Strength and Technique! The Two Who Clash

Dunn leaped through the air as well, landing on the sandy beach by the sea.

Stepping onto the soft sand, Dunn fixed his gaze on Koshiro, who stood not far away.

"Go all out this time. I want to test my limits."

Dunn emphasized this once more, and after speaking, he fully unleashed his Observation Haki.

He had sparred with Koshiro many times, and although Koshiro had never truly gone all out during those sessions, he was well aware of the man's swordsmanship.

While the Shimotsuki Family's ancestral sword style he spoke of was something he was quite proficient in, a top-tier Swordsman was never that simple.

"That is my intention as well."

Raising a hand to adjust his glasses, Koshiro looked at Dunn with calm eyes from behind the lenses.

"Consider this your graduation exam. You are perhaps the most talented student I have ever guided in my life."

Koshiro knew very well that Dunn had always been holding something back.

That power of Flame—Dunn had never used it in their previous bouts. Perhaps this time, he would finally see it.

Thinking of this, Koshiro raised his hand and drew Wado Ichimonji, jet-black Haki coating his arm and hand before flowing into the blade.

The flowing Haki rippled like water.

Dunn mirrored the movement, gripping the hilt of Flame, which he had been carrying in his left hand. He slowly drew the exceptionally long blade, and Haki manifested, coiling around the steel.

The next moment, the sand beneath their feet exploded outward.

Clang!

A piercing sound of metal striking metal rang out. The two stood locked in a clash, the violent shockwaves rippling across the beach and the sea.

The trees in the distance were bent by the force of the impact.

"You can't possibly be unaware of my strengths!"

As he spoke, Dunn's expression tightened. His right arm surged with power, forcing Koshiro back. Dunn followed instantly, the blade of Flame carving a wide arc as he slashed at the retreating Koshiro.

Koshiro tapped the incoming blade with his Armament Haki-coated Wado Ichimonji, using the contact to vault his body upward, letting the black slash pass harmlessly beneath him.

Boom!

The slash flew past, carving a long, deep trench through the forest on the island.

"I once told you that a swordsman must learn to control their strength."

After landing, Koshiro sensed the power of Dunn's strike with his Observation Haki and spoke to the grounded Dunn.

"Yes, you did, but that doesn't really suit me."

Dunn held his blade horizontally before him. An orange glow emerged from his hand, spiraling around the blade like several ribbons of fire.

"Flame should be explosive and passionate; fire is never calm."

As Dunn finished his sentence, the flames left a trail of afterimages in the air. The long, narrow blade, wreathed in intense fire, slashed down toward Koshiro's head.

Koshiro sidestepped, Wado Ichimonji tracing a dim light as it thrust directly toward Dunn's wrist.

The fierce blade of fire carried immense force, but before the strike could fully land, Dunn abruptly shifted his momentum. The vertical slash transformed into a horizontal one, colliding with the redirected Wado Ichimonji.

Koshiro used the force to retreat again, but the blade of fire followed relentlessly.

Violent waves of flame-infused sword energy flew out one after another. Koshiro retreated, constantly side-stepping to avoid the barrage of slashes.

The scorching heat of the attacks caused the surrounding temperature to rise rapidly.

"Truly an impressive slash!"

Koshiro said as he retreated, yet he found it impossible to put any distance between himself and Dunn.

Compared to Koshiro's technique-heavy style, Dunn's moves were simple, direct, and heavy-handed.

Koshiro had previously warned Dunn that there were countless powerhouses on this sea with terrifying physiques, and that relying solely on brute force might lead to a crushing defeat at some point.

Yet, Dunn had chosen to walk this path regardless.

This was a clash of strength versus technique.

Facing the charging Dunn, Koshiro tapped his feet lightly, his body closing the distance to Dunn without a sound. His sword thrust forward, leaving several afterimages in its wake.

His target: Dunn's eyes.

But the Wado Ichimonji, thrusting toward Dunn, collided with a hand coated in Armament Haki.

The razor-sharp Wado Ichimonji failed to inflict even the slightest scratch on Dunn.

Again!

Koshiro felt a sense of helplessness. He withdrew Wado Ichimonji and clashed it against the descending Flame, then spun his entire body, using the momentum for an aerial flip before thrusting his sword out once more.

He knew Dunn's body was special; in their previous bouts, he had realized countless times that it was incredibly difficult to injure him.

But even with talent on the level of a monster, there had to be an upper limit.

Facing the sword thrusting toward his chest and abdomen, Dunn instinctively retreated, dodging the incoming blade.

Swish, swish, swish!

Several dull-colored slashes were unleashed by Koshiro, his body following the strikes as if he himself had become a slash, trailing after-images as he lunged toward Dunn.

"You should recognize this strike."

Dunn sheathed his sword, facing the incoming slashes with his right hand pressed against the hilt.

"Flame: Nadeshigiri!"

Swish. The blade, as if slicing through space itself, shattered all the incoming slashes. The next moment, before Koshiro could react, the sword had already reached his front.

Boom!

The figure was sent flying by the strike.

Flipping through the air, Koshiro crashed into the distant forest.

Dunn held his longsword pointed diagonally toward the ground, looking toward the direction where Koshiro had fallen, then lowered his head to look at his own abdomen.

The clothes over his stomach had been sliced open.

"Truly impressive!"

Dunn hadn't even noticed when he had been hit; his Observation Haki hadn't even caught the strike.

"It seems I cannot hold back any longer."

Koshiro's voice drifted from afar. The next moment, his body leaped from the forest, flowing Haki surging into the Wado Ichimonji in his hand.

Then, he dove down from the sky.

A smile appeared on Dunn's face. His legs bent sharply, and flowing Haki coiled around the blade in his hand, continuously gathering into the steel as flames ignited along the edge.

The next moment, the beach beneath Dunn's feet exploded.

Trailing long flames behind him like an incredibly long orange-red cape, he swung his blade, carving an orange-red circle through the air.

Clang!

The sword striking from below collided with the sword descending from above, and they locked in mid-air.

The stalemate lasted only a moment before the blades slid past each other.

Dunn's expression tightened as he caught a glimpse of the figure and the sword passing by his side out of the corner of his eye.

[HP: 87%]

Dunn, who had been launched into the sky, turned his head to watch the descending Koshiro.

Koshiro did not pause for even a second upon landing; he instantly turned and soared back into the sky, pursuing Dunn once more. The Wado Ichimonji in his hand carried a dangerous aura as he slashed toward Dunn.

Dunn clenched his fist and struck back, colliding with the incoming blade. Unable to gain leverage in mid-air, Dunn actually lost the contest of strength and was sent flying by the strike.

In an instant, the roles of attacker and defender had reversed.

Surrounding the falling Dunn from all directions were incoming blades and slashes, Koshiro's body accompanied by countless after-images.

Dunn swung his sword, parrying the incoming slashes, but a large number of them still landed on his body.

Boom!

Dunn collided head-on with a slash intended to force him back into the sky, and his body subsequently slammed into the ground.

Rip!

Dunn tore off his tattered shirt, revealing a sturdy upper body that remained without a single scratch.

However, Dunn's HP had already dropped to below half.

The descending Koshiro panted, looking at Dunn's unscathed appearance, a trace of helplessness flashing across his face.