Chapter Intermission

The Toutokubara Family is the second largest conglomerate in Japan with French nobility origin . They still
have a long-standing idea of “noble duty” in the 21st century which they do not monopolize wealth, set up
public interest foundations and develop various social welfare businesses . Kanata, who is the General Affairs
Assistant of the Toutokubara Welfare Foundation, is currently busy with paperwork at the foundation’s facility
. Kanata came to Wakaba House in Fukuoka with Touka Toudou and Utakata Misogi, but they were only
together for 2 days . The problems Wakaba House has been facing recently are bothering her and she’s hoping
that the plan proposed by the old man staying at Wakaba House will be successful in resolving the problems .
Suddenly, she receives a call coming from Itsuki Kurogane which surprises her . Kanata had made an inquiry
to the police about the identity of the old man at Wakaba House . Itsuki informs Kanata that the old man,
Tendou Harima, is actually a dangerous criminal that escaped from a prison belonging to the League of Mage-
Knight Nations . A declaration of emergency has been sent to the mage-knights in Kyushu and Kurono
Shinguuji is already on her way there . Itsuki also informs Kanata that Tendou is a human-shaped disaster and
ordinary knights can’t even touch him . After hearing this, Kanata immediately contacts Utakata and she learns
from him that Touka is currently with Tendou . Itsuki thinks it takes time for Kurono to arrive in Fukuoka
from Tokyo and the mage-knights in the nearby areas will only get slaughtered one-sidedly, but there is one
person that might be able to at least hold off Tendou . Itsuki then contacts Bukyoku Academy’s director and
asks for a certain student who he needs to contact as soon as possible .

Chapter 4

In the cemetery, Touka delivers “Raikiri” at Tendou but the old man stops the blow easily with his manifested
Device, “Ame no Murakumo” . The old man also introduces himself as the founder of Tendoushuu, the “Great
Flame” Tendou Harima . His Device looks like a rusted bronze sword but the magic power he poured onto it is
huge . Touka jumps back as she has never faced someone with this level of magic and it is dangerous to be
close to her opponent without knowing much about him . In addition, she has heard about Tendoushuu, the
group responsible for the mass murder that occurred long before she was born . Touka doesn’t remember
seeing Tendou’s name in the records of the incident which is probably because his existence was kept hidden .
Touka then asks Tendou if he was deceiving her and the others, and Tendou apologizes for keeping his identity
a secret . Tendou needed to know the reason why God unleashed him again on this world, but after talking
with Touka he is certain that she deserves a trial from God . Touka doesn’t understand what Tendou is saying
but he says she will understand soon . Tendou then raises his sword towards the sky and his whole body
releases green light which passes through the tip of his sword . The pillar of light launched to the sky causes
clouds to gather and become a huge thundercloud that darkens the sky . Touka can tell the amount of power in
the black cloud is probably a million times of the power of her “Raikiri” and even Stella’s amount of power
might not compare . Despite so, Touka doesn’t falter because if Tendou also uses lighting then they will just
cancel each other’s ability . She believes victory will be decided by their skills in using their weapons and she
should be superior in that area considering Tendou’s body that looks almost like a skeleton . Tendou then says
that his power’s destination is not Touka and that it pains him that he might have to kill the children at Wakaba
House who were kind to him . He believes such trials are necessary because if Touka manages to stand up
again after losing her current family then she will receive God’s blessing . Touka replies that she won’t let that
happen but Tendou tells her it is impossible for the current Touka .
Touka uses “Shippu Jinrai” to increase her muscle strength and moves fast towards Tendou’s blind spot . At
that position she releases “Raikiri” and her blade passes through his body . However, no blood is spilled from
his body even after she releases “Raikiri” a few more times . There is no feeling of severing the flesh or even a
laceration so Touka can only conclude that her attacks don’t hit . She doesn’t understand why and Tendou
replies that she can’t touch him because there is too much difference in the stage of existence between him
who has received the “blessing” and her who is just a person . The “blessing” he’s talking about is when a
Blazer’s soul and body transcend human territory after surpassing the limits of his ego . He further explains
that the magic power of a Blazer is often compared to their fate and it is said that the maximum amount of
magic power they possess is determined at birth . But rarely there are Blazers who overcome their limit and go
outside their given fates--stepping into the territory of non-humans . Touka who is a just a person can’t stop
Tendou whose body and soul are closer to God . At first, Touka thinks Tendou’s explanation is ridiculous but
then she remembers the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival final match where Ikki used “Ittou Rasetsu” even
though the time limit of “Ittou Shura” had passed . The only way for Touka to stop Tendou is to step into the
territory of non-humans herself .
Tendou then releases more magic power from his whole body and sends it to the sky through his sword .
Tendou says “Tensai – Houten Banrai (sky disaster – sky-crashing heavy thunder)”, and the thundercloud that
receives his magic power is releasing many lightning strikes . Instead of the cemetery, these lightnings are
hitting the surrounding mountain and town . Each time the lightning hits, an explosion occurs and the struck
area is engulfed in flames, including the residential area where Wakaba House is . Touka screams at Tendou to
stop and as shown in a pic she desperately tries to stop him by attacking him many times . However, no matter
how she attacks or which part of the body she attacks, her sword keeps passing through Tendou’s body
hundreds of times without him injured . The exhaustion and the terrible imagination she has when hearing
many people in town screaming cause her to fall on her knees at Tendou’s feet . There is nothing else she
could do except begging for Tendou to stop . Tendou then bends his knees to hug Touka and says that he
understands the pain she’s feeling . But he also believes that Touka can overcome this trial and save everyone .
