This kendo match would not completely follow official tournament rules.
Formal kendo rules were extremely complicated and, in some ways, resembled boxing. Aside from various regulations, the referee played a very important role as well. Because of that, ordinary Japanese kendoka did not particularly like using that rule set for private sparring.
Aside from scoring rules and certain taboos, this match gave the kendoka the greatest possible freedom to display their skills.
Their bamboo swords crossed.
Kamiyā Yuu and Busujima Murasaki stood facing each other, each gripping the sword hilt with both hands lowered, keeping their blades crossed against the other's.
Behind his protective helmet, Kamiyā Yuu stared at Murasaki through the metal grill.
Both their gazes were extremely calm. Neither retreated nor showed any aggression.
But compared to Murasaki, Kamiyā Yuu's physical condition looked slightly awkward.
Unlike Murasaki, his body had no kendo foundation at all, making it difficult for him to maintain a stable stance.
The moment their bamboo swords crossed, the difference in their levels could already be seen.
Murasaki's bamboo sword did not move in the slightest, while the one in Kamiyā Yuu's hands trembled faintly to the naked eye.
Standing not far away, Yagyū Emon glanced over both of them. He raised his right hand high, then brought it down sharply with a clear shout.
"Begin!"
The kendo students who had stopped practicing all cast curious looks in their direction.
However, the fierce match they imagined did not happen.
The two remained motionless with their blades crossed, as if Yagyū Emon had never called for the start.
—As expected, she saw through me!
Kamiyā Yuu muttered inwardly.
If Murasaki did not move, he did not dare move either.
The greatest difference between him and Murasaki was their kendo foundation.
No matter how excellent Kamiyā Yuu's physical condition was, it could not compare to Murasaki, who had practiced kendo since childhood.
His greatest reliance in this match was his own swordsmanship experience and awareness.
But if Murasaki did not take the initiative to attack, he could not see through her flaws.
His swordsmanship experience would have no place to be used.
And once he attacked first, it meant he would fall into a passive position.
He did not know the level of Murasaki's swordsmanship, nor did he know how far she had trained her body.
A single flaw from Kamiyā Yuu could very likely lead to an instant defeat.
Murasaki knew his body lacked a kendo foundation and was using that against him.
It was hardly an honorable method.
The atmosphere froze.
In the vast dojo, even the faint sound of each other's breathing could be heard.
As referee, Yagyū Emon did not dare blink when he saw this situation.
He understood that the match had already begun.
The moment either of them revealed an opening, the match could end in a flash.
To the kendo students, this contest looked incredibly boring. Yet to Yagyū Emon, it confirmed Kamiyā Yuu's level.
Although Kamiyā Yuu's body lacked a kendo foundation, his understanding of kendo was undoubtedly extremely deep.
An ordinary person in this situation would have long since lost patience and attacked.
"If this drags on, it'll only become more disadvantageous for me. In ten minutes, my hands will probably enter a brief numb state. That instant would be enough to be fatal."
The heavy atmosphere made every second feel like torture to Kamiyā Yuu.
After only five minutes of silent confrontation, his hands already felt sore and numb.
Even though he had not exercised intensely, his breathing began to grow uneven, and the salty taste of sweat reached his lips.
His gaze never left Murasaki's eyes.
Unlike his visible fatigue, Murasaki's stance had not changed from the very beginning.
Kamiyā Yuu withdrew his left foot half a step.
At the same time, his hands slowly drew back the raised bamboo sword, intending to widen the distance between them.
"It's starting!"
Yagyū Emon's eyes sharpened.
The greatest taboo in kendo was fear.
Once fear arose in the heart, one would lose a hundred battles.
Many kendoka used a kind of feint-strike training when teaching their students.
Two students would swing their swords directly toward the center of each other's foreheads, but they were not allowed to wear protective gear, nor were they allowed to close their eyes.
They had to reach the point where they could watch a wooden sword strike toward their brow without reflexively blinking.
With Kamiyā Yuu's retreat, both his sword technique and momentum fell into disadvantage.
Murasaki had no intention of letting him off so easily.
After he retreated half a step, she stepped forward repeatedly, lowering her body as the bamboo sword in her hands shifted.
With an extremely skillful posture and angle, she pressed against Kamiyā Yuu's bamboo sword and its nonexistent blade.
Her body leaned forward.
Her bamboo sword perfectly protected her own body while turning Kamiyā Yuu's sword momentum into something like a sheath for her own blade.
If the two were using real swords, one would see Murasaki's blade edge pressing against Kamiyā Yuu's sword.
At her left shoulder, the edges would cross.
The moment Kamiyā Yuu's sword slid along Murasaki's blade, or the moment his sword was deflected, Kamiyā Yuu might very well be cut down in a single stroke.
Unsheathed Iai—Neck Slash.
A secret dueling technique passed down from the ancient warriors of the Busujima family.
Legend said that everyone who had ever seen this sword technique had died.
They died at the opening of a samurai duel.
