The arena had grown quieter.
Not because the crowd had lost interest.
Because everyone was trying to follow the fight.
Wooden blades cracked together again.
CLACK
Raizen slid back across the arena floor, adjusting his footing.
Across from him, Tetsuo Kurogane reset his stance calmly.
The swordsman's breathing remained steady.
Controlled.
Raizen noticed it immediately.
He hasn't wasted a single movement.
Every step.
Every swing.
Every shift.
It was efficient.
The result of countless hours of repetition.
Tetsuo lifted his blade slightly.
"You adapt quickly."
Raizen nodded.
"You're precise."
The swordsman's faint smile returned.
"Precision wins battles."
Then he moved again.
The Blade Pressure
This time Tetsuo attacked with more intent.
Three strikes came in sequence.
High slash.
Low cut.
Thrust.
Raizen blocked the first.
Jumped over the second.
But the third forced him to twist sideways just to avoid the tip of the wooden blade.
Tetsuo followed instantly.
His sword reversed direction in a tight arc.
Raizen barely barely got his blade up in time.
CRACK
The impact echoed across the arena.
Students leaned forward in their seats.
Tetsuo stepped in again.
Another strike.
Raizen deflected it.
But the swordsman was already rotating his shoulders.
A spinning cut followed.
Raizen slid backward.
His sandals scraped across the stone.
The pressure increasing.
Tetsuo wasn't rushing.
But the attacks were coming faster now.
More angles.
More variations.
Raizen recognized the strategy.
The swordsman was forcing him to react.
To fall behind his rhythm.
Reading the Blade
Raizen exhaled slowly.
He adjusted his grip on the training sword.
His stance shifted slightly.
Tetsuo noticed immediately.
"Good."
Raizen stepped forward.
Their blades collided again, harder.
This time Raizen attacked first.
A quick diagonal slash.
Tetsuo blocked.
Raizen rotated his wrist and redirected the blade mid-motion.
A second strike followed.
Tetsuo leaned just enough for the blade to miss.
Then he countered.
A downward cut aimed at Raizen's shoulder.
Raizen stepped inside the strike.
His blade slid along Tetsuo's, redirecting it off-line.
The crowd gasped.
"That was smooth!"
Tetsuo's eyes sharpened.
"You've practiced more than academy drills."
Raizen didn't answer.
The truth was complicated.
Memories from another life.
Instincts from countless battles he barely remembered.
Tetsuo pressed forward again.
But this time—
Raizen met him halfway.
A Different Rhythm
Their blades flashed faster now.
CLACK
CRACK
CLACK
The rhythm changed.
Raizen's movements became smoother.
Less rigid.
More flowing.
He moved like he was circling, not clashing head-on.
In the stands, Akari Mizuta narrowed her eyes.
"That movement…"
Daigo Mizuta leaned closer.
"What about it?"
Akari didn't answer immediately.
"It's not academy kenjutsu."
Below them, Raizen stepped sideways again.
His sword cut upward.
Tetsuo blocked.
But Raizen's next movement came from an unexpected angle.
He pivoted sharply.
The strike came from behind his shoulder.
Tetsuo barely blocked in time.
The force drove him back a step.
For the first time in the match.
The crowd erupted.
"He pushed him back!"
Tetsuo steadied himself.
Then smiled again.
"Interesting."
The Final Exchange
Tetsuo raised his blade.
"This will decide it."
Raizen nodded once.
Both fighters adjusted their stance.
The arena fell silent again.
Wind moved lightly across the stone floor.
Then—
They moved at the same time.
Tetsuo struck first.
A powerful downward cut.
Raizen sidestepped.
Their blades met again.
But this time Raizen rotated inside the strike.
His sword slid along Tetsuo's weapon.
The movement carried the blade past him.
Tetsuo reacted instantly.
He twisted his wrist, preparing a counter.
But Raizen was already moving.
A sweeping step.
A quick pivot.
His blade stopped just short of Tetsuo's neck.
Silence filled the arena.
The instructor raised his hand.
"Match concluded!"
For a moment no one spoke.
Then the stands exploded with cheers.
Tetsuo lowered his sword slowly.
Then let out a quiet breath.
"Well done."
Raizen stepped back and bowed slightly.
The swordsman returned the gesture.
"You're not a traditional swordsman," Tetsuo said.
Raizen nodded.
"That's true."
Tetsuo rested the wooden blade against his shoulder.
"Good."
He turned toward the stands.
"Next time we fight…"
His eyes flicked toward Raizen again.
"I'll be ready for your style."
Thunder Ranking Board
Later that evening the students gathered in the central hall again.
The massive Thunder Ranking Board had been updated.
Names shifted across the rankings.
Some students climbed.
Others dropped.
Near the top now—
Raizen Tenrai.
Students whispered excitedly.
"Two big wins in one week…"
"He beat Ren and Tetsuo…"
"That's crazy."
From the side of the hall, Akari Mizuta folded her arms.
"Now the real matches start."
Daigo Mizuta grinned.
"Oh yeah."
He cracked his knuckles.
"Because tomorrow…"
He pointed at the board.
"It's my turn now."