It was also during this time that Tachibana Koneko realized Inaba Tsukiyo's combat power far exceeded her own; she also remembered Inaba Tsukiyo telling her that she was a swordsman.
But from the beginning until now, she hadn't seen Inaba Tsukiyo take up a weapon to fight her—not even once. She had relied solely on her bare hands to beat her, leaving her with absolutely no room to counterattack.
It was fine at first, but later, after obtaining the Taixu's Grip and the Stigma, Tachibana Koneko felt her combat power was much stronger than before, so she took the initiative to request that Inaba Tsukiyo use a weapon to fight her.
After hesitating for a moment, Inaba Tsukiyo was a little worried that using her full strength might traumatize Tachibana Koneko and hinder her progress.
However, she realized that by serving as Tachibana Koneko's goal, she could become the motivation for Tachibana Koneko to continue striving, so she agreed to Tachibana Koneko's request.
Therefore, in the evening, they went to a deserted riverbank in Kuoh Town, took out their respective weapons, and prepared to fight.
Tachibana Koneko was prepared to use 200% of her combat power to fight Inaba Tsukiyo; she wanted to let Inaba Tsukiyo know that she was no longer the same Tachibana Koneko who had been beaten into a shell-shocked state back then.
And then... and then... and then she was shell-shocked again.
Rias's subordinate devil, Kiba Yuuto, who held the rank of Knight, was also a master of the sword, but the difference in level between Kiba Yuuto and Inaba Tsukiyo was simply too great.
In the blink of an eye, the very moment the battle began, Inaba Tsukiyo teleported right in front of her, those wine-red pupils expanding before her eyes.
Her weapon was pressed tightly against her neck; Tachibana Koneko could feel its cold touch. If any pressure were applied, her neck would be injured.
So strong! She hadn't expected Inaba Tsukiyo to be this powerful when wielding a weapon.
In the second round, Tachibana Koneko, realizing that Inaba Tsukiyo's sword skill was a form of Iaijutsu and a one-hit kill technique, tried to confuse Inaba Tsukiyo's vision by constantly moving.
However, Inaba Tsukiyo remained unperturbed, standing quietly in place, her right hand on the hilt of her sword, ready to draw it at any moment.
After several rounds of teleportation, Tachibana Koneko thought the time was ripe to attack Inaba Tsukiyo before she could react, but Inaba Tsukiyo once again appeared before her.
[Unyō]
The Unyō mastered by Inaba Tsukiyo was completely incomparable to Tachibana Koneko's, who had only trained for a little over a month.
[Unyō]—swift as lightning, it refers to one twenty-thousandth of a second in the Flow style, and [Hu]—quick as a silken thread, after the same conversion, it refers to one two-hundredth of a second.
Tachibana Koneko could only be considered the latter [Hu], while Inaba Tsukiyo was the former [Unyō], completely different realms.
Also, Inaba Tsukiyo had never told Tachibana Koneko one thing: the interval of her one-cut, one-step technique.
As long as someone entered Inaba Tsukiyo's interval, she could instantly cut down the intruder, unless the opponent had special means.
Combined with the uniqueness of her Mystic Eyes, this move could achieve a true one-hit kill, but she had never used this ultimate move.
It wasn't that she didn't want to use it, but no one was worthy enough for her to use this ultimate move; Inaba Tsukiyo could defeat her enemies through ordinary means.
The reason she dueled Tachibana Koneko in this manner this time was also to let Tachibana Koneko know where her limits truly lay, of course—
She was referring to her limits as a human, to what extent she could go without using powers that didn't belong to a human.
[Utter Defeat]
No matter what, Tachibana Koneko simply couldn't harm Inaba Tsukiyo.
Even using two hundred percent of her strength, she still couldn't pose a threat to Inaba Tsukiyo.
Tachibana Koneko was completely convinced; she understood that what Inaba Tsukiyo said was true—she was truly very skilled with weapons, and in terms of swordsmanship, among all the people Tachibana Koneko knew, none were her match.
Fortunately, Inaba Tsukiyo's worries did not materialize. After witnessing Inaba Tsukiyo's 'full power,' Tachibana Koneko's subsequent training became even more diligent, and she also began searching for the [Unyō] Inaba Tsukiyo spoke of.
[Unyō] could be used in swordsmanship, becoming the [Invisible Demonic Sword].
Similarly, it could also be applied to boxing, becoming the [Invisible Demonic Fist]... Hmm~ that name feels a bit strange.
In any case, with a new goal, Tachibana Koneko's enthusiasm for training was ignited, which was a positive development.
One evening, Inaba Tsukiyo, as usual, went out to buy groceries with Mikazuki Munechika.
"Every time you have to specially prepare dinner for that stray cat, I really don't know why you're so good to her, Master?"
"Hehe~ Don't say that, Munechika. Koneko is my friend, and since she's a friend, it's only natural to be good to her. Seriously, why do you like arguing with Koneko so much?"
"Hmph! If it weren't for you forbidding me to act, this concubine would have beaten her already. It's because you're too kind, Master, that stray cat acts this way."
Mikazuki Munechika kept speaking ill of Tachibana Koneko, but she didn't harbor any ill will towards Tachibana Koneko; she simply disliked Tachibana Koneko clinging to Inaba Tsukiyo.
"Hmm?"
Her steps suddenly paused. Inaba Tsukiyo suddenly felt something, and her eyebrow twitched.
Just then, a figure suddenly leaped out from the nearby bushes.
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