Touka realizes that talking to Tendou is useless and there’s nothing she can do with her hands while the
thunderstorm continues burning the town . She stops resisting and begs for someone to save everyone while
shedding tears . Utakata then suddenly appears at the entrance of the cemetery and calls out Touka . Seeing this
causes Tendou to point his sword towards Utakata and tells Touka to resent him more so that she can
overcome this trial . Tendou says “Kasai – Banshou Kaijin (fire disaster – all into ashes)” and a huge flame
shoots out from his sword towards the cemetery’s entrance where Utakata is standing . However, Utakata is
safe despite everything around the entrance is burnt in black . It is because Moroboshi is also there wielding
his spear clad in golden light .
Itsuki contacted Moroboshi and Byakuya Jougasaki and they both agreed to assist with the situation in
Fukuoka . They used Jougasaki’s teleportation ability to reach Fukuoka from Osaka in 5 minutes and then
joined with Kanata in helping the evacuation of the local residents . After that Moroboshi went with Utakata to
find Touka and reached the cemetery . Moroboshi tells Touka that everyone is safe and after hearing that she
collapses to the ground from exhaustion . Moroboshi then rushes towards Tendou and tells Utakata to get
Touka out of here when he has the chance . Tendou unleashes many lightnings from the thundercloud to
intercept Moroboshi but they all miss . Tendou misreads Moroboshi’s position due to Moroboshi using
footwork similar to Ikki’s “Shinkirou” . Moroboshi lands a thrust on Tendou which sends him backward and
during that moment Utakata grabs Touka . Tendou launches more lightnings but they disappear as soon as
Moroboshi brushes them off with his spear-shaped Device “Tora-Ou” . Tendou realizes that Moroboshi’s
ability can destroy magic power . The information on Tendou that Moroboshi received from Itsuki says that
Tendou has the ability to manipulate “disasters” and he is a Blazer that has undergone “Excessive Awakening”
. Tendou’s body is no longer human and has strong defense like a Device so ordinary methods can’t harm him
. Moreover, he makes use of his ability to turn his body like a cloud to ward off attacks . However,
Moroboshi’s Noble Art “Tiger Bite” is effective and so Moroboshi is one of the few people that can hurt
Tendou which is why Itsuki chose to send him . Tendou agrees that Moroboshi’s ability can kill him, but only
if the spear reaches him . Tendou then pierces his sword to the ground and says “Fuusai – Kokuryuu Toguro
(wind disaster – black dragon’s coil)” . As shown in a colored pic, a vortex of black storm surrounds Tendou
which makes it difficult for Moroboshi to land a thrust on him . The power of the black tornado far surpasses
even Ouma Kurogane’s power, but Moroboshi doesn’t falter since the black tornado is created by magic .
Moroboshi’s spear is clad with “Tiger Bite” and he thrusts into the tornado . He should be able to reach
Tendou by rushing through the windless hole created by “Tiger Bite” . However, he is strongly hit from the
side by a tombstone caught inside the tornado and his body rolls towards the cemetery’s entrance . Many
 rubbles of different sizes are moving at tremendous speed inside the tornado and so it is impossible for
Moroboshi to break through the storm . While Moroboshi gets back up, the black cloud of Tendou’s “Houten
Banrai” releases lightning . The lightnings keep striking Moroboshi many times and he is able to protect
himself with “Tiger Bite” but barely . Despite already releasing so much magic power, Tendou shows no sign
of running out of power . Moroboshi never heard about Desperados until he was informed by the League but
he’s convinced that Tendou has an inhuman amount of magic and is a human-shaped disaster . Moroboshi then
increases the power of “Tiger Bite” and throws his spear into the sky . It causes the area around the cemetery
to be clear of lightnings and Moroboshi takes that chance to escape with Touka and Utakata . Tendou is happy
that there are young people who can make such appropriate action and so he thinks he should give them God’s
trial . He then activates “Shinsai – Hoshinari (quake disaster – star’s ringing)”, a Noble Art that creates an
earthquake that is said to be the biggest disaster on Earth . After he pours magic power into “Ame no
Murakumo”, tremors that gradually become bigger are formed on the surrounding mountain . The mountain
collapses into a landslide that crushes and washes away everything in the area including burning forests,
highland residential areas and the student-knights that had just escaped from Tendou . The tremors also spread
to the nearby city, with the grounds sinking or rising and the buildings breaking down one after another .
Lightnings also keep striking, creating fires and explosions everywhere . In just one hour, the entire Fukuoka
City collapses .
Sometime later, Touka wakes up on a hospital bed with Kanata greeting her . Kanata says everyone from
Wakaba House is safe thanks to the League mobilizing the evacuation fast, and Touka is relieved to hear that .
