Looking at the panting Kimen across from him, Aoki Tsuki smiled and said, "Brother, you're tired, aren't you? It's my turn..."
"Hmph, don't be so arrogant, kid, bring it on."
The Kimen wore a mask, obscuring his expression, but one could imagine his gritted teeth.
"Call..."
Aoki Tsuki took a deep breath, accelerating blood circulation and mobilizing the muscle groups in his limbs, while secretly urging his Chakra to flow rapidly through his meridians.
" Continuous Rain Breath - Dragon Pursuit "
The Body Flicker Technique, combined with a rapidly spinning body, unleashes a series of slashing attacks.
The gust of wind that rose up around his body looked from afar like a giant white dragon opening its blood-red maw and rushing straight at the Kimen.
roar...
Startled by the ferocious attack, Kimen retreated repeatedly, but the immense pressure only fueled his ferocity.
With a roar, he stopped his retreat and chose to fight head-on.
"Ah... the Sun and Moon United Slash!!"
Unleashing all his Chakra, he used his strongest attack, swinging his arms wildly like two giant windmills.
Ding ding ding...
In an instant, the weapons of the two sides clashed hundreds of times, sparks flying everywhere.
Thud...
At a certain moment, the sound of the collision stopped abruptly, the smoke cleared, and Aoki Tsuki stood beside Kimen, his blade pressed against the latter's throat.
Only the hilts of the swords remained on the Kimen's hands; the blades had shattered into fragments scattered on the ground.
"Huff... huff... I lost. My knife wasn't good enough!"
His tone was full of resentment.
Battles between samurai are not just about skill, but also about equipment.
Aoki Tsuki sheathed his sword and patted it. "A product from the Takumi Village is bound to be of high quality. You should come to our Land of Artisans and buy a couple of good swords."
"Snort!"
Kimen snorted coldly and said nothing more.
Even after winning, he didn't forget to promote his own products; losing to such a profit-driven businessman made him feel ashamed.
Rikaku referee, seeing that the outcome was decided, stepped forward and loudly announced, "In this match, the Land of Artisans — Rōgetsu— has won!!"
Snap snap snap...
The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause. Although the two had only exchanged two blows, the excitement of the match was unforgettable.
The first round showcased superb offensive and defensive skills, while the second round demonstrated the full extent of swift and decisive attacks.
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed watching it.
"Alright, next match: Land of Frost - Gōriki, versus Land of Iron - Tatewaki." Please, both fighters, step forward.
The match continued.
Aoki Tsuki turned and walked towards the audience seats through the exit. In the stairwell, she encountered Tatewaki coming down and greeted him warmly.
"What a coincidence, buddy with the Tatewaki. Your opponent is quite the iron man. I wonder if we'll have another chance to meet in a future match?"
Tatewaki seemed oblivious to the gloating in those words, continuing on his way, and muttered two words as they passed each other.
Yes!
His tone conveyed only confidence in his own abilities.
Haha... I look forward to seeing your performance.
Aoki Tsuki laughed heartily, thinking to himself, 'This guy is a true samurai.'
When everyone saw the Gōriki Warrior appear, they all showed their dissatisfaction. This guy was wearing armor and Tatewaki, yet he was only wearing a thin outer garment.
"That's outrageous... That's a foul..."
"There doesn't seem to be a rule against wearing armor..."
Even so... it's not possible to... completely lack the spirit of Bushido...
After the referee announced the start of the match, Gōriki and Tatewaki assumed their fighting stances.
Suddenly, Gōriki said, "I've worn armor since I was a child; it's become a part of me. If you think it's unfair, I can take it off."
Such a simplistic psychological tactic is unlikely to work on Tatewaki.
He simply said, "That kind of thing is completely irrelevant."
He then launched his first attack on Gōriki with both hands wielding the knife.
Faced with this powerful blow, Gōriki also wielded his knife with both hands, swinging his heavy, wide-bladed cleaver and slashing down diagonally.
Bang!
The blades clashed, and the rebound force traveled back along the blades to the body.
Click...
The ground where he stood with the Tatewaki instantly cracked like a spiderweb, and he was shocked by the opponent's power.
To take advantage of their strength, the opponent used a heavy broadsword and employed tactics of overwhelming force with sheer power, supplemented by armor for protection.
His opponent could attack a hundred times without harming him in the slightest, but if he made even one contact with his opponent, he would immediately be defeated.
Just as the two sides were locked in a stalemate, the man with the Tatewaki gently flicked the blade to the side, deflecting the force of the blow.
Swish...
The figure vanished from its original spot, circled in a semi-circle, and reappeared behind Gōriki.
clang...
The blade struck the heavy armor with a loud clang, and Gōriki, attacked from behind, stumbled forward two steps.
That's all; the body didn't suffer any significant harm.
He swung his massive cleaver, turned around, and struck, forcing the Tatewaki back and using the opportunity to regain his footing.
Tatewaki frowned. Although it was just a probing attack, he could already sense how troublesome his opponent was. Even if he could break through the armor with a full-force strike, he wouldn't be able to harm the opponent any further.
