Chapter 27: A Clash of Ideals
After Clay finished shouting at the commentator, his face red with a mixture of embarrassment and fury, he looked back at Ren. He knew he couldn't go on like this. This "Sword God" was toying with him, humiliating him in front of his entire kingdom. His reputation as the 9-Star Swordsman, 'Thunder Sword' Clay, would be completely ruined.
He might even be called 'Clay the Runaway King.' If he heard a title like that, he'd definitely want to die.
"You head-chopping pervert!" Clay roared, his composure finally snapping. "Let's have a decisive battle!"
Boom—!
A powerful, suffocating surge of magic power erupted from Clay's body. The air crackled, and the smell of ozone filled the arena.
Crack! Crack!
Blue-white lightning, far more intense than his 'Thunder Clones' technique, erupted from his body, shattering the stone ground around him. Clay assumed a drawing-sword stance, his hand on the hilt of his greatsword, his entire body trembling with the sheer amount of Ethernano he was channeling.
"Hoo... ah... ah...!"
Clay roared loudly, continuously releasing magic power from his body. He knew that competing in pure, technical swordsmanship with the monster opposite him was pure suicide. His pride was wounded, but he wasn't stupid. That man's skill was on a different plane of existence.
The only way for him to win was to use his strongest move. To abandon the pretense of a "sword" fight and rely on what made him a 9-Star Mage-Swordsman: overwhelming, unavoidable, magical speed and power. He would kill his opponent in one strike.
He only had one chance. If he couldn't defeat his opponent in one go, then he would be the one defeated. He was going to bet everything on this single attack.
The audience, sensing the shift, roared in anticipation.
"Oh oh oh oh oh oh!"
"It's here! Swordsman Clay's ultimate technique!"
"Swordsman Clay once used this move to kill a 9-Star Demonic Beast in one strike! Is this move going to appear again?!"
Clay ignored them. He focused all his magic, all his rage, all his will into his blade. "This is the end!"
"Thunder Roar: Instant Flash!!!"
Boom—!
The ground beneath Clay's feet didn't just crack; it exploded. He shot towards Ren, not as a man, but as a bolt of living lightning. He was a horizontal thunderbolt, a blue-white streak of pure destruction aimed directly at Ren's heart.
The crowd, Erza, and even Arthur only saw a flash of light.
But in the center of that arena, Ren remained perfectly still. His eyes, calm and serene, watched the bolt of lightning approach. Through the Transparent World, he saw everything. He saw the surge of Ethernano, the desperate tensing of Clay's muscles, the minute shift in his grip that telegraphed the angle of his strike.
It was all so... slow.
As the lightning was a mere inch from his face, Ren moved.
"Sun Breathing, Fourth Form: Parhelion Rainbow!"
[Akarin's Note: Gen'nichi Ko (幻日虹), or "Parhelion Rainbow," is a high-speed twisting and rotation technique from Demon Slayer. It creates an afterimage or "illusion" of the user, allowing them to evade attacks with minimal movement.]
Clay rushed in front of Ren and saw that his opponent was still standing still, seemingly frozen in terror. This caused an uncontrollable surge of excitement and triumph in Clay's mind.
"I won!"
Whoosh—!
Clay's sword, wreathed in a billion volts, sliced cleanly through Ren's body... and hit nothing. He felt no sensation of hitting anything solid, no resistance, no impact.
Clay's heart sank.
"Damn it! It's an illusion!"
He himself was skilled in high-speed, illusionary combat, so he immediately guessed that he hadn't struck Ren's true body. He skidded to a halt on the far side of the arena, his lightning dissipating as he frantically spun around.
"Where?! Where is he?!"
Clay quickly scanned Ren's previous position, but after looking around, he couldn't find any trace of him.
Suddenly! From directly above his head, Ren's emotionless voice came.
"Sun Breathing, Tenth Form: Fire Wheel!"
[Akarin's Note: Kasha (火車), or "Fire Wheel," is a Demon Slayer technique where the user leaps into the air and performs a high-speed, spinning, downward-arcing fiery slash, like a wheel of fire.]
Ren's body, which had used the 'Parhelion Rainbow' to evade and leap simultaneously, was now like a swirling inferno, rapidly descending from the sky. That fiery vortex was a high-speed, spinning slash, his red blade wreathed in the pure, solar flames of his technique.
"No—!" Clay tried to raise his sword to block.
Boom—!
Ren's Fire Wheel struck him from above. The ground exploded.
"Ugh ah ah ah ah ah!!!"
Clay let out a pained shriek as the attack shattered his guard, his armor, and his pride. His clothes were torn to shreds, and he was sent flying backward, skipping across the arena floor like a stone before landing motionless on the ground, his body smoking.
"The victor has been decided!"
"Winner: Yoriichi Tsugikuni!"
The arena was silent for a beat before erupting.
