Chapter 125: Another Round
Yagyū Simozi and Hokusinn Kichyō may truly be destined rivals.
Compared to Saki Jingūji's hidden M attribute, Hokusinn Kichyō's never-give-up personality became incredibly resilient after enduring hundreds of cycles of training and improvement.
She firmly believed that the best way to defend was to go on the attack.
Yagyū Simozi, also known as Yagyū Simozi, was just like that. She only knew how to strive forward and swing her sword down, which was her philosophy of swordsmanship.
Straightforward, clear.
When two attacks collide, there will inevitably be one defeated.
Since one person is bound to lose, it is crucial to know when to stop. Unfortunately, they didn't understand this principle and continued to fight until their hands grew numb and the wooden swords cracked, finally coming to a halt.
"You've become stronger again," Hokusinn Kichyō exclaimed sincerely. "Getting stronger every day, it's like being a monster."
"You're not bad either. The sword technique that I just showed you was easily figured out after repeating it a few times."
"The distinctive trait of Hokusinn Itto-ryu is its ability to adapt to various situations, constantly changing and evolving. Your swordsmanship, on the other hand, has become more and more elusive," Hokusinn Kichyō said, taking a deep breath. "It hardly seems like it's meant to be used against humans."
"Maybe it never was," Yagyū Simozi replied, uncertain. But as long as she could become stronger, she didn't care about the origin or purpose of this sword technique. "You seem under a lot of pressure, so why not just surrender to me?"
"What a joke! According to our agreement, if I lose to you, I won't be able to see Mr. Bai for a whole week. I definitely don't want that..." She licked her dry lips, showing hints of aggression.
"Are you trying to get rid of your nose bridge bone?" Yagyū Simozi responded with a cold laugh. "Sooner or later, I'll hit you until your face is disfigured!"
"Oh dear, are you jealous because I am prettier than you?"
"Prettier? Which eye of yours told you that? You truly think of yourself as a princess."
"Isn't it exaggerated like that, at most it's just like the level of a little village girl, right?"
The two girls argued because they were tired from fighting and needed to regain their strength. But when it came to arguing with swords, they couldn't think of what to say next. They didn't want it to escalate into a nasty fight, but they were holding onto some anger and hadn't had a satisfying fight yet, so they left with some strong words.
"Let's go to RashoMon and fight again!"
"Let's go to the White Snake Shrine and fight again!"
At the same time, they closed their eyes and imagined. They stepped back into the battlefield, with one standing in front of a lone grave, and the other standing in front of the shrine. Tension grew between them like water and fire.
Just as they were about to draw their swords and continue the intense battle with blood flying everywhere, they suddenly heard a voice.
*Ding~*
With a crisp sound, not heavy like the toll of a bell, but rather light and melodic, just like the little bell hanging behind the door of an old shop, resonating with a delightful tone to let the owner know they had a visitor. And this bell, it was hanging at the front of a building.
Once again, the clouds parted and the fog cleared away.
The scene kept expanding, continuing to change and reveal something new. A new area appeared outside of RashoMon and White Snake Shrine, opening up as the third public space.
Here is a grove of tall bamboo trees, and within the bamboo grove, the ground is covered in white, glistening snow.
Endless fallen wood rustled and whispered as it descended.
Fluttering bamboo leaves, piled-up white snow, lush greenery, and the sparkling silver-white that adorns the earth create a striking contrast, blending together in an unexpected and harmonious way.
And in the middle of the snowy field, there stood a figure facing away.
Hokusinn Kichyō tapped her chin and felt a sense of familiarity. Just as she was curious and about to approach, Yagyū Simozi called out to her to stop.
"If you don't want to die, I suggest you...be prepared to draw your sword ahead of time."
Yagyū Simozi stared at this figure, she was all too familiar with it.
Ever since opening RashoMon, the swordsman who lived in her imagination completely disappeared. She felt a bit sad for a while, as she had lost the chance to continue practicing. But now it seemed unnecessary, as the other person had also arrived, albeit it took some time.
And, he was even stronger and more complete than before.
The man was dressed like a wandering swordsman, wearing a fox mask that covered his face. The weapon hanging from his waist was almost identical to the Tengu Cut.
The wandering swordsman stood amidst the snowy bamboo grove. Ever since he entered this place, the time in the sky remained fixed under the glow of the full moon, instead of the bright noon sunlight.
"Shall you go together? Or one by one?"
The wandering swordsman's voice distorted through the mask, "You have three chances to challenge me."
Yagyū Simozi took a confident step forward and spoke directly, "I'll go first!"
She pulled out the Tengu Cut, using her sword skills to initiate the battle. With a flash of her blade, the Tengu Cut collided with the Tengu Cut.
Two identical swords burst with electric sparks, as if neither of them wanted to accept that the other held a counterfeit weapon.
