hand, if he rushed in with his flying car, he was preparing a counterattack by responding from the last-minute Kimusho preparation.

　He was able to cut back brilliantly. Kasakari's, the best move of his life.


'I see.'

　Rave spilled a small word.

　It's like ...... "Oh, that's a change," he muttered with a generous amount of time to spare.


　Immediately after.

!


　Canceling the flying wheel swordsmanship, and then - flying wheel swordsmanship, ready.


''Ah, ah!''

　I'm not going to be the only one who has a problem with it.


　...... However, we are not going to be able to make it in time. The distance has been sufficiently narrowed down.


''You're a bit loose with your stuff.

　Rave sneered and slammed the Flying Wheel Sword Art into Kasakari's face.

　The critical hit is activated and the ...... match is decided.


''--The winner, Rave!



　　* * *



Second Lord, Second Lord!
What's the matter with you, Sylvia?
'You see that?　That young man!

　As I was quietly watching the game, Sylvia shook my shoulder with a look of exasperation on her face.

'He's punking!'
'Hey!　It's an imitation, that one!
Dumbass!
'Yes, it's stupid!　Eco is right!

　Eco isn't convinced either, it's a spiky mouth.

　I see, the two of them are angry that Rave is acting like a 'Seven System'.

'No, I don't want to be called a clown.
What, isn't the Second Lord mad at you?
Nothing.
I think you're good at that.
I don't hate it, I don't hate it.
What?

　I don't know what they're both feeling, but it's probably egotistical (...) to be angry about this.

'Ummm ...... I thought for sure I was mad at you.'
Why would you think that, on the other hand?
''It's disgusting that you don't fight on your own, what the hell are you competing in a single flash battle for?　Like.
I'm with you, baby!
Huh. Right?

　That's a lot to say.

　Certainly, there will be times when you say something like that. Especially to those who only copy the top end of the Seven System.

　But Rave was different. The young man, who was close to the boy's age, had done his research (...).


　That's what the standard trail is all about. Once it is unveiled, it is natural for it to be studied, countered and adopted.

　He understands this very well. A title fight, well.


　Kasakari also did well. It was not a bad choice to draw the first move in the sixth move. The only reason it was decided in a dumbfounded way after that was because the move just didn't last, and he wasn't competent enough to continue with the move.

'He's fighting on his own strength.
But it's not a pleasant one, is it?
If you say things like that, you'll be using the same marks.
'Ummm, ...... but unlike that young man, I have Lord Second's permission to do so.

　Permission. Permission. I hadn't thought of that idea.

'...... Actually, you know, it was MOSASAURUSU who first laid the rail of the archery setter that I taught you,'
Mosasa ......?

　AKA "The Excavator", fourth in the world with the highest rate of 2672.

　He is a genius at creating fixed marks, transforming outdated fossil warfare methods that many rankers say are "dead" into new methods that are as good as the latest fixed marks.

　Through the repeated discoveries and breakthroughs made by these geniuses, including me, the Teoroku (fixed point) changes from time to time, and from the moment it is thrown into the crowd, it slowly and gradually grows.


It's not a matter of permission. A set of rules has evolved over a long period of time to become what it is today. Common sense changes with the times. There are always new discoveries. Each time there is a new discovery, the fixed point changes its shape. Even if it was created by one person, it is created by dozens or hundreds of researchers.

So what are the rules I've learned?

It's a modified version of the so-called 'New Moussa Method' with my own modifications and Silvia's own interpretation.

Oh, really?

'Yeah. A set of marks is not an individual's property, it's the property of a title fight. All the contestants will work together to make that title more valuable. It's the culmination of everyone's skill that was built on such a passionate will.

...... hmm. I don't know. I'm a little impressed.

　Silvia had a radiant expression on her face as she finally convinced me.


'By the way, you can't become the world's number one unless you continue to transcend that cohesive mass of technology by a single person. And I'm number one in the world, no matter what anyone says.
Ha, ha, ha.

　I annotate it to him and he laughs dismissively at me with a twitchy face.

'What?'
''Nah, man. When I first met Lord Second, I was simply impressed by how amazing he was, but as soon as I stepped into ...... that world myself, it may be rude to say this, but I sometimes find Lord Second to be very scary.
I know that. It's a little scary sometimes, though.

　Even Eco, who was listening to the conversation beside her, joined Silvia.
　Furthermore, beside her, Raspberry Belle nodded deeply, "Yeah, yeah.

''You too, Raz .......''

　I'm a little shocked.

I'm still scared when I fight with Senpai. My whole body starts shaking from my back with my heart in the center. I know why it's happening all the time, and I know the reason why it's happening all the time.
What?　You have a reason. Let me know.
It's easy. You can't do anything bad in front of Senpai, can you? Tense. Tense.
'...... I see. You can't expose your impudence in front of Lord Second, ......?
It's funny, really. When you play a match against someone who is not your senpai, the moment you become aware that your senpai is watching you, your hand starts to tremble.

　Raz quietly held his right hand out in front of him. Indeed, his white fish-like beautiful fingertips trembled a little.

　Well, the next game--.


Well, I'm gonna go now.


　--Raspberry Bell vs. Garam.

　She's also a contestant in the Battle of the Flashes.

　If she's competing, she is, and she's probably already developed a successful Calameria cure.
　But there's been no direct reports to me yet. That means it's probably in the final confirmation stage, in clinical trials or something, so it's not a situation she has to spend time on.

　I should say that she is a former ranker with the highest ranking of 128th, or perhaps I should say that she was able to do both in such a short period of time so easily.

　What's remarkable is that she started playing a few years later than I did, but she had risen to the 128th position in the world ranking.

　In addition, I heard she was in college at the time. That's a very good point.


　As I looked off the back of the superbly beautiful woman with her long white and red hair blowing in the wind, my heart leapt with anticipation.

　If only she had grown up to be more than she was then.
　It won't be long before that sword reaches me.