"Amazing! Truly amazing! He defeated 9-Star Swordsman Clay in one strike! As expected of the God of Swordsmanship! Yoriichi Tsugikuni!"
"Sword God! Sword God! Sword God!"
The audience all cheered excitedly. 9-Star Swordsmen had always represented the highest standard for swordsmen, and everyone thought that their swordsmanship had already reached its peak.
However, the appearance of Yoriichi Tsugikuni completely shattered their understanding. It turned out that swordsmanship could reach such a high, divine level.
In the contestant lounge, Erza watched Ren land gracefully, his red haori settling around him. Her eyes were shining. "So strong!"
She had never imagined that someone's swordsmanship could be so profound. She had watched him use the Transparent World to read his opponent, the Parhelion Rainbow to evade, and the Fire Wheel to counter. It was a perfect, flawless victory based on pure skill, not just overwhelming magic. Just watching from a distance, she felt she had benefited greatly.
If she could fight him... how much would her own swordsmanship improve? At this moment, she intensely desired to battle him.
Arthur, sitting on the other side of the lounge, clenched his fists, his knuckles white. He said nothing, but his heart was also incredibly excited. He needed to fight this man. He needed to adjust his mindset, to prepare for the battle against this "Sword God."
He could feel that as long as he could defeat this opponent—or even just survive against him—his swordsmanship and strength would enter a new level.
"Next, we will enter the finals! The match will be held in one hour. During this time, please welcome our lovely Sword Babies for a wonderful performance!"
A group of beautiful young women, dressed in slightly revealing outfits, took the stage and performed a fiery hot dance.
Ren returned to the D-area lounge again, locking the door before he released his transformation, slumping onto the bench.
"Phew~! This money is not easy to earn!"
Fortunately, it wasn't continuous combat, or he would have been exposed. Yoriichi Tsugikuni's magic power consumption was very low when he wasn't fighting, but once he started, especially using high-level forms, the magic power consumption was very fast. His magic power was still too low.
That final, desperate attack from Clay was also very terrifying. Its speed and power, in that single instant, even surpassed what Ren had seen from Erza.
Fortunately, Yoriichi Tsugikuni's skills were on another level. This world truly had hidden masters, and he still needed to keep drawing cards.
An hour passed quickly, and Ren's 2-Star magic power had almost recovered. He stood up, took a deep breath, and activated the Take Over once more, the hanafuda earrings and red haori reappearing.
"Everyone! The thrilling grand finals are finally upon us!"
"Now, please welcome our two finalists to the stage!"
Ren stepped forward, and Arthur also emerged from the opposite direction.
"The two finalists are Arthur and Yoriichi Tsugikuni! Arthur, needless to say, is the strongest swordsman in our Sobelia Kingdom!"
"Mr. Yoriichi Tsugikuni, on the other hand, easily defeated two 9-Star Swordsmen! His peerless swordsmanship has shown us that there are always people better than you, and there's always a higher heaven!"
"We wonder which of these two swordsmen will earn the title of the strongest swordsman in the world, and what kind of spectacular and brilliant battle these two will bring us. Let us all wait and see!"
"Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh!!!"
"Sword God! Sword God! Sword God!"
"Arthur! Arthur! Arthur!"
The audience in the stands all frantically shouted their names. In the lounge, Erza watched with rapt attention. This was a duel between the top swordsmen, and just watching it would allow her to benefit greatly.
"Grand Finals!!!"
"9-Star Swordsman 'Sword of Light' Arthur VS 'God of Swordsmanship' Yoriichi Tsugikuni!"
"Now~~~!"
"Begin—!!!"
Clang—!
The gong struck, signaling the official start of the grand finals.
"Flash of Light!!!"
The moment the gong sounded, Arthur unleashed his super-wide-range attack, with countless light swords shooting towards Ren. He didn't say any unnecessary words. Speaking at this moment would only make his momentum seem weaker. Only his absolute conviction in his own power could allow him to unleash his full strength.
"Sun Breathing, Sixth Form: Burning Bones, Summer Sun!"
[Akarin's Note: The original text uses "Burning Bone, Crimson Sun." The official name of the Sixth Form is Shakkotsu En'yo (灼骨炎陽), translated as "Burning Bones, Summer Sun." It is a large, circular, defensive slash.]
Ren swung his sword, and a swirling vortex of sun-flames erupted from his blade, creating a perfect defense that shredded all the light swords that came near him.
"Flash: Cross Slash!"
Arthur, seeing his first move fail, immediately followed up, unleashing a luminous cross-shaped slash.
"Sun Breathing, Twelfth Form: Flame Dance!"
[Akarin's Note: The Twelfth Form, Enbu (炎舞), or "Flame Dance," is a two-hit combo, a vertical slash followed by a horizontal one. It is the form Yoriichi used to sever Muzan's neck.]
Ren also consecutively released two semi-circular, linked attacks, a vertical and a horizontal slash crossing each other to meet the incoming attack head-on.
Boom—!
[Akarin Note:
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