"That Kurogane kid must be in real trouble now."
Torajirou clicked his tongue in admiration. "His tactic has completely failed. At this point, the flow of the battle is entirely out of his control."
"What exactly was his tactic?" Kurono asked, clearly puzzled.
"In a duel between swordsmen, that brat never uses his Noble Art first—unless he's being overwhelmingly suppressed."
Torajirou pointed out the key. "That's both a strength and a weakness for him."
By not using Absolute Godspeed right away, Ikki had the opportunity to engage Eiji in a drawn-out fight, instead of deciding the match in a flash of speed, which would've been detrimental to him.
But if he didn't use his trump card first, then neither could he use Ittou Shura too soon—he had to reserve it to counter Eiji's Absolute GodSpeed.
Absolute GodSpeed was heavily dependent on mana.
Since Eiji's mana was finite, his maximum speed was already capped. Against a speed he absolutely couldn't match, Absolute GodSpeed would become useless—like a blind man in a sword fight.
"So, what that Kurogane kid intended," Torajirou continued, "was to draw out Eiji's Noble Art again and again during a prolonged fight—gradually draining his mana. Then, with Ittou Shura at full power, he could land the finishing blow!"
As long as Eiji's mana was depleted, his speed ceiling would drop significantly, and Ikki could dominate the fight using Ittou Shura.
To achieve that, he had prepared to take massive damage—willing to endure broken limbs if necessary.
That's why he used Raikou again and again, forcing himself to evolve, increasing its speed each time—to push Eiji into revealing his trump card.
"There's a fundamental limitation to Absolute GodSpeed—if your opponent never unleashes ultra-high speed, then you can't activate a divine speed that surpasses it."
If I only use normal slashes, even if you activate a superpower, it can at best outpace my normals—something I can easily dodge.
So, as long as Ikki refrained from using Ittou Shura, he could continue the standoff.
The plan itself was sound.
It was arguably the best tactic to counter Eiji.
But what he didn't expect—was that Eiji wouldn't use his Noble Art at all.
Because for Eiji to be forced to use it, Ikki needed to win the exchanges in the swordfight!
Against anyone else in Hagun Academy—anyone but Eiji—even Toudou Touka, Ikki was confident that in pure swordsmanship, he could overwhelm them and control the fight!
But against Eiji—
The situation was crystal clear.
With Eiji constantly shifting his style, techniques like mimicry or blade steal were completely useless. Instead, Ikki's own progress and techniques were being stolen and used against him.
He was completely suppressed.
Forced into a corner, he had no choice but to use Ittou Shura first, just to try to seize an opening!
That's right.
His first strategy failed. But he still had a fallback plan.
That was—to abandon speed entirely, and confront Eiji with pure strength and inner power techniques.
Specifically, just like before, to activate Ittou Shura the instant their swords clashed, using overwhelming force to crush Eiji—and drive his penetrating power straight into his body.
If it worked, Eiji would suffer heavy internal damage. Even if Eiji countered with his Noble Art, Ikki might still come out ahead!
But what he never expected—
Was for this fallback strategy to fail as well.
When he swung his blade—
He immediately sensed something was off.
It didn't feel like hitting a human. More like slicing into a piece of paper… or a ball of cotton.
And the result made his heart sink.
Eiji had completely neutralized the force behind the attack. Other than his clothes turning gray with dust, he was completely unharmed.
"This move is called 'Blend with the Dust and Light.' It's a new technique I created," Eiji said, stepping calmly back into the center of the arena, stopping in front of Ikki with a warm, radiant smile.
"Just a heads-up—don't go comparing it to some judo ukemi breakfall technique."
Blend with the Dust and Light.
This technique was created by Eiji after several days of intense training with a certain over-the-hill loli—specifically to counter reflection-type abilities.
Its concept wasn't based on judo breakfalls, but on the hidden truths of Tai Chi—an evolved form born from the ultimate essence of Tai Chi swordsmanship.
"Haaah—!"
Ikki took a deep breath, then sharply lifted the corner of his eyes in a glare.
He launched a full-power assault—his ultimate charge!
"The battle resumes! Kurogane's offensive pressure is on a whole new level! Will this attack finally break through?"
"Kurogane has been pushed to the edge…! Activating Ittou Shura means this fight will end within a minute—he has to seize his moment now or never!"
His strategy had failed.
Even his fallback plan had completely collapsed.
Every tactic he racked his brains to devise had been for nothing.
But—he absolutely couldn't afford to stop now!
Even if he had less than a minute of combat left, as long as he kept moving forward, he was certain he'd find a path to victory!
This fight wasn't just for himself—
It was also for Stella!
That's why—he would fight with everything he had until the very end!
BOOM!
A heavy strike, like the crushing wheel of a steamroller, slammed down upon the Bling Blade.
The sheer force came crashing down from above like a thunderbolt from the heavens.
A shockwave burst out from the clash point between the two blades, roaring through the air like an explosion, tearing through the silence with a sonic boom!
The strength was incredible!
Eiji felt a flicker of genuine surprise.
Ikki's physical prowess, in his normal state, was nothing special—not in Eiji's eyes. At most, somewhere around a Level 3 adventurer in Orario City terms, maybe early Level 4.
But Ittou Shura—that technique was monstrous. It multiplied Ikki's physical capabilities dozens of times over!
Dozens of times!
Once in that state, his power was amplified to an absurd degree, far beyond Level 4... possibly even exceeding Level 6!
In other words—right now, Eiji was essentially fighting someone on par with a monster like Finn or Gareth!
Under normal circumstances, he would've had no choice but to use his Noble Art already.
"However!"
Eiji clenched his jaw.
His body turned light—so light it seemed weightless, absorbing the blow like paper fluttering in the wind. But at the same time, his legs stomped into the ground with explosive force.
BOOM!
BOOM!
Two steps back—his feet sliding across the floor.
Looking closer, the ground beneath him had shattered into intricate web-like fractures, like crushed leaf veins.
And yet, Eiji stood his ground—like a steel pillar driven into the earth. Despite Kurogane's overwhelming power, he didn't budge an inch!
"What…?"
Ikki's eyes widened in disbelief.
He should've had far greater strength than Eiji now—yet the impact was neutralized so easily?
A body as soft as paper.
Feet as unyielding as steel.
This was the realm of perfect balance—where hardness and softness coexist.
"So this is… 'Blend with the Dust and Light,' huh?"
Ikki clenched his teeth, a bitter sense of helplessness welling in his chest.
***
Hey readers!
Want to read ahead? 📖 Join my Patreon for early access to 30+ advance chapters! Your support helps me write more and bring the story to you faster.
🔹patreon.com/aarvan🔹