This was true killing swordsmanship.
Even in duels between ancient warriors, it was considered an extremely underhanded technique.
It violated the spirit of Bushidō, yet remained technically within the rules.
An ordinary kendoka in this situation would never be able to react.
But the moment Murasaki assumed that posture and Kamiyā Yuu felt the change in force along the sword, he knew what she intended.
He decisively retreated a large step.
His upper body leaned back, and at the same time, he used the force of Murasaki's incoming sword to recover his own stance.
Whoosh!
The sound of the bamboo sword cutting through the air rang clearly.
The bamboo sword, which should have struck Kamiyā Yuu's neck, narrowly swept past his lower jaw, sending a gust of air into his helmet.
The situation reversed.
When Unsheathed Iai—Neck Slash failed, it left a huge opening.
In contrast, Kamiyā Yuu used the force of Murasaki's sword technique to recover his stance.
He had already assumed a very standard overhead cutting posture.
Kamiyā Yuu did not hesitate.
He stepped forward, tightened both hands around the hilt, and swung down a swift, sharp strike from above.
Smack!
The bamboo swords collided heavily, producing a crisp sound.
At the critical moment, Murasaki's bamboo sword returned to a defensive position.
From the very beginning, she had lowered her body during the attack precisely to leave room for recovery.
A sword technique refined through painstaking study by more than ten generations of Busujima family swordsmen was not something ordinary.
Their movements flowed in one breath.
Less than two seconds passed from attack to defense.
This single exchange alone made Yagyū Emon and Hirai Ueto, who truly understood swordsmanship, break out in cold sweat.
They knew that without prior knowledge of Murasaki's move, they would never have dodged that strange sword technique.
At the same time, Kamiyā Yuu, whose movements were less visually flashy, amazed them as well.
He had silently neutralized Murasaki's unpredictable attack and turned defense into offense.
In this situation, not adhering strictly to kendo rules benefited Murasaki.
In an ordinary kendo match, she would never have been allowed to use this kind of technique.
Although their offense and defense looked brilliant, the actual force they used was not especially great.
When Murasaki blocked Kamiyā Yuu's attack and slowly stood back up, they returned once again to their previous state of confrontation.
Since Kamiyā Yuu still held the initiative, he naturally refused to let her return to a position advantageous to her.
Otherwise, the large opening he had created would have been wasted.
He stepped forward, pressuring the space Murasaki had to use her bamboo sword.
His blade shifted aside and changed attack trajectories several times.
Each time Murasaki tried to withdraw her sword to defend, Kamiyā Yuu's bamboo sword had not truly touched hers.
The watching kendo students finally saw what they had wanted to see.
It was like an arranged sword duel from a movie.
The two exchanged moves back and forth, their motions flowing smoothly like running water.
Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack!
The not-too-heavy sounds of bamboo striking bamboo rang out as the swords continuously met.
Kamiyā Yuu refused to let his advantage slip away.
He pressed forward step by step, swinging his bamboo sword.
After each brief collision with Murasaki's defense, he quickly disengaged, preventing his sword momentum from being entangled.
Murasaki retreated slowly, focusing intently on Kamiyā Yuu's hands as he swung, trying to find even the slightest opening to escape this awkward situation.
Kamiyā Yuu's sword momentum was too stable, too light, too direct, too heavy, and too soft.
His tide-like, unbroken offense contained no flaws at all.
Hirai Ueto could hardly believe his eyes.
Busujima Murasaki was actually completely at a disadvantage and had been drawn into Kamiyā Yuu's offensive rhythm.
All of her defenses seemed to be seen through by Kamiyā Yuu, leaving her no room to recover.
Under the storm-like attacks, she endured again and again.
With each defense, her own rhythm grew a little more chaotic.
Smack!
This time, it was not the sound of bamboo swords colliding.
The sword momentum Kamiyā Yuu had accumulated finally caused a small opening in Murasaki's guard.
He immediately struck her helmet with his bamboo sword.
"Men!"
Yagyū Emon shouted.
This was not an official match. Although there were some rules, kendoka were allowed to continue moving after being struck.
At that moment, Murasaki abandoned defense and chose a mutual-destruction approach, striking toward Kamiyā Yuu's kote.
In that instant, Murasaki knew she had lost in swordsmanship.
However, in this situation, Kamiyā Yuu had reduced the space she had left to resist to almost nothing.
The defensive measures she had prepared were easily seen through by him.
Borrowing and dispersing her force, he lifted away her bamboo sword and struck her kote repeatedly.
Smack, smack, smack!
"Stop! The winner is Mr. Kamiyā!"
Yagyū Emon called the match to a halt and shouted.
Three consecutive strikes brought the accumulated score above ten.
In the first round, Murasaki had still lost the match.
This kendo exchange had lasted only thirty seconds.
"Thank you for your guidance."
Murasaki withdrew her bamboo sword and bowed to Kamiyā Yuu.
"I should be the one saying that."
