I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Yamada Asaemon Katsumi!"

The two of them vanished from their spot in the next instant!

When they reappeared, the fallen leaves on the ground were whipped up by the strong wind pressure generated by their rapid run, and flew everywhere.

Hannya flashed to Kiryu's side—and so did Kiryu.

With a "whoosh," Nagasone Kotetsu made a piercing, sharp sound as it swept across the spot where Mr. Kiryu was standing.

Without even glancing at the path of the blade, Kiryu casually dodged Nagasone Kotetsu's attack by sidestepping.

The next instant, a silver light flashed from under his armpit! It lashed out like a whip towards Prajna's chest!

clang!

Hannya swiftly pulled the sword back to his side, deflecting Kiryu's slash.

In the blink of an eye, the two lunged at each other! Their blades clashed!

Boss Kiryu slashed at Hannya's shoulder.

Prajna then lowered his body and slashed at Kiryu's waist and abdomen in a low stance.

In an instant, swords flashed and shadows danced between the two.

Compared to the speed of their swords, the wind moving through the forest seemed rather slow.

Both born into the Yamada Asaemon family and both trained in "executioner swordsmanship," their swordsmanship shows a striking similarity.

They were all so fast and so precise! Strike at the vital points of the human body with perfect accuracy!

If you dodge too slowly or miss, you'll either die or be maimed!

Suddenly, the two of them stepped back simultaneously, creating distance between them.

Their fight was so intense that it wouldn't be surprising if someone was killed on the spot.

But upon closer inspection, they discovered that both of them were perfectly fine! There were no injuries or marks, not even a drop of blood on the ground, which was truly astonishing!

Prajna did not rush to attack again, but instead asked in a half-joking, half-impatient tone:

"Master, why are you beating so slowly? Where is your incredible breathing technique?"

Kiryu's boss did not respond—or rather, he used "blade" instead of words.

He stepped forward, his steps swift, and raised his sword to strike. In the blink of an eye, the blade was in front of Prajna, cleaving straight at Prajna's crown.

With unhurried ease, Hannya adjusted his stance and lowered his blade—the next instant, he swiftly thrust the blade upwards! The strike was swift and terrifying! Its power far surpassed that of Kiryu's slash!

With a single strike, he deflected Kiryu's sword.

Like being scalded by boiling water, Mr. Kiryu leaned back, trying to get away from Hannya.

However, Hannya followed closely like a shadow, his momentum overwhelming. He swung his sword and pressed down on Kiryu like a mountain collapsing, launching a relentless attack.

He first unleashed a Kesa-zan (a type of sword strike) – Kiryu dodged, and Nagasone Kotetsu's blade whistled past his temple.

Then, he adjusted the direction of the blade and slashed upwards at an angle—Kiryu Boss dodged again, barely avoiding this lightning-fast strike.

Before the attack by Prajna could stop, he quickly unleashed his third strike—the previous move contained the necessary technique for the next. He charged at Kiryu, the tip of his blade aimed straight for his chest.

Kiryu had no time to dodge and could only raise his sword in front of him to defend himself.

clang!!

The heavy impact of the metal striking the metal reverberated through the surrounding air.

Although Mr. Kiryu escaped unharmed, half of his sleeve was still cut off by the blade, and the torn sleeve hung limply down.

In just a few rounds, the difference in their abilities was immediately apparent.

Looking at the severed sleeve, Mr. Kiryu lowered his eyelids, unsure of what to think.

At this moment, Prajna laughed arrogantly:

"Hahaha! Master, see! If you don't use your breathing technique soon, you're going to be defeated!"

Prajna launched another surprise attack, charging forward instantly.

In the blink of an eye, the two were locked in combat again, exchanging blows and neither giving an inch.

Although the two fought fiercely, it was clear to everyone that Kiryu was being suppressed, with fewer and fewer attacks and more and more defenses.

While launching a series of fierce attacks, Hannya managed to spare some attention and shouted to Kiryu-sensei:

"Master, I know what you're thinking!"

"You're just worried about your own physical strength!"

"The 'selflessness state' consumes a lot of physical strength. Once you enter the 'selflessness state,' your physical strength will be drained away as quickly as a flood!"

Physical strength is not your forte.

"Now that I'm older, my physical strength is declining!"

"If you rashly enter the 'state of no self' but fail to defeat me before your physical strength is exhausted, you will undoubtedly be defeated!"

