The air fell silent for a brief moment.
"Hahahahaha—!"
Sabito burst out laughing, slapping Giyu hard on the shoulder.
"Giyu, if you talk like that, people are going to hate you!"
Giyu tilted his head expressionlessly, then looked Sabito straight in the eyes with absolute seriousness.
"I won't be hated."
Ryōsuke completely lost it.
"Hahahahaha—!"
Giyu's earnest attempt at explaining himself only made Sabito laugh even harder.
Moriyama Akira's mouth twitched. He looked like he wanted to clamp a hand over Giyu's mouth on the spot.
He nudged Ryōsuke with his elbow and hurriedly explained in a low voice.
"Ryōsuke-san, don't mind him. My junior… he's just not very good with words."
"I get it," Ryōsuke said with a smile, nodding.
In the original story, Giyu's emotional intelligence was basically nonexistent—a natural-born airhead.
Of course, only someone with such a calm, unfluctuating personality could refine Water Breathing to its absolute peak.
Ryōsuke looked at Giyu for a moment, then thought about it and explained gently.
"You meant that I've killed a lot of demons and survived, right? That I'm strong."
Giyu's eyes suddenly lit up.
He understands me!
I'm not being hated!
Little imaginary sparkles practically bloomed around Giyu as he nodded vigorously.
"Hahahaha, Ryōsuke-san, you're really interesting!" Sabito said, amused.
Even he found it rare—aside from himself, there was actually someone who could understand what Giyu was trying to say.
Then Sabito's gaze shifted to the Nichirin sword at Ryōsuke's waist, his eyes burning with excitement.
"Yasui-san! Fellow disciples of trainers, comrades on the path of demon slaying!
Since we've met, please spar with me! I want to personally experience the Thunder Breathing sword style that cleansed Mount Fujikasane!"
The invitation was direct and forthright, filled with the sharpness and yearning unique to youth.
Moriyama frowned. "Isn't it rude to ask a guest to fight the moment they arrive?"
Ryōsuke didn't mind. He casually tossed his Nichirin sword aside and picked up a wooden sword nearby.
"We'll stop short of injury."
Sabito's eyes flashed. He instantly assumed the opening stance of Water Breathing.
His aura was steady as a deep pool. The surrounding mist seemed to respond, faintly gathering around him.
"Watch out!"
With a low shout, Sabito launched forward like an arrow released from the bow!
Water Breathing · Second Form · Water Wheel!
The wooden blade cut through the air, sweeping in a fierce circular arc like a rapidly spinning wheel!
Ryōsuke's gaze sharpened. Instead of retreating, he advanced!
Thunder Breathing · First Form · Thunderclap and Flash!
Ryōsuke turned into a streak of light, his strike precisely aimed at Sabito's wrist!
Sabito's heart jumped. He flipped his wrist mid-motion, turning the sweep into a block.
The wooden swords collided with a dull boom!
A numbing sensation traveled up Sabito's arm. Using the force, he spun, instantly changing his technique!
Water Breathing · Third Form · Flowing Dance!
His figure became elusive, like a fish swimming through a stream. Several overlapping blade images thrust toward Ryōsuke from different angles—some real, some feints!
Faint lightning flickered beneath Ryōsuke's feet. His steps were swift as electricity, evading each strike in sequence.
Thunder Breathing · Third Form · Thunder Swarm!
Violent lightning slashes burst forth, cutting cleanly through Sabito's offensive!
The two figures crossed at high speed, water-blue light and lightning colliding and annihilating one another again and again.
Water Breathing flowed endlessly, full of variation.
Thunder Breathing erupted in decisive, explosive strikes—simple and direct.
The contrast between the two styles was stark.
The longer Sabito fought, the more excited he became.
He knew his own strength was still lacking, and he could clearly feel that Ryōsuke wasn't even going all out.
Yet the pressure from that speed and precision felt even more immediate than when facing Urokodaki Sakonji himself!
He leapt back a step, water vapor around him surging wildly!
Water Breathing · Eighth Form · Waterfall Basin!
Mist poured down like a cascading waterfall—
At that exact moment, a silent figure moved.
Giyu struck without a word, his focus terrifyingly sharp.
Water Breathing · Sixth Form · Twisting Whirlpool!
His blade pierced in at an extremely tricky angle, aiming straight for the fleeting opening Ryōsuke left behind!
"Hey! Giyu! This was supposed to be a one-on-one!" Sabito shouted angrily, but it was already too late to withdraw.
Their attacks formed a strange pincer formation.
Ryōsuke narrowed his eyes. The wooden sword in his hand shifted abruptly as wild thunder roared!
Thunder Breathing · Second Form · Rice Spirit!
Five blinding flashes of white light exploded outward in an instant!
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—
Deafening blasts tore apart both attacks simultaneously.
Sabito and Giyu were forced back several steps before they could steady themselves, their arms numb.
Ryōsuke rested the wooden sword on his shoulder and raised an eyebrow at the two of them.
"Cough… cough!"
Sabito coughed twice, admiration written plainly on his face.
"Incredible, Yasui-san!"
Giyu nodded immediately afterward.
He'd only intervened because he had no choice.
The outcome of this spar had been decided from the very beginning.
If no one had helped share the pressure, Ryōsuke's earlier strike might actually have injured Sabito.
Ryōsuke understood this as well and didn't take it to heart. He sheathed the wooden sword and snorted lightly.
"It's nothing. I just started training earlier than you."
Even so, a trace of lingering fear remained in his heart.
A genius is still a genius.
No matter the world, talent always comes first.
Sabito and Giyu had trained for far less time and with much less intensity than he had, yet their strength and potential were already undeniable.
Even with the system, if they trained for the same amount of time and at the same intensity, Ryōsuke knew he wouldn't necessarily be their match.
At that moment, a petite girl approached from the distance.
She had short jet-black hair, a bright and adorable smile, blue eyes with pale pupils, and clothes as vivid as blooming flowers.
She jogged over, speaking in a mildly scolding tone.
"Sabito, Giyu! Who are you two bullying again?"
Sabito: o_0?
Giyu: ヾ(￣□￣;)ﾉ
Sabito rubbed his numb wrist and immediately looked wronged upon hearing that.
"Tamayo, don't say things like that! Clearly it was Ryōsuke who was bullying us, okay?!"
"Still denying it? I saw everything!"
Tamayo blinked, pouting slightly as she mercilessly exposed them.
"You and Giyu together still couldn't beat him!"
"Hey! Tamayo! Whose junior sister are you supposed to be?!"
Sabito flushed, completely choked up.
"Traitor! That hurts!"
The usually silent Giyu frowned slightly, clearly pondering something extremely serious.
He looked at the aggrieved Sabito, then at Tamayo, and finally at the snickering Ryōsuke.
Then, with utmost seriousness, he said:
"Mm. Just now, you could've hurt me—
but your slash went off."
The air froze.
Ryōsuke was the first to lose control. He quickly clenched his fist against his mouth, shoulders trembling suspiciously.
Of course he understood what Giyu meant.
The guy was trying to praise him—but the way he phrased it was bound to cause misunderstandings.
Moriyama followed right after, clutching his stomach in laughter.
Tamayo stood on tiptoe and smacked Giyu's arm without mercy.
"Idiot! Can you think before you speak next time?! It makes people misunderstand!"
Giyu lowered his head, thinking very hard.
A few seconds later, he opened his mouth again.
Still wearing that calm, blank, natural-dumb expression, he added—this time with even greater certainty:
"The sword technique Ryōsuke used just now… even I couldn't see through it.
You were lucky."
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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