Leno knocked Kuina back with a single slash, his long blade angled toward the ground as he spoke with a serious expression.
"Kuina, don't overthink it. Your path of the sword requires unwavering conviction."
Hearing Leno's admonition, Kuina froze for a moment, then smiled softly.
"What are you imagining? I was just feeling something in the moment—that's all. I didn't think too deeply about it."
"Huh? So I was the one overthinking it?"
Leno looked a little awkward. Turns out he'd been worrying for nothing.
But on second thought, that made sense. It had been so long—if something were really wrong with her, there was no way he wouldn't have noticed.
Seeing Leno's embarrassment, Kuina simply smiled without saying anything. She understood that he'd only been worried about her.
But her path of the sword had long since become perfectly clear. Nothing could shake it anymore.
Just as the two were exchanging a rather tender gaze, a slightly displeased voice came from the distance.
"Hey! Are you two done flirting? I'm waiting to fight here!"
Yamato had already found it boring just watching the two of them trade blows—and now they'd even started chatting.
She was feeling irritable. Earlier, she hadn't gotten to fight to her heart's content at all. She just wanted to hurry up and have a proper match with Leno.
Hearing Yamato's complaints, Leno shot her an annoyed glare over his shoulder. This brat really deserved a beating—he'd make sure to teach her a lesson later.
Then he turned back to Kuina and nodded slightly.
"Continue?"
Kuina's expression sharpened. She leaned forward slightly, Sakura Veil in her hand gleaming with radiant light as her aura surged upward.
A moment later, she swung Sakura Veil with force.
A massive pink sword wave, carrying an unstoppable momentum, shot straight toward Leno.
Leno's eyes lit up as he watched the attack approach. Interesting—she'd already touched the threshold.
Without hesitation, Huangquan swept out in a wide arc, releasing a sword wave of his own.
The two sword energies collided midair, producing the screeching clang of metal striking metal.
They ground against each other, locked in a brief stalemate, before both shattered at once. The violent shockwave sent ripples through the surrounding air.
Before the shockwave could dissipate, Kuina's wings snapped open behind her.
Her figure blurred into an afterimage and vanished. In the next instant, a massive slash came crashing down from above Leno's head.
As if he had anticipated it, Leno dragged Huangquan's tip along the ground and lifted it upward in a smooth motion, blocking the strike head-on.
Another piercing ring echoed out as Leno bent his knees slightly.
The ground beneath his feet couldn't withstand the force and collapsed, cracks twisting outward in all directions.
After holding for a moment, Leno tightened his grip and flung Kuina away.
Then he flickered forward in pursuit, swinging his blade and sending another sword wave toward the airborne Kuina.
Kuina crossed her blade to block, but was still blasted far back by the impact. Her wings beat furiously, and using the recoil, she finally stabilized herself in midair.
As the sword wave shattered, Kuina's blade slowly took on a golden hue.
At the same time, her figure vanished abruptly, reappearing in front of Leno as if by teleportation. Sakura Veil came down in a decisive slash!
When the attack was blocked, Kuina didn't linger. She disappeared again—and Leno followed immediately.
Their figures became a tangle of afterimages, flickering unpredictably across the battlefield.
The range affected by the battle's aftermath kept expanding. Already battered, the island was torn apart even further by violent air currents and scattered sword energy.
Finally seeing the scene she'd been waiting for, Yamato grinned.
"Haha!"
"Yes, yes—this is it!"
Yamato swung her kanabo excitedly, itching to charge in and fight them both for three hundred rounds.
This was what a battle was supposed to look like. If they'd done this from the start, there'd have been no need for her to prod them.
Watching Yamato's exuberant behavior, Reiju couldn't help covering her mouth as she laughed.
"It's not just that she likes watching. This is exactly her kind of fighting style. As Leno likes to say— she likes things 'flashy'..."
After spending so much time together, Nojiko and the others had come to understand Yamato's personality quite well. She loved loud, spectacular battles.
And it was precisely that personality that had given them headaches for years—no matter how long it'd been, they still hadn't managed to change her.
"This kind of fighting style is what a real man should have~"
Yamato didn't really understand what they meant, but to her, fighting was all about looking cool and feeling even better.
Hearing Yamato's "real man" declaration, Nojiko and Reiju exchanged helpless looks.
It seemed Yamato's childhood experiences had left a deep mark on her personality. Changing her anytime soon was probably impossible.
After that brief interlude, everyone refocused on the battle ahead.
In the field, Leno and Kuina were thrown backward after another powerful clash.
Taking a deep breath, Kuina now had a thin sheen of sweat on her cheeks.
She glanced toward the spectators before turning back to Leno.
"Let's not waste everyone's time. Next, we'll decide it in one move."
Leno felt the same. At this point, continuing wouldn't change the outcome.
Seeing Kuina already set in her stance, Leno shifted his foot slightly back, power gathering in his legs.
The ground exploded beneath him as his figure vanished.
Kuina's situation mirrored his almost exactly. Their figures crossed paths mid-charge.
In that instant, they moved so fast the naked eye could barely track them. When they reappeared, both had their backs to each other.
Leno lowered his head to look—a shallow cut lay across his chest. Before the blood could even flow, the wound was already healing.
Behind him, Kuina tilted her head slightly to look at her shoulder. A slash had torn through her clothes, exposing the skin beneath.
"You held back."
Kuina turned around to face Leno, her tone hard to read.
There was no way this man could only manage that much. She was absolutely certain—he had held back.
"You are a girl, after all. If I cut your clothes and let the others see, wouldn't I be the one losing out?" Leno joked with a smile.
"You…"
Kuina's ears flushed red as she glared at him in embarrassment and annoyance. This infuriating man always knew how to tease her.
They'd agreed not to hold back, yet he broke the promise. So why did her heart receive a strangely sweet feeling?
Just as she was about to say more, Yamato came charging over, grabbing Leno's arm and shouting.
"It's finally my turn, Leno! Fight me too!"
"I'm tired. Let's do it another day," Leno said, looking at her with a hint of playfulness.
"Huh? How can you be like that? I've been looking forward to this for ages!"
"Tell you what, after you fight me, we can go soak in the bath together. I'll even help you scrub your back!"
"…"