Chapter 157 Not even a ripple?
Suicho led Suiko away.
They arrived at the hilltop where Nichirin and the others were standing, observing the battle.
"Looks like the Sword Saint Guild will need rebuilding too. How about I help you get in touch with a good renovation company I know from Bang?" (Child Emperor:?)
"So that's why you, you old stubborn fool, suddenly came to visit me. Turns out you brought people to cause trouble."
Nichirin showed no signs of unfamiliarity after many years.
He opened his mouth with a seemingly serious joke.
"It's not that I want to cause trouble. Master Aokiji just asked me to. What, are you too old to accept challenges from young people now?"
Suicho said without any politeness.
At that moment, a flying slash sliced through the air!
It flew straight towards this small hill!
Draw your sword and spin it!
Nichirin flicked the flying slash upwards!
Finally, he turned to Suicho with a helpless expression and said:
"That's Kamikaze's slash, that's why I stepped in to block it. If it were Aokiji's slash, I would have just told everyone to lie down and dodge."
"The gap is that exaggerated. It's not that I'm afraid of the challenge from young people, but that person is simply not even in the category of young people."
Suicho did not continue the pursuit.
Instead, he nodded in agreement and said:
"Let alone the category of young people, Master Aokiji has reached the pinnacle of martial arts at this age and still possesses swordsmanship that even you would be ashamed of, which is far beyond the human realm."
"The pinnacle of martial arts?"
Nichirin's wrinkled, aged face relaxed slightly, and he appeared extremely shocked.
The others, who were observing the sword duel and listening silently to their conversation, also cast surprised glances at them.
In martial arts, could we even go further?!
How on earth did this person train?!
Aokiji gripped the hilt with both hands, the massive cross-shaped longsword held behind him.
He slashed out with his sword!
It's like a slash that cuts the world in two!
————————! ! !
The upper part of the Sword Saint Guild's pavilion, along with the surrounding rocks and forests, collapsed into the air, leaving a smooth and clean cut!
The Atomic Samurai, holding his sword in front of him, gritted his teeth in resentment.
They couldn't stop it again!
He was spared again because of his "unwillingness to kill"!
Is Atomic Samurai weak?
As one of the world's few great swordsmen, one of the most accomplished, he is naturally not weak.
But why were they crushed like this?
The answer is—a number!
Hawkeye's swordsmanship is indeed pure and powerful, but it's impossible for him to so easily and effortlessly crush a great swordsman just by relying on his swordsmanship alone.
Numbers are the answer to everything!
However, at this moment, Aokiji, who has always been invincible with his numerical advantages, has encountered a problem.
He frowned slightly, staring at the unresponsive progress bar.
What do you mean by not moving an inch?
So you look down on Atomic Samurai? The fight went on for ages and there wasn't a single point of increase in his score.
"Grandpa, has Aokiji reached the pinnacle of kendo as well?" Suiko asked curiously.
This seemingly casual yet absolutely dominant duel.
It's so similar to Aokiji's battle with his grandfather.
His opponent was also a great swordsman. Aokiji's ability to achieve this level should mean that he has reached the same level in swordsmanship as in martial arts.
"It's hard to say; the rules of swordsmanship are even more complicated."
Suicho shook his head; he wasn't sure either.
Then he looked at Nichirin standing to the side.
What do you think?
"I can't see it."
Nichirin, who is completely blind, said this.
Suicho silently raised his fist.
Nichirin immediately smiled and said:
"You still can't take a joke. Put your fist down and let's get down to business... I can't even tell."
"As expected." Suicho lowered his fist.
"If the foundation of martial arts is skill and strength, then the foundation of swordsmanship is skill and mind. This is something you told me before."
"I didn't expect you to remember." Nichirin rested his hands on the ground, his hands on his sword. "That hero's skill had been honed to the highest level, and that's easy to sense."
"But the mind, apart from itself, no one knows what realm it has reached."
"If the battle can force him to use his full strength, we can get a glimpse of what he's capable of. Kamikaze is strong, but it's clearly not enough to make him unleash his full power."
This was the first time Aokiji had encountered this situation.
The progress bar remained at 0%, without any change.
Although the system has many bugs that can cause it to malfunction, it seems unlikely that it would break down like this.
It's highly likely that his method is flawed.
[In pursuit of the purest and ultimate expression of swordsmanship]
As Aokiji pondered these words, he casually parried Atomic Samurai's attacks with his sword.
Ping-ping-ping-ping
The crisp sound of swords clashing rang out, accompanied by the sharp aftershocks spreading outwards.
Crouch low in the air, firmly plant your feet on the ground.
Atomic Samurai seemed to be one with the long sword in his hand.
Atomic Concentration Slash!!
Countless strikes converge at a single point!
The area the blade cuts through shrinks, but the density and destructive power skyrocket!
The slashes were like a tightly woven net, enveloping everything!
But what comes head-on,
It was a long, cross-shaped blade that pierced straight in!
Those dense slashes were as if they were real, thin threads, which were easily pierced through!
"That's enough. I'm thinking about something, so don't keep bothering me, uncle."
Atomic Samurai stared blankly down at the tip of the knife pressed against his vital chest.
A crushing defeat...
A crushing defeat that left no room for rebuttal.
It's like an adult getting tired of playing with a child and impatiently waving them away to play somewhere else—a perfunctory gesture.
He watched as the long sword was sheathed and stuck into the ground, Aokiji stroking his chin, deep in thought.
A long silence followed.
Atomic Samurai suddenly raised his head and shouted:
"Iai! Hill Dance! Drill!"
"Hi! Master!"
The three disciples standing at a distance immediately stood up straight and responded respectfully.
"A new round of training is about to begin! Can you keep up?!"
"No problem, Master!"
Atomic Samurai sheathed his sword.
His gaze was focused and earnest as he looked at Aokiji.
"Today... I have learned a great deal. I will bring my disciples to join the association, and we will challenge them again once Train has made a breakthrough!"
"come on."
Aokiji would like to offer some words of encouragement, even if they are free.
Seeing that he was still deep in thought, Atomic Samurai did not disturb him any further.
He left with his disciples.
" Mr. Aokiji, would you like to have a spar with us?"
Nichirin walked ahead of the Sword Saints and asked with a smile.
There was a hint of expectation in his tone.
"No, thank you." Aokiji waved her hand in refusal.
"I still have some things to think about, you don't need to worry about me."
The sparring with Atomic Samurai was ineffective, and he didn't think that switching to someone else would work.
The Sword Saints were somewhat disappointed, but they didn't say much.
Leave the space for Aokiji to think alone.
Nichirin took Suicho to another meeting place, firstly to catch up with old friends, and secondly to discuss the opening ceremony of the new dojo.
The mountaintop, riddled with countless smooth cuts, finally quieted down.
Aokiji froze a rocking chair and lay down to relax.
He was pondering how to increase the progress bar of Hawkeye.
The white clouds that had been cut in half drifted by.
The wind on the mountaintop seemed to have been cut off and had not yet recovered, blowing intermittently in gusts.
Behind the large tree stump with a smooth cut.
Yuta, a beautiful girl with white hair and brown skin, nervously huddled behind a tree stump, peeking out to take a look.
If I were to ask Aokiji to be his apprentice and learn swordsmanship now, would he agree?