## Chapter 265 – 265. Doll Play
Clang.
The bell rang, signaling the start of the sparring match.
“……”
I inhaled, tensing my body. Red sparks flew from the Hwaryeon Bido in my hand.
My opponent, Amatsuka Koyori, held her spear with both hands, adopting a stance. Just like yesterday, and today, she would take a defensive approach.
‘This sparring match is ultimately for show… I’ll drag it out for at least five minutes.’
What I needed to aim for was Koyori’s carelessness. The difference in skill between us was significant, so she would inevitably let her guard down without realizing it.
“……”
When I remained still, Koyori finally made the first move. She swung her spear at me. Blades of wind flew towards me.
I stepped aside. My bangs fluttered as the wind blades grazed past me. I didn’t stop, approaching Koyori.
Clang! Clang!
Sword and spear collided. The sword was slightly pushed back, and red sparks and embers flew violently. This confirmed it.
‘This woman is holding back right now. Just as I expected, she’s going to drag out the sparring match.’
She was an A-rank, called an S-rank candidate. Regardless of technique or talent, her physical abilities alone overwhelmed me. If she pushed with her physical abilities, I would be helpless, that was the reality.
‘It’s a bit annoying, but… it’s good for me. Let your guard down! The moment you do, I’ll land a blow!’
Clang!
Koyori put strength into her spear, pushing me back. I was pushed back, but I didn’t take my eyes off her.
A red pentagram was drawn on the spear blade, and flames appeared. The red flames wrapped around the blade, burning.
‘It’s different from yesterday’s sparring match. But there’s no need to panic. I already know that Koyori can use Yin-Yang techniques.’
It seemed she would approach the battle differently than yesterday. The reason was easy to guess. She wanted to show the audience that yesterday’s battle wasn’t her full power.
‘Manroe (卍雷).’
I extended my hand and used Manroe. Lightning shot out from the center of the swirling thunder in the shape of a swastika (卍). Koyori didn’t dodge.
“Hup!”
The spear wrapped in flames split the lightning.
‘As expected, it doesn’t work when used head-on.’
This attack wasn’t entirely meaningless. I could tell that she had chosen to block it instead of dodging, even though she could have.
‘Koyori thinks this is more of a show than a sparring match. She’ll move more flamboyantly. She probably heard something from that politician, Shigeru.’
The possibilities were increasing. I smiled pleasantly and rushed towards Koyori.
Clang!
Spear and sword collided again. Red current flowed through the spear to Koyori, but it disappeared into the air without any effect due to Koyori’s mana.
On the other hand, her flames only made me feel heat and weren’t dangerous.
‘She’s deliberately showing an opening.’
She was luring me to attack there. It hadn’t even been a minute since the start of the battle. I poked at the opening to see her reaction.
Koyori’s spear moved mysteriously, deflecting my sword. The sight of the scattered flames was mesmerizing.
‘Was she trying to show this?’
She showed another opening. She was telling me to attack there. I pretended to attack that spot and used Challa.
Her movements slowed down. I could see where the spear was moving, where her feet were planted, and where her gaze was directed.
‘I can’t just keep getting hit…!’
Yeongcheonryu (影天流) Lightning Flash (雷光).
I used the fastest attack in Yeongcheonryu. Crackle! Red current flashed along the trajectory of the sword.
“……!”
Koyori, startled, stepped back. Swish, swish, swish. Her body moved backward. My blade barely grazed her shoulder. Her clothes were slightly torn.
I frowned as I looked at her.
‘She cleverly hid her feet with her long red skirt. Is it like a moonwalk? It didn’t look like she was moving backward….’
Koyori approached me again. She was more serious than before. I had just missed a golden opportunity to land a blow on her.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Her attacks were fiercer than before. As time passed, the number of minor injuries on my body only increased.
‘What is it?’
As the battle continued, I felt a sense of incongruity. It wasn’t that Koyori’s attacks were wrong. It was a problem I was feeling myself.
