Chapter 14: A Direct Speedrun

Chapter 14: A Direct Speedrun

"Hey! What are you still doing here?! Hurry up and come with me!"

"What's the rush? I haven't finished watching this match yet."

"No time for that! A monster has appeared in the southwest corner! He's already in his fifth round, and he's defeated all four of his previous opponents in a single blow!"

"Huh? One blow! Are you serious?!"

"He's super strong, just trust me! Come on, hurry, or we won't be able to squeeze through the crowd!"

...

Similar conversations were taking place in every corner of the plaza.

As if drawn by a magnet, spectators began to flock to the southwest corner in droves. Before long, the areas around most of the other stages had become empty.

And at the very center of this surging crowd, the black-haired boy leaned against the side of the wooden stage. Having waited for a long time, he was now cleaning his ear with a bored expression.

"Is the next one not here yet?" he glanced at the referee.

"He'll be here right away! Mr. Shane, please just wait a little longer!" the referee, a young woman in her twenties with a high ponytail, replied hurriedly.

The growing crowd was making her feel hot and uncomfortable, her forehead beaded with sweat, but she couldn't suppress the smile on her face. She was clearly in high spirits.

I'm so lucky!

It was her first time being a referee, and she was assigned to supervise such an incredible swordsman. When she told her junior brothers and sisters back at the dojo, they would be green with envy. After watching four consecutive matches up close, she was already completely captivated by his divine swordsmanship. What's more, Mr. Shane was so young. If his swordsmanship was already this amazing, what would he be like in the future?

"He's here!"

Her eyes suddenly lit up as she saw a scar-faced swordsman walking towards them. She stood on her toes and waved frantically. "Mr. Qilin, over here, over here!"

The scar-faced swordsman had a cold expression, a cigar dangling from the corner of his mouth. As if shrouded in shadow, he stepped onto the wooden stage without a word.

"Hey, it's the vice-master of one of the Seven Great Dojos, the Fallen Leaves Dojo, Mr. Qilin!" a spectator shouted, having recognized the man.

"It really is him!"

"He was the runner-up in the tournament five years ago, wasn't he?"

"For such a famous swordsman to participate again? I guess... he's still hung up on the championship he failed to win back then?"

On the stage, Shane took in all the discussions. As he squinted at the scar-faced swordsman, his gaze finally took on a hint of seriousness.

This guy... he's different from the small fry before. Just from his aura, he seems very strong.

If nothing unexpected happens, he should be the one most worthy of attention in this entire tournament—

"I forfeit."

A hoarse voice drifted out, mixed with smoke.

"Alright, it seems both contestants are ready, so... eh? Eh? Eh??"

The ponytailed girl turned to the scar-faced swordsman, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Mr. Qilin, what did you just say?"

The surrounding clamor also ceased. The surprised gazes of the audience all focused on Qilin.

Clack. It was the sound of a bamboo sword being tossed aside. Qilin blew a puff of smoke and waved his hand casually. "Don't look at me like that. I saw this kid's third match earlier."

"With swordsmanship that terrifying, I don't think I'm his opponent. I'm getting old. Rather than being sent flying and embarrassing myself, I'd prefer to keep some dignity."

"Is... is that so..." the ponytailed girl started to say.

But Qilin had already stepped off the stage. His back, with the cigar still in his mouth, disappeared into the crowd and was quickly gone.

Shane retracted his gaze and looked at the bamboo sword that had landed at his feet. He frowned imperceptibly, then suddenly bent down and picked it up.

"This counts as a spoil of war. I'll be taking it. No problem, right?"

"Eh?" The ponytailed girl was stunned for a moment, then nodded quickly. "Of course. Mr. Qilin threw it away himself, so you can do as you please with it."

"Good."

Shane held this bamboo sword together with his own and tucked them both into his belt.

The ponytailed girl took a deep breath, suppressed her excitement, and stepped onto the stage to announce loudly:

"Fifth round of the preliminaries, Shane versus Qilin. The final result is a victory for Shane!"

"On behalf of the tournament organizers, I also declare that Mr. Shane has won all five rounds! He does not need to participate in the repechage round and has officially become the first contestant to advance and lock in a spot in the top eight!"

All the spectators below had been whispering among themselves, just waiting for her to announce this news. So, after a brief silence, a deafening roar of excited cheers erupted, echoing throughout the plaza—

"SHANE! SHANE! SHANE!"

BAM!

In a spacious office, the lavishly dressed middle-aged man slammed his fist on the desk, roaring with uncontrollable anger.

"This is the nameless nobody you told me about? A chance encounter? I gave him the most troublesome draw, and he still won all five rounds! With that kind of strength, he's clearly a powerful ally that bastard Sakuraba kid hired!"

