As Naoki and Tomoe reached a cooperative agreement on their side.
On Musashi's side.
*CLANG!*
Accompanied by a swift and powerful thrust, though blocked by both swords, Musashi was still pushed back by Inshun's spear strike. She skidded across the ground before coming to a stop.
"Huh... So strong... Truly worthy of being that Houzouin Inshun."
During her travels through many worlds, Musashi had heard of Houzouin Inshun's name.
The second-generation successor of the Houzouin-ryū spear style. Though he left no record of battling others, honing his spear technique solely to surpass humanity's limits, he refined it to the realm of gods and Buddhas.
In the path of martial arts, his opponent's mastery far exceeded Musashi's current level.
"Even after using Naoki's swords, I should be stronger..."
The two swords Naoki reinforced for Musashi were essentially equivalent to Noble Phantasms. Just by holding them, she gained Fairy Protection, capable of cutting anything she desired and killing anything that defied common sense.
With these swords as her weapons, the duel between Musashi and Inshun was no longer one-sided. The Heroic Spirit Swordsman's immortality would vanish. Both would die from a single fatal blow, returning to the purest form of combat.
Naoki had given Musashi such a massive advantage, yet despite this overwhelming edge in weaponry, she was still losing.
(I'm the one holding back...)
Precisely because Inshun's spear techniques dominated her swordsmanship, she couldn't win.
(How pathetic of me!)
*CLANG!*
Seeing a vertical strike descend from the sky, Musashi quickly crossed her swords to meet it. Deflecting the spear's thrust with a clashing slash, she swiftly closed in on Inshun, swinging both swords upward from below!
*PU-CHI!*
A gash appeared on Inshun's side—too shallow.
Musashi had aimed to pierce his stomach.
Her skill wasn't on par with Inshun's. If she fought the true Inshun, Musashi would undoubtedly lose.
But she wasn't facing Inshun now. By his own admission, he was a Heroic Spirit Swordsman, Lancer Purgatorio, a demon bearing the karma of Piercing All Things.
Though he wielded the same spear techniques as Inshun, he wasn't the real him. His skill was diminished by his crazed mental state—a flaw that raw power and speed couldn't compensate for, especially in a duel like this.
Musashi's swords weren't incapable of touching Inshun.
*CLANG!* *CLANG!* *CLANG!*
Spear and swords clashed again. Sparks flew. The chaotic dance of swords and spears gradually filled the space around them. Sword light and spear shadows raged like a storm, relentlessly tearing and shattering everything nearby.
*PUCHI!*
*PU-CHI!*
The sounds of flesh being wounded echoed. Musashi and Inshun kept sustaining injuries. Both had the ability to kill the other with a single strike, but both were equally wary of a fatal blow from their opponent.
To avoid that certain death, to guard against that fatal strike, minor wounds were no concern.
They exchanged injuries with that mindset.
But—
(If this keeps up... I'll die!)
Having accumulated countless small wounds, Musashi realized this.
Though for various reasons they were now evenly matched, Musashi was human—a human with limits. She couldn't fight endlessly like Inshun.
If she kept taking wounds like this, she'd die from blood loss!
*PU-CHI!*
The spear's tip flashed before Musashi's eyes. A sharp pain struck her forehead. Her right eye gradually stained red.
(A wound on my forehead! My vision's blocked by blood... Damn, I didn't dodge completely!)
Retreating from the rapid exchange of attack and defense, Musashi panted—her vision obstructed, the worst possible situation. She couldn't judge distance accurately, and attacks from beyond her sight would be hard to track.
Moreover...
(The blood loss is significant. My consciousness is starting to...)
Clutching her dizzy head, Musashi took a deep breath and bit her tongue to force herself to stay alert.
She couldn't delay any longer. She had to end this fight as quickly as possible!
She had to truly kill Inshun!
*BUZZ!*
Golden light suddenly flared on Musashi's twin swords. Like a swarm of asteroids orbiting a planet, they swirled and floated around her, then surged into the blades.
(This... My swords are responding to my will? No, this... Naoki?)
For no reason, Musashi felt as if Naoki were holding the swords with her from behind.
Naoki's Fairy Protection didn't just boost Musashi's raw power. It granted strength proportional to her resolve. The stronger her will, the greater the power bestowed.
Mana Burst was merely its minimum threshold.
*SHUAAA!*
Light swirled around the twin swords. Musashi crossed them and swung instinctively!
The light sliced through space like a meteor!
*WHOOSH!*
With the boost from the Protection, Musashi's speed doubled. She stabbed Inshun's chest with the most straightforward strike and slashed!
The sensation of cleaving something reached her palms. At the same moment, Inshun's bisected body turned into specks of light, floating toward the sky.
"Did I... win?"
Musashi was dazed. Blood loss dulled her judgment.
Naoki approached from nearby, having watched until now, and supported her swaying body: "Yeah, not bad. You did great, Musashi. I'm done on my side too."
Green light, brimming with vitality, glowed in Naoki's palm, gently covering Musashi's wounds, healing them.
(Even with her swords reinforced, she's still this battered. She's got a long way to go to become the Musashi I know... Oh well. She fought hard. That's good for her.)
"Naoki-sama."
Tomoe approached: "Shall I assist her?"
"Yeah, I'll leave her to you. I'm a bit awkward helping her—my hands might touch places they shouldn't." Naoki handed Musashi to Tomoe, summoning a fierce wind that lifted all three into the sky.
"Let's head back, then."
"Understood."
In one night, two Heroic Spirit Swordsmen had been vanquished. Five remained.
(If I'm not mistaken, there should be a few at Tsuchiura Castle... I'll check the situation tomorrow. For tonight, that's enough.)