Female Swordsman Training Dojo

Chapter 90: All Members Advance

Saten Yoko had already begun to retract her katana the instant she missed, completing her regrouping before Yamashita Kitano. With the sound of the scabbard hitting the ground, she shouted and unleashed a high-speed, chaotic slash.

The clanging of metal filled the air, the high-speed collision of blades and the swordsmen's equally rapid movements captivated the audience, drawing cheers and even comments from those in the know that Saten Yoko was more skilled than Hira Sachiko, a statement that left those in the know both amused and exasperated.

The assassins from the Demon Dragon Society, in particular, were all wide-eyed. They never expected that this unlucky guy, Yamashita, would get such a big win. The difference in strength between this Saten Yoko and the previous three people was too great, wasn't it?

Despite their seemingly evenly matched and intense battle, these veterans could clearly see that Saten Yoko was inexperienced and her stamina was waning.

As expected, after this tense and exciting exchange of blows, Saten Yoko's movements began to become scattered, and she had to take the initiative to retreat and create distance after one exchange of blows.

"Huff, huff..." Saten Yoko stared at Yamashita Kitano, who was still calm on the other side, but bent down to pick up the scabbard at her feet and put the sword back in its sheath.

"Still planning to use the drawing sword technique?" Yamashita Kitano was full of confidence at this moment, and simply raised the katana in his hand, assuming a high stance.

With this strike, he intended to kill Saten Yoko along with the scabbard!

The standoff lasted only a few seconds. After feeling his strength had reached its peak, Yamashita Kitano once again took the lead in launching an attack.

Heavy footsteps pounded on the solid wooden floor, and the raised katana reflected the setting sun, shining on Saten Yoko. Seeing Saten Yoko squinting, Yamashita Kitano quickened his pace, swiftly crossing half the distance.

But Saten Yoko had already turned around, ready to draw her sword.

Ha, so our judgment has actually been interfered with, and we can't even accurately estimate the correlation anymore!

Kitano Yamashita shouted excitedly, pretending to be close enough to attack. Sure enough, Yoko Saten threw her sword away.

what!

Yamashita Kitano watched as Saten Yoko spun around at high speed, as if she were about to use the same lightning-fast sword-drawing technique as before. But this time, the katana hidden in the sheath was not pulled out at high speed as before, but shot out straight like an arrow!

This is the Flying Dragon Flash of the Flying Sword Style!

Kitano Yamashita was in the midst of his charge and shouting, so he had no time to reply.

Chapter 92

avoid.

The flying hilt of the sword slammed heavily into Yamashita Kitano's stomach. The two, rushing forward, made a heavy sound at the same time. The tough skin remained unchanged, but the dull pain from the hilt strike was also unaffected. Yamashita Kitano continued to run wildly with a contorted face, his eyes turning completely black from the unexpected blow.

With this persistence, he successfully brought Saten Yoko into his attack range, but the transformed stance made him abandon the pre-prepared Kesa Slash and switch to a horizontal slash.

That stupid woman who dropped her knife in the life-or-death battle, just die right here!

The blade sliced ​​through the air, but it only struck a patch of air.

The moment she threw her weapon, Saten Yoko was already gathering her strength, and by the time Yamashita Kitano got close, she had already jumped high into the air.

Her jumping ability is pretty good. In Hanazawa Nana's words, it's probably because she doesn't have any unwanted fat and is very light.

A thought inexplicably flashed through Saten Yoko's mind. The annoyance she felt when she heard it before had now turned into excitement. With a light movement of her body, she slammed the scabbard down heavily, hitting Yamashita Kitano on the head.

Flying Sword Style: Dragon Hammer Flash

The blow to the head caused Kitano Yamashita to pause, his head sinking down, landing right at Yoko Saten's feet.

The sturdy wooden clogs were placed on his head, and Saten Yoko, who had leaped high into the air once more, raised her scabbard again.

Flying Sword Style: Dragon Hammer Flash!

The fragile neck was struck by a scabbard forged from hardwood and reinforced with iron hoops. Yamashita Kitano's pure black eyes burst with bloodshot veins, but his "illness" was different from Narusawa's. He couldn't make his body muscles mutate, and could only helplessly be pressed to the ground by the force of the blow, along with Saten Yoko's weight.

On the ground lay a knife that had been thrown out.

Kitano Yamashita had tried his best to get up the moment he landed, but his "illness" gave him tough skin, so this level of attack couldn't even hurt him, and naturally it didn't hinder his movements.