"You were the one who called him a nameless nobody, Boss," the tall, thin swordsman in the white fox mask said calmly.

"Huh, was I? ...Wait! Is that the point?! How dare you talk back to me!" The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment, then became furious with embarrassment, grabbing an ashtray from the desk and hurling it.

"My analysis was wrong because of your intelligence! Tell me, how do we deal with a kid this monstrously strong?!"

"And that Qilin! Wasn't he always bitter about not winning the championship back then? I thought he was here for revenge, but it turns out he's a complete coward! He didn't even have the courage to get on stage and fight!"

"..." The tall, thin swordsman remained silent, his expression hidden behind the mask.

The middle-aged man's anger had not subsided. He then remembered something else.

"Right, what about the Sakuraba kid? Is he not done yet? How's he doing?"

"Four wins out of five matches. He lost to another popular contender for the championship, but he has a spot in the repechage round. If nothing goes wrong, he should also advance to the top eight soon."

The middle-aged man grew even more agitated. He stood up and paced back and forth in his office.

"No! The championship absolutely cannot fall into the hands of the Sakuraba family! Otherwise, the Sakuraba Dojo's reputation will rise again. If it's revived, it will be a pain to deal with..."

"Hey, White Fox!"

He suddenly turned his head and stared at the tall, thin swordsman, his voice cold. "The preliminaries aren't over yet. Go and participate right now. You must take one of the top eight spots. Right now, only you have the strength to keep the championship in our own hands!"

The tall, thin swordsman's brow furrowed slightly. "Didn't we agree that I would only stay behind the scenes and wouldn't need to do this kind of public work?"

"Aren't we being forced by the circumstances? Besides you, who else can reliably stop those two kids? Of course, the main one is that Shane. It's still up in the air whether the Sakuraba kid can beat the other qualifiers." The middle-aged man sneered. "Besides, I'm not asking you to take off your mask. You can use your current fake identity or switch to a different mask. Who the hell would know who you are?"

"..."

The tall, thin swordsman was silent for a long moment before finally nodding.

"Go, hurry up!" the middle-aged man waved his hand. As the swordsman's back was about to disappear through the door, he suddenly spoke again.

"Tell me, White Fox. You wouldn't betray me because your heart went soft and you regret our agreement from back then, would you?"

The footsteps outside the door paused.

"...There's no point in asking a question you already know the answer to," an emotionless voice drifted in.

"Haha, good that you know!" the middle-aged man threw his head back and laughed loudly. "Don't forget! How terrifying my ability is... it's not something you ordinary people can resist!"

In the southeast area of the plaza.

"What's wrong, Mr. Shane?" Junichi had just stepped off the stage amidst cheers. Before the excitement had faded, he was pulled aside by Shane, and couldn't help but ask in confusion.

"It's nothing," Shane said with a grin. "First of all, congratulations on easily passing the repechage and advancing. But the top eight round doesn't start until one in the afternoon. We still have plenty of time. How about we grab a bite to eat first?"

"Eat now?"

Junichi scratched his head, still dazed. He was then forcefully pulled by Shane's arm and led towards the outskirts of the plaza.

Only after entering a deserted alley did Shane stop.

He tossed a bamboo sword to the utterly confused Junichi.

"This is..."

Junichi held up the sword. It took him a while to notice a line of small characters carved on it. "Eleven o'clock, Wisteria Restaurant, second floor?"

"The vice-master of the Fallen Leaves Dojo, Qilin, my fifth-round opponent, gave it to me," Shane said with a frown. "It seems he wants to talk to us privately about something. Do you know this guy?"

"The vice-master? Qilin?"

Junichi racked his brain, thinking hard for a long time. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he struck his fist into his palm. "I remember now! I didn't recognize the 'vice-master' title, but I saw that name five years ago!"

"That year, when my father was still alive, he was in charge of organizing and hosting the kendo tournament. He used to bring a list home with him."

"On that list were the names of swordsmen who had signed up for the tournament but couldn't afford to come. My father set aside special funds to sponsor their travel and accommodation, one by one. This Qilin was on that list!"

"A list? You were only ten that year. Are you sure you remember correctly?"

"I'm sure!" Junichi nodded affirmatively. "I only looked at that list carefully twice. I wouldn't be sure about the other names, but this one was so unique and easy to remember that I still have an impression of it."

"In that case, the most logical guess is that he's... no, he should be our ally?" Shane said thoughtfully.

Remembering Qilin's direct forfeit and the two still-warm cups of coffee from the morning, he twisted his neck, his bones making a series of cracking sounds.

"Then let's go meet him and hear what Mr. Qilin has to say. But we can't let our guard down. Bring your sword."