‘It’s not that she’s fast. I can follow her with my eyes, and I can react. But why is it so hard to block or dodge?’
This was a problem I had been feeling for a long time.
I gradually increased the speed at which I swung my sword. I thought she would also increase her speed to match mine, but I was wrong. She didn’t increase her speed and deflected all my attacks. The hand holding the sword tingled.
“……Kuh.”
Koyori’s movements as she wielded the naginata were like a dance. She rotated her body, adding weight to the spear. Her long red skirt resembled flower petals swaying in the wind.
‘…Challa!’
I lowered my body deeply and aimed for her lower body. The spear blade dropped down and struck me. My body flew backward, rolled on the floor a few times, and then I stood up.
Koyori took her stance again, but I didn’t rush at her.
A smile was on my lips.
‘I get it…!’
Something I had been pondering for over 100 days was finally resolved. It wasn’t a problem that should have dragged on this long. If it were Yuria, she probably would have realized it in less than a day.
But rather than feeling pathetic for my lack of talent, I was overwhelmed with the joy of finally understanding.
‘It wasn’t about speed, it was about flow!’
A continuous flow was both offense and defense in one. Koyori’s martial arts, which were like a dance, were exactly that.
“……Why did you suddenly stop? Are you perhaps giving up?”
“No way. There’s no way. If I was going to give up here, I wouldn’t have stepped forward in the first place.”
I gripped the sword hilt again. Strength entered my hand.
‘Come to think of it, I was too cautious, trying to exploit Koyori’s carelessness. That’s not my fighting style.’
Let’s die today.
No, let’s go to the brink of death today. After all, I have complete recovery. The aftermath? I wanted to give it my all in this moment.
‘Let’s go.’
A bluish sword aura appeared on the red blade. The unrefined sword aura was sharper than usual.
Crackling.
Red lightning wrapped around the sword aura. I generated even more lightning. Dozens of streaks of lightning writhed within the water of the sword aura.
Yeongcheonryu (影天流) Lightning Sound Step (雷音步).
I rushed towards Koyori with the sound of thunder. Koyori narrowed her eyes and moved her shoulder diagonally to avoid the thrust. Before I knew it, a blue sword aura was flickering on her spear blade as well.
I didn’t stop attacking.
‘I have to entrust myself to the flow, but I also have to control that flow.’
Several attacks were exchanged. A look of bewilderment appeared on Koyori’s face. She realized that my movements had suddenly changed.
Yeongcheonryu (影天流) Cold Lightning (寒雷).
Blue sword aura and red lightning spread in all directions. Koyori held her spear upright and created a wind. However, the sword aura and red lightning tore through the wind and injured her body.
Although I didn’t inflict deep wounds, I made her bleed. I subtly smeared the falling drops of blood on my clothes.
‘Okay! That’s the goal!’
I carefully remembered the piece of clothing stained with Koyori’s blood.
Whoosh.
“……?!”
A huge wind blew, lifting my body into the air. My body couldn’t resist the wind and began to spin. Koyori had created a whirlwind with Yin-Yang techniques.
My body, floating and spinning in the air, flew out of the sparring arena.
‘It’s okay. There’s no rule that says going outside the arena means defeat.’
Outside the arena, water flowed from a waterfall, and beyond that was a barrier, making it impossible to leave.
I landed on the flowing water. It was thanks to my skill [Blessing of Water Lv.1]’s [Water Step].
I could see Koyori’s surprised expression. She then glared at me and threw the spear in her hand at me. The spear wrapped in flames flew towards me.
“Huuuup!”
I grabbed the sword hilt with both hands and swung it upwards. The trajectory of the spear changed, going up and hitting the barrier ceiling before falling down.
Splash!
I quickly retrieved the spear that had fallen into the water. The flames that had been wrapped around it disappeared with the water vapor when it fell into the water.
I held the spear in my right hand, adopting a throwing stance.
