Ikki vs Kuraudo

"Yesterday night, when we were on our way back from dojo, he was waiting to ambush us seven…. Then, all of sudden he attacked us with a stick! That guy is insane! Without any hesitation he tried to smash other people's heads. He is insane, mad I tell you…. That's why, with no other way out, all of us fought back, but…."

Sugawara sobbed heavily once at that point, and―

"We were helpless! All seven of us together weren't even able to touch him when he wasn't using his ability, nor was he even covering his body with mana."

"…!"

Ayase gulped, shocked upon hearing those words. Including Sugawara, other disciples too, like Ayase, had been learning the sword of Ayatsuji since their childhood―and for them to be that helpless against someone.

That guy, he was that strong….

"Even though we were trained by Instructor for so many years… we were played around with by that delinquent! I am very sorry!"

"You don't have to apologize anymore! More importantly, are the others all right!?"

"…Nitta was beaten to a pulp and that's why she was treated with a capsule, but all of the others were hospitalized. "

Capsules could only be used by claiming health insurance; otherwise it would be very costly. Therefore, it seemed within the seven of them, with Sugawara and Nitta out, five of them were still confined to bed. The ones with severe injuries were diagnosed with injuries such as their arms would never return to normal, et cetera.

- Volume 2, Chapter 3
[Kuraudo is skilled enough to casually dominate seven skilled martial artists at once]
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"Rules are, like Father said, the first one to get two strikes on his opponent wins. The weapons of this match are wooden swords. The use of mana is forbidden. Is that clear?"

"Yeah, it wouldn't have any meaning if it's not a match on equal grounds."
[Kuraudo fights against normal people without mana]
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Kurashiki Kuraudo, the ace of Donrou Academy. A third year. He was in the best eight of the last festival. Information about a figure like him could be easily found if searched. His device was Orochimaru[1], a white saw blade with the ability to expand its length. It killed the meaning of distance. He could thrust at the opponent with bullet like speed even from a long distance, and if that was dodged he could still mow down the entire ring. If his opponent came in close range, he could shrink Orochimaru to a short sword and overwhelm his opponent with a rotating barrage.

Serpent Bone Blade, Kuraudo's Noble Art which had an absolute reach no matter what the distance was didn't have any blind spots. It wasn't a flashy move. But this simple move had an annoying amount of offensive power. The constant change in distance between the opponent was difficult to deal with for a swordsman like Ikki, who specialized in sword fights.

Thus he was called 'Sword Killer', and like the nickname stated, his ability was the natural enemy for swordsmen. And he beat Kaito. So Ikki had a feeling that Kuraudo had something else up his sleeve.

- Volume 2, Chapter 4
[Description of Kuraudo, how his device works, and why he's called the 'sword killer.' The arenas blazers fight in are 100 metres in diameter, stated multiple times.]
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"You have my gratitude for accepting, Sword Eater."

Replying, Ikki also materialized his Intetsu and got into stance. For a moment, Kuraudo felt all the hair on his body standing up with a chill.

―He understood, this was the real deal. This feeling, he hadn't felt it since the Last Samurai.

Swordsmen really are the best. The tension while facing them is on another level than fighting some random idiot.

A piercing gaze. A dully shining blade tip. Everything, as if hollowing out his insides. A welling up tension that couldn't be helped. This kind of feeling, he couldn't get enough of that even in the Festival.

Kuraudo cast everything out at that stimulation, and―

"Now then, let's go!!!"

With that rage, he slashed at Ikki.
- Volume 2, Chapter 4
[Ikki cool aura]
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First off, Kuraudo dashed ahead which immediately killed the distance. He kicked the floor with his magically fortified legs and drew near Ikki.

"Haha!"

A flash of iron. He swung his nodachi with its saw blade with his right hand which ripped through the wind. He was full of defects and openings. A very crude and sloppy way of handling a sword. It was quite easy to defend. However, though he didn't have the basic knowledge on how to handle a nodachi, he swung it with a flash with only his arm strength alone!

