Reign of the Seven Spellblades
is a Japanese light novel series written by Bokuto Uno and illustrated by Ruria Miyuki. ASCII Media Works have published the series since September 2018 under their Dengeki Bunko imprint. A manga adaptation with art by Sakae Esuno has been serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's shōnen manga magazine Monthly Shōnen Ace since May 2019. Both the light novel and manga are licensed in North America by Yen Press. An anime television series adaptation by J.C.Staff aired from July to October 2023. Premise
Springtime at Kimberly Magic Academy, when new students begin their first year. One boy, clad in black robes with a white cane and sword strapped to his hip, approaches the prestigious school. This young man—Oliver—must form a bond with a katana wielding girl named Nanao if he's to survive the dangers he's to face at this school that is anything but what it seems. Characters

Sword Roses

 A jack-of-all-trades mage and the son of "Two Blade" Chloe Halford, Oliver is a down-to-earth person with a level head. He always tries pursuing friendly conclusions to fights but is able to pick up his wand and athame if he has no other choice but to do so. His true purpose for attending Kimberly is to murder the seven members of Kimberly's faculty who had a hand in the death of his mother. Oliver inherited from his mother the 4th spellblade, "Angustavia", which gives him the ability to reverse causality, choosing the desired outcome of his attack before performing the actions necessary to reach it. However, this technique takes a heavy toll into his body, to the point that he may die if using it three times in sequence. Hailing from Tourikueisen in the distant country of Yamatsu, Nanao is a samurai who was offered a second chance at life by Theodore McFarlane. She attends Kimberly at his behest and finds a new purpose in life in crossing blades with Oliver. Nanao eventually learns a new, seventh spellblade that gives her the ability to instantly strike from a distance, surpassing the boundaries of space and time. A daughter of well known advocates for the civil rites of demi-humans. Her enthusiastic support on that subject brings her into conflict with teachers and some other students. The daughter of Theodore McFarlane. She has ringlets in her blond hair, which is a family trait. Goes by "Chela" for short. Neither of his parents has any magic abilities so some students look down on him as just an "ordinary". He uses his athame in his left hand. He can usually be found reading a book. In volume 2 (episode 7 of the anime) he is discovered to be a "Reversi" capable of switching his physical sex. He comes from a family of farmers so he has no problem using magical creatures for just their useful parts. Classmates

A childhood friend of Michela's, Richard hails from the Andrews family, a magical lineage of equal importance to the McFarlane's and as a result, has been constantly compared to Michela. This culminates in their relationship going sour, especially with the addition of Oliver into the picture. He quickly develops a rivalry with Oliver but is later made to understand how narrow his worldview was. A young man from the land of Ytalli who is entirely self-taught at sword arts. In volume 2 (episode 8 of the anime) he starts a dueling tournament among the first-year students in hopes of being named the best fighter among them. A relative of Michela's who joins Rossi's tournament in hopes of getting one over on her. Stacy's attendant and fighting partner, and eventual love interest by volume 9. He is half-human, half-werewolf. An ambitious young man from a lineage of mage warriors who also joins Rossi's tournament. Upperclassmen

A female fourth-year student with succubus ancestry known for preying on male underclassmen in the Labyrinth. She has a tragic past of child sex abuse. A non-binary fifth-year employed as a school prefect. Their family is allied to the Salvadoris and they have known Ophelia since they were tweens. Referred to as "Purgatory" by fellow upperclassmen, Alvin is a fifth-year student and serves as the current student body president of Kimberly. His incredible firepower is the primary reason why he is able to keep his fellow upperclassmen in line and it is his great strength that allows him to slowly realize his dream of lessening the number of pointless loss of life Kimberly suffers through annually. He is close friends with Carlos and formerly with Ophelia. A female fourth year student that is a supporter of demi-human civil rights, in her own unusual way. Her hair covers her very unique left eye. Referred to as "Scavenger" by fellow upperclassmen, Cyrus is a fifth-year student and is Kimberly's foremost student necromancer. An old rival of Ophelia. Faculty

 Feared as the "Witch of Kimberly", Esmeralda serves as the current Kimberly Headmistress. She led the conspiracy to murder Oliver's mother and dealt the killing blow herself. /
 The father of Michela, he is a part-time instructor at Kimberly. He normally spends most of his time traveling the world which is what enabled him to recruit Nanao as a Kimberly student. An alumnus of Kimberly, Luther is the current Sword Arts Instructor. (Japanese); Ian Sinclair (English)
The potions instructor at Kimberly Academy. There are rumors amongst the students that he may be stealing student's research papers and having them published under his name. Media

Light novels
The light novel series is written by Bokuto Uno and illustrated by Ruria Miyuki. ASCII Media Works published the first volume under their Dengeki Bunko imprint on September 7, 2018. As of July 2023, 12 serial volumes have been released, plus one prequel volume titled Side of Fire: Chronicle of Purgatory. The light novel series is licensed in North America by Yen Press. Volume list

Manga
A manga adaptation, illustrated by Sakae Esuno, began serialization in Kadokawa Shoten's Monthly Shōnen Ace magazine on May 25, 2019. As of June 2023, seven tankōbon volumes have been released. The manga series is also licensed in North America by Yen Press. Volume list

Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced during the live-streamed "Dengeki Bunko Winter Festival 2021" event on December 11, 2021. It is produced by J.C.Staff and directed by Masato Matsune, with scripts supervised by Shōgo Yasukawa, character designs handled by Sōta Suwa, and music composed by Kujira Yumemi. The series aired from July 8 to October 14, 2023, on Tokyo MX and BS11. The opening theme song is  by Kujira Yumemi featuring Mimizuku and Fukurō, while the ending theme song is  by Yumemi featuring Tsumugishachi. Crunchyroll licensed the series. Episode list

Reception
The light novel series ranked first in 2020 in Takarajimasha's annual light novel guide book Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi!, in the bunkobon category. See also
Alderamin on the Sky — Another light novel series by the same author. Notes

References

External links
 
 
 

2018 Japanese novels
Anime and manga based on light novels
Crunchyroll anime
Dengeki Bunko
Fantasy anime and manga
Japanese fantasy novels
J.C.Staff
Kadokawa Dwango franchises
Kadokawa Shoten manga
Light novels
School life in anime and manga
Shōnen manga
Tokyo MX original programming
Yen Press titles