Thump... thump... thump...
Gōriki charged forward with heavy steps, clearly having also figured out the damaging properties of the Tatewaki and preparing to counterattack.
Tatewaki chose a strategy of maneuvering and dodging. Since he was not superior in strength, it would not be wise to confront his opponent head-on. He took advantage of his opponent's lack of agility to get behind him.
Boom boom boom...
The relentless attacks on its head caused the helmet to buzz, stimulating Gōriki's brain.
The two engaged in a fierce battle, Gōriki became increasingly agitated. The weight of his armor and weapons also greatly depleted his strength.
Half an hour later...
Gōriki collapsed to his knees, utterly exhausted.
Tatewaki wasn't easy either; he was completely exhausted, and the continuous attacks had drained his stamina.
The referee Rikaku, slowly walked between the two and announced, "In this match, the Land of Iron - with the Tatewaki wins!"
"Cut...!!"
A murmur of disapproval immediately rippled through the audience.
"What? Watching someone knock on a turtle shell for ages, how boring."
"It's like... fighting with thugs..."
"Battles between samurai should be brutal, with every punch landing and blood splattering..."
The competition continued, and the last three matches went relatively smoothly. By noon, all five matches had concluded, and the top five teams had been determined.
Aoki Tsuki, Tatewaki, Hayate, Zanshin, Kazeno Hayabusa.
During the draw, Aoki Tsuki was fortunate enough to receive no turn.
Tatewaki fought against Zanshin, Hayate fought against Kazeno Hayabusa. In the end, both Tatewaki and Hayate won. Zanshin and Kazeno Hayabusa entered the revival round and could choose to fight Aoki Tsuki.
With his Zanshin broken, Zashin gave up. Kazeno Hayabusa, confident in his speed, thought he could still put up a fight, but was undoubtedly defeated by Aoki Tsuki.
Tatewaki, Hayate, Aoki Tsuki advanced to the semifinals, and according to the draw, Aoki Tsuki received a bye again.
Have you heard the story of the Hayate Swordsman?
Hayate, a middle-aged man with a weathered face, even his sword was full of nicks and crevices, as if it would break at any moment.
Tatewaki shook his head. "Never heard of that. Are you saying you'll beat me?"
"It's not that I will win against you, it's just that fate has arranged things this way. Accept it." Hayate's words were firm and powerful, as if stating a fact.
"Just talk to me with your knife."
Not wanting to waste words on his Teuchi, Tatewaki raised his sword, ready for battle.
Seeing Hayate fearlessly drew his weapon, and the two exchanged blows. Hayate was eventually defeated and unable to continue fighting.
At this point, the competition entered its final stage.
Referee Rikaku announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, the exciting final moment has arrived! From the Land of Iron - Tatewaki, versus the Land of Artisans - Rōgetsu."
The winner will receive the title of 'Sword Master,' the highest honor for a samurai, awarded by the Swordsman Tournament.
For honor, risk your lives and show your full strength!
"Fight!!... Fight!!..."
The audience was already in a frenzy. Tatewaki was initially underestimated, gradually gained everyone's recognition through his bloody battles and was gaining momentum.
Aoki Tsuki started with the attitude of "I'm going to take on ten of them," and with a bit of luck, he's gotten to where he is now.
Who will ultimately earn the title of Sword Master?
"Start!"
Aoki Tsuki spoke first, "Brother Tatewaki, I never thought we would become each other's final rivals. This must be fate's arrangement. You were in front of me when we were queuing."
Based on experience, those in front are usually the stepping stones for those behind.
What kind of twisted logic is this?
Upon hearing Tatewaki, the veins on Dai Dao's forehead bulged uncontrollably. He'd fought his way through so much, and now he was told he'd lose just because he was at the front of the line? Shameless!
They're all bullying him because he's an honest person, aren't they?
"Even if fate, as you say, truly exists, shouldn't those who are at the front of the line ultimately prevail?"
A brilliant psychological counterattack.
"Hehe... there's nothing you can do if you don't believe it. The facts will tell you who's right."
Aoki Tsuki smiled as he drew his long sword, secretly circulating his breathing technique. Even though he knew that psychological warfare would be useless against a samurai with an iron will like the one carrying the Tatewaki.
We should give it a try, even if it's risky. We might get a couple of shots, just in case it comes in handy at a crucial moment.
" Rain Cutter!"
After several matches, both sides gradually figured out each other's strengths, and there was no probing; they went straight for the kill.
The powerful horizontal slash, combined with the Body Flicker Technique, tore through the air, creating a massive white crescent blade that covered an area of several meters.
Facing this attack, he stepped forward with his Tatewaki, holding the scabbard in his left hand and gripping the hilt with his right, assuming a drawing stance.
Clang...
The moment the crescent blade was about to strike, I drew my sword and slashed.
BOOM!!
The two forces were evenly matched. Aoki Tsuki's charged attack was intercepted by the Tatewaki -fast sword strike, which surprisingly resembled a short-range punch.
"This guy... is really tough to deal with."