[62] Continuing Like This Will Definitely Lead to Defeat

As Kanata approached, the sense of impending danger returned, causing Eiji's head to buzz incessantly, his skull throbbing with sharp pain.

If he didn't create distance, he would definitely lose.

Although he couldn't see Kanata's attacks, Eiji had watched her combat videos.

Due to Kanata's immense fame, there was a wealth of information about her online. Thanks to this, Eiji had a thorough understanding of her inherent device ability.

But precisely because he understood it so well, he found it particularly troublesome.

Kanata's inherent device ability allowed her to freely control the countless blades scattered in the air.

These blades were formed when Kanata shattered her device, Francesca. Each blade was so small that it was impossible to discern with the naked eye, and even Eiji's eyes couldn't track their trajectory. Their number—reached into the hundreds of millions.

These blades revolved around her at ultra-high speeds, capable of reducing anything that approached her to dust. Whether it was a human body, furniture, or even steel, nothing could pass through that forest of blades.

Eiji had originally planned to use Lightning Flash to decide the match before Kanata could activate her ability, but that was clearly impossible. The moment Kanata summoned her device, her ability was already in effect.

If he had recklessly charged forward earlier, he would have been instantly shredded into a mist of blood by the hundreds of millions of blades, dying without a doubt.

Even if he didn't retreat, Kanata could control the fragments around her to disperse, silently invading an enemy's body through their respiratory system and wreaking havoc on their internal organs.

Since the blades were invisible, most people couldn't defend against them in advance.

This was why, in her battles against terrorists, her hands were stained with countless blood.

Thus, she earned the domineering title of 〈Scharlach Frau〉.

Kanata held absolute dominance at mid and close range, posing a deadly threat to any swordsman.

Without powerful long-range attack methods like Stella or Touka, it was nearly impossible to breach her absolute defense and defeat her.

The only long-range attack Eiji possessed was 〈Sonic Bomb〉, which involved throwing his blade at maximum initial velocity to create a supersonic strike.

But it wouldn't work.

Kanata's defensive power was rated C, on par with Eiji's full-powered strike. At a distance of several dozen meters, Sonic Bomb's attack power likely wouldn't be enough.

Moreover, using Sonic Bomb would drain his mana completely, making victory even more impossible. Thus, he couldn't afford to take such a risk.

However, he had anticipated this situation before the match even began.

"Are you only going to run away?"

Kanata stood at the center of the stage, her gaze sharp as she coldly addressed Eiji, who had once again created distance between them.

"Running away is shameful, but effective."

Eiji smirked, his expression full of nonchalance.

"Your inherent device ability is strong, but its attack range is only about thirty meters. As long as I keep my distance, you can't do anything to me, right? Don't bother saying something foolish like asking me to fight you head-on."

I, Eiji, am a realist.

If it means winning, I can disregard even my own life. Of course, I'll do whatever it takes. Running away is nothing.

"No, true combat is about using every means possible. Such a mindset is actually suitable for entering the realm of professional knights."

Kanata didn't show disdain. Instead, she nodded slightly in agreement, but then quickly shifted her tone.

"But you don't think you can escape from my 〈Francesca〉 like this, do you?"

She extended her slender hand, and countless starlight points gathered from all directions, converging in her palm.

Buzz!

Buzz!

With a wave of her hand, two circular blades, each as wide as a palm, formed in her hand. They began spinning rapidly like saw blades, closing in on Eiji from both sides.

Good grief, can this even be called a sword?

This is clearly a Destructo Disc!

According to idealist philosophy, everything in the world can be a sword, but Eiji was far from reaching such a realm.

"My ability allows me to freely control blades, so of course I can do this. Did you anticipate this development?"

Kanata's voice was icy, indicating that she was holding nothing back.

The buzzing sound of the circular blades cutting through the air left no doubt about their destructive power.

Although she could freely control hundreds of millions of tiny blades, the sheer number made it mentally taxing. Once the blades exceeded a thirty-meter range, she would lose control over them.

However, by concentrating on a smaller number of blades, she could enhance her control over them. When spinning at high speeds, she could easily slice through steel dozens of meters away!

Eiji's eyes narrowed, his expression turning grave.

He had indeed never seen this move before. It was likely a technique she had developed just this year.

The high-speed rotating blades were erratic, nearly surpassing the limits of Eiji's dynamic vision, making them impossible to guard against. Moreover, the blades' attack range seemed to easily reach about fifty meters, covering the entire arena!

"Haah…"

Facing the rapidly approaching circular blades, Eiji took a deep breath and then simply closed his eyes.

In the arena.

Under the watchful eyes of the audience, it seemed as though he had given up on resisting. Yet, the circular blades never once hit him, all passing by his side.

Each miss was as narrow as a sheet of paper, but no matter how many times the blades attacked, they failed to breach that paper-thin gap.

Upon closer inspection, Eiji was dodging the blades with meticulous precision.

He was like a man walking a tightrope, where the slightest misstep would result in his body being severed, leaving him dead on the spot. It was enough to make everyone sweat nervously.

A person's focus during combat is limited. Unless one achieves absolute rationality, it's difficult to execute particularly refined strategies.

Eiji wasn't a person of absolute rationality, so his ability to improvise had its limits.

But if he completely relied on his instincts, the power of his intuition could be maximized. Even without thinking, his body could subconsciously make the absolutely correct choices.

He actively shut off his surface-level senses, channeling all his attention into his intuition, allowing his body to move entirely on instinct.

With the assistance of his innate skill, intuition, dodging became no difficult task.

"Amazing! Every time it looks like he's about to be hit, he somehow manages to avoid it! What kind of ability is this?"

"It's not an ability, just excellent intuition."

"Really? Intuition at this level could practically be considered a supernatural ability! Do ordinary people have intuition like this? Also, Nene-sensei, your commentary was surprisingly serious just now!"

"Continuing like this won't work."

"Do you mean in the match? Indeed, simply dodging won't solve the problem."

"It's not that simple."

In the spectator stands.

"This is bad."

While everyone was captivated by Eiji's tightrope-like perfect dodging, Ikki suddenly spoke up.

"What's wrong? Eiji-kun's dodging looks quite impressive, doesn't it?"

It seemed that Nagi was also completely drawn in by Eiji's movements.

Eiji's footwork was simple—just basic sidestepping, occasionally bending or leaning... It didn't look particularly advanced, but it appeared incredibly stylish.

The gusts of wind from the passing blades occasionally lifted the hem of his clothes, making it feel like watching a movie, with a strong visual impact.

Theoretically, Eiji had completely handed over control of his body to his intuition, not even thinking for himself. This was entirely the work of his subconscious.

"Uh, maybe he subconsciously wanted to dodge in a cool way... What I mean is, if this continues, he will definitely lose."

***

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