「The first round of the 62nd Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival is reaching its climax! In Block A, the Sword Emperor of Wind Ouma Kurogane and Panzer Grizzly Renji Kaga both won swift victories! As is only reasonable, these singular, national powerhouses have emerged triumphant!

In Block B, newcomer Akatsuki Academy is flexing their muscles with a three-zero shutout - not one of their opponents, all tough customers themselves, has been able to wound them! They have certainly made their strong presence felt here!

And fresh in everyone’s minds is Block C where the previous champion, Seven Stars Sword King Yuudai Moroboshi, fell unexpectedly to F-Rank Knight Ikki Kurogane in a dramatic showdown!

This has been a tumultuous Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival right from Day One!

But this match -the fourth match of Block B, that was delayed due to Stella Vermillion’s tardiness- must be the most outrageous match in the history of the Festival! With the agreement of her opponent, Mikoto Tsuruya, she has set herself a special rule - to fight all the remaining members of Block B in a four-on-one match!

How will this all play out? I have no idea!」

The excited voice of the commentator flowed forth from the television speakers. Behind him, the shouts of the crowd that packed the Bay Dome resounded like an earthquake.

Their reaction was only natural. Fights between knights were conventionally one-on-one. There had never before been a case of a four-versus-one match in the all the history of the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival. This was the very first time this had happened - and thus it was an unpredictable irregular.

What was Crimson Princess Stella Vermillion thinking, to have suggested something so reckless as a four-versus-one match?

Raikiri Touka Toudou and Scharlach Frau Toutokubara Kanata, who were in front of the TV, knew the reason.

“Stella-san is a really kind person..”

“...Yes, President. We have been blessed with a fine junior.”

They understood.

Stella did not intend to let a single one of them off - those representatives from Akatsuki Academy who had left Hagun in shambles before.

If the tournament went according to schedule, Puppeteer Reisen Hiraga and Beast Tamer Rinna Kazamatsuri would meet in the second round - a match between colleagues from Akatsuki Academy. When that happened, one of the two would certain choose to forfeit and not take part in the battle.

After all, they were mercenaries hired by Prime Minister Tsukikage to cause the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival to be dominated by a force that did not belong to the League of Mage-Knight Nations. They had no interest in such things as fighting for glory as knight apprentices, and would not diminish their fighting strength for the sake of such a thing either.

Stella understood this.

Thus, using her tardiness as an excuse, she proposed such a reckless thing.

This was all for the sake of the students of Hagun Academy, starting with Touka and the others, who had been hurt during Akatsuki Academy’s assault on Hagun.

It was something that should have made one happy. Thankful, even.

But Kanata was hardly gladdened.

“...But President, Stella-san’s kindness...pains me.”

“Why is that?”

“Her kindness and consideration for us has driven her into a corner,” Kanata said, voice low and face drawn with regret, “for to have to face Yui Tatara and three others in a handicap battle...is the worst possible situation.”

Sensing something off about Kanata’s expression, Touka remembered something.

During the assault, she had been the one to fight Yui Tatara.

“I was focused on defeating Ouma at the time, so I didn’t pay much attention to the details of your battles, but is Yui Tatara really such a knight as you say she is?”

“It’s a bit embarrassing, but I was unable to harm a hair on her head even once.”

“Eh..?!!”

Touka was rendered speechless.

Not a hair on her head had been harmed.

This was not an uncommon occurrence in battles between knights.

Touka herself had defeated the Lorelei Shizuku Kurogane without being injured as well.

However, doing that to Scharlach Frau was a different matter.

Even in the pinnacle of the competitive knight combat scene, the King of Knights A-League, there was no one who could fight Kanata and come out unscathed.

This was because of her Noble Art Diamond Dust, which dispersed the blade of her Device into small particles invisible to the naked eye and then was used to pierce her opponents. Evading the technique fully was very difficult - these particles were so small that they could even enter one’s lungs through inhalation.

Thus, finding someone who could defeat her without themselves being wounded was close to impossible.

But according to Kanata, Yui Tatara had done so.

Then-

The worst-case scenario flashed across Touka’s mind.

“Could she be a Reflector?!”

Kanata nodded. Her worst-case guess had become reality.

As the name suggested, such Blazers could reflect all their opponents’ attacks back at them; their expertise lay in the way their ability would increase in power the stronger the attacks received were.

That was to say that-

“For the Crimson Princess, who boasts overwhelming power - this will be the worst opponent she’s had up to this point.”