Chapter 28: Sudden Enlightenment
The two slashes—Ren's Flame Dance and Arthur's Flash: Cross Slash—collided in the center of the arena.
Boom—!
The impact was not a simple clang of steel. It was an explosion of fire and light, a clash of two opposing magical concepts. A terrifying shockwave erupted outwards, shattering the already-cracked ground and sending a wave of heat and pressure across the entire stadium.
"Flash · Pierce!!"
Arthur did not relent. The moment his slash was neutralized, he stomped his foot, his golden magical aura flaring. He shot forward like a beam of light, his sword raised, and thrust it directly at Ren's chest.
"Sun Breathing · Seventh Form: Solar Halo Thrust!"
[Akarin's Note: Shayō (斜陽), or "Setting Sun." This form is not the 9th form, but a variation of a thrusting technique. The original text lists several forms; this will follow Yoriichi's known techniques. Hirin Kagero (Solar Halo Dragon Head) is a thrust, but for simplicity, we'll refer to this as a high-speed Sun Breathing thrust.]
Flames enveloped Ren's body as he, too, moved. He didn't meet the charge head-on. He pivoted, his red blade held with both hands, and launched a fierce, spiraling thrust that met the tip of Arthur's blade.
Clang — — — — —!!
The tips of their swords met. Light versus Sun. A high-pitched, agonizing scream of metal and magic filled the air.
Boom boom boom boom — — — —!!
The ground beneath their feet and all around them exploded. The shockwave from this focused impact was even more violent, rapidly spreading outwards and cracking the arena's inner wall.
"Flash Sword!!!"
Arthur, realizing he couldn't win in a contest of pure power, disengaged and exploded into a flurry of motion. His sword attacked as swiftly as light, dozens of thrusts and slashes aimed at Ren from every conceivable angle.
Ren, however, was a wall of serene calm. He swung his blade, his movements economical and perfect, blocking all of Arthur's attacks.
"Sun Breathing · Eighth Form: Soaring Wheel Heat Haze!"
[Akarin's Note: Hirin Kagero (飛輪陽炎), or "Soaring Wheel Heat Haze" (often "Clear Blue Sky"), is a technique where Yoriichi seems to vanish in a heat haze to avoid an attack, leaving no afterimage.]
Ren's blade tip, and his entire body, seemed to waver like a heat haze. Arthur, sensing a trap, immediately retreated to dodge. Just as he thought he had evaded and was preparing to launch a counterattack...
Suddenly! His expression changed. The seemingly short red blade, which should have been feet away, suddenly appeared to lengthen, its tip already at his chest. The "heat haze" had been an illusion, masking Ren's true position.
Arthur no longer had time to dodge.
Pfft!
A shallow, burning wound was cut into Arthur's body. He grunted in pain and quickly swung his sword in a wide, horizontal sweep to create distance.
"Sun Breathing · Ninth Form: Setting Sun Turn!"
[Akarin's Note: Shayō (斜陽), or "Setting Sun Turn," is a high-arcing, flipping slash to avoid attacks while simultaneously counter-attacking.]
Ren's body leaped and spun in mid-air, a full rotation that dodged Arthur's attack, and simultaneously delivered a horizontal slash with his own blade.
Such an unexpected and acrobatic attack made Arthur break out in a cold sweat. He quickly ducked, and the long red blade sliced just above his head, taking a strand of his golden hair.
Before Arthur could even react, Ren's next attack arrived. He was already landing, his blade in a low stance.
"Sun Breathing · Sixth Form: Burning Bones, Summer Sun!"
[Akarin's Note: Shakkotsu En'yo (灼骨炎陽), or "Burning Bones, Summer Sun," is a circular slash that defends from all sides.]
Ren's spinning, solar flare slash struck Arthur directly.
"Ugh ah ah ah!!"
Arthur cried out in pain, his armor shattering as his entire body was sent flying by the fiery, circular slash.
Boom — — — —!!
Arthur crashed into the inner wall of the arena, shattering it and burying himself in a cloud of dust and rubble.
"Oh oh oh!! Arthur has been sent flying by Yoriichi Tsugikuni!! Is the battle about to end here?!" the commentator screamed.
Arthur struggled to his feet, emerging from the rubble, his blue armor cracked and his breathing heavy.
"Not yet!! Arthur has risen again!!"
"As expected of Mr. Yoriichi Tsugikuni," Arthur panted, a trickle of blood running from his lip. "I originally wanted to engage in close combat to determine a victor with you... but it seems I was overestimating myself."
