The Black Flame Blade swung, and the charging ice dragon shattered instantly. Then something that astonished everyone happened: the black flames clung to the ice fragments and burned. The ice melted into water, the water turned to vapor, and only then did the black flames vanish.
Everyone who had been freezing in Hyōrinmaru's domain suddenly felt a scorching wave of heat wash over them. They looked toward the Black Flame Blade in Itachi's hand, only to discover that even the air around it had warped from the heat.
Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, seated in the chief seat, had a slight change in his expression when he saw those black flames.
These black flames...
"A flame-type blade, huh? Looks like the two of us are well-matched opponents," Toshiro said.
After the black short blade turned into black flames, its blade grew somewhat longer. Held in Itachi's hand, it vaguely retained the shape of a sword.
Itachi slowly said, "You are right. If the temperature is low enough, flames cannot burn. Conversely, ice cannot form either. It will be simple for us to decide a winner."
A flame-type blade inevitably reminded people of the Captain-Commander's Ryūjin Jakka, known as the strongest and oldest flame-type blade. The blade formed from Itachi's black flames looked exceedingly strange. It was Yamamoto's first time seeing black fire.
The entire venue seemed to have been divided in two. The area near Toshiro was bitterly cold, while the area near Itachi was assaulted by blistering heat.
"Ice Dragon Whirling Tail!"
Chilling air spread in every direction as Toshiro dashed forward. Hyōrinmaru swept horizontally, and a frozen region rapidly formed wherever its tip passed.
The black flame blade slashed out as well, and vast black flames instantly latched onto the ice, burning fiercely across its surface.
It was Toshiro's first