-1323- [ Dokuga no Tachi ]

Rozen's astonishment was something the combatants themselves could not possibly be aware of.

Moreover, even the onlookers had no idea what had just happened.

In such a situation, Todo Touka, who had approached Ikki as if by teleportation, narrowed her eyes.

Then, she swung her sword, accompanied by a flash of lightning, towards the slightly unresponsive Ikki.

"Splush!"

In the sound of flesh being torn, Touka's strike cleaved Ikki's body in two.

However, upon seeing this, Touka's expression changed slightly. Without any hesitation, she swiftly leapt back.

Almost simultaneously...

"Fourth Secret Sword—Shinkirou!"

Beside the bisected Ikki, another Ikki appeared as if a mirage.

The Ikki Touka had just killed was merely an illusion created by Shinkirou.

The real Ikki had already advanced towards Touka, closing in as she retreated.

"Clang—!"

In the next moment, Ikki slashed his sword at the still distant Touka, cutting through the air with a sharp whooshing sound, like a whip, heading towards her.

Seeing this, Touka intended to raise her sword in defense, but a flicker of lightning in her eyes made her hesitate, causing her to abandon her defensive action. Instead, she forced herself to dodge sideways, barely evading the incoming strike despite her awkward position.

"Boom—!"

Immediately, Ikki's whip-like strike landed where Touka had been a second before, shattering the ground there.

Debris flew into the air, and cracks spread across the shattered spot, extending outward.

This strike concealed such power.

"Did she see through it?"

Ikki focused his gaze on Touka, a hint of seriousness in his eyes.

It was clear that he had used that attack with considerable confidence.

"Sixth Secret Sword—Dokuga no Tachi!"

This was the true identity of Ikki's previous strike.

It was a sword technique that utilized penetrating force. By generating a surge in his muscles at the moment of the swing, it created vibrations through the blade, which would transfer into the target's body upon contact, directly damaging their internal organs—a technique imbued with a lethal impact.

When Ikki used this technique, even if the attack was blocked, the resulting vibrations would transmit into the body, damaging internal organs if blocked by armor, or harming the hand if blocked with a blade, catching the opponent off guard.

Earlier, if Touka had simply defended and used her sword to block, she would have been injured by now.

Ikki had constantly clashed swords with Touka to condition her into habitually engaging his blade, setting up a perfect opportunity to use this technique and defeat her.

Hence, the timing, situation, and execution of this move had been almost flawless.

However, at the last moment, Touka abruptly halted her action, abandoned her defense, and chose to dodge.

This could only mean that Touka had seen through Ikki's intention.

"I've never used this move in public before; how was it seen through?"

Ikki pondered this question.

Unbeknownst to him, Touka's Noble Art, Electroreception, could read an opponent's thoughts and internal state, even perceiving their physical condition.

While Ikki's strategy was solid, his intentions were laid bare before Touka's Electroreception. She had already seen through his plan the moment he prepared to use Dokuga no Tachi.

Then...

"Swish!"

Touka once again darted forward, appearing in front of Ikki as if by teleportation.

With a flash of lightning, she swung her sword decisively towards Ikki.

Such rapid movement and ferocious slashing left Ikki with no chance to parry.

This had been proven just moments ago.

If not for his timely use of Shinkirou, Ikki would have already fallen to Touka's blade.

But this time...

"Clang—!"

With a sharp clang, Touka's seemingly unstoppable strike was abruptly deflected by a jet-black blade.

"What...!?"

Touka was genuinely surprised.

In front of her, Ikki's eyes were firmly locked onto her figure.

"Sorry, Touka-senpai," Ikki said with a sudden smile. "You're not the only one who can see through moves. I've seen through your footwork too."

With that, Ikki leapt back, creating some distance between them.

Touka stood still, staring at Ikki. After a moment, she let out a breath.

As for the audience, they were stunned.

"No way..."

"Is this real?"

Tomaru Renren and Saijou Ikazuchi murmured in disbelief.

"Did the Uncrowned Sword King really see through it in just one glance?"

Misogi Utakata also found it incredible.

Rozen, who had been watching, finally confirmed it.

"Indeed, that was Trackless Step."

Yes.

Just now, Touka's seemingly teleportational speed was due to Trackless Step.

More precisely, Touka wasn't actually moving instantaneously but was using footwork and breathing techniques to infiltrate her opponent's subconscious, making them subconsciously overlook her, thus becoming invisible to their perception.

Rozen had seen this technique in use by Saikyo Nene and another Blazer who had reached a master level.

That's why Rozen was so surprised, not expecting Touka to be able to use the same technique as the Yaksha Princess.

"Could it be that the student council president's master is..."

Rozen had an epiphany.

At the same time, he smiled slightly.

"Unfortunately, that technique is useless against Kurogane."

That's right.

Being able to infiltrate the opponent's subconscious and making them subconsciously overlook you is indeed an impressive technique, but it's not without countermeasures.

By actively focusing on what the subconscious ignores, Trackless Step can be countered.

For example, if there's someone pointing a gun at you, you must forcibly shift your attention away from the life-threatening gun barrel and instead focus on the opponent's wristwatch, or even the brand of the wristwatch, thus retrieving the information categorized as "irrelevant" by the subconscious.

By doing so, you can see the figure of the opponent infiltrating your subconscious.

This is not an easy task.

In the heat of battle, deliberately ignoring the opponent and focusing on information abandoned by the brain requires considerable training to control one's body and consciousness freely.

However, Ikki had long been able to perfectly control his body and consciousness; otherwise, he could never have developed the Noble Art "Ittou Shura."

Therefore, after seeing it once, Ikki saw through Todo Touka's moves.

In other words, the two were evenly matched—one saw through the other's intentions, while the other saw through the opponent's techniques. Neither was willing to show weakness.

Realizing this, the two in the duel did not lose heart; instead, they ignited even stronger fighting spirits.

Seeing this, Rozen understood.

"The main event is about to begin."