Watching Kaguya and Souji, their Sword Intent made manifest, charge towards Yusei, Senzaemon's face showed some concern.
He turned to Koken, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Koken, old friend, Kaguya and that other young lady have reached such a level... If you don't stop them, that young man might be seriously injured or even killed, right?"
"Killed?" Hearing this word, Erina beside them felt a chill. She understood her grandfather wasn't joking.
If he said killed, it really was a possibility.
'But, this was just a Kendo match. How could it reach the point of killing someone?'
Koken waved his hand and smiled faintly, "As I said before, they still have a long way to go. I estimate this level is only barely enough to fight Yusei."
"What?" Senzaemon looked in surprise at the black-haired youth in the arena.
'Having reached the stage of materialized Sword Intent was only barely enough to fight that black-haired youth? Just who was that black-haired boy...?'
Senzaemon collected his thoughts and focused intently on the battle in the arena.
A battle with materialized Sword Intent wasn't something one could see anytime.
Even for him, it would be of great benefit.
In the arena, Yusei, having sidestepped the Rengoku Ken's sword aura that gouged the dojo floor, saw his own aura undergo a transformation.
A blue Sword Intent surged, burning like flames. Above his head, a faint, illusory blue dragon's head seemed to form.
Compared to Kaguya and Souji, the Sword Intent radiating from Yusei was clearly more intense, already showing signs of taking form.
"Sword Intent taking form... Your Sword Intent is that of a giant dragon? It fits perfectly with the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu's way of the sword… domineering, imposing!"
Koken watched Yusei in the arena with delight, his eyes full of affection... To have such a disciple inherit his legacy, he would probably be willing to shorten his lifespan by ten years.
He remembered how many years it had taken him, under his father's instruction, to reach the stage of materialized Sword Intent.
He was considered a once-in-a-century genius within his family, yet he only touched the threshold at forty years old.
And Yusei had only been studying Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu for half a year, and that included the time spent in the game.
This terrifying talent... Clearly, he had still underestimated this disciple he picked up on the street.
He looked at Yusei and Kaguya in the arena, his eyes becoming thoughtful, 'If the two of them... that might not be a bad idea.'
Koken quietly filed this thought away, collected his emotions, and focused seriously on the battle in the arena.
The Sword Intent taking form created a tremendous pressure.
As Yusei's opponents, Kaguya and Souji now felt as if a roaring dragon truly stood before them, a thousand-pound boulder pressing down on them.
For a moment, even moving felt extremely difficult, let alone executing techniques like [Shukuchi] or [Soryusen].
Shukuchi and Soryusen were both high-speed movement skills. The former focused on rapid repositioning, a technique combining footwork, body movement, breathing, and exploiting blind spots.
Soryusen utilized the Shinsoku of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu to rapidly close in on the opponent, drawing the sword twice in an instant… an attack difficult to react to, focusing on a single, decisive strike.
Each had its own merits. Unfortunately, they now felt like birds with tied wings, unable to move.
A smile appeared on Yusei's lips as he looked down at the two of them.
"Is this all you've got? If this is your limit, it seems you won't be able to stop me."
"Then I'll have to go ahead and do those things I mentioned earlier."
Yusei's words reached the girls' ears, instantly causing frantic thoughts to race through their minds.
One worried about gaining a horde of new rivals in love. The other feared no one would save her the next time she demonized.
Under this intense conviction, the Sword Intent around them surged once more. Although it didn't reach the stage of taking form, it was far more substantial than before.
Yusei was taken aback, 'This works too? Improving swordsmanship entirely through provocation?'
But he felt this was a good thing. After all, with their strength increased, he could finally have a thoroughly enjoyable fight.
"Come on then. Let me see your true power."
Kaguya and Souji didn't waste words, leveling their swords before charging forward.
Yusei chuckled lightly, not using any special sword techniques either, and met their charge directly.
For a time, flashing figures filled the arena. The sounds of clashing sword auras were incessant. The three different colored auras constantly collided, and the clear ring of clashing steel was continuous.
Erina, a 'normal person', watched dumbfounded.
'Is... is this really the world I know? Is this really a kendo match? Are you sure this isn't a TV Drama? No, it should be a movie, right?'
Now, in the eyes of the spectators on the periphery, ordinary people couldn't clearly see the three figures, but the Sword Intents hovering above them were clearly visible.
Erina saw the blue Sword Intent dragon representing the youth press down on the other two Sword Intents. It seemed to sprout claws out of thin air, grasping its opponents.
Within the arena, amidst the rapid exchanges, someone soon failed to hold out.
Thud!
Yusei delivered a kick without the slightest restraint. Kaguya barely managed to block most of the impact with her sword, but was still sent flying backwards.
She slammed into the dojo wall with a loud crash. Looking at the wooden wall behind her, cracks had already appeared.
With the enhancement of materialized Sword Intent, spirit, speed, strength, attack, and defense were all significantly increased.
Kaguya being kicked flying and the wall cracking from her impact… with the Sword Intent cushioning the blow, she wasn't seriously injured.
Kaguya felt her organs jolted, but she paid it no mind.
Her gaze fixed on Souji, who was still exchanging blows with Yusei in the center, and she suddenly shouted.
"Okita Souji! Buy me three seconds!"
Having said that, her whole body sank low, her katana sheathed.
Koken, watching from outside, nodded with a smile. This was Kuzuryusen, the secret technique of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu. Now, enhanced by Sword Intent, its power would surely reach astonishing levels.
However, in the next moment, Kaguya took a forceful step forward, her katana sweeping out horizontally, creating a white, crying phantom in front of her.
'This was... a Phoenix?'
And Yusei, who had noticed Kaguya's actions, was also stunned. Although the phantom had changed, its essence remained the same.
This was Doryusen.
Dragon Fang... or rather, a technique from his Yusei Style series: Dragon's Bite!
…
(A/N: I've slightly enhanced the swordsmanship by adding the concept of Sword Intent. But then I thought, Kuzuryusen's ability to break dimensions and deliver nine simultaneous slashes seems even more exaggerated, so I felt better about it.)