Utakata is in a coma because he was caught in the landslide and he used his ability to make sure Touka was the
one uninjured instead of him . Kanata then explains that it’s been 5 days and since then the entire Fukuoka and
Saga, part of Oita, Nagasaki and Kumamoto Prefectures have been destroyed by lightnings, rainfalls and
earthquakes . All the citizens there were evacuated to southern Kyushu and Touka is currently in a university
hospital in Miyazaki City . The disasters have settled down for now but it’s only a matter of time for the
second expansion since Tendou is not caught yet . Kurono had rushed to the area but the damages were already
too great that evacuation had to be prioritized . Kanata didn’t expect Tendou would do such a horrible thing
but Touka understands that Tendou just simply believes that he’s delivering God’s blessing . Suddenly there is
a voice broadcast that requests all B-rank and above mage-knights including student knights that were involved
in rescue operations to gather for a strategy meeting to capture Tendou . Touka and Kanata then head for a
conference room in the hospital where almost 20 knights already gathered . Moroboshi is one of them and
Touka immediately thanks him for rescuing her . Most Blazers that came to Kyushu are from West Japan and
the number of B-rank Blazers in all of Japan doesn’t even reach 100 . Only a few elites which include even
Yuuzou Kaieda are gathered in the room since attacking Tendou with a large number of people is not a good
idea . The A-rank Kurono then enters the room and begins the strategy meeting for the subjugation of Tendou .
Kurono who is in command of the operation briefs everyone in the room that Tendou has stopped his activity
due to fatigue but it’s only a matter of time until he resumes and destroys southern Kyushu . Everyone in the
room agrees that they need to attack Tendou before then . They have been informed that Tendou is a special
Blazer that has undergone “Excessive Awakening”, and Kaieda asks Kurono to explain about it since even an
elite veteran like him never heard about it before . Originally this information is only disclosed to those who
have reached “Brute Soul” or close to, but the League has given permission to disclose it since it is an
emergency . Kurono explains to everyone about “Desperados” which are rare existences that can increase the
upper limit of their magic power after achieving “Brute Soul” and possessing a special characteristic called
“attraction force” that enables them to strongly affect causation and become very difficult to be affected by
other Blazers’ causation interference type abilities . When a Blazer reaches “Excessive Awakening” they lose
their rationality as a human and become a monster . The League’s point of view is the “demons” that existed
around the world since ancient times were actually Blazers that lost their humanity . Kurono adds that
achieving “Brute Soul” can only be done by exhausting every possible effort and having a strong “ego” to
move forward without giving up even when facing the limit of your potential like Ikki did during the Seven
Stars Sword Art Festival final match . The reason the League is keeping all of this a secret is because they are
afraid many Blazers will be forced to do unreasonable things in order to overcome their limit . Using Ikki’s
way of life as an example, everyone who knows him understands it is not something that everyone can do .
 Kurono also informs that all this information is specially disclosed under Itsuki’s authority to B-rank and
above Blazers participating in this operation and should not be leaked .
Everyone then starts discussing a strategy to defeat Tendou . Kurono says Tendou’s body is a mass of magic
power instead of physical matter due to “Excessive Awakening” and so his body is as strong as a Device . In
addition, his body can turn into mist to evade physical attacks . Unlike Kiriko Yakushi and Shizuku
Kurogane’s Noble Arts which mix their body’s constituents into the mist, Tendou’s body is a complete spirit
body so damages from chemical changes such as heat can’t be expected . Neither physical nor magic attack is
effective against Tendou but if there is a possibility of damaging Tendou, it would be with Kurono’s “World
Crisis” that can collapse the space-time of Tendou’s existence coordinates or with Moroboshi’s “Tiger Bite”
that can directly attack Tendou’s magic power . Therefore, the strategy is that the other Blazers will distract
Tendou and create an opening for Kurono and Moroboshi to finish him off . Diverting his attention should be
possible since he would be vigilant against abilities similar to Moroboshi . In addition, Tendou who is blind
relies on his hearing and so attacking with a large number of people would reduce his accuracy . Moroboshi
was unable to attack Tendou before because he was focusing more on defense but he should manage if
everyone else takes care of defense for him . Kurono will also use “Clock Up” on everyone to make it easier .
Despite being capable of playing an active part on the frontline, Kiriko is asked to stay and continue treating
the wounded since she is better as a doctor . The meeting ends with Kurono declaring that the operation will
start at dawn and so everyone should rest until then .
After the meeting, Kurono talks with Touka who apologizes for the disaster happening now because she and
the others protected Tendou . Kurono assures Touka that it was actually thanks to her and others that the
League was able to find Tendou . Touka then says that she finally understands now that the “blessing” Tendou
was talking about was actually “Brute Soul”, and that he’s forcing Touka and others to achieve it . This was
probably the motive for what he did during the “Teito Hotel Occupation Incident” . While it’s true that “Brute
Soul” can be achieved when someone faces a crisis in life with feelings of despair and then their ego largely
changes rapidly, but because it was achieved without the person’s own resolve it would largely hurt their spirit
. People that achieved “Brute Soul” this way would just increase their powers abnormally and continue to live
their lives in distorted ways, which was the case for Iris Ascarid and probably Or-Gaule, and would also
achieve “Excessive Awakening” much easier . Kurono believes such a thing is not strength and so Tendou
should be stopped . Tendou was captured before with the cooperation of Ryouma Kurogane who was the
strongest water-user in Japan’s history and a Desperado, but this time all of Japan’s Desperados are out of the
country . Trying to arrest Tendou would cause too much damage so the order from the League’s Japan branch
is that Tendou must be subjugated regardless of whether he is alive or dead . As Touka is about to leave she
just screams and then collapses all of a sudden . Her lips are trembling, her clothes are moist with sweat and
her breathing is unusually fast and shallow . Kurono has an idea what caused this while telling Kiriko to go
treat Touka .
