Soji seemed not to have expected Yusei's movements to be so fast. She showed no intention of dodging at all.
Yusei executed his Iaido strike, the blade about to land on her neck. But the next moment left Yusei somewhat stunned.
He saw a bloodthirsty, excited smile on Soji's face. She didn't dodge or avoid… instead, the long sword in her hand was aimed directly at Yusei.
This was an unbelievable scene because, in terms of movement and speed, Yusei was undoubtedly faster.
At a time like this, anyone who wasn't a fool would choose to dodge or prepare to concede.
Who would go for a mutually assured destruction scenario? And this was just a competition, right? Even considering the 'who is stronger' rivalry between Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu and Tennen Rishin-ryu.
This wasn't a fight to the death… it was truly seeking death!
Yusei's momentary stunned hesitation didn't halt his movements, but it was clear he couldn't simply place his blade at her neck and expect her to concede.
Doing so would undoubtedly result in Soji disregarding everything and slashing him with her sword!
Below the stage, Soji's abnormality also caught the attention of Koken and Tomei.
Koken was astonished, "This... has she fallen into demonic obsession?"
As he spoke, he looked at Tomei, only to find the latter's face overcast, his expression very unpleasant, lost in thought.
Seeing his expression, Koken finally realized something, seemed to remember something, and suddenly showed great anger.
"You actually had the heart to let your granddaughter use that sword?"
Tomei glanced at him, didn't say much, and snorted coldly.
"Using Rengoku Ken was her own choice. I merely approved it."
"Raising your own granddaughter solely to be a killing machine? That's really something." Koken sneered mockingly, but his gaze was worried as he looked at the arena.
In terms of pure skill, Soji was no match for Yusei. But... the sword in her hand was Rengoku Ken, a demonic sword...
Tomei stopped speaking. However, as he watched Soji on stage, his gaze grew increasingly grim.
He had miscalculated. Now, the sword was controlling the person, not the person controlling the sword.
This was a major problem. Clearly, his granddaughter had been fine before. Why did this happen suddenly...?
Kendo demonic obsession was terrifying because one careless step could turn a person into an idiot, a fool who only knows how to swing a sword and kill randomly.
And now, the demonized Soji's eyes were fixed solely on Yusei. If others rashly intervened, not only would they fail to calm Soji down, but it might also cause Rengoku Ken to run wild, slashing indiscriminately and completely lose control of the situation.
The best solution now was for Yusei to subdue Soji, that would be the best outcome for everyone.
So, for now, Koken didn't rush to intervene. He planned to observe first. If the situation turned bad, he wouldn't hesitate to save Yusei, regardless of the consequences.
…
Inside the Kendo Arena.
Yusei didn't choose to confront Soji head-on. He chose to retreat directly. This wasn't because he was cowardly, but because he realized something was very wrong with her.
The current Soji seemed to no longer care about her own life or death. Her sole target was to kill him.
The moment Yusei retreated, Soji opposite him showed a bloodthirsty smile, then lifted her sword and used Shukuchi to appear in front of Yusei.
At this moment, Soji's pale yellow short hair showed signs of turning whiter, very much like a demonic transformation.
Yusei thought she was going to use an Iaido slash, but unexpectedly, Soji stopped in place, lowered her stance, and revealed an eerie and bloodthirsty smile.
Zekken - Mukyu Sandan-zuki!
It was similar to her previous sword technique, but the difference was that the Tennen Rishin-ryu's ultimate technique now gave Yusei a completely different feeling.
Cannot dodge. Locked on. Can only block!
Compared to the previous Mumyo Sandan-zuki, the ultimate technique Soji was using now was significantly different.
The most notable difference was that even advanced Shinsoku couldn't evade it!
In the blink of an eye, relying on his powerful insight, Yusei directly unleashed Kuzuryusen, striking and breaking Soji's three deadly sword thrusts one by one.
The intense sonic booms left Yusei, who was at the center of the arena, with ringing ears. Moreover, he had used Kuzuryusen too many times today, and his stamina couldn't keep up.
Yusei knew he didn't drag it out any further. At this point, Soji's condition was clearly abnormal. There was no need to insist on defeating her solely with sword techniques. If this continued, Soji's body might suffer serious damage.
His crimson Sharingan peered through the thin contact lenses, striking directly into Soji's inner world.
At this moment, no matter how much you have been demonized, you will ultimately be pulled back to your true self.