Chapter 138: The Final Act (Long Chapter)
After a brief intermission, the final round that everyone had been waiting for finally arrived.
The spectator stands were split into two camps: one side cheering for Hachiman, and the other rallying behind Kitahara Shuji. Everyone was left wondering who among them would be the one to fight until the bitter end.
Whoever emerged victorious would claim the highest Fighting Spirit Award (Kanto-sho), and in all likelihood, secure the championship title as well.
The anticipation wasn't limited to the physical seats in the arena; countless people were watching via live broadcast.
Most of the students from Sobu High, Hikigaya's parents, two members of the Kondo family, the Hiratsuka family, and an innumerable number of kendo enthusiasts...
Inside a hot spring inn in Hokkaido, Suzuki Tsuyoshi, Uchimura Ryoichi, and Takanabe Susumu had somehow gathered together.
They sat upright in front of the television, sipping tea and eating snacks while watching the live stream.
Suzuki Tsuyoshi asked, "Who do you think will win?"
A bamboo sword (shinai) lay in front of Uchimura Ryoichi. He shook his head expressionlessly and said, "I don't know. Both are incredible. They've set records that have never been seen before. It's expected that it will be difficult for anyone to surpass them in the future... Chishima-san is a great man; I didn't expect the student he taught to be this exceptional as well!"
Takanabe Susumu laughed and remarked, "As for that Kitahara player, it's unknown whether he even has a teacher. His sword technique encompasses the strengths of various schools. If he doesn't have one, I'd like to take him in as my disciple."
Uchimura Ryoichi replied, "Takanabe-kun, forgive my bluntness, but in terms of sword technique, you might actually be a level below him. His swordsmanship has a feeling similar to Chishima-san's, yet the path he takes is entirely different... How could a genius like that not have a master? We just don't know who it is."
Suzuki Tsuyoshi added, "True. Regarding sword technique, perhaps only Uchimura-kun here could surpass him..."
Takanabe Susumu: "..."
Uchimura Ryoichi spoke in a deep voice, "Once they grow up, the world of Japanese kendo will likely be dominated by them."
Conversations like this were happening in many places. Because of their achievements the previous day—defeating twenty-five opponents in a row—combined with the fact that the Gyokuryu-ki itself is a major national competition, the news had spread across all of Japan.
—To have one such person appear is already considered a miraculous talent descended from the heavens, so for two to appear is unprecedented. What's even more incredible is that these two met in the same year. Isn't this just a setup by fate?
Many renowned kendo masters, who initially had no interest in the Gyokuryu-ki, began to pay attention to the matches. They wanted to see who the ultimate winner would be—most of them had participated in the Gyokuryu-ki in their youth and knew exactly how difficult it was to achieve a winning streak. Defeating five people at once wasn't hard; they could basically all do that. Defeating ten people at once could be achieved through hard work. Defeating fifteen people in a row was something that didn't happen even once in several years.
It wasn't just a matter of sword technique; the bigger hurdle was stamina.
Kendo is by no means a light sport. Every match is a confrontation where energy, physical strength, and mental focus are highly concentrated. The level of activity, to a certain extent, exceeds that of basketball or football.
After a few matches, it's perfectly normal for a participant to be in a state where they can't even see the sword clearly.
Therefore, let alone defeating twenty-five people in a row.
And there were still four rounds of matches on the second day.
If one fought from start to finish, theoretically, they could reach forty-five consecutive wins.
But that was only in theory. Forty-five matches in two days—from the perspective of stamina, even an iron man would likely be unable to endure. Moreover, one had to possess the sword technique capable of suppressing every opponent.
Yet, such a miraculous event had occurred anyway.
Hikigaya Hachiman and Kitahara Shuji had both reached forty consecutive wins. As long as they won one more round, they could reach forty-five consecutive wins, having fought from the very beginning to the very end.
Of course, this final round was also the most difficult.
Hachiman had practiced by sparring against Chishima Akishin. His sword technique followed no specific school; it was all forged through real combat.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say his technique followed his intuition. Often, he relied on subconscious reactions to counter attacks.
