“Why does she get all the attention?!” Ikki and Stella continue to rack up wins in their selection battles, but despite their progress in battle, they’ve made little to no progress romantically. To make matters worse, a pretty upperclassman girl, Ayase Ayatsuji, has been taken under Ikki’s wing as his apprentice in swordplay, making Stella’s jealousy flare up more than ever. One day, Ikki finds himself tangled up in a conflict between Ayase and her fated enemy: the Sword Eater, Kuraudo Kurashiki! Will he be able to survive his duel with a student who reached the quarterfinals of last year’s Seven Stars Battle Festival? A battle with a student council member, the feeling of distance between him and his girlfriend, and a duel off school grounds with the ace of another school—the curtain rises anew on the second part of Ikki’s school-based, sword-action underdog tale as he cuts through yet more powerful foes! © Riku Misora / illustrations © WON / SB Creative Corp.

A month has passed since Ikki and Stella promised to cross swords again at the Seven Stars Battle Festival. But while they’ve won all of their qualifying matches in that time, their relationship hasn’t progressed one bit. To make matters worse, Ikki finds himself taking on a beautiful upperclassman as a disciple, making Stella lose her mind with jealousy. And to top it all off, he winds up challenging the infamous Sword Eater—a Mage-Knight who reached the quarterfinals of the previous year’s Seven Stars Battle Festival—to a duel! Things are heating up for both Ikki’s love life and his dueling career!

Modern mages, known as Mage-Knights, materialize their souls as armaments. Attending a school for Mage-Knights is Ikki Kurogane, a failed knight—the Worst One. One day, he is challenged by Stella, a Rank A knight, to a duel, putting lifelong servitude on the line. What Ikki lacks in magical power, however, he makes up for with his unorthodox mastery of the sword, leading him to victory! “I’ll do it! Make me do whatever you want! Stupid creep!” Though she regrets her defeat, Stella begins to fall for Ikki. Meanwhile, in the battle for the top of the knight world, the Worst One begins to grab the attention of every Mage-Knight out there, becoming known as Another One! The curtain rises on Ikki’s school-based, sword-action underdog tale as he cuts through one powerful foe after another! © Riku Misora / illustrations © WON / SB Creative Corp.

“This fight will be the true test of my limits!” As the selection battles approach their final stages, the most accomplished students must now face each other in combat. In hopes of facing the future together with her beloved brother, Shizuku uses every last bit of strength at her disposal to challenge the most powerful knight in the school: Raikiri. Meanwhile, the Kurogane family is forced to bare its fangs as Ikki’s reputation continues to grow. Caught up in their dastardly scheme, he is taken prisoner, and the world threatens to tear apart his relationship with Stella. In the midst of it all, fatigue takes over both his body and mind, and his most powerful foe yet stands before him as his final opponent. The third and final part of the Selection Battle Arc has Ikki facing the final obstacles in his meteoric rise to fame! He continues his charge to the peak of the Seven Stars, slicing his way through every hardship that befalls him! © Riku Misora / illustrations © WON / SB Creative Corp.

“I’ve finally made it.” The Seven Stars Battle Festival is rife with confusion as a result of Akatsuki Academy’s forceful entrance. Nevertheless, as he prepares to take the stage he’s long dreamed of, Worst One Ikki Kurogane’s heart leaps in exultation. Even in the face of Akatsuki’s unopposed interference and Stella’s delayed arrival, Ikki swears anew that he will fight at his absolute best after he meets his first opponent, Seven Stars King Yuudai Moroboshi. However, in a cruel twist of fate, his brother, Gale Sword Emperor Ouma Kurogane, appears before him. He attempts to hold his own against Ouma’s overwhelming strength, but in doing so, he’s suddenly assailed by an unknown physical impairment! Is Ouma too powerful to stop? Is Moroboshi too cunning to defeat? Ikki overcomes duplicitous motives and unshakable doubts alike as he aims for the top!

Ikki and the rest of Hagun Academy’s representatives are made to share a training camp with Tohoku’s leading school, Kyomon Academy, as they and their coaches begin preparing for the Seven Stars Battle Festival. Everything goes off without a hitch—until Hagun Academy falls victim to a sudden assault. “I’m going to need you to fall. You will be the stepping stones that lead to our success.” Ikki, Stella, Hagun’s student council, and the others come face-to-face with Akatsuki, a powerful gang of Blazers from the dark underbelly of society. Just as the fires of war begin to rage, a supposed ally unsheathes the dagger of betrayal! Worse yet, Ikki's path to knighthood is blocked by the strongest Blazer in the entire world! What will come of this premature confrontation? A fierce battle awaits at the boundary between hope and despair, the place where dreams and reality intersect! © Riku Misora / illustrations © WON / SB Creative Corp.

First published in 2008. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.