You can read ahead up to 30 chapters on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395
Rumble...!!
A raging gale swept across the earth, unleashing a devastating shockwave that tore through everything in its path.
In the blink of an eye, Stella's petite frame was struck head-on by the colossal Storm Sword, sending her hurtling through the air. She was instantly caught in the tempest, every inch of her body wracked with agonizing pain.
After the devastating strike, a long, deep trench scarred the earth. The concrete ground shattered, revealing the fresh soil beneath, and everything in its path was utterly annihilated.
"Too soft," Kurogane Ouma muttered, sheathing his blade, his face twisted with displeasure.
"I wasn't hoping for such a one-sided battle. I wanted a fight that would crush me, put me under immense pressure, and force me to grow stronger. Stella Vermillion, it seems I overestimated you. You're simply not worthy to be my opponent!"
At the edge of the storm, Stella lay collapsed amid the ruins. Her eyes were tightly shut, and she had already fallen into a deep coma.
"Never mind. Let's finish things here quickly and head back," Kurogane Ouma said, withdrawing his gaze and shaking his head in disappointment.
Ever since winning the Elementary School Cup, he had grown to despise the suffocating environment of invincibility.
To pursue a purer form of strength, he abandoned his family, forsaking his parents and siblings, and hardened his heart into ice-cold resolve. At the mere age of twelve or thirteen, he began wandering the world alone.
He had been to battlefields, entered death zones, and honed himself against countless formidable foes, forging the formidable power he now possessed.
Hearing that the holder of the world's strongest Magic Power had arrived in Japan, he made a special trip back from overseas. To push Stella to her limits, he even participated in Akatsuki Academy's operation.
But Stella's strength proved far weaker than he had imagined.
Despite possessing the world's strongest Magic Power, her actual power paled in comparison to many of the enemies he had faced in the past, leaving him deeply disappointed. His eagerly anticipated expectations crashed into emptiness.
His burning fighting spirit found no outlet, leaving only a hollow void in his heart.
Without a sound, a silver blade flashed, closing in on him.
Kurogane Ouma's gaze flickered slightly. The brilliant blade light streaked toward his throat, as if a single strike would sever it. But Ouma didn't flinch or evade, not even shifting his stance by a millimeter.
Clang!
The razor-sharp blade slammed against his throat. Yet instead of cutting through, it erupted in an ear-piercing metallic shriek.
Ryoji's gaze sharpened.
So tough!
He had held nothing back in this strike. Infused with both physical power and refined technique, the blade's impact carried near-supersonic force. Yet it hadn't even scratched his skin?
"Nangou Ryoji, is it? I've heard rumors about you." Kurogane Ouma turned slightly, his icy eyes locking onto Ryoji's.
"The War God's last disciple. They say you've trained in swordsmanship for less than a year. While your future potential is undeniable, your current skill falls far short!"
Devil Light Flowing Blade!
Ryoji swung his blade again, a violent tremor concealed in his wrist, blurring the blade's outline.
This technique channels force directly into an opponent's internal organs, specifically targeting those with formidable defenses.
But...
Clang!
Kurogane Ouma remained utterly unmoved.
The blade struck his body, and the vibrating force indeed penetrated his interior. Yet he stood unfazed, his icy gaze fixed on Ryoji as if watching a clown's performance.
"Is this guy... his entire body as hard as diamond?" Ryoji thought in disbelief.
His ability was supposed to control gale-force winds, not enhance his defensive power. How could his entire body be as hard as steel?
No.
His body was far harder than steel!
At Ryoji's current level, slicing through steel was child's play. Yet Kurogane Ouma had faced his blade head-on without so much as a scratch.
Moreover, this invulnerability wasn't limited to his outer flesh, even his internal organs had become utterly impenetrable!
"Eye jab!" Ryoji roared. "I refuse to believe it!"
Even if your entire body is as hard as adamantium, could you possibly have trained your orifices to be completely without flaws?
The sword thrust forward, its tip aimed directly at Kurogane Ouma's eyeball!
Kurogane Ouma's brow furrowed.
Faced with this attack targeting his vital weakness, he finally moved, raising the Ōdachi in his hand.
No matter how indestructible one trains their body, the universal weakness of humanity remains insurmountable unless one transcends human limits. A direct strike to the eyeball could devastate the brain!
He swung his blade with blinding speed, far faster than Ryoji's thrust, the swing generating a deafening sonic boom.
Ryoji's gaze sharpened.
He instantly activated Absolute Speed!
Setting his sword's velocity to be absolutely faster than Ouma's strike!
Suddenly, his blade accelerated exponentially, the tip surging forward with overwhelming force.
This sudden burst of speed caught Kurogane Ouma completely off guard. By the time he tried to accelerate further, it was already too late.
His arrogance had led him to take Ryoji's first two strikes head-on, allowing the young swordsman to close the distance.
This was his only failure.
This strike is guaranteed to hit!
Clang!
But the blade failed to pierce his eyeball.
Kurogane Ouma closed his eyelids.
Despite being only a thin layer of skin, they blocked the sword tip as effectively as the Aegis shield.
"Your ability is formidable, a natural counter to swordsmen," Kurogane Ouma said, closing one eye and coldly observing him with the other. "But the number of targets you can set at once is limited. If you're faster than my blade, you can't be faster than my eyelid. Defending against you is no challenge at all."
"Tch!"
Ryoji clicked his tongue audibly.
He had made two settings: one to be faster than his sword strike, and another to be faster than his retreat. But he hadn't thought to designate a speed faster than Kurogane Ouma's blink.
Most people would instinctively flinch or evade when their weak point was targeted.
But Kurogane Ouma stubbornly refused to follow convention, evading his certain-kill strike with a mere blink.
Very well then, Ryoji thought, I'll free up a designation slot and use it to move faster than his blink…
"I see right through your plan," KuroganeOuma sneered, then decisively closed his eyes. "You're thinking that if you can strike faster than I can blink, you can pierce my eyes, aren't you?"
"But what will you do if I fight you with my eyes closed?"
Ryoji remained unmoved, simply slashing his blade forward.
This strike was as swift as a lightning ray, pushing every cell and organ in his body to its absolute limit, far surpassing the capabilities of the human eye.
Clang!
But KuroganeOuma's Ōdachi flashed out, effortlessly parrying Ryoji's blade.
Even with his eyes closed, his vision seemed to have no impact on his combat.
Seriously?
Ryoji's lip twitched involuntarily.
There's nowhere to aim.
Where should he strike next?
The nostrils, mouth, and ears were out of the question; they were impenetrable.
The groin? The anus?
Honestly, he doubted those would do any good either.
Absolutely impenetrable defense.
"Eah!"
A sharp, brief scream pierced the air from the distance.
The familiar voice made Ryoji's heart sink.
Rich Lady Kanata lay collapsed on the ground, riddled with sword wounds, while Shinomiya Amane smiled benevolently.
(End of Chapter)