Swords of the Royal Court — A Duel of Friendship

💜💗💜💗💜 Story 💗💜💗💜💗 The curtain slowly rose. A magnificent orchestral melody filled the entire theater. This time, Hatsune Miku, Kagamine Rin, Kagamine Len, Kamishiro Rui, Kamui Gakupo, Megurine Luka, Kasane Teto, MEIKO, KAITO, Shinonome Akito, and Aoyagi Toya were performing a court drama set in an ancient European kingdom. The entire stage had been transformed into the central tournament courtyard of a royal palace. Tall white stone pillars surrounded the arena, golden banners hung from the upper balconies, and griffin emblems symbolizing the royal family decorated the walls. A deep crimson carpet stretched through the center, while three spacious dueling grounds had been deliberately left open on either side. Tonight’s climax was not a war. It was a contest meant to symbolize knightly honor and friendship— A Royal Court Friendship Sword Tournament. On the upper-level royal viewing gallery, the five women had already gathered behind the ornate railing. Hatsune Miku wore an elegant court gown of emerald green and silver. With both hands resting on the railing, she looked down at the arena in excitement. Kagamine Rin, dressed in a bright golden-yellow formal dress, was practically leaning her entire upper body over the railing. Megurine Luka wore an elegant pink-and-white court gown, her long pink hair falling gracefully behind her shoulders. Her expression seemed calm, but from the very beginning, her eyes had never left a certain purple-haired figure below. Kasane Teto stood beside her with her arms folded, looking forward with anticipation. MEIKO held a silver goblet that was part of her costume and watched the courtyard below with an amused smile. And downstairs— Six men were already standing in their assigned positions. On the left— Shinonome Akito V.S. Kamui Gakupo. In the center— Kamishiro Rui V.S. KAITO. On the right— Aoyagi Toya V.S. Kagamine Len. All six men wore European-style court swordsman outfits. Long coats, leather belts, tall boots, white gloves, and decorative shoulder armor gleamed beneath the stage lights. In their hands were Western longswords specially prepared for stage combat. Although the edges had been made safe for performance, the swords still possessed real weight, and the ringing sound they produced when they collided was unmistakably genuine. The royal master of ceremonies stepped into the center of the stage and raised one hand high. “Tonight’s royal tournament—” “Recognizes neither nationality nor rank.” “Prove your courage with your swords.” “And with those same swords—prove the strength of your friendship!” All six men drew their weapons at once. —SHING! Six silver blades slid free almost simultaneously. The audience immediately erupted into cheers. Kagamine Rin leaned over the railing and shouted at the top of her lungs. “Len! Don’t lose!” Kagamine Len looked up. “Rin, are you here to cheer for me or put pressure on me?!” “Both, obviously!” “Hey!” The audience burst into laughter. But in the very next second— The master of ceremonies swung his arm downward. “Begin!” All three battles exploded into motion at once. The first thunderous impact came from the left side. Shinonome Akito did not bother testing his opponent. The instant the match began, he charged straight forward. “HAAH!” His longsword came crashing down diagonally from the upper right. Kamui Gakupo’s long purple hair swept behind him. Facing the blade rushing toward him, he did not retreat. Instead, he stepped forward. CLANG—!! Their swords collided head-on. The sharp metallic crash echoed through the entire palace stage. Shinonome Akito pressed both hands against the hilt of his sword. Kamui Gakupo held his ground just as firmly. Their blades locked in midair, trembling slightly under the force of both men. “You really are strong, Gakupo.” Shinonome Akito grinned through clenched teeth. “The same could be said of you.” Kamui Gakupo smiled faintly. Then, in the next instant, he suddenly twisted his wrist. CLINK! Their blades slid against one another. Shinonome Akito’s sword was immediately knocked aside. Kamui Gakupo followed through with a forward thrust! Shinonome Akito’s eyes widened. “!” He jerked his body sideways. The silver tip of Gakupo’s sword passed only inches from the golden emblem on Akito’s chest. Even the edge of his coat fluttered from the force of the movement. “That was close!” Hatsune Miku cried out. “Akito! Your right side!” MEIKO called as well. Shinonome Akito immediately shifted his footing, planted one boot firmly against the floor, and spun. “I know!” CLANG—! His sword swept violently toward Kamui Gakupo from the side. Gakupo instantly raised his weapon vertically. Blocked! But Akito did not stop. First strike. Second strike. Third strike! CLANG! CLANG! CLAAANG—!! Three powerful consecutive blows forced Kamui Gakupo backward step by step. Up on the balcony, Megurine Luka had remained composed until now. At the sight of this, her fingers