Chihaya Aine is a member of the team Zero

Swish! The blade cut through the flesh.

A huge gash was once again cut into the handsome face of the Hidden Blade Ronin.

This time, the gap stretched from the right corner of his mouth to the base of his left ear.

Although it was painful, fortunately the eyes were not injured and it would not affect the subsequent battle.

Goto Ichiri's fighting style has not changed at all compared to before. It is so fierce that it is hard to imagine that she is a young girl.

Bang!

The sound of footsteps on the ground exploded.

Goto Ichiri, who initiated the pursuit, stepped out with his left foot, stomped hard on the ground in front of him, and then turned his body with his left foot as the axis. The raindrops and blood beads on his body were shaken off, and the hem of his clothes swung out a beautiful semicircle.

She used the centrifugal force brought by rotating her body to chop the thin green in her palm towards the Hidden Blade Ronin!

The blade cut through the falling raindrops, making bursts of crisp sounds.

The crisp sound expanded in the blink of an eye, and then the dazzling sword light crossed the atmosphere and gathered on the body of the Hidden Blade Ronin in one breath.

He instinctively felt that the current Goto Ichiri seemed to be a very different Hidden Blade Ronin from the one just now. In order to be safe, he did not choose to take Goto Ichiri's attack head-on, but chose to retreat conservatively and temporarily avoid the attack.

The wound that Goto Ichiri had just inflicted on Hidden Blade Ronin's face had now healed as before.

While retreating and avoiding Goto Ichiri's slash, the Hidden Blade Ronin couldn't help but stare at the sword that Goto Ichiri had just slashed with a look of surprise.

"Is this... the instant attack of the Standing Style? No... it's very different from the instant attack..."

Bang!

The sound of stomping on the ground was heard again, and Goto Ichiri took a step forward with his right foot.

It seemed as if she didn't intend to let the Hidden Blade Ronin use the American Iai attack like before, and she stuck closely to the Hidden Blade Ronin who had just retreated, preventing him from freeing his hands to draw his gun.

The Hidden Blade Ronin saw clearly that Goto Ichiri took a step forward almost at the same time as he was retreating... no, before he even started retreating, as if he had anticipated that he would step back, so he prevented the Hidden Blade Ronin from escaping his attack range.

“Tsk…! Did she see through all my moves…?”

The Hidden Blade Ronin's face no longer had the calmness he had just shown after successfully seriously injuring Goto Ichiri.

His expression was tense along with his nerves. He tilted the demon sword Muramasa behind him and assumed the "rolling and hitting" posture of Katori Shinto style.

The target of this attack was naturally: Goto Ichiri's already wounded chest. The demon sword Muramasa drew a straight line and approached this target.

However, a scene similar to the previous one happened again.

Goto Ichiri misstepped and dodged, causing the demon sword Muramasa to miss again.

While dodging, Goto Ichiri lifted Bo Midori high above his head and switched to an upper stance.

A flash of white blade appeared in the rain! The thin green blade slashed down from above towards the Hidden Blade Ronin, making a sound in the wind.

He dodged to the right, relying on the extraordinary reaction speed granted by the "power of arrogance". Although Hidden Blade Ronin successfully avoided Goto Ichiri's attack and was not injured at all, his eyes were wide open as if he had been stabbed.

"Manifestation Style? No, it seems to have some shadows of the sword techniques of the Natural Reason Style!"

While he was still immersed in shock, Goto Ichiri's pursuit, as fast as a rainstorm, came again.

Slashing horizontally, slashing downwards, slashing upwards, stabbing...

Every time Goto Ichiri swung his sword, the astonishment in the Hidden Blade Ronin's eyes grew more intense.

Just now, when Goto Ichiri used the two-sword style, he was basically using the two-sword style techniques, so it was not very clear.

And now, after Goto Ichiri sheathed her Izumi-no-Kami Fujiwara Kanesada and only held the thin green sword and switched to Itto-ryu, Hidden Blade Ronin could clearly see every move and every style of Goto Ichiri... which were obviously quite different from the sword techniques of various schools in his memory.

But he could see the shadows of various schools in Goto Ichiri's moves.

The swiftness of the standing style...

Tomita-ryu techniques...

Demonstrating the destructive power of the flow...

The depth of Katori Shinto style...

The calmness of Yagyu Shinkage Ryu...

To use an inappropriate analogy... Goto Ichiri's moves are like a "big dye vat".

Each school took a piece of each and combined them to form Goto Ichiri's "sword".

It's clearly just a "hodgepodge" and a "melting vat"...

But the Hidden Blade Ronin felt the weight of a mountain in Goto Ichiri's sword!

For no apparent reason, Hidden Blade Ronin suddenly recalled what Goto Ichiri had just said to him...

"With such a big gash in your chest, I want to see how long you can hold on!"

The Hidden Blade Ronin took a deep breath, clenched the sword in his hand, changed his fighting style, and launched a fierce and quick attack towards Goto Ichiri!

However, in a place that the Hidden Blade Ronin could not see, the seemingly endless light energy was still repairing Goto Ichiri's wounds.

What on earth had happened to this young woman before him? Why did she suddenly seem to have acquired the ability to predict movements?

