Chapter 265
Chapter 265
----------------------------------------------------------------- Translator: uly Chapter: 265 Chapter Title: Doll Play -----------------------------------------------------------------
Jingle. The bell signaling the start of the spar rang out.
"......"
I took a deep breath and tensed my body.
Red sparks flew from the Hwaryeonbido gripped in my hand.
My opponent, Amatsuka Koyori, gripped her spear with both hands and assumed her stance.
Just like yesterday, she'd play defensively today as well.
'This spar is ultimately for show... She'll drag it out for at least five minutes.'
What I needed to aim for was Koyori's carelessness.
The gap in our skills was vast, so she'd let her guard down without realizing it.
"......"
As I stood still, Koyori eventually moved first.
She swung her spear toward me.
Blades of wind came flying my way.
I stepped into a footwork pattern.
My bangs fluttered as the wind blades grazed past.
Without stopping, I closed in on Koyori.
Clang! Cliiing! Sword and spear clashed.
My blade was pushed back slightly, red sparks and embers exploding fiercely.
This confirmed it.
'She's holding back right now. Just as I expected, she's dragging out the spar.'
She was an A-rank called an S-rank candidate.
Regardless of technique or talent, her physical abilities alone overwhelmed me.
If she pressed with raw power, I'd be helpless—that was the reality.
'It's annoying, but... it's good for me. Get careless! The moment you do, I'll land a hit!'
Clang! Koyori pushed me back with force from her spear.
Even as I was repelled, I kept my eyes locked on her.
A red pentagram appeared on the spear tip, flames manifesting.
The red fire enveloped the blade and burned.
'Different from yesterday's spar. But no need to panic. I already knew she could use onmyodo.'
She seemed intent on fighting differently today.
The reason was easy to guess.
She wanted the audience to know yesterday's fight wasn't her full power.
'Manroe.'
I extended my hand and unleashed Manroe.
Lightning shot from the center of the rotating "卍" thunderbolt.
Koyori didn't dodge.
"Hup!"
Her flame-wrapped spear cleaved the lightning.
'As expected, it doesn't work head-on.'
This attack wasn't meaningless.
I could tell she chose to block it instead of dodging, even though she could have evaded.
'Koyori sees this as a show rather than a real spar. She'll move more flashily. She must have heard something from that politician, Shigeru.'
The possibilities were mounting.
I grinned pleasantly and charged at Koyori.
Cliiing! Spear and sword clashed again.
Red currents flowed along the spear toward Koyori but dissipated into the air, nullified by her mana.
In contrast, her flames only brought heat without real danger.
'She's deliberately showing openings.'
She's luring me to attack there.
Less than a minute into the fight.
I tested the opening to gauge her reaction.
Koyori's spear moved mysteriously, deflecting my sword.
Scattered flames dazzled the eyes.
'Was that to show this off?'
She showed another opening.
Inviting me to strike there.
I feigned an attack while activating Moment.
Her movements slowed.
I could see where the spear was heading, where her feet were planted, where her gaze was directed.
'I can't just take it lying down...!'
Shadow Heaven Style: Thunder Light.
I unleashed the fastest attack from Shadow Heaven Style.
Pajijik! Red currents flashed along the sword's trajectory.
"......!"
Koyori flinched in surprise and stepped back.
Whoosh.
Her body slid backward.
My blade narrowly grazed her shoulder, tearing her clothes slightly.
I frowned at her.
'She hid her feet cleverly with that long red skirt. Moonwalk? It didn't even look like she moved back...'
Koyori closed in again, more serious now.
I'd just missed my golden chance to land a solid hit.
Clang! Cliiing! Chaaang!
Her attacks were sharper than before.
As time passed, minor scratches accumulated on my body.
'What is it?'
As the fight continued, I sensed something off.
It wasn't a flaw in Koyori's attacks.
It was something I felt about myself.
'It's not that her speed is too fast. I can track it with my eyes and react. So why is it so hard to block or dodge?'
This was a problem I'd felt for a long time.
I increased my sword swings' speed.
I thought she'd match me and speed up, but I was wrong.
She deflected every attack without raising her pace.
My sword hand tingled.
"...... Urgh."
Koyori wielding the naginata moved like a dance.
She spun, adding weight to her spear.
Her long red skirt fluttered like flower petals in the wind.
'Moment!'
I ducked low, aiming for her lower body.
The spear tip dropped sharply, striking me away.
My body flew back, rolling on the ground before I stood.
Koyori reset her stance, but I didn't charge.
A smile crept onto my lips.
'I get it...!'
The puzzle I'd agonized over for over a hundred days was finally solved.
It shouldn't have taken this long.
Yuria probably would've figured it out in a day.
But the joy of realization overshadowed any self-pity about my lack of talent.
'It's not speed—it's flow!'
Unbroken flow was offense and defense as one.
Koyori's martial arts, like a dance, embodied it perfectly.
"...... Why'd you stop all of a sudden? Are you giving up?"
"No way. If I were going to quit, I wouldn't have stepped up."
I regripped my sword hilt.
Strength flowed into my hand.
'Thinking about it, I was too cautious aiming for her carelessness. That's not my fighting style.'
Today, I'll go all out.
No—I'll push to the brink of death.
