Looking at the shield and longsword in Kayaba's hands, Yusei wasn't actually worried about losing to him.
But he had considered this before: he was a man with a family, so to speak, someone responsible for the safety of his sister, girlfriend, and friends. He could just have Kanna incinerate Kayaba with dragon fire, ending this game directly.
However, Kayaba's words now made him hesitate...
'Should I engage in a battle with Kayaba Akihiko? One without using Kanna's power?'
Kayaba waited a moment. Suddenly, a pitch-black Western dragon appeared before him, towering and no smaller than Kanna.
The dragon opened its mouth and roared, the sound vibrating eardrums and causing tremors.
The moment the dragon appeared, it spewed a blast of dragon fire towards Kanna. What surprised Yusei was that Kayaba actually partitioned the arena.
Although he couldn't modify Kanna's data, he could modify the surrounding environment, something Yusei hadn't anticipated.
But this actually lessened Yusei's psychological burden.
The current battle was forced by Kayaba himself!
Outside the Roman Colosseum was the battle between Kanna and the black dragon. Inside the Colosseum's center, Yusei and Kayaba stood opposite each other.
"Come, let me see if you, without those powers, is still the number one player, Yusei-kun."
Kayaba, with shield in his left hand and sword in his right, charged at Yusei.
Yusei had never used the basic Sword Skills provided by the system from the very beginning, so he didn't activate any skill as he met the charge.
Clang!
The sound of clashing blades rang out, giving off sparks.
Yusei felt a great force transmitted through Kayaba's sword. He knew this was the bonus from Sword Skills. Sword Skills determined how much damage a strike could inflict.
Even if blocked... the force behind it was amplified based on the player's stats.
In other words, Yusei, who didn't use system Sword Skills, would definitely be at a disadvantage.
But, would he really care about this gap?
Yusei possessed the Sharingan in the real world and had sparred with Koken many times. His practical combat experience was vast, and he was thoroughly familiar with battle.
The moment their blades collided and he felt he couldn't match the opponent's momentum, Yusei didn't stubbornly resist. He allowed Kayaba's sword to slash a trench into the ground.
He, meanwhile, threw a punch with his other hand directly at Kayaba. Kayaba seemed surprised that Yusei would abandon sword skills and switch to pure manual control for attacks.
However, Kayaba's skill list included the [Holy Sword] skill, the advantage of which was its integrated offense and defense.
Simply put, it had automatic blocking. The instant the punch was about to land, his shield was already there, blocking this fist strike.
But a hint of cunningness flashed in Yusei's eyes. He released his grip on the katana in his right hand, letting it drop.
Meanwhile, his now-free right foot quickly hooked the hilt.
A swift upward kick, using his foot, sent the katana flying upwards from below, bypassing the shield's gap and stabbing straight into Kayaba's chest.
The Ice Dragon Katana triggered its freeze effect. But Kayaba's resistance was high, so the freeze effect disappeared after just a moment.
However, this brief moment was enough for Yusei to act. Seizing the interval when Kayaba was frozen, Yusei's now-free right hand firmly smashed into Kayaba's face.
This blow sent Kayaba flying backward.
From the initial blade clash, to the feint with the left fist, the actual attack using his right foot to kick the katana, to the final right punch sending him flying-
The entire combo was executed seamlessly, as if he had experienced hundreds of battles, without the slightest stiffness.
Kaguya's eyes shone with admiration as she watched Yusei in the arena.
Previously, listening to her grandfather's observations, she only knew Yusei's mastery of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu was extremely high.
But now, she felt it wasn't the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu that made him… rather, his innate talent for combat was exceptionally high.
That sequence of movements was fluid. It looked simple and quick, but Kaguya knew that if her own train of thought was even slightly unclear, Kayaba would have counter-killed her.
'This guy's close combat skill is actually this strong...'
Kayaba was sent flying. Although there were no special skills involved, Yusei's base stats were far higher, so the force behind each strike was still significant.
After a moment, Kayaba climbed up from the ground, pulling the Ice Dragon Katana out of his own chest. He glanced at his own, now yellow, HP bar and couldn't help but laugh.
"Excellent close combat skills. But now? Now, the katana you rely on to execute your sword techniques is gone, Yusei-kun."
Yusei retrieved another katana from his system inventory. It wasn't as good as the Ice Dragon Katana, but it was still a fine product.
The two immediately engaged again, the sounds of clashing blades continuous... interspersed with the sounds of fists and kicks meeting.
And Kayaba also changed from his previous approach. Yusei had to deal with him seriously.
This change naturally made Yusei frown.
Looking at Kayaba, he couldn't help but ask, "Are you cheating?"
Kayaba's expression remained normal, his movements uninterrupted, "It's originally just a bunch of data in a game world. I inputted data simulating the world's most outstanding martial arts and Kendo masters, loading their behavioral patterns into the game."
"Yusei-kun, compared to your magical powers, these martial arts represent human strength. So I can't be considered cheating."
Yusei spat in disdain, completely disbelieving Kayaba's nonsense, 'Cheating and still having an excuse?'
However, although it was a bit more troublesome than before, it wasn't unmanageable. In fact, he had a new technique he wanted to try.
'If it could succeed... I could instantly one-shot Kayaba Akihiko.'
But... Yusei looked at the katana in his hand. This katana couldn't withstand the intense durability consumption required.
Thinking of this, Yusei looked towards Shiro in the spectator stands.
"Shiro, give me your sword."
Seeing this, Kayaba spoke up, "It's useless. Your sister has already been paralyzed by me-"
But before he could finish, Kayaba saw Shiro stand up calmly, leap down, and come to Yusei's side, handing her Ice Dragon Longsword to Yusei.
Shiro made a fist gesture towards Yusei.
"Nii, fight on. With Shiro's weapon, Nii and Shiro together are invincible."