Transparent World

Everyone in the arena shouted the name of the Sword God.

The number of people cheering for Clay could be counted on one hand, and their voices were drowned out by the tide of cheers for the Sword God.

"Hey! You bastard, don't just give people nicknames!"

Clay had originally thought his Thunder Sword title was pretty cool, but compared to the other man's God of Swordsmanship, it seemed far too petty. Comparing yourself to others really could make you furious.

He had always loved being in the spotlight, yet this guy named Yoriichi Tsugikuni had stolen all of it from him.

Unforgivable!

He had to teach this guy a proper lesson.

He would let everyone know who was truly the strongest.

"Now, please welcome both contestants onto the stage!"

Qi Yan and Clay both stepped into the arena.

Boom—!

The moment Qi Yan appeared, the venue erupted in cheers once more.

As he watched everyone cheering for him, a strange feeling rose in Qi Yan's heart.

So this is what it feels like to be a star? No wonder those people would fight tooth and nail to become celebrities. It really does feel pretty good!

"Hey! You're Yoriichi Tsugikuni, right? Your swordsmanship is impressive! But victory isn't determined by swordsmanship alone. If you don't want to lose too badly, surrender early. Once I start fighting, it's hard for me to hold back."

Qi Yan looked at Clay and said, "Your talent is decent. Lightning magic can greatly enhance your physical abilities, but you can't control yourself. That means your training is still lacking. Don't become intoxicated by the power magic gives you. Hone your swordsmanship properly."

Being lectured by Qi Yan in front of everyone made Clay's old face flush red. "Who asked you to talk?! If you want to lecture me, defeat me first!"

"Second match of the semifinals!"

"Nine-Star Swordsman Thunder Sword Clay versus God of Swordsmanship Yoriichi Tsugikuni!"

"Now~~~!"

"Begin—!!!"

Clang—!

The bronze gong rang, announcing the official start of the match.

Crackle—!

Clay's body moved rapidly around Qi Yan, leaving streak after streak of afterimages surrounding him.

"So fast—!"

Seeing Clay move so quickly that he produced countless afterimages, the audience could not tell which one was his real body.

"It's here!"

"Clay's Lightning Clone!"

"Clay is moving so fast that he's creating clones, making it impossible to tell which one is real. No one knows where Clay will launch his attack from."

"See that? This is my speed! Speed is power!"

"Transparent World!"

Qi Yan activated the Transparent World. In an instant, the entire world seemed to slow down, and Clay's extreme speed became incomparably clear in Qi Yan's eyes.

He could even clearly see Clay's blood vessels, the movement of his muscles, and the rise and fall of his heartbeat.

Qi Yan saw Clay's heart pounding rapidly and his muscles beginning to shift. He knew his opponent was about to attack, so he tightened his grip on the sword in his hand.

At that moment, Clay appeared behind Qi Yan, preparing to attack from his blind spot. No matter how fast his opponent's reactions were, he definitely would not have time to strike back.

"It's over!!!"

Clay rushed toward Qi Yan, but just as he was about to reach him, he felt an overwhelming terror.

Every hair on his body stood on end. His instincts made him halt at once, and like a frightened rabbit, he retreated at high speed until his entire body was pressed against the inner wall of the arena.

"Huh? Why did Clay retreat?"

"Yeah! Wasn't that the perfect chance to attack? Why did he back off?!"

"Did a single look from his opponent scare him away?!"...

The audience was utterly baffled by what they saw.

Erza and Arthur could not tell what had happened either.

Clay, however, was drenched in cold sweat, his face filled with terror. The moment he had been about to attack, he had felt an overwhelming terror. If he had struck then, he might have died.

That was right! He would have died!

In fact, he even felt as though he had already died once. Just now, he had seemingly seen his neck being severed. The image had been incredibly real, and pain even seemed to linger around his throat.

"What kind of monster are you?!!!"

Clay screamed crazily at Qi Yan.

Everyone present was somewhat stunned, unable to understand why Clay had gone mad. Qi Yan had clearly been standing there without doing anything.

Yet the panic on Clay's face did not look fake at all. Had something truly happened that they did not know about?

"What sharp instincts!"

Qi Yan praised him. At the instant Clay had prepared to attack, several ways of responding had already flashed through Qi Yan's mind. The simplest, and the one he was most used to, was cutting off his opponent's neck.

That was because, aside from exposing demons to sunlight, the way to kill them was to sever their necks.

As a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, the sword techniques created by Yoriichi Tsugikuni were almost all related to slaying demons.

The killing intent contained in a single glance had nearly scared Clay out of his wits.

However, Clay was a Nine-Star Swordsman after all. He had gone through countless life-and-death battles, and he quickly regained his composure.

But the calmer he became, the more he sensed the terror of the man before him.

Qi Yan was merely standing there, seemingly full of openings. Yet whenever Clay imagined how he might attack, one glance from Qi Yan made him experience the illusion of his neck being severed again.

Once, twice, three times... Clay tried several times in his mind, but every single attempt ended with his neck being cut off in one move.

Having his neck cut off over and over was enough to drive Clay insane. Was this bastard some pervert with a special fetish? Why did he always cut his neck? Couldn't he cut off an arm or a leg instead?

Meanwhile, everyone in the audience looked completely bewildered.

They could not understand what was happening in the arena. Weren't these two supposed to decide the victor? Why was one standing still while the other ran around everywhere?

Moreover, the way Clay looked at Qi Yan was as though he were staring at some terrifying monster.

Soon, the commentator offered an explanation.

"Perhaps everyone is confused by the current situation. Swordsman Clay was preparing to attack just now, but he was stopped by Mr. Yoriichi Tsugikuni's gaze."

"Swordsman Clay is trying to find an opening in Mr. Yoriichi Tsugikuni's defense. Every time he prepares to strike, Mr. Yoriichi Tsugikuni sees through him and readies a counterattack. Mr. Yoriichi Tsugikuni is flawless. In their mental exchanges, Mr. Clay loses every time, which is why he is fleeing around like a frightened rabbit. When masters clash, a single glance often determines victory or defeat."

Only then did the audience begin to understand. So that was what had happened.

"You bastard! I don't need you to explain it!"

Clay shouted furiously at the commentator.