With his clothes in tatters, Bai Yu burst through the blast like a savage war demon and appeared before Koshiro.
The wooden sword in his hand erupted with blazing golden light and cleaved straight down.
This strike carried tremendous force!
Under the attack, even the muscles in Koshiro's face were blown askew.
Facing the attack rapidly expanding in his pupils, he truly felt as though he were fighting a ferocious beast.
Precisely because of this, the long-absent feeling of boiling blood ignited within Koshiro at that moment.
"One Sword Style: Torrent!"
The wooden sword in Koshiro's hand erupted with powerful Ryuo as he slashed straight at him.
Boom!
The surrounding mountain forest was torn to shreds.
Had this strike landed in the training grounds, the dojo would probably have already crumbled.
Zoro hurried over, only to be driven back by the storm of the explosion as well.
He watched the clash before him, where every movement shattered the earth.
With a hint of bitterness, Zoro glanced down at the three swords at his waist.
He could not even match a single sword in the other's hand.
Three-Sword Style, his ass!
The fierce battle continued. Bai Yu's figure lunged forward wildly, and blades of sword energy shot out with each collision.
They easily shattered the surrounding hilltops and trees.
A chill ran down Zoro's spine, and he instinctively retreated a few steps.
The villagers living nearby were likewise alarmed by what was happening here and began hurrying up the mountain.
After all, the commotion caused by this battle far exceeded their understanding.
Bang!
Golden Sword Pressure and white sword energy collided once again.
There had long since ceased to be any trace of condescension on Koshiro's face. Feeling the stinging pain in the web of his hand, he had only one thought.
Just one.
Every single one of Bai Yu's strikes is too damn heavy!
That strength was still rising as time passed.
Koshiro's instincts told him that this almost monstrously gifted youth before him...
...was growing far too quickly in battle.
This was someone born to fight.
No!
Rather, to slaughter!
"More and more villagers are coming!"
"Brat, didn't you want to know what Cutting Iron is?"
"Let's decide the winner with this next strike!"
Koshiro's Observation Haki instantly detected the situation around them.
He abruptly tightened his grip on his wooden sword.
His entire presence underwent an earth-shaking transformation.
If Koshiro a moment earlier had been a treasured sword sealed beneath dust...
...then now, he was a sharp blade with its edge fully bared.
"Brat, the path of the sword is as vast as the boundless sea. Your talent is exceptional, and you've already entered the realm of presence and intent. As long as you blend your presence and will together, there will be nothing you cannot cut wherever your heart lies!"
"This is Cutting Iron!"
Koshiro's eyes snapped open, and the wooden sword in his hand erupted with an incomparably keen sword presence.
As an aura reaching from earth to heaven surged up through the world...
...the wooden sword in Koshiro's hand cleaved down at Bai Yu with all his strength.
Zoro's hair stood on end.
Even from a hundred meters away, he could taste death in that strike.
Watching the slash cleave down, Zoro desperately wanted to see how Bai Yu would respond.
"As expected of a powerhouse hidden in the East Blue. You really are a worthy target for a fight to the death."
Bai Yu's cruel, bloodthirsty grin spread across his entire face.
Facing the descending slash that completely blended presence and intent, he charged out like a ferocious beast.
He made no attempt to dodge or evade.
With a slight turn of his body, he met the strike directly with his shoulder.
At the same time, the wooden sword in his right hand erupted with unprecedented light and likewise slashed into Koshiro.
Boom!
Blood sprayed from Bai Yu's shoulder. He had already compressed his Armament Haki entirely onto that shoulder, raising its defense to the utmost.
Yet this strike, containing Koshiro's lifelong will in the way of the sword...
...still tore through his defense.
The wooden sword sank into his shoulder before being forcibly caught there.
The attack in Bai Yu's hand likewise exploded against Koshiro.
Bang!
Koshiro was sent flying backward.
The wooden sword in his hand snapped with a crack, and he slammed headfirst into a rock face over ten meters across.
The tremendous impact shattered the thick rock.
As the towering cloud of dust rolled back...
...Zoro could not help rushing inside.
"Master Koshiro, are you all right?"
"Cough, cough. Don't worry, Zoro. I'm not seriously hurt."
Koshiro's figure gradually became visible amid the rubble. After a dry cough, he wiped the lingering blood from the corner of his mouth.
His drooping shoulder, however, constantly testified that he would probably need quite some time to recuperate after this battle.
Zoro's pupils abruptly contracted, but he still hurried to ask.
"Master, did you win?"
Me?
Seeing the urgency all over Zoro's face, Koshiro smiled and shook his head.
"I lost. That crazy kid had the edge. He even dared to take a strike imbued with the intent of Cutting Iron head-on. That way of fighting, staking his life on every exchange, really makes your scalp crawl. I'd better not get serious with this brat again."
"By the way, Zoro, how many moves did you last before losing? Tell me, so I can see whether you disgraced your master..."
"Master lost?"
Zoro was dumbfounded, and his face soon flushed red.
If Koshiro learned that he had failed to withstand even a single strike...
...he would probably be expelled.
"Cough, cough. Master, I'll go check on Bai Yu first..."
"No need. I'm fine!"
Bai Yu's bloodthirsty grin did not fade. He reached back, pulled out a bottle of liquor, and started drinking straight away.
A bottle of liquor afterward really was bliss beyond even the immortals.
He felt that scorching sensation within him, his boiling blood burning.
It left his entire body feeling incomparably refreshed.
Ding! Congratulations, host, on defeating Koshiro. Base template unlock progress increased by three percent. You have received five hundred system points. The shop's merchandise has been refreshed.
The system's ethereal notification echoed in his mind.
Bai Yu raised an eyebrow, revealing a satisfied smile.
This battle had been worth it!
An instant three-percent increase in unlock progress meant Bai Yu's strength would skyrocket once again.
Most importantly, reaching ten-percent unlock progress would awaken a character skill.
Ding! Congratulations, host, on reaching ten-percent base template unlock progress. You have obtained Two-Handed Kendo!
Two-Handed Kendo?
A flicker of shock crossed Bai Yu's eyes.
This was a game-breaking reward!
In the original story, Kenpachi Zaraki knew neither Shikai nor Bankai early on.
He fought entirely through his slaughter-crazed madness, his fearlessness in the face of death, and brute attrition with his tremendous Spiritual Pressure.
However, he had possessed a trump card as well.
It was the Two-Handed Kendo he had studied for one day under Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.
Just as Kenpachi Zaraki had said, when he gripped his sword with both hands...
...it did not mean he was getting serious, only that he was driving his enemy toward death!
By Bai Yu's estimation, if he used Two-Handed Kendo now...
...he might be able to cleave Koshiro in half with a wooden sword alone.
Sure enough, everyone with a system was a freak.