Touka finds herself on a barren hill under a dark cloudy sky which confuses her since she had just talked to
Kurono in a room . As shown in a colored pic, she is completely naked and chained to a crucifixion cross . The
chain is unbelievably strong that even she who is a Blazer can’t even loosen her restraint . Countless human
figures then appear and each has the same face as Tendou’s . They approach Touka while carrying “Ame no
Murakumo” in their hands and then stabs her on different parts of her body . At that moment of pain, she
suddenly wakes up in the same hospital room she was in before . Touka doesn’t understand what just happened
and wonders if it was just a dream . Kurono believes that what Touka saw was her own “death” . Tendou can
strongly influence cause and effect as a Desperado, and Touka had felt the fate of “death” which is inevitable .
The chain in the dream represents the limit of her potential tested by the threat from Tendou . For now it is still
a dream but the inevitable “death” will become real if she fights him again . The fear burned into Touka’s heart
cannot be overcome easily . Because of this Kurono forbids Touka from participating in the operation .
Suddenly, a huge alarm sound goes out, which is the national emergency alert that prompts all knights in Japan
to be ready for immediate battle . Kurono then receives a phone call from Itsuki who tells her that the operation
in Kyushu has been canceled . On the Pacific Ocean, 200 nautical miles from Japan’s EEZ (exclusive
economic zone), the U . S . Pacific Fleet has emerged with clear hostility .
Chapter 5

In the Pacific Ocean, there are over a hundred battleships on their way to Japan . They belong to the US Pacific
Fleet, which is the forerunner of the Union . A JSDF squadron is nearby and issues a warning to the battleships
that they are about to enter Japan’s EEZ . But the fleet is not slowing down and once the first large aircraft
carrier enters the EEZ, they finally respond . The US Pacific Fleet Commander is Douglas Appleton, a Blazer
nicknamed “White Whale” . The white middle-aged man in military uniform, standing on the bow of the
leading ship “White Aircraft Carrier”, speaks to the JSDF over the radio . Appleton informs them that the
PSYON unit has captured Prime Minister Bakuga Tsukikage at Rebellion’s HQ . The US along with the Union
concluded from their interrogation that the League was behind the evil Rebellion and they are here in the name
of justice . Suddenly, a huge hand made of water grabs a JSDF aircraft and pulls it to the bottom of the water .
Appleton continues by saying if Japan doesn’t surrender then the US will launch bombers on Tokyo . Itsuki is
in the League’s Japan branch’s operation command center as the commander and thinks what Appleton said is
not really nonsense . Rebellion was not a group trying to fulfill the ideology of “building a kingdom for
Blazers”, but in fact, it was a necessary evil headed by leaders of the economy side instead of the political side
to prevent another world war . The League never supported Rebellion but they had allowed them to exist
because Rebellion acted as a third major power that prevented the League and the Union from going into war .
In a way, the League can be considered as an accomplice, but the same can be said about the Union . One of
Rebellion’s Numbers was the “Grand Professor” Islands Burg who is the chairman of the US banks’ Federal
Reserve Board . The fact that the Union is making such allegations publically means that they are making a
move to change the world . Itsuki has the authority to be Tsukikage’s proxy during his absence based on the
League’s regulations . He declares a national emergency and issues an order to destroy the US Pacific Fleet . In
accordance with the national defense emergency manual, the command center is officially called the “Joint
Operation Headquarters” . All of the air defense systems in the Greater Tokyo Area are activated and the
hatches of shelters for citizens are opened . All of the mage-knights in East Japan are called and the ones in
Greater Tokyo Area are being deployed immediately .
Itsuki is reminded by his subordinate that Appleton would be A-rank by the League’s standards . Tokyo
currently lacks Torajirou Nangou, Nene Saikyou and Kurono, so it doesn’t have any Blazer that can go up
against Appleton . Thus, Itsuki immediately contacts Kurono and informs her of what’s happened . Kurono
who is in Touka’s hospital room is ordered by Itsuki to suspend the operation in Kyushu and return to Tokyo .
The knights remaining in Kyushu will assist with evacuating the refugees to Honshu and Shikoku . Kurono
suggests that she will return as soon as Tendou is defeated but Itsuki disagrees because Kurono needs to be at
her best to defend Japan’s capital . The government’s decision is that Kyushu will be abandoned and the
subjugation of Tendou will be left to the relief squad being sent by the League . Itsuki’s reasoning and the
scene she saw from Tsukikage’s Device of Tokyo burning cause Kurono to comply . Kurono will be the only
one to go to Tokyo while the rest of the knights in Kyushu led by Kaieda will help evacuating people . Touka
protests at first but even she knows that defending the capital is the top priority for the country . Kanata will
contact her father to help them with gathering as many boats and ships as possible for the evacuation . Kurono
also orders Touka to rest today and help with the evacuation tomorrow because her strength will be needed for
fighting the US forces later . Kurono promises that in 2 days she will sink the US Pacific Fleet and return to
Kyushu . After Kurono leaves the room, Touka holds her knees and sheds tears as shown in a pic . She is
miserable because she feels she needs to fight Tendou in Kurono’s place but she can’t say it because she felt
glad before when told she didn’t have to fight Tendou . Kanata thinks someone needs to look after Touka
while she’s in such a depressed state .