Rather than slashing, it looked more like he was mowing it down.

A sloppy motion, but why's the swing so sharp!?

Once, twice, thrice. Intetsu which continued to block the hits started to creak. Ikki's arms screamed in pain. Even his ankles felt like they were jabbed.

What ridiculous power! As if he was a beast. His swings were like a wild beast baring his fangs. No logic, no theory, no smarts, he overpowered men with his brute strength alone!

But that kind of arm movement will completely unbalance him and his recovery will be late!

After receiving the attack for about three times, Ikki carried his body backward with his legs and attacked Kuraudo's flank. A loud burst of sound, a pressure passed by the tip of his nose. Kuraudo who swung the nodachi with one hand had his chest area wide open.

There―!

The reason he dodged the swing by a hair's breadth was for the counterattack. Ikki attacked Kuraudo not intending to let the chance escape.

- Volume 2, chapter 4
[Ikki fighting against someone far stronger and faster than him, purposefully dodging an attack by a hairs breadth to open an opportunity for a counter]
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But he didn't have the time for deep thoughts. Kuraudo pushed back Ikki along with Intetsu with only a one-handed push with the nodachi.

With that, the battle distance changed from that of a sword's to a spear's. None of their swords would reach. Was he resetting the distance?

No, wrong.

"Chase and kill, Orochimaru!"

It was still within the reach of Orochimaru. Kuraudo's nodachi extended like a snake and chased after Ikki with the intent to kill.

"…!"

Ikki reflexively blocked with Intetsu but―

"HAHA! I'm not done yet!"

Kuraudo's attack had not ended yet. His nodachi immediately shrank and then he used it like a whip to slash at Ikki, again extending the blade. Right now, their distance was one where only Sword Eater's attacks would reach, a one-sided battle. Ikki had no choice but to take a defensive stance in front of those attacks.

"Kuh!"

Ikki's black blade was chipped off little by little while raising sparks against the long distance attacks of the white saw blade.

His arms were also giving off at those long distance attacks.

- Volume 2, Chapter 4
[Defending against a whip like sword with a lot of power while out of range to attack himself]
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Ikki who was only defending with that wide gap suddenly leaned forward. Using his feet, he pushed his entire body ahead. Of course Kuraudo wouldn't let that happen so easily. This distance was perfect for him, a one-sided battle where Ikki couldn't attack. So he swung his sword again to protect that distance.

A white snake sliced the wind while chasing after Ikki. It was the howl to break open Ikki's cranium. But Ikki leaned even more forward. A dash! Only made possible by Ikki since he has a trained body.

Ikki nimbly avoided the blade, and dashed towards the opponent he had come to defeat.

"He did it…!"

Ayase who saw that splendid evasion shook her fist. But―

"Haha!"

But Sword Eater wasn't someone so soft that he'd let his opponent approach him just because his attack was evaded. Orochimaru which had lost its target for a moment turned its sharp snake head around as if possessing a will, and once again attacked towards Ikki's exposed back.

"T-That sword can also do that!?"

Ayase shouted.

Orochimaru's true value wasn't its ability to extend its length but the fact that it could move like its master ordered. As if the blade had a mind of its own, it changed its direction and chased after Ikki. After acknowledging that Ikki dodged it, Orochimaru turned its blade towards his back. As a result, Ikki wouldn't be able to escape being skewered!

"Aa, if it was Kurashiki-kun, I thought you would do that."

But there was just one opening.


"Wha―!"

Ikki did a sidestep with minimum movement and dodged the blade chasing after him.

That's right, Ikki wasn't just fighting defensively. He wasn't that submissive of a person. There would definitely be a deeper scheme in his battles. When he was dodging Kuraudo's attacks by a narrow margin, he was actually analyzing and sealing Kuraudo's movement, action, and combination patterns, all the while disclosing the roots of the person called Kurashiki Kuraudo.

