"Death is like the wind, always by my side!"
The moment he saw that figure, those words automatically echoed in Araki's mind.
He was a wind-wielding swordsman from Ionia.
He possessed the Heart of the Wanderer, indomitable and reborn in the face of death.
He dashed around with E, endlessly joyful.
He was Yasuo, The Unforgiven—a man born for happiness!
"Wind-Slaying Sword Technique? That fits perfectly with the direction of my future training!"
As Araki watched the swordsman's figure slowly condense before him, an eager, excited smile appeared on his face.
"Let me personally experience just how happy you really are!"
When Yasuo opened his eyes and looked over, Araki seemed to see endless vicissitudes and loneliness within them. Yet even more than that, he saw a storm that seemed capable of destroying everything!
The instant Yasuo took form, he stepped forward, appearing before Araki in a flash with a sharp crescent-shaped slash.
"Hasaki!"
"That speed!"
Araki's pupils suddenly contracted. Yasuo's dash just now seemed even faster than the Body Flicker Technique, far surpassing the dash techniques Araki had previously learned from Asuna.
Noticing the breeze constantly swirling around Yasuo, Araki muttered, "Is this the power of the wind?"
Surprise aside, the battle still had to continue. Araki was no longer some weakling. Even with Yasuo rushing straight into his face, he did not panic in the slightest. Instead, blazing fighting spirit filled his eyes as he drew his sword at high speed and met Yasuo head-on.
"Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, Dragon Soaring Flash!"
It was a plain, unadorned quick-draw technique. There were no sword shadows, nor was there a second slash—only speed, incomparably extreme speed!
Clang!
The two swords collided. After a brief stalemate, Araki was sent flying without question.
It was not merely a difference in physical strength. Yasuo's blade was also wrapped in a surging gale.
However, Araki had retreated with the momentum, so he did not suffer any real injury.
"Looks like he's faster and stronger than me in his normal state. This is going to be tough. Better give myself a buff first!"
As he pulled back, Araki quickly analyzed the information he had gained from their exchange. He decisively used the Body Flicker Technique to widen the distance again, then rapidly formed hand seals and cast Wind Release: Gale Palm, applying the [Grace of the Wind] buff to himself.
Feeling the same breeze winding around his body, Araki looked up at Yasuo, who was charging toward him.
"Round two begins now!"
Whoosh!
With a light tap of his foot, Araki vanished from where he stood, dodging Yasuo's second crescent-shaped slash before appearing a short distance to Yasuo's left.
"Flash Thrust!"
With [Grace of the Wind] empowering him, this Flash Thrust was no slower than Yasuo's earlier Sweeping Blade. His blade scraped through the air with a piercing shriek, thrusting toward Yasuo like a streak of light.
Though this move appeared desperate and without room for retreat, it was actually only Araki's probe.
He knew exactly what skills Yasuo possessed, and among them, [Wind Wall] could be called an ultimate defensive technique.
A wind wall in reality would not be like one in a game, capable of blocking only projectiles. A wall formed from raging wind was enough to repel anything or anyone trying to approach it.
Araki hoped to force Yasuo to use [Wind Wall] with this Flash Thrust, then observe and study its principles. Ideally, he would be able to reproduce it himself.
Though swordsmen pursued the path of cutting through all things, when one's strength was insufficient, it was best not to be too extreme. As a rare defensive sword technique, [Wind Wall] was still worth learning.
However, contrary to Araki's expectations, Yasuo was already quite a mature swordsman. Although he had mastered a defensive move like [Wind Wall], it was only meant to prevent interference when fighting many opponents alone. In a one-on-one sword duel, he utterly disdained using it.
Thus, before Araki's disbelieving eyes, Yasuo actually drove himself directly into the tip of Araki's sword.
Crack!
A crisp shattering sound rang out. Something seemed to break around Yasuo's body, and at the same time, Araki's blade abruptly halted.
The next instant, Yasuo drew his sword and swept it horizontally. Not only did he block Araki's attack, the tremendous force even knocked Araki back a step.
"What was that just now? A layer of Wind Shield?"
Araki's hands went somewhat numb from the impact. He hurriedly used the Body Flicker Technique to widen the gap between himself and Yasuo again, while rapidly trying to figure out the barrier that had shattered around Yasuo.
"Could it be the passive shield from Way of the Wanderer?"
Yasuo only had so many skills, so Araki quickly guessed the answer. An envious expression appeared on his face.
"That thing seems to charge through movement. If the limitations from the game are removed, doesn't that mean that as long as he's fast enough, the shield can practically recover instantly?"
Araki used the Body Flicker Technique several times in succession to open up distance. Just as he was about to refresh his [Grace of the Wind] buff, he saw Yasuo catch up to him almost immediately.
"How is he so fast?!"
Araki quickly stopped forming hand seals and moved his feet, continuing to flee with the Body Flicker Technique.
But the basic Body Flicker Technique was ultimately only a D-rank ninjutsu—or rather, it was more like taijutsu. It did not involve any complex spatial-temporal transformations. It merely allowed the user to move faster.
Thus, when Yasuo first saw it, he had been somewhat caught off guard, giving Araki the chance to create distance and use ninjutsu.
But now, as a top-tier swordsman who had mastered the Way of the Wind, Yasuo could even judge Araki's movement trajectory through the sound of the wind. With speed far surpassing Araki's unbuffed state, he could intercept him in advance.
Sure enough, when Araki stopped again, what came at him was not the familiar curved sword light, but a roaring Tornado Storm that seemed capable of slicing open his skin!
"Fuck!"
During the brief stiffness following the Body Flicker Technique, Araki did not even have time to react before the massive storm swept him in. His entire body spiraled upward in circles, leaving him utterly disoriented.
And it was not over yet. After seeing Araki successfully blown into the air, a faint, almost imperceptible smile seemed to flash across Yasuo's otherwise cold and expressionless face in the distance.
He drew his sword, leaped into the air, and nearly teleported toward Araki as he drifted within the tornado. He shouted passionately:
"So lei ye gai dong!"
In an instant, countless streams of sword energy whistled forth. The tornado seemed to transform into a Blade Storm that connected heaven and earth. Araki's vision went black, and he was directly forced out of the Consciousness Space.
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