Chapter 26: The Transparent World
The entire stadium was chanting the name "Sword God."
The number of people cheering for Cray was negligible, their voices completely drowned in the tidal wave of support for his opponent.
"Hey! You bastard announcers, stop giving people random nicknames!" Cray muttered. He had always thought his own title, "Thunder Sword," was pretty cool, but it sounded so small-time compared to "God of Swordsmanship." The comparison was infuriating.
He loved being in the spotlight, but this guy named Yoriichi Tsugikuni had stolen it all.
Unforgivable!
He had to teach this guy a lesson. He would show these people who was really the strongest.
"And now, will both contestants please take the stage!"
Ren (as Yoriichi) and Cray both stepped into the arena.
BOOM----!
The moment Ren appeared, the stadium exploded with cheers once again.
Listening to the crowd roar for him, Ren felt a special kind of thrill.
So this is what it feels like to be a star? No wonder people will break their heads trying to become famous. It really does feel good!
"Hey! You're Yoriichi Tsugikuni, right?" Cray shouted. "Your sword skills are impressive! But victory isn't decided by swordsmanship alone. If you don't want to lose too badly, you should surrender now. Once I get started, it's hard for me to hold back."
Ren looked at Cray and said, "Your talent is decent. Your lightning magic greatly enhances your base abilities, but you can't control it. That means your training is incomplete. Don't lose yourself in the power your magic gives you. You should be honing your sword."
Being lectured in front of thousands of people made Cray's face flush. "I don't need you to tell me! If you want to lecture me, do it after you've beaten me!"
"Semi-Final Match 2!"
"Nine-Star Swordsman 'Thunder Sword' Cray versus the God of Swordsmanship, Yoriichi Tsugikuni!"
"And... NOW~~~!"
"BEGIN---!!!"
GONG----!
The gong rang, and the match officially started.
BZZT----!
Cray's body flickered, zipping around Ren in a high-speed blur, leaving dozens of afterimages.
"So fast---!"
The audience was stunned. Cray was moving so fast he was creating afterimages, making it impossible to tell which one was his real body.
"There it is!" the announcer screamed. "Cray's Thunder Clones!"
"His speed is so fast it's creating duplicates! It's impossible to tell where he'll attack from!"
"See that? This is my speed! And speed is power!" Cray's voice echoed from all directions.
"Transparent World."
Ren activated the ability. In an instant, the entire world seemed to slow down. Cray's blinding speed became perfectly clear in Ren's eyes. He could even see the blood flowing through Cray's veins, the contraction of his muscles, and the rhythm of his heartbeat.
Ren saw Cray's heart rate spike and his muscles tense for an attack. He knew his opponent was about to move. He tightened his grip on his sword.
At that moment, Cray appeared behind Ren, aiming for his blind spot. Even if his opponent's reaction speed was fast, he'd never be able to block this in time.
"It's over!"
Cray lunged. But just as he was about to make contact, an immense, primal terror seized him.
The hair on his body stood on end. His instincts screamed. He slammed his feet to a halt and, like a terrified rabbit, threw himself backward, not stopping until his back hit the arena wall.
"Huh? Why did Cray retreat?"
"Yeah! That was the perfect chance to attack! Why did he jump back?"
"Did... did the other guy's look just scare him off?"
The audience was completely baffled.
In the stands, Erza and Arthur also had no idea what had just happened.
Cray, however, was gasping, his face pale and slick with cold sweat. In that instant, he had felt it: an overwhelming premonition of death. If he had continued that attack, he would have died.
Yes. Died.
In fact, he felt as if he had died. He had seen a vivid, hyper-realistic image of his own head being severed from his neck. He could still feel the phantom pain on his skin.
"What kind of MONSTER are you?!" Cray roared at Ren, half-mad with terror.
His outburst confused everyone. Ren was just standing there; he hadn't done a thing. But the sheer panic on Cray's face was not fake. Had something happened that they hadn't seen?
"Such sharp instincts," Ren praised him.
The moment Cray had prepared to attack, Ren's mind had already processed several counter-moves. The simplest, and most ingrained, was to sever his opponent's neck. As a demon slayer, Yoriichi's techniques were all designed to do just that.
The killing intent from that one split-second thought had nearly shattered Cray's nerve.
But Cray was a Nine-Star Swordsman, a veteran of countless battles. He quickly forced himself to calm down.
The calmer he became, however, the more he understood the terror of the man in front of him.
He just stood there, seemingly full of openings. But every time Cray tried to visualize an attack, a single glance from Ren was all it took to trigger the illusion of his own decapitation.
Once... twice... three times... Cray tried to simulate the attack in his mind, and every single time, he was killed in one blow.
This constant visualization of his own beheading was driving him insane. What kind of pervert is this guy?! Why is he always aiming for my neck?! Can't he aim for an arm or a leg or something?!
In the stands, the audience was completely lost. They had no idea what was going on. Weren't these two supposed to be fighting? Why was one standing perfectly still while the other was darting around like a cornered animal?
And the way Cray was looking at Ren... it was like he was seeing a ghost.
Finally, the announcer offered an explanation.
"It seems many of us are confused by this situation! Swordsman Cray was just about to attack, but was stopped by a mere glance from Mr. Yoriichi!"
"It appears that every time Cray looks for an opening, Mr. Yoriichi sees through it and prepares a counter-attack! He is completely impenetrable! This is a battle of perception, and in this mental clash, Mr. Cray is being defeated every single time! That is why he is running! When masters of this level fight, the battle can be decided in a single glance!"
Hearing this, the audience finally had a vague idea of what was happening.
"You bastard! I don't need you to explain it!" Cray shrieked at the announcer, utterly humiliated.
~~~
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