Ririko's Practical Combat Lesson, Tennen Rishin-ryū, Beginner!

Ririko's practical combat lesson, Tennen Rishin-ryū, beginner!

"Tennen Rishin-ryū?"

The blacksmith repeated it, staring at the little bean beside him, whose entire body was shrouded beneath a hood. He fell silent.

Uesugi Tetsu nodded, though he wondered inwardly whether there was some particular significance to practicing swordsmanship in Everworld.

"Fine."

After more than ten seconds of silence, the blacksmith, apparently having made up his mind about something, said, "Come back in a few hours to collect the weapon."

After handing in the quest at the blacksmith's, Uesugi Tetsu naturally went to the kendo hall to meet up with Ririko.

It was afternoon class time. As expected, the enormous kendo hall contained only Ririko, silently practicing.

The privileged class could do whatever they wanted at school.

When he reached the entrance, Uesugi Tetsu looked down at her feet. The wooden boards beneath her had all turned dark brown, soaked through by the girl's sweat.

Silently swinging her sword, climbing alone. Uesugi Tetsu thought that perhaps this was Ririko's secret to standing out among her peers.

But the longer he watched, the more something seemed wrong.

He rubbed his eyes. Why was Ririko glowing?

Was it an illusion?

Whoosh—

With the final sound of the Bamboo Sword slicing through the air, Ririko let out a soft breath and walked toward him.

Her feet slapped against the wooden floor with the pattering sound of a duck waddling.

She greeted him while drinking mineral water. "You're here? Change and let's get started."

"Wait." Uesugi Tetsu caught her sleeve and leaned closer. Then he asked in confusion, "Ririko, you're really glowing. Didn't you notice?"

Ririko felt a surge of delight inside, but outwardly she replied as though it were nothing special, "This is the sign that I've just broken through to 'Clear Sword Heart.' Since you can achieve Heart Like Still Water, of course you can see it."

Uesugi Tetsu was puzzled. "What's Clear Sword Heart?"

Finally, you took the initiative to ask.

Ririko replied indifferently, "The second swordsmanship realm after Heart Like Still Water. It's hardly an achievement."

"Oh, I see."

Uesugi Tetsu seemed to understand, and chose to believe her.

Then Uesugi Tetsu fell into deep thought.

"Ki-ai Technique is roughly like this. I'll demonstrate it once more..."

"No need."

Uesugi Tetsu was taken aback.

"I understand everything now." Ririko curled her lips, revealing a haughty smile Uesugi Tetsu had never seen before. "Uesugi-kun, your breathing technique is quite exquisite!"

As she spoke, she inhaled deeply and puffed out her chest. At the same time as she shouted, she swung her sword. "Ha!"

Uesugi Tetsu saw it clearly.

Without a doubt, this was beginner-level Ki-ai Technique, far inferior to his current proficient level.

But the problem was that I had only spent a few minutes explaining it once.

Seriously?

How did someone without a cheat look even more impressive than me, the one with a cheat?

Ririko's ability to learn it in one try definitely had something to do with that "Clear Sword Heart." You call this hardly an achievement?

What kind of new humblebrag is this?

"Hey!"

A brand-new face guard was tossed into Uesugi Tetsu's arms. He caught it and saw Ririko resting her Bamboo Sword on her shoulder.

"Since I've already learned your breathing technique, Uesugi-kun, it's time for us to switch positions."

Ririko was clearly shorter than him by quite a bit, yet at that moment, Uesugi Tetsu had the illusion that the girl before him was looking down at him.

"Uesugi-kun, you're a genius." As Ririko watched him put on his protective gear, the corners of her mouth rose uncontrollably. "Since you're a genius, you can't progress step by step like an ordinary person."

Uesugi Tetsu sensed that something was wrong.

He said, "By the way, I'd like to learn how to distinguish positions by sound..."

"Stop right there." Ririko withdrew her sword. "You'll learn all of that one by one during the practical combat lesson to come."

A practical combat lesson?

Uesugi Tetsu knew why Ririko had given him protective gear.

But he had only practiced swordsmanship for one day!

"Uesugi-kun!"

Ririko shouted with Ki-ai Technique, jolting Uesugi Tetsu back to his senses.

She held the sword in both hands, her eyes burning with fervor and sincerity.

"—Don't you dare fall behind me!"

Uesugi Tetsu tightened his grip on the Bamboo Sword and met her gaze.

Since Ririko had put it that way, he felt he had no excuse to refuse.

[You used Soul Soothing Incense Ash ×1]

In a world where everything was rendered in exquisite detail, Uesugi Tetsu took a deep breath.

"Come."

The Bamboo Sword turned into a phantom and came crashing down like a thunderbolt.

This was no metaphor.

Uesugi Tetsu merely blocked a single overhead strike, yet half his body went numb.

It wasn't because Ririko's strength was absurdly great. Rather, the force traveled through his entire body the instant the Bamboo Sword made contact.

With Soul Soothing Incense Ash enhancing him, Uesugi Tetsu could clearly sense how Ririko had done it.