Perfect Vision.

The power of the Worst One that even caught the invisible Hunter. The power to read the actions of a beast and with that knowledge, return a perfect counter attack. The counter he released after reading Kuraudo's attacks was the fastest possible attack by a Japanese sword―a thrust.

[From just that brief exchange Ikki managed to use Perfect Vision, fully comprehending Kuraudo's combat and dodging an attack from his blind spot.]
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Stella and Ayase became speechless at that fact. Well, it was obvious to be surprised. The reaction time for Ikki and Stella was about 0.13 seconds. Kuraudo's senses had long crossed the human boundary. In other words, the time it took for Ikki and Stella to perform one action, Kuraudo could do about two or three actions in that same amount of time.

"And with that common sense defying reaction speed, he can dodge our attacks that might seem absolutely impossible to dodge with perfect timing, or he can change the direction of an attack just before it clashes with ours and make it come from a completely different angle. The reason why his sword seemed to vanish halfway was because of that."

"Haha… hahaha… HAHAHA! BINGO!"

Kuraudo widened his eyes while laughing madly.

Yes, his sword wasn't an art. It was pure violence. And with that violence, the Sword Eater tramples all down.

Because reaction speed was the base of all sports and actions. No matter how much one trains, or how much one polishes his stance; it doesn't matter how much experience one has, it all becomes meaningless before it. No matter how much of an absurd surprise attack is thrown at him, he can deal with it after seeing it. No matter how someone charges at him recklessly, he can change his guard after seeing that. It allowed something irrational like seeing the opponent's choice of rock, paper, or scissors before making his own: that was the true value of the Sword Eater.

Techniques and experience, schemes and tactics, a nightmare that renders all of these useless. Superhuman reflexes, and reaction ability born from that, adding the two and thus creating Marginal Counter.

"You're the first one to see through my Marginal Counter on the first meeting! I'll commend you, Worst One! As I thought, you're the best. But so what!? Even if you know how it works, can you do anything about it?"

[Kuraoudo's reaction speed is great enough to allow for 3 actions before Ikki can do one]
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"Haha. You can't, can you. My Marginal Counter isn't an 'art'. It's a special trait. I didn't cheat and stuff…. And just this ain't the limit of my Marginal Counter!"

Saying that as if howling, he attacked. And what came towards Ikki was an attack as if it was aiming for two areas at the same time!

"Hebigami[2]!"

As if biting it, the swing by his right hand attacked both the left and right side as if biting in. A phantom like that, unrealistic as it may be came in with ridiculous vigor and speed which was impossible to defend against, attacking both sides at the same time.

Even if he managed to defend against one of the attacks, the other would just rip him apart. Then he had only one thing to do. Ikki used all his strength to leap backwards and tried to evade it. Being a twofold attack didn't matter if he just escaped it's range.

"There's no way I'd let you do the same thing twice riiiiight!?"

Orochimaru's blade extended and immediately chased after Ikki. There was no longer any meaning in distance. The saw blades came in from both left and right and intersected on Ikki's body.

―But right at that moment, Ikki took action. With a clang, the sound of two blades clashing reverberated and sparks containing mana flew out. With Intetsu which Ikki had in his right hand, he repelled the Orochimaru coming from the right. But that was… a mistake! Ikki's reflexes weren't fast enough to be able to block the second attack coming from the left! The saw blade coming from the left struck his body!

The saw blade ripped off the flesh from his body which flew in the air, and blood spilled on the floor dyeing it red… that was supposed to happen.

"What?"

But that didn't happen. What spilled wasn't blood but sparks. Why? The answer was in Ikki's hand which defended against Hebigami.

"You―!"

After noticing it, Kuraudo raised a howl. Ikki wasn't gripping the hilt of <Intetsu>, but the base of the blade and thus intentionally reduced his reach.

"That's right, kodachi[3] techniques…! As expected of Ikki!"

