"Dual-wielding swords... is this another kind of fate? Or is it meant to explain and prove something?"
Looking at the Goei in his hand, Sasaki Kojirou's mirror-still state of mind rarely showed a trace of loneliness.
In pursuit of the ultimate swordsmanship, he had traveled far and wide, defeated countless masters, and spent his entire life honing the way of the sword to its peak. He had even abandoned his own name, living solely for the sword in his hand.
Yet after all those long years, after doing nothing but swing his sword every day, was he still ultimately unable to surpass that man?
"I am myself, and Miyamoto Musashi is Miyamoto Musashi. You cannot equate me with him simply because I use two swords.
"And it cannot be denied that Miyamoto Musashi was indeed an exceptional swordsman, and his Two Heavens School was an incredibly formidable sword technique.
"But Sasaki Kojirou, have you already lost sight of your original aspiration? What are you truly trying to pursue: Miyamoto Musashi, or the way of the sword itself?"
"Miyamoto Musashi was strong, but he did not represent the ultimate pinnacle of swordsmanship. Throughout the long river of history, sword masters as powerful as stars in the sky have been countless.
"Not only in the past, but in the future as well. The moment you placed shackles upon yourself, you had already fallen beneath Miyamoto Musashi."
After leaving those words behind, Yoru Machi turned and walked up the steps of Ryudō Temple.
Sasaki Kojirou did not move to stop Yoru Machi. Instead, he stood there blankly for a moment before finally coming to his senses and nodding in thanks at Yoru Machi's retreating back.
That was right. What Sasaki Kojirou had pursued all his life was the highest realm of the sword.