As for stamina, he had been tempered through countless sparring sessions over several months...
Back to the main point.
Hachiman put on his face protector (men) and walked into the arena. A large group of people cheered for him, and he raised his hand in response.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Kitahara Shuji...
Daifuku Private High School suddenly requested a temporary timeout. The reason was that Kitahara Shuji had a sudden nosebleed, so they asked for a ten-minute suspension.
The spectator stands became rowdy. Everyone was worried whether Kitahara Shuji would suddenly forfeit the match. After such high-intensity stamina consumption, a nosebleed was a distinct possibility.
Hachiman returned to the rest area. He closed his eyes, using breathing techniques to recover his stamina—he always tried to integrate these breathing techniques into his normal breathing, but it was too difficult. He had to concentrate his mind; once his thoughts strayed, his breathing would fall apart.
There was also the [Meditation Method] taught by Akishin. He still hadn't been able to learn it, and he didn't know why...
Ten minutes later, Hachiman stepped back onto the arena.
Opposite him, Kitahara Shuji also walked up, holding his bamboo sword. With Akishin's visual acuity, he could see that the boy's footsteps were slightly unsteady.
"Good luck, Hikki, do your best..."
"Hachiman, go for it..."
"Hikigaya-kun, give it your all! Of course, Kitahara-kun should do his best too..."
"Ah! I still have to support Kitahara-kun, he's just so handsome..."
Judging by the reaction of the girls, Kitahara Shuji remained more popular simply because he was better looking.
After both stood in the arena, the noisy venue fell silent.
Three referees surrounded them on four sides. The two stood at the starting lines and bowed to each other, then bowed toward the audience—Yui, Komachi, and the others clenched their fists even tighter.
The Hikigaya parents, far away in Chiba, held their teacups while waiting for the final struggle...
Akishin unconsciously felt a bit tense as well. Beside him, Shizuka's hands were gripping his arm.
Once the formalities were finished, both raised their bamboo swords toward each other, staring through their face protectors. Their gazes were intensely serious.
The referee's raised hand dropped, announcing the start of the match.
And then...
Neither of them moved!
The match location was so quiet that even the sound of a pin dropping could have been heard, yet the atmosphere grew increasingly heavy. Everyone was waiting for them to launch an attack.
A dozen seconds later...
Gulp.
Someone, somewhere, swallowed their saliva.
Finally, Hachiman moved. He took one step forward, then sprinted ahead to close the distance with Shuji, swinging his sword.
Clack!
The two bamboo swords slammed into each other, followed by a continuous barrage of strikes. In an instant, the scene shifted from absolute stillness to extreme activity. The bamboo swords moved so fast they created afterimages.
Tak tak tak tak...
Clack!
Hachiman struck down once more with his sword, took a step back, pivoted his bamboo sword, and braced it at his waist.
He was about to use [Iai: Tsubame Geki], but he then discovered that Shuji across from him was retreating at an incredibly high speed.
The way he moved looked as if he had seen right through the attack...
--- Kitahara Shuji possessed an ability called [Prediction], using powerful calculative abilities to compute the opponent's next moves, almost like predicting the future.
However, the future holds infinite possibilities. The more accurate that prediction is, the higher the cost. The side effect was a serious drain on brainpower, and the nosebleed was one of the consequences. ---
Hachiman canceled the use of 'Iai: Tsubame-Geki.' He pursued at high speed, switching to a drawing-sword technique (battousai), cleaving through the air with a single downward slash (shitaryou-zan).
Clack!
The two bamboo swords collided once again.
Hachiman stepped forward, let out a loud shout, and instantly exerted force through his legs.
Thud!
Hachiman nearly crashed into Kitahara Shuji's body. The handguards (tsuba) of the two bamboo swords locked together, letting out a 'ka-ka' grinding sound; neither side was willing to give an inch.
Through the face protector, Kitahara Shuji could be seen gritting his teeth, his face flushed crimson, sweat soaking his entire face, and his gaze fierce.
Hachiman was in much the same state. Using a thrust (tsuki) while in a physical clinch—though it wasn't as heavy as when he sparred with Sensei—his ankles still felt incredibly painful.
