Yagyū Emon, who had been resting with his eyes closed on the dojo floor, saw Busujima Murasaki and Kamiyā Yuu return from the rest area.
Only now, Murasaki was no longer wearing that thick set of kendo armor.
Yagyū Emon frowned deeply and raised his right hand, signaling Hirai Ueto, who was instructing students nearby, to come over.
"Hirai, tell the students that today's kendo practice ends here. Have them go home."
Hirai Ueto froze, then scratched the back of his head in confusion.
"Sensei, they really want to watch the next match. If we dismiss them now, it might cause a lot of dissatisfaction."
Yagyū Emon shook his head gravely.
"It doesn't matter. The next match isn't something they should watch. Compared to ruining their future in kendo, what does a little dissatisfaction matter?"
Practical kendo and tournament kendo were completely different.
Even now, Yagyū Emon still remembers every scene from his match with Murasaki.
That day, just like now, Murasaki had worn no kendo armor at all. Yet his bamboo sword had never once struck her body.
At only sixteen years old, the terrifying battle lust and storm-like assault she displayed had left an indelible mark on his heart.
Even with kendo armor protecting his body, the heavy impacts of her bamboo sword against his helmet, the faint pain transmitted through the armor, and the frightening, fanatical desire for battle he saw in her eyes had shaken him deeply.
After that, he had not held a bamboo sword for half a year.
Every time he gripped one, he could feel his hands trembling slightly, unable to exert strength.
"She really hasn't changed."
Yagyū Emon sighed inwardly.
He had already understood exactly what kind of person Busujima Murasaki was during that match years ago.
A complete and utter battle maniac.
And an extremely dangerous one.
She did not simply enjoy fighting.
She immersed herself in battle while also wanting to destroy her opponent.
If it were a true life-and-death fight, Murasaki would probably be the kind of lunatic who thoroughly broke her enemy before finishing them.
Murasaki loved kendo, and only through kendo could she entrust this fanatical desire for battle.
Her practical swordsmanship was ultimately too dangerous.
Those who had yet to achieve anything in kendo would find it difficult not to be shaken after witnessing such swordsmanship.
But this kind of kendo was absolutely not the mainstream kendo accepted by the public.
To put it plainly, it brought no benefit to competitive kendo and could only harm it.
Yagyū Emon held great authority within Yagyū Dojo.
When Hirai Ueto announced the dismissal to the dozens of students, they immediately became agitated.
The students questioned Hirai's authority one after another.
But when Hirai said it was Yagyū Emon's decision, the students looked at one another.
Before long, they silently packed up their belongings and left the dojo.
Only four people remained in the vast training hall.
Yagyū Emon sat upright in the center with his eyes closed.
Hirai Ueto stood at one side as an observer.
Kamiyā Yuu and Busujima Murasaki did not use the traditional kendo opening.
Each held a sword and faced the other.
Kamiyā Yuu still maintained an upper-stance posture, standing firm and motionless.
His gaze passed over the bamboo sword and stared heavily at Murasaki opposite him, his pupils flickering with a dim light.
"Mr. Kamiyā, please guide me."
Murasaki adopted a lower stance.
Her fair hands held the sword downward, its tip touching the floor, while tension gathered throughout her tall, slender body.
At last, a smile completely different from her usual expression appeared on her elegant face.
No longer gentle and intellectual.
A cold blade had finally been drawn and stained with blood.
Her chilly smile hid excitement and madness.
Yagyū Emon sighed deeply in his heart.
When Murasaki invited him to referee this match, he already knew what would happen.
Just as she had once challenged him for the same reason, Murasaki had always been waiting for an opponent who could truly contend with her.
Someone who could satisfy her in battle.
Someone whose defeat could make her heart tremble with joy.
Yagyū Emon stood up and raised his right hand horizontally.
After sweeping his eyes over the two of them, he said solemnly,
"Ready... begin!"
Swift as lightning.
Aggressive as fire.
The moment Yagyū Emon's voice fell, Murasaki advanced with steady, rapid steps.
The bamboo sword in her hands lifted slightly.
After confirming that Kamiyā Yuu had entered her attack range, she swung a sharp upward cut from below.
Whoosh!
A faint sound like wind and thunder rang out.
Kamiyā Yuu saw through Murasaki's move, but had no choice but to withdraw and defend.
—So fast!
Too fast.
All of Kamiyā Yuu's preparations vanished before that speed.
The trajectory of his falling bamboo sword changed, meeting Murasaki's blade and skillfully deflecting the force at a precise angle.
Smack!
A crisp sound rang out.
The powerful recoil transmitted through his hands made Kamiyā Yuu wonder whether the bamboo sword in his hands could really withstand such a heavy blow.
Too heavy!
It felt as though his sword had struck a railing fixed firmly into the floor.
He barely managed to disperse the force.
When Murasaki's first strike failed, she instantly withdrew her sword and adjusted her posture for the next attack.