The refugees in Kyushu are worried after they heard the news of the US invasion and that Kyushu will be
abandoned . There are too many refugees that it is impossible to evacuate them before Tendou resumes his
activity . Among the refugees in Miyazaki, the woman named Itou who had caused trouble to Wakaba House
before is complaining and becomes hysterical . Before Kanata could help Kaieda to calm Itou down, Itou’s
cheek is slapped by Hisako Nishikata, the director of Wakaba House . Hisako is showing an amount of anger
that Kanata has never seen before, and she scolds Itou for showing such appearance in front of her own child .
Hisako, who had lost her own husband and child in a Blazer-related criminal incident, then says in a calm
voice that there are children who don’t want to lose anything . Hisako had lost everything but she won’t regret
her life if it’s for the sake of the new precious family she has now and tells Itou to do the same . Itou’s child is
also anxious while being worried about his mother, and seeing her child being like this causes Itou to cry while
holding her child . After Itou calmly returns to the evacuation queue, her husband apologizes to Hisako for his
wife’s behavior . He wonders if he will still have a home to return to but Hisako who has lived for over 60
years believes it will be okay because as long as you’re alive anything is possible . Kanata then goes to Hisako
to tell her that Touka is not feeling well and shouldn’t be left alone . Kanata asks Hisako to be with Touka
which Hisako agrees to do . After Hisako has left, Moroboshi approaches Kanata and asks her the contact
information for the Hagun female student who’s with Kuraudo Kurashiki . The reason why Moroboshi wants it
is that the evacuation is impossible and if Tendou strikes soon there will be huge casualties . He says he won’t
let Tendou do as he pleases and will show him the power of the young ones .

Touka who is in her hospital room thinks that evacuating everyone before Tendou attacks again is impossible
and feels miserable for being too weak to do anything about it . Suddenly, Tendou appears and says that it’s
not true . Seeing him causes Touka’s body to tremble and difficult for her to breathe . Tendou also approaches
and gently strokes Touka’s cheek which causes her to be afraid to the point that her body becomes cold,
trembling so much and spilling tears as shown in a pic . Tendou who is blind can tell that Touka is afraid of
him so much . He knows she can see the chain that binds her in front of the “death” he represents and says God
will only grant blessing to those that broke their chains . He came here to tell Touka that he will resume
attacking people later today . His Noble Art “Hyousai – Guren Jigoku (ice disaster – crimson hell)” will cause
a huge blizzard that will cause almost everyone to die within 3 days . Hearing such despair caused Touka
screaming, begging Tendou not to do it . While releasing flame-like light in his eye sockets, he replies that if
she doesn’t want that to happen then she must defeat him . Touka tries to close her eyes but Tendou forcefully
opens her eyelids with his fingers and tells her not to look away because he is the enemy that she must defeat .
She asks why he’s doing this and he replies there are things he can see when blind . A very dark night that
swallows the radiance of people's lives is coming from the eastern sky and so there’s no time left . Touka
realizes Tendou is talking about Japan’s current situation with the US . Tendou also says the incident in the
east is just the beginning . Everyone’s radiance is still small and will be swallowed by the darkness so Tendou
will lead them to God in order to save them, which he believes is the reason why he’s still living . He then tells
Touka that he believes in her strength and asks her to break her chain and come kill him . The next moment,
Tendou’s appearance becomes blurred and slowly disappears which causes Touka able to breathe properly
again .
Touka then feels cold and realizes the outside temperature has dropped . There is also a voice broadcast that
says the Japan Meteorological Agency has just reported that a local change has occurred in Fukuoka City .
Tendou said almost everyone will die within 3 days and it is impossible for Kurono to return here before then
since she’s fighting an army with great power . Touka then believes that the only option left is to fight Tendou
and in order to do that she needs to achieve “Brute Soul” . The next moment, she is back on that hill where she
is completely naked and chained to a crucifixion cross . Touka now understands that this is an image of the
absolute “death” that exists within her . When she was little she read a book related to Christianity which
included an illustration of a saint being executed, and that horrible memory became an image of “death” in her
deep unconscious mind . Touka believes this is all an illusion that represents her mind hesitating to challenge
her fated death, and so if she overcomes it she will achieve “Brute Soul” . Touka is stabbed by multiple
illusionary Tendou and she tries to convince herself that it doesn’t hurt since everything is an illusion . She
can’t die in this illusion so she can repeat it many times until she breaks out of the chain that is restraining her .

Chapter 6

After a national emergency is declared, Tokyo has become a fortified city with an urban defense system . Air
defense weapons are activated and important equipment is sent to a geo-front that has evacuation shelters that
all of Tokyo residents can live there up to 3 months . The city itself is probably the largest and strongest
fortress in the world . But even if such fortress exists, the country still needs mage-knights to protect the
citizens and engage the enemies on the frontline . Student knights are also gathered in a national emergency,
including Ayase Ayatsuji . As shown in a colored pic, Ayase rushes out of the shower to her room in order to
get dressed after hearing the news alert . Instead of wearing a bra, she decides to put on a sarashi since it
provides better protection . Ayase then suddenly receives a call from Moroboshi, which causes her to ask why
he’s calling her . Ayase’s response makes Moroboshi wonder if he has mistaken her as Kuraudo’s woman .
