Ikki sat in the middle of the class and quietly breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.
His Itou Shura was very powerful, but due to its significant consumption, it could basically only be used once a day. If there was a duel every three days, then there was no need to worry about facing many strong opponents within a short period.
He had to participate in the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival no matter what.
Whether or not he could win the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival was related to whether he could graduate from this school. This was a condition put forth by the director.
Because F-Rank Knights were too weak, even the League would not treat them as Blazers. Even if they encountered terrorists, they would be treated as ordinary people in need of protection and would not be allowed to fulfill their duty of protecting ordinary people.
In other words, not only in terms of social status but also in terms of the system, F-Rank Knights were not included in the ranks of Blazers.
It was almost impossible for Ikki to successfully graduate and obtain a Blazer license from Hagun Academy. In fact, he had to repeat last year due to this.
But this year Kurono gave him a chance—as long as he won the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival, he would graduate.
"Seriously?"
"This is such a hassle~ I won't be able to go out and play like this!"
"I never wanted to participate in the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival in the first place!"
However, not everyone like Ikki aspired to reach the peak of the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival. Most of the people in the class showed expressions of reluctance after hearing Yuuri's announcement.
This was understandable.
After all, out of more than 700 students at Hagun Academy, in the end, there were only six spots for the competition. It was almost impossible for new students like them to compete with the long-famous second- and third-year students.
Not to mention, in the selection battles, the students did not fight in Illusionary Form but with their Devices in Material Form.
This was because the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival itself was a battle with real weapons, so the selection battles also used the same method.
In other words, once you participate in the competition, there is a possibility of injury, which can even be life-threatening in severe cases.
This was not without precedent.
Several times in the past, Student Knights had died under the opponent's Device due to lack of strength during the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival. Although medical facilities are now very complete, with professional teams on-site to treat them, it is impossible to completely cover up the danger of death.
Not everyone is willing to take such a big risk to hone their abilities.
The reason most students choose to become Blazers is because they want to graduate safely and then find a high-paying job.
"If I abstain from the selection battles or lose in the battles, will there be any penalties?"
One of the students who had this idea raised his hand and asked Yuuri.
"There is no penalty☆! It will not affect your results. If someone is not interested in the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival, they can directly report to the Executive Committee to indicate that they do not want to participate, and the committee will automatically remove your name from the list."
Yuuri shook her finger. Although her face was pale, she still tried her best to comfort everyone.
"But according to Sensei, it is very good if everyone can have equal access to opportunities. Everyone has the possibility to become the Seven Stars Sword King, so Sensei hopes everyone can participate as much as possible and try to achieve this goal. Sensei believes that experiences like this will become an irreplaceable asset for everyone!"
Yuuri sincerely encouraged everyone to participate as much as possible.
After all, being a Blazer is a fighter's profession. If you enter the workforce without any combat experience, even though most people will choose civilian jobs, once they face situations beyond their abilities, they will surely regret it for life.
—In this world, terrorists run rampant beyond imagination.
Depending on how rampant they are, cruel but powerful terrorists can cause millions of casualties and sometimes even threaten international situations.
When a Blazer who has never experienced combat meets terrorists, his reaction is very different from that of a fighter who has experienced hundreds of battles. Even if he only has a little actual combat experience, he will not be a mere fish on a chopping block.
"Well, students, we have a full year ahead of us, and we must study diligently with all our might! Let's do it together-! Cheer up, uuueee...."
Before she could finish speaking, Yuuri's face suddenly turned blue, and she spat out a large mouthful of blood, staining the entire podium red.
"Yuuri-chan?!"
"No, it's okay, Sensei is just weak and sick..."
"Doesn't this look like more than just physical weakness?"
"Don't look at me like this. I've been vomiting a liter of blood every day since I was a child!"
"You're proud of strange things?"
"You're so strong to have survived until now. Anyway, I'll take you to the health room first! Please clean up the scene!"
"Leave it to me."
Ikki immediately rushed to the front, and without saying a word, he carried Yuuri on his back and took her to the health room.
"Seems like they know each other?"
Hoshiharu watched the two leave and guessed.
"It's said that when Ikki first entered the school last year, it was Oreki-Sensei... No, Yuuri-chan who gave him the entrance test. Without Yuuri-chan, Ikki would not have been able to enter Hagun Academy last year."
Stella walked to the podium with a mop, and with a swipe of the mop, she easily turned the podium into a murder scene.
The admission threshold for Hagun Academy is E-Rank.
The reason Ikki was admitted was that he met the kind examiner, Yuuri, in last year's entrance test. After defeating her in a duel, he gained her approval.
But even so, he still repeated the class because last year's homeroom teacher did not allow him to participate in actual training or even take exams. Of course, it was impossible to move up to a higher grade.
"Nangou-san! Will you participate in this year's selection competition?"
Kagami pounced on him like a wolf smelling blood, with the characteristic smell of gossip of a professional reporter on her face.
"Of course."
Hoshiharu nodded calmly.
"It's natural. Is your goal really aimed at the position of Seven Stars Sword King?"
Kagami nodded without hesitation and continued to ask.
Seven Stars Sword King is an honorary title given to the student who wins the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival, that is, who obtains the throne of the strongest Student Knight in Japan.
"No."
Hoshiharu shook his head, with emotion and longing in his eyes.
"I'm not very interested in the Seven Stars Sword King. It would be nice if I could become the strongest in the world. Instead, this is my goal..."
Kagami was a little stunned for a moment; this answer was truly unexpected.
Her bright red eyes, like gems, reflected Hoshiharu's perfect profile, as well as the longing, or stubbornness, that emerged from his profile.
She suddenly understood something.
Why was this young man able to directly defeat Kurono, even at the risk of dying?
Because this young man yearned for power.
He could risk his life for this.