Use everything—absolutely everything at his disposal!
The pulse of his breath, the bend of his bones, the twitch of each muscle...
He needed nothing else—only to dedicate himself, body and soul, to one purpose:
To be faster.
To make this one strike faster than ever before!
"He's even faster again?"
Eiji's gaze grew increasingly grave.
Ikki's blade was visibly accelerating—his speed rising with every second!
"Am I pushing him too hard? Forcing him to evolve under the pressure?"
But—something felt off.
A strange unease crept into Eiji's thoughts.
Yet on the surface, he showed no sign of it. With the fluid grace of the Ayatsuji Ittou-ryu's counterattack style, he continued his fierce engagement with Ikki.
"Incredible! He's using Ayatsuji Ittou-ryu better than I—no, better than even Father ever did!"
Ayatsuji Ayase's voice trembled with excitement.
It was almost unbelievable.
Her father had spent a lifetime refining that sword style, and yet—
This junior, who had only ever crossed swords with her father once, had already surpassed him.
With a flawless counter for every flash of Raikou, Eiji was perfectly parrying each of Ikki's strikes.
"What an explosive battle! We've never seen swordplay of this caliber in the entire Hagun Academy selection tournament!"
One of the announcers was practically shouting in awe.
"It's opened my eyes! But… I admit I can't follow the action anymore. Yuuri-chan, can I leave the commentary to you!?"
"Y-Yes! It's way more intense than I imagined—both fighters are terrifyingly skilled. They're far beyond my level, so my analysis might not be perfect… but Ikki Kurogane is evolving before our eyes!"
"His speed really is increasing!"
"Not just that—he's stepping back less and less every time… wait—cough, hack—!!"
"Yuuri-chan, hang in there! What are you saying!? I'm totally lost!"
"I'll endure it with sheer guts!"
Yuuri Oreki suddenly spat a mouthful of blood onto the commentary table, her face pale as snow—but her expression was full of excitement.
"I don't know how, but every time Eiji lands a counter with his Ayatsuji technique, it's hurting Ikki—but the amount Ikki's pushed back is shrinking. He used to be sent flying over ten meters, but now—less than five! That means he's figuring it out—he's adapting his defenses too!"
"Seriously!?"
"You're asking me!?"
"Ikki Kurogane's kinda insane, huh?"
In the stands, the crowd was roaring.
99% of the audience couldn't follow the fight at all anymore.
The rest could only barely understand it—thanks to Yuuri's bloody commentary.
"That commentator's got a sharp eye."
Nangou Torajirou squinted at the battlefield, his gaze sharp and unwavering.
"She's right. It's both. The kid's getting close to cracking Flawless Defense, and he's evolving his force absorption technique alongside it. That's the only reason they've kept clashing for this long..."
"Heh... watching them reminds me of when I was young, fighting Ryouma with that same fire!"
"It's embarrassing, but I don't understand their swordplay anymore," Shinguuji Kurono admitted with a bitter smile, awestruck.
"Eh? You don't get it either, Kuro?"
Nene blinked from her seat, then suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Actually, me neither!"
Most of the students had long since lost track of the battle itself.
Even those who could still grasp the flow of combat couldn't comprehend the intricacies of the swordplay.
"Hahaha, it's only natural!"
Torajirou laughed heartily.
"Honestly, even I'm struggling to keep up. These two brats—They've already gone beyond me and Ryouma."
"They've reached that level!?"
Kurono's expression turned to pure shock.
"Wait… wasn't Eiji still new to swordsmanship just a few months ago?"
Nene couldn't hold it in anymore. She nearly choked as she shouted in disbelief.
"If I recall correctly… four months?"
"Four months?!"
Kurono's eyes flew open wide, stunned as though reality itself had cracked.
"Four months,"
Nangou replied with a warm smile.
"That's why I said it from the start—this kid... he's bound to surpass Edelwiss one day."
Eiji—his most cherished disciple.
For this boy, Torajirou had traveled to countless places and made endless efforts.
And Eiji was the one he believed in the most.
Unrivaled talent.
Unshakeable resolve.
With those gifts—surpassing Seikyou Nene was only a matter of time.
Surpassing the strongest in the world—
It's only a matter of time.
"…Hah. So Ikki's up against a real monster, huh?"
Kurono let out a dry, disbelieving chuckle, filled with awe.
At this very moment, the Eiji she saw in the arena was no longer the timid student knight she remembered.
He was someone who would, one day, stand at the peak of the world.
Thinking about it now, maybe losing to him back before school started… wasn't so bad after all.
She chuckled to herself, suddenly finding that defeat rather romantic in hindsight.
Ikki facing off against him—was that luck? Or misfortune?
"Isn't some certain pig trembling right now?"
Nene cast a sideways glance down below.
There, a short and chubby man named Akaza had overheard their entire conversation.
His face now wore nothing but terror and dread.
Four months?
And he already surpassed the legendary Ikki's father—Kurogane Ryouma?!
This wasn't supposed to happen. He'd just finished a routine mission.
Why—why did he have to run into this once-in-a-millennium monster?!
Clatter—!
His cane slipped from his trembling hands and hit the ground.
Akaza bent down to pick it up, but—
His hands wouldn't stop shaking.
"Forget the pig for now."
Kurono tossed a glance at the red-faced Akaza and grinned with satisfaction, then turned her attention back to the fight.
"Isn't it strange? Why does Ikki keep using Raikou over and over? Sure, he's getting faster—but Eiji is already faster than anyone. Speed doesn't threaten him."
Indeed—for someone like Eiji, whose divine speed surpassed comprehension, faster strikes weren't supposed to matter.
"No, the kid's thought it through."
Torajirou shook his head seriously.
"Against that brat of mine, this is the best tactic Ikki can use."
"You're serious?"
Kurono was stunned.
I've fought Eiji too…
How is speed supposed to beat him?!
"But whether this strategy will work… that depends on what comes next."
Torajirou's expression turned grim.
Against Eiji, there were few viable strategies.
And Ikki had indeed picked the right one.
But—whether he can pull it off will depend entirely on how strong he really is.
Inside the arena.
Now realizing that Ikki was gradually unraveling the secrets of Ayatsuji Ittou-ryu, Eiji shifted his stance again.
One strike after another!
Blades clashed like a hurricane of steel—so fast they blurred before the eye.
"No openings at all!"
Ikki was fighting with everything he had—but even so, defending against Eiji was like standing in the heart of a storm.
***
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