Chapter 39 - Are You Really A Girl!?
"This guy..."
After hearing Kiba Yuuto's words, Mahiro was slightly surprised and couldn't help but admire him.
In less than a minute of fighting, Kiba could judge the style of swordsmanship Mahiro used today and that night.
"After all, it's just a simple spar, not a life-and-death battle with an enemy, so there's no need to be so lethal when using a sword," Mahiro replied.
Without using the Mystic Eye of Death Perception, the lethality of his swordsmanship was not too great.
"That's it. That means you're still holding back a lot of your strength," Kiba Yuuto understood.
"Mahiro-san, be careful. I'll be serious next time."
Kiba Yuuto held the sword, his eyes becoming serious.
Mahiro could feel the change in Kiba Yuuto's momentum, like a sharp sword being unsheathed.
"Really? Isn't that more fun? I'll be a little more serious then," Mahiro replied, excited as he moved forward.
This time, the offensive between the two was even more violent.
In the air, the afterimage of their wooden swords fluttered as both used their swords to the extreme.
Mahiro didn't hold back anymore.
He used more power, and the speed of his swings was heavier and faster than before.
Kiba Yuuto was able to keep up with Mahiro's attacks.
The two went back and forth, evenly matched.
The sound of the wooden swords clashing especially made people worry that the swords would break due to the intensity of the fight.
"It's amazing. I didn't expect Mahiro-kun to be able to draw a tie with Yuuto," Akeno remarked, staring at the battle with a hint of surprise in her eyes.
Although she had learned from Kiba Yuuto that Mahiro was not weaker in swordsmanship, seeing it with her eyes was incredible.
"A tie? Not necessarily," Rias shook her head, observing the fight closely.
Rias's observations were more nuanced than Akeno's.
Indeed, in the eyes of outsiders, Mahiro and Yuuto seemed evenly matched.
However, only the two fighters knew the specific situation.
A swordsmanship competition has three aspects: strength, speed, and skill.
Combat experience and adaptability can also play significant roles.
As long as one gains the upper hand in these aspects, they can dominate the competition.
From Rias's perspective, Yuuto was showing signs of being suppressed by Mahiro.
Kiba Yuuto's hand holding the sword trembled slightly, and his fingers were sore.
Each time their swords clashed, the force from Mahiro's sword made his hand numb, forcing him to switch from one-handed to two-handed to prevent the wooden sword from being knocked out of his grip.
Despite this, he worried that the subsequent collision might disarm him.
Mahiro was getting more and more excited, his fighting spirit growing.
Compared to a mentally abnormal opponent like a stray Devil, a kendo master like Yuuto was a suitable opponent, allowing him to grow fully in battle.
In terms of power, Mahiro had the upper hand.
With the skill of "intuition," the gap between their combat experience and on-the-spot responses was minimal.
Speed-wise, there was not much difference between the two.
Yuuto was much stronger than Mahiro in terms of skill.
Each time Mahiro attacked, Yuuto would deflect the blow with a clever angle, reducing more than half of the force of Mahiro's wooden sword strikes.
This prevented Mahiro's attacks from exerting their full power.
However, this only made Mahiro's fighting spirit burn more.
"It looks like Mahiro-kun may have held back his strength that night," Rias pondered, coming to a conclusion.
Compared to his performance that night, Mahiro's current performance was more brilliant, and his strength was more incredible.
Initially, Mahiro had taken some time to deal with a Low-Class Devil.
Now, facing Kiba Yuuto, he could keep up and even show signs of having the upper hand.
From that night to today, only three days have passed.
Rias didn't believe Mahiro could make such a leap in strength in just three days, especially since he spent most of his time at school and didn't have much time for training.
The only possibility was that what she saw that night was only a part of Mahiro's strength.
"I really want to see how strong you are," Rias smiled slightly, then looked at Yuuto with concern.
She felt that if the fight continued, Yuuto would fall behind and be defeated by Mahiro.
"Koneko, you should join in too and see where Mahiro's limits lie," Rias said.
At this point, the battle had already begun to tilt in Mahiro's favor.
If they didn't allow the two to use demonic power [magic power] and the Sacred Gear, the outcome would be decided soon.
Presumably, Mahiro and Yuuto understood this better than anyone.
It was the perfect time to intervene.
Yuuto was struggling, and Mahiro felt a little dissatisfied.
"Hum!" Toujou Koneko nodded, clenched her fists, and charged toward the two of them.
Mahiro, engrossed in fighting Kiba Yuuto, suddenly sensed a crisis and instinctively threw a punch behind him without hesitation.
His hunch was correct.
In the corner of his eye, he saw a tiny fist smashing towards him.
"Boom!"
Their fists collided in mid-air.
With the powerful recoil, Mahiro stepped back two meters, opening the distance.
"Koneko, are you really a girl!" Mahiro frowned, shaking his left hand.
"I'm a girl, idiot!!" Toujou Koneko retorted, dissatisfied.
"Not only can he compete with Yuuto in swordsmanship, but he can also compete with Koneko in strength. Mahiro is really too good,"
Rias said, her eyes widening in shock.
"Ara Ara, Mahiro-kun, you made us look at you in a new light," Himejima Akeno added, equally surprised.
Mahiro's ability to fight Yuuto in swordsmanship and match Koneko in physical fitness was astonishing.
Although Mahiro had gained the upper hand, it was clear that he could compete with Koneko, who had an extraordinary physique and had been strengthened by the Devil piece/Evil piece —Rook.
If anyone else had taken that punch from Koneko, they would have been in pain.
But Mahiro, despite some soreness, was unscathed.
Mahiro didn't use the Mystic Eye of Death Perception, so he could still hold back his true strength.
This match was just a taste of his actual capabilities.
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