Ayase irritably replies that Kuraudo is nothing more than just a junior disciple that gives her dad trouble .
Moroboshi then asks Ayase if Kuraudo is at her place and she replies that he’s about to leave due to all student
knights in East Japan being summoned to defend Tokyo . However, Moroboshi asks Ayase to tell Kuraudo to
come to Kyushu because he’s more useful there .
Touka is currently in the illusion that shows her “death” is repeated many times . She is stabbed many times by
Tendou’s sword while chained to a crucifixion cross and every time she is killed she would repeat the process
again . Once she sees the pile of corpses of herself that’s been killed as shown in a pic, she escapes from this
fate of death and returns back to her hospital bed . The illusionary pain she had just experienced causes her to
vomit on her bed sheet and difficult to breathe . She is shocked to find out that it hasn’t been 5 minutes since
she started challenging this fate of “death” even though the time of her experience was much longer . So she
has plenty of time to achieve “Brute Soul” but that also means she has to experience being killed hundreds or
even thousands of times again . This realization causes tears to fall out of her worn-out eyes and say that it is
impossible . At this point, Touka’s heart is already broken and so is not strong enough to resist this fate . At
first, she was trying to overcome this fate with a strong will but her courage started to weaken from fear after
dying 10 times and she ended up just screaming from pain after dying 30 times . This is expected since people
are bound and protected by fate, so abandoning this protection in order to challenge the limit of their potential
is no different than committing suicide . People that exceed fate are those that stare at the abyss of death and
keep moving forward without hesitation . Such people are strong egoists like Ikki and Stella who have no
doubt in overcoming their fate and that even words like arrogant or brave are not enough to describe such
people . However, Touka, on the other hand, is very human . She closes her eyes to go back challenging that
fate again, but moments later she opens her eyes and screams . Her mind and body reject the unbearable pain
ahead, so her eyes will remain wide open even if she tries to close them . She can’t challenge it anymore and
so apologize for unable to protect everyone she cares about . Suddenly, Hisako shows up at the entrance of the
room and says Touka is a fool since working hard while hiding her worn-out state is her biggest mistake .
Touka’s parents were often hospitalized and so she was taken care of by temporary staff from the Toutokubara
Welfare Foundation most of the time . When her parents died almost 10 years ago, she moved to Wakaba
House almost immediately which was when Hisako first met her . For someone who had just lost her parents,
Touka was unexpectedly very calm, honest, gentle and had no conflict with other children at the facility . The
other staff of the facility was pleased that Touka didn’t require help but Hisako always felt uneasy . About a
month after Touka came to Wakaba House, her original home that she inherited was being used as a rental
property and she went there with Hisako to clean it up . Hisako asked Touka if there was anything from her
original home that she wanted to bring to Wakaba House, but she replied that there was nothing special there
because her parents were hospitalized for a long time and they didn’t spend much time together . Touka was
not sad when her parents died because she knew they would disappear someday . She didn’t understand what
being spoiled was like and had learned to hold in feelings such as anxiety and dissatisfaction . At first, Hisako
was angry at Touka’s parents because she thought they didn’t do anything for Touka . But Hisako realized she
misunderstood when she learned that Touka’s parents grew chamomile flowers in their garden for her birthday
present . Touka’s parents loved her and they knew they couldn’t give her much so they left chamomile flowers
for Touka to convey what they wanted to tell her . Chamomile is a flower that can grow in any harsh land and
blooms finely even when stepped on, and so it means “strength in adversity” in flower language . Hisako felt
Touka needed to know that her parents must have wanted her to live strongly like the flower . Hisako also
vowed to look after Touka during hardships in place of her parents, and now the time has come to fulfill that
promise .
 In the present, Hisako says that Touka must have always blamed herself for not realizing how much her
parents loved her before they died and so she worked hard to become the person her parents wished her to be
and able to respond to their love . Hisako also says that it’s time for Touka to forgive herself but Touka replies
that she must continue . Hisako then hugs Touka and tells her that she has done enough . Touka did well by
taking care of the other children at Wakaba House and became their hero . Her parents in heaven must be
happy with Touka being Wakaba House’s pride . However, Hisako thinks they wouldn’t want Touka to work
hard too much to the point of making such a difficult face because no flower blooms with such a gloomy face .
They wanted Touka to always smile like a flower and Hisako wants that as well . Hisako tells Touka that it’s
okay to run away from difficult things and unable to do something . Even if the world will be destroyed or no
matter who blames her, Touka still has her family from Wakaba House and they will protect her . Hisako tells
Touka to forgive herself now and hugs her tighter . As a result, Touka bursts into tears and cries loudly while
clinging into Hisako’s chest . All of the emotions Touka accumulated in her chest all this time are finally
coming out now . Surrendering herself to someone’s kindness like this is something Touka has never done
before but now she finally does which is an important step for her to become an adult .