If Kamiyā Yuu had crushed Murasaki with absolute swordsmanship technique in the first round, then now Murasaki was suppressing Kamiyā Yuu's sword momentum with her absolute physical kendo foundation.
Without kendo armor, Murasaki was like a cold blade drawn from its sheath.
The terrifying flash of her sword carried a chilling killing intent.
Every swing of her bamboo sword gave Kamiyā Yuu the illusion that he was being struck by a real blade.
Smack, smack, smack, smack!
Their blades constantly collided, and the eerie groans of the bamboo swords rang endlessly.
High-grade bamboo swords were made from special varieties of madake bamboo.
After special processing, their hardness was no less than human bone, while bamboo's natural toughness ensured they would not break easily under heavy impact.
Yet now, the two bamboo swords had already reached their limit.
Before long, they would be unable to withstand the massive force and burst apart.
Kamiyā Yuu's expression was grave.
Sweat soaked his eyebrows.
He fought while retreating, constantly adjusting his footwork and posture, using the best defensive measures possible.
His steps retreated to support his body.
His bamboo sword remained in a subtle position.
When the heavy force of Murasaki's bamboo sword reached his own, it would be skillfully dispersed through his spine, spread throughout his body, and then transmitted through his legs into the ground.
Thirty seconds passed.
One side attacked fiercely.
The other defended flawlessly.
Both their breathing had already become uneven.
Although Murasaki had a strong physical foundation, fierce attacks consumed even more stamina.
"Kote!"
Kamiyā Yuu spotted an opportunity.
From within the overwhelming assault, he found a tiny opening and immediately seized it, striking fiercely toward Murasaki's right hand.
Smack!
Murasaki's sword momentum slowed.
The sharp pain from the strike to her wrist caused a sickly flush to appear on her elegant cheeks.
Then her smile grew even more satisfied.
A chill surfaced in her calm eyes.
The bamboo sword in her hands forcibly changed trajectory in midair.
When Kamiyā Yuu struck her left hand, her bamboo sword also swept heavily across the face guard of his helmet.
Kote, one point.
Men, three points.
Murasaki was not wearing kendo armor.
Kamiyā Yuu's sharp strike immediately left a red mark on her wrist. It would probably swell before long.
Murasaki opened and closed her struck left hand, then calmly gripped the sword hilt again as if nothing had happened.
Kamiyā Yuu felt as though his head had been hit hard by an external force.
Although it had not struck him directly, it still caused a violent jolt.
Each retreated several steps, adjusted their posture, and began clashing fiercely once more.
Kamiyā Yuu's fighting spirit was stirred by Murasaki's strike, and he no longer wanted to remain on the defensive.
When Murasaki launched her new offensive, Kamiyā Yuu met her head-on, his bamboo sword drawing a perfect diagonal arc.
Smack!
The strike missed.
Kamiyā Yuu and Murasaki tacitly retreated half a step, then clashed a second time.
Murasaki's sword momentum and speed were extremely fast.
Kamiyā Yuu was far inferior in that regard, yet he could always find clever openings to counterattack and make up for his physical disadvantage.
Was this really the kendo he knew!?
As an observer, Hirai Ueto was dumbfounded.
His clenched fists were covered in sweat.
Every strike exchanged between Kamiyā Yuu and Murasaki was too fast for him to react to.
Only now did he fully understand what Yagyū Emon had meant.
Even a kendoka like him, who had achieved some level of mastery, could not help yearning for this kind of swordsmanship.
It was far more thrilling than any samurai duel in a movie.
But this kind of kendo was not meant for ordinary people.
Yagyū Emon paced back and forth, staring intently at the two of them while silently recording their scores.
Five minutes.
In a kendo match, this could only be considered a very short time, but here it felt far too long.
The constant attacking and defending made even the spectators break into a cold sweat.
Kamiyā Yuu's score: 9.
Busujima Murasaki's score: 7.
Smack!
After once again withstanding a heavy strike from Murasaki's bamboo sword, Kamiyā Yuu felt his hands trembling uncontrollably.
The increasingly intense soreness caused the sword posture in his hands to lower unconsciously.
An irreparable opening appeared in his watertight defense.
Murasaki's face lit up with an excited smile.
She instinctively seized the opportunity and brought her sword down heavily toward Kamiyā Yuu's head.
The sharp, heavy sword's momentum made Kamiyā Yuu's gaze darken.
He wanted to counterattack, but then lowered the bamboo sword in his hands.
—This is my body's limit.
—If this drags on, the situation will only become worse for me.
—It's a pity, but victory or defeat will be decided in the third round.
Smack! Crack!
A strange sound rang out.
The bamboo sword struck Kamiyā Yuu's head guard with tremendous force.
The loud impact echoed inside the helmet, making his ears ring.
His body could not withstand the force, and he fell backward.
The bamboo sword in Murasaki's hands also snapped from the enormous collision, its bound bamboo strips scattering apart.
"Hah... hah... hah..."
Sitting on the floor, Kamiyā Yuu released his bamboo sword and gasped heavily.
He shook his slightly rattled head.
