Oh, come on!
Just when I thought he'd only use a mini knife against Tashigi, now it's my turn, and he's swapped it out for the massive black blade. And on top of that, he's going all out...
Why can't you be more like Smoker?
He shows up, acts tough, I punch him, and we all leave peacefully. Wouldn't that be nice?
"As expected of the world's greatest swordsman—your keen insight is truly extraordinary!" Finn shrugged and smiled.
His swordsmanship, the Yanfu style, was passed down from Sasaki Kojiro, and Sasaki's style is all about elegance in combat. It might appear random, but at any moment, Finn can launch an attack of any form.
An average swordsman wouldn't be able to recognize Finn as a fellow master, but someone like Hawkeye, with his near-obsessive pursuit of swordsmanship, could detect even the faintest trace of sword intent that blended into Finn's graceful movements.
This allowed Hawkeye to conclude that Finn was indeed a great swordsman!
Of course, if Finn didn't have a sword in hand, even Hawkeye wouldn't be able to sense his sword intent.
"The title of the world's greatest swordsman is only temporary—I fully expect someone to take it from me at any moment. Your Excellency, to have achieved such mastery at your age is remarkable. You're stronger than I was at your age!"
The more Hawkeye spoke, the more excited he became.
For a swordsman of his caliber, the goal was no longer just to defeat opponents but to explore the depths of swordsmanship itself. He sought breakthroughs, and only by clashing with a swordsman like Finn could he hope to push his skills further.
Hawkeye couldn't contain his excitement any longer. His pupils sharpened, and his aura surged in an instant! The sword intent burst forth, tearing through the sky like a torrent of energy!
High above, the sky trembled, as if on the verge of collapsing! A fierce wind whipped through the square, but those who knew the way of the sword recognized it wasn't merely wind—it was the force generated by the sheer power of his sword.
Weaker onlookers couldn't stay on their feet; they collapsed to the ground, their faces drained of color. Some even fainted on the spot.
As Hawkeye's sword force reached its peak, his blade came slashing down with overwhelming power, aimed directly at Finn!
"This attack... is too terrifying!"
The might of his sword was utterly insane, powerful enough to wipe out the entire square with a single strike! When two masters clashed, the resulting destruction could be catastrophic, indifferent to the fate of lesser beings caught in the aftermath.
Among the strong, there was an unwritten rule: you could watch their battles, but if you were killed by the fallout, it was your own fault. Sensible onlookers knew to keep a safe distance.
"Is this the power of the world's number one swordsman?"
"That kid looks ordinary—does it really take an attack of this magnitude to handle him?"
Everyone was paralyzed with fear by Hawkeye's blow!
"Master Finn..."
Tashigi's face had gone completely pale. She couldn't believe Finn could survive such an attack.
Yet Finn stood there calmly, as poised as an elegant gentleman. In the face of such overwhelming power, he seemed as insignificant as a small tree in a storm. His clothes fluttered in the wind generated by the sword's force~
He remained unhurried, and as the sword's momentum reached him, he moved!
There were no fancy movements or poses—just the simplest swing of Xiaoye Shiyu in Finn's hands.
A single, fluid slash!
Simple—
Yet incredibly difficult!
As Finn swung the sword, one word came to mind—speed!
Not only was the slash incredibly fast, but the timing was also impeccable!
Slash! Slash! Slash!
In an instant, Finn executed more than a dozen rapid slashes!
The sword energy from those slashes wove together into a massive net, meeting the force of Hawkeye's strike head-on!
In an instant, the sword force shattered, scattering in all directions!
Tashigi's eyes widened in disbelief, her mouth agape in shock!
Master Finn just shattered the terrifying sword force of the world's greatest swordsman!!!
For a moment, she was both shocked and overjoyed!
But even though the sword force had shattered, Hawkeye's attack didn't stop.
The shattered sword force seemed to become a backdrop as Hawkeye shot forward like an arrow!
The black blade, Yoru, struck directly at Finn, glowing with a soul-stirring, icy aura!
The speed of his sword, hidden within the collapsing aura, left no time for anyone to react! Dodging now would mean revealing a flaw—and showing a flaw in front of a swordsman of Hawkeye's caliber was tantamount to death!
But Finn didn't dodge.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, focusing on the figure rapidly approaching him.
10 meters...
5 meters...
3 meters!!!
Perfect!
With a light tap of his foot, Finn lifted Xiaoye Shiyu in an instant!
The blade was close to his face, the hilt positioned above his right shoulder, with his left hand gripping the end of the handle in a reverse hold, the tip of the blade pointing forward!
This was the only move in Sasaki Kojiro's swordsmanship that couldn't be executed casually—it had to be used as the opening move for an ultimate attack:
Yan Hui!