After Touka has stopped crying, she and Hisako go to the university’s gymnasium where soup is being
distributed to the refugees in order to help them warm up against the cold wave caused by Tendou’s Noble Art
. The person who is serving the soup to Touka is the woman named Itou, which caused them both to be
uncomfortable at first . Itou notes that Touka’s face looks horrible and gives her a little more of the soup . Itou
also says to Touka that both of them should just do what they possibly can, and Touka wonders if it’s okay to
be spoiled at a time like this . Touka joins with everyone of Wakaba House which is missing Utakata who is
still in a coma and another one who is currently watching over him . The children had already done things such
as sealing the windows with tape and preparing blankets to protect themselves from the cold . Touka says the
children are amazing since being scared and crying were all she could do . The children at first are surprised to
hear that Touka is afraid of something, but they also say it’s understandable since Touka is a girl after all .
They tell her to rest now and let them work as much as they can . They also celebrate Touka’s birthday that is
in late August, although her birthday is actually two days earlier when she was still in a coma . The present
they give her is a hairpin with chamomile flower craftsmanship . This causes Touka to cry from happiness and
then realize something . She has always been surrounded by people who give her strength and so she has never
actually accomplished things on her own . She doesn’t possess a strong ego like Ikki and Stella to overcome
fate and defeat Tendou by herself, but she can do it if she’s together with everyone she loves . After Touka
puts on the hairpin and thanks to the children for the present, she asks everyone in the gymnasium to fight
alongside her .
Many US ships with air support have managed to break through Japan’s maritime line of defense and so the
US soldiers arrive at Tokyo Bay . Japan has forces armed with tanks and rifles spread along the coastline and
the US soldiers move forward without hesitation . However, Japan forces have the C-rank Blazer Yuuri Oreki
who is standing on a tank as shown in a pic and activates her Noble Art (which is called supernatural ability in
the US) . Her Noble Art “Violet Pain” causes the US soldiers within 500 meters of her to experience the same
pain of her sickly body and unable to fight . The Japanese soldiers and Blazers who are with Oreki then fire
bullets and magic towards the US soldiers . In response, the US forces send in robots called “EDY” which are
iron soldiers created with US weapons technology that is said to be a century ahead of other countries . The
iron soldiers are not damaged by rifle bullets, Devices and Noble Arts of some Blazers, and they knock down
some soldiers and Blazers to the ground . The iron soldiers’ main weapon is the Hadron Cannon, an invention
of the century which fires directional high-energy strong particles that can dissolve any armor in the world and
magic defense of some Blazers despite its small size . In other words, the US has the technology to mass
produce power equivalent to Blazers which is why the country is considered the strongest in the world . The
iron soldiers also can’t feel pain which makes them the worst opponents for Oreki’s ability . But the Japanese
forces expected this and have prepared other C-rank Blazers who are Renren Tomaru and Ikazuchi Saijou .
The two student knights use their Noble Arts and easily destroy the iron soldiers . The majority of Blazers
can’t compete with the “EDY” but C-rank Blazers that make up only around 10% of all mage-knights have the
power to control the battlefield with just a single knight . Normally student knights are standing by behind but
those who are C-rank or above are sent to the frontline based on their suitability .
 Japan’s Joint Operation Headquarters is monitoring the battles on all places and some officials there are
arguing about their air defense not doing well due to the League’s strict restriction on military expansion .
Itsuki says they actually have a measure against the enemy’s air force as it’s time for their arrows to arrive . At
the same time, the fighter planes that are about to launch from a US aircraft carrier suddenly explode . A
warship that’s protecting the aircraft carrier is also suddenly full of holes and then explodes . It is an attack
from Japan’s side but it is invisible which causes the US Pacific Fleet to be in confusion . The source of the
attack is above the US carrier where there is a helicopter carrying Kagami Kasukabe and Shizuya Kirihara as
shown in a pic . Kirihara’s conceptual manipulation ability “transparency” provides complete camouflage for
him and Kagami which causes the US military unable to find them . Kagami is surprised that “Area Invisible”
can make things other than Kirihara invisible, but he replies that he was able to do it recently due to training .
Kirihara was already capable of deceiving even cameras and radars during Hagun’s selection battles but he
allowed the cameras to see some for fan service . Kagami praises Kirihara’s ability which was able to give
even Ikki a hard time but Kirihara doesn’t want to talk about that time . Kirihara thinks Ikki who has been
called “Seven Stars Sword King” and “Sword God” just got lucky and that Kirihara will defeat him next time .
Kirihara then uses his Noble Art “Million Rain” and Kagami uses her Noble Art “Raise Up” . Kagami’s ability
is “multiply”, which is the power to increase the number of things . Kirihara’s invisible arrows have been
multiplied by ten times and then thousands of them struck the US aircraft carrier . The reason why the D-rank
Kagami is on the frontline is that Itsuki himself sent her there . Kagami’s ability becomes well-known after she
used it during the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival awards ceremony, but the strict Itsuki who is the head of the
League’s Japan branch had memorized the basic profile and abilities of all Blazers in Japan so that he can send
them with maximum efficiency .
Kurono who had arrived in Tokyo fast with her ability is also in the helicopter with Kagami and Kirihara .
Kurono is sent to the center of the enemy since she is the largest fighting power Japan currently has . The ship
below them can no longer function as an aircraft carrier but “EDY” and psychics are appearing on the deck .