Yukinoshita Yukino gripped Yuigahama Yui's hand so tightly it caused Yui pain. Yukinoshita Haruno was no longer acting relaxed either; she watched on with a tense expression.
Everyone had practically forgotten to breathe.
Bam!
The two separated. Hachiman staggered back a few steps. After stabilizing himself, he charged back toward Kitahara Shuji.
There was an air of reckless abandon about him.
'I can't do this, I've already used [Prediction] twice. My mental state and stamina are seriously drained. If I keep fighting, I'll be at a disadvantage. Finally, I don't want to lose, I still don't want to lose... Why is there a monster like this among high school students!!!'
Kitahara Shuji struggled to hold off Hachiman's assault. His gaze grew even more ferocious.
To him, Hachiman's sword technique had no fixed pattern; instead, he attacked based on instinct, specifically hunting for Shuji's weak points.
Several times, he had nearly been hit.
'I can't delay any longer. I'll take one point first, then play defense.'
Shuji parried Hachiman's bamboo sword once more. He stopped defending and actively gripped his sword to attack—he didn't see that behind the face protector, the corner of Hachiman's mouth quirked into a slight smile.
Tak tak tak...
Every clash of the bamboo swords drew the collective focus of the audience. Even the reporters had stopped taking photos, simply letting their cameras record the match mechanically.
Hachiman performed a horizontal slash. Suddenly, his vision of Kitahara Shuji in front of him blurred. Before he could react, a bamboo sword struck his head.
Whish!
The entire arena erupted in thunderous applause.
In the eyes of the spectators, Hachiman had delivered a horizontal slash, Kitahara Shuji had dodged, suddenly jumped, spun once in the air, and his bamboo sword followed the momentum of the spin from behind to strike Hachiman's head.
For Hachiman, this move had deceived his eyes.
It was a secret technique from the Onoha Itto-ryu school, called Futsusetsu-to, which involves abandoning defense to trick the enemy and attacking the head unexpectedly.
In a real fight, this move is enough to split an enemy's head open by surprise, but it is also prone to error. If not executed perfectly, the user would be slashed by the enemy immediately.
After completing the move, Kitahara Shuji landed on the ground and nearly fell. The side effects of Prediction, combined with the continuous fighting and Hachiman's frenzied slashing, had pushed his body to its absolute limit.
The referee raised the small white flag, announcing that Kitahara Shuji had scored one point (ippon).
Hachiman looked at his bamboo sword. After going through several rounds of matches, the body of the sword was covered in nicks and scars.
In the spectator stands, Yui and the others looked worried, Totsuka Saika was on the verge of tears, and Haruno's expression was also somewhat grim... Then they encouraged themselves again: "It's okay, it's only the first point, Hikigaya will get it back soon."
Hachiman and Kitahara Shuji stood at the starting lines once again.
The referee announced the start of the second match.
Hachiman attacked first, continuing his relentless assault on Kitahara Shuji.
This time, Kitahara Shuji did nothing but defend, not even noticing when his nose began to bleed again.
Tak tak tak...
The continuous attacks were draining Kitahara Shuji's stamina while simultaneously putting pressure on Hachiman's own body.
Just as Hachiman expected, after Kitahara Shuji got the first point, he took a defensive stance, trying his hardest not to get hit, wanting to drag the time out until the match ended.
However...
It wasn't going to go that smoothly.
Hiss~
Hikigaya held the sword with both hands, delivering an incredibly powerful horizontal strike, once again knocking Kitahara Shuji back. At this point, Kitahara Shuji had been pushed to the very edge of the arena.
The moment he had been waiting for was now!
Kitahara Shuji, who could no longer retreat, suddenly sensed danger. He wanted to dodge, but there was nowhere left to go.
Hachiman stepped forward, pivoted his bamboo sword to his waist, his gaze sharpened, he gritted his teeth, his arms surged with power, and he swung the bamboo sword with everything he had.
Iai: Tsubame-Geki!
Two flashes of light streaked through the air. The first light swatted away the incoming defensive sword, and the second light lunged straight forward.
