Clang.
The bell signaling the start of the sparring match rang out.
"..."
I inhaled deeply, tensing my body. Red sparks crackled from the Hwaryeon Flying Dagger in my hand.
My opponent, Amatsuka Koyori, gripped her spear with both hands, assuming a defensive stance. Just as she had yesterday and today, she would likely adopt a defensive approach.
This sparring match is ultimately for show... I'll have to drag it out for at least five minutes.
My target was Koyori's complacency. Given the significant skill gap between us, she would inevitably let her guard down without realizing it.
"..."
As I remained motionless, Koyori finally made the first move, swinging her spear at me. A blade of wind surged toward me.
I executed my footwork, my bangs fluttering against the wind's razor-sharp gusts. Without pausing, I closed the distance to Koyori.
Clang! Clash!
Sword and spear collided, the blade recoiling slightly as red sparks and fiery embers erupted violently. This confirmed my suspicions.
This woman is holding back. Just as I predicted, she's dragging out the sparring match.
She's an A-Class fighter, a so-called "S-Class Candidate." Beyond skill and talent, her physical prowess alone far surpasses mine. If she were to press her physical advantage, I'd be utterly helpless.
It's a bit frustrating, but... this works to my advantage. Let your guard down! The moment you do, I'll land a decisive blow!
Clang!
Koyori pushed me back with force using her naginata. Even as I was forced backward, I didn't take my eyes off her.
A red pentagram appeared on the naginata's blade, followed by flames. The crimson fire engulfed the blade, burning fiercely.
This is different from yesterday's sparring match. But there's no need to panic. I already knew Koyori could use Yin-Yang Art.
She seemed to be approaching the battle differently today. The reason was obvious: she wanted the audience to know that yesterday's fight hadn't shown her true strength.
Manroe.
I extended my hand and activated Manroe. Lightning bolts shot from the center of the swirling, swastika-shaped thunderbolt. Koyori didn't dodge.
"Hmph!"
A flame-wreathed spear cleaved through the lightning.
As expected, a direct attack won't work.
This strike wasn't entirely pointless. It revealed that she had chosen to parry rather than evade, despite having the ability to do so.
Koyori sees this as more of a show than a sparring match. She'll likely move more flamboyantly, probably because of something that politician, Shigeru, told her.
The possibilities were multiplying. I grinned and charged at Koyori.
Clang!
Spear and blade clashed again. Red electricity surged along the spear, flowing toward Koyori, but her mana effortlessly neutralized it, dissipating it into the air.
Meanwhile, her flames merely radiated heat, posing no real threat.
She's deliberately showing me an opening.
She's trying to bait me into attacking here. It hasn't even been a minute since the battle began. Curious about her reaction, I struck at the opening.
Koyori's spear moved with uncanny precision, deflecting my blade. The scattering sparks dazzled the eye.
Was this what she wanted to show me?
She deliberately exposed another opening, practically begging me to attack. Feigning an attack there, I activated Momentary.
Her movements slowed. I could see every detail: the trajectory of her spear, the placement of her feet, the direction of her gaze.
I can't just keep taking hits!
Yeongcheon Style: Thunderlight.
I unleashed the Yeongcheon Style's fastest attack. Crack! Red lightning flashed along the blade's trajectory.
"...!"
Koyori flinched in surprise and shifted her stance. Swish, swish, swish. Her body glided backward, my blade narrowly grazing her shoulder, tearing her robe slightly.
I frowned at her.
She cleverly concealed her footwork with that long red skirt. Is this some kind of moonwalk? It didn't look like she was moving backward at all...
Koyori advanced again, her expression now more serious. I had just missed a golden opportunity to land a decisive blow.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Her attacks were fiercer than before. As time passed, only superficial wounds accumulated on my body.
What is this?
As the battle continued, I felt a growing sense of unease. It wasn't that Koyori's attacks were flawed; the problem lay within me.
It's not about speed. I can track her movements with my eyes and react in time. So why is it so difficult to block or evade her strikes?
This was a flaw I had sensed for some time.
I gradually increased the speed of my sword swings, expecting her to match my pace. But I was mistaken. Instead of accelerating, she effortlessly parried every attack. My sword hand throbbed with pain.
"...Grrrgh."
Koyori's movements with the naginata resembled a dance. She spun her body, adding weight to each strike. Her long, red skirt billowed like petals caught in the wind.
"...Momentary!"
I ducked low, aiming for her lower body. The spear blade dropped sharply, deflecting my attack. My body flew backward, rolling across the floor several times before I regained my footing.
Koyori quickly regained her stance, but I didn't rush in.
A smile spread across my lips.
I understand now...!
The question that had plagued me for over a hundred days had finally been resolved. It shouldn't have taken this long; Yuria would have grasped it in a day, at most.
But rather than dwell on my own lack of talent, I was overwhelmed by the sheer joy of finally understanding.
It's not about speed, but flow!
Uninterrupted flow is both offense and defense in perfect harmony. Koyori's martial arts, like a dance, embodied this principle.
"...Why did you suddenly stop? Are you thinking of giving up?"
"Don't be ridiculous. That's impossible. If I were going to quit here, I wouldn't have stepped forward in the first place."
I gripped the sword hilt tighter, my hand tightening around it.
Thinking about it, I've been holding back too much, trying to exploit Koyori's carelessness. This isn't my fighting style.
Let's die today.
No, let's push myself to the brink of death today. After all, I have Complete Recovery. The aftermath? I want to give it my all, at least for this moment.
Let's go.
A bluish sword qi materialized on the red blade. The unrefined qi felt sharper than usual.
Crackling.
Red thunderbolts enveloped the sword qi. I channeled even more thunderbolts, dozens of them writhing within the watery sword qi.