Even with Saten Yoko's knife at his neck, and by the rules he had already lost beyond anything, he still wanted to retaliate without fear. However, before he could finish his move, he froze on the spot.

will die.

If we continue, we will die.

The cruel thunder echoed in the air. Harunobu coldly looked at the murderous intent above Kitano's head and exhaled deeply.

Unaware of Kitano Yamashita's underhanded tactics, the host ran onto the ring according to the rules and loudly announced, "The match is over!"

"The winner! Aozorakan! Saten Yoko!"

The audience turned their gaze away from the sky, putting aside the fact that the sky was clear but there was faint thunder, and cheered for Saten Yoko, with the loudest cheer coming from Hanazawa Nana.

"Yoto Hime! You're the best!!!"

Having just won the match, Saten Yoko was genuinely excited and happy. Upon hearing this, she stumbled and almost fell flat on her face. But as soon as she regained her balance, she immediately raised her scabbard and charged towards Hanazawa Nana's location.

The clueless guy immediately fled towards the teachers' college, shouting as he ran, "Teachers' College, help! Yaodao-hime has gone berserk!"

Harunobu withdrew his gaze from Yamashita Kitano, grabbed the clueless girl with a hint of annoyance, and tossed her to Yoto Hime... ah, no, Saten Yoko, then watched as she received her usual beating.

Amu Hosho was also watching this scene. She gently pressed her palm down, feeling an inexplicable weight rising in her heart. It was as if some voice was giving her a hint, but she couldn't make it out clearly.

Well, the competition is almost over anyway, let's meet up with the teachers from the Normal School first.

Hojo Amu stood up and walked to Harunobu's place.

"Ah, Amu." Harunobu nodded to her. "Do you want to go back? Let's wait a little longer. Although we don't have any more players on our side, there's only one match left anyway."

With that, Harunobu looked helplessly at Hanazawa Nana: "Nana, you were lucky to get a bye this time, but you might not get one next time. You'd better practice when you get back."

Saten Yoko gripped Hanazawa Nana's shoulders and said calmly, "I will keep a close eye on her. Teacher, starting tonight, I won't let her sleep until she completes a thousand repetitions."

"Are you a ghost?!" Hanazawa Nana exclaimed in shock. "A thousand times! That's a thousand times! Nana-sama's arm will break if she does it more than a hundred times, you know?"

"It's alright. There's a very powerful shrine near my house, and the shrine maidens there are very kind."

"Why are you using that 'it doesn't matter if I die' tone?! You demon! You're not human! You demon sword princess!"

"Okay! Let's start with two thousand times tonight."

The noisy, clueless, and grumpy man instantly changed the atmosphere on the judges' panel. Even the shameless monk's expression softened considerably, and he added with a smile, "For Master Ping's sake, if Miss Hanazawa gets injured, I can also help treat her."

"Don't get involved," Harunobu said, steer the conversation back on track. "Did you notice what happened to Kitano at the foot of the mountain just now? Those eyes..."

"Ah, he probably took some kind of medicine," the head monk said dismissively. "I didn't sense any magical aura or demonic energy, and the power he unleashed was just average. It's impossible to judge him for violating the rules based on that, since the rules don't say he can't take medicine."

"I see..." Harunobu watched as Kitano merged into the crowd and joined his companions. The surging flow of people made it impossible for him to see what was on their heads, but the previous [killing intent] was genuine.

Is this another move by the Demon Dragon Society?

Harunobu immediately suspected this persistent entity, then turned to the master craftsman of Toshogu Shrine: "Master Toshogu, do you know who is protecting the Demon Dragon Society?"

The author says:

Author's Note: Please vote! Please keep reading!

Chapter 91: The Waves After the First Day

Toshogu Shūshō was not surprised by Harunobu's question. It was no secret that the son of the Demon Dragon Guild's leader had died at Harunobu's hands, after all, that was Harunobu's debut battle.

“However, Master Hei, you are quite direct.” The master craftsman of Toshogu Shrine clasped his hands together in front of his chest and smiled meaningfully.

Harunobu had no interest in playing riddles and turned directly to Kujou Ryugetsu: "Grandma Kujou, do you know?"

Without even glancing at Toshogu Shūshō, Kujō Ryūgetsu immediately interjected, "Those thugs are backed by the Choshu Domain's military forces, though only a part of them. The Demon Dragon Society has quite a few retired Choshu Domain soldiers in it."

The profound meaning on Toshogu Sōshō's face disappeared, and he looked helplessly at Kujō Ryūgetsu. He had just had a sudden outburst of his Zen master occupational habit and forgotten that there was a fellow practitioner next to him.

