Living in Tokyo, all I want to do is laze around.

The middle layer of the Uesugi Kai bamboo sword ended up in his hands.

"?"

A look of doubt flashed in Ishibashi Kazushi's eyes.

"hand."

Uesugi Kai immediately drew his sword and retreated, preserving his remaining strength.

Two of the three referees saw the attack happen within a second and raised the red flag for Uesugi Kai, indicating that the score was valid.

Ishibashi and Tsukasa stood there stunned for a moment, then realized what was going on. Following the etiquette of kendo, they nodded to Kai Uesugi and bowed.

Even a Kyudo champion can be this good at the National Kendo Championship.

In the audience, reporter Kazuhiro Miyata put down his pen with satisfaction: "I have data to write about when I get home today."

His companion, Jiang Teng Qiyan, asked curiously, "It was only a few seconds of fighting, right? I didn't see it clearly. Can you explain it to me?"

Miyata Kazuhiro looked at him and said, "The previous moves were all about strategy, so I won't go into detail. The most important thing is this last attack. From Ishibashi's perspective, Uesugi's starting stance was definitely a rightward swing, but strangely, he swung to the left, making a backhand strike. Ishibashi was just about to counter with a 'chigiri', but because of Uesugi's unusual position, his counterattack was countered by Uesugi instead. Uesugi also used a 'chigiri' in the same way. With a parry and a counter, Uesugi struck Ishibashi's hand."

"That's impressive."

Jiang Teng Qiyan was actually a little confused. It seemed that Uesugi had countered the opponent's counterattack, but it wasn't that simple.

In short, it means very powerful.

###Chapter 358 Fierce Battle###

After the previous battle, Uesugi Kai took the first point.

The two returned to their original positions on the field, glanced at each other through their masks, and then bowed again, gripping their swords with both hands.

Preparations are underway for a new round of competition.

The referee glanced at both sides and gave the command to begin.

The game timer has started.

In Kendo competitions, you don't just win by hitting the scoring point.

Instead, you need to shout out the corresponding location when you hit the target.

After being hit, quickly retreat to preserve your remaining strength and make a move to prevent the opponent from counterattacking.

This is what is known as the "Qi Sword Body".

The referee will only award a point if the strike contains "Qi Sword Body".

His basic skills were very solid... Ishibashi Kazutsukasa's gaze fell on Uesugi Kai, he took a step back and held his sword in the upper stance.

Having lost the last game, he plans to try a different strategy.

As his opponent retreated, Uesugi Kai also took a step back, intending to observe how Ishibashi would make his move.

In this round, Ishibashi still used the upper right sword stance of the Keishi style as his starting move.

Kai Uesugi's starting stance has changed to a mid-range holding position.

—Right hand in front, left hand behind, bamboo knife held at an angle.

Is it a dragonfly displaying a flow?

Ishibashi and Tsukasa recognized the technique he used and were very curious, wondering how many stages of his demonstration style he had mastered.

Aside from the general kendo ranking system, Jigen-ryu also has its own factional ranking system.

After completing the "first" and "second" stages of practice, practitioners of the Manifestation Stream can attain a rank within the school, which is ranked as first rank, second rank, third rank, and fourth rank.

The ultimate technique of the Shigenryu style is also called the First Sword - Cloud Blade.

Kazushi Ishibashi had sparred with Superintendent Hanamaru in the police station before, but unfortunately, he was completely defeated.

Once the opponent attacks, their momentum, pace, and angle of attack are difficult to withstand, and they are forced to retreat step by step.

Kai Uesugi's manifestation flow was a bit strange; it didn't have a monkey's cry.

It is important to know that in the manifestation stream, the breath control of the monkey's cry is extremely important.

Combined with the powerful and miraculous New Year's greeting sword technique and a sharp roar, it can make the opponent lose their focus for a moment.

Let's return to the competition.

The two probed each other for a few seconds, their sword tips swirling and swinging, exchanging glances.

Finally, Uesugi Kai was the first to draw his sword.

Ishibashi Kazushi was very experienced. He took a smooth step back and swung his bamboo sword downwards from his upper right position, striking the middle of Uesugi Kai's bamboo sword.

With a snap, Ishibashi gripped the hilt of the knife even tighter.

"He's very strong."

Ishibashi Kazushi silently muttered a phrase to himself, held the swords to the sides, and used the [Kenkiri] technique to counterattack, pushing aside Uesugi Kai's bamboo sword.

