In some ways, Senior Kuguruma is quite similar to Giyu.
Sabito couldn't help but think this as he faced Kuguruma's response.
He often says things that are easily misunderstood by others. Even though there's no ill intent, saying something like "All of you come at me together, I'm in a rush" sounds incredibly condescending.
It's actually a little irritating.
The peach-haired boy smiled as he tightened his grip on his wooden sword.
"Then you'd better be careful, Senior."
Giyu, on the other hand, didn't think much of it. In his eyes, both Sabito and Kuguruma Natsunishi were swordsmen far stronger than himself.
Kuguruma didn't feel there was anything wrong with his statement at all. Whether it was his total attributes approaching the 60 mark or his Breathing Style entering the latter half of Level 3, he was higher than these two little ones.
[Kuguruma Natsunishi (Energy Level: 59)] Wind Breathing LV.3
[Sabito Kaji (Energy Level: 28)] Water Breathing LV.2
[Giyu Tomioka (Energy Level: 14)] Water Breathing LV.1
To be more precise, he was higher than both of them combined. Not to mention the hidden bonuses provided by his massive list of life skills and passive traits.
A 1v1 would honestly be a bit like bullying.
Finding a relatively open space, Sabito and Giyu took their stances.
"Senior, please guide us!"
Knowing the gap in their strength, Sabito and Giyu didn't stand on ceremony. Sabito was the first to launch an attack. Relying on his familiarity with the mountain terrain, he decisively executed the Ninth Form of Water Breathing.
[Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow, Turbulent]
Using the complex, dense terrain and specialized footwork, Sabito's figure leaped rapidly through the forest. Every step was like a surging torrent, leaving behind several chaotic afterimages.
Senior's physical fitness is excellent; I can't clash with him head-on, Sabito thought during his high-speed movement, his eyes locked onto Kuguruma.
On the other side, Giyu stood calmly in place, assuming a tight defensive posture.
One attacking, one defending?
Kuguruma saw it all but remained casual. Dragging his wooden sword, he walked straight toward Giyu. Not only was the coordination between these two children somewhat green and amateurish, but even if they were perfectly in sync, they were vulnerable before such a massive numerical gap.
As he walked, he wondered: Since this is practice, should I hold back a bit? We've spent time together; ending the fight instantly might crush their confidence.
"Don't get distracted, Senior!"
The voice came from behind. Sabito had already flashed behind Kuguruma, swinging his wooden sword in a ruthless horizontal slash, not holding back in the slightest. Normally, a swordsman in such a relaxed state would find it difficult to defend against an attack from their blind spot.
But Sabito knew that Kuguruma Natsunishi was definitely not among that "normal" group.
Sure enough, just as the blade was about to strike, Kuguruma sidestepped with even greater speed. He lifted his sword and steadily parried the blow.
Sabito wasn't discouraged. He transitioned smoothly, launching his subsequent attacks without hesitation. After a full year of rigorous cultivation combined with his outstanding natural talent, he was like a tireless slashing machine. His moves were coherent, pressing closer with every step.
Kuguruma raised an eyebrow slightly during the parries—not bad, he was more resilient than expected.
[First Form: Water Surface Slash]
[Fourth Form: Striking Tide]
[Second Form: Wat—]
The slashes kicked up a surging tide. The wooden sword, enveloped in swordsmanship intent, turned into an endless offensive.
"Opening."
While Sabito was suppressing from the front with all his might, Giyu on the other side naturally wouldn't let this fleeting opportunity slip by. He stepped forward and lunged, opening with the fastest technique in Water Breathing.
[Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust]
The thrust is the fundamental form of swordsmanship—simple, yet with an incredibly high ceiling. Speed is its greatest advantage.
However, Kuguruma seemed to act as if he didn't see it, continuing to calmly fend off the wave-like slashes from Sabito behind him. The crisp sound of wooden swords clashing was as dense as a summer rainstorm. Amidst this "rain," Giyu had already lunged in front of Kuguruma.
Senior was careless... Giyu thought.
The wooden sword turned into a cold flash, piercing straight toward Kuguruma's arm.
In the next second, the world turned upside down.
By the time Giyu regained his senses, he was being pressed to one knee by a massive force. His wooden sword had been stepped on by Kuguruma, ground deep into the dirt.
To Kuguruma, a thrust was the easiest move to counter, especially when his attributes were completely superior. By capturing the key frame of the opponent's lunge, he could sidestep to avoid it while stepping forward to precisely pin the weapon. This not only broke the rhythm of the attack but also locked down the opponent's movement.
This was what's known as "Mikiri Counter" in action games!
"Don't daze out," Kuguruma said calmly. "The things you can use in battle aren't just your katana."
Before his voice finished, he sent Giyu out of the fray with a side kick, then raised his sword to block Sabito's downward cleave. A counter-punch wind rushed toward Sabito's face, but the peach-haired boy learned quickly, lifting his foot to block it.
"Interesting."