tightened around the railing. “Gakupo…!” Kamui Gakupo heard her. He lifted his eyes slightly. Even while blocking Akito’s relentless assault, he somehow still had enough composure to smile up at Megurine Luka. Luka blinked. “He’s actually smiling…” Kasane Teto immediately turned toward her. “Luka, he’s probably telling you not to worry.” “I know.” Megurine Luka gave a helpless smile. “But looking away during a fight only makes me worry more.” At that very moment— The battle on the left suddenly changed. Shinonome Akito swung again. This time, Kamui Gakupo did not retreat. He abruptly lowered his body. The blade swept over his head. Then— Gakupo stepped in! His shoulder nearly brushed past Akito. At the same time, he unleashed a reverse horizontal slash. “What?!” Shinonome Akito immediately pulled his sword back. CLAAANG—!! Their blades collided once more. The force pushed Akito half a step sideways. But he immediately grinned. “Now that’s more like it!” “Exactly what I was hoping for.” Kamui Gakupo replied. They charged at one another again. Meanwhile, the battle in the center had an entirely different rhythm. From the beginning, Kamishiro Rui had maintained that mysterious, unreadable smile. “KAITO.” “Hm?” “There’s an opening at your left shoulder.” KAITO immediately shifted his sword. But— Kamishiro Rui never attacked his left shoulder. Instead, he suddenly pivoted to the right. His blade traced a beautiful silver arc through the air. “I lied.” “Rui?!” CLANG! KAITO barely managed to block. Kamishiro Rui attacked again immediately. His second strike came upward from below. KAITO leaned backward. The blade passed dangerously close beneath his chin. “Do you really have to use psychological tricks during a sword fight?!” “Court dueling is not only about strength.” Kamishiro Rui smiled. “Intelligence is equally important.” “Then don’t blame me for what happens next!” KAITO suddenly changed his stance. His previously defensive posture became aggressive in an instant. STEP! He rushed directly into Kamishiro Rui’s range. His sword struck repeatedly. Left. Right. Above. Then a thrust! Kamishiro Rui was forced to retreat rapidly for the first time. “Oh?” CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! Their swords became flashes of silver. KAITO swept toward Rui’s waist. Rui jumped over the strike. The moment his boots touched the ground— KAITO’s next attack was already there. CLANG—! Kamishiro Rui raised his sword with both hands and blocked it directly. Their faces were suddenly only a short distance apart. KAITO gritted his teeth. “Got you.” Kamishiro Rui continued smiling. “Did you?” “What—” Rui suddenly stepped backward and released the pressure. KAITO, who had been pushing forward with all his strength, abruptly lost resistance. He stumbled forward. Kamishiro Rui slipped around to his side. His blade immediately pointed toward KAITO. But despite losing his balance, KAITO planted one hand against the floor and flipped himself sideways. The silver blade passed just beside him! “Whoa!” Hatsune Miku’s eyes widened from the balcony. Kasane Teto leaned closer to the railing as well. “These two in the center are ridiculous!” MEIKO laughed. “KAITO! Stop just dodging!” KAITO, who had just regained his footing, looked up. “MEIKO, that’s easy for you to say!” “Then win and prove me wrong!” “Fine!” KAITO tightened his grip on his sword. “You said it!” The two men in the center clashed again. At the same time— The battle on the right had also reached a fever pitch. Compared with Akito and Gakupo’s brutal exchange on the left, or Rui and KAITO’s psychological battle in the center, Aoyagi Toya and Kagamine Len seemed more restrained. But they were the fastest pair of all three matches. CLANG! Sword tips collided. They separated. Another thrust. CLANG! Kagamine Len jumped backward. Aoyagi Toya immediately pursued. “Len.” “What?” “Your right side.” “You think I’m going to fall for the same trick KAITO did?” Kagamine Len replied without slowing his sword. He twisted aside and avoided Toya’s blade. His own sword immediately swept upward. Aoyagi Toya rotated his wrist. Two flashes of silver crossed in midair. CLANG—! “So fast!” Kagamine Rin’s eyes lit up. “Len! Faster!” “I’m already going fast!” “You can go faster!” “Why don’t you come down here and fight?!” “I’m wearing a dress!” “That isn’t even an excuse!” Aoyagi Toya could not help laughing. It lasted less than a second. But Kagamine Len noticed. “Toya!” “!” “You left yourself open!” Kagamine Len surged forward instantly. A thrust. Aoyagi Toya quickly raised his sword horizontally. CLANG! But Len did not pull back. He planted his feet and pressed down against Toya’s blade before twisting his body. Aoyagi Toya’s sword was forced outward. “Not good—” Kagamine Len immediately turned the point of his sword toward Toya’s chest. He was about to score the hit— When Aoyagi Toya suddenly stepped forward. Not backward. Forward. “Huh?!” They were too close now. Kagamine