Had he not been wearing kendo armor—
had Murasaki used her specially made heavy wooden sword instead of an ordinary bamboo sword—
This would not have ended with just his head feeling shaken.
Murasaki stared dazedly at the broken bamboo sword in her hand, then smiled foolishly.
The sweat on her face and the wild, intoxicated smile made her look bewitching and deadly.
This was Busujima Murasaki as a swordswoman.
"Hah... hah... This is still far from enough."
"For the third round... hah... let's drop all those messy rules."
"Whoever falls first loses."
Kamiyā Yuu propped himself up and smiled brightly.
In any case, he had armor protecting him.
No matter how intense the fight became, his body would not suffer true injury.
Murasaki looked down at Kamiyā Yuu.
After exhaling deeply, she said gently,
"Yes. If that is what Mr. Kamiyā wishes."
...
After resting for more than an hour to recover their strength, Hirai Ueto brought over fresh bamboo swords before the third round began.
"Mr. Kamiyā, this is the second bamboo sword you requested."
Hirai Ueto respectfully handed a lighter bamboo sword to Kamiyā Yuu.
Kamiyā Yuu stood up from the floor and gripped the hilt with his left hand, testing the weight.
Finding it close to the ideal weight he had tested the night before, he nodded in satisfaction.
"Thank you. This should make the match much easier."
Hirai Ueto looked at Kamiyā Yuu holding one bamboo sword in each hand and asked in surprise,
"Mr. Kamiyā, are you planning to use dual-wielding?"
Dual-wielding was one of the schools recognized in Japanese kendo.
Although it could be used in official matches, very few people seemed capable of mastering it.
To put it plainly, dual-wielding looked incredibly cool, but in practice, it was nearly useless.
Adding one more sword raised the demands on the kendoka's abilities by several levels.
Used improperly or without talent, it had no real purpose beyond weakening one's combat ability and looking flashy.
Among Japanese kendoka who used dual-wielding, a large portion were left-handed.
Hirai Ueto had also fought against dual-wielding before, and during those matches, he had clearly understood the style's weaknesses.
"That's right. It should still be somewhat useful."
"Murasaki's swordsmanship exceeded my expectations. If I don't go all out in this match, I'll lose badly."
"I figured I had no choice but to get serious."
Kamiyā Yuu smiled.
Hirai Ueto was left speechless.
"Was the match just now only playing around for you?"
Playing around at that level?
What kind of joke was that!?
Kamiyā Yuu shook his head and answered,
"More or less."
"I haven't touched kendo in a long time, and my body has grown rusty."
"In the previous match, I only barely managed to defend against Murasaki's attacks through reaction speed and experience."
"Oh, right, do you want to know the name of the dual-wielding style I use?"
"It would be my honor."
Kamiyā Yuu swung the bamboo swords in both hands and suppressed a laugh.
"The dual-wielding style I use is called Starburst Stream."
"It is a swordsmanship school focused on neural reaction speed and body movement."
"Its founder was an unknown swordsman from Japan's Sengoku period named Kirigaya Kazuto."
"According to legend, during a war, he used this dual-wielding technique to face a dense rain of arrows and emerged unharmed, knocking down over a hundred arrows."
"Starburst Stream? Kirigaya Kazuto?"
Hirai Ueto muttered the names, but no matter how hard he searched his memory, he could not recall any swordsman by that name.
Remaining unscathed in a rain of arrows was the kind of scene that often appeared in samurai films.
Hirai Ueto smiled and did not take it seriously.
After all, even the swordmaster Sasaki Kojirō supposedly had his Tsubame Gaeshi.
"Don't worry about it. He was just an unknown swordsman. Starburst Stream was also passed down quietly through generations, so aside from me, very few people know of this school."
Kamiyā Yuu waved a hand.
A look of longing appeared on Hirai Ueto's face.
"I see. If Mr. Kamiyā uses it, then Starburst Stream must surely have something extraordinary about it!"
His heart warmed.
Kamiyā Yuu had given him too many surprises.
Would this dual-wielding style overturn his understanding of dual-wielding once again?
Of course, blocking a rain of arrows was still far too unscientific.
...
In the third round, Kamiyā Yuu began with two swords in hand, assuming a strange posture different from ordinary kendo.
The faint smile at the corners of his mouth beneath the armor seemed to show great confidence in his dual-wielding technique.
Only heaven knew that he still wanted to laugh because of the style's name.
The dual-wielding style he used had no real name.
To put it simply, it was fast.
He would suppress the enemy with absolute speed.
At the same time, Kamiyā Yuu could easily perform the "left-right mutual combat" that ordinary people could not.
His kendo foundation could not compare to Murasaki's, so he would use two swords to make up for that weakness.
If one sword could not match Murasaki's speed, then could Murasaki defend against attacks from two swords?
Dual-wielding versus practical swordsmanship.
Murasaki wore a traditional blue kendo uniform, still without a single piece of armor.
Seeing Kamiyā Yuu holding two bamboo swords, even she could not help showing surprise.