Kamiyā Yuu responded politely.
He let out a long breath.
His forehead was covered in sweat. He wanted to remove his protective gear, but had no idea how the thing was structured.
This damned armor was far too hot and stuffy.
He had not noticed it while he was tense, but once he relaxed, his head felt like it was being roasted in a furnace.
"I'll help you."
Murasaki skillfully untied her own helmet and placed it on the floor.
Her long, dark-purple hair fell like a waterfall, and her elegant cheeks were also damp with sweat.
She came behind Kamiyā Yuu and helped him untie the cords of his helmet.
"Thanks. I'd like to rest for a while before the second round."
After removing the kendo helmet, Kamiyā Yuu immediately felt refreshed.
This match consisted of three rounds, following a best-of-three format.
Although the previous exchange had lasted less than thirty seconds, it had already consumed a great deal of his stamina.
Murasaki helped Kamiyā Yuu remove the chest protector and answered respectfully,
"All right."
"Miss Busujima, Mr. Kamiyā, that was truly a beautiful match."
Yagyū Emon walked over and praised them.
"If only my body could still keep up, I would want to cross swords with you myself."
"Especially Mr. Kamiyā's almost miraculous reaction at the start. If I didn't know Miss Busujima, I would genuinely think that was a prearranged action scene from a movie."
Laymen watched for excitement.
The group of kendo students only felt that the match had been extremely spectacular, even more exciting than the national kendo tournament broadcasts on television.
But if asked what exactly had been exciting and why, they could not explain.
Experts watched the details.
What Yagyū Emon had seen was a contest like walking a tightrope.
The process had been filled with countless twists and turns.
The shifts in sword momentum, the transformations between offense and defense, and the control of rhythm had all been breathtaking.
"Thank you for serving as referee this time, Master Yagyū. If you're interested, I will arrange a match with you another day."
After putting away Kamiyā Yuu's armor, Murasaki smiled at Yagyū Emon.
Yagyū Emon hurriedly waved his hand.
"Forget it, forget it. I didn't have that kind of strength even when I was your age. Although my body has passed its peak, my eyes and experience as a kendoka have not grown old."
Hirai Ueto, the national youth kendo champion, had only barely understood what happened.
At this moment, his first impression of Kamiyā Yuu had completely changed.
This young kendoka was not on the same level as him at all.
The tide-like series of attacks Kamiyā Yuu had launched still lingered in his mind.
Again and again, he recalled each seemingly ordinary swing in that attack.
Yet each one had completely sealed Murasaki's retreat.
From the sidelines, even he could see how Murasaki had been dragged into a mire by Kamiyā Yuu's sword momentum.
After reflecting on it for a long time, his only feeling toward that exchange was:
Brilliant.
So brilliant that every time he recalled the details, he was left stunned.
He sighed bitterly.
This world had never lacked geniuses with talent surpassing ordinary people.
After all, he himself was a kendo genius in the eyes of others.
What was truly rare were "monsters" who stood above geniuses.
Today, he had seen two true "monsters" of kendo.
"Senior Hirai, explain the match just now! It looked really amazing, but how was it different from an ordinary kendo match? Miss Busujima's opening technique was so cool. Was there something special about it?"
"Senior Hirai, analyze Mr. Kamiyā's kendo skill for us!"
"Hirai, what do you think?"
The curious kendo students quickly surrounded him.
...
During the break, Murasaki carefully taught Kamiyā Yuu how to put on and remove the kendo gear.
It was not especially complicated once he understood how each part connected.
After Kamiyā Yuu fully understood, Murasaki applied a special medicinal liquid she had prepared to his arms and began massaging him.
Kamiyā Yuu was the director of Yosuganosora Animation Studio.
She could not allow his hands to be injured because of a kendo match.
"It really is unbelievable. Mr. Kamiyā's arms clearly show no signs of proper kendo foundation training, yet you displayed such astonishing strength."
Murasaki held Kamiyā Yuu's arm with her fair hand.
Her technique was skilled as she gently kneaded his muscles, using massage to ease the stiffness.
Feeling the strength in his arms, Murasaki sighed softly.
Before long, she shifted to massaging Kamiyā Yuu's shoulders.
Kamiyā Yuu stretched out his arm and smiled without explaining too much.
He narrowed his eyes and enjoyed the comfortable force of her soft hands.
The warm medicinal liquid seeped deep into his skin, greatly relieving his muscle fatigue and soreness.
"Mr. Kamiyā, for the next round, I would like to spar with you without wearing protective gear."
"You don't need to feel any psychological burden. Personally, I'm not very used to the restraints of kendo armor. I didn't wear it during the past training either."
Murasaki furrowed her brows and asked tentatively.
—No protective gear...
Kamiyā Yuu agreed without hesitation to something that was explicitly forbidden in official kendo competition.
Or rather, without protective gear, a match could not even be held.
"Fine."
"But Murasaki, be careful yourself. If your body can't take it, stop the match at any time."