Kirihara’s ability is weak against enemies with range suppression attacks so Kurono orders Kagami and
Kirihara to go back . Kagami wonders if it’s okay since there are still many enemy ships left but Kirihara
argues that they should retreat even if the risk is only 1% . He hates pain and trains to become stronger so that
he doesn’t have to go through danger . Kurono also says not to underestimate the strongest military power in
the world and orders the two students to support the defense line at the coast from the sky . Kurono then jumps
out of the helicopter and her gun shoots “Clock On Death” towards the ship below . Her Noble Art super-
accelerates the time of the target and so the target reaches the end of its life in an instant . The ship crumbles
from the aging and sinks into the sea . Kurono then stands on the rusted remains of the ship and shoots more of
her Noble Art towards nearby enemy ships and planes, sinking all of them in less than a minute .
A huge air battleship is then above Kurono and a voice coming from a loudspeaker praises her . The top part of
the air battleship is an aircraft carrier deck and the bottom part has the form of a battleship . The white air
battleship is over 500 meters long with a displacement of 120,000 tons and equipped with 2 main armaments,
30 secondary armaments and 500 “EDY” . This is the largest Device ever seen in history and Kurono knows
the user is the “White Whale” Douglas Appleton, who is a Desperado that was the strongest in the Union
before the rise of Abraham Carter . The “White Whale” is what the League calls Appleton but he prefers the
“Flying Admiral” that his side calls him . He boasts his Device, the super air battleship Enterprise, which is the
fruit of the world’s best weapons technology and is flying due to his “floating” ability . 88-inch Hadron
Cannons are equipped as the main armaments and they are fired towards Kurono . Everyone at the Joint
Operation Headquarters monitoring the battle between Kurono and Appleton is relieved to see Kurono not
injured by the blast . The main goal of the capital defense battle is to prevent the arrival of Enterprise on
Japan’s mainland because if it does then Japan’s side has no choice but to surrender . Appleton is one of the
most prominent Blazers in the world and the attack power of his Device enhanced with US weapons
technology is monster-class . The main armaments are capable of penetrating the geo-front’s twelve layers of
armor and kill a large number of citizens inside in a single blow . Nangou and Nene are currently not in Japan
and so Kurono is the only one in the country that can go up against Appleton which is why Itsuki ordered her
to return to Tokyo . Victory in war is always determined by the power of Noble Arts, and both Kurono and
Appleton have the power to turn the tide of war just by themselves . What everyone else can do now is
maintaining their line of defense and evacuating citizens to the shelters .
 Since the operation in Tokyo is going quite well, Itsuki is currently more concerned with the situation in
Kyushu . The blizzard started by Tendou will cause sick and injured people to start dying tomorrow and it’s
difficult to do something about it without Kurono . Moroboshi is the only weapon they have that can reach
Tendou but it’s unreliable to rely on just one weapon . Support from the League will take time to arrive since
Japan is almost on the other side of the Earth for the range of Norman Creed’s “Divine Gate” . Itsuki then
receives a communication from Kaieda and Touka who says they have a way to defeat Tendou . After listening
to Touka’s explanation for some time, Itsuki agrees that another way to defeat Tendou other than Kurono and
Moroboshi’s Noble Arts is to attack him with a greater magic power . The method Touka proposes can make it
possible but it’s still a small possibility and in addition, a large number of non-combatants must be involved .
This kind of operation would not normally be permitted by Itsuki who believes people should not seek or
challenge achievements beyond their abilities and waste time and resources for a small possibility . But Touka
doesn’t back down and Kaieda supports her by saying that preparations are already complete and so Tendou
can be defeated as soon as possible if they have permission . Even Itsuki’s secretary also supports this which
causes Itsuki to think hardly about this . He now understands that his decisions as the head of an organization
are just his personal opinion and that an organization is not a collection of machine gears but a group of people
. Itsuki then says it’s confirmed that a second US fleet is heading to Tokyo and so reinforcements to Kyushu is
delayed . He also asks Touka if she can defeat Tendou while shouldering the future of everyone in Kyushu .
Touka replies that she can’t defeat Tendou by herself because she’s weak, but she also says with confidence as
shown in a pic that she can win with everyone’s help . Touka’s determination convinces Itsuki to approve the
operation . Itsuki also tells Touka that even if her self-assessment is low, B-rank knights are judged able to
shoulder the existence of a nation .
After Touka leaves the meeting, Kaieda says that he didn’t expect Itsuki would agree on something that looks
like betting . But Itsuki replies Touka had the eyes of someone that can overcome fate which he has seen
before in Ikki . Itsuki can believe in those eyes and Kaieda does too which is why he let Touka in charge of the
operation . Touka informs everyone involved in the operation that they have permission to proceed with the
operation . Touka thanks them for their help and they also thank her for letting them help . Moroboshi then
shows up together with Kuraudo as shown in a pic, which surprises Touka . Kuraudo complains about being
here in Kyushu even though he is supposed to be fighting in Tokyo . Moroboshi says he and Kuraudo will
serve as the first and second weapons that will keep Tendou occupied while Touka as the third weapon will get
prepared, though there is a chance Moroboshi and Kuraudo on their own will defeat Tendou . Touka doesn’t
know what Moroboshi is planning but she says she’s relying on him . They then bump fists and proceed with
everyone else to begin the operation .