Use a sword... to apologize?
The words of the woman before him caused Ikki's eyes to widen quietly. How could he not understand what she meant?
Although on the surface she said it was for him to apologize, the battle intent permeating the air revealed her true meaning...
A challenge!
Ikki felt no malice or negative emotions like contempt from her; she purely wanted to have a battle with him...
Ever since he was evaluated as an F-Rank Knight, no one had ever invited him to fight. The looks those people gave him were almost all filled with disdain and indifference, as if being rated as an F-Rank Knight was a mistake.
Especially since Ikki's surname was [Kurogane], a prestigious family of Blazers in the Far East. If outsiders knew the Kurogane Family had produced an F-Rank Knight, what would happen?
So Ikki had always suffered the cold shoulders of those around him and had never been able to step out from the shadow of the "F-Rank Knight" title.
Even at Hagun Academy, because of his "F-Rank Knight" status, he couldn't meet the standards for practical combat courses and couldn't fight anyone.
But now, an opportunity suddenly appeared before Ikki's eyes...
The opponent's strength was immense, so great that he couldn't even see her movements clearly. The gap in their strength was huge; they weren't on the same level at all.
But even so, Ikki had no intention of giving up!
If he had to retreat every time he encountered a strong enemy, why bother practicing the sword? He might as well go home and play with blocks!
A true swordsman, even knowing they are outmatched, will never give up their sword!
"Thank you very much!"
"This is the first time I've fought someone since coming to this school!"
"I will definitely use my sword to properly apologize to you!"
The blade named [Intetsu] appeared in the youth's hand, and his gaze instantly became sharp, like a sword about to be unsheathed.
"No matter. Just do your best."
"Let me see exactly how much weight your sword carries!"
Shasha—!
A breeze blew from afar, causing the nearby bamboo to make crisp sounds. The two swordsmen stood at the edge of the cottage, an area of less than a hundred square meters, both assuming their sword stances.
A bamboo leaf fell from the sky due to the wind, one side facing Ikki Kurogane, and the other side... facing the blindfolded white-haired swordswoman!
Thump!
Ikki Kurogane kicked off hard. He used no sword techniques, relying purely on his physical fitness plus a little bit of magic power to propel his body, launching a direct frontal slash toward Jingliu in the distance.
The posture was so standard that even Jingliu couldn't find any fault with it.
For a swordsman, a slash was essentially basic training. With just a single swinging motion, one could see how a swordsman's fundamentals were.
Ikki Kurogane was perfect!
Even though his environment was terrible, he relied on his persistent spirit to train his fundamentals to an impeccable state.
And Jingliu was the same!
The sword champion of the Luofu was not a title just any random person could hold!
The tánhuá sword blocked the path of Intetsu's swing. Jingliu's posture was equally perfect, without a single wasted movement. Even every invisible muscle in her body was tuned just right.
Clang—!
A sudden burst of force sent Ikki flying back to his original spot while still in mid-air. Jingliu resumed her stance and said, "Continue."
"Yes!"
Though it was just a clash of fundamentals, Ikki could see from her movements that she was definitely a person of superb swordsmanship!
Clearly possessing speed invisible to the naked eye, she could have knocked Ikki Kurogane unconscious in an instant, yet she was still coordinating with him for sword practice...
So, he couldn't let her down!
Even if he exerted all the power in his body right now, he couldn't possibly surpass her, or even satisfy her...
"So, I can only use that?"
Looking at the beautiful woman standing in the distance, Ikki took a deep breath, and his sword stance changed.
If his previous stance was'steady', a display of basic skills, then now it was the prelude to an 'explosion', like a cannonball about to be fired, ready to deliver a devastating blow at any moment!
"Ittō Shura—!"
The radiance of magic power gathered around Ikki, even creating an upward cyclone.
From now on, for only 1 minute, Ikki could forcibly concentrate all his magic power while simultaneously increasing his physical capabilities dozens of times over.
To apologize to his opponent and to demonstrate his resolve as a swordsman, Ikki directly used the Blaze Sword Secret Technique he had developed, 'Ittō Shura'.
In the original work, as long as the enemy he encountered wasn't significantly stronger than him, Ittō Shura was basically Ikki's winning move.
As long as he used this move, it allowed Ikki Kurogane to possess the power to contend with those geniuses!
But his opponent at this moment was named 'Jingliu'.
"Not bad."
"You are worthy of seeing my sword."
For a swordsman, one can feel the opponent's will through their blade during a battle.
The moment Ittō Shura was unleashed, Jingliu could'see' the light on Ikki's body successfully transform from 'firefly light' into a 'torch'.
Although it couldn't illuminate all the surrounding darkness, it allowed the boy to see everything around him clearly and seek his own path forward.
But this was not enough!
Torchlight can only dispel the immediate darkness; it cannot allow the boy to see the vastness of the world...
"Therefore, I shall let you witness the radiance of the bright moon!"
Ikki and Jingliu both disappeared from their spots simultaneously.
For Jingliu, this was a form of 'guidance' as well as a way to 'understand' him; she would suppress her strength to the same level as Ikki's to further develop his potential.
But for Ikki, this was a battle between swordsmen where he had to give his everything!
Clang! Clang! Clang—!
Sword light flickered continuously in the bamboo forest as the two launched attacks at each other simultaneously, yet they seemed to be at a standstill, with neither gaining an advantage...
Was it a draw?
Of course not!
"She's interrupting the rhythm of my offensive! Every attack is being neutralized by her with the minimum amount of force!"
"Although it looks like a draw, my Ittō Shura has a time limit. Once the minute is up, it's my loss..."
Ikki knew exactly what was happening; his mind became increasingly tense as he used all his strength to observe the opponent's stance.
"To the left... no!"
"To the right... no!"
The two swords continued to clash, but because of Ittō Shura's nature, Ikki was gradually being suppressed by Jingliu.
If this continued, Ikki's defeat was a certainty.
Yet the boy still kept his nerves taut, searching for a moment to counterattack...
"If this is all you've got, then you might as well be extinguished."
Jingliu leaped high off the ground, twisting her body to launch a version of 'Transcendent Flash' while not in her Transmigration state.
This strike, while nothing to Jingliu herself, made the boy in the distance break into a cold sweat.
"Yes, now!"
There wasn't much time left for Ittō Shura, and the opponent had already launched a finishing blow.
And Ikki had finally found the rhythm for his counterattack.
"Third Secret Sword: Madoka!"
Boom—!
The massive power sent dust flying everywhere. Jingliu's figure slowly emerged from the dust, looking down at the boy she had knocked unconscious on the ground...
Then, Jingliu gently wiped away a drop of blood from her thumb, and the corners of her expressionless mouth curled up slightly.
"Not bad..."
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