Taking a stance, I moved to confront Kenshin.
He was confident and natural, relaxed and unencumbered in every way.
...I know, I get it.
This guy, after all, has never known defeat.
I suppose that is a given. He has always traded lives. A defeat meant immediate death.
"――Begin! "
Someone issued the order.
It was the middle-aged man next to Kanbei.
"Here I come!"
While I was looking away, Kenshin had already moved in front of me.
As I thought, "Silver Sword-drawing". An attack that is quick to set up but has low firepower. Is the Tobatsu-style basically a 'slap repeatedly' strategy?
"Yoo."
I lightly dodged and waited to see what happened.
"Naive."
Kenshin counterattacked with the Second Slash as well, using "Silver Sword-drawing".
Seems like the 'slap repeatedly' strategy emphasizes speed.
It's a good idea, but ... you picked the wrong guy.
"I wonder who's more naive."
I used my prepared "Lance Sword-drawing" skill to deliver a blow as we passed each other while evading――
――In the next instant, Kenshin's katana disappeared.
"Eh."
No, it seemed to have disappeared.
"Uoo!? "
A thrust.
This guy stabbed at me with a Silver!
I immediately canceled the skill, grazing my shoulder as I just barely avoided it, and I took three steps back to get a better perspective.
"..."
A second later, my heart began to beat loudly.
...Man, are you for real?
Are you serious? Are you sane? Are you crazy...?
"Good job dodging."
Kenshin said with a thin smile as he sheathed his katana and readied it again.
I know that feeling... That smile.
I'm the same.
"Sorry, I feel like I underestimated you a little too much."
As expected, he's someone who came here to live and die by the katana.
It was an unknown technique that made the Second Slash look like the katana would disappear.
I would like to steal it if I could. I wonder if he could show it to me one more time...
"I will not use it again."
Oh, no, I've been found out.
Then fine, I'll find out on my own.
"Are your feet and arms fow show? Why don't you attack?"
Damn Kenshin, inviting me.
You've one up me once and you're already getting ahead of yourself.
Well, it's quite enjoyable. It is fun, but... as expected, it's not quite right. Definitely not right.
What's not right is that there is no love for your opponent.
I enjoy [Sword-drawing] as a whole, but Kenshin only enjoys the thrill of it.
This fact might seem small, but it is quite huge in reality.
I have to tell him, "You can't win with that."
I have seen such people many times in the past. Those who have been greedy in the competitive arena, saying, "I want a record," "I want the prize money," or "I want the title," have all lost in the end.
It may work for them within their own circle, but it doesn't work in the world, that's the idea.
One day I will surely lose and die. Unfortunately for Kenshin, the time has simply not yet come.
"All you like is that sudden shiver you feel, only that."
"Indeed."
"You admit it."
"A man can only love those who threaten his life."
"You weren't good enough to stand at the top."
"...Perhaps."
He's long since lost his mind, this man.
A thrill junkie. The higher you are, the more likely you are to fall into it.
And make no mistake, it is not that they are otherwise eager to die. The trouble with thrill addiction is that, while you are seemingly risking your life, you are not actually risking it at all.
This guy is ruled by greed. He is bound to the heights of his bottomless greed.
I have to beat him.
As brutally as possible.
"I'll have to apologize to Akaneko later."
Let's humiliate him.
"I'll let you experience what it means to be helpless... in the truest sense."
――Behold the finely crafted "Seven System".
"! ! "
First move, "Dragon King Sword-drawing".
The other party has two choices to respond. Smash it before it is triggered or keep your distance. Kenshin immediately chose the former.
Kenshin's second move was still the same: "Silver's Sword-drawing". The decision to crush it as fast as possible was not a bad one.
Third move, "Gold Sword-drawing" after canceling the skill. Because this is a counter-skill, Kenshin's response will become crucial...
"I won't let you! "
Fourth move, "Dragon Horse Sword-drawing", huh? I see, this is not so bad either.
He intended to get a hit without triggering a counter with a ranged attack.
Then, for the fifth move, let's show a move to close the distance at once with "Knight Sword-drawing".
"Nnh."
Sixth move, after canceling the skill, he prepared "Gold Sword-drawing". That is not acceptable.
Hmm, you are gradually getting more and more restless, aren't you?
"I'm over here."
On the seventh move, I activated "Knight Sword-drawing". It's a large move plus a sword draw skill, but ... I dared to deviate from the trajectory, canceled the skill in mid-air, and just moved right next to Kenshin.
"Darn――! "
Darn it indeed.
The eighth move was "Silver Sword-drawing" from the skill cancel, but it was not ready in time.
My ninth move is faster. The reason why is because I started preparing the same "Silver Sword-drawing" first.
"Kuuhg."
At the same time, the swords were drawn. Naturally, mine, with its longer buildup time, won the contest.
Kenshin's katana was flicked to the side, leaving his torso exposed.
In other words, the tenth move was a pass. Hence, it was decided at the eleventh move.
"Ihihihi."
Oops, I had a nasty smile on my face.
I spun around at the same time as I sheathed the sword, pushing down on it and then with force to the back, thrusting the tip of the scabbard into Kenshin's torso, just as I had done with Akaneko.
"――! ! "
An inarticulate voice rose up.
Perhaps because he was a little stronger than Akaneko, Kenshin only got down on both knees on the tatami mats of the dojo without dropping his arms, but then he spat out his morning meal in a messy pile. Whoa, it did happen.
...Right, let's do the same.
