Ikki doesn't win because he's secretly powerful, he wins because he refuses to stop, and Stella falls for that refusal before she even realizes it. The romance isn't a subplot waiting for the action to finish; it's the reason every duel matters. A show about a failed knight that actually understands why someone would choose the person who believes in them over the person who can beat them.

Ikki Kurogane attends an elite academy where the gifted few transform their very souls into magical weapons. Called the "Failed Knight," Ikki possesses no magical affinity whatsoever, making him the school's most hopeless student. Everything changes when Stella, a radiant foreign princess and the academy's strongest fighter, challenges him to a duel with an outrageous wager: the loser must obey the winner unconditionally for life. The trouble starts when Ikki walks in on her while she is changing, and a new rule forces the two of them to share a room and train together. As Ikki sets out to show a doubting world that he is not as weak as everyone believes, he picks up new friends, wisdom and experience. Expect sword fights, fantasy action, romance and a generous dose of ecchi humor.