He understood that battle isn't restricted to weapons that quickly?
Kuguruma's lips curled up slightly. He stopped using his Breathing Style and relied solely on the wooden sword in his hand to engage Sabito in a pure frontal exchange. He let the peach-haired boy pour out every sword form and offensive move he had learned.
Kuguruma was like a reef standing amidst a raging storm, breaking every wave while remaining motionless himself. Every parry and counter-attack was concise and precise, as if he were silently dismantling and guiding Sabito's every breath and exertion of force.
"Watch the hands. You need to observe my hands to predict the next attack."
"Footwork—don't burst your lower body strength for long periods. Moving aimlessly will only drain your stamina bar, needlessly increasing your recovery frames and openings."
"Maintain distance. If you're too close, it's hard to exert force; if you're too far, you won't hit. Find the distance that feels right for you."
While clashing, he didn't forget to impart the experience he had gained from playing games.
Meanwhile, Giyu wasn't discouraged in the least. He had quickly adjusted his posture and rejoined the fray. Taking a deep breath, he changed his battle strategy.
[Tenth Form: Constant Flux]
This was a powerful move among the many Water Breathing forms. Relying on unique footwork and sword trajectories, every strike stacked the momentum of the previous one. The force built layer by layer, growing stronger with every swing. It was a sword form that used clever momentum and technique, even integrating the opponent's strength into one's own offensive—a strike designed to overcome hardness with softness and strength with weakness.
At this moment, the black-haired boy was like a flying water dragon. He slammed into Kuguruma, that silent reef, again and again, disregarding the recoil.
One slash, two slashes, three slashes...
By the fourth parry, Kuguruma could clearly sense the force transmitted through the wooden sword was significantly increasing. If he let it continue, after about ten more strikes, the accumulated power of Giyu's slashes would surpass his own.
But...
He gave his wooden sword a light turn. First, a simple horizontal flick forced Sabito back. Then, with a slight flick of his wrist, the tip of his wooden sword—like a leaf caught in the wind—precisely tapped the weakest point of Giyu's wrist.
The clever force transferred, and the boy felt his wrist go numb. The momentum he had spent so long building collapsed instantly. The offensive, naturally, came to an abrupt halt.
"Don't rigidly apply the forms."
"In real combat, an enemy won't stand there waiting for you to stack your passives."
Giyu stumbled back half a step, a look of contemplation on his face. On the other side, Sabito's attack arrived again.
[Third Form: Flowing Dance]
This time, Kuguruma didn't even lift his sword to block. Instead, he stayed close to the other's wooden sword, constantly sidestepping. He allowed the offensive to pass by him like flowing water, yet Sabito could never truly land a hit.
"No matter how powerful a sword style is, at its core, it is still a slash."
"If it doesn't hit, it has no meaning."
"Sabito, stop rigidly following a sequence of moves, and don't worry about defeating me."
"Focus more on your own slashing path and my movements. Try using your most comfortable, fastest move to try and touch me."
By now, the peach-haired boy understood that Kuguruma was trying to teach him. While swinging his sword, Sabito strained: "Yes! Senior!"
Kuguruma didn't play favorites and spoke to Giyu as well.
"Don't just stand there. Support Sabito from the side, but don't block his slashing path. You need to coordinate with the cooldown period of his strikes."
"Varying speeds, staggered slashes—that's how you get high skill coverage. That is what you call teamwork."
Giyu blinked, looking at Sabito. Sabito gave him an encouraging look: "Let's go together, Giyu! Just like we usually practice!"
In the next second, the three of them were locked in battle once more.
...
"So, is this why you two missed dinner today?"
Looking at the two little fellows with bruised and swollen faces, and then at Kuguruma Natsunish, who only had a light layer of sweat, Sakonji spoke helplessly: "Compared to Kuguruma, your training is still quite lacking."
"It is far too early to challenge him."
Sabito held his head high, his eyes serious and bright: "Master, I learned a lot of things from Senior!"
Giyu nodded along, adding a short supplement: "Senior is stronger than Sabito."
Sakonji, wearing his tengu mask, shook his head slightly.
"I am not blaming you..." He turned to Kuguruma. "Kuguruma, I've caused you trouble."
Kuguruma's attention had just returned from the "panel" floating in his mind.
"Oh, it was no trouble."
"Sabito and Giyu both have great talent. Besides, I gained something from sparring with them."
[Sabito Kaji (Energy Level: 28 → 29)]
[Giyu Tomioka (Energy Level: 14 → 16)]
Not only did their attributes increase, but the experience progress for their Breathing Styles had also risen slightly. Of course, most importantly, Kuguruma's own system panel had undergone some changes.
His learning progress for Water Breathing had gone up. At the same time, a new life skill had been activated.
[Instruction LV.0 (56/250)] NEW
Remaining Achievement Points: 8
Calculating it this way...
Maybe I should give these two kids some high-intensity training every day?
Kuguruma thought to himself.
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