"Ogeh!? "
I walked up to Kenshin and kicked him in the cheek as hard as I could.
"You are a disgrace to the Bishamon title; it makes me sick to think that the crown has been entrusted to a man like you."
I said something similar.
Kenshin began coughing heavily and still did not get up.
I moved up in front of him again and opened my mouth.
"How long do you plan on staying down? Show me your commitment, c'mon."
I crouched down, pulled out Kenshin's wakizashi blade, and placed it in front of him.
"..."
Kenshin stared at my face, stunned, and then slowly shifted his gaze to his wakizashi and gripped it with fear.
Silence flowed after those words.
His hand gripping his wakizashi was shaking, and his eyes were wavering.
It's useless, huh?
"...I concede."
A minute later, Kenshin quietly got down on his knees.
He put down his wakizashi and rubbed his head against the tatami, as if begging for his life.
It must be humiliating. This strongest man who has never known defeat until now, and this is what he looks like now in front of the crowd?
"The only reason you were able to enjoy the fight for your life was because you didn't know defeat until now."
"I understand that very well."
"Don't drive yourself and your opponents into a corner with the conceit that they are weaker than you. This is how it will end up. And besides, what is a man who can't even show his own determination preaching to his students? Don't be so overbearing, mistakenly wearing the wrong shoes, you pukey bastard."
"...I have learned it deeply."
Kenshin gets down on his knees even deeper, sobbing.
This will take a while to recover from.
Well, it is what it is.
I turned around behind me, looked for Akaneko in the crowd, and called out to her.
"Hey, Akaneko, if you don't mind――"
"Second!! Behind you!! "
――I wanted to ask you if you wanted to come over to my house. The moment I tried to invite her to do so.
Akaneko shouted with a desperate look on her face.
Oh, this is the first time she called me by name.
Oh, no, let's not get into that. Behind...?
"Ugh!? "
A thud.
I felt something, something hot, on my back.
"...Fu, haha, hahahaha! You are the one who is wearing the wrong shoes, you idiot!"
Ahh, I see, it was the wakizashi, I was stabbed with it...
"This is an ever-present battlefield! Letting your guard down is the greatest mistake! This was like letting an open can of tuna near a cat, outrageous! The winner is the last one standing! "
Ow. Oh, it hurts.... It hurts soooo much....
"You said you wanted to teach me what it was to feel helpless? You dare call me an idiot!? Do you think I'm out of options!? I have lost once, but I have not been defeated yet! The essence of victory is not to give up until the very end! You only won this match by a hair's breadth! "
Well, it hurts...hurts a lot, but well...
"This is the end, outsider! Don't show that face again! "
Kenshin prepared " Silver Sword-drawing", and immediately activated it.
A big swing, diagonally from the shoulder.
I spun around and turned toward Kenshin――holding up my right hand.
"! ? "
Normally, it was a sword slash that would cut through the hand severing it in two.
However, Kenshin's "Silver Sword-drawing" stopped dead in my right hand.
Blood dripped down to the floor.
...Still, it hurts. It hurts like hell.
"It only hurts, you know?"
My HP was not reduced, at all.
"W-What, how ...! "
Kenshin was astonished.
Well, that's to be expected. If you can prevent a person from drawing a sword with just one arm... it's not even a contest anymore.
"...I was doing it for the match. Do you understand? You proudly say you were not out of options? You just don't get it. Not one bit. From the very first move, it's all been me dictating the moves. All you did was respond as I wanted. You didn't even realize that? "
If you'd use your head for a second, you'd see it's weird. If you're taking that much damage with a single blow from a sheath that doesn't even use any skills, you should realize that there's a huge difference in our stats.
It was my polite way of turning it into a "technique match".
To enjoy each other's company, passionately.
It was my love.
And Kenshin, you stepped all over it.
You have spat on [Sword-drawing]...!
"Transform."
"! ? "
Lightning attribute transformation.
An expression of anger.
I will no longer use [Sword-drawing] on you.
If you want us to kill each other so badly, I'll make it happen.
But hey, what you've been doing is not killing each other.
...It's just bullying the weak.
You really don't want your life to be threatened. Because you have never lost. Of course, you would think that you will win again. That's how you've actually fought and won.
What does it mean to push oneself? This means that you are pushing yourself and your opponent at the same time. While cutting off your own retreat, you also cut off the retreat of your opponent. But you are a coward. Like a fish trapped in a tide pool, you've hunted down and killed weaker opponents than yourself with a smile on your face.
And now, it's your turn.
"What is this wizardry!? Are you a sorcerer? "
Kenshin was straining to pull the katana out of my hand.
But it could not be pulled out.
Things aren't going the way you want them to? I bet this is the first time this has happened to you, right?
Poor guy, you just didn't meet anyone stronger than you and you've been doing what you wanted all this time.
That's why you're getting such a terrible situation.
If you want to hate someone, then hate yourself for living your life that way.
"Wh-wha...oh..."
Pakin.
I snapped Kenshin's katana.
The wakizashi was still stuck in my back.
I pulled that out, too, and snapped it off as well.
"You're completely unarmed now."
When I laughed, Kenshin dropped to his knees on the spot.
"I concede! I have been completely defeated! Please, please spare me! "
"You're quite uninspiring."
"I will reflect on this! Please forgive me! Forgive me! "
"It's okay. I won't kill you."
"Oh, how generous of you...! "
"You'll have to suffer more than that."
"...Eh?"
Farewell Kenshin.
I doubt we will ever see each other again.