Yeongcheon Style Thunderclap Step.
With a thunderous roar, I surged forward toward Koyori. She narrowed her eyes and shifted her shoulder slightly to evade my thrust. Blue sword qi now flickered along the edge of her spear.
I pressed my attack relentlessly.
Surrender to the flow, but control it.
Several strikes and parries exchanged. Confusion clouded Koyori's face as she realized my movements had suddenly changed.
Yeongcheon Style Hanlei.
Blue sword qi and crimson lightning erupted in all directions. Koyori braced her spear upright, creating a whirlwind. But the sword qi and Crimson Lightning tore through the wind, leaving her body wounded.
Though I hadn't inflicted a deep wound, I managed to draw blood. I subtly smeared the falling droplets onto my clothes.
Perfect! This achieves my goal!
I carefully memorized the exact location of Koyori's bloodstains on my garment.
Whoosh.
"What?!"
A massive gust of wind lifted me into the air. Unable to resist the force, my body began to spin uncontrollably. Koyori had conjured a whirlwind using Yin-Yang Art.
As I floated and spun in mid-air, the wind hurled me out of the sparring arena.
It's fine. There's no rule stating that leaving the arena means defeat.
Outside the arena flowed water cascading from a waterfall, and beyond that lay an impenetrable barrier.
I landed gracefully on the flowing water, thanks to the Waterwalking skill granted by my Water's Blessing Lv. 1.
I saw Koyori's startled expression. She quickly glared at me and hurled the spear in her hand. The flame-wreathed spear hurtled toward me.
"Hmph!"
I gripped the sword hilt with both hands and swung upward. The spear's trajectory shifted, rising before striking the barrier ceiling and falling back down.
Splash!
I hastily retrieved the spear from the water. The flames that had enveloped it vanished in a hiss of steam upon contact with the water.
Grasping the spear in my right hand, I assumed a throwing stance.
Crackling!
Azure thunderbolts coiled around the spear.
Crack!
As my bones and muscles strained to their limit, I hurled the Lightning Spear at Koyori.
Koyori rapidly formed hand seals with both hands. Lacking knowledge of Yin-Yang Art, I couldn't predict what technique she was using.
A massive stone wall erupted from the ground before the hurled Lightning Spear. But it was no match for the spear's power. The Lightning Spear shattered the wall and continued its trajectory toward Koyori.
A small tornado materialized before Koyori. Weakened from shattering the stone wall, the Lightning Spear was swept into the tornado, lifted into the air, and then dropped to the ground.
Koyori formed another set of hand seals.
Three paper talismans flew toward me, transforming into humanoid figures. Instead of eyes, a nose, and a mouth, each figure bore the character "?" (Shiki) on its face.
Shikigami from Yin-Yang Art!
One Shikigami struck with a fist, while another slashed with a knife in its left hand. The third gripped its blade in reverse, slashing upward from below. The Shikigami, with their pitiful durability, exploded in puffs of smoke, transforming into paper that fluttered downward.
Damn it. The next attack is coming!
Ten arrows of blue flame hovered above her head, each launching toward her in sequence.
She sprinted across the water's surface, dodging the fiery projectiles. But the arrows relentlessly pursued her.
Let's see if they'll follow me into the water!
She released her Waterwalking technique, plunging into the depths. With Water's Blessing Lv. 1, she could breathe underwater and move with relative ease.
The fire arrows followed her into the water, only to vanish in a hiss of steam.
I swam through the water.
It should be around here...!
I rose from the water. Koyori was less than ten meters away.
Yeongcheon Style Flying Tiger.
I lunged fiercely toward her.
Koyori didn't react. I sensed the meticulously organized mana surrounding her.
A trap!
By the time I realized it, it was too late.
A massive updraft erupted, blasting me upward. In an instant, I slammed into the barrier's ceiling.
"Ugh!"
I gritted my teeth against the agony that felt like my entire body was being crushed. The updraft vanished, and I kicked off the barrier's ceiling, using Waterwalking to propel myself above the waterfall.
Whoosh!
Water cascaded downward.
From above the waterfall, I glared down at Koyori below. Her expression remained as serious as ever. As she extended her hand, a spear flew toward her.
Koyori threw her spear, aiming not at me but at the base of the waterfall.
Crack!
The waterfall began to freeze slowly from the bottom up, centered around the spear.
I gripped the hilt of my sword with both hands, pointing the blade at Koyori.
Fizzle.
One, two, red thunderbolts crackled to life.
Koyori formed a hand seal. Shikigami materialized around her pure white, eagle-shaped spirits that began to multiply rapidly.
I can't hold out any longer. Whatever the outcome, I'll end this here.
Fizzle-crackle!
I drew upon my mana, summoning Crimson Lightning. The red thunderbolts enveloped not only the Hwaryeon Flying Dagger but also my entire body.
The sparring arena was now filled with thousands of white eagle shikigami. Their flapping wings sounded menacing.
Though Koyori was hidden behind the shikigami, her presence remained palpable.
She probably won't evade until the very end.
The white Poison Beasts turned to face me in unison, flapping their wings.
Crack!
As the freezing Qi that had been freezing the waterfall reached my feet, I leaped forward, transforming into a red lightning bolt with the thunderous roar of Thunderclap Step.
Yeongcheon Style: Falling Thunder.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Thousands of white Poison Beasts struck by the red lightning bolts instantly turned into paper. The paper burned to ash, scattering into the air.
Koyori extended her hand forward, creating a spatial distortion. As a lightning bolt, I tried to force my way through the distortion, but it was futile. I was deflected sideways and rolled across the ground.
...I don't even have the strength to stand. My body aches all over.
Koyori strode toward me, now holding a spear pointed at my chest.
"...I've lost."
"You've fought well."
The sparring match was over.