Moreover, this colleague also had a minor grudge against him.

Seeing the expression on Toshogu Shūshō's face, Kujō Ryūgetsu became even happier, and soon Harunobu had seen through the Demon Dragon Society's true colors.

The biggest backer of the Demon Dragon Society is the Japanese military—not the entire Japanese military, of course—the Japanese army is still traditionally divided into numerous factions, with powerful domains such as Choshu, Satsuma, and Sendai constantly vying for power, not to mention the modern conflicts between land and sea.

However, all Kujo Ryugetsu knew was that the Demon Dragon Society was related to certain people in the Choshu Domain, because the Demon Dragon Society often had members with Choshu Domain accents and a distinctly military air about them.

The re-employment of laid-off veterans is an example of this.

With such a powerful backer, it's no wonder that the Demon Dragon Society has grown to its current size, even to the point of daring to attack samurai.

Harunobu stroked his chin, but his gaze shifted to Kitano's group at the foot of the mountain. They seemed to be behaving normally, leaving with the crowd. Harunobu couldn't follow them under the watchful eyes of everyone.

As for asking Granny Kujo or the head priest of Toshogu Shrine to use magic to monitor them, we're not that close to them yet. It's better to ask Tanaka Masaru instead.

Chapter 93

First, it may not be as effective, but it is safer.

As Harunobu was reading, he heard the voice of the Toshogu Shrine Master again. The great monk was indeed shameless, completely forgetting his previous pretense of profundity: "Master Hei, is the Demon Dragon Society still harassing you lately?"

“I killed Suzuki Ryuichi’s son, Master.” Harunobu shrugged. Of course, he wouldn’t say that he had personally slaughtered dozens of people in the Demon Dragon Society and tricked more than two hundred others to death. He just used the obvious facts to gloss over the matter. The master craftsman of Toshogu Shrine did not ask any further questions. He understood the principle of not speaking too much with someone you don’t know well.

However, he still put his hands together and said, "Since you, Master Ping, are willing to resolve this conflict, perhaps this humble monk can help you mediate?"

"Gorilla, you should save your breath." Although Kujou Ryuzuki only knew about the surface-level conflict between Harunobu and the Demon Dragon Society, she understood Harunobu's style better than the Toshogu Shrine Master.

Tōshōgū Sōshō now feels that although Harunobu is in the upper hand, he probably still doesn't want to offend the military and wants to reconcile with the constantly harassing Demon Dragon Society, but he can't bring himself to do it, after all, he's a young man.

But Kujo Ryuzuki had treated Hiraharu Nobu more than once, and she knew very well that the child was probably thinking about how to kill all the Demon Dragon Society without offending the military.

But that's impossible. Unless the Demon Dragon cuts ties with the military first, such a high-quality source of benefits and such an excellent re-employment community for retired veterans would be a great investment for those corrupt military personnel.

Just as Kujo Ryuzuki was pondering how to persuade Taira Harunobu without triggering the rebellious feelings common among men his age, Harunobu changed the subject himself.

"In that case, I'll have to trouble you, Master Toshogu," Harunobu said with a smile. "But I have no reward to offer you."

"Then consider this an extra apology to you. Please continue to patronize our Senso-ji Temple events in the future." The master of Toshogu Shrine smiled brightly. After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Harunobu led his disciples on their return journey.

As the crowd dispersed, details of today's competition began to spread rapidly. No matter where they were, when talking about today's competition, they couldn't avoid mentioning the outstanding performance or bloody acts of the Qingkong Pavilion disciples.

Hira Yukiko, who can kill her enemy in one blow; Hira Koneko, who shows unparalleled skills; Hosho Amu, who is fierce and cruel and kills on the spot; Saten Yoko, who is full of ideas and agile; and even Hanazawa Nana, who should have been questioned because of her bye, have all become hidden strongmen.

These messages quickly spread throughout Asakusa Ward and then to Shitaya Ward, thanks to the words of onlookers. The momentum had initially slowed down, but by then, reporters from various newspapers and magazines had already written their articles. With the help of a mysterious force, these magazines and newspapers completed a round of printing and distribution that very night. The various reports, some praising and some criticizing, reignited the buzz, causing the Asakusa Ward swordsmanship tournament to instantly climb to the top of Tokyo's trending topics list, attracting attention from all sides.

