mtl008 Chapter 691 - 691
Chapter 691 - 691
"Stella hasn't arrived yet?"Eiji's face darkened.
"She promised to be here before the match! What is she doing?"
This is my first time serving as delegation leader, and such a big mess happens already? Do I not deserve to save face?
The entire spectator stands erupted in chaos.
No one knew how many people had come to this Seven Star Sword Art Festival specifically for the gimmick of seeing the world's strongest magic power holder. Under these circumstances, Stella actually being absent left the audience greatly disappointed, with some already cursing loudly.
Renren Tomaru and the others were anxiously gathered together.
"I'll try contacting her!"
Kurogane Ikki, who had just returned from the infirmary, hurried off again.
The entire venue buzzed with noise, and the committee members on the podium were also whispering among themselves, looking deeply concerned.
They were in a difficult position.
If it were an ordinary student, it would be one thing, but Stella carried significant weight—after all, she was a princess of a nation. If they carelessly disqualified her, not only would the audience below not accept it, but it might even affect international relations.
Several minutes later.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm! According to reliable information, Princess Stella is on her way and will be able to participate in the match!"
"After deliberation, the committee has decided to postpone the match between the Crimson Princess and Frosty Sneer to the final match today. We will now proceed with the first round, third match of Block B..."
"As long as she can make it."
Seeing this, the audience finally settled down.
"Is Stella okay?"
As soon as Kurogane Ikki returned to the spectator stands, he was surrounded by the Hagun group.
"She's fine. Stella is safe."
Kurogane Ikki smiled reassuringly.
Since even the Crimson Princess's boyfriend said so, everyone felt relieved.
"Was it not an attack?"
Eiji quietly asked Kurogane Ikki.
"It seems the train encountered a malfunction... It's hard to say if it was an attack or not."
Kurogane Ikki shook his head, a trace of worry appearing in his expression.
If they could confirm it was an attack, that would actually be better—at least they'd know where the enemy was.
Being stuck in this uncertain situation made it hard to feel at ease, especially since abilities like Amane Shinomiya's existed in the world. It was difficult to determine whether it was truly an attack.
"Since your match is over, why don't you go pick her up now?"
Eiji thought for a moment and suggested to him.
"But what about the matches here?"
Kurogane Ikki was very tempted but still hesitated.
He was also somewhat concerned about the upcoming matches.
"Stella's situation is more important."
Eiji cut him off, "Besides, there will be live broadcasts online, right? Although they definitely won't be as clear as watching in person."
Even high-frame-rate cameras struggled to fully capture the exchanges between truly top-tier experts.
"Alright."
Kurogane Ikki didn't hesitate further and soon left the venue.
"Will everything be okay?"
Kanata Totokubara approached, holding her parasol.
"Let's hope so."
Eiji could only silently pray; there was nothing he could do to help here.
"It's about time for my match."
Just then, Touka suddenly stood up.
With an extremely sharp expression, she headed toward the stage where the preparation rooms were located.
Without anyone noticing, the Block B matches had already concluded.
The matches for Block C, where Touka belonged, were about to begin.
"I never expected the president to face such a formidable old rival right away!"
"Both of them are popular contenders in this tournament, only slightly less favored than the Crimson Lotus Princess and the Gale Sword Emperor!"
"This is undoubtedly a clash between championship-level competitors—it's bound to be spectacular!"
Whether in the arena or watching from home, the audience's excitement was instantly ignited.
Eiji sat in the spectator stands.
His posture was steady, his gaze calm as he watched the match unfold.
The overall level of Block C was slightly lower than Block D, but its quality surpassed both Blocks B and A.
For his senior sister to advance from Block C this year, her very first match would be quite challenging.
"Go, Touka!"
"President, you're the strongest!"
Renren Tomaru and the cheer squad roared, rallying support for Touka Toudou.
"Speaking of which, what kind of person is Yuudai Moroboshi?"
Kanata Totokubara suddenly grew curious.
She had never heard much about last year's Seven Star Sword King—it seemed like there were hardly any rumors about him at all.
"If I had to describe him in one word, it would be 'indomitable.'"
Eiji thought for a moment, his eyes showing admiration.
"There are plenty of people with strong wills, but few can endure being tempered by fire and steel. Yuudai Moroboshi is one of them."
...
"For the third match of the first round in Block C, please welcome Hagun Academy's 〈Raikiri〉 Touka Toudou and Bukkyoku Academy's 〈Naniwa Star〉 Yuudai Moroboshi to the stage!"
"My, who would have thought last year's top four contenders would face off so soon! According to last year's records, Raikiri was slightly outmatched. How will it play out this year? Mr. Kaieda, what are your thoughts?"
"Rather than slightly outmatched, I'd say it was a matter of one misstep."
"I watched last year's battle as well. Raikiri's ultimate technique was incredibly sharp—even Naniwa Star didn't dare confront it head-on and only won by creating distance. Both know each other's moves inside out, so I'd say it's a fifty-fifty chance for either to win. Of course, this is just my personal opinion—it may not hold true."
The commentary booth relayed the elderly commentator's prediction.
"Mr. Kaieda, you're too modest. You're from the same era as the God of War, and your reputation as the Judging Thunder is legendary... Ah, both competitors have taken the stage. Let's see what happens!"
On the stage.
Touka Toudou and Yuudai Moroboshi stepped onto the platform one after another, standing twenty meters apart.
"This year, I will definitely redeem my past defeat!"
"I will defeat your Raikiri head-on!"
Like needle against needle, their fighting spirits surged forth, clashing intensely.
The match began!
Spear gleams and blade flashes instantly erupted, blooming into beautiful yet perilous flowers on the stage.
"Yuudai Moroboshi is a genius, hailed as the best in Kansai. Unfortunately, he had an accident in elementary school—both his legs were amputated, and even regeneration pods couldn't heal him. He was suddenly rendered disabled."
Eiji watched the match intently, his eyes following the blade tips and spear gleams like darting fish.
"At that time, Kiriko Yakushi was conducting research on 'repairing disabled body parts using full-body cells.' He crawled all the way from Osaka to Hiroshima by himself, begging Miss Kiriko to let him participate in the study."
That research, specifically, involved stimulating intense cell division in the body and using the excess cells to reconstruct the disabled body parts.
Kiriko Yakushi's original intention was to transform all disabled people worldwide into able-bodied individuals, but she only progressed halfway through her research before deciding to abandon it.
The restoration process was too agonizing.
"That Kaieda on stage is a figure from the same era as the old man. He also once participated in Miss Kiriko's research, but after just seven days, he withdrew due to the unbearable pain."
Upon hearing this, Kanata Totokubara felt suffocated, while Kurogane Shizuku and others who had been drawn in by the story trembled with horror.