Crackling!
Blue lightning crackled on the spear.
Thud!
The moment my bones and muscles expanded to their limit, I threw the lightning spear towards Koyori.
Koyori quickly made hand seals with both hands. I had no knowledge of Yin-Yang techniques, so I couldn’t predict what kind of Yin-Yang technique she was using.
A huge stone wall rose from the ground in front of the thrown lightning spear. However, it was not enough to stop the lightning spear. The lightning spear shattered the stone wall and continued towards Koyori.
A small tornado appeared in front of Koyori. The lightning spear, weakened by breaking the stone wall, was swept up by the tornado and rose into the air before falling to the ground.
Koyori made hand seals again.
Three pieces of paper flew towards me. The paper soon took the form of people. Instead of eyes, nose, and mouth, the character for “Shik” (式) was written on their faces.
‘Are those Shikigami from Yin-Yang techniques!’
One of them punched, another slashed with a sword in its left hand. The last one held a sword in reverse and slashed upwards from below. The Shikigami, with their poor durability, burst with a puff of smoke, turning into paper and falling down.
‘Damn it. The next attack is coming!’
Ten arrows made of blue flames floated above her head. The arrows flew towards me in sequence.
I tried to dodge the arrows by running on the water. However, the arrows relentlessly chased me.
‘Let’s see if they’ll chase me into the water!’
I released Water Step, and my body fell into the water. With [Blessing of Water Lv.1], I could breathe in the water and move relatively freely.
The fire arrows had followed me into the water, but they disappeared with the water vapor.
I swam through the water.
‘It should be around here…!’
I rose from the water. Koyori was less than 10 meters away.
Yeongcheonryu (影天流) Flying Tiger (飛虎).
I leaped fiercely towards her.
Koyori didn’t react. I sensed the refined mana emanating from her.
‘It’s a trap!’
It was too late when I realized it.
A tremendous updraft occurred, blowing my body upwards. I was instantly slammed into the barrier ceiling.
“Kuh-erk!”
I gritted my teeth at the pain that felt like my whole body was being crushed. The updraft soon disappeared, and I kicked off the barrier ceiling, using Water Step to rise above the waterfall.
Whoosh!
Water fell below.
I looked down at Koyori from above the waterfall. Koyori’s face was still serious. She extended her hand, and the spear flew to her.
Koyori threw the spear. Its destination was not me, but the bottom of the waterfall.
Crackling!
The waterfall began to slowly freeze from the bottom up, centered around the spear.
I gripped the sword hilt with both hands, pointing the tip of the sword at Koyori.
Crackling.
One by one, red lightning began to rise.
Koyori made hand seals. Shikigami appeared around her. The white Shikigami, in the form of eagles, began to multiply.
‘I can’t hold out any longer. No matter the result, I’ll end it here.’
Crackling!
I pulled out mana and generated red lightning. The red lightning began to envelop not only the Hwaryeon Bido but also my body.
The sparring arena was filled with thousands of white eagle Shikigami. The sound of their flapping wings was threatening.
Koyori was hidden from view by the Shikigami, but her presence was definitely felt.
‘She probably won’t dodge until the end.’
The white eagles all looked at me and flapped their wings.
Crackling!
When the cold air that was freezing the waterfall reached my feet, I became a red lightning bolt with the thunder of Lightning Sound Step and leaped.
Yeongcheonryu (影天流) Falling Lightning (落雷).
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! The thousands of white eagles that touched the red lightning streaks turned into paper. The paper burned and scattered into ashes in the air.
Koyori extended her hand forward. Spatial distortion unfolded. I tried to break through the spatial distortion with force, but it was not enough. I was bounced to the side and rolled on the floor.
‘……I don’t even have the strength to stand up, and my body is throbbing and aching.’
Koyori walked towards me, step by step. She was now holding the spear and pointing it at me.
“…I lost.”
“You worked hard.”
The sparring match was over.
