Yingyue and Koshiro were evenly matched in strength, and to them, this battle was an exquisite exchange and honing of their skills.
Every move and counter added a delicate stroke to the grand tapestry of swordsmanship as they learned from each other and helped each other improve through their exchanges.
Compared to Koshiro's earlier battle with Athena, the difference was like night and day.
Back then, Athena's strength had far surpassed Koshiro's, like a towering mountain overlooking a hill.
The battle had been almost entirely a one-sided rout.
With her tremendous strength and fierce attacks, Athena had kept Koshiro struggling to defend himself, barely able to find an opening to counterattack.
And because of the vast gap in their strength, Athena herself had faced little challenge in that battle,
so neither of them had gained any substantial growth or breakthrough from it.
Yet now, the battle between Yingyue and Koshiro was entirely different.
Yingyue's Phantom Shadow Sword Intent collided with Koshiro's Guardian Sword Intent, weaving brilliant, dangerous sparks through the air.
Yingyue's ghostlike Quick Sword was swift and cunning, like a deadly phantom in the night, every strike seeking to break through Koshiro's defenses.
Koshiro, meanwhile, relied on his deep foundation in swordsmanship and his unyielding will to protect, meeting Yingyue's attacks with steady defense and well-timed counterattacks.
The Wado Ichimonji in his hand gleamed coldly in the sunlight,
like an impregnable barrier, blocking Yingyue's relentless tide of sword strikes again and again.
As time passed, the sky gradually darkened, and the last light of dusk spilled like blood across Lonely Island.
Yingyue and Koshiro's battle finally drew slowly to a close.
By then, both of them bore sword wounds of varying depths.
Although they had both used Armament Haki to defend themselves during the battle,
against an opponent who