At that moment, the ring-like object on Kimijima’s arm began to squirm, and vines slowly started to grow. Bodick, focused on the fight with me, didn’t notice at all. …I see. This is it.
As Gordon approached, Bodick turned to look, and Kimijima’s vines quickly wrapped around the arm holding the knife.
“What the—? You!”
Bodick immediately realized it was Kimijima’s resistance, but his arm was already bound by her magic-infused vines.
“Don’t underestimate me!”
As expected of a seasoned adventurer, he immediately tried to drop the knife in his right hand and catch it with his left.
But.
Sakuragi’s laser-like magic shot through the left hand trying to grab the knife.
“Guh!”
In the compressed flow of time, I took in every detail. At the same time, my body moved. In slow motion, the knife fell toward the ground. My feet gripped the earth, then kicked off.
I won’t allow it.
Gordon was secondary now. My fastest draw. My ultimate blade.
Sakuragi’s light magic was indeed fast. It pierced Bodick’s arm at the same speed as my initial movement. Slowly, Bodick’s face twisted in pain.
One step. Two steps. On the third step, a heavy layer of air tries to hinder me. But once I break through it, nothing can stop me. With a bang!, I slip past Kimijima, drawing my sword as I turn.
The speed leaves behind only a faint resistance as the blade swings.
As I sheathe my sword, I grab the now lighter body of Bodick with my left hand and pull him away from Kimijima. Using that momentum, I pull Kimijima, who’s lost her balance, into a firm embrace.
“Sorry…”
“What are you talking about? Being saved by the prince in a dire situation is a girl’s dream, you know?”
“Nah, I’m no prince.”
“Fufufu.”
I hold Kimijima’s shoulder and glare fiercely at Gordon.
It must have taken everyone some time to process what had just happened before their eyes.
Perhaps Regress was the only one who could keep up with that split-second event. Even Gordon, a Celetial-ranked fighter, stared at me in confusion, unable to comprehend what had just occurred.
In the moment dust rose before my eyes, accompanied by the sound of an explosion, my sworn brother’s head was blown off.
As I supported Kimijima, everyone fell silent.
“Wha… wha… what the hell!?”
I glanced at Gordon, who had finally managed to squeeze out a voice.
“Sorry, just wait a bit longer.”
With that, I released Kimijima and began walking toward Gordon. Bryan and Amul were already backing away. Those two wouldn’t be a problem anymore. Now it was just these guys.
Calming my breath, I pressed down on my sword’s sheath with my left hand. I could see Gordon’s body tense up. But his spirit wasn’t completely broken yet.
If guys like him survived, they’d just drag more students into danger. If I had to do it, I had to do it. It wasn’t pleasant, but it was better than feeling regret later.
“You’re the ones messing around, right?”
“Wha… what did you say?”
“Never mind. If I kill you, my ranking will go up again, right? Give it your best shot.”
“You… you think you can beat me?”
“That’s why I’ve been climbing the levels. Go ahead, make your move first.”
As I entered Gordon’s range, I lowered my stance and prepared to draw my sword, not hiding my killing intent.
“Don’t regret this.”
Gordon, who had been overwhelmed by my earlier draw, quickly regained his composure. He glared at me and began channeling his mana.
Crack. Crack.
What’s this?
As Gordon channeled his mana, his entire body was quickly encased in a rock-like armor. I was stunned by this unreal phenomenon.
“Magic armor…”
Yarzak muttered.
“Magic armor…?”
“That’s right. Magic armor. No one who’s faced this has survived.”
Gordon looked at me as if he had already won.
“I’ve figured out your speed… but that’s all you’ve got.”
“Tch…”
I was confident I could cut through rock. But the armor Gordon wore was thick with mana. I found myself instinctively stepping back under its oppressive presence.
—No. Don’t back down.
“You said I could make the first move, right?”
No sooner had Gordon spoken than he swung his battle axe. Even in my focused state, I could feel its speed, but it was something I could handle.
I lowered my center of gravity and stepped forward. As the axe descended, I drew my sword in one swift motion.
Clang!
—I couldn’t cut through it!
My perfectly timed strike couldn’t sever the magic armor covering Gordon’s arms. The force of my blade caused his arms to bounce upward, and my sword slid off, scraping against the rock.
—Tch.
I leaped back, sheathing my sword and re-establishing my stance.
“Hahaha. Tough, isn’t it? My magic armor!”
Gordon grinned as if he had already won, having withstood my draw.
…What? My blade was deflected?
“Sensei…”
Kimijima’s worried voice reached my ears.
…That’s right. If I lose, Kimijima will be in danger too.
Her voice reignited my spirit, which had been weighed down. I glanced at Regress, who was still smiling as he watched me.
—That’s right. If I can’t cut it, I don’t need to.
“Still, you managed to leave a mark on my magic armor. I’m honestly surprised.”
