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

Hongo Taito's attack was frozen in mid-air.

All three referees simultaneously raised the red flag, declaring the attack valid.

"Face! One sho! Uesugi wins!"

"Wonderful." A teacher from an ancient swordsmanship school in the audience was the first to smile and applaud.

Snap, snap...

The applause gradually grew louder.

no doubt.

Whether viewed by laymen or experts, this was a thrilling match.

We lost...so quickly...?

Hongo Taito was somewhat puzzled, but his opponent had indeed hit him.

He dislikes underestimating his opponents; his profession and experience have taught him that underestimating an opponent will only bring pain and regret.

But why...did we still lose?

It was hard to understand, and I even felt a tightness in my chest that I couldn't expel.

Hongo Taito listened to the enthusiastic applause surrounding him, but it didn't belong to him. The discussions of the audience around him calmed him down considerably.

At the beginning, I had a great chance and an absolute advantage, so why did I lose?

After thinking it over, he put away his bamboo knife and gave a sincere bow to the young man in front of him.

Uesugi Kai sheathed his bamboo sword at his waist and returned the greeting with a nod.

Hongo Taito watched his retreating figure. Although he had lost this round... as a detective, he had lost to a young man with more than ten years of kendo experience... but for some reason, he didn't feel the same dull feeling he had just experienced.

After a short rest, in the second round, he gripped his bamboo sword, adjusted his mindset, and looked at Uesugi Kai, who was also wielding a sword to meet his attack. He began to try to find a way to defeat his enemy.

###Chapter 372 National Kendo Tournament (2)###

Hongo Taito has participated in several kendo tournaments and is quite experienced.

In this second round, he intended to first figure out Uesugi Kai's fighting style before responding accordingly.

But before he could think further, Uesugi Kai attacked him in one fell swoop.

"A preemptive attack?"

Hongo Taito raised his hand to parry, but Uesugi Kai's strength was bizarre. Despite being a head taller than him, nearly 2 meters tall, he was still forced back step by step.

The opponent is clever; even though he is strong, he doesn't choose to attack head-on. He tries to swing to the left as much as possible, attacking from the side to reduce risk while stopping his own sword.

The local watershed is clear.

This is one of the three killing techniques in swordsmanship: the Killing Sword.

While attacking, deliberately press down on the opponent's bamboo sword three inches from the end of the blade, forcing them to deflect the attack from the right, left, or both sides, thus preventing the opponent from keeping the bamboo sword in the center.

The result of not being able to keep the bamboo sword in the center is that one is constantly parrying left and right, completely losing the initiative to attack.

Even when attacking, Uesugi Kai managed to keep him in a sticky position, and Hongo Taito was never able to seize the center line under the opponent's killing sword techniques.

He now understood just how difficult this young man was to deal with.

Chopping with the bamboo knife!

Snapped--!

A sharp sound.

Hongo Taito held his bamboo sword to his chest and took a step back, thus blocking Uesugi Kai's attack.

His teammates from his hometown sat cross-legged on the periphery of the field watching the game.

The area in front is a square playing field.

The three referees were moving around in accordance with the movements of the two players.

Sitting directly opposite are the contestants from Wuxin Dojo.

It is common for fellow students from the same school to form a team in competitions.

As long as they are old enough, have competition experience, and have enough people (five in total), they can participate in the competition.

Fellow students bring fellow students, colleagues bring colleagues.

The police are a force that cannot be ignored in the world of kendo.

To the police officers from Ehime Prefecture, Hongo Taito's disadvantage in the match was incomprehensible.

After all, it was usually the local bully who would smugly dominate them.

He is a criminal investigator and a team leader; his abilities are beyond question.

"Captain...why aren't we attacking?"

"It's not that I'm not going to attack... but... I... it's hard to say."

"Yumi-san, did you notice anything? The captain...?"

The black-haired police officer named Shishido Yuuya sat upright with a serious expression.

He was the deputy commander in the team, the deputy captain of the criminal investigation team at the Ehime Prefectural Police Headquarters.

When asked by his colleagues and friends, he shook his head.

This scene was absurd; their captain was being overpowered by a young man who had just turned eighteen.

Keep in mind that swordsmen his age are still in the novice stage.

Many people who are new to Kendo instinctively bow respectfully to their seniors and humbly seek their guidance.

Now...

A junior dominating a senior...?

Where would that leave the senior's face?

In any case, Hongo Taito is a graduate of the police academy and has been training in the police supervising style for more than ten years, so he has rich practical experience.

When he's on a mission, even three or five ordinary people or thugs working together can't subdue him.

Although this is a competition, there are rules to follow.

But from a purely swordsmanship perspective, it shouldn't be that outrageous.

There's no reason for a junior to overpower a senior.

Outrageous.

This is a national competition, and the team was nominated and selected by the local Kendo Association.

Their victory also represents the honor of their region.

Below each player's name on the scoreboard, their place of origin and identity are written.

For example, under the name of Uesugi Kai, there is a note in parentheses: "Disciple of the Yoshin Itto-ryu style in Chiyoda Ward, third dan".

Hongo Taito's name, in small print below it, reads: "Ehime Prefectural Police Headquarters Police Officer, 6th Dan."

The captain, a general, was the first to take the field; he was an adult in his forties.

Facing an 18-year-old, they lost a point in the first round and were dominated in the second round.

If this gets out to the media and netizens across the country see it, they'll surely take the opportunity to mock the police as a bunch of good-for-nothings, parasites who eat the people's tax money, and a dignified criminal investigation captain from Ehime Prefecture headquarters who can't even beat a greenhorn.

Yuya Shishido didn't want to hear or see such statements.

The captain is a courageous policeman who has been on dozens of missions, both big and small.

He was very responsible as the captain, and to this day, Shishido Yuuya has never been injured while working under him.

This is all thanks to the captain's care.

Shishido Yuya's eyes suddenly lit up.

During the match, Hongo Taito shouted loudly, seized the opportunity, and slashed out from the top three times in a row with his bamboo sword.

The police officers' attacks were quite fierce, shouting and pressing forward.

But Uesugi Kai used counter-attacks to defend against them all. His expression changed, but he remained unmoved in the face of that earth-shattering shout.

It looks just like a tortoise shell!

Shishido Yuuya clenched her fists as she watched from the sidelines.

The Weixin Yidaoliu team was the previous national champion. Whether it's the renowned master of the school or the disciples participating in the competition, their team is quite strong.

But their most formidable player is still their star player from the past two years.

Because of that general... last year's team left a deep impression on him.

I thought that with a new general this year, he wouldn't be too strong, but I was wrong...

It's still such a headache!

Shishido Yuuya felt a surge of excitement, so intense that he wanted to take their captain's place in the match.

But there's nothing we can do... a competition is a competition, and once it starts, there's no way to stop it.

Moreover... if even the captain can't defeat the opponent, how can someone weaker than me have a chance of winning?

In the past, he would never have imagined that he would be overpowered by a kid who was more than ten years younger.

Hongo Taito and Uesugi Kai were locked in a fierce battle, their swords clashing and their blades colliding repeatedly.

Closely following,

Kai Uesugi's blade struck suddenly.

It's unrealistic.

The vigilant Hongo Taito noticed his footsteps. Instead of focusing all his attention on his face defense, he concentrated on his torso.

as predicted.

Uesugi Kai's stance suddenly shifted from the upper to the middle, and the moment he chopped down with his bamboo sword, he pulled back and flicked upwards.