The Hidden Blade Ronin knew nothing about it.

But he knew that it was impossible for an ordinary person to be unharmed after having a big hole in his chest.

So, he changed his tactics.

Can't you predict my movements? Can't you dodge them by predicting my movements?

Then we'll see how long you can hold on with your already severely injured body!

He attacked, attacked fiercely, forcing Goto Ichiri to dodge, forcing Goto Ichiri to consume his physical strength.

The development of the situation was just as the Hidden Blade Ronin had expected. Goto Ichiri, who was trying to avoid a sword fight with him because he had a physical advantage, dodged his attacks and was constantly drained of his strength.

This girl named "Ashura" must know that if she continues to fight him like this, her body will sooner or later collapse, the Hidden Blade Ronin thought to himself.

He thought: Goto Ichiri, who had to desperately dodge his attacks, must be feeling anxious now.

However, after looking closely at Goto Ichiri's face, he did not see any trace of anxiety on Goto Ichiri's face.

All he saw was... a smile on Goto Ichiri's face.

It's not a smile mixed with any negative or unnecessary emotions.

Just laugh.

A very pure smile, so pure that it is without any impurities.

"Is this... the realm of transparency...?"

Looking at the world that became "transparent" in front of him, an incomparable feeling of joy surged into Goto Ichiri's heart.

But besides feeling happy... she also felt extremely strange...

The world I see this time... is too transparent!

Be it wind or rain.

Whether it's a person or a sword.

Their trajectory, their every move, are all visible in her eyes!

This feeling...is no longer like the world has become clear in my eyes.

It’s more like I’ve become one with the world!

You are the world, and the world is you!

Why did I suddenly enter this wonderful state of "becoming one with the world", what exactly is this "transparent state"... too many questions came to my mind.

Goto Ichiri didn't know the answers to these questions.

She didn't have time to think about the answers to these questions now.

At this moment, she is immersed in joy.

"Is this... the new 'peak' and 'scenery' on the path of kendo...?"

Goto Ichiri's mouth was slightly open as if he was about to cough, and an uncontrollable smile was on his lips.

Hidden Blade Ronin's previous guess was actually not wrong at all: all his actions were indeed seen through by Goto Ichiri.

Nothing in the world can escape his eyes, and this naturally includes the body of the Hidden Blade Ronin.

Every change in the Hidden Blade Ronin's breathing, the movement of every muscle and every bone, were all visible to Goto Ichiri.

Just by watching the movements of the Hidden Blade Ronin's muscles and bones, Goto Ichiri could accurately recognize what action and move he would make next.

After the Hidden Blade Ronin suddenly changed his tactics and launched a fierce quick attack on him, Goto Ichiri naturally saw what the Hidden Blade Ronin wanted at the first moment.

Although she was temporarily suppressing the pain in her body with her willpower and excitement, if she continued like this, it wouldn't be long before she collapsed from exhaustion.

If it were before, before entering the "transparent state", Goto Ichiri might have felt secretly anxious, and then racked his brains, thinking of ways to counter.

But at this moment she felt exceptionally calm.

Even though he was now relying on the "transparent state" to dodge Goto Ichiri's attacks.

Even though it seems like it won't be long before I collapse from exhaustion.

But Goto Ichiri just felt very calm.

It's like standing on a tranquil lake without a single ripple.

There was only one emotion left in my mind and chest: joy.

Goto Ichiri couldn't stop the smile on his lips.

She knew her current physical condition and was afraid that it would be difficult for her to use the dual sword style, so she just put her Izumi-no-Kami Fujiwara Kanesada back into the sheath and only held the thin green sword with both hands.

There is no need to feel anxious.

There's no need to rush.

I still have the sword.

I still hold the sword!

As long as you have a sword in your hand, you don’t even need to fear death!

Yes.

Put everything into it!

Put your own will.

Put everything you have into the sword in your hand!

Bet everything you have!

Woohoo!

The Hidden Sword Ronin, who was determined to fight Goto Ichiri until he bled to death or was too weak to fight anymore, raised his demon sword Muramasa and stabbed the tip of the sword into Goto Ichiri's chest, and a "wuwu" sound of vibration was heard in the air.

call!

Goto Ichiri used his right foot as the axis, turned his body suddenly, brushed against the tip of the demon sword Muramasa, and dodged to the left side of the hidden sword Ronin!

"what?!"

Goto Ichiri's dodge speed this time far surpassed any of his previous dodges, causing the Hidden Blade Ronin's pupils to shrink uncontrollably.

Bet everything you have!

Goto Ichiri switched to an upper stance with smooth movements and slashed the blade down with an unstoppable momentum.

"Tsk! Then I'll knock your sword away!"

The Hidden Blade Ronin gritted his teeth, raised his sword, and prepared to use brute force to knock Goto Ichiri's sword away.

But at this moment...

Huhu——! !

Gusts of wind blew towards us with terrifying momentum!

The knife-like gale blew up the falling raindrops and made them fly all over the sky!

"what happened?!"

Looking at the sudden strong wind blowing around him, Hidden Blade Ronin's expression changed.