The wandering swordsman lightly swung his sword, appearing graceful, but unleashing a terrifying force. Clouds of snow dust rose from the snowy ground, as traces of unseen blade flashes dispersed through the air. In an instant, Yagyū Simozi lost her balance and narrowly avoided having her head severed.
She threw her sword away, the gleam catching the wandering swordsman's attention. She desperately maneuvered her body to avoid the deadly strike. Rolling on the ground, she bumped into a bamboo, causing an immediate stream of cold sweat.
The swordsman was not just stronger than before, but many times stronger.
Yagyū Simozi let out a breath, easing the tension in her heart. After several days without a fight, she was starting to forget the intense battles of real swords.
After a brief pause, she decided to launch another powerful attack. Her true energy surged, causing a layer of dust to seem suspended above her grip on the Tengu Cut. The snowflakes hovered just a short distance away from the blade, unable to get close to its edge. It was as if an invisible cocoon enveloped the sword, a barrier known as the limit of mediocrity. This was a bottleneck that most swordsmen spend their entire lives trying to break through, the maximum distance that their sword energy could spread.
It was like a sheath, thick and sturdy, but lacking sharpness.
Only when the unsheathed sword reveals its sharpness can its true power be shown, causing harm without being seen.
In the blink of an eye, the swords clashed for more than ten rounds. Yagyū Simozi, in her furious state, focused solely on unleashing all of her sword skills, without considering defense. The wild rapid strikes had a touch of showmanship, but this was also the progress she wanted to demonstrate.
But eventually, when she attempted to use the one-handed sword for the third time, the blade got stuck in place.
With ease, a blade effortlessly sliced through the bamboo forest, piercing directly into her chest, passing through it. Blood spattered all around.
"Some improvement," the wanderer gave his assessment, "but you'll have to go back and practice more."
He swiftly drew his sword and with a gentle push, Yagyū Simozi fell backward onto the snowy ground, turning into a shimmering light that slowly faded away.
"Next one!" he pointed towards Hokusinn Kichyō.
Having watched in excitement, Hokusinn Kichyō, with a polite smile, gracefully unsheathed her Nine-Syllable Blade.
...
Three minutes later, Hokusinn Kichyō walked out of the shrine, touching her neck as a shiver ran down her spine.
"How did you die?" Yagyū Simozi suddenly asked, her voice filled with curiosity.
"By beheading..."
"From behind?"
"Um."
"Indeed," Yagyū Simozi sighed. "When he kills someone, it's either by stabbing them in the heart or beheading them. Though it's not as gruesome as dismemberment, it's still a deadly technique."
"Have you fought with him many times?"
"Many times," Yagyū Simozi hesitated to admit that she had been killed at least a few hundred times.
"No wonder you have such extensive experience in real battles," Hokusinn Kichyō said. "And the final time, how shall we deal with it?"
"Let's go together," Yagyū Simozi reluctantly agreed. "I want to see how long I can hold on."
The two of them stepped into the bamboo forest simultaneously, and the wandering swordsman, who had been waiting, drew his sword upon seeing them, without any surprise.
He calmly said, "If you want to kill me, remember to bring your friends along too."
Immediately, he grasped a handful of snow to wipe his sword, saying, "Death is just a part of life, there is nothing to fear... You will soon get used to it."
Yagyū Simozi, feeling displeased, sarcastically retorted, "Every time it's either decapitation or a heart-piercing attack. Do you have some sort of psychological trauma?"
Hokusinn Kichyō nodded as well and said, "If I have to die, I want it to be in a graceful way. Please, don't chop off my head or dig out my heart and lungs."
The wandering swordsman shook his head and said, "The difference between swordsmanship and slaughtering lies in precision."
In the next moment, he didn't stand there stunned, getting hit. Instead, he rushed directly towards the two of them.
Not far from a short distance of just over ten meters, a fleeting shadow flashed across the snowy ground. In the hands of the wandering swordsman, the Tengu Cut swung gracefully, forming an arc of over three meters in length.
"Only this one swing!"
"Fall down!"
...
Three minutes later, the two of them emerged from the respawn point, their faces covered in dirt and looking very upset at the wandering swordsman who had attacked them mercilessly.
"When facing two, you didn't hold back, did you? You went all out, didn't you? You didn't bother with gentlemanly manners, did you?" Hokusinn Kichyō stamped her foot in frustration. "How infuriating! I've decided to come up with a not-so-nice nickname for him!"
"Today is just not working out anyway. Three attempts have already passed. Let's try again tomorrow," Yagyū Simozi said as she approached the bamboo grove. Suddenly, she noticed a piece of paper hanging above. She slowly read out the words written on it, "Away on a business trip... back to work next Monday, hmm?"
The two girls looked at each other with confusion... The swordsman can even ask for leave and take a rest?
