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After competing with Shiryu for a while, Ikki was able to determine Shiryu's level of swordsmanship.
Although his strength was somewhat weakened due to being imprisoned in Impel Down for a long time, his realm of swordsmanship was still at the Mountain-Cutting level.
He understood that if he defeated Shiryu, all he could gain was the privilege to challenge another Mountain-Cutting Realm swordsman.
But if he let his crewmate challenge and defeat Shiryu, the result would be different.
As for the current Shiryu, Ikki felt that Nojiko plus her Zanpakutō abilities would be enough to defeat him.
"You, are you humiliating me?"
Shiryu clenched the long sword in his hand and looked at Ikki with eyes flashing scarlet.
At this moment, he was truly angry.
"Ikki, this is no joke."
"I admit that you're very strong."
"But your partner... is still lacking, after all."
"If your partner has a problem in the battle with Shiryu."
"There's no way for me to explain this to my superiors."
Magellan also frowned, trying to persuade Ikki to give up the idea of letting his crewmate fight in his place.
Ikki smiled and ignored Magellan and Shiryu.
He leaned his head close to Nojiko's ear and whispered a few words.
Nojiko nodded slightly, understanding what Ikki was thinking.
"Don't worry, Director Magellan."
"Although I'm a woman, I'm not as weak as I look."
"Please rest assured, Shiryu, I won't let you down."
"To a certain extent, my sword and your sword are somewhat similar."
Nojiko drew her sword and walked to stand two meters away from Shiryu. The gentle smile on her face carried a hint of something sinister.
"Haha, it doesn't matter."
"That Ikki was difficult to handle."
"But if it's you, I'll be able to make this Raiu drink some good blood."
Shiryu raised his sword and pointed it at Nojiko, and the murderous aura ignited by Ikki's humiliating behavior instantly rushed toward Nojiko.
The murderous aura passed through Nojiko and reached Magellan and Ikki, but neither of them seemed affected by it.
On the other hand, the faces of Sadi-chan, Domino, and Hannyabal, who were standing behind them, changed drastically.
At this moment, they seemed to remember the fear of being dominated by Shiryu.
"A blood-drinking cursed sword?"
"As expected, the sword Shiryu-san holds is very similar to the sword in my hand."
"However, it's just a simple resemblance."
"In terms of power, it's still far behind."
Nojiko placed her sword in front of her and put her free hand on the back of the blade.
At the same time, powerful spiritual pressure burst forth from Nojiko and connected to the blade itself.
Shiryu frowned and glanced at the sword in Nojiko's hand with some confusion.
'What's going on with this sword? Why does it feel alive to me?'
Shiryu was quite confused.
As an excellent swordsman, he had experienced the feeling that a sword was a living thing before.
He had felt this sensation many times with his cursed sword Raiu.
But he had never felt it as strongly as he did now.
'Never mind!'
'Strike first for the advantage!'
Shiryu's eyes narrowed, and he lowered his stance, ready to swing his sword at Nojiko.
Although he was very curious about what was happening with the sword in Nojiko's hand, he felt an uneasy premonition in his heart that made him want to act immediately.
However, at the moment he was about to move, Nojiko acted first.
"Purify all, Minazuki!"
"The show ends here!"
Whoosh!
Blood spurted out from Minazuki, covering Nojiko's surroundings in an instant.
A murderous aura more powerful than Shiryu's burst forth, enveloping everyone present, including Shiryu.
At that moment, those who were weak in strength, weak in will, and facing Nojiko suddenly found that their bodies appeared to have turned into skeletons.
But when they looked at themselves, they found that their bodies were still the same.
"What's going on?"
Shiryu blinked and looked at Nojiko in confusion.
But what greeted him was Nojiko's gentle expression stripped away, leaving behind a fierce smile and the blood-stained long sword.
Slash!
The scarlet sword light flashed by, and Nojiko was already behind Shiryu.
Shiryu's eyes widened as he looked down at his abdomen while maintaining his blocking posture...
There, a long wound had almost cut through his waist.
A large amount of blood began to spurt out.
No, it wasn't just his original blood.
Shiryu keenly discovered that the flesh and blood around the wound was constantly transforming and melting into blood.
It's just that this sensation came and went quickly.
As the surrounding blood disappeared, the melting of his body also stopped.
"I see... the sword in your hand is the real cursed sword."
"It's a... pretty impressive blade."
"I did lose this battle."
Shiryu covered the wound on his abdomen with his hand and looked greedily at Nojiko behind him.
To be precise, he looked at the Zanpakutō Minazuki that was slowly being sheathed in Nojiko's hand.
At the same time, Ikki's mind also heard the mechanical voice of the system.
[Ding! Congratulations to Host's partner Nojiko for defeating the Mountain-Cutting Realm Swordsman Shiryu.
The special reward is Host and Nojiko's 'Mountain-Cutting Realm Swordsman Shiryu Challenge Permission'.
Since both Host and Nojiko have reached the Mountain-Cutting Realm, this reward can be used by other partners of Host.]
[Host can now claim Shiryu's 'Raiu', one of the twenty-one Great Grade swords.]
'Yes, even if Raiu was taken from Shiryu for a while.'
'The ownership of this sword still belongs to him.'
Ikki raised the corners of his mouth and nodded with satisfaction.
Magellan on the side thought that Ikki was satisfied with Nojiko's performance.
Behind him, Sadi-chan and others had opened their mouths like all the prisoners around them, looking at Nojiko in disbelief.
Hannyabal: "Are you kidding? That beautiful woman was able to defeat Shiryu? By the way, what happened with all that blood just now? I didn't even touch it, but it felt so terrifying!"
Domino: "So... so strong! Not only Ikki, but his crewmates are like this too. That woman..."
Sadi-chan: "It's so amazing! The power she had just now, the way she looked just now, well... it's really fascinating! If I learned from Ikki, could I also have that kind of power?"