Great power ignored the bamboo sword trying to block it, thrusting directly into Kitahara Shuji's neck.
"Tsuki!" (Throat!)
A massive shout echoed through the silent arena.
Kitahara Shuji was struck so hard he nearly fell backward, unconsciously stepping out of the arena.
The three referees raised their small red flags.
Hachiman had taken back a point. Now the score was one-to-one.
"Nice! Hikigaya / Hikki, keep it up..."
The entire Sobu High contingent clapped and cheered for Hachiman.
Kitahara Shuji clutched his throat, coughing. Behind the face protector, his face was a mix of flushed red and blue, his gaze momentarily hazy before clearing again.
The Daifuku Private High School side requested another emergency timeout. They found Kitahara Shuji's nose was bleeding again, worse than before.
The match was temporarily halted. Hachiman also had time to breathe. He took off his face protector, returned to the rest area, and said to Mizukawa and the other three, "Senpais, please get ready. I've already lost."
Mizukawa Masaru and the others were about to offer congratulations, but hearing those words, they were shocked. "What?! But you just got a point, and he's clearly weakened..."
"I'm even weaker."
Hachiman gave a bitter smile, pulled off the glove on his hand, and showed his right hand—which was red and steaming with sweat—to the four of them.
Mizukawa Masaru and the others saw Hachiman's hand trembling unnaturally—Iai: Tsubame-Geki could only be used by Hachiman once a day.
After using it, his hand was essentially useless for a short period, but if he hadn't used it, he couldn't have broken through Kitahara Shuji's defense.
As people who practiced frequently, Mizukawa Masaru and the others naturally knew what this condition was. Power overload, energy exhaustion. In this state, he likely couldn't even hold a sword.
Mizukawa Masaru said, "Hikigaya, don't fight anymore. Forfeit. Leave the rest to us."
"That's right, Hikigaya-kun, don't fight anymore. Your hand is already like this, your body is what matters most..."
Koike Yuriko and several other girls had faces full of pity, tears welling in their eyes.
It was no wonder they cared. Since the matches began, they had seen Hachiman advance step by step to get here.
After every round, they could see Hachiman's condition, drenched in sweat.
"No, I still have one last move. I've worked so hard to get here; if I don't give it my all, I'll feel incredibly unsatisfied."
He wanted to earn his own self-approval; he didn't want to live by consoling himself like he used to...
Hachiman showed a faint smile, put his glove back on, and picked up his bamboo sword.
A few minutes later, Kitahara Shuji stepped back onto the arena.
Hachiman also stepped up, holding his bamboo sword.
The referee gave the order, and the match resumed.
For the first time, Hachiman spoke to Kitahara Shuji: "Kitahara-kun, what about your teammates?"
Behind his face protector, Kitahara Shuji frowned. He certainly knew the state of his own team. Other than himself, none of the other male members were competent.
The captain was useless, three others were just fillers to make up the numbers, and one of them had never even practiced with a sword before...
Then he realized that this was a team match, and the opponent still had four teammates left.
Subconsciously, Kitahara Shuji looked behind Hachiman toward Mizukawa Masaru.
And at that exact moment, Hikigaya moved.
'Tsuki!' (Thrust!)
His body lowered, instantly lunging in front of Kitahara Shuji, and the bamboo sword in his hand slashed with all his might—trembling hands didn't mean they couldn't exert force, as long as one ignored the consequences and the pain.
Kitahara Shuji reacted in an emergency. He knew he had fallen for a trap, but he could no longer dodge; he could only raise his bamboo sword to defend.
Clack!
The two bamboo swords slammed together for the umpteenth time.
The next second, the bamboo sword Hachiman was holding shattered and exploded. Along with the splinters, Kitahara Shuji was sent flying back and fell to the ground.
After landing, Hachiman also couldn't stay upright and collapsed to the floor.
One bamboo sword destroyed, two players both lying on the ground. A sight no one had expected.
Whoa!
More than half the spectators in the stands stood up; Yuigahama Yui and the others covered their mouths in fear; Uchimura Ryoichi, far away in Hokkaido, muttered, "The teacher is like that, and the student is like that too, they're all monsters..."
