Chapter 139: The Attack Helicopter
On the sidelines, compared to the Hashira, Oyakata-sama and his attendants had
only one impression of the match.
It was fast. Blindingly, impossibly fast.
They couldn't track Natsuya or Igarashi's specific coordinates on the "stage,"
let alone distinguish the thousands of offensive and defensive shifts happening
in the blink of an eye. Their vision was filled with two blurs flickering,
clashing, and separating amidst a screech of steel and a fountain of sparks.
Occasionally, a sharp gust of displaced air would whip past the porch, stinging
their faces.
Kagaya watched with genuine fascination. He tilted his head slightly toward the
Kakushi standing beside him. "Tenme, how is the duel progressing?"
Tenme, the Kakushi: [?]
How the hell should I know?
He had undergone basic Water Breathing drills, sure. But he had failed the Final
Selection. Watching two Hashira fight was like a low-spec PC trying to run a 4K
ray-traced cinematic—his brain was just dropping frames.
"Reporting to the Master... it is... a masterful exchange. They are... perfectly
matched." Tenme bluffed, squinting at the blur of motion.
"The Luminary Hashira is powerful, but his field experience is slightly
lacking—"
CLANG!
Igarashi was shoved back six steps by Master Kang the Third, his breathing
rhythm nearly glitching out.
Tenme sweated. Wait, that's not what the script said. He quickly pivoted. "Lord
Igarashi is currently... leading by example! He is intentionally showing Lord
Kokonoe how to recover after a disrupted breath!"
BOOM!
A heavy punch from Wind-Breaker missed Igarashi's head and pulverized the stone
floor. Igarashi was now visibly sweating, his glasses sliding down his nose.
Tenme: Is Lord Igarashi actually losing?
He felt the gazes of the other three Hashira drift toward him with "Are you
serious?" expressions.
Tenme: "..." Crap. I'm failing the social check.
"HOWEVER!" Tenme shouted with sudden conviction. "Lord Kokonoe's spirit is
unyielding! His stamina is bottomless! He is currently turning the tide and
securing the upper hand!"
Ubuyashiki Kagaya smiled warmly. "I see. Thank you for the commentary, Tenme. It
sounds like a magnificent display."
The Kakushi felt a sharp pang of guilt in his conscience.
Shortly after the commentary concluded, the match reached its final frame.
Faced with Natsuya's increasingly aggressive pressure, Igarashi attempted to use
a high-speed lunging slash to tear through the defense and find a winning
"Kill-Shot." He funneled all his power into his feet, executing a hyper-speed
"Z-Pattern" lunge.
The trajectory was erratic and impossible to lead. It was like a dragon's shadow
breaking through a storm.
"Storm Breathing, Fifth Form: CLOUD-LEAPING PORT!"
Anyone with slower reflexes or a lower [Tech] stat would have been decapitated
before they could even register the movement. Igarashi had deleted countless
demons with this move, including several Lower Moons.
Natsuya's dynamic vision was momentarily overwhelmed. His HUD was suddenly
flooded with dozens of red "Predicted Path" lines appearing and vanishing in
milliseconds. In terms of pure "Sword Finesse" and feinting, Natsuya realized he
couldn't out-play the veteran Igarashi at his own game.
But I don't just have a katana. I have fists. Hardcore, 'Master Tier' iron
fists.
Wind-Breaker, time to show Senior our bond.
His gauntlets began to vibrate with heat. The "Multi-elemental" breathing in his
lungs swirled like a galaxy. Natsuya realized Master Kang the Third was too slow
for this specific exchange.
He dropped the sword.
Mimicking Igarashi's footwork, Natsuya didn't retreat. He lunged forward,
intentionally entering the high-pressure center of Igarashi's strike zone!
Igarashi wanted to use reach and prediction to suppress the blade. Natsuya
wanted to use a high-risk CQC (Close Quarters Combat) dive to break the speed.
"Natsuya—!"
Igarashi saw his Junior bet everything on his fists again. He smirked. I won't
let your short-range 'Gear Second' punch hit me this time!
But...
Through his Sen-no-Sen, Igarashi realized Natsuya's movement was a "mod" he had
never seen before. Natsuya's body displayed a flexibility that defied the male
skeleton, controlling his kinetic energy with frightening precision.
He was like a willow branch yielding to a hurricane.