Facing Ren directly, he finally understood why Clay had been scurrying around like a startled rabbit.
Before each of Ren's moves, he also seemed to see illusions of himself being killed. He had to rely on his strong willpower to avoid being disturbed by these illusions. He even tried to use the illusions to predict Ren's attack methods in advance.
But he found that he was still overestimating himself. He thought he was competing against Ren with his own strength, but Ren's previous attacks seemed to be telling him just how vast the gap between them truly was.
...
Ren said nothing. To be honest, the moment Arthur got close, Ren had the opportunity to instantly kill him. However, doing so would be a bit disrespectful. He was, after all, the strongest swordsman in the Sobelia Kingdom. If he were to eliminate him so easily, it would be a bit rude to his host.
He who eats from another's hand is beholden to him.
He had intended to end the battle with a token effort, a simple display of superior skill. Arthur's swordsmanship was not weak, but his was simply stronger.
"But I also want to see," Arthur roared, his pride as the kingdom's strongest on the line, "what the true gap between Mr. Yoriichi Tsugikuni and me is!"
Arthur held his sword with both hands in front of his chest, and magic power—all of it—rapidly gathered into the blade.
The light from the sword soared into the sky, forming a giant golden light sword—the same move he used against Erza. However, this time Arthur had clearly condensed even stronger magic power. The blade of light was easily fifty meters long.
Ren greatly disliked people who went all out like this. What was supposed to be a sword-fighting competition ultimately turned into a magic competition.
The wind-up for Arthur's move was so long. Honestly, that amount of time was enough for him to kill Arthur several times over. Even if he didn't kill him, Ren could easily dodge.
But he couldn't do that. Interrupting at this point would be a bit undignified. He couldn't attack, and he couldn't dodge, so the only option was to meet it head-on.
Ren infused magic power into his red sword, preparing to use a Sun Breathing form to counter it.
But just as he infused his Ethernano into the blade, a strange, profound sensation arose in Ren's mind.
He was still in the Transparent World. He looked at the magic power flowing into the sword in his hand, and for the first time, he saw it. He saw the "flow" of magic, the same way Yoriichi's memories had shown him the flow of blood and the tensing of muscles. He saw the Ethernano as a flowing, living river of energy.
His brain became incredibly active. Countless thoughts and insights surged through his mind. He didn't just see his own magic; he saw the world's magic. He saw the massive, unstable concentration of magic in Arthur's "Judgment of Light."
Ren wasn't sure what this feeling was, but he could sense that this was a huge opportunity. If he missed this opportunity, he would absolutely, absolutely regret it for the rest of his life.
Ren chose to forget everything—the crowd, the match, the prize money—immersing himself wholeheartedly in this new, clear ocean of consciousness.
Arthur had also finished charging at this point. A giant golden light sword, tens of meters long, formed from energy, stood in the arena, like a legendary holy sword.
Arthur saw Ren in a daze and didn't know what he was doing or why he wasn't assuming a fighting stance. Whether he intended to dodge or clash head-on, there should have been some indication.
But he just stood there motionless.
However, at this moment, Arthur didn't have time to ponder. His move was fully charged, and he had to attack.
"Judgment of Light!!"
Holding the sword with both hands, he roared and swung it downwards.
The giant light sword, like a divine weapon, cleaved down towards Ren, as if splitting heaven and earth.
Ren seemed to have no time to react, or perhaps he forgot to react. He neither dodged nor charged to defend, merely standing still.
Only when the sword was about to strike him did his body move. It was an instinct. He slowly raised his own simple, red sword to block.
How could a single, thin blade possibly block such an attack? When Arthur attacked Erza, she had used her Adamantine Armor and a magic barrier, and both were shattered. This time, Arthur's attack was clearly more powerful.
Everyone thought Ren was finished. They couldn't bear to watch him be sliced in half.
Then...
Bang — — — —!
A crisp, clear sound rang out.
It was followed by a scene that shocked, awed, and left everyone in the stadium in utter, stunned disbelief.
The blade of the golden giant sword met Ren's simple red blade. The scene everyone expected, where Ren's blade would be easily shattered, did not occur.
Instead, Arthur's golden giant sword... broke.
That's right! It just broke, as if it were made of glass. It shattered, as if cut by something incredibly sharp. Immediately after, the golden giant sword dissipated into points of light.
...
The entire venue instantly fell silent.
Arthur himself stood frozen, his eyes vacant, his sword still held in the "down" position, his mind completely unable to comprehend what he had just seen.
[Akarin Note:
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