In the arena.
Flames swept forth.
Mifune's blade struck the massive flaming sword with a sharp clang. It advanced with difficulty for a short distance before it could go no farther.
"How is that possible?!"
At the sight, Mifune's expression, as unchanging as ancient ice, suddenly froze, and disbelief filled his eyes.
His strike, carrying the fire of his conviction, had returned without achieving anything.
At that moment, merely approaching the flaming sword for an instant was enough to roast Mifune's entire face red. His hair curled and twisted, looking as though it were about to catch fire.
Intense heat enveloped the fighting platform like a massive furnace, scorching and oppressive.
Mifune's hand trembled around his sword. He was on the verge of being unable to hold on, about to perish beneath the flames.
Without a sound.
A brilliant streak of sword light flashed past, cleaving the massive flaming sword in two. The broken sword fell onto the platform, and crimson flames immediately erupted, melting the specially made platform's surface into a pitted, misshapen mess.
Seeing that astonishing temperature, a trace of amazement flashed through Yamamoto's eyes. This was a specially made fighting platform, nearly unscathed in the previous battles, yet it had now been burned into such a state by those unremarkable flames.
Ryōken relaxed when he saw this. He had not expected Sky Scorching Flames, still only at the minor mastery stage, to be this powerful. Or rather, he had not expected an attack infused with sword intent to become so condensed, truly seeming almost tangible.
Fortunately, General Yamamoto had saved Mifune in time.
Ryōken did not particularly want this samurai, who knew how to adapt and would lead the samurai into the Fourth Great Ninja War, to die. Besides, this was closely tied to his own interests.