I have Complete Recovery anyway.
Aftermath?
Right now, I just want to unleash everything.
'Here I go.'
A bluish sword aura appeared on the red blade.
The disorganized aura was sharper than usual.
Pajijijik.
Red lightning wrapped the sword aura.
I generated even more thunder.
Dozens of bolts writhed within the aura like eels in water.
Shadow Heaven Style: Thunder Sound Step.
With a thunderclap, I surged toward Koyori.
She narrowed her eyes, tilting her shoulder to dodge the thrust.
By then, a blue sword aura flickered on her spear tip.
I didn't stop attacking.
'Surrender to the flow, but control it.'
Several exchanges followed.
Bewilderment crossed Koyori's face.
She'd noticed my sudden change in movement.
Shadow Heaven Style: Cold Thunder.
Blue sword aura and red lightning lashed out in all directions.
Koyori raised her spear, summoning wind.
But the aura and thunder tore through it, wounding her body.
Not deep wounds, but enough to draw blood droplets.
I subtly let them stain my clothes.
'Perfect! Objective achieved!'
I memorized the spot on my clothes stained with Koyori's blood.
Whoooosh.
"......?!"
A massive updraft lifted my body.
I spun helplessly in the wind.
Koyori had summoned a whirlwind with onmyodo.
My spinning body flew out of the arena.
'It's fine. Leaving the arena doesn't mean defeat by the rules.'
Outside flowed water from the waterfall, and beyond was a barrier preventing exit.
I landed on the flowing water.
Thanks to [Water's Blessing Lv.1]'s [Water Walk].
I saw Koyori's surprised expression.
She glared and hurled her spear at me.
The flame-wrapped spear flew.
"Huuuup!"
I gripped the hilt with both hands and swung upward.
The spear's trajectory veered up, hit the barrier ceiling, and fell.
Splash!
I quickly retrieved the spear from underwater.
The flames vanished with a hiss upon contact.
Gripping the spear in my right hand, I took a javelin stance.
Pajijijijik! Blue lightning surged along the spear.
Crack!
As my bones and muscles expanded to their limit, I hurled the thunder spear at Koyori.
Koyori swiftly formed hand seals with both hands.
Lacking onmyodo knowledge, I couldn't predict her spell.
A massive stone wall erupted before the thrown spear.
But it was insufficient.
The spear shattered the wall and advanced on Koyori.
A small tornado appeared before her.
Weakened from breaking the wall, the spear got caught and flung upward, crashing down.
Koyori formed more seals.
Three papers flew toward me, transforming into humanoid shapes.
No eyes, nose, or mouth on their faces—just the character "式" written there.
'Onmyodo shikigami!'
I smashed one with a fist, slashed another's left-hand sword.
The last gripped its sword reverse and swept upward from below.
The fragile shikigami exploded into smoke, reverting to paper and falling.
'Damn. Next attack incoming!'
Ten arrows of blue flame hovered above her head.
They fired at me sequentially.
I dashed across the water to dodge.
But the arrows pursued relentlessly.
'Let's see if they follow into the water!'
I released Water Walk and submerged.
With [Water's Blessing Lv.1], I could breathe and move freely underwater.
The fire arrows followed into the water but vanished with a sizzle.
I swam underwater.
'About time...!'
I surfaced.
Koyori was less than 10 meters away.
Shadow Heaven Style: Flying Tiger.
I leaped fiercely at her.
Koyori didn't react.
I sensed orderly mana around her.
'A trap!'
Too late.
A tremendous updraft launched me upward.
I slammed into the barrier ceiling in an instant.
"Gaaack!"
Pain like my body shattering made me grit my teeth.
The draft faded, and I kicked off the ceiling.
Using Water Walk to climb atop the waterfall.
Rooooosh! Water cascaded down.
From atop the waterfall, I glared down at Koyori.
Her face remained serious.
She extended her hand, and her spear flew to her.
Koyori hurled the spear—not at me, but below the waterfall.
Craaaack!
Centered on the spear, the waterfall began freezing from the bottom up.
I gripped my sword hilt with both hands, pointing the tip at Koyori.
Pajijik. Red lightning sparked one by one.
Koyori formed seals.
Shikigami appeared around her—snow-white eagles that began multiplying.
'I can't hold out any longer. Win or lose, it ends here.'
Pajijijijik!
I drew out mana, generating thunder.
Red lightning enveloped not just Hwaryeonbido but my entire body.
The arena filled with thousands of white eagle shikigami.
Their flapping wings sounded ominous.
Koyori was hidden by them, but her presence was palpable.
'She probably won't dodge till the end.'
The white eagles turned to me as one and flapped.
Craaaack!
As the freezing chill reached my feet, I became a red bolt amid Thunder Sound Step's thunderclap and charged.
Shadow Heaven Style: Falling Thunder.
Boom boom boom boom boom!
Thousands of white eagles touched by the red lightning reverted to paper, burning to ash that scattered in the air.
Koyori thrust her hand forward.
Space distorted.
Lightning-me tried to brute-force through, but failed.
I ricocheted sideways, rolling on the ground.
'No strength to stand, body aching all over.'
Koyori approached step by step.
She'd recovered her spear and aimed it at me.
"... I lost."
"Good fight."
The spar ended.