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"Please guide me." Artoria's eyes swept seriously over Ryoji's body from head to toe.
The title of "God" at TYPE-MOON Academy was thunderous and well-known; she had heard of it before. But she had never personally interacted with him, nor had she ever heard any rumor of him practicing kendo.
From his casual stance at the beginning, she had assumed her opponent was an amateur.
But the moment he straightened his posture, the atmosphere changed entirely.
His stance was textbook-perfect, without the slightest hint of waste, seamlessly integrated with his entire body. There wasn't a shred of hollowness in his movements. It was undeniable proof of someone who had trained in swordsmanship for years and reached genuine mastery.
From just a glance at his body, Artoria couldn't spot a single opening. It felt impossible to find a point of attack.
Since there were no openings, she would have to create one.
That was the eternal truth of battle.
There was no needless chatter between the two. After a short salute, Artoria immediately launched forward, starting with her legs and gathering her whole body's strength into the strike against Ryoji.
She twisted the force from her hips and waist into one continuous chain of power, her kinetic flow executed with flawless precision.
As a woman with such a petite frame, she naturally lacked raw strength compared to others. The only way she could contend with other swordsmen was by mastering the energy chain to perfection.
"Clack!"
In the blink of an eye, their wooden swords clashed.
The feedback from the collision caught Ryoji slightly off guard. Artoria's strength was no weaker than a man's. It wasn't simply her skill making one unit of strength feel like two; it was pure, raw physical power.
Artoria remained silent, her wooden sword locked in a deadlock with Ryoji's. Her appearance was indeed deceptive. Anyone unfamiliar would instinctively assume, upon seeing her petite body, that she was weak. In truth, her physical ability surpassed most men.
She was a natural-born talent and thanks to that, even as the second daughter, she had become the successor to her family's kendo.
Yet even with that strength, the boy in front of her stood unmoving as a mountain. No matter how she pressed her blade down, he did not budge. On the contrary, he pressed back against her.
From his posture, it was obvious he wasn't even using the strength of his legs, yet he still gave off an overwhelming sense of power, unstoppable like a raging flood.
She made a quick decision, abandoning the contest of brute force. Her legs shifted slightly to the side in small, precise movements.
Allowing her opponent's strike to pass, she evaded with minimal steps, then prepared to counter at the limit of her reach with maximum power. This was a subtle kendo technique known as suri-ashi (sliding step).
"Pa-pa-pa!"
But her opponent wasn't letting her go. He had read her movements perfectly and mirrored her steps almost in unison.
The rapid stomps of their feet echoed across the floor. Beneath her mask, Artoria's expression twisted bitterly. Her arms could no longer withstand the pressure, and she hurriedly retreated backward.
"Smack!"
A moment later, Ryoji's wooden sword shadowed her every movement, striking her squarely on the ribs with the flat of the blade.
"Ugh!"
Artoria groaned, clutching her left rib as she staggered back several steps.
Standing just over 1.5 meters tall, her legs were short and her steps small. Against someone like Ryoji, who had long legs, it was impossible to retreat fast enough in a direct exchange, leaving her an easy target.
"Valid hit, one point to Ryoji!" From the side, Scáthach's voice rang out.
Her judgment was impartial, neither favoring one side nor the other, her tone perfectly fair.
"When did this boy learn swordsmanship?" Her eyes flickered with faint astonishment as she looked at Ryoji.
She had been teaching at TYPE-MOON Academy for nearly ten years, secretly observing many students, Ryoji among them. Yet never once had she seen him practice swordsmanship.
And now, not only did he display proper form, he had even managed to suppress the Kendo Club's president with ease.
Although the Heroic Spirits here are all in their "second lives," lacking the experiences of their first, and their martial skill is not as strong as it once was, they still retain many traits. For an ordinary person, it would be almost impossible to match them.
"Could it be him?" Scáthach pondered quietly in her heart.
In the arena, she remained perfectly calm. But outside, the spectators had already exploded into an uproar.
"No way, right? The Club Leader actually got scored on first?"
"I've never heard that 'God' was this strong! He could totally represent TYPE-MOON Academy in the national tournament!"
"As expected of God!"
The admiration of male fans and the shrieks of female fans rang endlessly from outside the dojo.
Even Artoria herself was briefly thrown off balance. Fortunately, she suppressed her rising anxiety in time. After several deep breaths, she once again set her stance.
"Second round, begin!"
With Scáthach's voice declaring the start, Artoria rushed forward once more. Her eyes, sharp as blades beneath the mask, swept repeatedly across Ryoji's body.
Still, she found no opening.
In that case, She twisted her wrist and, with lightning speed, swung a kesa-giri diagonal slash at her opponent's neck. In kendo matches, the valid strike zones are the face, throat, torso, and wrists. A single strike to any of these earns a point. The first to two points wins.
"Clack!"
Her strike toward the throat was easily blocked.
She wasn't surprised, this was within her expectations. She quickly withdrew her blade, keeping some distance, and swung again from the opposite side. When that was blocked, she attacked again.
She lengthened her offense, increasing the speed of her strikes.
Her plan was to force her opponent to reveal a flaw, then deliver a decisive strike for victory.
But to her shock, every single swing was blocked. It was as if his entire body was surrounded by a barrier of swords, impenetrable like water against a wall.
"Not good!"
Her footwork faltered for just an instant, and a jolt of alarm shot through her heart.
In the midst of such fierce rapid offense, while it's true one might break through a defense, the drawback is that the movements become harder to control. The more swings one makes, the more the kinetic chain falters, leading to fatigue in the wrists, sloppy movement, and inevitable openings.
"Bang!"
A dark shadow cut through the air.
Her wooden sword was knocked flying in an instant, and pain flared in her wrist, forcing her to pull her arm back.
"Valid strike! Ryoji, two points, victory!"
It wasn't until Scáthach's judgment was announced that Artoria realized what had happened.
She had been knocked out without scoring a single point.
Beneath her mask, a trace of dazed disbelief flickered across her expression.
"…I lost."
After a long moment, she bent down to pick up her fallen sword.
Then, removing her face mask, she gave Ryoji a bitter smile and admitted defeat.
"You let me win."
Ryoji calmly lowered his wooden sword and returned the courtesy.
"Oooohhh! As expected of God!"
"Spread the word, God's first kendo match, and he defeated the Kendo Club's president!"
"Spread the word, God claimed the Kendo Club Leader's first blood!"
"Spread the word…"
"Hmph."
Scáthach let out a subtle, quiet snort.
If it had been the Heroic Spirit Artoria, that would be another matter. But clearly, the second-life version of her was nowhere near the level of her past self. As an ordinary person, she simply couldn't keep up with that caliber of battle.
She still had a long road ahead before she could "recover" her true self.
(End of chapter)