"What?!"
Takeshi's square face under the mask was filled with fear.
"How is this possible? What's happening? I'm clearly not hurt at all!"
He even began to wonder if the other party was cheating.
"Oh! Amazing. With no visible defense, contestant Momotani Takeshi suddenly vomited blood. He's clearly injured. How did contestant Nangou-san do this?"
"Hmm... Though this is just my own opinion, but... Cough, Nangou-san must have used vibrational force, penetrating power, etc., in each of his attacks... Ueeekkk!"
"Whoa! Sensei, you're vomiting blood again, are you okay?"
"It's fine, sensei anticipated this scene... Cough – so I prepared blood bags in advance!"
"Thorough preparation, but contestant Nangou-san is also very skilled. Can a move that looks like it's from a movie be done in real life?"
"Quite simple for experts... Besides, there are similar martial arts all over the world. For example, in China..."
Just as Oreki Yuri speculated in the commentary.
Every time Hoshiharu slashed Takeshi, he used a force known as penetrating power.
Simply put, it's embedding a hidden layer of penetrating force beneath the surface of a sword swing, and driving that force into the opponent's body through the point of contact.
A common feature of this technique is that it can bypass the opponent's defense, allowing the penetrating force to pass through armor or flesh and accurately strike the opponent's internal organs.
In relation to penetrating force, there is also a type of force called "rebounding force." Once struck, all the force will be confined to the point of contact with the opponent, and the opponent will recoil, but it won't cause damage.
"Do you think I didn't know that people with strong defenses naturally counter my Noble Art? Do you think I didn't have a plan for dealing with this situation?"
Hoshiharu placed the Nameless Sword on his shoulder and spoke with a warm expression.
In the auditorium, the sound of scribbling was incessant.
"—Devil Light Flowing Blade, this is the name of this technique."
Penetrating and rebounding forces were initially skills in Chinese boxing, but with Hoshiharu's unparalleled talent, he transformed these two opposing forces into a new technical skill, similar to how he turned Trackless Step into Flickering Light and Passing Shadows.
Thus, there are actually two ways to use Devil Light Flowing Blade, and penetrating defense is just one of its uses.
However, such a powerful technique not only requires the user to have strong body control and the ability to transform one force into multiple parts, but also requires high-level arm strength.
Only with strong arm strength can one withstand the penetrating force.
With Hoshiharu's arm strength, it took three strikes to drive the penetrating force into Takeshi's body through the armor and damage his internal organs. If it were Ikki, one strike would be enough.
"Really? Damn... I haven't lost yet!"
Takeshi tried hard to suppress the internal organs turmoil in his body, gritted his teeth, and stood up again, taking an attacking stance.
"Sigh..."
Hoshiharu sighed softly.
He had a little spirit of not admitting defeat, which was far different from ordinary students, but for the Knight path, spirit alone was not enough.
"AHHHHH!!"
Takeshi used his magic power to move his feet, roaring and attacking.
*CLANG*
A sound like a long bell echoed.
Takeshi tensed, then fell directly to the ground.
Hoshiharu turned to the side to avoid the impact, then struck the back of Takeshi's head with his sword, knocking him out.
His arm strength was limited, so it was impossible to beat him into an idiot. At most, Takeshi would suffer a concussion, which could be easily healed with a Healing Capsule.
"The result has been decided! Contestant Momotani Takeshi has fallen to the ground. The winner of the second selection match is one of Hagun Academy's dark horses this year – Nangou Hoshiharu from Class 1. Thank you for giving us a great match!"
Hoshiharu calmly put away the Nameless Sword and left the battle circle.
Defeating an opponent this easily didn't bring him any joy.
❀❀❀
Around 2 PM.
Hoshiharu changed his clothes, put on sunglasses, a mask, and a baseball cap, covering himself tightly, jumped out of Hagun Academy over the wall, and reached the tram stop a kilometer away.
"You're so covered up I almost didn't recognize you."
Kanata was already waiting here. She had also changed out of the white dress she usually wore and put on an unremarkable T-shirt and jeans.
"You're not much better."
Hoshiharu looked at her outfit and couldn't help but laugh.
"I don't have regular clothes. I borrowed this set from my roommate... It feels too tight in the chest."
Kanata complained as she tugged at her shirt collar, trying to make it feel less tight in her chest.
It was nearing May, and the winter chill had almost gone. She wasn't wearing much, and Hoshiharu could even see the white lace from her collar.
Hoshiharu's eyes immediately sharpened.
However, having sex on the first date might scare Kanata, so he tried his best to stay serious.
"I understand, then let's go buy some clothes first!"
Hoshiharu snapped his fingers, and the speeding tram stopped at that moment.
"I don't know much about what regular people wear. I don't know which brand suits me better?"
'As expected of a rich woman, her words are pure and straightforward!'
"With your qualifications, why do you care about this?"
"Fufu, did you also deceive Touka with this mouth?"
"It's true I got it dishonestly, but not like this… If I have time, I can show you."
Kanata naturally hugged Hoshiharu's arm, indulging in his extraordinary destiny. The two walked to the tram side by side and sat next to each other.
"Is that...?"
On weekends, there were still students from the academy taking the tram, and the other party looked a little confused when they saw the two together.
Fortunately, both of them were disguised enough to not be recognized at a glance. Seeing how they flirted with each other, no one came to disturb them reasonably, so they didn't have to worry about being caught.
❀❀❀
An hour later.
Although there were several shopping malls near Hagun Academy, many students usually shopped there.
To prevent their underground situation from being revealed, the two stopped more than ten times and ended up in a small coastal town far from Hagun Academy.
The climate here was pleasant, with the sea in front and mountains behind, but the terrain was very flat. The urban construction style was somewhat retro, and there was no hustle and bustle of a big city, making it a nice place for vacations and retirement.
Shortly after the two got off the bus, a girl in a military academy uniform who was on the same ride also left the station and walked toward the town hospital.