He didn't block. He didn't trade. Using the reinforcement of his Wind-Breaker
plating and pure manual dexterity, Natsuya began to deflect and guide the
incoming slashes amidst a shower of sparks.
The "Night" was swallowing the "Storm."
As he guided the momentum, Natsuya identified the exact frame where Igarashi's
"Storm" was furthest from its center of power. Natsuya's hands transitioned from
"Soft" redirection to "Hard" locks.
Within the "Gentle Night" of his aura, a thousand invisible "Stars" ignited.
Natsuya targeted Igarashi's acupoints, tendons, and joint gaps simultaneously.
It was a synthesis of "Hard" and "Soft" power, a kinetic wrench thrown into the
gears of a human machine. If Natsuya willed it, he could have shredded
Igarashi's arm joints in a heartbeat.
But this was a friendly spar. Natsuya applied just enough pressure to pin the
Hashira's leverage.
Crap! Igarashi's internal alarm blared, but the animation lock was already set.
His Nichirin Sword was wrenched from his grip, spinning through the air.
[Luminary Breathing] "Fifth Form: Wood Friday — STAR-BENDING WILLOW!"
"Well? How was that, Hashira-sama?"
Natsuya's gauntlet stopped inches from Igarashi's chest. He gave the man a
playful poke with the metal plating.
Senior is weak against grapplers, Natsuya noted. Both spars ended because I took
it to the clinch.
Igarashi shook his head helplessly, but he wasn't upset. He raised a hand toward
the "Referee," Takizuki.
"I yield."
Takizuki bit her lip, whispering with frustration, "You didn't even go for the
'Final Burst'! Why give up now?!"
Igarashi knew better. He knew Natsuya was holding back his True Total
Concentration output. If they both went for the "Overdrive," Natsuya's
multipliers would have turned Igarashi into a smear on the grass. Better to keep
some dignity.
Takizuki grumbled as she announced the result. "Kokonoe Natsuya, winner! One
point to the Luminary!"
After a brief field-reset, the second match began.
[Flame Hashira: Shinjuro Rengoku] vs [Stone Hashira: Gyomei Himejima].
Shinjuro warmed up his limbs and drew his blade, stepping into the ring. Gyomei
clasped his hands, whispered a "Namu Amida Butsu," and reached for the weapon on
his back.
He pulled out a gargantuan spiked flail (morning star). The head was the size of
a man's skull, covered in combat-wear and dark bloodstains. The chain was linked
to a heavy battle-axe on the other end.
A flail? Natsuya's expression turned skeptical.
He'd heard from Master Matsuyama that Stone-users didn't care for katanas, but
seeing a "Swordsman" bring a medieval wrecking ball to a duel was quite the
visual.
What kind of 'Slayer' is this?
Natsuya noticed the axe on the other end was perfectly polished, looking brand
new. Clearly, Gyomei spent 99% of his time using the heavy-impact end.
The veteran and the prodigy bowed to each other. The atmosphere shifted
instantly.
"Lord Shinjuro, this monk has always admired you," Gyomei said, tears already
flowing. "For generations, the Rengoku family has held the torch. Even in death,
the next flame rises to carry the mission."
The giant began to sob harder. "Therefore, in this spar... please, do not
hesitate to enlighten me."
Shinjuro didn't take the "humble junior" act for a second. He'd seen Gyomei
fight. If he looked down on that monster, he'd be crushed by that "World-Class"
strength in seconds.
"Gyomei. Save the modesty. I'm playing for keeps today."
The Flame Hashira raised his sword. A searing white mist erupted from his mouth.
Sparks began to spray into the air, growing denser and hotter until a literal
cyclone of twisting flames ignited around him.
Flame Breathing: Peak Mastery.
Natsuya watched. Both Shinjuro and Igarashi had LV.6 Breathing, but the
difference in "Skill Depth" was obvious. Igarashi was a fresh Rank 6; Shinjuro
had lived in that tier for decades. He was knocking on the door of LV.7.
One was a new master; the other was near the skill-cap.
As Shinjuro locked in, Gyomei triggered his Stone Breathing. But Natsuya's
attention was occupied by the flail.
The massive morning star was being whirled by the chain, accelerating faster and
faster in Gyomei's hands.
Soon, it became a terrifying black whirlwind—a blur of high-velocity kinetic
energy.
Ah, Natsuya realized, his eyes widening. Now I get it. The 'Attack Helicopter'
tag.
He's a 100,000-Horsepower propeller in human form.
☆☆☆
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