That statement made Yusei laugh, but upon reflection, it was true. If they couldn't control their strikes properly, accidents were bound to happen.
No, if all the members used real swords, incidents would be a 100% certainty.
However, Yusei genuinely wondered if these Kendo Club's members really only ever used bamboo swords. If so, they would never catch up to Souji's level of swordsmanship.
As they went deeper into the dojo, Yusei arrived at a spacious room. This practice area was large, but only one person was inside.
A girl with short cherry-blossom pink hair knelt on a soft cushion, eyes closed, quietly focusing her mind. Beside her lay that demonic sword… the Rengoku Ken.
The staff member's eyes held respect and an indescribable, unclear emotion as he looked at Souji.
But in his heart, he knew it was impossible for him and Souji to be together. In fact, during his entire time in the Kendo Club, he had never seen Souji smile.
Souji always maintained that calm, detached expression, as if nothing could stir ripples in her heart.
"President, there's a challenger here," the staff member said carefully.
Hearing this, Souji opened her eyes. Her gaze fell upon the dojo entrance, where a familiar figure entered her view. Her previously unruffled eyes immediately lit up.
"Yusei-kun."
Under the somewhat astonished gaze of the staff member, Souji looked at Yusei with apparent happiness.
"It's me. Do you welcome my challenge?" Yusei said with a smile.
"Of course I welcome it! I was hoping to learn some skills from you," Souji said, displaying a rare hint of shyness.
Yusei nodded, not particularly surprised by Souji's reaction towards him.
However, these expressions seemed quite different in the eyes of the staff member and Utaha.
Utaha felt pure curiosity and amusement, wondering how Souji knew Yusei, even if they had faced each other in that high school kendo tournament.
For the staff member, it felt like his world was crumbling.
'President Okita knew this guy? And talked about 'learning' from him?'
Forget whether this guy was stronger than Souji or not, the fact that they knew each other was strange enough!
'Why does President Okita know him too?'
Human jealousy is boundless, especially when the other person has two beautiful girls around him.
"You may leave now," Souji instructed the staff member.
"Yes," The staff member replied dejectedly before leaving.
He still didn't understand why Okita would know some random guy who came to sign up.
To those in the Kendo Club who loved kendo and admired Souji, she was both their captain and their goddess.
Even if the school had other beauties ranked on lists, in the hearts of the Kendo Club's members, Souji was still the best.
Now, only Yusei, Utaha, and Souji remained in the dojo.
A faint smile played on Souji's lips as she looked at Yusei, the excitement in her eyes hard to suppress.
An outsider seeing this might misunderstand. A woman showing excitement towards a man might usually imply certain things, but Souji had no such ulterior motives.
Her excitement stemmed purely from the desire to defeat Yusei, or to learn something from him.
"Then, let's begin," Souji said eagerly, her words easily open to misinterpretation.
Utaha proactively retreated to the spectator area to watch the match between Yusei and Souji.
She still remembered their last fight, where Yusei had defeated Souji.
This time, Utaha believed the result would be the same, and she just didn't know how long the other party would last.
Souji, wearing a white kendo gi and holding the Rengoku Ken, looked serious and formal.
Yusei felt using Futsu no Mitama would be too much of a bully.
Futsu no Mitama had become a divine weapon bound to his soul, summonable for battle at any time. But using such a weapon against Souji would be outright bullying.
Probably, just the effect of its Divine Power would mean she couldn't even block a normal swing.
Souji's admiration made Yusei feel quite pleased with himself, so for this rare combat opportunity, he planned to fight her using pure skill alone.
Picking up a random bamboo sword from the dojo, Yusei said, "Come on."
Souji frowned at the bamboo sword in Yusei's hand, "A bamboo sword? Are you looking down on me?"
"No. Have you heard the saying 'One ounce of skill can overcome ten ounces of strength'?"
"That's 'Ten ounces of strength can overcome one ounce of skill'! No matter how great your technique, limited by the weapon's material, it simply cannot contend with the Rengoku Ken. You should change it," Souji retorted, shaking her head.
"Come on," Yusei said, not elaborating further. Sometimes it was better to let the other person see for themselves.
However, what Souji said was true. Limited by the weapon's material, a bamboo sword indeed couldn't withstand a direct clash with a superior treasure like the Rengoku Ken, even with superb swordsmanship.
But that was only under normal circumstances.
The current Yusei was the [Sword God]. Perhaps he really could reach the realm described in those cultivation novels, where a single blade of grass could be used as a sword.
Yusei wasn't that monstrous yet, but with sufficient skill, a shinai absolutely could face the Rengoku Ken.
Wasting no more words, since he intended to teach, he would teach her seriously.
He directly activated his Sword Intent Mode. A blue sword aura erupted around him, causing the casually chosen bamboo sword in his hand to become crystalline and translucent.
At first glance, it no longer resembled an ordinary bamboo sword, but rather a treasured sword emitting a jade-like glow.
Under the influence of the [Sword God] Authority, all of Yusei's sword techniques carried a divine prerogative.
Souji stood about ten meters opposite Yusei. Sensing the sudden change in his aura, she promptly activated her own Sword Intent Mode without any hesitation.
A crimson sword aura rose around her, and her entire being entered a state of extreme focus.
"Mumyo Sandan-zuki!"
Having witnessed Yusei's strength before, Souji didn't hold back or test the waters at all. Empowered by her Sword Intent Mode, she went straight for her ultimate technique.
The instant the three-stage thrust was unleashed, the first thrust, the second thrust, and the third thrust existed 'simultaneously' at the 'same location'.
It could be said this strike was an absolute, certain kill!