"That's why you're hesitant to enter the 'selfless state' because of this concern. You plan to test my moves first, and then enter the 'selfless state' once you're confident, and then take me down in one fell swoop."

"While your idea is excellent, you've overlooked one thing: after years of hard training, I'm no longer the same person I used to be!"

"Without the blessing of the 'selflessness state,' you wouldn't be able to fight against me now!"

"If this continues, you won't last much longer!"

Having said that, Prajna unleashed an even more ferocious attack.

Horizontal slashes, vertical cuts, diagonal sweeps... one move after another, giving Kiryu no chance to breathe!

"Come on, Master, let's quickly enter the 'state of selflessness'!"

"You're too weak right now! You don't interest me at all!"

"Let's have a good fight!"

In an instant, he swung his knife forward, the incredibly sharp blade slicing across Kiryu's temple once more.

In the next instant, Mr. Kiryu leaped backward as if he were pulling himself up from the ground, moving slightly away from Hannya.

Then, he narrowed his eyes and stared intently at Prajna, who was relentlessly attacking him again, lost in thought.

"Haaaaaah!"

With a strange cry, Hannya aimed at Kiryu's throat, and with a "whoosh," the blade sliced ​​through the air.

The killing intent and power contained in this strike should not be underestimated.

Strangely, the statue of Kiryu showed no reaction whatsoever.

He lowered his head, looking at his toes, his shoulders slumped naturally, and the knife in his hand dragged on the ground.

Due to the angle of view, Hannya couldn't see Kiryu's expression at all.

Everything that followed... happened in the blink of an eye!

clang!!

A deafening clang of metal clashing echoed through the air—Kiryu wielded his sword with one hand, the blade slicing through space, causing Nagasone Kotetsu's sword path to veer off course, futilely sweeping towards the empty atmosphere.

Just a moment ago, Kiryu was still defending against Hannya's attack.

But in the next instant, he switched from defense to offense! He transformed the action of sheathing his sword into a slash! Swift as lightning, he struck at Prajna's right wrist!

The speed of the movement was so fast that even Prajna couldn't help but slightly change her expression.

Almost at the same instant that Kiryu slashed back with his sword, Hannya reflexively did a backflip, leaping 5 or 6 meters away in one breath.

"...Prajna, do you wish to witness my 'state of no-self'?"

As Mr. Kiryu spoke, he slowly raised his head.

"If that's the case, then I'll grant your wish!"

Accompanied by impassioned words, Kiryu's gaze rose and shot straight at Hannya—whose eyes gleamed with a strange light, and whose aura underwent a significant change.

Prajna lowered his head and glanced at his right arm—although his leap back had dodged the injury, his clothes had been torn, and half of his short sleeve was hanging limply down.

"Very good...that's how it should be!"

Hannya turned to look at Mr. Kiryu and glared at him without fear.

"Now, the real 'master-disciple duel' begins!"

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By the time you see this, it should already be October 1st... A new month has arrived! And it's still double monthly vote time! Readers who have monthly votes, please be sure to vote for this book! (Crying leopard head.jpg)

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

P.S.: I don't know if you've noticed, but Prajna can be quite talkative at times. Once she starts talking, she just keeps going on and on.

Chapter 856 Facing Off at the Middle Gate! Boss Kiryu Defeated! [5500]

Kiryu's chest heaved up and down in a strange rhythm.

He had only changed his breathing rhythm, but in that instant, he seemed like a completely different person, exuding a powerful and unapproachable aura!

At the same time, his eyes and expression became extremely strange.

At first glance, there seems to be nothing special about him; he just has a calm gaze and a composed expression.

In reality, it would be inappropriate to describe it using common words like "calm," "peaceful," or "neither sad nor happy."

More accurately, the look and expression he etched in his eyes gave people a feeling of... "emptiness".

It seemed as if it wasn't looking at anything, yet it also seemed as if it was gazing at everything within its sight, and at a world much more distant.

Seeing that Kiryu had finally shown his true skills, Hannya grinned and revealed an excited smile.

"'A breathing method that allows one to freely enter a state of selflessness'... No matter how many times I read it, it is still so incredible!"

As he spoke, he spread his legs, held his knife in front of him, and stood ready for battle.

"Master! Before you run out of energy, hurry up and attack!"