"Kurogane-kun can use a kodachi?"

"He can even teach Shizuku who has a kodachi-shaped device, so of course he can use it!"

Ikki hated teaching wrong things to others, knowing that nature of his, Stella was convinced. And her guess was correct. Ikki wasn't only well versed in swordsmanship, he was also proficient in archery, grappling, unarmed, and many others. Even if it could only raise his strength on a minuscule level, he desperately practiced it and used all the time his body would allow to pursue those methods. Because he was well aware of the fact that he was weaker than anyone. And he was now bringing out everything he had learned back then.

The fact that was able to discern the position of the Hunter after being struck by his arrow was also a result of that. That was true for his display of defense and offense in this match too. Because of the shorter reach, the kodachi had less offense, but since it could be rotated faster, the blocking ability rose. Ikki, utilizing that defense, deflected Kuraudo's godspeed attack.

[Kuraudo can somehow launch two attacks simultaneously. Ikki changes his sword grip to a kodachi to allow him to move it around faster and block both at once.]
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"HAHHAAAA―!"

"Wha-!"

For a moment, Ikki including those who were watching, Stella and Ayase were at a loss for words. The snake-like attack that was released at Ikki after he stepped in to counter attack―it had four heads! An impossible four-fold attack!

He can still go faster―!

A complete surprise attack. But Ikki didn't lose his cool and blocked the attack, coming to sever his head and to attack his left flank, with kodachi technique.

However it wasn't enough. Kuraudo released four attacks at Ikki instantly. Ikki could only block two. The remaining two slashed at Ikki's chest with a cross.

"Argggggh!"

"Ikki!"

"Kurogane-kun!"

"…I-I'm fine, I can still fight."

A large amount of blood was spilling. The wound probably reached the sternum. But Ikki still poured power into his knees and refused to give up. He continued to gaze at the opponent before him.

"Oh! You avoided a fatal wound by using the momentum of the first and second hits to move backwards. Crafty ain't ya…? But that all ends now!"

[Kuraudo gets even faster, attacking four time simultaneously, now reaching speeds well beyond 4 times as fast as Ikki (as Ikki can't even see the attacks as being separate). Ikki blocks two, and uses their momentum to stop the other two from being fatal wounds]
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She couldn't see victory. No way out was visible. He trampled down all tactics and techniques sent at him while mocking.

Before that, Ikki kept getting hurt as time dragged on. He kept defending against Orochimaru and Hebigami time and time again with his acute observation and kodachi techniques which were dulling as time went on, and the number of strikes he couldn't dodge or defend against increased. And each time that happened, the saw blade chipped away the meat on his arms or thighs.

At this rate―!

An ominous déjà vu. The sight of Ikki refusing to stay down even after being injured to such an extent overlapped with the sight of Kaito two years ago.

***
"Because Ikki… he looks like he's having so much fun."

"Eh?"

Ayase looked at Ikki, thinking, what the hell was Stella saying? And she was hit by shock.

He's… laughing?

Ikki had a smile on his face. And it wasn't the usual kind and innocent smile. As if a beast baring his fangs.

"Come to think of it, he was smiling like that when facing my Katharterio Salamandra."

"W-Why? Even though he might be killed? T-There's so much blood… why?"

"Isn't that because it's so fun?"

She couldn't understand. She wasn't yet… at that level. But, Stella understood. And probably, her father did too.

[While getting the shit cut out of him, Ikki is having fun. Endurance pog.]
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The loudest clashing sound till then suddenly rang out, and the hall fell into silence.

"Haa, haa! Haa!"

In that silence, Ikki was panting roughly. The blood loss from the countless wounds he sustained greatly drained his energy. But―Ikki wasn't the only one who was panting.

"Ugh! Haa, haa, haa."

Even though Kuraudo hadn't received a wound yet, he was also breathing heavily. The battle seemed to be completely one sided, but why was he almost exactly as tired as Ikki?

The answer, Stella immediately figured it out.

"That's it! So that's the weak point of Marginal Counter…!"

"Eh? What are you talking about Vermillion-san?"

"Just carefully look at the face of the skull guy, you'll understand."

Being told that, Ayase looked at Kuraudo's face. He was sweating a lot, and from his chin, drops of sweat were pouring down as if overflowing.

"…I see! It's his stamina!"

"Yes. It's quite simple now that I think about it. That overwhelming common sense-defying Marginal Counter of his boasts higher action counts, but in return the stamina consumption is really harsh. Ikki immediately realized that and played for time while sustaining the minimum amount of injury he could, in order to bring down his stamina!"

As if confirming that, Kuraudo suddenly gnashed violently.

Damn mimic…! This was supposed to be going with my pace, but before I knew it I got caught in that bastard's game of endurance!

Even though he was half dead and could barely hold his sword, he immediately saw through the weakness of Kuraudo's Marginal Counter and drew him into his own pace. As a result, Kuraudo's energy was almost completely exhausted.

Yes, it's exactly as Stella said. Ikki wasn't the type of guy to just quietly sit around while he was being attacked. In his arsenal, there were many methods to wear out his opponents.

Almost like witchcraft… what an annoying bastard.

Kuraudo got the chills when he tried to think of how many layers of planning this simple attacking and blocking match had.

[Ikki stayed out of range and only defended while keeping wounds to a minimum as he instantly realised that Kuraudo's weakness is stamina]
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"…This bastard… there has to be a limit to stubbornness…!"

"Haa, haa… unfortunately, I really hate to lose…. And… it's been a while since I've been thrown around this much…. It's so fun… it would be a shame to just end it."

"Haa… haa… haa… fun, is it? Hahahahaha! You too huh, you're pretty much screwed up in the head, too!"

"…That, I could say the same about you…!"

"…Yeah, but it's time to end that too."

Kuraudo corrected his breathing, and straightened his back. And he brandished Orochimaru.

"The next will bring you down."

He declared that to the warrior covered in blood, standing before him. With the next strike—he'd kill.

And accepting that death challenge, Ikki happily raised the ends of his lips.

"―Yeah, that's right. I was thinking that too."

He aimed the black blade before his eyes, pointing the tip directly at Kuraudo's chest. The two knights exchanged the pledge of bringing a certain death to each other, and then―

[Ikki willing to kill :)]
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While spilling blood from the many cuts across his body, Ikki jumped out with a short posture.

His red-dyed body was half dead, half alive. But the speed of that dash right now was the highest since the start of the battle, almost like a gale.

What a ridiculous bastard!

[Still fights at his best while "half-dead, half-alive"]
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Kuraudo didn't feel rueful when commending that Ikki. Then, he should also throw away all hesitation. He decided to pour all his soul into the next attack, and shrank Orochimaru to the size of a one-handed sword.

Shrinking the reach, but prioritizing the speed. A full speed attack containing his all. Utilizing the full of Marginal Counter, an ultimate technique that only Sword Eater could unleash!


"Yamata no Orochi[4]―!"


A full power attack. And at the same time he swung the sword; eight heads appeared as the attack! Dimly glowing in a bone-colored radiance, the eight headed serpent assaulted the dark haired knight while baring it's fangs.

Ikki, who couldn't stop the four-fold attack, couldn't possibly stop this. He would be murdered without a doubt.

But, even though that was a fact. But still!

The Worst One didn't stop. Without a shred of hesitation, he dashed towards the coming eight-headed serpent. With the blade positioned parallel to his eyesight, and with the tip pointed directly at Kuraudo's chest, he jumped forward without any intention of defending.

Was it self-abandonment? Was it a random frenzied attack?

Wrong!

…No! This is―

From the blade positioned parallel with his eyesight. And from the depths of the pair of eyes that released a blinding radiance. Kuraudo felt a chill as if his whole body was being cut apart.

He knew this. In the past, there was a moment where he felt the same sensation. That was, during the match with Ayatsuji Kaito. During the very last moment. At that time, the almost dead Kaito was trying to do something. Just like the current Ikki, he had his sword positioned like that, and he jumped forward abandoning all defense.

Kuraudo had always pondered what that was until today, that feeling. But he certainly felt it right at that moment, that sensation.

Danger.

From a man who was half dead, a man who could collapse any moment, he felt an unreasonable fear that well up from his very depth. And right now, it was the same—and exactly because so!

Interesting!!!

Kuraudo didn't stop his sword. Even at this very moment, he could evade with his Marginal Counter. But still, he didn't! He faced it head on!

Of course I will…!!!

Kuraudo always longed to see this. He wanted to see the continuation of that duel, even though he thought it was no longer possible. Maybe, just maybe Kaito might recuperate. Maybe Ayase would also master the sword completely and come to challenge him.

With that marginal wish in mind, he had always waited at this place. That was why he wouldn't stop. There was no reason for him to stop.

"It was worth the wait! These two long years―!!!"

Immediately after, their two figures intersected, and fresh blood flew in the air.
Part 9

The splash of blood that rose so high that it reached the ceiling―was Kuraudo's. There was a massive slantwise gash on his huge built body, starting from the right shoulder till the end of the lower left abdominal area.

And as for Ikki, he sustained no wounds.

Why? Yamata no Orochi was something that didn't allow defending nor evading. In truth, Ikki took on the eight serpent fangs with his body. But why was he unharmed?

The reason, Ayase understood it immediately.

…N-No doubt… that's….

In the past, Ayase had witnessed this technique just once. When Ayase decided to enter Hagun Academy, it was the secret technique of the Ayatsuji single-blade style her father had shown her.

At that time, when Ayase attacked her father with Hizume, she certainly did hit his body. But, she wasn't able to cut him. The response, it was as if he was cutting the sakura petals dancing through the air. Her father said this―

―A counter-attack will be delayed if one uses the blade for deflection in order to perform an interception.

Because whenever one shifts the enemy's sword to evade, then one's own sword will also shift from the place he wants to attack a proportional distance. Then what should be done in order to perform a perfect counter?

Kaito's gave an answer to that question. All one had to do is take the opponents attack with one's body and ward it off without shifting the opponent's sword along with the place one wants to attack.

A peerless stance to evade the enemies attack by taking the most minimum possible movement, dispelling everything of the material world while feeling every physical existence around.


"Ayatsuji single-blade style final secret, Ten'i Muhou[5]!"


But why was Kurogane-kun able to use it? Even Kaito only used this top secret technique in front of her once, so why―

"―Ah."

Then she remembered something Ikki had said at that family restaurant.

"It's all because of Ayatsuji-san's hard work. Even alone, I think you would have noticed it, you would've reached that secret when the time's right."

Ikki never says anything he isn't sure of. Ayase who had directly received his training knows of his sincerity the best.

"No way, did he already know it then…!"

"Blade Steal."

"Eh?"

"Ikki's sword style. He's able to steal even the deepest secrets of a sword style after observing it. This happened in my case too."

Yes, at that time, Ikki had already seen through the Ayatsuji style. The destination where Ayase's sloppy sword, a sword that was training desperately to chase after her father's back, would reach.

Confirming that, Stella showed a delighted look. Because she knew that this was Ikki's true dreadfulness. He wasn't satisfied, even though he had so much power. Stocking on power and techniques even if it would help him only a little, and using it, in order to reach a new height. That unstoppable ambition is what makes the Worst One the Crownless Sword King. That was the true essence of Kurogane Ikki, the Crimson Princess's lover.

[Ikki uses a counter-attacking style that allows one to shrug off blows with their body using the minimum movement. Does it against 8 attack at once from Kuraudo, someone far stronger than Ikki. He learned the technique through blade steal thigh touch gg]
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