Skill 7 Volume 5

Houkiboshi became a blow that could neither be evaded nor blocked. Ikki's attempt to dodge to his right to evade the oncoming spear was something Moroboshi had seen too many times. Not missing a beat, he adjusted Houkiboshi towards that side. This time, it would pursue the fleeing Ikki and pierce his throat.

Then at that moment—Ikki, whom he should have had precisely where he wanted him, dissipated like a mirage.

Haa!?

The foe he should have given a mortal blow to had disappeared. Unable to comprehend that, Moroboshi was speechless—and then he noticed.

Ikki, whom he had stabbed leftward towards, had circled him to the right and stepped into the attack range of his sword.

Wh, what is this!?

「Moroboshi has made a terrible mistake! Of all things, his spear missed! This is big, too big a mistake!」

That was wrong. Moroboshi had not made a mistake, but rather he had been played by Ikki. Shizuku and company, who had witnessed that very technique before, realized that.

"Shizuku, that was—"

"Yes! It's definitely Shinkirou, which he used in the match against Ayatsuji-senpai!"

Indeed, this was one of Ikki's self-created sword techniques, the fourth secret sword Shinkirou.

It was a special form of footwork that alternated between quickness and slowness, creating afterimages in front of himself that deceived his opponents into cutting thin air. In this case Shinkirou utilized not front-and-back afterimages but side-to-side ones, fooling the Seven Stars Sword King.

Goddamn it! I was fooled by an afterimage—!