Akishin rose from his seat, jumped straight down from the stands, ran over to Hachiman, and pulled up the bottom of his trousers.
Both of Hikigaya's ankles were red and swollen, and the color was still darkening.
Akishin scolded him loudly, "Don't you care about your life? You knew the consequences and yet you still forced yourself to use it. What if you left permanent damage... How are you feeling right now?"
Hachiman laughed, "Sensei doesn't need to worry, I know my limits, it's just... I can't stand up anymore."
Akishin then removed Hachiman's glove, seeing that his wrist was also red and swollen.
"Um, Chishima-sensei..." The referee walked over with a troubled expression.
Akishin looked up and said to the referee, "I apologize, but we are forfeiting this match. Hikigaya can no longer compete. His wrists and ankles have sustained serious injuries; please call the medical staff immediately."
The referee's face turned serious, and he immediately pulled out a walkie-talkie to contact the on-site medics.
Akishin glanced at Kitahara Shuji, who was slowly crawling to his feet, then picked Hachiman up on his back and left the arena.
The stands were in an uproar. People with sharp eyes saw that something was wrong with Hachiman and felt very worried.
The organizers quickly announced the situation. Hachiman could no longer compete due to physical injury, and simultaneously announced that this match was won by Kitahara Shuji.
Only...
Kitahara Shuji also seemed unable to hold on much longer.
His wrists were also injured from that last impact with Hachiman. His teammates advised him to forfeit, but he insisted on continuing.
Yui and many others left the arena to follow.
The match began again.
The second player from Sobu High entered the arena. He defended until the match ended and lost to Kitahara Shuji by a single point. Then came Sobu's middle player, then the vice-captain...
Kitahara Shuji fought three more times. His nose bled twice more, as if he wouldn't go down. Yet it was clear he was growing weaker and weaker.
By the time he fought the vice-captain, the match only ended after entering overtime (enchousen)...
Everyone waited for Kitahara Shuji to create a miracle, while simultaneously worrying about his physical state.
Finally, Mizukawa Masaru stepped onto the arena.
He said to Kitahara Shuji, "Kitahara-kun, we promised Hikigaya we would defeat you."
Mizukawa Masaru gripped his sword and charged forward...
Ultimately, Kitahara Shuji lost to Mizukawa Masaru with a score of zero to two.
Mizukawa Masaru was not weak, and Kitahara Shuji had reached his limit. After the match ended, he also collapsed and was carried away by his teammates.
After that, the second player from Daifuku entered the arena and was defeated by Mizukawa Masaru in two sword strikes.
The middle player was finished in ten strikes. The vice-captain fought for twenty strikes. Finally, it was the captain...
A man named Koyukiio, who had walked onto the stage making wild claims, was defeated in five strikes by Mizukawa Masaru, despite originally thinking he was great.
Now the audience knew that at Daifuku Private High School, besides Kitahara Shuji, the rest of the teammates were nothing but incompetent.
In the end, Daifuku Private High School failed to secure the Gyokuryu-ki.
Kitahara Shuji received the Fighting Spirit Award (Kanto-sho).
Sobu High claimed the title of Gyokuryu-ki Champions for the boys' team.
ps: Character Statement
Author's explanation:
Kitahara Shuji and Fukazawa Yukari are the main characters of another book. The author really likes that book and took many references from it. The writing is much better than mine; you can go check it out... (I don't know, if anyone knows, feel free to tell me).
Since they share a similar plot, the author arranged a guest appearance here while creating a conflict plot.
--- Kitahara Shuji is a protagonist who truly uses cheats; his cheats are even bigger than Akishin's.
Kitahara Shuji only appears as a guest; after this, he won't be written about again.
Regardless, this is still the author's own book.
This is also because the author didn't write it well enough.
Here, the author apologizes for causing confusion to the readers.
Deeply sorry!
With respect.
Sincerely!
--- The apologizing author!
ps: Rookie asking for tickets!
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
50 Power Stone = 1 Bonus Chapter (Up to 5 bonus chapters per week).
Read ahead and support the story on Patreon: patreon.com/FaaanzKun
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —