Ueno Kei, already close to Raiga, raised his brows slightly in surprise. Though the voice had been so faint it was almost inaudible—so faint it could easily have gone unheard—Ueno Kei had still caught a trace of it. If he had not been so confident in his hearing, he would almost have doubted his own ears.
The Lingyu Blade that had originally been about to swing down was naturally blocked by Raiga, who had been warned in advance and raised his Thunder Blade. With a clang, sparks burst from the collision of the two sharp blades.
Ueno Kei slid backward, leaving two tracks across the ground. There was no doubt that, with his original speed enhanced by Lightning-nature chakra stimulating his cells—
Caught off guard, that guy named Raiga should never have been able to react. Yet he had raised his blade and blocked the strike as naturally as if it were nothing.
There had been no unnecessary movement, no wasted motion, and no moment of hesitation. It had been an utterly natural blocking action, as though he had foreseen it beforehand. This left Ueno Kei greatly surprised and confused.
In order to be fast and kill with a single blow, Ueno Kei had not used any chakra or blade technique. He had relied solely on that simple slash, seeking victory through speed.
Yet it had still been blocked.
And clearly, this was not a reaction speed Raiga could have possessed, because the shock and lingering fear on his face showed that Raiga had not reacted to that slash at all.
Then the conclusion was obvious.
The corner of Ueno Kei's mouth curled up slightly. Wasn't this interesting?
Raiga, on the other hand, was nowhere near as composed as Ueno Kei. He cursed inwardly, *Damn it, is this guy really