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Chapter 31: Swordsmanship Duel, Who Is The World's Number One Swordsman
"What am I going to do at the port?" Yuichi looked at Aokiji with suspicion.
"You look like you don't know at all! Right now, you are being missed by many people," Aokiji replied with a mysterious smile.
Yuichi stood up slowly and adjusted the Zanpakutō at his waist. Missed by many people? Who? Were they thinking about him, a Marine Vice Admiral, with the intent to kill? Leaving aside who would entertain such a notion, he was currently at Naval Headquarters. Even if someone wanted to assassinate him, they wouldn't come to Marineford to cause trouble. Wouldn't that be a suicide mission?
Aokiji didn't explain further. He simply turned and walked away.
Yuichi followed him out slowly. Outside the door, numerous Marine soldiers lined both sides of the road as if they were a welcoming committee. The soldiers saluted Yuichi, and he nodded politely in return.
Cheers erupted, echoing from Yuichi's residence all the way to the harbor square in front of Marineford. Hearing the roar of the crowd, he stood quietly in the open space, arms folded, eyes closed, his eyelids trembling slightly as he centered himself, seeking a state of mental tranquility.
As the cheers grew closer, Yuichi wondered what everyone was celebrating. When they reached the square, he saw Akainu and Kizaru standing on a high platform, looking in his direction. Why was Akainu waiting here? That man didn't like him very much, so why would he bother to attend?
A massive crowd surrounded the square. Aokiji motioned for Yuichi to enter the plaza. As Yuichi cut a path through the throng, he saw Hawkeye standing in the clearing, waiting quietly.
Yuichi began to understand.
Sengoku stood at the rear of the plaza, watching Yuichi's arrival. "Yuichi! This is a request from Hawkeye. You should be fine with it!"
Hearing Sengoku's words, a System notification appeared before Yuichi.
[Character Awakening Trigger: Fight Hawkeye in a sword duel and defeat him.]
[Mission Reward: One Hundred Years of Reiatsu.]
Yuichi, who was about to answer Sengoku, saw the quest and reward, and a gleam of joy flashed in his eyes.
"Of course, there is no problem!"
A duel of swordsmanship! Was Hawkeye actually a good guy? Facing a challenge from the World's Number One Swordsman seemed tailor-made for the proud temperament of Byakuya Kuchiki. It even triggered a mission. Excellent.
Yuichi's agreement sent a wave of excitement through the crowd surrounding the square. One was recognized as the World's Number One Swordsman, and the other was the Marine genius who had displayed amazing swordsmanship in the previous world war—Yuichi, the Admiral candidate. This duel would determine who truly held the title of the world's strongest swordsman.
"Mr. Yuichi must win!"
"The title of World's Number One Swordsman will belong to the Marines!"
The Marine soldiers were almost unanimously cheering for Yuichi. This caused a subtle shift in Hawkeye's expression. However, this was Yuichi's home turf; it was only natural for the Marines to support their own.
Yuichi stepped out from the crowd, dressed in a pristine white suit without a speck of dust. The Zanpakutō, Senbonzakura, hung from his waist, swaying slightly and clicking against the buttons of his clothes with a rhythmic rattle.
Hawkeye slowly opened his eyes and stared at Yuichi. The moment their gazes met, it felt as though a sharp sword had shot out from Hawkeye's eyes, stabbing suddenly toward Yuichi. But in the next second, as his gaze locked with Yuichi's, Hawkeye saw that everything had returned to a sudden calm.
Cold sweat began to form on Hawkeye's forehead. He felt he was in peak condition, but the moment he looked into Yuichi's eyes, his composure cracked. Just the meeting of their gazes made Hawkeye's heart sink. Sometimes, even without making a move, one could determine the outcome just by looking into an opponent's eyes.
But... Hawkeye grit his teeth lightly. Was he willing to admit defeat like this? At the very least, he had to see how far Yuichi's sword had reached!
He raised his hand and drew the Supreme Grade Blade from his back—the Black Blade Yoru!
The mere act of drawing the blade caused the air to tremble, emitting a faint hum. The World's Number One Swordsman simply drawing his sword made the Vice Admirals who used swords feel involuntarily nervous. Was this the oppression emanating from the strongest in the world? Other Vice Admirals began to sweat cold bullets on their foreheads.
However, Yuichi faced Hawkeye without any change in expression.
Hawkeye looked at the blade in his hand. "One of the Supreme Grade Sword, Yoru!"
Hawkeye introduced his weapon. Yuichi froze for a moment. Mentioning the name of the sword made Sengoku and the others curious as well. The sword in Yuichi's hand was not a famous blade known to the world; it seemed to come from nowhere, yet it had a name, however strange.
Yuichi looked down at the Zanpakutō at his waist. "Name? It is called Senbonzakura. It is not some famous sword."
Not a famous sword? Hawkeye looked at the blade hanging from Yuichi's waist. Although he had never heard the name Senbonzakura, that didn't matter. Even if it wasn't a famous sword, the fact that Yuichi wielded it today made it one.
Some people sought famous swords because they needed a good weapon. But for others, the sword in their hand became famous simply because of their own strength. Yuichi was obviously the latter.
"Draw your sword!"
Hearing this, Yuichi raised his hand and gently drew Senbonzakura. Holding it in his hand, he didn't assume a serious fighting stance. He just stood there casually, looking at Hawkeye.
This gesture made Hawkeye indignant. Did he look down on him that much?
"If you are not serious, you might lose!"
"Don't worry, I am serious."
Yuichi smiled. He was indeed very serious, but from Hawkeye's perspective, he didn't seem engaged at all. With Yuichi's slashing speed, his stance didn't matter. Between the Shinigami arts of Zanjutsu and Hakuda, and Yuichi's mastery of Byakuya Kuchiki's techniques, in a simple competition of swordsmanship, Hawkeye was no match.
The time the two had spent practicing kendo was not on the same level. Furthermore, Byakuya Kuchiki was a genius whose talent was certainly not inferior to Hawkeye's—perhaps even superior. Under such circumstances, how could Byakuya, a Soul Reaper, lose to Hawkeye in swordsmanship?
"Really! It seems my worries were superfluous. If that is the case, I will not be polite." Hawkeye's eyes narrowed. "One blow! In a real contest, one blow is enough. We will decide the outcome with a single sword. Let me witness with my own eyes how far your swordsmanship has reached!"
The Black Blade moved. A cyan light wrapped around the blade, and the sound of clanging metal suddenly rose.
.....
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