[83] The Qualities of Sword Eater

As a swordsman, encountering opponents who rely on brute strength is almost inevitable.

Eiji understood this principle long ago and thought of Tai Chi, a martial art that uses softness to overcome hardness. He worked hard to adapt it into his own swordsmanship.

When facing opponents stronger than himself, he would typically use this swordsmanship technique.

Eiji didn't give this technique a name.

After all, it was derived from Tai Chi, which likely already had a corresponding sword technique called Tai Chi Sword.

If he renamed the Tai Chi Sword and claimed it as his own creation, it would be laughable.

Fortunately, Kuraudo's strength didn't overwhelm him, and the vast gap in their skills allowed Eiji to use four ounces of force to move a thousand pounds.

If Kuraudo's strength had been dozens of times greater, the fight would have been over long ago.

"However, I've already seen through your tricks."

Eiji narrowed his eyes, a look of understanding flashing in his gaze as he stared at Kuraudo.

"Oh?"

Kuraudo let out a light hum.

"Those two strikes earlier—theoretically, you shouldn't have been able to dodge them. But you defied logic and avoided them, even counterattacking me. Based on my intuition, it didn't seem like a trap to lure me in. In other words, you can't predict the future, and it didn't seem like you were relying on instinct either... So, you must have an astonishing trait."

Eiji spoke confidently.

Kuraudo's face showed a look of interest, as if he found Eiji's analysis intriguing.

"If I'm not mistaken, your trait is actually quite simple—it's your incredible neural reaction speed!"

Eiji declared with certainty. "This is also the real reason you were able to fight Kaito Ayatsuji on equal footing."

Kaito Ayatsuji's swordsmanship was at an exceptionally high level, ranking among the top in Japan.

Eiji had watched his match videos and knew that if Kaito had been in peak condition, not only would he not have been defeated by Kuraudo with a mere wooden sword, but he might have even turned the tables and won.

The reason he lost to Kuraudo, who lacked swordsmanship skills, was partly due to his declining condition caused by heart disease, and partly because Kuraudo possessed a neural reaction speed that surpassed ordinary humans!

The difference in physical ability was almost negligible. Kaito Ayatsuji's swordsmanship could completely offset the disadvantage in physical strength, just as Eiji could suppress Kuraudo with his swordsmanship alone.

"Human neural reaction speed has its limits. No matter how much you train, it's impossible to break into the 0.1-second realm. But your neural reaction speed is probably at least around 0.05 seconds."

Neural reaction speed, also known as reflex speed, refers to the time it takes for a person to complete the entire process of "perception," "understanding," and "response."

Eiji was highly talented.

But no matter how talented he was, he was still human, limited by the constraints of his species. His reflex speed was currently around 0.12 to 0.13 seconds.

Kuraudo's reflex speed, however, had transcended the human realm, reaching a level of around 0.05 seconds.

In other words, in the same amount of time, others could only manage one action, while he could perform two or three.

This was why he could execute unconventional moves, block Eiji's sword in seemingly impossible situations, and even launch unexpected counterattacks.

It's important to note that reflex speed is the foundation of all movement.

No matter how much you train your physical abilities, hone your skills, or study tactics, if you're slow at the start, everything else is meaningless.

His talent was like deliberately delaying his move in a game of rock-paper-scissors—every move his opponent made seemed incredibly slow to him.

"Hahaha! Correct!"

Kuraudo let out a hearty laugh, his face showing a carefree expression.

"You're the first to figure out my 〈Godspeed Reflex〉 in our first fight. That's worth praising! But even if you can see through it, so what? This is an innate talent of mine, not a Blazer ability. How do you plan to counter it?"

Godspeed Reflex was simply an innate, special trait.

There was no way to counter it.

Kuraudo was very confident about this.

"Hmph!"

But then he suddenly heard a cold laugh from across the room.

"So, you think having Godspeed Reflex means you're invincible, huh?"

"Let me tell you something good—reflex speed is also a type of speed. And when it comes to speed—that's my domain!"

Huh?

What is this guy talking about?

What does he mean by "speed is my domain"?

"Setting: Neural reaction speed. Target—opponent, Kuraudo Kurashiki."

Eiji set his ability in his mind, then slowly opened his eyes.

What kind of eyes were those?

Kuraudo couldn't help but shudder.

Previously, Eiji's eyes had been sharp, as if they could see through all flaws, which was already unsettling enough. But in this moment, his eyes became even more eerie, deep enough to see through all illusions.

"...Then let me see how you plan to counter my Godspeed Reflex!"

Kuraudo's expression turned serious.

He swung the hand holding the white bone nodachi fiercely.

Immediately, the blade of his spirit weapon, Orochimaru, twisted like a serpent, then suddenly extended. As he swung it, the blade twisted toward Eiji like a snake!

A blade that could freely extend—this was Kuraudo's true device, the Great Snake Curl!

Not only that, he could also combine it with his Blazer ability—freely manipulating the blade of his device to make Orochimaru's power and trajectory unpredictable, allowing him to attack and defend freely!

"——Hebigami!"

He opened the blade, attacking from both the left and right sides at a speed faster than before.

In his Godspeed Reflex state, he could perform two actions in an instant. In other words, he could deliver two slashes simultaneously!

To others, it would look like two serpentine giant snakes were attacking from both sides.

An ordinary swordsman would likely panic at this point, unable to tell which snake was real and which was an illusion.

But in Eiji's eyes, everything was crystal clear—

He turned his gaze toward the snake on the left.

"He saw through it?!"

Kuraudo noticed his gaze instantly and was shocked.

Then he gritted his teeth.

"Then how about this!"

He increased the speed of his swing once more.

The two snakes suddenly split in the middle, becoming four astonishing serpents, each lunging at Eiji from four different angles, their venomous fangs bared.

A single hit from those fangs would undoubtedly tear Eiji's body apart.

But as the snakes split into four, Eiji's eyes abruptly shifted, calmly focusing on the snake in the upper right corner.

"He saw through it again...! How is this possible?"

Kuraudo couldn't understand.

This wasn't intuition!

Eiji wasn't relying on some innate, powerful intuition. If he were, his hands would have moved first, not his eyes.

The fact that his eyes could accurately locate the real blade was proof that he had already reacted!

But based on their previous exchanges, there was no way Eiji's neural reaction speed could have reached this level!

"In that case—"

Kuraudo refused to believe it.

He pushed his Godspeed Reflex to its limit, pulling his physical abilities to the extreme, and unleashed his true ultimate move.

"——Yamata no Orochi!"

***

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