At the Lin Yin Pavilion, Lin Youemon was holding a brightly colored magazine and looking at it when he suddenly laughed out loud: "Haha, I didn't expect that kid to be not only talented, but also good at teaching his apprentices... Hmm, the lightning-fast female Battosai, the exquisitely skillful Bow-Waist Princess... These reporters really dare to say anything."

"Very well, let me go and see just how strong these female swordsmen are!"

"Huh?" Lin Youemon's eldest disciple looked at his master who was laughing heartily and was speechless. "Master, this competition is restricted to non-dojo masters under the age of 30."

"So you're the ones who need to go!" Lin Youemon sat up. "You're exactly 29 this year, right? Why don't we just pick a few more to go?"

"Huh?" The eldest disciple pointed at himself in surprise, "I beat up those women who had only been learning for a few months?"

"Well, so if you lose, I'll have to expel you from my school, you disgraceful fellow." Lin Youmen said cheerfully, causing his eldest disciple's face to fall.

He's studied swordsmanship for eighteen years, but now he's going to fight a woman who's only been learning swordsmanship for a few months?

Not only is winning something to be expected, but it's also a disgrace. If he were to lose, not only would the teachers' college want to punish him, but he himself wouldn't be able to bear the humiliation.

But he couldn't ignore the teacher's words, so Yagyu Shinnosuke sighed and bowed to Hayashi Uemon: "Yes, teacher."

"Go ahead, pick a few little things to take with you." Lin Youemon waved his hand, completely unconcerned that the registration deadline for the swordsmanship competition had long passed.

Just kidding. Is Lin Yin Kan participating to give face to the competition, or because of the hype surrounding Qing Kong Kan? Even if Senso-ji Temple isn't happy... well, Lin Yin Kan still can't compare to Senso-ji Temple, but right now, there must be countless others who share his thoughts.

Rin Uemon was right. The entire Tokyo dojo was buzzing with excitement because of those inexplicably spreading magazines, all wanting to experience the "unparalleled" and "invincible" Natural Harushin-ryu style.

At the headquarters of the Demon Dragon Society, Suzuki Ippei, who had just single-handedly sent today's competition to the top of the trending searches, exhaled a puff of smoke and said to Suzuki Ryuichi, whose face was dark: "Just wait, there's going to be a good show soon. Remember to make use of those failed products one last time before sending them out."

Chapter 92: The Free Trial Declaration

the next morning.

Inside the Nichishun-ryo of the Aozorakan, Harunobu was entertaining the Sōshō-shū of Tōshō-gū, a hint of surprise still on his face.

Although they had a pleasant chat yesterday, it's hardly enough to warrant the headmaster of Toshogu Shrine personally arriving at the Sosakukan at 7 a.m.

In this era, the status of samurai was actually similar to that of monks, priests, and other spellcasters—after all, they really knew magic. The declining dojo, Aozorakan, was not on the same level as the once glorious Senso-ji Temple, which had been in existence for a hundred years. It might even be possible for the Shojo of Toshogu to "summon" Harunobu.

However, Harunobu soon understood the reason why Toshogu Sōshō had done this.

"What do you mean by saying that the number of participants has expanded to six hundred and is still increasing, so the next competition will be postponed?"

Qingxin tilted his head, wondering if he was under some kind of illusion, or if he was still dreaming. He could understand every word the big monk was saying, but he couldn't understand the meaning when they were put together.

Toshogu Shrine Master had a wry smile on his face. He hadn't expected this to happen. The publicity he had arranged was only in the vicinity of Asakusa Ward. The reactions in neighboring areas such as Shitaya, Kanda, and Honjo were still in the planning stage. But now, how come everyone in the Minato Ward knows about the Asakusa Ward's real sword match? And they're even calling themselves challengers of Musou Shinsuke and the Bow-Waisted Demon Princess—those reporters really came up with such exaggerated titles!

The problem is that samurai, swordsmen, and even ordinary people all fall for this.

The master craftsman of Toshogu Temple handed Harunobu several magazines and newspapers to him: "Master Taira, you'll understand after you've read these."

Qingxin took these things and flipped through them. From the exaggerated titles such as "A Genius Female Swordsman Who Appears Once in a Millennium," "The Peerless Thunder Sword That Transmits the Teachings of Gods and Buddhas," and "Unparalleled in Heaven and Earth...", he realized that he had been flattered to death.

Discarding the literary garbage filled with exaggerated descriptions of 1000%, Qingxin pinched the bridge of his nose: "So, now my dear colleagues are all resentful and want to challenge me, this ignorant and arrogant young junior, right?"