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Seeing Ryoji retreat, Kurashiki Kuraudo immediately pressed the advantage.
'Whoosh!'
The fierce wind howled as he pursued relentlessly, unleashing a relentless barrage of high-speed strikes.
Having learned from their initial exchange, he knew a straightforward downward slash would be easily blocked, so he adjusted his approach— attacking with sweeping horizontal strikes, forcing Ryoji to stay on the defensive.
His raw power was terrifying, and his white bone katana sliced through the air with a sharp, grating whistle.
Ryoji instinctively realized that blocking head-on was a mistake— taking a direct hit could shatter his arm bones. So, he kept evading, stepping back just in time to avoid each strike.
"What's the matter? Weren't you acting all confident before? Show me something more exciting!"
Kurashiki Kuraudo laughed wildly, his blood pumping with battle lust as he intensified his assault.
From an outsider's perspective, Ryoji was completely overwhelmed.
His opponent's crude yet effective fighting style forced him to dodge constantly, giving the impression that he was struggling to even counterattack.
"Nangou Kun...!" Ayatsuji Ayase's fists clenched as she watched anxiously.
That white bone katana wasn't something a person could take a glancing blow from and simply shrug off.
Just as she took a step forward to intervene, Totokubara Kanata reached out to stop her.
"Don't rush in. Didn't you see his fight with me? He's not in any danger right now."
"Eh?"
That's right.
Ryoji's natural instincts allowed him to predict movements, letting him evade incoming attacks a split second before they landed. This preemptive fighting style allowed him to perform incredible, near-impossible dodges.
To the untrained eye, it seemed as if he was barely avoiding each strike by a hair's breadth. But in reality, he was always one step ahead, slipping through every attack like an untouchable shadow.
"First strike, second strike, third strike..."
Ryoji ignored Kuraudo's taunts, silently counting.
Then, at a precise moment, Kuraudo— still in his all-out offensive stance— swung his bone katana in another sweeping arc. The power behind it remained undiminished.
But this time, as he slashed from left to right, his footing shifted ever so slightly.
'Now!'
Ryoji's eyes flashed.
He twisted his body and— breaking his pattern of retreat— suddenly struck forward, meeting the attack head-on.
"You idiot! With your strength, there's no way you can take this strike!" Kuraudo roared, his eyes gleaming like a beast that had cornered its prey.
"Nangou Kun!" Ayase's breath hitched, heart pounding as she watched the moment of impact.
'Clang!'
The ringing of clashing steel echoed through the dojo.
Kuraudo had expected Ryoji's sword to crack under the force, but instead—
His katana was caught in an unfamiliar technique.
Rather than a simple parry, Ryoji's blade carried a subtle, almost magnetic force, guiding Kuraudo's strike into a circular path, redirecting its momentum rather than resisting it directly.
"What the hell—?!" Kuraudo's eyes widened in shock. He had never encountered a technique like this.
He instinctively tried to yank his katana free, but—
"Oh, crap—!"
The moment he twisted his foot to pull back, he felt it—
His stance was off.
His expression changed instantly.
A swordsman's power follows a kinetic chain—
It begins from the feet, transferring force through the legs, then the hips, then the core, before reaching the arms and blade. In other words, a proper stance is the foundation of a powerful attack.
But in that instant—
His footing was disrupted. The chain was broken.
And as a result, the overwhelming force he intended to exert had weakened drastically.
A strike meant to carry the full strength of his body had suddenly been reduced to a mere fraction— only 20 to 30 percent of its intended power.
When a fighter makes a sudden, forceful movement, their stance can easily become unstable.
Kurashiki Kuraudo had been recklessly swinging his powerful sweeping attacks, unaware that his footing was gradually becoming unsteady.
Ryoji understood this flaw and deliberately baited him into overcommitting. The moment Kurashiki Kuraudo's stance faltered— his power unable to fully transfer through his strikes— Ryoji seized the opening with a lightning-fast counterattack.
"Using softness to overcome hardness… Is this a judo technique?" Ayatsuji Ayase recognized the maneuver and felt a surge of excitement.
Against an opponent with monstrous physical strength, redirection and control were the best countermeasures.
Within the dojo, Ryoji's blade carved a precise arc through the air, guiding Kurashiki Kuraudo's Orochimaru downward. The white bone katana slammed into the wooden floor with a deafening crack, splintering the boards beneath it.
At the same time, Ryoji shifted his grip and slashed upward—
A crescent-shaped blade arc flashed toward Kurashiki Kuraudo's exposed throat.
With Orochimaru embedded in the ground and his stance completely thrown off, Kurashiki Kuraudo had no way to properly defend himself.
This strike was unavoidable.
If it connected, Ryoji's Vrring sword would slice cleanly through his throat.
But just as Ryoji confirmed his victory—
A blur of white flickered in his vision.
Somehow, Orochimaru, despite being lodged in the ground, was wrenched free and came swinging toward Ryoji's head.
Kurashiki Kuraudo had forcibly regained his balance, a wicked grin spreading across his face. His sunglasses concealed his eyes, but the mocking amusement in them was unmistakable.
If neither of them pulled back, this would end in mutual destruction.
Ryoji's body reacted on instinct— He leaped to the side, narrowly evading the incoming slash. At the same time, his own strike missed its mark.
"Oh? You dodged that? Looks like your instincts aren't half bad!"
Kurashiki Kuraudo's swing hit nothing but air, yet rather than disappointment, his excitement only grew.
"Good! Crushing a swordsman like you makes this even more worth it!"
The second exchange had ended.
Now, the two stood three meters apart, sizing each other up once more.
But this time, Kurashiki Kuraudo didn't recklessly charge in. He remained still, his predatory gaze locked onto Ryoji like a venomous snake waiting to strike.
He had realized something—
When it came to pure sword technique, the gap between them was enormous. His overwhelming physical strength, which he had always relied on, was being expertly neutralized.
So, he adapted.
No more careless swings. No more brute force alone.
Ryoji exhaled slowly, using this moment to steady his breathing and recover some stamina.
And with a small smirk, he turned to Ayatsuji Ayase and spoke casually, as if he had all the time in the world.
"For the record, that wasn't a judo technique. It's Tai Chi."
Ayatsuji Ayase blinked in surprise. "Tai Chi…? That Chinese martial art?"
She had certainly heard of it before.
In this world of Blazers and supernatural combat, the Chinese Federation was a dominant force, especially in martial arts. Their combat techniques, deeply rooted in centuries of refinement, were regarded as some of the most powerful in existence.
Styles like Tai Chi, Bajiquan, and Si Xiang Quan weren't just relics of history—they were terrifyingly effective in battle.
Ryoji had once tried researching them online, but all he found were surface-level explanations. The real secrets, the essence of their techniques, were not so easily accessible.
Even so, just grasping the fundamentals and integrating them into his swordsmanship had been enough.
Softness overcoming hardness.
The art of deflecting overwhelming force with minimal effort.
The principle of four ounces redirecting a thousand pounds.
These techniques had already proven invaluable.
And in this battle, they would lead him to victory.
(End of Chapter)