But knowing the principle and putting it into practice were worlds apart.

Before Uesugi Tetsu could regroup, another sword came crashing down.

This time, it struck his back, sending searing pain through him.

Uesugi Tetsu staggered, and Ririko's light laughter came from behind him. "Hey, hey, that's all it takes to stop you?"

When did she!?

Uesugi Tetsu instantly exerted his strength and swung his sword behind him, but struck nothing.

The next instant, he felt a heavy blow land on the top of his head.

Ririko's instruction followed. "Don't follow your first reaction. Use your brain and think. Weren't you the one who said you wanted to practice distinguishing positions by sound?"

After pausing to recover, Uesugi Tetsu focused his attention on his hearing. Only then did he hear the exceptionally clear pattering sound.

That's the sound of Ririko's feet touching the floor.

Sometimes light, sometimes heavy. Sometimes light, sometimes heavy... It stopped!

The instant the footsteps ceased, Uesugi Tetsu swung a diagonal cut toward that direction.

But he felt no impact against anything solid.

Smack!

Uesugi Tetsu was knocked flat onto the ground by the heavy blow.

The moment he hit the floor, he couldn't help wondering again how that Kukuri had managed to force Ririko into such a desperate situation.

Could Ririko have killed Kukuri alone even without me?

"Don't imagine your enemy as an idiot. Put yourself in their position." Ririko looked down at him, gently placing her bare foot on his helmet. "Also, combat isn't about discovering something first and then acting. It's an integrated whole."

"Get your foot off."

The muffled voice came from inside the helmet.

Hearing the change in his voice, Ririko readily complied, and her eyes grew even more excited.

The transmission of force, distinguishing positions by sound, putting yourself in another's position, combat as a whole.

These vague concepts gradually became clearer in Uesugi Tetsu's senses. Yet as Ririko's sword came swinging down again and again, it brought more than pain.

It brought enlightenment!

Though Uesugi Tetsu was being beaten mercilessly, he not only ignored the pain in his body but grew increasingly excited.

Uesugi Tetsu even felt that Ririko was holding an experience stick. Every time she struck his head, a message would appear: "Experience +1."

But he was still missing something.

After using a second portion of Soul Soothing Incense Ash, Uesugi Tetsu, whose body was gradually nearing its limit, wondered in confusion.

He could hear Ririko's footsteps and was slowly beginning to catch her sword...

But there was one problem—Ririko's sword was always a fraction faster than his.

It wasn't much faster. It was precisely that perfect, impartial fraction.

Uesugi Tetsu was thinking. Thinking about Ririko's changing position, thinking about where her sword would strike from the next instant.

As his body grew more and more exhausted, Uesugi Tetsu's thoughts also inevitably slowed, until thinking itself became difficult.

Wait.

Difficult to think? No thought, no intent?

Uesugi Tetsu's movements froze for a moment, and then he took another heavy blow, staggering backward.

Ririko's roar came from ahead. "Is this all you've got? Uesugi Tetsu, is this really your limit?"

Damn woman, you're so loud!

Uesugi Tetsu felt that he had grasped the key. Since thinking has become difficult, why not simply give up thinking?

Not returning to the old path of relying on instinct to fight, but letting something else become the master of thought.

The body, the subconscious—anything would do, as long as it could replace this brain of mine that was always a beat too slow.

After taking another hit, Uesugi Tetsu consciously abandoned thought and made his brain reject all information coming from the outside world.

Yet the deeper he sank into that state, the more clearly he could sense Ririko and the sword in her hands. Closer and closer, as if they were within reach...

So Uesugi Tetsu reached out and clenched his hand!

Under Ririko's astonished gaze, the sword Uesugi Tetsu swung seemed to transform into elusive flowing water, then into lightning impossible to grasp. In the blink of an eye, it tore apart her defenses.

It sent the Bamboo Sword in her hands flying with a heavy blow!

Just like that, the sword tip wrapped in leather came to a steady halt before Ririko's neck.

That fleeting, crystalline sword light illuminated her pupils, leaving an indelible mark on the clear sword heart of Tokugawa Ririko.

The next instant, Uesugi Tetsu's consciousness fell into unconsciousness, and his entire body collapsed heavily onto the floor.

Ririko simply watched.

It took her a long while to realize what had happened.

The girl hurriedly crouched down and removed Uesugi Tetsu's face guard. After confirming that he was not seriously injured, she let him rest his head on her lap.

In the pale sunlight of late spring, Tokugawa Ririko lowered her head and gazed at the exhausted face slowly streaked with sweat. A delighted smile blossomed from the depths of her heart.

"Uesugi-kun."

She gently closed her eyes and said earnestly, with boundless joy:

"I've never felt it so clearly before—being able to live in the same era as you is truly wonderful."

[Your skill, Incomplete Ki-ai Technique, proficiency +75!]

[You achieved enlightenment in battle. Tennen Rishin-ryū proficiency +300!]

[Your skill, Swordsmanship · Tennen Rishin-ryū, has reached beginner level!]

From now on, I'll change the update time to noon. Two chapters will be released together.