Watching his granddaughter get kicked flying on stage, Koken showed no sign of worry, only nodding.
"A very incisive assessment."
Yusei didn't respond further. As someone on Koken's side, he naturally hoped Kaguya would win.
But her opponent was a being who had become a Heroic Spirit after death, so it was impossible for her to be defeated by Kaguya, who didn't possess such extraordinary talent in swordsmanship.
Did Kaguya have talent in swordsmanship? Naturally, she did. Otherwise, she couldn't have mastered the primary level of Shinsoku.
Even with training since childhood, that was quite impressive.
She was the same age as him, a high school student. With such talent, she would have been a fine disciple under the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu school.
The reason Koken sought another disciple and found him was probably because Kaguya had repeatedly lost to Soji.
Watching the unyielding stubbornness in Kaguya's eyes, Yusei sighed.
In swordsmanship, diligence can make up for lack of talent. But if a genius is just as diligent as you, you cannot surpass her.
After losing the first exchange, Kaguya's pride didn't let her to accept defeat. She readjusted her stance, used Shinsoku again, her body rapidly advancing, leaping into the air, and slashing downward.
Ryutsuisen!
Under the power of great speed, Ryutsuisen's destructive power is enhanced. It could be said that within the entire Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu system, the requirement for raw strength isn't too high, but speed is absolutely top-notch.
All techniques of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu use speed as their driving force. The power of the techniques is entirely based on the level of 'Shinsoku'.
Although Kaguya had only mastered the primary level of Shinsoku, for a sword technique, this Ryutsuisen was already quite powerful.
The long sword descended in a vertical slash, as if intending to sever everything in its path.
Soji calmly watched Kaguya in mid-air, a slight curve suddenly appearing at the corner of her mouth.
She didn't dodge or evade… instead, she turned her blade towards the ground.
When Yusei saw this motion, his heart lurched, 'This... seemed somewhat familiar.'
'If I remembered correctly, this should be the starting stance for Kuzuryusen.'
'Did the other party know Kuzuryusen?'
There was no time for Yusei to ponder this question. After all, facing Kuzuryusen with Ryutsuisen would be certain death.
Firstly, Kuzuryusen was theoretically almost impossible to dodge. Secondly, Kaguya was in mid-air, unable to use Shinsoku to resist.
Immediately, almost the instant he saw this starting stance, Yusei vanished from his spot.
His speed made Koken's pupils contracted. The muscles he had tensed relaxed once again.
Someone was going to rescue her, so he didn't need to intervene.
'But... when had that kid's Shinsoku reached this level?'
As Kaguya slashed downward, she also noticed something was wrong with her opponent. She wasn't dodging or avoiding… instead, she seemed to be meeting the attack head-on.
In that moment, Soji's aura seemed to condense into a sharp sword, making Kaguya feel uneasy.
But the arrow was already on the bowstring, and she had to follow through. She couldn't dodge in mid-air and could only commit to the attack.
But the next moment, she realized she had still thought too simply.
Soji, watching Kaguya enter her attack range, moved her right hand slightly, and her entire body instantly vanished from its original position.
"Mumyo Sandan-zuki!"
In that instant, from Kaguya's perspective, Soji seemed to split into three people. Blades thrust towards her simultaneously from the front, above, and left… all at the same time, from the same distance.
If her almost god-like calculation ability wasn't mistaken, these three thrusts would undoubtedly hit her simultaneously.
'There was no way to dodge. This... how was it possible!'
Kaguya recalled the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu's ultimate technique her grandfather had once mentioned… Kuzuryusen.
It was a similarly powerful sword skill that delivered nine slashes with different sword forms simultaneously.
When she first heard of this ultimate technique, she had wondered, 'How can nine slashes hit the opponent at the same time? Doesn't swinging a sword require time?'
She had begged her grandfather to demonstrate it for her, but he had refused, citing that 'learning the ultimate technique would interfere with her training in the basic techniques'.
Now, she was seeing it.
Soji's sword technique was undoubtedly simultaneous. In this moment, she seemed to have become three people.
A certain-kill sword strike that unified heart, spirit, mind, body, and strength… the five forces into one!
Now, she could only pin her hopes on her grandfather. But just then, a low exclamation reached her ears.
"Kuzuryusen!"