Len no longer had enough room to fully extend his blade. Aoyagi Toya shifted his shoulder. The sword point passed beside him. Then he raised his hilt sharply. CLACK! The motion knocked Len’s blade away from its original path. “You countered it like that?!” Kagamine Len backed away in surprise. Aoyagi Toya returned to his stance. “That was close.” A grin slowly appeared on Kagamine Len’s face as well. “Next time, it won’t be.” Both lowered their centers of gravity. Kagamine Rin immediately shouted from upstairs. “Len—!” Hatsune Miku joined in. “Toya, go for it!” “Miku?!” Kagamine Rin spun toward her. “You’re cheering for Toya?!” “No one else was cheering for him!” “Then I’ll cheer twice as hard for Len!” “What kind of rule is that?!” The girls on the balcony immediately dissolved into chaos. But the six men below were already completely absorbed in their matches. On the left— Shinonome Akito and Kamui Gakupo collided head-on again. CLAAANG—!! Akito struck downward. Gakupo raised his sword horizontally. They both turned. The blades scraped against one another with a harsh metallic cry. “I’m not done yet!” Shinonome Akito shouted. “Neither am I.” Kamui Gakupo’s eyes sharpened. Both swung simultaneously. CLANG—! In the center— KAITO suddenly forced Kamishiro Rui backward with a powerful strike. Before Rui could fully recover, KAITO had already closed the distance. “My turn!” “Impressive, KAITO.” Kamishiro Rui slipped aside. Then, from an unexpected angle, his sword came back in a counterattack. KAITO immediately blocked. CLANG! They passed shoulder to shoulder. Both turned at once— And charged again. On the right— Aoyagi Toya and Kagamine Len chose to thrust at exactly the same moment. Their longswords collided. CLANG! The points were knocked apart. Both immediately drew back. Their next slashes came from the side almost simultaneously. CLAAANG—!! The sounds of six swords gradually merged together. CLANG! CLASH! CLANG—! CLAAANG!! The palace courtyard seemed to transform into a true knightly arena. The audience, which had been laughing only moments earlier, slowly fell silent. Everyone had begun to realize— The six performers were becoming far more serious than expected. Although every attack still followed the safety distances practiced during rehearsal, the speed of their strikes, their footwork, evasions, and the sheer force behind each clash had all become more intense than during the final rehearsal. Especially on the left. Shinonome Akito suddenly launched another assault. The first blow was blocked by Kamui Gakupo. The second was evaded. The third— Kamui Gakupo charged directly into it! Their swords crossed directly in front of their faces. CLAAANG—!! “Gakupo!” Megurine Luka could not stop herself from calling his name. Kamui Gakupo’s violet eyes flicked upward. Only for a moment. He saw Megurine Luka. And the serious expression on his face softened into a faint smile. Shinonome Akito noticed immediately. “You’ve got time to look upstairs during a match?” Kamui Gakupo looked back at him. “Someone is cheering for me.” “Then don’t expect me to go easy on you!” “Good.” Both pushed hard against their blades. Then separated. In the next instant— Shinonome Akito and Kamui Gakupo charged at each other simultaneously. At the exact same moment, Kamishiro Rui and KAITO began another exchange in the center. On the right, Aoyagi Toya and Kagamine Len refused to give an inch. Six swords. Six flashes of silver. All slashed through the stage at once. The five women on the upper gallery were now standing. Hatsune Miku cupped her hands around her mouth. “Everyone—keep going!” Kagamine Rin waved wildly. “Len! Go!” MEIKO shouted directly at the center. “KAITO! Don’t lose!” Kasane Teto was so excited that she was nearly forgetting to maintain her elegant court character. “All three matches at once are way too exciting!” Megurine Luka, however, continued watching Kamui Gakupo on the left. Just before the next clash of steel, she finally called out loudly. “Gakupo—!” Kamui Gakupo looked up. “I’m watching you!” For a brief instant— He smiled. Then tightened his grip on his sword. And charged toward Shinonome Akito. —CLAAANG!!! All three pairs of blades collided almost simultaneously. The ringing of steel echoed through the theater. On the left, Shinonome Akito and Kamui Gakupo refused to yield. In the center, Kamishiro Rui and KAITO were still calculating one another’s next move. On the right, Aoyagi Toya and Kagamine Len continued exchanging attacks and defenses at dizzying speed. No one fell. No one surrendered. And no one was willing to retreat first. Because tonight’s duel had never been about deciding who was an enemy. It was about six knights— Using the method they knew best to show respect for their friends. Their swords rose once again. Six sets of footsteps struck the floor. Cheers rang down from the balcony. And the three fierce duels, still without a clear winner— Were only just beginning to reach their true climax.