With two loud thuds, the sword struck Uesugi Kai's bamboo sword from below, and then, in the next second, he suddenly twisted his wrist and slashed diagonally from the side.

He had expected Uesugi Kai to step back, causing their bamboo swords to collide and remain locked in mid-air.

But he didn't expect his opponent to take an unconventional approach, choosing to jump back a large step to create distance and then unleashing a powerful Kasaya Slash straight at him.

The stone bridge was so fast that it could only parry.

With a loud crack, the bamboo knife vibrated, and even the bamboo pieces were smashed into fragments.

Ishibashi and Tsukasa defended themselves, but their hands went numb from the vibrations transmitted through the sword.

He gritted his teeth.

This kid is really strong!

Uesugi Kai showed no mercy. Seeing him retreating steadily, he quickly took a small step back, retracting his bamboo sword as he pushed off with his toes, raising the sword and delivering a leaping slash downwards, all while shouting:

"noodle!!"

Snapped--!

The chopping sound was quite crisp!

The outcome of a kendo match can be decided in a single second. When the audience saw Uesugi Kai suddenly leap up, his bamboo sword falling straight down to deliver a strike that resounded throughout the stadium, they were even ready to applaud and cheer the next second.

However, Ishibashi and Tsukasa suddenly bent their left legs and pulled their right feet back, lowering their center of gravity.

At the same time, grip the handle of the sword with both hands in reverse, and in the brief moment that Uesugi Kairi lowers the bamboo sword, raise your own bamboo sword diagonally upwards.

Uesugi Kai was originally going to attack him, but he just pushed him away like that.

The blade slid down the slope in an instant, and even after correcting the attack position, it only struck his neck.

This is a part that cannot be scored.

Just like that, by some strange twist of fate, Ishibashi Kazuya's hands twirled, and the bamboo sword spun around in his hands as if he were playing with it. In an instant, he switched from a backhand to a righthand grip, and the tip of the sword drew a spiral arc in the air.

The next second, the leather landed on Kai Uesugi's mask.

"noodle!"

Ishibashi and Kazuya shouted decisively, quickly stood up and jumped back, raising their knives with both hands, maintaining their Zanshin stance.

All three referees raised their flags simultaneously, ruling the hit a valid strike.

wonderful.

The audience erupted in applause.

Ishibashi Kazushi exhaled a breath of hot air from a distance, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead through his mask.

Kai Uesugi always tried to get close to him and hit him, but he was very strong and had a hard time defending himself.

He even wanted to complain: why did he have to learn the Manifestation Stream?

If you fail to effectively attack the enemy base or get close to them at the beginning, you will have to withstand several waves of attacks from them.

The bamboo knife made a series of sharp, cracking sounds.

The score is now 1-1 in the final match.

auditorium.

Jiang Teng Qiyan looked at the young man in the square area whose name tag read "Uesugi":

"I didn't expect this archery champion to be so good. He was able to fight back and forth with the fifth-dan general from the Metropolitan Police Department."

Miyata Kazuhiro pondered over his notes, muttering to himself about the title he needed to write for today's manuscript: "Genius? The word 'genius' feels meaningless; everyone is a genius... But he is indeed young. I wonder what level of talent he is."

Jiang Tengqi thought for a moment: "At this age, he should be at the third dan level."

"Probably so."

"By the way, did you know the name of the last move that Ishibashi used? It looked pretty cool."

"Yes, the Eight-Ten-Slash in the form of a katana." Miyata Kazuhiro memorized the name of the move he had learned over the years.

The names of these techniques are mostly written in military books, belonging to ancient sword techniques.

Jiang Teng Qiyan: "So what do you think of the title, 【Eight Days of Slash! - A Counterattack from the Brink】?"

After thinking for a moment, Miyata Kazuhiro nodded: "Hmm... not bad, the more exaggerated the better. Anyway, everyone likes a bit chuunibyou (a Japanese term for someone with delusions of grandeur). But the competition isn't over yet."

The senior students sitting behind the referee were also surprised that their junior brother was really so impressive.

Although they managed to pull back a point in the second game, the strength they displayed was enough to amaze everyone.

Keep in mind, the other party is from the Metropolitan Police Department.

At the dojo, the other senior students could only see Uesugi Kai practicing basic movements.

I didn't expect that he would still have so much talent once he got to the competition.

The third game.

Kazushi Ishibashi and Kai Uesugi bowed again.

After two rounds of negotiation, both sides had gained some understanding of each other's strengths and weaknesses.

The referee signaled for the game to resume.