, she had not relied on it, choosing to continue fighting without relying on the aid of others.

But Reisen himself had flown in the face of that style, crossing the line by using Marionette in order to threaten her.

The moment that had happened, this match had ceased to be a fight in Stella’s eyes: it had become pest extermination.

Freeing her from the chains of ‘victory’...I definitely shouldn’t have done that.

He understood too well the reason for his defeat.

Just then, a shadow loomed over him.

He looked up. Stella was looking down at him, her face silhouetted against the clear summer sky, the clouds all but having been blown away by the storm.

Her eyes were filled with contempt, as though she had seen some sort of garbage.

He knew well the reason why.

Seeing his body, she must have felt disgusted.

For that body of his that had collapsed on the ground was not that of a human.

It was a robotic puppet made of metal and wood.

Yes. The person named the Perriot, Reisen Hiraga, had never once existed.

‘He’ was nothing but a puppet controlled by the most skilled Puppeteer in Rebellion.

A man like that, who could casually take hostages in a public arena, would never take part in a fair fight, let alone show up in person at the venue.

Stella seemed to have realized this somewhat as well. Her eyes bore no trace of surprise, only a certain distant coldness.

“It seems that you are not an opponent who would dance in the palm of my hand. This is your win-”

As he was about to give out some shallow praises, Stella crushed his blackened visage underfoot without hesitation.

She had nothing to say to him, nor was she interested in hearing anything from him, and so she smashed him as one would an empty can.

He was that insignificant a presence in her eyes.

With that, there was only one person still standing in the ring. The fourth match of Block B, that had begun with the penalty Stella had suggested, was now ended.

「What...what should we call this? Just as we thought that Stella, having discarded her blade, was on the receiving end of a beating, being beaten back into a corner, the light she released literally incinerated everything in the ring, leaving naught but her still standing! Even the umpire lost consciousness after being caught up in the thick of it! To think she had hidden such an ace!」

「I wouldn’t say she had hidden it, more that she hadn’t wanted to use it.」

「What might you mean?」

「Looking at that technique, Bahamut Soul, it is merely the full-power release of mana at one’s upper ceiling of instantaneous output. For the benefit of the Non-Blazers in the audience, it was akin to yelling out loud - hence the low, unstoppable execution timing and its high power. However, the more this is so, the less easy to control it becomes. The proof of this is that the umpires were caught up in the blast, and if not for the barrier that the Mage Knights positioned in the stands erected around the ring, the audience, and even the entire Bay Dome might have been blown away. It’s an extremely dangerous technique. It is common sense among knights that such techniques that might affect bystanders should be restricted in their use. After all, they run counter to the essence of a knight - that those with power should protect those that do not possess it.」

「So she used it because she had been pushed into a corner?」

「No...that’s probably wrong as well.」

Shaking his head, Muroto gazed down at the figure of the victor within the charred, blackened landscape with something akin to awe in his gaze - for he had been able to discern the true reason behind Stella’s use of Bahamut Soul.

「That was probably just a test shot.」

「A test? What would she be testing?」

「The strength of those organizing this festival - in other words, she was ascertaining if this Festival would or would not collapse if she were to exert her full power...Really, what an outrageous young lady. This has to be a first, testing the Organizing Committee like that.」

This was indeed the truth.

Saving one’s strength out of concern for the surroundings and one’s opponent was a habit that could only come of having been born with surpassing strength as Stella was. Having realized this, Nene Saikyou the Yaksha Princess had left her this advice: that just once, she should try discarding that concern at an early stage of the festival.

「Kuu-chan is at this Festival too. Her defenses aren’t so weak that little kids need to worry or hold themselves back.」

And just as Nene had said, even Bahamut Soul, Stella’s momentary release of her full power, had been unable to harm anyone in the stands in the least.

The moment she had used it, a number of Blazers had moved to weave layer upon layer of defensive barriers. Their swift movements caused her to realize that her concern was unnecessary. They were practiced enough that they could tide over a little recklessness just fine - as expected of the knights of Japan, who boasted of standing at the top of the League.

But one thing was unexpected.

“To think that you were the first to make a move, Ouma.”

Among those layered defenses, the swiftest had been the wall of wind that the Sword Emperor of Wind Ouma had conjured to blast Bahamut Soul up into the air.

What were his intentions? While she could not claim to understand them, they did not leave her in a good mood.

Was it because he had aided her? Was it because he had been able to perfectly seal her ability?

Perhaps it was both.

Thus Stella merely spared Ouma, who was looking down at her from the highest point in the stands, a single glance-

Well, que sera, sera.

-before turning away and departing the ruined ring slowly, her crimson hair billowing like a flame behind her.

“Good work. As expected of our country’s A-Ranked Knight, to be able to withstand that level of power - that was truly splendid. I am much reassured to have a young man like you around.”

Within the topmost VIP room in a corner of the stands, Bakuga Tsukikage, the Director of Akatsuki Academy, applauded the young man dressed in casual Japanese-style clothes next to him.

His applause of course was in response to Ouma having defended the audience from Stella’s flames.

“But as a participant, you should conserve your strength. Even if you had not make a move, Shinguuji-kun would have had it well in hand.”

Ouma did not even turn to face him as he replied.

“‘What-ifs’ are annoying. It would hardly be interesting if she were to conserve her strength yet again by being tied down by pointless concerns.”

His razor-sharp eyes were fixed only upon the crimson knight below, and coincidentally, their gazes met as Stella looked up.

A gaze like a keen blade, brimming with killing intent.

Despite that bitter defeat to him before, her eyes had no fear in them - instead, the very spirit of confidence and strength shone within her eyes.

Seeing them, Ouma smiled in spite of himself.

“How my heart sings.”

Her aura was different from before.

She must have spent that one week most productively...

...In order to best me.

That was good.

The Crimson Princess had to aim for such heights.

Her talent could never blossom if she merely tested herself against opponents of such low caliber as The Worst One.

Defeating her meant nothing if she aimed so low.

That was not the outcome Ouma desired.

Look at me. Aim for me. This is, after all, also for your own sake..

Thus, though Mikoto Tsuruya had been aided by three members of Akatsuki due to Stella’s suggestion of a four-on-one match for the fourth match of Block B, Stella defeated them in one fell swoop.

Having been caught up in the swell of her overwhelming might, the umpire had lost consciousness and was thus unable to call the victor. But looking at imposing form of Stella treading alone upon the seared land as she made for the gate, all present understood and believed that the victor, the one who would dominate Block B - was the Crimson Princess.

This was a matter of course, for she had faced every member of Block B aside from herself and had defeated them all. She had only won her first-round battle, but in truth this victor equated to her topping Block B.

This belief would become truth shortly. Yui Tatara, whom Stella should have fought in the second match of the second round, was declared medically unfit to participate. Among the first match’s participants, Rinna Kazamatsuri declared that she intended to resign, while word was handed down disqualifying Reisen Hiraga for not having appeared in person.

Thus, Crimson Princess Stella Vermillion became the first person to reach the semi-finals of the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival, getting there with but a single battle.