[63] Deciding the Outcome in One Strike

"Junior Brother's physical stamina is overwhelmingly insufficient."

Touka watched the arena with a solemn expression, a hint of anxiety hidden in her eyes.

"If he can't launch a counterattack within a limited time, there's no way he can defeat Kanata."

Eiji's physical stamina had improved significantly through daily training since the start of the semester, but even so, it was far from comparable to monsters like Ikki Kurogane.

Under Kanata's relentless attacks, his stamina was being rapidly depleted.

If he couldn't find a way to counterattack before his stamina ran out, no matter how stylish his dodging movements were now, it wouldn't change the fact that he was destined to lose.

"It's tough. Kanata's blade defense is too much of a counter for a straightforward swordsman like him."

Utakata shook his head, clearly pessimistic about Eiji's outcome.

This was also the opinion of the majority of the audience.

There was no helping it; the compatibility of their abilities was just too poor.

——Swordsmen are kings of close combat.

Within the range their swords can reach, known as the 〈Cross Range〉, it's as if there's a barrier covered by their swords. They can block all sorts of incredible attacks and make unimaginable counterattacks.

But once a swordsman is kept at a distance, subjected to long-range sniping or bombardment, their threat is significantly diminished.

Touka is the same.

Her 〈Raikiri〉 is considered a taboo within the Cross Range. No one dares to take her Raikiri head-on within the range of her sword, but she was still defeated by last year's Seven Stars Sword King, Yuudai Moroboshi, who kept her at a distance.

Eiji is in the same situation. Without a way to close the distance to Kanata, he can only face a bitter defeat.

"Whether he can traverse the mountain of blades Kanata has laid out is the key to Junior Brother's victory or defeat!"

Touka also acknowledged Utakata's point.

But she hadn't given up hope on her junior brother yet.

She understood his character. Since he had promised to meet her on the stage of the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival, he definitely wouldn't lose so easily!

***

In the arena.

"Still not planning to give up?"

Kanata stood at the center of the combat zone, occupying the central position to maximize her attack range across the entire field.

"Even if you stubbornly refuse to admit defeat, what's the point? You can't possibly win against me. It's not easy for humans to resist fate... Or do you still have a hidden card to deal with me?"

Her narrow eyes slightly narrowed, paying close attention to Eiji's reaction.

In such an overwhelmingly disadvantageous situation, refusing to admit defeat only leaves two possibilities: either he can't accept losing, or he still has a hidden card.

Having gained some understanding of Eiji, Kanata thought it might be the latter.

From him, she didn't see the confusion of someone who had given up. Instead, there was a sharp sense of accumulation, as if she only needed to let her guard down slightly to face a fatal counterattack.

"In that case—"

Kanata's expression turned cold, showing no trace of softness.

She slowly raised her hand, and as she did, countless points of light gathered around her, forming a slender, sharp sword.

The sword looked thinner than a sheet of paper, yet it was about two to three meters long, shimmering with starlight, as thin as a cicada's wing, and as fragile as a snowflake, appearing breathtakingly beautiful.

"——Star Wind Slash!"

The thin sword floated in mid-air, propelled by dazzling magical light, shooting forward like an arrow, piercing through the atmosphere with a sharp whistling sound.

At that moment, Eiji's eyes snapped open.

Then, instead of retreating, he charged forward, his feet slamming into the ground as he sprinted toward the starry, dazzling thin sword.

"Charging forward on his own?"

Kanata's nerves instantly tightened, her mind racing.

"Is he planning to shatter my Star Wind Slash? If he's being this reckless, the moment the thin sword shatters will be his defeat. But could it really be that simple—"

Time was limited, leaving no room for unnecessary thoughts. She could only focus as much as possible on the arena while secretly preparing herself.

"Haah—!"

Eiji's eyes were sharp.

He raised his longsword, seemingly intending to shatter the fragile thin sword.

But the moment they were about to collide, he suddenly bent down, narrowly dodging the thin sword.

The thin sword landed in the combat zone behind him, exploding upon impact into countless tiny blade fragments, reducing the ground within a three-meter radius to almost tangible dust, scattering everywhere.

If he had tried to shatter the thin sword head-on, he would have been turned into a mist of blood by the exploding blades.

Eiji paid no attention to this, not even glancing at the massive crater behind him. The moment he dodged the thin sword, he took a deep breath, using a breathing technique to greatly enhance his cardiopulmonary function. His speed suddenly surged as he charged forward toward the mountain of blades ahead!

"It's not a block, but a counterattack! That look in his eyes—he's planning to decide the outcome in the next strike!"

That's right.

Both Ikki and Senior Sister Tohka could see the logic, and Eiji, as the person involved, couldn't possibly not understand.

He had to find a way to traverse the mountain of blades around Kanata before his stamina ran out, or he would have no chance of winning!

At this moment.

The eyes of the entire audience were focused on him.

The boy's figure had truly become the center of attention!

Faced with such an overwhelming ability counter, how would he win?

The gazes of Ikki, Touka, and others were all fixed on him, unconsciously gripped by the tense atmosphere, their hands clenched tightly.

Kurono's expression was extremely serious. She had already summoned her twin hand-gun devices, ready to act in a flash if Eiji showed even the slightest sign of being turned into a mist of blood.

Under the watchful eyes of the entire arena—

"——Setting, deformation speed change, target: inherent device!"

The boy, driven by an indomitable will, charged into the invisible mountain of blades.

Kurono's heart nearly leapt to her throat, almost making her pull the trigger, but—

Clang!

Clang clang!

Clang clang clang—!

In an instant.

Countless sharp metallic sounds rang out in a continuous stream.

Rip!

Rip!

The school uniform on the boy's body quickly tore apart under the assault of the blades, leaving him in tatters, looking utterly disheveled.

But to everyone's astonishment, his body seemed as if it were cast from steel—no, even harder than steel!

Despite being subjected to the rotating cuts of hundreds of millions of blades, not a single wound appeared on his body, not a drop of blood was shed. His skin remained smooth and unblemished, not even a scratch!

"How is this possible!"

Kanata was momentarily dumbfounded.

This was completely unreasonable!

Humans, as living beings, have limits. No matter how tough a human body is, it can't possibly be harder than steel!

And with hundreds of millions of high-speed rotating blades capable of reducing steel to powder, how could they not even scratch the surface of his skin?

***

Hey readers!

Want to read ahead? 📖 Join my Patreon for early access to 30+ advance chapters! Your support helps me write more and bring the story to you faster.

🔹patreon.com/aarvan🔹

Thanks for being awesome! ❤️