Gordon spoke triumphantly. Though he had been startled by my speed earlier, he now seemed somewhat excited as he continued.
“You know, rocks have something called ‘eyes.'”
“…Eyes?”
“Those are the weak points, the spots that are easier to cut or break. My magic armor is formed by combining those ‘eyes.'”
Battles between Celetial-ranked fighters are said to be extremely rare. That’s why Gordon was so worked up, his words flowing freely.
In stark contrast to Gordon, my heart grew colder and calmer.
“A blade naturally follows the path of least resistance. I’ve arranged the rock ‘eyes’ to limit the flow of your blade. Even if you could cut through cardboard, your blade won’t—gah!“
Crash! The rock armor around Gordon’s chest shattered.
“Shut up for a bit.”
“Cough!“
I had already sheathed my sword, focusing on my next draw. Gordon, clutching his chest, staggered and let out a choked sound.
…If I can’t cut it, then I won’t. If it’s hard, I’ll find another way to deal with it.
A slash cuts through the opponent along a line. The thinner the blade, the sharper its cutting edge. That’s obvious. But if that line becomes a point… its piercing power multiplies exponentially.
It’s simple.
Gordon, whose breathing was suppressed from the blow to his chest, couldn’t focus enough to repair his damaged armor. I took the opportunity to unleash a series of attacks.
Kikusui Keikou Ryu: Ryuusen [Chrysanthemum Water Scenic Brilliance Flow – Piercing Current]
The secret technique of the Kikusui Keikou Ryu, developed to attack enemies hidden behind walls.
The draw technique is fundamentally a slash, optimized for speed. Using the tip of the sword as a thrust in iaido is inefficient. This technique minimizes that waste, converting the force of the blade’s redirection into forward momentum, elevating it to a new level of iaido.
As the sword is drawn, the left hand pulls the sheath back, then pushes the hilt like a hammer upon release. This delivers a two-stage impact.
It’s a technique I finally perfected in Gallar Blue.
The thrust, delivered with lightning speed, converges perfectly on a single point. The armor on Gordon’s chest, which I had struck earlier, was completely shattered by the second blow.
“Cough! W-wait…”
I quickly sheathed my sword, keeping my focus intact as I stared at Gordon. Despite the impact of the thrust, Gordon managed to speak. Without responding, I unleashed a third Ryuusen.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
In the split second that time seemed to stretch, the ultra-fast blade shot straight toward Gordon. How many could have seen its trajectory? By now, the magic armor was no longer an obstacle. The tip of the sword became a shooting star, piercing through Gordon’s heart.
Gordon, who had been unable to do anything, collapsed to his knees with a look of fury etched on his face.
“Sigh…“
The stretched time axis returned to normal. But no one spoke.
“Kimijima?”
“Huh? Ah, Sensei.”
“Are you okay?”
“Y-yes… I’m fine.”
Looking around, even Spells and Mainui, who knew my draw technique, were staring at me in shock.
“It’s… over…”
“Y-yeah… That was something. This should settle your Celestial Rank.”
Spells muttered this, then turned his gaze toward Bryan and the others.
“So, are you guys going to challenge him too?”
“N-no, we… right?”
“Yeah. We just came to climb the levels.”
“Right. Exactly.”
Bryan and the others were completely broken. Of course they were. No one would challenge an opponent whose movements they couldn’t even follow. Adventurers have an instinct to protect their own lives above all else.
If you live by pride, you’ll die young. That’s just how this world is.
Naturally, Amul also smiled gently and said, “Well then, shall we go see Dix Village?”
As I watched this, I marveled at how everything had been set up by Regress.
Even though it was the third time, killing someone still didn’t sit well with me. Nishina and Sakuragi might have seen someone die for the first time. Thinking this, I tried to check on them, but both were surprisingly composed.
“Sorry. I killed someone right in front of you… Are you okay?”
“We’ve killed so many monsters and seen so much blood. We’re not completely fine, but it’s not as bad as I thought.”
“I see. I’m sorry I couldn’t think much about you guys in the heat of the moment.”
“Don’t worry about it. You just needed to focus on Kimijima-senpai.”
“Hey! What are you saying!?”
Nishina stuck out her tongue and walked away, heading toward the state soldiers who were retrieving the High Orc’s magic stone, offering to help.
“Sensei!”
As the tense atmosphere began to ease, Kimijima came running toward me. She immediately hugged me. I was so relieved that she was safe that I instinctively held her tightly.
“I’m glad… you’re okay…”
“Thank you…”
“Really… I’m so glad…”
Tears welled up in my eyes. Not wanting my students to see me like this, I buried my face in Kimijima’s shoulder for a while.
The strength in Kimijima’s arms also supported me, firm and steady.
73rd Place
Kusunoki Shigeto
[Guardian] Orient
[level] 11
[Otherworld Skill] Kikusui Keikou Ryu [Middle-level] Concentration
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